Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"What does it take for the Daily News not to report my name?" Ronald asked Douglas Jr. on the phone.

"This tabloid has no moral integrity. They didn't know where they learned that you were one of the victims that day. As long as you can spend money for an advertisement, their editorial department will obediently submit..." Douglas said in New Jersey Bian helped Ronald coordinate.

Richard's media relations on the East Coast were all in New York, and they were not familiar with this New Jersey tabloid. Ronald, who was at a loss what to do, was finally reminded by his public relations consultant Michael Gray that he thought of Thomas Stephenson Jr., a young actor from the Hollywood theater chain with whom he had business cooperation.

This theater Shaodong is familiar with the Daily News, which is headquartered in New Jersey, because of advertising. Unlike major newspapers such as the New York Times and the Washington Post, which are more professional and ethical, it has a smaller page and likes to report gossipy news.

Although they are a tabloid, they have a large circulation in New York. At its peak circulation, it ranked 11th in the United States. During the 1982 newspaper industry strike, they were sold by their parent company, the Chicago Herald Tribune Corporation. After becoming independent, the financial situation of the newspaper has not been very good, so it has become even more unruly. From time to time, it will cross the line and do things like using editorial articles to blackmail in exchange for advertising.

"Why did they do this?" Ronald scratched his head and asked, "What's the price?" It seemed that he was unlucky and someone leaked information about the NYPD to them, so they were blackmailed. It is inevitable to spend money to eliminate disasters first.

"They want fifty thousand dollars..." Douglas Jr. quoted a ridiculously low price. It seems that they really have no money to print, so they do it randomly, rather than specifically focusing on Ronald to blackmail him.

"Well, it just so happens that my new movie "To the Heart of Love" is about to be released. I asked the marketing department to move a little bit from the New York Times..."

Seeing Ronald so happy, the editor-in-chief of the other party, James Wells, quickly called to apologize, "Mr. Li, we had no intention of reporting your involvement in the Central Park jogging case, but the newspaper's financial situation is difficult, and we have to Play around with it to attract more advertisers.”

"Isn't this a success for you? It just so happens that my movie is released. Let your film review department say more good things..." Ronald responded half-critically and half-jokingly to this violation of journalistic ethics.

"I am very ashamed of your magnanimity... This is the news that our resident reporter from the Southern District of Manhattan Police Department got back. I did not proofread it carefully..." James Wells is a veteran reporter, Columbia University News After graduating from the department, he once worked as a reporter for the Associated Press. He came to the Daily News in 1985 and was quickly promoted to editor-in-chief.

Ronald's impression of this polite reporter was not bad. If a person has a sense of shame, it's not that bad. James Wells talked about the dilemma they faced. In order to compete with News Daily, the former general manager lowered the price of the newspaper and increased the circulation, but failed to win many advertisers. The newspaper was already poor. I can barely afford the printing costs.

"Can I ask why your newspaper reported the news about me? Especially since my lawyer has applied for an injunction to prevent my name from being leaked..." Ronald expressed his displeasure with this kind of idealism. Ivy League graduates use this moral requirement to question each other, and it works well.

"I apologize again, but I cannot name our news sources..."

"Then let me ask another question. What is your resident reporter's attitude towards the Central Park violence case?"

"This is the foundation of our newspaper. We started by truthfully reporting on various crimes in New York..."

It turned out that this was a conservative newspaper, but the reporter who got Ronald's name was a black man, and he was very well-informed. He has informants in the NYPD and many underground organizations in Manhattan.

James Wells, in his capacity as Editor-in-Chief, has repeatedly pledged that similar behavior will not occur again in the future. The two agreed that when Ronald returned to New York, he would visit and apologize in person.

"Are they black? What are they doing?" Ronald couldn't figure out the details. He still entrusted private lawyer Lindsay Dole to conduct corresponding investigations.

…

"You want Michelle Pfeiffer to play FBI agent Starling?" Ronald met Jonathan Demme, Coleman's senior at the university. The other party greatly appreciated the script and praised Ronald's sharp vision. His interest was so great that he immediately started discussing casting with Ronald.

"Why not Jodie Foster?" Ronald still wanted to choose the heroine in his dream.

"She just won the Best Actress Award, so I'm afraid she won't take this kind of role now. Michelle Pfeiffer was just affected by the scandal and needed a movie to make the audience forget the unbearable memories. In addition, Pfeiffer and I have worked together , her acting skills and appearance are more qualified for this role..." Jonathan Demme certainly has his own opinions on the casting.

"Then who do you want to find as the leading actor?" Ronald had great confidence in Demi's ability. He could produce a work like "Scattered Lulu" with just a few million dollars, and he also taught himself how to coach the actors' acting skills. A lot, maybe someone else will do.

"Jack Nicholson...he is the most suitable for this kind of evil character with a calm appearance and a wild heart."

"Have vision..." Ronald thought for a while. If the two had a chemical reaction, it might be no less than the two protagonists in his dream.

"What, do you agree? Then let's get started. My own production company can also contribute part of the money..." Jonathan Demme felt that this script was very suitable for him.

"I asked my agent to contact them for an audition... Ovitz will be unhappy..." Ronald picked up the phone to communicate with Richard. Michelle Pfeiffer is not a CAA client.

"But I don't make much money, so I may not be able to raise much investment share..." Demi actually has a good impression of Ronald, his junior brother. The two have similar artistic tastes and are related to Coleman. If you have something to say, just say it.

"You can use my investment name to attract some investment, Jonathan." Ronald said he didn't mind using his reputation to find investors who were taking advantage of him. This method of letting the director contribute part of the capital is inherently designed to guard against villains rather than gentlemen.

The scale of daydreaming is small, and I am afraid of meeting those directors who have one famous film to make money. Demi's character is worthy of trust. The two recommended actors to each other. Demi also rejected opportunities to become famous because of differences in ideas. This person was also deeply influenced by Coleman and believed that all production costs should be reflected. On the screen.

The two decided that Ronald trusted Demi far more than he trusted Kevin Costner, so he just asked the production manager to follow up, and the project began to move forward quickly.

…

"Ah...I'm so nervous..." Director Cameron Crowe, who was deeply in love, was wearing a formal suit and pacing back and forth at the entrance of the theater where the premiere was held.

"Relax, this is your moment, enjoy it..." Ronald greeted Crowe's wife Nancy, flanked by Helen Slater.

Originally, Ronald no longer had to attend the premiere of this kind of project. But Helen was very concerned about this, and after making a few phone calls, Ronald attended the premiere.

In order to suit the teenage audience of the movie, and because of Helen's eccentricity of not wearing a dress, Ronald also dressed like a college student. Helen, who was wearing jeans and sneakers, cooperated in taking photos and being interviewed at the door.

"Mr. Li..." The staff of Cea Sre also came to say hello to him. Daydream hired this audience research company for all its movies. Use their exit polls to tailor subsequent marketing placements.

"No one would have thought that we would be together..." The movie on the screen came to an end, and Helen's close-up could completely withstand the test of the big screen.

"This is the beginning of all great things..." John Cusack, who plays the leading actor, performed well. The unreasonable courage of a high school student who rigidly believes that he can protect his girlfriend is played very well.

"Well..." The two kissed each other.

"Hehe..." Helen moved closer to Ronald.

"Ahem..." As a director, Ronald certainly saw that Crowe had made adjustments. The kiss scene between the two was filmed using borrowed locations and editing. Of course he knew that Ronald would not be happy if they filmed a passionate kiss like this.

"Why hasn't there been a ding?" The heroine played by Helen is pampered and has never faced the challenges of life on her own. The male protagonist was very considerate and talked a lot to make her no longer nervous. Now the two of them are sitting in their seats, waiting for the seat belt light above to go out after takeoff.

"It's coming, it's coming..." John Cusack said to the camera.

"Push a close-up..." Ronald turned his head and looked at Cameron Crowe. This is a moment that tests the director's ambition.

One indicator that distinguishes ordinary romantic movies from outstanding ones is whether the director takes care of both growth and the disappearance of innocence when telling the trivialities of love. This is the eternal theme of Hollywood's great directors, and it is also America's favorite theme.

For example, in the final moments of "The Graduate," two young people running away are on the bus, facing a future that changes from ecstasy to panic. Another example is the moment at the end of "Where to Find a Soulmate" when Natalie Wood is faced with the fact that her lover is married to someone else, and is asked by her female companion if she still loves him.

In short, if Cameron Crowe is a director genius, what he should challenge himself at this time is to advance the camera to a close-up of the faces of the two protagonists, and then leave everything to the actors...

"It will ring at any time..." John Cusack on the screen stared at the indicator light above and comforted Helen Slater...

The audience's expectations have also been raised. Together with the two protagonists, they are looking forward to the light going out and the two young people flying to London to meet the new challenges of love and life.

"Not so fast..." Ronald glanced at Helen in his arms again. The acting star has stepped up a notch from her previous films. Crowe's talent has been confirmed, and if he still has ambitions, he will definitely whet the appetite of the audience, just like his predecessors did in The Graduate.

Cusack's character seemed to be impatient, and turned to look at Karen, "It will ring at any time..." Helen Slater's expression became even more nervous. After a few seconds, she also turned to look at Cusack. gram.

The audience fidgeted in their chairs for more than ten seconds. They were all a little disturbed by this seemingly ordinary close-up shot. There won't be any twists, right?

"Ding..." Just when the audience was worried about whether something would go wrong between the two lovers as they bravely ran toward the future, the sound of the indicator light finally came, and the screen went dark.

Then, slow music started playing and the subtitles began to appear upwards.

"Great, Cameron..." Ronald also confirmed Crowe's ambition. He used this kind of performance technique in his debut film. Although he was very immature when he started filming and didn't even know the basic filming of a movie, he undoubtedly knew how to manipulate the audience's heart, which is a necessary quality for a great director.

"Ha..." Crowe was shocked by Ronald's evaluation.

"It's worth spending a million dollars to buy the interlude played in the tape recorder... This movie deserves this interlude, Well Done!"

...

"The next morning, Ronald finished his exercise and sat in the living room to answer the phone."

"What is the score of Cea Sre? B+? It seems that this movie will not lose money..."

Originally, the score of a romantic comedy will be naturally lower. B+ is equivalent to A- for other types of movies. This score can guarantee more than 1,100 theaters to open and continue to show for 8-10 weeks.

"The box office on the weekend may reach 5 million US dollars, basically there is no problem in making a profit, plus the video tape..." Michelle Cannold continued to report. Because Ronald and Fox's relationship was not as harmonious as when Goldberg was there, it was impossible to invest more marketing budget. Generally speaking, the box office was stable at more than 30 million, which was enough to justify the investment of 15 million.

"Honey, do you have my movie review?" Helen was no longer as happy as she was last night. Now facing a stack of newspapers on the coffee table, she was too scared to read the movie reviews herself.

"Let me see... how to evaluate the performance of the famous movie star Helen Slater in the new film..." Ronald deliberately made a joke and picked up the Chicago Sun-Times and turned to the movie review column.

"One of the best movies of the year, a movie that really tells something and cares deeply about the issues it contains - but it also performs very well as an entertaining movie. A warm romantic comedy, a rare high-level directorial debut.

The performances of the two leading actors are very good. After John Hughes and Molly Ringwald broke up and turned to adult stories, I once again saw high-level actors who can play teenagers...

The ending scene is quite skillful, which reminds people of The Graduate of 1967..."

"Ah...ah..." Helen Slater screamed when she heard Ronald read Roger Ebert's evaluation. She used to be called a vase by film critics. Such a big-name film critic praised her excellent acting skills. She can be regarded as turning over.

"Strange, why did Albert say good things about the movies I made?" Ronald was a little confused. Did I do something wrong?

"Hmm..." Helen kissed Ronald deeply, and then lay in his arms without saying a word. Her acting skills have always been criticized, but after being trained by Bigelow, now when she encounters the right work, people can also think that her acting skills are excellent.

"Richard, please help me connect with Albert from the Chicago Sun-Times..." After comforting Helen, Ronald still couldn't let go of the unexpected praise from the film critics. He wanted to know who helped him. The Hollywood magazine film reviews only praised the film in general, not to the extent of being included in the best films of the year.

"Roger, this is Ronald. Thank you for liking my company's film..."

"Aha, Ronald. I was just looking for you. James Wells of the New York Daily News is my old friend. Before our two newspapers separated, we were good friends drinking beer together... He is a rare good reporter who can win the Pulitzer Prize."

"...I understand. Anyway, I still have to thank you for your favor. Next time I come to Los Angeles, I will show my appreciation..."

Ronald put down the phone. It turned out that James Wells of the Daily News made secret efforts. It seems that I have to meet him when I go to New York this time.