Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"They replied so quickly?"

As soon as he returned to Los Angeles, Ronald saw lawyer Lindsay Doll, who had come to meet with lawyer Mickey Kanter. She was waving a piece of paper in her hand, which was Capcom's reply to Ronald's lawyer's letter.

Mickey Kanter was familiar with the entertainment industry and was also involved in transnational intellectual property lawsuits. After receiving the commission from lawyer Lindsay, he immediately sent a lawyer's letter to the other party via international telex. The main appeal was to admit that the plot and character images of "Street Fighter" were borrowed from the film creation of "Street of Rage", and then pay a certain fee based on sales.

As for the amount of the fee, it can be negotiated. After all, it is well known that the execution of transnational cases is difficult, and even if you win, you often can't get the money. Reconciliation between the two parties is the best solution.

"A city gang kidnaps a beautiful young woman. This is a plot in many Hollywood movies..." Ronald saw the meaning of the reply, which was to refuse to admit plagiarism.

"Do you still want to continue?" Mickey Kanter narrowed his gray eyes and asked Ronald.

"What are the chances of winning?"

"It depends on how determined you are..." Lawyer Kanter is always honest with his clients. Once involved in a lawsuit, the battle for jurisdiction may take more than a year, and there are also enforcement issues. If it were not for the huge industry interests, even Hollywood would have to watch the Japanese exploit their achievements.

"My determination is to keep fighting. This is not just a matter of money..." Ronald did not consider the return on investment of this single case, but from a long-term perspective, representing Hollywood in fighting for reasonable interests from the Japanese. This is a big deal for actors, directors, and other union members.

He wants to establish an image in their minds of fighting for them and fighting for their interests. After all, once a precedent is formed, these people will have the opportunity to receive the remaining dividend checks from the Japanese in the future.

"Okay, you are the boss..." Although Mickey Kanter was a little surprised by Ronald's decision, such cases are the favorites of the law firm... It takes a long time and requires a lot of working time. Before suing, you have to fight for jurisdiction, and then there are appeals and executions...

"Dear, Ronnie, why are you so persistent about this movie?" Back at the hotel, Diane seemed to like Ronald's statement very much. She picked up the menu and ordered a lot of Italian dishes, then personally pushed the dining cart over and put the tableware for Ronald. Anyway, she only knows how to fry eggs, so this barely fulfills the duties of a housewife.

"This is the common interest of Hollywood people. I am lucky and a successful person, so I have to represent those colleagues with less luck to pursue the rights we deserve..."

"Well...what else?" Diane smiled sweetly with her big eyes. She looked at Ronald and didn't believe this reason. Brother Ronnie sometimes didn't like to express sweetness directly, but she loved to hear him say it.

"What else?" Ronald immediately thought of what to say, "And the copyright of this movie is a gift from me to you. I don't want anyone to tarnish this gift..."

"Well..." Diane happily gave a sweet kiss, so that a woman would feel that she is the happiest in the world.

It was also at the shooting site of "Streets of Rage" that Ronald first discovered Diane's sexy charm. The kiss between the two brought back memories and was very sweet.

"Donna told me that Aunt Karen's boyfriend seemed to be preparing to propose..." Diane finally recovered her breath from the long and passionate kiss and told Ronald this little secret.

"Really? I'm really happy for her..." Ronald was very happy that his aunt was living a happy life now. The Quaker chapel that he and Doug donated to was almost completed and could be used for weddings.

"Huh?" Diane found that Ronald had no reaction again. Hey, did he really not have this idea?

Ronald did not notice Diane's expression. He was shocked by the news on TV. In the British FA Cup, Liverpool and Nottingham Forest, in the semi-final held at Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, many fans rushed into the stands and were squeezed onto the barbed wire set up to prevent football hooligans. More than 90 fans suffocated to death.

What is most frightening is that at this time, the Sun newspaper on London's Fleet Street also accused the fans and added three headlines to the news: 1. Some fans stole the victim's wallet, 2. They urinated on the brave police officers, and 3. They chased and beat the police officers who were performing first aid.

Even other media couldn't stand the news fabricated for the sake of sales. There were many mentions and criticisms on TV news in the past few days. Especially the American media, who claim to be the conscience of society, certainly can't stand the behavior of such tabloids.

…

The next day, Ronald accompanied Diane to see the clothes made for her. This is a set of high-end custom-made dresses worn by Vivian Ward, the heroine in the movie "3000", because she had to accompany her boss Edward Louise to watch the opera.

Diane's obsession with this script is as persistent as a hen protecting her chicks. Ronald had to ask Disney to find the original screenwriter Lawton and ask him to modify the plot so that Diane would not be exposed too much and his character would not become annoying.

The whole movie has changed. It is no longer a black film reflecting reality, but a customized movie centered around the heroine. Ronald actually doesn't like this kind of adaptation. The focus of the plot has been artificially shifted. Ronald is no longer optimistic about the box office performance.

However, since Diane likes it, he will just give her another gift. The box office of this low-budget movie will not be too bad. Relatively speaking, this movie is better than the previous "Steel Magnolias" where Diane is just a supporting role.

"This dress is very beautiful..." Ronald watched Diane walk slowly in the skirt. The low-cut design of the upper body made her figure a little obvious. Coupled with two long white gloves and red high heels...

Ronald remembered that she also wore a red off-shoulder long dress in "The Streets of Rage". It's just that the black rock-style gloves were changed to white aristocratic ones. There was tenderness in her eyes.

"Really?" Diane turned around happily. She was very happy that Ronald liked this outfit.

"But it seems to be missing something..." Ronald put his hand on his chin and looked up and down.

"What? I rarely wear this kind of dress..." Diane looked around.

"Here..." Ronald took out a blue velvet jewelry box and placed it in front of Diane.

"Oh, My God", Diane's breathing became rapid when she saw the jewelry box. Did the hint last night work? This is a major event in her life, what should she do? Will Brother Ronnie kneel down? Oh no, there is no photographer now...

With a bang, the jewelry box popped open, and inside was a very expensive Cartier necklace. The main stones were twelve sapphires, each inlaid with broken diamonds, sparkling under the light.

"This is the dress you wear when watching the opera. I took the initiative to match you with a necklace."

This is the jewelry that Ronald asked his agent to help him order, and it cost him $250,000. Ronald understood Diane's thoughts, but Cameron's divorce case made him doubtful. Maybe keeping this kind of relationship will make the two happier.

After all, he is no longer the screenwriter who just entered the industry. The wealth he gained from Coca-Cola and the dividends from the successful movies that are still pouring in have made Ronald's net worth fluctuate around 100 million US dollars.

Even if he does not consider the various wealth risks that marriage will bring to him, his agents have begun to instill various preventive measures in him. For example, signing a prenuptial agreement with his fiancée like Spielberg.

Recently, Spielberg seems to be in a hot relationship with Kate Capshaw, the heroine of the last Indiana Jones movie, and Richard and Niceta have heard a lot of rumors. If they had not signed a prenuptial agreement and the two got married in a state where the couple divides the property when they divorce, the compensation would be much more.

"It's so beautiful, thank you, Ronnie..." Diane was slightly disappointed when she saw that it was a necklace instead of the expected ring. But she was soon attracted to the necklace again. Brother Ronnie gave her such expensive jewelry, and it seemed that her position in his heart was very stable.

Diane continued to change a few sets of clothes, and Ronald was like watching a private model performance, and he was also very happy. There are many disadvantages to having an actress as a girlfriend, but the advantages are also attractive. Diane wears different clothes in different styles, sometimes pure, sometimes sexy, some like professional women, some like southern socialites. It seems difficult to lose interest when you are with them because you feel too familiar.

…

Diane knows her advantages very well. Wearing different clothes makes Ronald as interested as taking acting classes every time.

The two stayed in the hotel until noon the next day, and Ronald was free to continue his business.

"Have you written your revised manuscript?" Ronald received Ted Tully, the screenwriter of "The Silence of the Lambs" in the hotel.

"Yes, I have readjusted the focus of the drama according to your request. FBI female agent Starling will become the central figure of the whole situation, but in this way, more scenes will take longer to explain clearly."

Ronald turned to the last page, which was already 135 pages. According to Hollywood's progress of one page per minute, this script has exceeded the longest time that an ordinary thriller can bear.

Audiences like to be scared, but if the time is exceeded, they will feel uncomfortable due to emotional overload. Therefore, excellent thrillers are restrained, and Hitchcock's films are the best example.

"Stay with me first, I will give you an answer after thinking it over..." Ronald thought for a long time, and he didn't know whether he should reduce the role or increase the length. He was a little undecided.

...

The new executive producer of 20th Century Fox was also undecided. Cameron's "The Abyss", the final edit of the film, was two hours and fifty minutes long, and this length was strongly resisted by the department responsible for distribution.

Although the preview effect was good, such a length would have a great impact on the cinema's scheduling.

It happened that Goldberg had already received the golden parachute and was leaving 20th Century Fox, and the new management team just used this film to implement their will of power.

They ordered Cameron to reshoot the ending and cut the film to the standard length of 120 minutes for science fiction films. Even when Ronald called Goldberg, he was deliberately ignored.

"You have to be fucking responsible to the end. This is your project. I've made so much money for you and 20th Century Fox, and you're turning your back on me? You guys are just..."

Ronald heard that his words were useless, so he scolded Goldberg opposite him for being heartless and unjust. In his excitement, he almost scolded the entire Jewish community.

"I'm sorry, Ronald. Now all I have to do is officially announce my resignation. The big boss Rupert is mainly focusing on the TV network, and the newcomers are focused on deliberately suppressing my project. This is all It’s a prescribed action, I can’t say anything.”

Goldberg shrugged, indicating it was not something he could undo.

"Fart, stinky shit, you guys are all bastards. This movie has a budget of 45 million, and Jim spent so much energy and endured the pain of divorcing his wife to make the tsunami scene , you want to cancel it with one sentence? This is waste, this is murder!”

Ronald pointed at Goldberg's nose and continued to curse. He pointed at Cameron, who was sitting next to him, and roared at Goldberg, "Do you know how groundbreaking those shots were? That is the future direction of Hollywood, and it is another huge breakthrough in special effects after Star Wars. That sea-water face was purely computer generated. Do you understand the huge potential here? Are you going to cut that out and do a shitty ending?”

People like Fox have obviously gone too far. Such a super picture that has been rendered with so much painstaking efforts should be deleted and re-added with a boring ending? Forget about suppressing Goldberg, if you continue to mess with it like this, the film will be delayed again, and reshoots will cost huge amounts of money.

"Actually, it's 58 million, and it's about to exceed 60 million, Ronald." Goldberg told the true cost of filming without changing his expression.

"What?" Ronald looked back at Cameron.

"I think if we continue filming, it may exceed 70 million." Cameron also complained that Fox executives said the cost of the movie was too high, but their solution was to add an additional 10 million production costs...

"Put Barry (Diller) on the phone, this is unacceptable..." Ronald fumed. Cameron is an artist and gifted special effects engineer. He is sometimes unclear about the strife at the top.

This is obviously an attempt to completely overthrow Goldberg's approach, first raising the production budget to an unprecedented and ridiculous number, then cutting out the interesting parts for the audience, and finally creating a mediocre version.

boom!

Once it fails at the box office, not only will Goldberg, who has led many successful projects, be in danger, but Cameron will also suffer a cold reception from Hollywood.

These were tactics that Ronald had seen used by some Jews before on Frank Price, the former president of Columbia. Come again this time?

Fortunately, Goldberg is also a Jew. He is not an honest person like Price who only reads scripts and works on projects. He also deliberately involved Ronald this time to exert influence on the junior boss Barry Diller and even the big boss Rupert.

Even if a person leaves his job, his legacy in the studio should not be destroyed by Xiao Xiao.

"Hello? Barry?" Ronald walked to the back room, picked up the receiver alone and told Barry Diller what he wanted.

"What do you want, Ronald?" Barry Diller quickly figured out the clues about this kind of bad thing. He asked Ronald directly where his demands were.

"Two bottom lines. First, my friend Jim cannot be thrown out as a scapegoat and responsible for the box office. Second, don't cut out those computer-generated special effects scenes. That is the way forward for Hollywood in the future. We need the audience's reputation and box office. Yes, These possibilities are evaluated.

Look, Barry, this is a very important..."

"Okay, I promise you, Cameron will get the final editing rights, but the film market must be shortened. As for special effects shots, Ronald, you are also an expert. The most effective in this industry is beauty and violence, and a little special effects. Nothing can be changed..."

"Do I have your guarantee, Barry? If they continue to make decisions that turn my friend's masterpiece into a pile of shit, I guarantee you that I will personally beat the shit out of them..."

"You have my word, Ronald."

"They promised to keep most of the special effects shots, and you also have the right to make the final cut, but the length still needs to be shortened. I can only do so much, Jim..." Ronald walked out of the room and faced Cameron and Gold. Berg said.

"Hi, Ronald, I appreciate it, I really do...but don't actually hit them..." Cameron heard the last part where Ronald shouted that he was going to punch someone's shxt out. , I was also very touched that Ronald worked so hard for his friends. Now that most of the demands have been obtained, some content that opposes nuclear war and calls for world peace will be deleted. This will satisfy both parties.

Goldberg looked at him coldly, saying that Cameron was lucky to have such a friend. Of course, his luck was not bad, and the last project he hosted also had a good ending.

"I never said anything about typing out his Shxt... This is all slander..." A sentence suddenly came from the TV, startling the three of them.

"Then how do you explain the court's decision and the tape evidence cited by the judge in the decision?" The reporter chased a tall black man and asked.

"No means no, I will not threaten my wife Nicole..."

"Okay, OJ Simpson denied that he had threatened his wife Nicole on the phone, and he did not contest the domestic violence charges filed by Nicole. But the judge ruled that the phone recording could be presented as evidence in court..."