Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 980 Who decides, Ronald or Herbert?
"Herbert Ross, it should be possible to find the best man to direct 'Steel Magnolia', besides you of course."

CAA's search operation was very effective. Within two days, Nisita came up with the most suitable candidate, the veteran director Herbert Ross.Recommended to Ronald as a director.

"Oh, he..." Ronald nodded. This person actually has a relationship with Ronald.He replaced Ronald as the director of the musical film "Full of Strength" filmed earlier, which was a box office success.

The "Secret of Success" filmed by Helen Slater with Michael J. Fox was also directed by the old director.

Why is he suitable for this "Steel Mulan"?Of course, there are two reasons. The first is that the two movies mentioned above are both related to small towns in the south. One is that the Yankees go to live in a small town in the south, and the other is that Dixie from the south comes to New York. The characters and the narrative have the right experiences.

The second reason is that Herbert Ross was born on Broadway. He started out as a stage actor, then went to the West End of London to play Shakespeare, and then transformed into a director. After he achieved success, he entered Hollywood.

And "Steel Magnolia" was originally a Broadway change work. The script written by the screenwriter Robert Haring was very compact and conformed to the law of three unities of stage plays.

The so-called unification of the three means that the time, place and characters of the story must be compact.There can only be one story thread in the whole play, it cannot take place for more than one day, that is, 24 hours, and it must take place in one location.

This was originally a rule set up for the convenience of stage play sets and makeup, and it does not conform to the artistic rules of movies.Imagine if "Gone with the Wind" was staged on the theater stage, then after the first act, the background would change from the rural manor in the South to the post-war metropolis of Atlanta.Scarlett Scarlett, the heroine, must immediately change from a girly dress to a dress made of curtains.

The rest between each act is only a few minutes, how can it be possible to finish so many things?Even if actors rush to the scene like a war, it is inevitable that many mistakes will be made.

The expressive ability of the film, through editing, can put together different places, different times, and even the time and space of the protagonist more than ten years ago, through a flashback, so that the audience can get greater artistic enjoyment.

It is precisely because of this that the story of "Steel Mulan" is also concentrated in the same small town, mainly in the heroine's home and the hair salon next door.

This in turn makes it difficult for the director. The audience has been fed up with other types of movies, and they are constantly looking forward to the story to open up new locations and new characters. The original story of "Steel Magnolia" is limited to adaptation and cannot The introduction of new scenes and characters is a test of the director's processing ability.

This type of movie often relies on the grasp of dramatic conflicts, character performances, and the direction of the story, so that the audience is immersed in it and forgets that every scene is going on in the same place.In fact, this kind of movie does not follow the rules of movie shooting, it is a bit thankless, but because Broadway is already famous, it has a great advantage in marketing.

Ronald also has concerns about this. He is not very good at this kind of small-plot movies. With a director who is good at this type of filming, Ronald only cares about investment and overall casting, which is also a good choice.

……

"Ronald, we haven't seen each other for a long time..."

Herbert Ross is a typical Jew, with big tortoiseshell glasses and a Brooklyn-like voice.As the saying goes you can take a boy out of Brooklyn, but you can't take Brooklyn out of a boy.

This time Herbert Ross was able to condescend (at least he felt so) to participate in a project led by a young Ronald, or because CAA President Michael Ovitz visited in person.He said very sincerely, Ronald got the trust of the screenwriter Robert Haring, so he was able to get the general production rights from the producer Ray Stark. his directorial position.

Herbert Ross also has a production company and has strong contacts on Broadway. The reason why he didn't have time to snatch the movie that suits him best is due to personal reasons.At the end of last year, after the tragic death of his wife of 30 years, he was busy embarking on his second and true love journey (he said it himself).

His new fiancée is from a famous family.It was former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy's younger sister, Caroline Lee Radziwill, who was dubbed "Princess".This princess is not a nickname, but a serious noble title.Caroline got it from her second husband, former Prince of the Polish royal family, Stanislaw Radziwill.

Originally, Herbert Ross would not be so anxious to become a director, but this new fiancée is too dazzling.Back then, the reason why Jacqueline Kennedy often made headlines in newspapers and magazines with her outfits was that her younger sister Caroline was helping her sister choose and match clothing and jewelry.

In addition to her status as a fashionable socialite, Caroline Lee Radziwill (soon to be Caroline Lee Rose) was a patron of the fine arts, and Ronald bought several paintings from David Geffen Andy Warhol, who had a close relationship with her, received a lot of funding.

She is also very interested in music. After divorcing Prince Radziwill, she accompanied the Rolling Stones' new global tour of the new album. When the band was in America, they even lived in her home.

In addition, she is also the patron of many ballet companies, and the directors of the Paris Ballet, London Ballet, and American Ballet Company are all her guests.

It can be imagined that with such a fiancée who spends money like water, Herbert Ross's financial pressure is not small.Regardless of Ovitz's urge to invite him to participate in the selection of the film's director and his own plans behind it, Herbert Ross needed the job very much.

"Ovitz recommends you in this way, I'm glad you can consider it." Ronald shook hands with Herbert Ross.Although this is a more suitable candidate, Ronald has seen with his own eyes that he has a bad temper on the set, and often insults the staff and even the actors. He always wants to interview this old man to see if he can complete the work.

"Hahaha, you did a good job. I didn't expect you to do so well. This time, you can rest assured that as long as I take over this project, I will definitely let you see a good movie."

Ronald frowned. The old man didn't seem to understand the situation. Who was interviewing whom?
"I will give a remuneration that is in line with the market price. In terms of artistic creation, of course I believe in your consistent outstanding performance, but this movie is a small melodrama in the south, and I am in the casting..."

Ronald's idea is very simple. This kind of film adaptation does not have much room for shooting. As long as he arranges an all-star lineup and gathers many Oscar queens, he will naturally have a lot of marketing influence.

"Of course, the most important thing in this kind of movie is the casting. You may not have much experience in this kind of movie. I have made and adapted Broadway scripts since my debut, and I have much richer experience in casting. First, we have to start from supporting roles. Let's go, first decide on a few mother actors, and then choose two young actresses..."

"Hahaha...", Ronald laughed loudly. Is Herbert Ross in a daze? Who is the boss of this project?Who do you listen to?
"I'll give you plenty of time, and you can take your time interviewing, but I've already selected a few candidates who have won Oscars, and you should give priority to interviewing them." Ronald handed over a list of candidates past.

"Sally Field, Jane Fonda, Olympia Dukakis, Shirley Maclean..." Herbert Ross was interrupted, suffocating his unhappiness, and picked up the set that Ronald had prescribed for him. Candidates, the anger in their hearts has subsided slightly.

These actors are indeed excellent in acting. When I direct them myself, I won't have too many problems.

"Two young heroines..." After reading it, Herbert Ross felt that the list was not bad, and he could brag about it to himself. They all came to play for their own sake. The three actors It is still rare to merge after that.

"You can choose slowly, but it's best for these two people to take a role." Ronald threw over the resumes of two actresses. "You are familiar with..."

Above is Diane Lane, and Helen Slater, one of them has worked with himself on "Secret of Success", and the other was once Coppola's favorite, supposedly playing the secondary role in the two young roles is not a problem.But if this is the case, doesn't he have no power at all?

"In addition, Michelle Pfeiffer has agreed to play the leading role. You can have an in-depth discussion with her when she returns from Paris."

Ronald said, throwing another resume.

"Hmm..." Herbert Ross almost swears. Does this mean he sees himself as those young directors?Can only follow the recipe?However, the scheming of the Jews prevented him from attacking immediately, but instead considered where he could operate and strive for more right to speak.

"Of course, I'm not saying that you must choose these characters. It's just that from the marketing point of view of this movie, you need these actors to join in, so that there will be enough audiences to enter the movie theater. Otherwise, a mother in a small southern town will give birth to a child because of diabetes. The story of renal failure, not many people will read it."

Ronald explained his intentions, "These actors are indeed a temporary choice."This means very famous, even if you choose the cast yourself, you may not be able to choose a more suitable actor than this.Besides, several of them came here for their own sake.

"Of course, these are all very good actors. I really like the prospect of working with them. But I have to talk to my agent about this matter..." Herbert Ross has known for a long time after decades of ups and downs. At such times, dissatisfaction cannot be expressed face to face.

"Then I'm looking forward to our cooperation." Ronald was quite happy. With such an operation, a good movie will definitely come out.It seems that being a producer is not that difficult.

……

"I was wondering, how would you feel if my company also invested some money and CAA led the film? For all the roles, give priority to CAA's contracted actors."

Looking back, Herbert Ross went to Ovitz and proposed that his company would invest, and then CAA would be responsible for the de facto production work, co-writing the screenwriter side, and kicking Ronald out.

He thinks well, he has experience and charisma, coupled with CAA's control ability, he will not suffer in marketing and reviews.Ovitz got a director who is more likely to hit the Oscars, and more performance opportunities for actors signed by his company.

"It's very tempting, but I'm afraid it won't work..." Ovitz thought for a moment, and immediately rejected the other party's proposal.

Now is the critical moment of the most profitable business in his career (consulting for Sony's acquisition of Columbia), and he can't make extra troubles at this time, openly opposing Ronald, so as to cause dissatisfaction from the Japanese side.

As far as he knew, Dongying people were very particular about loyalty and long-term friendship. Since Ronald was able to directly advise President Dahe, their relationship could not be separated by a single word.

"What? But?" Herbert Ross didn't expect Ovitz to reject him. Could it be that in his eyes, that kid Ronald is worth more than himself?
"Nothing but, Herbert. There is a problem with the distribution of this film. The other party only recognizes Ronald, do you understand?" Ovitz knew that Ronald was contacting Samsung Pictures, which has a close relationship with Columbia, for distribution, so he Regarding the relationship with Sony, the senior executives in Columbia who are aware of the merger and acquisition will definitely not be unhappy because of such a trivial matter.

"This... well... I hope we can forget about this conversation..." Herbert Rose understood that there was an exchange behind it that he didn't know.However, the princess's wedding had to be paid for by herself, and in addition to maintaining a celebrity life after marriage, she still needed the work of the director.

"Herbert, I didn't say that you can't fight in other ways, right?" Ovitz smiled lightly.Not following Rose's idea and kicking Ronald out doesn't mean he can't take other measures?

The play was a hit on Broadway and received critical acclaim.Ovitz did not want Ronald to take this opportunity to get Oscar's favor.In this way, it is not enough to be able to grasp the opponent's chips in one's hand.

But he also doesn't want the movie to fail commercially, so that the actors under multiple banners can't take advantage of it.

Therefore, the best solution is to let Herbert Ross, a bad-tempered Jew, be the director, stealing Ronald's limelight.It would be even better if there was some news of a discord between the producer and the director during filming.

The handling of this delicate situation is a major advantage of Ovitz's success in Hollywood.

"But how to do it? That kid started up and decided on the actors." Herbert Ross really wanted to squeeze Ronald out. As long as Ovitz helped him, he could find space by himself. Using his rich experience, he would Ronald squeezed out slowly.

Besides, this movie seems to be a bit of a joke. If my company invests, the financial space in it will be much larger. Hollywood's practice, as a producer, it's not too much to make a little money.

"Not necessarily so, especially the heroine, you just wait and see." Ovitz did not disclose the details, and asked Herbert Rose to go back and make other preparations.

Michelle Pfeiffer is the hottest female star of rival William Morris, and John Malkovich is just a bald and ugly actor, and it pays to take this opportunity to embarrass the rival.

Besides, from the agent, Ovitz has also learned about Markovich's weakness.

"Hello..." He sent Herbert Ross away and called his subordinate, John Malkovich's manager.

"How is John's mental state now?"

"It's not very stable. He would be depressed for a long time every morning, and sometimes he would cry, but the director just thought that this emotional state was in line with the current plot. Earl Valmont finally realized that he would sacrifice everything for love, so the progress of the filming Soon. When he finishes filming and returns to Los Angeles, I have already booked top-notch counseling for him."

"Very good..." Ovitz put down the phone, and then called in the secretary, "Who am I dating for the weekend's golf? Well, one more guest."

"The secretary wrote down the name of a senior reporter for The Hollywood Reporter, the gossip page."

(End of this chapter)