Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Have you seen the audition film? Do you have a preference?"

The day after the audition, Ronald sat in his office and asked Tom Cruise, who was smiling. He and Julia Taylor saw his performance with the two actresses, but Cruise himself did not see it, so he had to wait for the film to be developed and see it for himself before confirming.

"Jane and Smooth, but I still like the audition with Bridget..."

"Hey, Tom, you really can be a director." Ronald smiled and nodded, and smiled at Julia Taylor.

This adapted script was not actually created specifically for the movie. The plot and dialogue in it have a strong taste of stage play. Perhaps it is because the author John Grisham, who used to be a lawyer and a congressman in Mississippi, has a strong indoor speech feature.

In terms of understanding the plot and grasping the subtext behind the dialogue, Jane Tripplehorn undoubtedly won over Bridget Fonda. But Ronald didn't want to make this movie into an adaptation of a stage play with a camera in front of it. He preferred to use audio-visual language rather than lines to narrate and convey emotions.

If you look at it from this perspective, then Bridget Fonda is more suitable. Her audition was able to project more emotions into the camera, and when the audience watched it, it was much simpler and more direct than Jane Tripplehorn, who used her ears and brain to understand the plot and emotions.

Tom Cruise's performance was also better when he acted opposite Bridget Fonda. His disorder prevented him from remembering the lines in a short period of time, so when he acted opposite Jane Tripplehorn, his emotional expression would be a beat slower.

"Hey? Did you choose Bridget too?" Tom Cruise smiled brightly. Ronald always spoke the truth. He said that his understanding of movies had improved, which meant that he must have really improved. No wonder he and he had the same opinion.

"It's not important what I choose, it's important what you choose..." Ronald said with a smile, waving his hand to play the audition clip again.

"Oh?" Tom Cruise smiled even brighter. Ronald also valued his opinion so much, so his position was indeed firmly nailed to the first-line star.

"Look, when you acted with Bridget and Jane, this expression told me everything."

"Oh..." Tom Cruise thought that it was not because of his opinion, but because of the performance of the audition. Although it was a little worse, it was also very good. He continued to smile, and then joked, "Don't let Nicole see it..."

"Why? Does Nicole have a taboo about this?" Ronald frowned and looked at Tom Cruise.

"I'm kidding, Nicole just regrets that the two movies I co-starred with her did not do well at the box office, and we may not have many opportunities to co-star..."

"Okay, I will limit the number of visits during the filming. Is that okay with you?" When Ronald heard that Nicole Kidman also had some common problems of celebrity wives, although the symptoms were lower, he proposed a common clause in celebrity contracts.

When the family of a celebrity visits the set, the crew is responsible for all transportation and expenses. This movie will be filmed in a tourist destination, and the various expenses are actually not cheap. At the same time, this is also a clause for the crew to restrict stars, how many times a week, whether it is during rest time, so as to reduce the trouble caused by the spouse of the star.

"Of course, you understand me..." Tom Cruise said that I am innocent, and the treatment is based on the current market.

"I am mainly worried about Bridget Fonda's boyfriend. You are the male and female protagonists, and the treatment cannot be too different."

Whether it is Eric Stotts's messy values ​​that affect Bridget Fonda, or because of some intimate scenes that make him dissatisfied, or Stotts himself hooking up with some female stars to cause Bridget's emotional fluctuations, these are what Ronald does not want to see.

Anyway, the terms of Bridget Fonda's contract are relatively strict. In view of being able to star in a big production and partner with Tom Cruise, she signed without any objection.

Now if Tom Cruise's treatment is much better than hers, especially the number of visits from boyfriends and girlfriends, it will be different from the implicit treatment such as pay, makeup, and trailers, which will cause the actor's face to be damaged.

Now Tom Cruise is very face-saving, so Ronald can rest assured.

"Ronald, this is the list of treatments Tom needs..." At this time, Paula Wagner, who was very good at seizing opportunities, took out a long list.

"Hmm..." Ronald took it and looked at it. What food to eat, what drinks to drink, what makeup artist to use, the fixed Scientology time every day, etc., are all very detailed..."

"Scientology's special microphone..." Ronald saw the microphone that had been blessed and was said to have a good sound recording effect. "Add here, other actors can voluntarily choose to use their peers or Scientology's special microphone..."

"Of course, no problem..." Tom Cruise nodded immediately. He couldn't force others, but after hearing such a perfect microphone, someone would definitely be willing to give up that old microphone.

"And here, who is this person? Why do you use him to provide seaplanes?" Ronald pointed to a name and asked.

"He was the instructor who taught me parachuting when I was learning to fly a plane. I trust him very much." Tom Cruise explained.

"One more thing, his seaplane needs to be inspected by someone certified by the Stunt Union... This is a requirement of the union..." Ronald explained.

"Of course..." Tom Cruise had no objection to this. Ronald must respect his beliefs, unlike some directors who kept silent but laughed at him in their hearts. It's just because you can't afford to offend the union when making movies now...

"Wait, what does this mean? Except for Tom, the faces and names of other male actors are not allowed to appear in marketing materials and posters?"

"This is our new policy. Since Tom's appeal to the audience is the best in Hollywood, we should use this advantage to the maximum, otherwise the salary paid to Tom will be wasted, right?" Paula Wagner hurriedly explained.

This is a new strategy adopted by their C/W production company. As long as Tom Cruise is in a movie, his influence must be highlighted, and he must be the only face to appear on the poster.

"This is against the rules. Hollywood has always had above-the-line and below-the-line treatment. The supporting actor Robert Duvall is in the title of the movie.

Ronald is puzzled by this point. The competition for positions in Hollywood has always been very fierce. Before the 1950s, there were even female stars who devoted themselves to producers to let their names appear in a higher position than others.

The so-called above-the-line means writing the actor's name above the title, and below-the-line means writing it in a row with others under the title. Should the face appear on the poster be from the front or from the side? Whose head is bigger and whose head is higher? Should the supporting actor appear in the direction of the protagonist's eyes or in the opposite direction? There are all kinds of very trivial and strict regulations, all of which are very complete.

But I haven't heard of any actor who can monopolize the portrait and name? Will others not cooperate with you in this way?

Ronald looked at the contract and found that it only restricted the actor's exclusive rights, but it still saved face for himself as a director, and his name could appear in the main position, on a separate line, just like Tom Cruise.

But what about Robert Duvall? He is also a Hollywood star. Although Not as famous as Cruise? But according to the rules of the Screen Actors Guild, his name must also occupy a certain position.

These are mature business cooperation rules. He has been in Hollywood for so long that he has already had a fixed position. And when Tom Cruise and him worked together on "Days of Thunder", Robert Duvall's name also appeared below the title.

All of a sudden, both Tom Cruise and Paula Wagner were a little embarrassed. This is a strategic decision made by their C/W production company, in order to make Tom Cruise occupy the absolute leading position in all the movies he participated in.

If this first movie is not successful, there will be no precedent in the future, and there will be a lot of trouble.

"I won't do the work of persuading Robert Duvall anyway. If you reach an agreement with him and obtain his authorization, I have no objection..." Ronald pondered for a moment. In fact, compared with Cruise's box office appeal, it is reasonable for him to monopolize the name. But he doesn't want to be a villain.

"That's no problem. Robert and I will talk about this matter. "Tom Cruise burst out laughing, Ronald nodded, and the next step will be easy. As long as this matter becomes a routine, he will be unique in Hollywood in the future.

Robert Duvall is also at this age, and he will not think about the leading role or the position. At most, he can be compensated a little in the salary. This extra salary will be paid by C/W.

"Okay, I'll ask him out, and we will meet with him to talk about the plot rehearsal?" Tom Cruise is now full of confidence and must make this movie a benchmark for C/W. Let everyone know that inviting Cruise to be the male lead is a guarantee of box office success!

"You talk to him first, I have to take time to go to New York, I don't have time. "

……

Ronald and Richard took a private plane to the airport in Staten Island. David Letterman's last hope of taking over the Tonight Show at NBC was also shattered.

Although NBC was willing to give in to his demands for a salary increase and greater voice, the new president insisted that it was impossible to change Jay Leno's succession.

So, Richard also had to start the task of finding a new home for David Letterman. He notified all the TV stations that might take over the news that Letterman was going to change his employer, and now he was waiting for their response.

Ronald was going to meet Ed Bastian, the CEO of his own media company. While Letterman was While Mann is looking for his next employer, TV stations and newspapers can contact TV networks to strive for greater cooperation opportunities and get more programs syndicated nationwide.

…

"Ha, that bastard..." Helen Hunt has come to New York to prepare a new TV series. She took the opportunity to have dinner with Helen Slater and Ronald. Although going to his house requires taking a ferry to Staten Island and then taking a train, it is still worth the trip.

Ronald's phone call made NBC finally choose her as the heroine. Although she is a movie star and is willing to star in a TV series, she has an advantage, but after all, she still has to be grateful for the favor that made the final decision.

Helen Hunt heard that her incompetent ex-boyfriend went to reconcile with his ex-girlfriend, which made her sneer. This guy talked about art every day, but his acting was not very good. Most importantly, it did not help her acting career at all.

"Is there anything to worry about?" Ronald just asked her if Eric Stotts had any other extraordinary actions.

"Don't let him talk about acting with your actresses. This guy didn't know where he learned all these messed up theories. They are all useless..."

Helen Slater didn't say anything, but looked at Ronald with an obsessed look. She felt that her lover was very stylish now.

"Helen is almost 30 years old. I think she likes children very much..." After dinner, Helen Hunt whispered to Ronald.

"Huh?" Ronald looked up in surprise.

"I don't want to interfere with your relationship with her, but when I talked to her, she showed her love for children. As her best friend, I have to remind you."

"Oh, thank you." Ronald didn't want to talk about this kind of thing in front of her, so he nodded to express his gratitude and passed by.

…

"Well, it's so dark here at night, you can see the stars..." Helen Slater pointed at the night sky and said to Ronald. The two were on the rooftop, hugging each other and watching the stars. There is no such beautiful scenery in Manhattan houses.

"Helen, do you like children?"

"Of course, haha. No, I'm not saying I want children now, but I like children, do you understand?" Helen Slater was satisfied with the romantic moment and didn't think much about this question.

"I mean, do you want a child?"

"Oh, Ronald..." Helen Slater reacted and hugged Ronald and kissed him several times. "My father told me that as long as I have a child, let him have the surname Slater."

"It seems that you want it too..." Ronald hugged Helen. The adoption method mentioned by Michelle Pfeiffer seems to be applicable to Helen.

…

The two returned to the bedroom and hugged each other to watch TV again. This kind of ordinary couples do things, which is Helen's favorite.

"This guy really travels around the country by bus?"

Ronald saw on TV that the two Democratic presidential candidates announced at the convention that they would take a bus tour to meet voters. Today, they actually took a bus to shake hands and chat with voters in some places in northern New York State.

How could those voters have ever seen a presidential candidate actually come to their community and ask them what changes they wanted? They excitedly shouted his name and said that he would be the next president.

"Don't stop imagining the future..."

The governor began to sing a song on TV in a tone-deaf manner, which sounded like an old song. The bus he took was a small one, with a small flag hanging on the rearview mirror and an election slogan on the back. He drove on the road like most Americans.

"This is Fleewood Mac's Don't Stop Imagining the Future (Dont S Thkg About Toorrow)" Helen Slater was much more familiar with the music, and she blurted out the song.

"The governor and his wife are communicating directly with voters. They will embark on an election trip called the First Thousand Mile Journey. Tomorrow morning, they will set off for Staten Island, turn to New Jersey in the afternoon, and then go to New Hampshire..."

"Are they really coming to Staten Island? Even their New York mayor and New York governor will not come here for elections..." Ronald said with emotion.