Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"This is very difficult, it can be said to be the holy grail of computer animation."

John Van Fleet was still an engineer at heart, ignoring Ronald's excited description of a furry panda wolfing down a steamed bun, then opening a bottle of Coca-Cola and drinking it in one gulp to quench his thirst, and finally burping.

"So it can still be done?" Ronald became more interested when he heard him say this. The real effect of hair seems to be a very difficult hurdle to overcome. If we develop it ourselves, we will have a monopoly on production capabilities, at least temporarily...

"It is technically feasible, but very difficult. First of all, these hairs need to have a realistic effect, and then the movement of each hair must present a harmonious effect in the macroscopic sense. Finally, even if there is such software, the rendering computing power is also at the level of aerospace technology..."

"I didn't ask you if it is difficult, I asked if it can be done... Just make a ten-second advertisement..." Ronald really has no way to deal with such technical talents...

"Oh, that's still possible, but we have to go all out, and it will take about three months..."

"Okay, just come like this, if you need new people and new powerful computers, give me a report..."

"Thank you, um..." Van Fleet was hesitant to speak.

Ronald was amused by him, why should he thank himself? These people are very fun, as long as there are big toys for them to play with, it seems to be the most interesting thing in the world.

"If we can get a rendering server that SGI has just released, we can reduce the rendering time by more than 40% in the future."

"It's all written in the report... I've approved it..."

...

"Wow, this server is so expensive?" A few days later, Ronald, who was reviewing reports in the office, saw the purchase price of the server, which could buy dozens of ordinary graphics servers.

"It is not allowed to be resold to the prohibited countries stipulated in the Batumi Agreement, and it is not allowed..."

In addition to the expensive price, this server also has a thick stack of purchase agreements, including an embargo on Cold War opponents.

"Why is this thing embargoed? Don't let our opponents make special effects movies?" Ronald couldn't help but complain.

"It's not like that. Computers of this level can actually be used for many sensitive purposes..." Ronald's bodyguard Daniel is still knowledgeable. In scientific research, including star theory, space exploration, and their corresponding fields in the military industry, this supercomputer can be used for simulation.

"Movies, not Icb." Ronald said with a smile. Now that East and West Germany have merged, the general trend in the world is still to ease and make peace. After so many years of Cold War, everyone should be tired.

In his report, Van Fleet also listed several ways to reduce the difficulty of this computer-generated animation. For example, the panda can be changed into a grizzly bear, which is common in North America. Because the environment where the panda lives is full of bamboo, and these bamboos need to sway in the wind, it is also a detail that consumes a lot of time.

On the contrary, if it is a grizzly bear, then just put some grass in the environment.

"Pandas are so cute", Ronald originally wanted to make some Chinese-style logos. How many children in the zoo love animals?

However, the technicians did not consider these, so he asked Van Fleet to weigh it. If it really doesn't work, just make a panda without bamboo forest.

...

Ronald, who had returned to Los Angeles for a long time, suddenly had a distinguished guest visit him that day.

"Ronald, you didn't expect me to come, did you?" Warren Buffett, wearing tortoise-shell glasses, got out of the car very energetically and walked into Ronald's house.

"I heard that you have a vacation home in Laguna Beach, and I was going to visit you." Ronald shook hands with him enthusiastically.

"Ah, Susan and I bought it in 1971. I really want to invite you, but all three children will come, so it's better to come to you."

Warren Buffett talked about the vacation home he bought, which has more than 60 bedrooms and only cost $150,000 at the time. Now Laguna has become a very famous resort on the West Coast, and the house price has risen sharply.

"You really have a bit of an American middle-class lifestyle." Ronald laughed. The billionaire's assets have appreciated rapidly, and his investment in Coca-Cola has given him a very good return in the past two years.

"I came from a middle-class family..." Warren replied with a smile, "Astrid complained to me today that the money for a cup of coffee in Beverly Hills can buy several pounds of coffee."

"Hey, who said it wasn't." Ronald was very compatible with the most capable investor in America. He also grew up in a middle-class or lower-class family, and this habit of calculating money to make a living is also very resonant.

However, Buffett's private life is not like that of a middle-class person at all. Astrid is his live-in girlfriend. His first wife Susan, who bought a house with him, is now in California and still maintains a husband-and-wife relationship with him, but they do not interfere with each other's private lives. Astrid was introduced to Warren by Susan, who said that their living habits are compatible.

This time Buffy came to Ronald's house mainly to thank him for his second son Peter winning the Oscar.

Although he does not have the kind of love for his three children that ordinary families have, Warren does not love his children. It's just that his mind is focused on investment. He will not miss the important moments in his children's lives.

Among the three children, Peter was the most talented. Warren once had the idea to cultivate his investment ability. Unfortunately, Peter was interested in music and inherited his mother's talent.

Warren, who was originally not optimistic about him, changed his view after Peter won the award. He admired his son who had reached the top of his industry very much. He felt that his genes were indeed well-deserved and he could go anywhere. do the best.

He is also planning to give some small money to his children and let them make some investments respectively. If you have talent, you can also come to Berkshire Hathaway. If you don't have talent, you can live a more comfortable life.

Warren seldom entertained himself, so Ronald even organized a card game and played a game of bridge with him, which made Buffy very happy.

"What company have you invested in recently? Three No Generals..." Buffy also rarely talked about investment during the card game. He also felt that Ronald was more in tune with his temperament.

"I bought some Microsoft and it went up pretty well. Now every company in America uses their software. Four spades."

"I don't understand the tech industry, this kind of company is not stable enough. Double that."

After one set, Ronald won first and then lost, which made Buffy happy who finally won. Ronald walked him to the foyer where his car was.

"I will call Keogh. They should refer to your opinion more and should not rely on an agent to manage marketing. This kind of middleman business is actually what I try to avoid..."

Ronald used Buffy, Coca-Cola's major shareholder, to circumvent Coca-Cola. Buffy called Keogh to mention Ronald, and he publicly stood up for Ronald when he was interviewed by the media and asked him to comment on his views on investing in Coca-Cola.

He did not directly mention the names of either Ronald or Ovitz, but praised the management's good performance over the past year and believed that this management team was the biggest reason for him to invest in Coca-Cola. This is undoubtedly a clear indication that we should stick to the effective marketing model of the past.

It just so happened that the top brass was evenly divided between those who supported and opposed letting Ovitz take over the advertising business. This put a heavy weight on Ronald's side of the scale. After all, Buffy was the first investor to publicly increase his holdings of Coca-Cola and show his appreciation for them.

The current share price of Coca-Cola also proves Buffy's unique vision. The two groups were at loggerheads at a meeting to decide on marketing strategy. Those who support sticking to tradition quote Buffy.

Coca-Cola is a traditional southern company, and the younger brothers have to follow their elder brothers at the top. The two factions were clearly divided and quarreled fiercely. This made Keogh, who was presiding over the meeting, very uncomfortable.

"Stop!" Keogh gestured for everyone to sit down. "I see that Ronald Lee, who shot many successful commercials and film product placements for us, is not included here. Why is he not on the list of famous directors filming Coke commercials this time?"

People from both groups looked at each other and didn't dare to say a word. On the one hand, I don’t want to say that Ronald dislikes filming Coca-Cola commercials, but on the other hand, I don’t want to say that he is actually opposed to Ovitz.

"Invite him to come and talk...I want to hear his opinion."

…

"Ronald, long time no see. You are also an important shareholder of ours. Why don't you shoot some ads for Coca-Cola?"

Keogh was quick to talk, and as soon as he saw Ronald, he was so happy that he "questioned" him.

Ronald shook hands with Keogh vigorously. This man's hand was quite strong. He just got off Coca-Cola's special plane and took a helicopter to the tarmac of the headquarters. The whole person was very relaxed, and his hands were a little white after being squeezed so hard by Keo.

This old man made a sneak attack... Ronald shook it back hard and smiled at Keogh. He said fiercely, "You haven't used product placement in my movies for a long time. We need to increase our communication..."

"Well said, our communication department does have some problems, which is also an important reason for inviting you here." Keogh was also very satisfied with Ronald's hand strength. Southern culture believes that a man who has no strength in shaking hands will It's not a good partner.

The so-called communication department is actually the marketing department. Keogh said this publicly in front of his subordinates, which was considered a severe criticism. Ronald, an individual shareholder with a lot of shares and a big Hollywood director, actually skipped Ronald when it came to movie product placement, which was the first advertising form adopted by Coca-Cola in the early days?

Managers who advocated full cooperation with Ovitz were crestfallen.

"I remember that the ads you shot for us all received very good responses. I hope to see the ads you shot for us again in the next six months..."

After Keo finished speaking, he glanced sideways at the people in the marketing department. That means I don’t care what little thoughts you have, you have to put them all aside now and follow my rhythm.

"I'm very happy... My wife Diane Lane shot a 007-style commercial at that time. Before the new movie, I also directed a short commercial like this for her. It's a very good memory for me."

"Listen, this is a typical representative of us southerners. He loves his wife, loves his career, and doesn't have so many small things to do." Keogh happily patted Ronald on the shoulder and added "Be careful" in his words. , which made the executives following behind quite uncomfortable.

"Let me take you to visit our Coca-Cola world. There are the most valuable formulas in the world, Coca-Cola formulas, and Coca-Cola from all over the world. The taste is subtly different..."

"Ronald, what can you teach me about marketing?" Keogh talked to Ronald while taking him to visit the Coca-Cola Museum.

Ronald was looking at the various packaging, bottles, and advertisements used by Coca-Cola in the history of the museum, and he was very interested.

Hearing Keogh's question, Ronald smiled, "What did Ovitz tell you?"

"He said that Coca-Cola needs celebrity endorsements. He is the person in Hollywood, no, the world who knows best who will become a big star in the next three years. By cooperating with him, we will enjoy the most cost-effective celebrity endorsement contract."

"Well, I work in Hollywood, and I have paid attention to the history of many companies. In Hollywood, after the star system was established, the studios did make a lot of money from them. But for a company, it is not a good thing to concentrate its income on one or two stars. This is also why many stars began to become independent and did not sign long-term exclusive contracts with studios. After that, a large number of studios went bankrupt or merged."

Ronald talked about a period of Hollywood history. Most of the current seven major studios are the result of mergers and acquisitions of many companies.

For example, MGM and 20th Century Fox can be seen from their names. There are also Universal, Warner Bros., and Paramount. Although the names of these companies have not changed, they have also acquired many other companies.

These companies have had glorious years, with several movies selling well. There are also unfortunate times, when consecutive movies failed at the box office and were on the verge of bankruptcy. Therefore, early movie companies dominated by small movie companies will soon merge, and one company can shoot multiple movies to spread the risk.

"I think even the seven major studios can hardly guarantee that their film projects will make money. They can only shoot ten or so at the same time, hoping that the profitable ones can balance the losses. Do you think an agent can know more than them?"

"Good idea..." Keogh admired Ronald very much at this time. As soon as this passage was said, it was obvious that this person's investment in Coca-Cola stock could not be based on good luck alone.

However, this is a refutation of Ovitz's theory, but Ovitz can't do it, and the original old model may not be feasible.

"You know, there is only one company in Hollywood that has been making money all the time. They can survive well in Hollywood without relying on any stars. Although it is not the most glorious, the annual income is very stable."

"Oh?" Keo keenly felt that what Ronald said was very important.

"It is Disney. Their Mickey Mouse and Snow White have no salary, will not refuse to act because of the script, and will not have scandals and lose the audience's favor overnight. For decades, they have been loved by the audience..."

"So, if I come to shoot, I might as well make a cute cartoon image, so that I don't have to predict the popularity of the stars..."

"This is a good business mindset!" Keo was very happy, "You should be responsible for our advertising project, what do you think?" He looked back at the senior executives who followed from a distance.

"I have a suggestion. Why don't I help you shoot the commercial this time? I'll use a cute stuffed animal image. Look, I have panda grass here..."

"Great..." Keogh didn't listen to him finish. "We used polar bears as the image of Coca-Cola in the early 1920s. What you said is great. Let's use polar bears..."

"Uh... okay..." Ronald looked at the polar bear on the 1922 Coke poster in the museum. Forget it, it's their own old cartoon image. Let's wait for the panda.