Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 694 Ronald, You Are My Big Brother
"Oh my God, this is more exciting than landing in the cockpit of a Navy F-14 Tomcat fighter jet."

The Boeing passenger plane flew over Kai Tak Airport, passing countless yachts in the harbor, and a large outdoor advertisement with the words San Miguel, then passed the Mong Kok Stadium, passed the overpass at a low altitude, and finally entered the airport. 180 degree turn to the right.

Before landing on the airport runway, the direction of the nose of the plane actually had a 45-degree angle with the runway. Before landing, it made another sharp turn to the left to correct the angle, and finally landed steadily.

Because Ronald had the experience of taking propeller plane piloting training courses, he was more impressed than Diane who was sitting next to him.This is a bit like the transport plane of the Souvier Alliance, which landed in the famous "Afghan style" in order to avoid the ground Stinger missile on the battlefield.

After ordering roast goose in English at the restaurant, Ronald and his group had a meal of Cantonese cuisine before rushing to the Peninsula Hotel where they were staying.This is one of the favorite hotels for business people who come to Xiangjiang.

After Ronald moved in, he called script assistant David Simkins.David told him on the phone that he had signed an option contract with playwright John Patrick Shanley for [-] percent.

During the year, Ronald and I had the priority to produce his screenplay.The full payment will be made after the project is approved.

Satisfied, Ronald is going to negotiate the release contract of the script with major studios after returning home, and then raise financing.He thought of his own daydream to operate this kind of medium-budget film production.

"Tomorrow there will be a premiere, and we will publish some news in English-language newspapers like the South China Morning Post. After all, Western films are still in the minority here." Nisita, who arrived on the same plane, contacted his wife Paula. Si has also arrived, and the two sides will meet tomorrow.

Although there is only a market for English-language movies here among people who have received English education, there are quite a few people who can speak English in the film industry here.

Many people in the film industry have received a university education, and Xiangjiang's university education, speaking English well is a necessary condition for getting a job after graduation.

Paramount's staff here, according to Ronald's special request, arranged for some directors and producers to attend the meeting after the premiere the next day.And these practitioners who can speak fluent English also want to have the opportunity to communicate with Hollywood commercial directors.

"I don't know what influence the new wave has on movies. No one in Hollywood is talking about the new wave now. Those innovative techniques have become a part of Hollywood commercial film production, just like drinking water."

The words are not speculative, the practitioners and film critics here are fluent in English, but their ideas are outdated, and they are still trying to communicate with Ronald with the thoughts of the emerging filmmakers in the 60s hair country.

Ronald asked about their occupations and works carefully, and found that most of them were film critics, while the other half had only made some experimental works, and the box office was extremely poor.

Movies are an art that needs to be tested by the market. What is there to communicate with these clichés?

Ronald asked the unhelpful translator next to him how many of the locally produced films were shot in English.The answer is almost none.

Immediately Ronald knew that he might have found the wrong person.The local partners may be concerned about the language barrier and arrange for people with strong English skills, and most of these people write for English newspapers and magazines, or do film research in universities.

Those who are really shooting local films on the front line are almost never encountered.

Almost, because there is also a director whose English is not so good, who is actually shooting the movie.

His name is Tsui Hark, and he formed a movie studio with his girlfriend.Also made a lot of movies.Because I have experience in making movies, I had a pleasant chat with Ronald.

After the exchange, Tsui Hark specially invited Ronald to dinner.

Ronald knew that this was a unique way of communication for Chinese people, so he readily agreed.

"What I like most about Hollywood is the well-developed special effects there. I like making special effects films very much. Unfortunately, the market here is too small. The special effects films I made a few years ago did not do well at the box office, so the boss didn't want to make them. "

"That's true. It is also because of the large North American market that Hollywood can produce films such as ET Aliens and Star Wars that focus on visual effects."

Ronald thought so, and was very satisfied to find a director who also liked special effects in Xiangjiang.The two chatted while eating.

"A few years ago, he also brought in a former employee of Industrial Light & Magic from Hollywood to establish the "Visual Conceptual Engineering Company (VCE), and spent a lot of money to shoot a special effects film, "Shu: The Warrior Coming Down from the Magic Mountain", but They charge way too much. "

Tsui Hark's girlfriend, Ms. Shi, is also a producer, and she speaks good English. She talked about the magical movie that made her boyfriend regret a few years ago.

"I've seen this movie. When I was filming 'The Monster in Chinatown', the director John Carpenter specially played this movie for us, so that we can learn the characteristics of Chinese culture and visuals. "

Diane interjected that she was struggling with chopsticks, trying all kinds of good meat dishes.

"There are quite a few special effects companies like this in Hollywood. In fact, there are also crude methods. My friend Cameron, he used to shoot this kind of special effects for two dollars and thirty-five cents at the beginning, and only recently got a big investment. You should immediately Seeing an Alien sequel from him."

"Aliens? I've wanted to see it for a long time." Tsui Hark said that he is following the development of the latest special effects technology in Hollywood.

"However, this kind of special effects films are very expensive, and Hollywood studios dare not try it lightly." Ronald used chopsticks to hold some roast meat for Diane, and then ordered the waiter to bring a pair of knives and forks, and told her to slow down. eat slowly.

"The boss is the same everywhere. My boyfriend supervised a movie, and the boss said he would burn the copy to get the insurance money." Ms. Shi also seemed to think of the stingy boss of Xiangjiang Films, and said something with a curl of her lips.

"Supervisor?" Ronald didn't quite understand the meaning of this position.

"This is a special production arrangement of Xiangjiang. When the boss doesn't trust the director's ability, they will often arrange another director to go to the set to ensure that the director will not overspend or overtime. It's time to take over the directing job." Tsui Hark explained.

"Interesting, we have a directors' union in Hollywood, but there is no such arrangement." Ronald used his chopsticks very well, and the vegetables in this restaurant were also cooked very well, without any crumbs.

"But your boss is joking, how could the film be burned to get the poor insurance money?"

"No, he's serious."

"Huh?" Ronald was very moved when he heard that, there are actually such producers who don't respect film creation.

"This is a stupid behavior, even if you only consider business, it is very stupid. I believe that the quality of the film you... produced will not be too bad. Hollywood's video tape business is very good now, even if it cannot be released in the market, go directly to the video tape market You can also make money."

Tsui Hark and Miss Shi laughed awkwardly, Ronald didn't know why.

"There are pirated copies here, and the videotapes usually have to be released before someone is willing to make and distribute them," Ms. Shi explained in a low voice.

It turned out that in Xiangjiang, piracy of video tapes was very rampant, and the anti-theft technology of VHS video recorders was soon cracked here.All kinds of videotapes are sold very cheaply. Unless it is a blockbuster movie that is shown in theaters, there is not much money in the videotape market.

The release also requires a distribution fee and a copy production fee. After all, it may be better to burn the negatives on fire and get the insurance money.

"Hey, old Woo, come on, this is the great director of Hollywood, Ronald Lee."

Tsui Hark saw an acquaintance coming in and hurriedly called him over.

After the introduction, Ronald discovered that this slightly bald person was the director of the movie Tsui Hark just mentioned. John Woo.

"I'm a bit depressed now." Old Woo poured a glass of wine and drank it down. "This movie has accumulated my hard work, and it really feels bad that it can't be released.

"Don't be discouraged, no one knows whether the box office is good or bad before it's released, so don't underestimate yourself." Ronald listened to Ms. Shi's translation and comforted her.

"Is it convenient for you to take a look at the copy? If you can give a positive comment, maybe the boss will change his mind." Tsui Hark suddenly brightened his eyes and said to Ronald.

"I don't know Cantonese, but it doesn't matter if I look at it." Ronald agreed anyway, "But you have to show me Xiangjiang's studio. How did the movies you admired come out?"

"Leave it on me, and I can show you a special type of work that Hollywood doesn't even have, martial arts."

……

"Well, a very special video style." Ronald finished watching the movie called "A better tomorrow". The very style.

In Hollywood, there aren't many people shooting shootouts.Often when the protagonist and the villain are in a duel, they abandon the gun fight and use fist fights instead.Because shootouts are often boring, if you are not a director with profound skills, you can't make shootouts that make the audience feel good.

"The shootout scene is impressive, and the actors' performances have a special style. I hope to see more films directed by Mr. Woo."

Ronald wrote down his evaluation on a piece of paper and handed it to Tsui Hark, "I hope it can help. I'll be honest, your image style is very special, I like it very much."

"What did the ghost say?" John Woo took the paper from Miss Shi, wanting to see what comments Ronald had written.

"Speaking of your good words, there is hope now." Ms. Shi is very happy. With the evaluation of a Hollywood director like Ronald, presumably the boss will no longer have doubts about the release.

"Hahaha", the old Woo who read the evaluation laughed from ear to ear, "Thank you..."

Ronald smiled and shook hands with him. The works of these people all looked like B-grade exploitation films, which made Ronald feel very familiar and comfortable.

……

"This is the studio of Golden Harvest, and they are about to launch a movie, which is the third sequel of the previous blockbuster movie."

Tsui Hark kept his promise and invited Ronald to the set to see how it was shot.

Ronald looked at them as if they were performing some kind of ceremony. A pig's head was placed in front of something covered with a red cloth, and a large group of people followed behind to worship the pig's head.

"What is this doing?" Ronald and Diane were amazed.

"This is a traditional ceremony in Xiangjiang. Every time before starting the machine, you must worship God in front of the camera."

Ms. Shi explained next to her.

"Worship the camera? Why worship the camera?"

"If you ask them, they'll probably just tell you it's a custom. But I've researched the history of the tradition."

Ms. Shi is also well educated and speaks very good English. She began to tell the history of worshiping God.

It turns out that in the earliest days, Xiangjiang was not a film production center.Many cameras here are second-hand products eliminated by several companies in Xujiahui.

When the camera is old, there will be some irregular and seemingly random accidents.For example, scratching the film causes a box of film to be scrapped, or the camera accidentally exposes, etc.At that time, people engaged in photography work were not well-educated, and sometimes they didn't know why, so they gradually merged with the local worship, forming a custom of worshiping the camera before starting the camera.

"Isn't this just a variant of the cargo plane cult?"

Ronald remembered that he had read the book of Feynman, the Nobel Prize winner in physics and master of physics, which mentioned a phenomenon of cargo plane worship.

During World War II, the American Navy used some islands with aborigines as logistics transit bases.In order to obtain the cooperation of the aborigines, they often take out some canned meat, beer and other food from the logistics and exchange them with the aborigines.

But these aborigines can't understand modern technology. They think it's made by white people with magic.

So after the war ended, they made radio antennas out of wood, put them on in the shape of earphones, kowtowed in front of the planes cut out of wood, and put on the costumes left by the navy as the costumes of wizards and priests. They also imitated the navy and started The call for takeoff developed into a religious ritual.

This worship of the camera is also a ritual formed without understanding the inner principles.

"Hey, brother, are you here?"

The worship ceremony was over, the camera pulled down the red cloth, and the filming was about to begin.

Tsui Hark spotted a stocky actor with short hair and came forward to say hello.

"Why are you here too? I'm here to play a guest role today. He Sheng ordered it."

Ronald noticed that the actor had a big nose and was always smiling.

"How is your health?"

"It's okay, I've been healed a long time ago, and this scar is almost healed." The actor tilted his head towards Tsui Hark, letting him see a scar behind his right temple.

"Don't try too hard."

"I can't help it. Everyone is working so hard, we have to work harder. Who is this ghost? That foreign girl is so beautiful."

"Let me introduce to you, this is the big director of Hollywood, Ronald, and this is his girlfriend, Diane Lane, who is also a famous actor."

"This is the best-selling actor in Xiangjiang, Jackie Chan"

"Leihou." Ronald greeted him in Cantonese he just learned.

"The big director from Hollywood? Jin, let's go to dinner together? I invite, abalone, shark's fin..."

The big-nosed Jackie Chan patted her chest and asked Ronald, a big Hollywood director, to have dinner.

Ronald smiled and agreed, he just wanted to communicate with these so-called martial arts, what is going on with filming.

"Brother, what's the matter? Going to have dinner with the ghost? That foreign woman is so beautiful."

A group of martial artists under Jackie Chan heard that they were going to eat abalone fins, so they all gathered around, and seeing Diane again, they seemed a little afraid to go with them.

"I'm afraid, do you think foreign women are pretty? I will find a foreign woman to play the heroine in the next film..." Jackie Chan, who is called the big brother, looked at the yearning faces of his subordinates and felt that a foreign woman would be the leading role. Might be a good idea.

Everyone got in the car, went to a well-known "Fulinmen" restaurant, and ordered a table of delicious dishes. Jackie Chan made the martial arts masters sit at the round table, sat with Ronald, Diane, Tsui Hark and others, and kept asking Ronald about the situation in Hollywood through Miss Shi's translation.

"This is roast suckling pig, do you want to eat it?" the eldest brother asked Ronald.

"Hey..." Diane couldn't eat it when he heard that it was a little pig.

"Don't?" The eldest brother turned the food over, "Do you want to eat?" The martial artists asked one after another. If you want to eat, you can pick up your chopsticks. If you don't want to eat, you don't have to force it, but he asked everyone, which is very fair.

The round table turned back, there was still some left, Jackie Chan swept it into his own bowl, and then made a loud framing sound, and ate all the meat.

"This is seafood, abalone, do you want to eat it?"

Another dish was served, and Jackie Chan still asked Ronald and Diane first.

Ronald felt that no matter how polite he was, he might run out of food, so he immediately picked up the chopsticks for himself and Diane.

"Do you eat? You can do it yourself." The eldest brother showed his demeanor, asked around, and finally ate the rest by himself.

"Xiangjiang's food is very good, I like it very much." Ronald asked Ms. Shi to translate, and thanked the eldest brother for his hospitality.

Finally, the waiter brought a pot of tea, and Ronald poured Jackie Chan a cup to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome, you're welcome. The director of Hollywood is so helpful to old Woo, we should all show it."

"When you come to Hollywood in the future, you can come to me. I'll take you there to eat delicious and fun food. If you want help with movies, I can also help you connect."

Ronald heard from Ms. Shi that this eldest brother is currently the most attractive male star at the box office in Xiangjiang.He knows the power of Hollywood male stars, many friends have many paths.Besides, Ronald also felt that he looked a little kind, and he was more fair in dealing with people.

"Speaking of which, we just can't buy Hollywood cameras now. There are often good performances, but when they are printed out the next day, the negatives are scratched, so we have to make do with it." Jackie Chan was not polite, saying that he wanted to buy one. Two Panavision cameras commonly used in Hollywood.

"Panavision cameras are only rented and not sold. It's the same in Hollywood. I only borrow Panavision cameras when I start shooting."

"Hey, I just said it, just said it."

"Huh?" Ronald thought for a while when he saw this, "Actually, there is a workaround. I can go to Panavision Company to rent two cameras for a long time, and then put them in Xiangjiang for those who want to use them, but I need one Do things fairly and have responsible people to manage.”

"Then it's best for you to leave it to the eldest brother." Ms. Shi also knows that the boss here in Xiangjiang is unwilling to invest in hardware equipment. Some big investment movies also use second-hand and third-hand old equipment.And some big-investment movies can obviously improve the image quality by using some good equipment, but it doesn't make sense to those stingy bosses.

People in the industry have long wanted to do this, but because they have no channels, they have helped out with people who are famous in Hollywood to rent to Panavision Company for a long time.

"Really?" Jackie Chan is very happy. He actually pursues film art very much, but he also failed in Hollywood a few years ago. If he can make such a loyal friend, it will be much more convenient in the future .

"Of course, I will ask my agent to call Panavision, and they will agree." Ronald owns a Daydream production company under his own name, and it is not a problem to rent cameras.

"I propose a glass of wine to you, Director Ronald! From now on, you will be my eldest brother, come on, call me Brother Li Sheng." The eldest brother Jackie Chan called the group of martial arts brothers and asked them to come and meet Luo Nader.

Jackie Chan was very happy, and solved a big problem of the entire film industry practitioners in Xiangjiang, asking the waiter to open a bottle of XO.

"It's fine to replace wine with tea." Ronald quickly stopped, there's no need to open XO.

"I'm happy today. It's rare for me to know such a loyal person like Li Sheng."

A bottle of wine was opened on the spot, Ronald and Jackie Chan drank a full glass, and his martial brother drank the rest.

Jackie Chan remained enthusiastic and invited Ronald to visit his own small studio.

"Li Sheng trusts me so much, I will definitely take care of the Panavision camera."

Jackie Chan patted his chest. His studio is not big, and there is an editing machine in a corner with unfinished film on it.

"People like you are naturally trustworthy. When I watch you eat, I know he will take care of every brother." Ronald replied.

Jackie Chan laughed, this martial arts team starting a family class is his greatest pride.He went over to look at the editing machine, there was still film on it, he took it off, used an editing machine to stick tape on it, and connected it with the previous picture.

Obviously, Jackie Chan is very familiar with the editing machine, he must have done it himself, and quickly put the tape on and pasted it.

"Although I come from a martial arts background, I know everything about movies. I just like making movies."

Ronald has great respect for these enthusiastic filmmakers. He picked up the film and looked at it, as if it was a modern martial arts show.

"Are you still using this kind of tape? There is a new kind of editing tape in Hollywood. It only needs one-sixteenth of this 3M tape to stick the clipping mouth firmly. The price of a roll of tape is only 20% more expensive. And you can use it for a long time.”

Ronald saw the need and started to sell his new editing tape.

"Is there such a good thing?" Jackie Chan is also very interested.

Ronald found a phone, called the factory on Staten Island, woke up the factory manager, and asked him to send some samples for Jackie Chan to use.

"Also, do you want to make lightning scenes? I also have a lightning machine."

　Two chapters are released together today

　
(End of this chapter)