Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Chapter 1277 Special Effects Head Changing Technique

"Dxnit!"

Ovitz was furious on the plane back to Los Angeles. The brokerage business has encountered a bottleneck, and he wants to open up new business lines. Advertising is an attempt that he came up with after thinking about it for a long time by combining his own resources.

Now his one attempt at a big account ended in miserable failure. He took a copy of Ronald's information in his hand, tore it apart and kneaded it, as if he was treating this little screenwriter back then...

"Damn it..." Ovitz gasped, and the Aikido breathing techniques taught to him by his former bodyguard, action movie star Steven Seagal, couldn't calm him down.

"They're all fucking liars..." Ovitz practiced for several minutes, but it was of no use at all. He still felt a tightness in his chest that couldn't be released.

"Put me through Siegel's phone..." Thinking of the movie star who got the Aikido Master's Certificate in Japan, "I heard that your new movie encountered financing problems? Why not package it to CAA to run the project? Sample?"

Ronald's company, Daydream Pictures, is currently mass-producing some low- and medium-cost kung fu action movies, such as Lundgren, Jean-Claude Van Damme, Eric Roberts... It just so happens that this Aikido kung fu requires a small amount of exercise. , suitable for beginners and looks very powerful. He can knock the opponent down with just a slap of the arm, and he can support himself and compete with Daydream in the ring.

"Yes, Ovitz, sir, my project will be very popular... I have already thought about it. To explain this high-concept movie in one sentence, it is called Die Hard in Battleships!"

Steven Seagal went to the airport to pick up Ovitz, and then resumed his old job as a driver and bodyguard for Ovitz with the honor of "Hollywood second-tier action star and Japanese Shinken Aikido black belt teacher".

"Yeah, it was 1984, the first time I was on your show. That movie was really special, right. But I really don't want to talk about it anymore. At that time, each of us Ask me how I kiss underwater..."

"But you come less and less. I haven't invited you to my show for a long time..."

"Yes, you're talking about Diane... Diane Lane. I heard she went to star in another movie at that time, Streets of Rage, a very good movie... They were originally looking for Daryl Hahn Na’s…”

"But I heard that you also met your husband, the director of this film, Ronald Lee, that day?"

"Diane Lane, it seems that you will also collaborate on a movie in the future, growing up..."

"Honestly, I'd rather watch my friend Bob Sagat's home videos of American humor..." Tom Hanks showed his true colors as a comedian.

After the theme music of Other People's Money started, Tom Hanks walked out to the music on David Letterman's show.

Ovitz adjusted his glasses. Is this Siegel dizzy? Filming a movie is not a street fight... "The important thing is that the fight looks good..."

"Hey, yes, he also went to the award ceremony at that time. No one happened to know me, and the male best friend was missing. Fortunately, he saved a little girl from being embarrassed."

"Sounds good. I'll put him on the same schedule as Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme's movie. Can you beat them?"

"Ah, yes, she acted very well and we had a great time working together..."

"Okay, give me your plan, and I'll help you find Warner Bros., package it and sell it to them for distribution... Your Die Hard on Battleships slogan is good. You should say the same when you get to Warner Bros. Bring a few apprentices with you. , give them a live demonstration of Aikido..."

"So, you have collaborated on another movie recently, and it is a very interesting business war movie... Let's invite Diane Lane..."

"Diane, the first time you appeared on my show was even earlier. I remember you attended the Oscars party at that time?"

"Yes, I was very young at that time, only sixteen years old. The man who went with me won a prize, and his prize disappeared throughout the night hahaha..."

"Well, that's why Aikido is even better..." Steven Siegel immediately changed the subject, "Although Karate has volley kicks, each move gives people an unreal feeling. The key point of Aikido is to One enemy is many, and the audience must be very happy to see how easily they can defeat a group of bad guys..." The more Siegel said, the more it felt right. If the movie was a hit, there would definitely be a group of teenagers coming to my Innocence Ryu Gym to learn. , kill two birds with one stone...

"It's just a piece of cake. Their karate is all based on fists and kicks. How can Aikido be as powerful as making the opponent fall down with small movements? In real fighting, you must not hurt yourself and let the opponent fail. Strong combat power, you can One against many..."

…

"Tom, when was the first time you came to my show? 1984? What was that movie called, Mermaid? The prince and the princess finally left to live in the underwater world. It was an unusual story..."

"Hi, David, Hi, Tom..." Diane walked out wearing a high-end white-collar suit.

"Ah, hahahaha... But I know that when you filmed The Mermaid, the first heroine was not the later actress, but another one who later acted in many well-known works..."

"But he doesn't have a statuette..."

"No, you are wrong, he also has an award. But it is not the best director but the best original song. He is the lyricist of the famous theme song (Fa)..."

"Hey, really? Ronald won an Oscar at that time?" Tom Hanks asked beside him.

"Yes, he is very precious, and he keeps it at his home in New York..."

...

"David, thank you so much."

Ronald also went to David Letterman's studio at NBC, this time to promote the movie "Other People's Money". Letterman is worthy of being the second most watched talk show host, and he is very helpful in the marketing of the movie.

Because many of his audiences are people who work in big cities, they go home late at night and watch his show before going to bed. These audiences are highly overlapped with "Other People's Money".

"Next time you have to come for a one-on-one interview, I am going to organize a successful director series here, and invite as many directors as possible to come to my show..." David Letterman said to Ronald with a smile.

"Next time you come, are you going to move up there?" Ronald pointed to the ceiling.

"Who knows?" David Letterman smiled even more when he saw this.

Ronald is saying something nice. Johnny Carson, the host of the Tonight Show, which has the highest ratings in American history, the longest consecutive hosting time, the highest advertising price, and 30 million viewers at its peak, announced his retirement next year a month ago.

For 30 years, many Americans have grown up watching his show. Being on his show has become the gold standard for judging the status of a star.

The clothes he wears and the products he uses have also become hot-selling products. Many middle-aged American men choose their clothes based on Johnny Carson's clothes. They are guaranteed not to make mistakes when attending social events, and they will be praised for their taste in clothes.

NBC has not yet decided on the candidate to succeed Johnny Carson, but most of the TV station and the audience are optimistic about David Letterman.

Not only because David Letterman was once an apprentice for Johnny Carson, but also because Letterman's late show happens to be the time slot of Carson's Today Show. Letterman's ratings can also be about half of Carson's.

This is a remarkable achievement, because the Late Show is too late and many viewers are asleep. It is great to have half the audience.

Even Johnny Carson himself, when asked who he would like to be the successor, revealed that he prefers David Letterman.

"Hahaha, that's settled..." David Letterman obviously likes such a blessing. When it comes to the new show, there must be some adjustments. The Tonight Show is more inclined to the public taste, and it is less explicit than the unscrupulous adult jokes of the Late Show.

He is now planning to take over the Tonight Show by inviting some more mainstream and mature guests.

...

"This is very interesting, well done."

In the next few days, Ronald went to the crew of "Una Soldier" co-produced by Jean-Claude Van Damme and Lundgren to check the preparation of special effects.

The protagonist of this movie is the Una Soldier, a war tool synthesized by machines and humans. This is similar to the Terminator robot in the movie "Terminator 2".

The Terminator series has greatly improved the quality of this type of science fiction film. After watching movies of that level, the audience will feel that Roger Corman's special effects are too fake.

Therefore, Ronald discussed with Roger Corman and added investment in special effects. Some equipment upgrades were made for them. In fact, Corman does not have to make movies below two million. He will still appreciate good things.

After several months of preparation, with the cooperation of the special effects makeup team and Ronald's special effects company, the effects makeup of several leading actors is very satisfactory.

Each re-creation soldier has an artificially synthesized mechanical eye on one eye - a retractable device similar to a gun scope.

The work of special effects makeup is to make Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme look cool and stylish after wearing this thing.

The computer special effects company has to produce some images from the main perspective of the protagonist. An artificial intelligence auxiliary device that can make real-time analysis and display various data and vital signs of the target with the image seen by the mechanical eye.

The special effects team referred a lot to the shooting method of Schwarzenegger's subjective perspective in "Terminator 2", and then changed the red in it to a yellow-green color that is more suitable for the desert terrain.

After Ronald saw it, he looked at Coleman, and they both nodded at the same time, indicating that this shot can be rated 100 points. It's not that their "You Think You've Got" surpassed "Terminator 2", but that they achieved a similar effect at less than 5% of the price, and the cost performance is the best in the United States!

"You will go to Arizona to shoot next. I have already coordinated with the Hoover Dam Management Office and tried my best to do it well. Your supplies have been shipped there in advance. There is nothing missing, and there are mobile toilets..."

Ronald talked to director Roland Emmerich about the matters that need to be paid attention to. This is his first time to shoot in Hollywood, and many shooting habits have not been changed. In addition, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Lundgren are also big stars. For a German director who is shooting here for the first time, getting along with them requires some adaptation.

This is his first time to shoot in Hollywood, and his first time directing a famous star. Ronald was afraid of problems, but seeing Emmerich's fluent English, Ronald felt that the problem was not big, especially when he sent his very capable producer Rachel Talalay there, and her toughness could deal with all the stars.

The previous dissatisfaction between the two leading actors at the project establishment ceremony still attracted the attention of a lot of media. This time the movie was shot in the deserts of Arizona and Nevada. Ronald was afraid that reporters would not go, so he arranged for someone to call them to break the news, and then invited interviews through formal channels.

True or false, the stage has been set up anyway. The two leading actors, Jean-Claude Van Damme and Lundgren, have already rehearsed many scenes, and are just waiting for the reporters to come and a small conflict will break out...

"Isn't Mr. Casal coming?" The crew arranged for everyone to take a group photo, and someone asked where Mario Casal of Carloco Films, who was also an investor, was.

"He is now very proud and is touring the country, accompanying the main creators on road shows and accepting interviews from media from all over the world."

Ronald smiled and shook his head. The box office of "Terminator 2" was very good at the beginning. But after all, the rating is an R-rated movie, so the weekly decline is still sharper than that of ordinary PG-13 or PG-rated movies. The weekly box office decline of about 25% is relatively stable, which is also related to the tireless road shows of several stars.

But after all, the box office base is huge. In the second week of release, the box office had exceeded 100 million, which also made Mario Casal extremely happy. His huge debt was completely saved through this movie, and there will be no more bankruptcy.

It's a pity that the private jet he booked has been transferred to Ronald. This made him speak loudly and feel a little uncomfortable when he faced the top executives of the Seven Big Companies in Hollywood.

"I heard that Warner has recently approved an action film project, which coincides with our schedule..." After Roger Corman took the photo, he quietly discussed a few words with Ronald in the corner.

"Competition is a good thing. It shows that this market segment is very promising... I have observed that in video rental stores, the biggest divisions are action and horror. When two movies compete, they will cover similar categories. The popularity of the movie..."

"This is a good angle. The current video tape market is really hot..."

…

"This is still a bit incongruous, very incongruous."

Back at the special effects company, Ronald, Van Fleet and others held another meeting to watch the production progress of the new Coca-Cola advertisement.

After the polar bear commercial was aired, it received good reviews. Coca-Cola immediately added some versions. The first thing to do is to let the polar bear and Santa Claus drink Coke together in preparation for the Christmas sales at the end of the year.

At the same time, it is impossible for Ronald to completely eliminate celebrity endorsements. There are still many celebrity agents in CAA, hoping to get a piece of the pie.

In order to unite the majority, Ronald asked Maguire to distribute some suitable advertising endorsements through Niceta to the young agents in CAA who had consensus.

However, it was not enough to win over young people. Ronald also privately approached the other remaining founder of CAA, Ron Meyer. He has agency contracts for a large number of established stars, as well as the film and television rights of some deceased stars.

Ron Meyer accepted the olive branch handed over by Ronald. He was also deeply worried about Ovitz's growing monotonous style at CAA. Soon, an advertising idea was proposed, and Elton John, a famous British singer owned by Meyer and Ronald's old friend, was also invited to shoot this special advertisement.

This is an ad that interweaves reality and history, with Elton John playing a singer who sings in a bar. There are two classic movies in history with bars as the main scenes, "Casablanca" and "Love Me or Leave Me".

Ronald wanted the two films' late leading actors, Humphrey Bogart and James Cagney, to reappear in the film.

However, judging from the few seconds that Van Fleet took out to test the special effects, it can still be seen at a glance that it is fake.

We found actors similar in stature to the two late actors, and replaced their heads with classic scenes from historical films. The actors' heads and the surrounding environment can be seen to be obviously out of place.

"The current technical capabilities can only do this..."

"Okay, you don't need to be too particular about the commercial, let's just do it like this." Ronald thought, it was just a one-minute commercial anyway, and the disharmony of more than ten seconds was diluted by the audience's joy at seeing the historical superstar reappear. .

"Ingrid Bergman and Doris Day's authorization must also be stepped up. If necessary, I can call Bergman's family."