Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Ronald, nice to see you again"

Shirley Lansing wore a bright red office girl suit, a broken diamond brooch, and a small platinum necklace with a huge diamond on it, which kept stimulating Ronald's eyes.

"Hello, Ms. Lansing...", Ronald rubbed his eyes.

Not only is she "radiant," but Shelly Lansing apparently had lip augmentation surgery and had her typically Jewish nose reshaped. If she is still pursuing a career as an actress, Ronald will tell her that you have reached the age to play a mother, so don’t do this kind of surgery that will be exposed to the camera in an attempt to stay in the role of a girl. .

In addition, Shirley Lansing's accent has also changed a lot. She originally had a central Chicago accent, but now she speaks like a "valley girl". I really don't know what this woman is thinking. Maybe the old guys at Paramount like this tone?

"I heard Kevin (Hu Wen, her agent) say, you have something you want..." If Shirley Lansing has made any progress in the field of independent production in the past few years, it is that she understands Not everyone is interested in her beauty, especially a young man like Ronald, who has the best effect if he speaks directly.

"Yes, I want this...", Ronald handed over a note.

"A satirical novel by Winston Groom? I heard that Warner Bros. has given up and put him in rotation? The previous Rain Man has exhausted the audience potential of this genre... Well, it is I'm too talkative. If I get this position, I will definitely try my best..."

"It's not about trying my best. I have to get this script. It has nothing to do with the box office, it's my personal preference..." Ronald interrupted the other party's stylized statement.

"OK, I guess it's not too difficult. I have a good relationship with Terry Tramel of Warner Bros., but why don't you go and get it yourself from them?"

Ronald shrugged, thinking if I could buy it, would I still talk nonsense to you?

"It's my problem." Shirley Lansing made a gesture of zipping up her mouth, thinking that this must be a personal grudge. There are many people in Hollywood who do not view movies as a pure business.

Some directors and producers, even though they know that the movie has no potential at the box office, will still insist on making a certain movie just to realize their dreams. Thinking of this, she glanced at Ronald. There are also some people who feel disrespected over some trivial matters and refuse to cooperate with certain people. It is also common for them to hold back until the most suitable person dies.

"Speaking of box office matters, if it weren't for some hobbies, how would you consider whether to film a certain script?" Shirley Lansing brought the topic back to the exam she was about to take.

"This is nothing more than those clichés, Shirley. You are also a producer, understand. Stars are the most important. The script has the commitment of the star, and then it is matched with a suitable director, supporting actors, technical team, etc., instead of in turn."

Ronald first talked about some common sense in the industry, and then he was shocked to find that Shirley Lansing actually wrote down with a pen in a small leather notebook:

"Stars are number one..."

"This..." Ronald was full of suspicion. Could this woman be following Stanley Jaffe and doing some administrative work? For those successful film projects, you didn’t do any decision-making work? Even if you follow Jia Fei and watch and hear, you won't understand nothing, right?

"Well, what else? I watched your previous movies before I came here, and I found that you have a special eye for selecting scripts, better than any Hollywood producer I know. Is there any secret here?"

Shirley Lansing really doesn't understand the choices made by Hollywood producers. She has always been Stanley Jaffe's assistant and is responsible for implementing the decisions made by Jaffe. More time is spent on distribution and marketing. Sometimes she doesn’t know if she wants to reminisce about the feeling she had when she was filming movies and TV series.

Lansing also appeared on several Bobbi Wygant interviews, a rarity in the producer world. How can ordinary producers reserve precious camera time for themselves and all the time for the starring stars?

"Alas..." Ronald sighed in his heart. He overestimated this person's ability. I had made some preparations before coming here, but now that it was difficult for Shirley Lansing to understand when I said those things, why not just explain them with something simple.

"Ahem, actually I don't know what makes a movie a hit. Maybe it's because I'm very lucky. I have two criteria for selecting scripts..." Ronald raised two fingers.

"Oh?" Shirley Lansing probed forward, her whole body mobilized, waiting for Ronald to tell her "secret".

"Ahem..." Ronald waited there for several seconds, feeling a little stiff. Why didn't this woman understand her conditions?

"Oh, don't worry. When I become the president of Paramount Pictures, I will communicate with Warner Brothers as soon as possible and buy the script. However, I also have a condition... you have to The distribution contract remains with Paramount..."

Shirley Lansing is not very stupid, at least her ability to observe words and emotions is excellent.

"There is no need to be so anxious. They are not willing to sell to me. Just follow normal business operations..." Ronald touched his chin. Warner Bros. was deeply disapproving of him. If they knew that he was involved, or I saw something was wrong, and this matter became dirty again.

"Understood, I will do a good job in this matter. How to make them feel like they are begging me and not to make this script too conspicuous. I am best at these office things..."

Ronald then withdrew a finger. Although Lansing didn't understand movies, he knew how to get what he wanted in the world of big studios dominated by old men. He stopped pretending and prepared for himself. The "secret" was revealed.

"I only look for two things in the script. As long as there is one, I feel that the quality of the script is good and I can try it. If there are both, then if it can be matched with the right director and actors, I can have a chance to win a big box office success. Win..."

Shirley Lansing's motionless gaze, staring very intently at Ronald's mouth, was a profound insight.

"First, I would look for a protagonist that you want to cheer for..."

"Like Tess from Working Girl? An idol for all young women in America?" Shirley Lansing blurted out.

"Well, it's not necessarily all cute and positive. Think of the Lone Ranger in Top Gun, or Johnny in Dirty Dancing. These people can have flaws, and you don't necessarily like them particularly, but they They have that exciting quality about them, and you can cheer them on..."

…

"These are very precious secrets. I don't know how to thank you...ah, the script adapted from that novel is not enough to repay it. I also recently supervised the production of a movie, which was my last work before joining Paramount." , do you want to be a nominal executive producer? After I join the job, I will let Paramount handle the distribution..."

Ten minutes later, Shirley Lansing was almost moved to tears after listening to the particularly precious "Secrets on Film Selection". She had been Stanley Jaffe's partner for so many years, and she had never heard of such a simple and easy-to-use "secret".

After giving so much time, energy, and beauty to Stanley Jaffe, who already had a family, he could not have taught himself as much as a young man who only made simple and reasonable requests. Hey, why didn't I meet such a good person when I was young?

"Is there such a good thing?" Ronald asked Lansing to show the film to his colleague who was daydreaming. Shirley Lansing is a bit interesting. Although she doesn’t have a deep understanding of the film industry, she does have a deep understanding of how to repay her collaborators.

Ronald helped her because he wanted her to help him get the script and help Tom Cruise sign a distribution contract, so that his foundation in Hollywood would be deeper.

But Lansing knows that this cooperation has its flaws, which is a lack of mutual trust between the two sides. So she took the initiative to use the power that she could only exercise as the president of Paramount Pictures before she became president, and first took out the movies she produced privately as benefits that could be cashed in immediately.

Anyway, if she becomes the president, she will definitely gain both fame and fortune by participating in this movie. If you don't succeed, then all the cooperation today will not count. I have to say that she still understands business very well.

…

"Shxt, how could someone make a movie like this? I don't want to be named an executive producer..."

However, Ronald immediately regretted it. In his daydream, he and Michelle Cannold watched the copy sent by Shirley Lansing. This movie called "SchoolTies" really made people laugh. My brain feels like it's going to explode.

Looking at the plot, a Jewish student is awarded a scholarship to be a football quarterback, enters a prep school, and gets along with a group of white elite students, but he also has to keep a huge secret, that is, he is Jewish.

What kind of cerebral palsy plot is this? Are Jews still being discriminated against now? It's not like it was before the 1950s. Oh, by the way, this movie is set in the 1950s...so who the hell wants to see it?

"Hey, Ronald, have you watched that movie? Are you still watching it? How was it? Does it fit your two tips perfectly? I just did it because this movie is very similar to your Dirty Dancing. Only then did I decide to invest. Yes, yes, this movie is very popular among the Jewish circles in Hollywood. I think it will be a big hit. Those cute male protagonists will also become the new Brad Gang. …”

Before Shirley Lansing went to the second round of interviews, she even called Ronald specifically to ask for credit.

"The Jewish community is very popular?" Ronald heard this and thought, how about I invest a little bit and become an executive producer? Spending a small amount of money can gain good reviews in the Jewish community. This is also a good way to break the Jewish alliance. It can just resist the hostility of some Jews who have opinions about their ethnic group.

"I have to say, these actors are really good. I think their acting skills are much better than those of the Brad Gang back then..."

Michelle Cannold said to Ronald that when Ronald went to answer the phone, he had watched the movie for more than 20 minutes. The movie had many teenage characters, and the acting skills of these people were okay. Much better than the so-called Brad Gang ten years ago, at least they can all be seen to have received good training in dramatic performance.

"The Brad Gang," Ronald smiled. This name had not been mentioned for a long time. This group of young actors, who got their start with Coppola's "The Kid" and later went on to star in Joe Schumacher's "St. Elmo's Fire" and John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club," swept the nation. Culture, but few came out in the end, and most of them disappeared into the crowd.

He sat down and continued to watch the movie. Michelle Cannold said it right. These young people born around 1970 do have better acting skills and understanding of the movie itself than Brad Gang. Much more. When someone from the 1970s plays a teen drama from the 1950s, there is no flaw at all, at least he can't see it.

This at least shows that these actors are well-educated and can understand the atmosphere in which Jews were still discriminated against in mainstream society for 50 years. Unlike those in the Brad Gang, most of them can only act based on instinct, deviate slightly from their own background, and act incomprehensibly.

"It's really good. Pay attention to the subtitles. What are the names of these people? They are some very good talents..." Ronald didn't want to watch anymore. The efforts of the actors and the director were ruined by the inappropriate script.

"Okay, Ronald..." Michelle Cannold quickly opened the brochure, which read the list of the main actors of this movie, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ke Reese O'Donnell, Ben Affleck... write them all down.

"By the way..." Michelle Cannold heard some rumors and was a little jealous about it. He hesitated for a while before asking, "I heard that you have some secrets for selecting movies?"

"Hahaha, that's an old trick told to Shirley Lansing..." Ronald thought clearly to Cannold, "...just these two points, these are general things, you Shirley Lansing must have been very excited when watching this movie, and it perfectly matched these two points, but what's the use? The mainstream audience didn't feel it at all, she just moved herself..."

"Hahaha..." Michelle Cannold was relieved. There was really a secret. There was no way his boss Ronald wouldn't tell him first. The premise for the establishment of this "secret" is that your aesthetics is consistent with the public aesthetics of the American audience. Otherwise, the selected movies will only suit your own preferences. Most people who disappeared after becoming successful in Hollywood are also because After success, their aesthetic taste distanced themselves from the public...

…

"The most important thing at the box office is the characters, the stars, and the best director. This packaging policy is the basis for ensuring the box office, but it is our packaging, not the packaging imposed by Ovitz. Also, some scripts with small investments can also make profits. , but those cannot use stars to star. We have to distinguish between two types of scripts and adopt different marketing strategies depending on whether there are stars to join... For example, my current independent production of Campus Storm..." Shirley Lansing faced The second-round interview team composed of several old men chatted...

"Ms. Lansing, your discussion of Paramount's production strategy is in line with our needs, but the foundation of the strategy is to select the right movies. What are your thoughts on this?"

Satisfied with her answer, Martin Davis, chairman of Paramount's parent company, asked an important question himself, which also represented the final test.

"If I have learned anything from working with outstanding artists, it is that I have always believed that the script is the foundation of a good movie. And I have always been looking for two things in the script. If there is one, it can be considered for production, and if there are two, it can be considered for production. Has the potential to sell well.

First……"

"Very good, what you said makes sense to me, but what about the second thing?" Martin Davis chatted with people in Hollywood. He had never had such an experience. A beautiful woman could combine those complicated things with just a few. It can be explained clearly in a few sentences, and it matches all the best-selling movies in Paramount history...

"Second, watching a movie is not a passive experience. You have to have a huge emotional investment. So I will look for this kind of touching plot in the script. The Silence of the Lambs will scare you, Wall Street will make you sigh, and the Vietnam War Movies make you depressed..." Shirley Lansing used a fist gesture to emphasize the point.

"You really understand..." Martin Davis ended the interview happily and shook hands with Shirley Lansing.

"How are you feeling?" he asked Stanley Jaffe, Shirley Lansing's longtime partner next to him.

"Honestly, it far exceeded my expectations. It seems that Shirley has made rapid progress in the past two years." Stanley Jaffe did not expect that Shirley Lansing could summarize it so well.

"Yes, yes..." Shirley Lansing got a call from her old partner Jaffe and knew that she was doing well. She happily gave her husband William Friedkin, who had just been married, two punches.

Ronald's two points are quite useful. Although I have done this in the past, it is not as simple and easy to understand as what he summarized. This ability is not possessed by ordinary directors. Most people are in project meetings. I can't explain clearly.

Looking at her husband William Friedkin, who was also a member of the New Hollywood movement back then, and who no longer makes big-budget movies, Shirley Lansing also lamented: It’s no wonder that the director’s strength lies in telling stories using audio-visual language. Language skills are actually more important to producers.

Soon, Shirley Lansing was appointed as the president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. She also entered Paramount as the vice president of production in advance to take charge of the work. While waiting for the handover, the negotiations between Cruise Wagner Pictures and Paramount were accelerated instantly.