Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 852 Finalizing the director and protagonist

Sybill Shepard is going to rest at the end of the season of "Blue Moonlight" because of her pregnancy. The producer has a plan for this, and also arranged the corresponding plot, so that Sybill will shoot some pictures in the two episodes , and then temporarily not in the detective agency in terms of plot.

But the production of the twins was under term, and the producers were suddenly attacked in terms of time.

The producers only knew she was pregnant, not twins.In terms of time, I didn't make too much preparation for the sudden premature birth.

Therefore, after Shepard's public relations representative released the news in the media first, the producer had no choice but to follow up and released the public relations draft drafted by Shepard as the draft. .

This method of surprise attack allows the audience to come into contact with the hot topic of discussion from Shepard's side in the first place.News about her loving husband, a pair of healthy children, blessings from the producer and so on.

And Sybill Sheppard didn't tell the producer the whole truth, the sudden production caused the crew to stop filming immediately... and so on, all these discussions were in the one-sided blessing phone call from the audience to the TV station, become inappropriate.

The producers were helpless, so they had to dilute the previous shots with Sybil's appearance into each episode in three months, and then let other actors fill in the plot.Her playing time has also become very small, and there is basically no plot with Bruce Willis.

Bruce Willis had no choice but to do badly, while quickly filming the story for the next three months, while waiting for Ronald and Silver's call to make a movie.

This is fatal to the ratings of the TV series. You don't know how many viewers will continue to watch this TV series that lacks the appearance of a heroine.

After all, it is one thing to send blessings to female stars, but it is another thing to say that the TV series are not good. Even ABC TV station where "Blue Moonlight" is located, there are hit dramas like "Growing Pains" to support the ratings.

"Blue Moonlight" executive producer, Glenn Gordon Cullen, was pretty pissed about it.What he was facing was an old TV series whose ratings had begun to decline.

In the final episode of last year's third season, Sybill Shepard's "Maddie" and Bruce Willis' "David" finally got together after three seasons of mutual attraction and mutual opposition. became a couple.

But the audience was not very satisfied with this plot. What they watched was the plot where McGrady and David bickered and cared about each other.If the two really want to be together, they will lack the biggest attraction of the TV series.

So Glenn Gordon Cullen has begun to command the screenwriter's room and began to slowly change the story line. It is planned that in the third of this season, McGrady and David will be separated again and resume the setting of being happy enemies.

But for Sybil's leave, he must stick to the previous plot line, and can no longer change the plot based on the audience's feedback.

In such a TV series that completely relies on the chemical reaction between the male and female protagonists to attract the audience, it is very fatal for the audience to watch unsatisfactory plots, and the heroine only appears for a few minutes in each episode.

Glenn Gordon Cullen was so angry that he handed in his resignation and asked the company to hire another Gao Ming or rewrite the role of this season's new character Terry.Let actress Brooke Adams, who plays the role of the single mother, write Willis' David's new lover.

Of course, ABC has doubts about this adjustment. In their view, the success of "Blue Moonlight" is entirely due to the selection of the right two protagonists.Sybill Shepard is 37 years old, but she still has the feeling of a young urban woman under 30 years old in every gesture.

Coupled with Bruce Willis, who is just in his early thirties but looks old, it feels like a couple.

Glenn Gordon Cullen scoffed at this. The former producer of the detective drama "The Legend of Remington Steele" starring Pierce Brosnan bluntly said that his grasp of detective dramas is The reason why the ratings rank ninth in the country.

He gave ABC a choice, keep Sybil Shepard or keep him.One should be fired anyway.

……

Ronald learns about another round of drama in the TV crew through Demi Moore's whistleblower.He came to Joel Silver to finalize the key members of the crew.

"Bruce Willis is finally willing to join, it's a god-given opportunity." Joel Silver had a little bit of trust in Ronald's vision.No matter who this person chooses as the protagonist, he can make them popular.

The most recent "Dirty Dancing", actor Patrick Schwytz has become popular, was recently invited into the White House, to accept the first lady's face-to-face awards.

The leading actress, Jennifer Gray, also keeps making film appointments. If her boyfriend Matthew Brodick's car accident didn't heal her neck, she would definitely be the target of competition for multiple projects.

Audiences all over the United States fell in love with Baby, a good Jewish girl who played the role. Even the typical Jewish big nose that disrupts the balance of facial features, the audience tolerated it.voted her in the top [-] of America's Favorite Teen Actresses.

"However, we can't let him feel that we can't do without him, Ronald." Joel Silver is a veteran producer, and he has rich experience in how to deal with an overconfident male lead.

"What's your idea?" Ronald was prepared for this kind of producer's difficulties and wrangling with stars, and now is just a good opportunity to learn from Silver.

"The philosopher of the East, Confucius once said," Silver leaned back, sat on the chair, then stretched out his right hand, and drew a half circle, "If you have the ability to do it, at this time you should show a It's like you can't do it; if you can't do it, you have to act as if you can definitely do it..."

"That's what Sun Tzu said," Ronald muttered in a low voice, but this strategy, in the current situation, might be a good one.

When Bruce Willis contacted him because of this, he asked him to take care of both TV dramas and movies.Naturally, Willis and his agent knew that Ronald and Silver needed him.

In addition to the 500 million salary proposed by the new president of Fox, he also proposed various superstar treatment.For example, a luxury RV, a place for girlfriend Demi Moore to rest, his designated assistant, hair stylist, and makeup artist, and a separate dressing room...Of course, all of these are paid for by the film crew.

And all of this was because Willis' agent felt that the producer had no other candidates besides him.

What Ronald and Silver had to do now was to make all kinds of noises to make them feel that apart from Willis, there was no second choice here.

"I sent an invitation to Harrison Ford to come to the party and talk about future cooperation." Ronald touched his chin. He brought back a lot of classic books in the East, and he quickly understood this kind of thing. .Anyway, Harrison Ford is unwilling to act in the original script, and what I talked to him may also be other cooperation opportunities.

"Bingo, I'm going to meet Leonard Goldberg, the new president of Twentieth Century Fox. He's an old man in TV. He understands this kind of thing." Joel Silver's reaction to Ronald was very satisfy.

"What are you planning to make public? I think the best candidate for this movie is Bruce Willis. Don't be self-defeating." Ronald was a little worried, "The key to this movie is to make the audience think that the hero John McClane is just like them, and there are many unsatisfactory things in life..."

"Understood, understood, so I won't let go of the suitability of the casting..." Silver already agreed with Ronald's reason for the casting, "I plan to start with his salary and cause a lot of attention in Hollywood." Some discussions can also warm up our movie..."

"Hahaha...you are really..." Ronald admired this trick very much, he got two fish for one, and he could hype it for free while keeping the price down.

And the point of this hype is exactly what Roger Ailes, the old George's campaign adviser, said. Gossip topics are the most popular among the public...

"It's not bad." Silver showed a "learn" smile, and sat back on the sofa.

"I'll go to Cinema Score and do an audience awareness survey for Willis, so that we can go downhill when the time comes."

"Good idea!" Silver jumped up from the sofa when he heard Ronald's idea, "Shxt", he was so excited that he knocked down his thigh again, and praised while rubbing, "That's a good idea, It fits seamlessly with our plan to hype the gossip."

"Tomorrow we will meet with the candidate for the director. His last film was called by Roger Ebert to make the audience care about the protagonist from the beginning to the end, which just meets your requirements for the film." Joel Silver also decided It was time for the meeting between the director candidate and Ronald.

……

"Oh, he's a clown. He gave me a 1.5 and said hypocritically that I would direct the lead actor Pierce Brosnan. Criticism of the content of my film's story is the worst kind of film critic."

The director candidate, John McTiernan, in his 30s, heard that Ronald asked about film critics, and he didn't give Roger Ebert any face, so he scolded him when he came up.

His first film was called "Nomads", an action movie starring Pierce Brosnan.The box office was very poor, only 230 million US dollars.

But the second is Fox's blockbuster action sci-fi film this summer, "Predator", which took in more than 5000 million US dollars at the box office in one fell swoop.

Therefore, Silver has a lot of trust in such a director who has proven himself at the box office and can create a leading actor that the audience cares about.He is the second best candidate after Ronald, and the first to recommend to Ronald.

"Oh, I have a bit of history with him too... Don't talk about this boring person, what do you think of the movie? Especially the male lead John, he is the key to this movie..."

"I like this script very much, he has a sense of humor, unlike Stallone's action movies, the terrorists in the villains are all disgusting, nasty silly X"

John McTiernan said a lot about his vision of the script, most of which was the same as Ronald's understanding, as well as in the dream.

"I'm going to find a leading actor like Cary Grant, who is suave on the outside and calm in his heart, so that when the terrorists hijack the headquarters of the building, he can defeat them... Like the leading actor in my first movie, Like Pierce Brosnan..."

"Ahem..." Joel Silver gestured beside him, expressing that he didn't know that John McTiernan still had so many thoughts.As for casting, the de facto executive director doesn't have much say. It's decided by the two producers and the president of [-]th Century Fox.

"Aha..." Ronald was about to retort, but he remembered the oriental wisdom that Silver said yesterday.John McTiernan actually has no power, but instead he has to behave as if he has this power. People always tend to approve it, as if they made their own decisions, not the boss's account.

"Actually, have you ever thought that we might be able to tell the story from another angle?" Ronald began to think of reasons while persuading the other party.

"What story line? I'm very interested..." John McTiernan didn't dare to neglect Ronald. This is a person with a very keen sense of smell for commercial films.

"We all agree that the key to this movie is that the audience recognizes that the protagonist is one of them and is an ordinary person." Ronald observed John McTiernan's eyes, seeing that he agreed with this point, he continued go down.

"A New York police detective came to the free and open Los Angeles. His wife's salary is much higher than his. She didn't use his surname yet, but used her maiden surname as her job name. Ordinary viewers must also often encounter troubles in the workplace. In the end, McClane used his experience and wisdom to defeat the terrorists and win back his wife's love..."

"You're right, it seems like we should find an actor who looks like a normal person..." John McTiernan mused.This kind of producer who is a successful director will think about problems from the director's point of view.

"We could probably find someone who is plain-looking but has a sense of humor, the kind of guy in the company that you can hang out with for a beer after get off work."

"It's important to have a sense of humor, and what's more important is that the appearance should not be that of a smart gentleman, but should have a blue-collar temperament." Inspired by John McTiernan, he began to express his point of view, "So, this way actor, where can I find it?"

"Actually, I hope you can give us some inspiration..." Ronald shrugged sincerely, and then gave Silver a look.

"Yes, John, you have a very deep understanding of action movies. Who do you think is more suitable? In fact, the requirements for acting skills are not high. It is best to have played similar roles, or perform in true colors." Silver understood.

"I think about it, it seems that there is really no such actor in the film industry, but the young Frank Sinatra is quite suitable."

"We use this template to find, young Frank Sinatra", Ronald felt that the direction of this guide was right.

"I don't usually watch TV very much. Are there any suitable TV actors recently?"

"Ha, I think of one. What do you think of the actor in Blue Moonlight, Bruce Willis? He is very kind when he smiles, and he has the temperament of a low-level blue-collar worker."

"He..."

"What? What's wrong with him?" John McTiernan felt that he had finally found a suitable one, but there was no problem.

"We've contacted him before, but he can't juggle TV shows and movies."

"Didn't you watch the news? The heroine of the TV series, Sybill Shepard, is producing, and it's not a good time to take a break." John McTiernan said immediately.

"Really? How about we..."

"I'll ask [-]th Century Fox to contact him again," Silver answered.

……

"Ronald, I don't know who released this news. It's obviously aimed at Bruce. You need to help him."

Demi Moore took her boyfriend Bruce Willis by the arm and entertained Ronald for dinner in the big house in Beverly Hills. As the hostess, she specially invited the Chinese chef.

"This chef is very authentic, the same as what I eat in Huaguo." Ronald took a bite of the stir-fried vegetables, which tasted very good.

Joel Silver pulled a trick, and it worked quickly.The gossip media Hollywood Reporter released the news that Bruce Willis is expected to join the new film created by Ronald and Silver.

In particular, Bruce Willis, as a newcomer in the film industry, received a salary of 500 million that only veteran film stars Dustin Hoffman, Robert Redford, Warren Beatty and others could get.

Such a star in the TV circle is actually on an equal footing with other film stars. The Hollywood Reporter's article vaguely insinuated that Willis was not qualified.This has also caused a lot of controversy in the circle of movie actors.

Your TV dramas have poor acting skills and a high salary. When you first enter Hollywood, you have to grab the cast of a movie actor. Our salary is 100 million. It takes years of hard work. Why do you only shoot one movie with a mediocre box office? Filmmakers can reach the sky in one step.

There were constant doubts in the circle and the media, and Bruce Willis felt the pressure, for fear that he would lose his position as the protagonist.At this time, Demi Moore offered to invite Cameron Crowe, the screenwriter of the "St. Elmo's Fire" he played in the past, and Ronald's good friend, to invite him to a private reception at home to clear up the relationship.

"Ronald, my agent, may have said something to you that was not my intention. Before I made a TV series, I was always playing tricks, so the agent wanted to fight for me. As an actor, in fact, as long as I have a dedicated A makeup artist and hairstylist will do.”

Bruce Willis also defended from the side.Under the stock market crisis, the number of film productions has shrunk significantly, and he has not heard of new projects. He is eager to get this role.

"You will get the treatment you should have. This is the rule of the film industry." Ronald shook his hand, indicating that this is not a problem. "Movies are different from TV dramas. The script is first written, and it is rarely enlarged during the shooting process." It is different from TV dramas that modify the big story line based on audience feedback."

"Of course, I respect the director of course, I saw John McTiernan's 'Predator,' and it was fantastic."

Although Bruce Willis didn't go to school much, he had seen a lot in the TV drama circle. He heard Ronald beating him, and immediately hinted that he would never play big names this time, asking to change the script for himself and other star vices.

"Bruce is an actor who respects the director very much. The producer of Blue Moonlight this time, Glenn Gordon Cullen, Bruce is on his side." Demi Moore also chimed in.

"Oh, what did they end up with?"

"ABC's executives still chose Sybil in the second choice. In the new episode, Sybil didn't appear on the screen, and only a recording was made. The ratings dropped so badly that ABC chose her instead of him."

Bruce Willis and Sybil Shepard actually have deep conflicts, but it is impossible for him to kick Sybil away for the sake of the producer.He also felt that this TV series would not work without either of them.

"Ronald, I love your movies, you watch this, I bought your Top Gun video, and Demi and I watch it tonight."

Bruce Willis didn't know how to ask for help. He started to praise Ronald in a very cowboy manner, but he couldn't say anything good, so he had to flatter him embarrassingly.

"Ronnie..." Demi Moore watched anxiously, and squeezed Ronald's ass when Bruce turned to play the video.

"Oh..." Ronald almost cried out.

"What's wrong?" Willis asked back.

"Ahem, in fact, this matter is not without a turnaround." Ronald slowly pretended to put his hips on his hips, and then rubbed his buttocks.

"You know, the new president of Twentieth Century Fox, Leonard Goldberg, was transferred from the president of the TV station. His strategy is to use the same stars in the TV series and movies. Silver will meet He, presumably he will help you talk."

"Aha, let me just say, TV drama actors are the ones who impress audiences the most. What do you think, Demi, am I the most famous action actor in America?" Bruce Willis did a bodybuilding pose.

"During the audition, don't do this, it reminds me of Stallone."

"Hey, okay, I'm never going to do it." Bruce Willis lowered his arms, "I'll get you a cup of coffee, Demi bought it, she knows where to buy good things."

In order to flatter Ronald, Willis made coffee himself for the first time.

"Ronnie, can you let me play the leading role?" Demi Moore still didn't give up. "You can see that Sybill Shepard can play roles with different appearances. She is 37 and has three children. Mother, you can still play a woman in her 20s."

"It's not something I can decide, Demi." Ronald clearly could decide, but said he couldn't, "This movie needs chemical reactions, Bruce has a high probability of getting the role, it depends on whether he matches you on the screen. "

"Here you are, Ronald," Willis brought back the coffee and spilled some on the table.

Demi Moore frowned.

She turned her head and asked her boyfriend, "Bruce, do you think it's okay for me to play the heroine of this movie? I want to appear on the screen with you at the same time?"

"How can that be? That's a mother of two school-going kids, and you're still a young girl. Honey, you want to be my woman, don't you?"

"Huh..." Demi slapped her boyfriend's ass with a slap.

"Hmm..." Then she was hugged by Bruce Willis and kissed her.

"Isn't Demi charming?"

"Get ready. Fox's president, Mr. Goldberg, me and Silver, and director John McTiernan may jointly interview you."

……

The joint interview was a success, and Goldberg, the president of Fox, was eager to adopt a new strategy to integrate Fox's television network and film division.The most important step is to prove to people that there is no big gap between TV actors and movie actors, and TV stars can seamlessly switch over to act in movies without affecting the movie box office because of their performance style.

Such a large company with TV and movies can integrate resources and promote each other to form a reasonable.He didn't allow anyone to question his decision to give Bruce Willis $500 million to the movie's top actor.

At this time, Ronald took out the survey he had commissioned by Cinema Score. Although Bruce Willis's reputation had no positive effect on whether to go to the movies, it also had no negative effect on hindering him.With this investigation, it was enough for Goldberg to confess.

Director John McTiernan is also very satisfied with Bruce Willis. The role he thought of is very suitable for the script. As for whether he can make a movie, it doesn't matter. After two months of training, he won't be able to.

"Next is the supporting actor, the actor of Hans Gruber, the leader of the terrorists. This is also very important. How powerful the hero is, it must be contrasted by the villain. What we are looking for this time is not the kind The traditional goofy villain.

Instead, they want to find someone with a high IQ, disguise the robbery as an act of releasing terrorists, and take away the real target, a large unregistered bond, without the police knowing. "

Eager to find a key role, John McTiernan began preparations.

"What do you think?" Ronald asked for advice first.

"He doesn't look like a terrorist, preferably a Shakespeare actor. The audience will think he is a good guy, like a college teacher, and even a little charming. Women don't know his background and will love him. Fuck him..." John McTiernan began to describe.

"Well... If you say that, I know a Broadway actor who plays the lead actor in 'Dangerous Liaisons', why don't you come with me to see his performance live?

(End of this chapter)