Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 395 New Clipping Tape
"415-xxx-xxxx..." Ronald returned to Los Angeles and dialed the order number given to him by director Adrian Ryan during the last preview of Lightning Dance.

"Hey, may I ask if you sell... um, wait a minute", Ronald forgot the name of the new editing tape, "Yes, N-vis-o tape?"

"Ah, yes, are you using it for movie editing? Twenty dollars a roll, you send us a check deposit, and then we finish it and send it to you, and you pay the balance." A woman's voice said on the phone .

"Hey? Don't you have any in stock? I'm in a hurry to use them here."

"Sorry, this tape is handmade. If you buy ten rolls, we will also send a special machine to hold this tape. It works very well. You know this tape is very narrow, and the usual clipping tape covers about Eighteen frames of film, ours only needs one and a half frames..."

The woman started selling the benefits of "N-vis-o" tape.

"Hey, listen, I bought it because I knew it would work, so don't give me another sales pitch, I'm in a hurry, can you hurry up?"

"If you're in a hurry, it's 30 yuan a roll."

"Okay, okay, give me an address, ten volumes first, I need to edit the movie."

Ronald hung up the phone angrily, "It's a robbery. If it weren't for this editing tape, after the working copy is cut, it can be used directly for test screenings, and I wouldn't be blackmailed like this."

Standing across from Ronald in the editing room was Katherine Bigelow.She was in Los Angeles from New York to promote her film "The Loveless," and stopped by to see old friends.

Poor Bigelow had already finished his feature-length debut in [-], and it was only released on a few occasions, and it never got much interest from the studio.

This time at the Los Angeles International Film Festival, she and the leading actor Willem Dafoe (Willem Dafoe) are carrying a heavy copy to try their luck. .

Both of them made their debut films, but no one cares about them.Bigelow needless to say that Dafoe's scenes in "Heaven's Gate" were all cut by Fat Cimino, and the movie in which he starred was never released, leaving him ridiculed in front of his friends.

"This kind of editing tape, if I knew it when I was filming Loveless, I wouldn't have to spend another sum of money to go to a photo lab to re-print a response copy based on the editing results. This money could have been used to participate in international film productions. It’s a festival, maybe some international film studios will take a fancy to it.”

Kathryn Bigelow was a little bit annoyed when she heard about the very cost-effective editing tape Ronald had ordered.

"Although it's not cheap, it's still much better than attracting a whole movie. If you add the revision after the trial screening, you can still save a lot of money."

"Sit," Ronald pointed to the sofa, and asked the editing assistant to pour two cups of coffee.

"Is this your new movie?" Willem Dafoe asked, pointing to the "Girls Just Want to Have Fun" MV on the monitor?

"This? This is the MV I shot, and I plan to use it as an episode in the movie. I directed it to them, and they authorized me to use it for free." Ronald simply turned the knob to the playback position, and let the two friends see his work.

"Hmm... The rhythm of your MV is very interesting. It's so dense that it doesn't hinder the audience's understanding." Bigelow found it very interesting.

Ronald spread his hands, "It's only about three minutes long, and there's still a storyline, so that's the only way to do it. I read too much and think the content is too dense, but there's nothing I can do about it."

Ronald took the coffee and handed it to the two, "By the way, what do you need to see me today?"

Bigelow and Dafoe looked at each other and asked, "Our film has been lying in the warehouse for two years. I heard that you are also working on an independent film project, and you don't want to find a major studio for distribution, so I want to ask Do you have any connections, so that we can also sell it to theaters."

"Hey, if there was a way, I wouldn't edit slowly here." Ronald sighed, "Atlantic is also a very small company, and all their resources can only guarantee the release of one movie, and I am still working on it. When their new movie 'Girls of the Valley' comes out, if that movie fails, I'll have to find another distributor to sell it.

So I am also trying to find a way to participate in the film festival in Europe. Do you have any connections here? " Ronald asked back.

"The chance is not great. Several big film festivals lack opportunities to participate in the exhibition. We can only go to small film festivals like Brussels and Spain to try our luck."

"Hey, our filmmaking is also miserable. Independent producers may not be able to sell for two years. It may take a year or two to communicate with five or six vice presidents of a major studio. It's better to make a TV series." Luo Nader is also full of complaints.

There was no way to see Ronald, and Catherine Bigelow could only leave. There were not many buyers at the Los Angeles International Film Festival who were interested in domestic films, and they mainly came to find foreign films.If there is no way for domestically produced films to participate in this foreign film-based exhibition, the quality can be imagined.

"By the way, this is the poster of my movie. If you have the opportunity, please help me introduce some distributors. We are willing to accept any conditions."

Before leaving, Catherine Bigelow took out a poster and handed it to Ronald, and then gave him some business cards.Now what she wants is not to recover the cost of filming, but to not let her hard work go to waste. As long as she can sell it and release it in theaters, there will always be more opportunities for new films in the future.

It's not like it is now, making a movie but not selling it, in fact, in the eyes of the producer, it is worse than not making a movie.If you haven't made a movie, it may be a jade in the rough. If you have made a movie and can't sell it, then it is very likely that your level is not good.

This is especially the case for Willem Dafoe. No one saw him in the two films. When the agent passed the audition photo to someone, he was too embarrassed to write his resume on the back. Otherwise, as soon as someone opened his mouth, he would ask why the film was not released.

"OK, I will." Ronald sent the two away, and opened the poster. On the poster, Willem Dafoe was wearing a leather jacket with nothing underneath. He looked evil and handsome .

"The poster is pretty good, but I don't know if the movie will work."

"Ring ring ring ring..."

Ronald picked up the phone, "I'm Ronald."

"Hi Ronald, this is Walter, are you going to buy my editing tape?"

"Walter? Hi, Mr. Murzy. What, this editing tape is your business?" Ronald recognized his own editing master, Oscar nominee for best editing and sound design, Walter Murzy .

"Yeah, it's a little invention of mine. I heard from my assistant that someone ordered it. I saw that the name was you. What? You made another movie? It's really enviable. My 'Return to Oz' is still Rolling in planning hell."

Walter Murch was favored by Disney’s president, Ron Miller, and invited him to participate in Disney’s Young Director Program. However, the script he submitted was repeatedly called back and rewritten by several executives, which was also very painful.

"Walter, if possible, don't even try to be an indie, I've been through it, it's really painful, I have to do everything myself. I just found out that the last film was fast-paced, and I was so light-hearted. .”

Ronald and the teacher joked a few words, although Walter is suffering now, but when he gets Ron Miller's green light project funding, he will be like the emperor when he makes a movie, and there will be professional people to help with all kinds of things , I just take pictures.

"I didn't expect you to ask for it. How about it? I still have ten rolls of tape at home. I'll send it to you first, and you can pay my normal price." Walter saw that his apprentice wanted the tape, so of course he rushed to give it to him first.

"Oh, really? That's great. I'll give you the expedited price, after all, it's a movie project, and you can charge it. Anyway, you did it, and I'll send you a check for the full amount. You go early Send it out, I'll wait to use it."

"No problem, I'll send it to you first. I need to purchase raw materials for this item, and then make it by hand. It's quite troublesome. Let me use the stock first."

"Handmade? This thing should be used in a large amount, right? Why not make it with a machine?" Ronald was a little puzzled.

"I'm an artist and a craftsman, so I don't know that. Anyway, the supply is in short supply now, and I don't advertise. I rely on word of mouth. I don't have the money to buy in large quantities. They are all made to order."

"Is that so? If... Forget it, let's talk about it later. Thank you, Walter."

Ronald originally thought of cooperating with Walter to open a small factory to make tape.But I also thought that this thing is only used in the film industry, and it is not used in TV production. It seems that there is no need to use industrial production, and not many people buy it after it is made.

After two days, Ronald finally got the new editing tape, and it came with a new device to stick the tape.

This kind of tape not only covers only a few frames of film when it sticks, but it seems to have no feeling when it is played.And it also greatly reduces the manual work of editing, at least when the sound and picture are aligned, there is no need to glue several feet of film.

(End of this chapter)