Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"I actually had to take drugs to relieve the headache caused by the car accident... You have to believe me, Ronald, you have to give me this opportunity... I really need it..."

Eric Roberts was found by Daydream Pictures and went to the hospital for an examination first. Ronald looked at the results and saw various reports of drug abuse. The list was as long as Ronald's shopping list in the supermarket.

"Okay, I believe you. We have known each other for a long time. This movie is just right for your life."

Ronald scratched his head. The doctor told him that many of the drugs were painkillers taken for patients' pain management. There was indeed suspicion of abuse, but they were not the kind of drugs that actors often use.

However, there were also a lot of messy drugs in his body, but the detected content suggested that he was in a period of intermission recently and had not been tempted to the dark side for the time being.

Eric Roberts's upward momentum was very good back then. He starred in "Runaway Train" directed by Konchalovsky and was nominated for the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor. He also had a boxing scene in that movie, and it can be seen that he is a martial artist.

Ronald recalled the time when he went to Alaska to visit the set. At that time, Tom Cruise's girlfriend, Rebecca De Mornay, happened to be the heroine of the movie written by Akira Kurosawa.

Alas, things have changed.

Ronald shook his head and sent Eric Roberts, who was in good condition, out of the office. He would sign a filming contract with Daydream and serve as the director of the Taekwondo movie.

"Puff..." The assistant, the fat girl Lake, who was next to Ronald, exchanged a new cup of coffee for him. Seeing the interesting contrast between the smiling Eric Roberts and the gloomy production director Michelle Cannold, she laughed out loud.

"What's wrong?" Ronald asked.

"When I joined Daydream, I didn't expect to come back to shoot this kind of..." Michelle Cannold was very surprised by Ronald's taste. The movies he directed were all good in both artistry and commerciality, and they could often capture social hot spots. Why were the movies he invested in so... so Roger Corman-like?

"B-level movies, right?" Ronald laughed.

"It's not a B-grade movie, but these three movies have a bit of that kind of action for the sake of action, patriotism for the sake of patriotism, is it like that movie?" Michelle Cannold is still relatively confident about the market prospects of the movie, but the plot... maybe it will be nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award.

"Like Pxxrn, right?" Ronald has no taboos about this and said it generously, "Yes, in fact, we are shooting Action Pxxrn"

Just like a certain type of genre film that sells well in the video market and is produced by San Fernando Valley, another film and television base in Los Angeles, the three low-cost films that Ronald decided to shoot are the kind of movies that fight for the sake of fighting.

The reason why it is called Action Pxxrn is that they are written from the script level to let the audience watch one action scene after another. The growth of the characters and the logic of the story are not considered. The messy plot is actually to deliberately lead to the transition of action scenes that some audiences like.

Anyway, the audience knows that this is a B-grade movie when they enter the cinema and will not have unrealistic fantasies. In Hollywood, there is actually a strict distribution method. From the design of the poster to the marketing arrangement, it will be explicitly implied that my movie is just for watching the action scenes, don't have any extra expectations.

In this way, it is fair and honest. Those who buy tickets are all action movie lovers. Except for those film critics, there will be no real complaints.

"So, you specifically picked three directors who were photographers to direct?" Michelle Cannold made a look of "I see", which made Ronald accept the flattery comfortably.

"Yes, anyway, as long as they can shoot atmospheric pictures, the rest will be solved by action directors and the actors' personal performance."

Ronald was very happy that Cannold understood his meaning by analogy. Old brothers are in tune with each other...

For the three movies, new directors who were originally photography directors were found. They are cheap and their abilities have been verified. If they can still exceed expectations, shoot eye-catching plots, and have good enough narrative skills and lens language, then they can continue to be produced on a larger scale.

"Is everything OK?" After talking about all the work arrangements, Ronald stood up and looked at his watch.

"Going back to the hotel? When will your new house be ready?" Everyone is used to Ronald going home on time every day to accompany his wife. Some female employees are secretly discussing whether Ronald is the new model husband in Hollywood?

"Ah, it's almost the end of the year, then I will invite you all to the house-warming party." Ronald's face is full of smiles, and married life is really good.

However, he can't go back to the hotel today, because he has other arrangements.

Two weeks later, "When Harry Met Sally" will be released. At a time when Batman dominates the box office, Ronald attaches great importance to the marketing of the movie, hoping that the unique adult romantic love movie can attract different audiences to the cinema.

This is not a joke. Although Columbia Pictures will try its best to cooperate, all the movies released at the same time are a little trembling under Batman.

Ronald is the same. He made an appointment with Billy Crystal and Meg Ryan to shoot promotional photos for the movie in the afternoon. He needs to promote it in major media magazines and TV stations.

"What are you busy with now?" Billy Crystal was idle at home after filming When Harry Met Sally. This promotion is one of the few busy times for him.

"I want to make a movie myself, Ronald. What do you think of a cowboy movie?"

"Western movie?" Ronald was scratching his head about "Dances with Wolves". Few people have made this type of movie, and the cost is expensive.

"No, it's a cowboy movie, it's a comedy. I only have a basic idea now." Billy Crystal wants to take a different approach and introduce comedy elements into traditional western cowboy movies.

"When you have a script, you might as well show it to me. I have to sign a first-look agreement with you." Ronald half-jokingly booked his project with Crystal first.

"Really? Are you so confident in me? I'm serious. This is a dream I had when I was a child. When I watched old movies on TV, I always wrote comedy lines and plots for them, and then imagined what those old westerns would be like."

"Is it a deal?" Ronald shook hands with Billy Crystal and made it a deal. He knew that Crystal had a high pursuit of art. If he was willing to create a project himself, it might have the opportunity to become a masterpiece.

"By the way, do you have any other film or TV projects now?" Ronald asked Billy Crystal.

"No, I'm unemployed at home now...hahaha." In fact, Crystal has a wide range of interests and hobbies. He can perform Broadway plays, release jazz records, and guest star in weekend comedy shows on TV...

"Have you ever thought about being the host of the Oscars?" Ovitz promised to help Ronald operate the producer of the next year's Oscars ceremony. This matter still needs to be discussed with the organizer, the Academy of Motion Picture Technology and Arts.

Ronald thought of the disastrous host of the last Oscars, who told vulgar jokes that were out of tune. Only Billy Crystal's jokes, which he improvised, were popular. If he could team up with Billy Crystal to attend the interview, the possibility of winning this awards ceremony would be much greater.

"Me? Oscar? Why?"

"Actually, I want to be a producer. You know, the Oscar judges are very harsh on me. I want to please them..." Ronald was also half-joking.

"Why not? If you are interested, I am happy to do it." Billy Crystal was reminded by Ronald and also thought of the benefits of improving his popularity at the Oscars.

"Now we have to really sign an agreement," Ronald shook hands with Billy Crystal again. After getting a clue, Ronald will also find a suitable comedy screenwriter to write some jokes for Crystal, and let him perform one or two in front of the organizer to give the other party some confidence.

"Wow, good things always happen when you're with Ronald." Crystal was also in high spirits, "When will Meg come? I haven't seen her for a long time."

"She's back from Hawaii, she should be here soon..." Ronald looked at his watch, Meg Ryan's agent told him that the heroine had recently received a new movie and was rehearsing and adapting on the spot, and Ronald would be responsible for the travel expenses and appearance fees for the whole process.

"Hi, Ronnie, I didn't expect you to be married, congratulations. Hi, Billy."

As he was talking, Meg Ryan's people flashed in from outside the door. She was still the sweet and beautiful girl, hugging and greeting old friends one by one.

"Meg, I'm heartbroken, you abandoned me." Ronald said to Meg Ryan with a smile.

"How did I abandon you?" Meg Ryan was not annoyed by Ronald's strange words, she actually understood what it was.

"You abandoned me and went to Hawaii for Shanley's new film. If I hadn't repeatedly requested, you wouldn't even have come to the pre-screening promotion of When Harry Met Sally. I say, is John so charming?"

Ronald actually didn't say this to Meg Ryan. In fact, what really upset him was John Patrick Shanley, the screenwriter of "Moonlight", the Oscar winner.

The two worked very well together in "Moonlight" back then, and Ronald also said that if Shanley wanted to be a director in the future, he should come to him.

However, Kathleen Kennedy, the general manager of Spielberg's Amblin Entertainment, got there first. After she learned about Shanley's new script, she quickly signed a contract with him and invited him to Amblin to shoot his directorial debut, Joe Vers the Volo.

"Ah, hahaha... Shanley often talked about you, saying that your shooting method in "Moonlight" gave him a lot of inspiration." Meg Ryan said a few good words about the current director.

This is how the industry is. Not only do directors choose actors, but actors also choose directors. John Patrick Shanley had no experience in casting, so he found the right person among the actors who had worked with Ronald.

The heroine was the heroine in Ronald's romance film, and the hero was Tom Hanks, the hero in Diane Lane's previous film. Anyway, Ronald's own vision and the hero he chose for his wife would definitely not be wrong.

This made Ronald a little bit dissatisfied, and it was also the reason why he immediately wanted to finalize an agreement with Billy Crystal after he heard that he was interested in making a movie of his own. With the first-look agreement, he can read the script before everyone else and decide whether to invest and how much to invest.

I just didn't sign a contract with Shangli back then, and I was beaten to it by Amber Lin.

"What is this movie about? Is it also a romance movie?" Billy Crystal put on a dress, and took promotional photos back to back with Meg Ryan, who also put on a dress.

"It's a romance film. The male protagonist is called Qiao. He is a qualified employee who works diligently, but he has no ambition and does not dare to pursue the colleague he likes. Later, the doctor told Qiao that he was suffering from an incurable disease. With only a few months left to live, a frustrated Qiao decided to confess his feelings to the female colleague he had always had a crush on, but unexpectedly he was rejected."

"So, are you playing the female colleague?" Ronald was watching and asked about Shanley's new script. He hadn't read it yet.

"Yes and no, listen to me, this script is very interesting. At this moment, a mysterious wealthy businessman appeared in front of Joe. The wealthy businessman told Joe that if Joe is willing to jump into an island on a specific day, In the volcano, he can get a lot of money.

On the way to the island, Joe met Patricia, the daughter of a wealthy businessman. The two developed a sincere relationship amidst the twists and turns. In order to be with Joe, Patricia was even willing to jump into the crater with him. "

"Are you playing this rich girl?" Billy Crystal also became curious.

"Ah, yes and no. I play two roles in the movie, a colleague and a rich girl."

"How is that possible? Doesn't Joe have a crush on his female colleague? Why can't he recognize a rich girl when he meets her?" Ronald didn't understand either.

"That's what's interesting about this script. It's actually a fable. They can be one person or two people, representing different sides of women.

By the way, actually I don’t play two female characters, but three, and the other one is Angelica, the sister of the rich girl Patricia. "

"You've completely confused me now."

Ronald was extremely confused. Is this still a movie? Why does it sound like a stream of consciousness film?

"One more picture, give me an expression of looking back to see my lover."

The poster photographer began posing Meg Ryan. She was so photogenic that most of Billy Crystal's photos were taken with her, and Meg Ryan took twice as many photos as him.

"Thank you, let's see you at the premiere?" Ronald looked at the sample taken by the photographer with a single-imaging camera and was very satisfied. Let the marketing department take over and print a large number of photos of Meg Ryan looking back and smiling as movie posters and featured ads in magazines.

He also cut two versions of the trailer, which were played on cable TV stations in major cities such as Los Angeles and New York. This adult love story cannot be broadcast roughly on a youth station like MTV, which is a test for the daydreaming publicity team.

In the end, they were city-by-city TV stations that negotiated preferential advertising time slots.

One is mainly about the scenes of elderly couples being interviewed in the movie, and then finally adds the warm scenes of the male and female protagonists telling each other how to fall in love with each other, attracting some married couples.

The other version edited out the scenes of the two protagonists rejecting each other for ten years, and paired it with voiceovers of the two sweetly describing how they met each other during interviews, creating a contrasting effect.

"Hahaha, this trailer is so interesting."

In the evening, the second version of the trailer was played on the cable station in Los Angeles as scheduled. The contradictory combination of the scene and the voice-over made Diane laugh so hard.

"I cut it myself. Is my craftsmanship good?" Ronald looked at it with a smile. It is estimated that this trailer will become the talk of many urban men and women in the next two weeks. When fermented, it will definitely attract some viewers to the cinema to watch it. Ultimately.

Ronald put his arm around Diane's shoulders and picked up the magazine page of the New York Times with his other hand. The insert above contained the movie poster for "When Harry Met Sally."

On the screen, Harry and Sally are on the left and right sides of the screen. Below them are the streets of New York and the title of the movie.

In the middle of the screen is a title:

"When two friends sleep together, can they still love each other the next morning?"