Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Donna, do you still have straight A's?" Ronald asked Donna, who was sitting in the passenger seat.

"Yes, the high school courses are not difficult for me. My math teacher asked me to take a preparatory class next year and study calculus. If I pass the exam, I can use it as credits in college."

Donna's IQ is undoubtedly above the average for her peers.

"Are you willing to go to a key high school in New York? Did you know? There are eight key high schools in New York State. Their teaching courses are very advanced, and you will meet many classmates who are as smart as you."

"Is it Stanton High School of Science and Technology? I've been there before, and it's very boring there." Donna was reluctant.

Stanton Technical High School is also one of eight special focus high schools in New York State that participate in the special entrance examination.

"No, it's Stuyvesant High School. I asked the admissions department of Stuyvesant High School. Their test scores are higher than Stanton High School of Science and Technology. If you are willing, I can register you. You can live in my East Village in Manhattan when you go to school. in the apartment.”

"You live in Manhattan...then can I visit Wall Street?" Donna looked longingly.

…

"Manhattan?" Aunt Karen looked hesitant. "I know that Donna's IQ is higher than her classmates, but I don't want her to enter special education prematurely. I want her to grow up by her mother's side."

"Of course, Aunt Karen. I know you want Donna to grow up in a loving environment, with good friends and classmates who she grew up with."

Ronald actually understood Aunt Karen a little bit, "It's not necessarily a good thing for a girl to leave her parents and go to a so-called gifted school early."

"I went to Stuyvesant High School. There are many courses other than mathematics, physics and chemistry there, such as gymnastics, fencing, drama, etc. This special exam is jointly held by eight special middle schools in New York State. It focuses on mathematics and logic. and language ability. Stuyvesant High School has the highest admission score, and our Staten Island Technical High School is also among them.

Once you pass the exam, you can choose to go or not. It’s up to Donna to make her choice at that time. The point is, Aunt Karen, Stuyvesant has a considerable number of scholarships directly to Ivy League schools, including Harvard, Yale, MIT, etc. If Donna can obtain admission to a prestigious school..."

"Scholarship?" Aunt Karen was impressed by this scholarship qualification from a prestigious school.

"Yes, the principal is responsible for the recommendation." Ronald replied.

"Stuyvesant is also a public high school, and the tuition is similar to Toteville. I think this is a good opportunity for Donna to try." Ronald struck while the iron was hot. If the business of leg warmers is good, you can also go to the East Village of Manhattan to work. The apartment I rent is not far from the school. It has three rooms and we can live together.

Aunt Karen patted Ronald's hand, "You always think everything through, Ronnie. But I still have to talk to Donna's teacher about this. You can sign up for the special entrance exam for Donna first."

…

"Ronald, are you so confident? We still have more than 20 days, and the sales results of Cincinnati and Cleveland are about to come out. You really want to not worry about the test results at all. Why is this?"

Ronald asked Darcy Maguire out to ask her about the special entrance exam to Stuyvesant High School and to see if Donna was preparing for it.

Darcy thought Ronald was going to talk about the chewing gum advertising test. He heard that he was asking for advice on the Stuyvesant Middle School entrance exam, and was immediately stopped by his unworried attitude.

"My former boss once told me a piece of Chinese philosophy, which is to grasp the main contradiction." Ronald explained his judgment to Darcy, "If you are like me, you are not familiar with TV advertisements. If you firmly believe in the fact that it is not for people to see, then there should be no worries.”

Seeing that Darcy Maguire still didn't understand, Ronald gave an example, "For example, if the sewer in your house is blocked, you need to hire a plumber to clear it. He is handsome and good at chatting. Of course, these It’s a bonus, but the most important thing is its ability to connect sewers. It would be even better if the price is not expensive.”

"What kind of nonsense metaphors are these?"

"The same goes for TV commercials. It doesn't matter whether the shots are of high artistic quality. TV screens are so small, generally 14-21 inches, that you can't clearly see the details of your shots. Besides, more than half of the people don't understand at all. When they watch TV commercials, they just hear the slogans spoken by the people in the commercials.”

"The on-site results showed that everyone remembered our advertising slogan Chewels chewing gum tastes better, while less than half of the people remembered their advertising slogan. If it is reflected in sales, I doubt we will win by a big margin. "

"So I'm not worried at all. Even if they make some small moves, increase advertising efforts, and give retailers some benefits, how many percentage points can they increase sales? In the face of this huge advantage that our advertising can make people remember, those It’s all in vain.”

Ronald's confidence was also conveyed to Darcy, and she nodded, "You are right, but I will still keep an eye on them. This time we must win beautifully."

"I have no doubt about you. You are very talented, Miss Maguire. After all, you came up with such a great idea." Ronald praised.

"I just want to express the selling point simply and directly." Darcy Maguire is also a little proud of his creativity.

"So, what is the entrance exam for Stuyvesant High School? Do you need Donna, my cousin, to prepare?"

Darcy Maguire made an exaggerated expression of utter amazement, but still explained to Ronald what the special entrance exam meant.

"No, it is a special SAT test held jointly by eight special key high schools in New York State, which is just a little more difficult than the usual SAT."

"I remember that it tests the English and math abilities of the candidates. The exam lasts for three hours in total, and you can allocate the time for the two subjects yourself. Finally, the scores are converted according to the ranking, with a total score of 700. You can apply for up to 8 schools, and then be admitted in order according to the admission scores."

Ronald took out a ballpoint pen and began to write down the key points.

"Stuyvesant has the highest admission score, which requires about 570, while Brooklyn Tech and Brooklyn Latino have the lowest admission scores, which only require 480. So there is no need to prepare, this is essentially an IQ test."

"Are there no past exam questions? Question type analysis? Simulation guessing questions?" Ronald suddenly came up with some words that Darcy Maguire couldn't understand.

"I don't know what you mean, but just let your cousin take the exam. The exam will be at the end of October, and the results will be released at about the same time as our advertising test."

...

"Eddie, why haven't I sent a letter of recommendation to everyone on the list of screenwriter agents, and no one has signed a contract with me?" Ronald found Eddie and asked him about his problem of finding a screenwriter agent.

"Really? How do you write?" Eddie was also surprised.

"I wrote my name on the famous script and asked them to consider acting for me. That's basically it."

"Ronald, you are an experienced veteran who has worked in two film crews. Why are you so naive?"

Ronald frowned, "What did I do wrong? Eddie, please tell me."

"Your self-recommendation credit is very suitable for applying for membership of the Western Writers Guild. Are you looking for an agent? By the way, have you obtained your qualification for the Writers Guild?"

"Yes, they found the script on file. My name and Christopher Gore are connected by And, so I can get 24 points and join the association smoothly. If I use ap; to connect, I can only get 12 points, and I have to accumulate some more writing points."

Eddie nodded, "Let's put it this way, Ronald, if I act as your director, what benefits can I get?"

"I think I can shoot commercials and provide some opportunities for other actors and models under your company to appear on camera?" Ronald thought for a while and said.

"What else?"

"You can take 10% of my director's income. But my income is not high now, so your commission is not much."

"Yes, it's the same with those screenwriter agents, Ronald! The Famous Four Seas has been filmed, and you don't have a new script. How can they make money by representing you?"

"But can't The Famous Four Seas prove my screenwriting ability? They can also find me some script revision work, which can also make money, right?" Ronald remembered that Alan Parker was going to give him a screenwriter doctor, whose income was higher than that of ordinary screenwriters.

"If The Famous Four Seas is a big hit, it is possible, and screenwriter agents will take the initiative to find you. If you are nominated for an Oscar, they will chase you every day, but the movie will be released next year, and they are unlikely to bet on your future now."

"So that's it, I really thought it was simple." Ronald thought, no wonder he sent dozens of self-recommendation letters, but didn't even receive a call. Only by letting others make money can you find the right people to serve you. This principle seems to be the same in all walks of life.

Eddie is willing to represent himself because it can help him make money. Being able to take on the gum commercial made Darcy Maguire feel that she could film a temperament that satisfied the main customer group of independent women, which would be beneficial to her promotion. Hershey agreed to test the commercial in order to sell more gum.

So if you want to make a movie in the future, is it the key to make the producer make a lot of money?

At least it must be Roger Corman, Ronald thought.

"So how is the progress at Hershey? How many opportunities can I have in the series of commercials?" Eddie began to promote his own artists, "Look at these photos, I have beauties of all hair colors, body shapes, and races, even ugly ones like Gracie Jones if you want."

Ronald watched Eddie flip through the audition photos of beauties page by page. This feeling of being able to decide someone's fate with just one sentence was really special.

"Darcy Maguire has some plans, choir, foreign chefs, parachutists, Duchess of the United States, high school band, as long as you win the sales test at the end of the month, you will have a lot of opportunities."

"Really? It seems that I have to talk to her. I not only have young beauties, but also many actors who are suitable for playing various professions and races. Chefs and Duchesses are not a problem." Eddie got excited and really started to select suitable actors. "You will speak well for me when the time comes, right, Ronnie?"

"Of course, you are my agent."