Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 696 Helen, who are you listening to?
Ronald didn't know that John Hughes fired Howard Deutsch, who told the ugly truth, out of jealousy that his box office performance was not as good as his own.

He has his own affairs to worry about.

Copies of "Ruthless People" are already in print and will be released in late June.

As a producer, Ronald didn't actually interfere much with the filming of this film, which invested more than 1000 million yuan.

The screen-funded, Disney's new Touchstone releases its first film, a comedy directed by the Jerry Zucker trio that made $[-] million at the box office.Ronald didn't think that his comedy talent could give any useful advice to the director team on the set.

So he just went to watch the film crew for a day when the filming started, and by the way gave a stage to Helen Slater, who played the female kidnapper.Apart from letting everyone know that she is her own, she didn't interfere with any of Zach's directorial actions.

Jerry Zucker is a bit like himself, he is a transfer student of Roger Coleman Film University. He is also a director with a very professional ethics in exploitation films, and he can basically complete the creation within the scope of budget and shooting plan.

So after that, Ronald simply asked Eddie, who was daydreaming, to go to the crew to watch for a while, and then let him go.

Ronald felt that for a director like Jerry Zucker who knew exactly what he was doing, the most important job of a producer was to keep promises, attract investment, and never interfere with artistic creation.The responsibility of the director is to ensure that the shooting is completed within the planned time and does not exceed the budget.

However, after Ronald participated in the last test screening before the release, he fell into deep doubts about the so-called "producer's concept".

The test screenings were not well received.

The frequency and strength of the audience's laughter are not the same as the first two works of the Zach trio, "Airplane!" and "Top Secret!".

In particular, his debut novel "Flying All over the Sky", grossed 8000 million US dollars at the box office.There are at least one joke every minute, or even one every 1 seconds.All kinds of parodies are dizzying.Not only the film critics liked it, but the audience also laughed from beginning to end, and many of them had symptoms of abdominal muscle pain the next day.

But for "The Family Has an Evil Husband", the audience at the test screening restrained their laughter.When they smile, it is often a knowing smile, not an indulgent laugh.Moreover, the interval between before and after laughing is also very long, and some laughs often have a lag of a few seconds to react.

As Ronald watched, his brows began to tighten.

The rhythm of the comedy is very important, much more important than the average movie.If a joke is not felt by the audience, it will not only affect this joke, but also the next one.You may still be thinking about where the last joke was so funny, but the next one has already arrived.

In this way, neither of the two jokes is often felt.

And in this "A Wicked Husband", there are frequent sluggish laughs. This is not a problem with the rhythm of one or two laughs, but the whole movie may have problems.Originally, the intensity of the laughter was 10 points, but it may be disturbed by this rhythm to only 6 points.

Not only did he frown, but when he saw that the audience around him didn't laugh at the right time, Ronald would also let out a "tsk...tsk..." sigh.

Others didn't hear it, but Helen Slater, who was sitting next to him and hugged his arm tightly, could hear it clearly.

She looked at Ronald at first, signaling him not to be so disrespectful.Later, influenced by Ronald, his complexion slowly collapsed.

By the end of the test screening, Helen's face was already pale, and her two big blue eyes seemed to be about to start crying.

Ronald comforted her instead, "Don't worry, the audience's reaction is okay, maybe it will be a big hit when it is officially screened? My Top Gun has also experienced the same situation."

This is Helen's third movie to hit theaters. The first two movies where she played the undisputed heroine failed at the box office.If it fails this time too, then you can strike out and kiss the movie business goodbye.

Even if you are the daughter of the president of the seven major studios, no one would dare to use her to play an important role in a big production.

Knowing this well, Helen leaned her head on Ronald's shoulder and hugged him tightly.

Ronald felt Helen in his arms, and his whole body began to tremble slightly due to tension and fear.I didn't know how to comfort her for a while, so I could only comfort her back slowly with my hands.

She is very dedicated to her acting career, but this kind of thing cannot be forced. If Helen has something to worry about and triggers depression, Ronald doesn't know what to do.

Her father, Gerald, entrusted his daughter to himself, and he also introduced the role to her.However, the quality of the movie is really involved with too many factors, and the box office is not as simple as hard work and rewards.

"Congratulations!" said the lead actor, Danny DeVito, a small, bald comedian, who came and pulled comedian Bette Midler, who played a kidnapped rich girl Midler's hand, congratulations to her.

"Thanks, you too."

Bette Midler was not good looking, she was a bit fat, and she was a singer by trade.The previous starring movie is also a biographical movie of a singer, which is her transition to comedy.

The two said congratulations, but the expressions on their faces told another terrible story.

"I'm done, what about you?"

"I'm done too."

Ronald watched all this silently by the side, and became even more worried about everything in his heart.

This was the most uncomfortable test screening he has ever attended.The audience wasn't in high spirits, and the cast had doomsday expressions on their faces.

Danny DeVito previously came in a comedic supporting role in "The Emerald," starring Michael Douglas and Katherine Turner.This time, I originally wanted to use Hollywood's top comedy director Jerry Zucker to advance to the protagonist in one fell swoop.

This test screening is frustrating, but he is still a gold medal supporting role, and there are still small supporting roles to dabble in when he returns.Soon he changed his face and began to have a relationship with producer Ronald and director Zach.

"I watched Top Gun, Ronald, it's a masterpiece. When can I fly in a fighter jet?"

Ronald had just comforted Helen, making her smile again.I was about to chat with Jerry Zucker when he interrupted me impatiently.

"Danny, can you give me and Jerry some privacy?"

Ronald, who was not smiling, turned serious, which was a bit scary.

"I'm just kidding, kidding." Danny DeVito backed away quickly from the corner, giving space to the producer and director.

"What do you think, Jerry?" Ronalda chatted with Jerry Zucker about the reaction to the test screening.He handed over a cigarette, and Zach took it, lit it on Ronald's lighter, and the two smoked first.

"I don't know, Ronald. I want to change the way of comedy in this movie. I no longer insist on the rhythm of one laugh point per minute in the past. This movie is actually a comedy in a serious way. We hope Audiences are going to be able to find the absurdity in the story itself, rather than us feeding them verbal jokes, you understand?"

"I understand, I didn't mean to interfere with your directorial methods." Ronald took an ashtray and held it in his hand, letting Jerry Zucker knock the ash.

"I am very grateful for this, you know how to do it. This transformation is what I insist on. It is impossible for us to continue to produce such dense jokes. The transformation is a matter of time, otherwise the audience will be inexplicable before us. Know where the sense of humor comes from.

David and Jim didn't really agree with my decision.But artistic creation is always risky. If we don’t take this step, we will be eliminated by the audience if we stay where we are. "

"Hey... I understand, I understand." Ronald also took a drag on his cigarette.It's not good to blame Jerry Zach too much now. For his artistic breakthrough, he even destroyed the iron triangle relationship between his brother and his buddies.

"I just want to ask you, what do you think of the box office prospects?" Ronald asked in a low voice. After all, he is the producer and is responsible for the box office of the entire movie.

"I don't know for sure, I heard that the test screening of your Top Gun was not well received. The test screening of the unprecedented and unprecedented flying all over the sky is not as good as the official release. If you think I need to make more changes, I will do it."

"I'm just a little surprised by the sluggish jokes... Forget it, the copy is already done, and the cost of recutting is too high. And I can't make any helpful suggestions. I trust your artistic vision."

Ronald began to regret that he should go to the crew more to interfere with the progress of the filming.It seems that when the trio was filming, there was an artistic disagreement. If they intervened earlier, they might be able to salvage a little.

But it's superfluous to say anything now, let's keep the dignity of an artist.

"Thanks, Ronald. But we don't have to lose. Those sluggish jokes are deliberately designed by me. The humor in this movie is not so dense, so the audience has enough time to savor the absurdity and irony in the plot place."

The two hugged tightly as a mutual understanding between the artists.

"Wish us good luck." Jerry Zucker adjusted his glasses and said to Ronald.

"I do need luck," Ronald replied.

If the box office fails, Ronald will be cheating Michael Eisner and the eldest son of the deputy commander.

Touchstone, which had just released its first film, was about to suffer a critical failure.As for the second phase of Screen Fund, the first investment failed in the hands of Little George, and he would be laughed at by those nobles for a long time.

Not to mention, I have to make a move once, so that the two friends who believed in me and suffered losses will not continue to lose money because of their mistakes as producers.

The audience began to exit, and Ronald hurried to the bathroom to eavesdrop.

This time they didn't discuss the plot of the movie with each other, or some impressive lines, but chatted about their own affairs.

Didn’t make money in the economic recovery like the main character? How abhorrent are those rich people, who make money by stealing the ideas and creativity of talented people, and don’t give those poor people the rewards they deserve when they get rich.

It is also very responsive, but is this good or bad?

Ronald touched his head, but he had no idea.He returned to the auditorium, where Helen was still waiting for him.

Helen was wearing a white T-shirt and jeans, her hair was casually tied behind her head, she had the aura of an outstanding beauty.

"Where are you going?" She looked at Ronald with big almond eyes.

Helen completely failed her audition for "Secrets of Success".Director Herbert Ross found Kristy McNichol, who was recommended by his relationship, Barbra Streisand, to play the lead actress.

A large number of actresses are concentrated in the age group of 35 to [-]. Without a strong relationship, it is impossible to have the opportunity to appear in a movie with a large investment in theaters.

It was only after Helen was ruthlessly rejected in the second round of auditions that she deeply understood the importance of relationships.She can only mend the situation and hold on to her only relationship, the commercial movie wizard Ronald.

Christie McNichol's relationship was much deeper than her relationship with Herbert Ross.Herbert Ross was originally Streisand's choreographer, and most of the Broadway actors belonged to this circle.

And Christie McNichol is not unknown, she is also a child star, in [-], she starred in the hit comedy "Little Darlings" with Tatum O'Neill, who was also a child star. )".

It's a pity that her appearance and acting skills are not as good as Tatum O'Neal and Jodie Foster, two actors who are also child stars, and they haven't had many opportunities.

But the two competitors, one had no acting after graduating from Yale, and the other didn't get a good teenage role to transition smoothly. He just married American tennis player McEnroe last month and temporarily quit the showbiz.

This opportunity fell to her instead.

It seems that as long as you spend enough time in the entertainment industry, you still have a chance to get one or two big productions.

"I'm not going anywhere, just sit with me for a while." Ronald put his arms around Helen, and the two sat in the empty auditorium.

"Let them play the movie again," Ronald said to the Touchstone staff.

"Where is the bad shot, even if I fail, I have to figure it out." Ronald has always been persistent in professional matters.

The lights dimmed again, and only Ronald and Helen started watching the movie from the beginning.

Helen plays the female kidnapper. The patented invention of her and her husband is stolen by the rich man's son-in-law played by Danny DeVito, and they make a fortune by themselves. They then want to kidnap the rich girl to get back what they deserve 50 patent money.

"Tsk..." Ronald sighed when he saw the scene where Helen wore Huey and Dewey's duck masks and kidnapped the rich girl into his home.

It seems that the movies that have a relationship with the Donald Duck family are all bad luck.Lucas's Howard Duck has basically failed, and it has also implicated two global executives.

The pacing of the movie is a bit off traditional Zack comedy.As for Helen's performance, there was a big gap between her performance and the others'.Paying attention to her performance this time made Ronald, who is used to watching classic Hollywood movies, feel a little bit out of play.

Then the rich girl is domineering in the basement, and Helen plays the role of an angry little daughter-in-law. Instead, she is conquered by the rich girl, not daring to abuse the hostages too much, but frying steak for her.

"Tsk..." When Ronald heard her lines, it also gave people a strong sense of theatrical tone, which was very dramatic.

Helen saw that every time she appeared, spoke, or made some physical movements, Ronald would make a sound of tut, and she was terrified.

"Is my acting really so bad? What did Ronald want to say by keeping himself?"

She looked at the screen, and indeed when she watched it for the second time, she felt incompatible with the loose acting style of others.

"Hmm..." Helen panicked, hugged Ronald's arm, and buried her head on his chest. She didn't dare to look at the screen anymore, and she didn't want Ronald to comment on her acting skills.

"Did I ruin the whole movie? Woohoo..."

"Turn on the lights..." Ronald raised his hand and told the staff to suspend the screening.

"Don't worry, honey. I think I've found the problem."

"where is it?"

Helen, whose almond eyes were a little red and swollen from crying, looked at Ronald tearfully.

"When you were performing, were you listening to yourself?" Ronald called the staff and asked him to re-screen the clip of Helen talking.

"Me?" Helen watched her performance on the screen and thought for a moment.

"Yes, I was nervous. Director Jerry Zucker is a well-known comedy director. I asked him a lot about the mentality of the characters, the highest task, and the tone of the performance."

"No wonder, every time you read your lines, you always pay attention to your tone, accent, and intonation, so that your lines are a bit unlike the way normal people should speak."

"What does a normal person look like when they speak?" Helen no longer dared to ignore Ronald's opinion, and she also felt that there was a big gap between her performance and the protagonists.

"When normal people speak, they always pay attention to what others say, rather than what they say. Maybe in the future, you should allocate more attention to the opponent actor, instead of thinking about how to say your lines to fit the role."

"Is that so?" Helen was stunned for a moment. How could she not pay attention to such a simple matter?
"Yeah, you have taken more acting classes than I do, you should have heard that acting means acting in response."

"Acting is acting."

Helen Slater murmured to herself, then laughed through her tears.The real trick is sometimes as simple as that, which is revealed by the lover in one sentence.It's ridiculous that I have taken so many acting training classes.

She was pleasantly surprised to find that she also had a few shots, and she didn't pay too much attention to how she should act, but it seemed more natural.

Helen hugged Ronald tightly and kissed him sweetly.

"I'm so stupid, Ronnie. Looks like you know more about acting than I do. I'll always listen to you."

(End of this chapter)