Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Mr. Li, I assure you that there is absolutely no intention of plagiarism. The fact is that I heard my father, who is a host on Canadian TV, tell me about the movie "Runaway Train".

I have not seen this movie, so I misunderstood and thought that the train lost control in this movie because there was a bomb on the train. I didn't know that this was the concept of director Akira Kurosawa.

I had the idea of ​​writing a script, so I changed the train into a car, so that the protagonist has more control over the whole process.

Of course, in the end I also borrowed from a movie, which is the 1978 "Silver Line Bloodbath". I am completely honest with you. If there is any similarity with the script directed by Akira Kurosawa, it is an unintentional coincidence..."

Graham Yost learned that Ronald accused him of plagiarism and was very anxious. That night, he and David Simkins came to explain to Ronald. He came up with this explanation of the movie plot relayed by his father. After speaking, he looked at Ronald with sweat on his forehead, waiting for the verdict.

"Oh, Graham, after hearing you tell me the original source of inspiration, many things will be clarified. You know, this is an industry with many liars and thieves. As a producer, you have to be careful..."

"Of course, of course..." Graham Yost knew that he had passed the test, and then he found that his back was covered with cold sweat.

"But..." Ronald changed the subject, and Graham became nervous again, "In order to avoid unnecessary lawsuits, I suggest you add Mr. Kurosawa's name to the script. What do you think? Of course, I will retain your position as the main screenwriter, and I will also pay to buy your script and wait for the opportunity to produce it..."

Graham Yost is still a screenwriter without a famous work. Someone is willing to pay more than $100,000 to buy his script, and then he can be related to Kurosawa Akira. It is actually a good deal. But Graham didn't understand these and showed an embarrassed look.

In the end, it was David Simkins who explained the situation of the transaction to him in detail. In addition to avoiding trouble, Kurosawa Akira also had the intention of using his name to attract investment. Kurosawa Akira will only appear in the story column, and the screenwriter column will still only have his name, Graham Yost.

Although the advance payment for the two-year option was not much, it would be much easier to find a job in the future if there was a contract that the script was acquired by a famous Hollywood producer.

Graham Yost was quite cautious. After consulting a lawyer, he happily signed a contract with Daydream. He took a $20,000 advance and a brilliant experience on his resume, and went back happily.

"This script still has some serious problems. All the scenes are on the bus, and the movie is not easy to unfold. At least the last scene of the first and third acts should be changed. You should find some famous script doctors to rewrite the scenes and dialogues..."

Ronald read the script and pointed out several places that needed to be revised. This Graham Yost may have learned screenwriting from watching drama works. The three uniforms are well followed, but they do not conform to the shooting rules of movies, and there are some problems with the dialogues of the characters. Ronald asked Simkins to be responsible for revising it a few times.

Anyway, Graham Yost has his name on it. In the end, even if the script is changed so much that he can't even recognize it, the author is still him. It won't affect his reputation and future career prospects...

...

"Panda? What's so good about pandas? They're just black and white bears. Okay, let's go and see. Is there a panda in the San Diego Zoo? No? Where else? The National Zoo in Washington, DC? Do I have to fly to DC to show you pandas?

Okay, okay, let's buy a panda toy first, and then go see it together when you grow up a little bit? I'll definitely go, I'll definitely take you there if I promise..."

Ronald's beloved son Roger, for some reason, got a little tired of playing with those dinosaur toys, and suddenly fell in love with the panda toy given by Aunt Demi Moore. He wanted to see a real giant panda.

Ronald saw that Roger liked it, so he had to agree first, and then bought a big panda to appease him first. Who said there are no pandas on the West Coast? Children in the United States who want to see pandas can only go to the National Zoo in the capital, where there are real pandas to see.

The panda exhibition area of ​​the National Zoo is still one of the places with the longest queues. Ronald thought of the upcoming presidential election and didn't want to go to the capital at this sensitive time. He had to coax little Roger and promised to take him there in the future.

"Why do you think Roger doesn't like dinosaurs but likes pandas?" Ronald didn't understand and asked Diane.

"Ha, you didn't see it. When Mr. Spielberg first sent the dinosaur toys, he was determined to play with dinosaurs. Roger may be a child with a wide range of interests in the future.

"So that's how it is. It's good to play more and find something interesting." When Ronald went to Xujiahui to shoot a movie, he was very close to the Western Suburbs Zoo. At that time, he didn't think of going to see pandas specifically. I didn't know that this black and white bear would be so popular.

"Didn't you like it when you were a child? We all like this kind of animal very much, but unfortunately there are no pandas in New York or the West Coast. If you want to see it, you can only go to DC to see it. Usually you can only watch PBS's wildlife programs. The pandas are really cute..."

As Diane talked, she became happy. Maybe the pandas chewing bamboo stupidly look very cute in the eyes of women, right?

"If I make a movie about pandas, I wonder if anyone will watch it?" Ronald was actually very envious of Spielberg's dinosaur movies, so he had the idea of ​​making pandas.

When the time comes, he will contact them and get a pair of pandas for the San Diego Zoo on the west coast. Then he will be a great benefactor to children all over the country.

...

Soon, the third presidential debate came, and George Sr. did not improve at all, and was still out of touch with ordinary voters. Now everyone knows his weakness. The Democratic Party and Perot, who ran independently, seized on this weakness and attacked hard, making the poll numbers look ugly.

The voting day was approaching, and Ronald was urged by his aunt to vote. She attached great importance to fulfilling this kind of civic duty.

"I still have to go, otherwise Aunt Karen will not talk to me..." Ronald always refused the small elections, but the big elections held every four years made his aunt very unhappy, and she spoke with resentment.

"You go, but I can't go with you. I have to attend the voting event for another California Senator Barbara Boxer. Remember? The Pink League and the pitcher were all arranged by you." Diane said that she would also participate in the promotional activities. She appeared a lot in this California Senate election and gained a high exposure. In addition, she played the role of a female professional baseball pitcher in the Pink League. Many female voters regarded her as a spokesperson for women's participation in politics. "Alas, these elections are really too troublesome..." Ronald quickly packed his luggage, said goodbye to his wife and children, and went to Staten Island, New York, waiting for the voting event on the first Tuesday of November. ... "How are you? Do you feel unwell?" Ronald also wanted to see the pregnant Helen, so he took this opportunity to meet Helen in Manhattan for a few days. She had some morning sickness and was dizzy, and Ronald really played the role of a good husband for two days. "Honey, I'm fine. As long as you're by my side, I'll feel more at ease... Ugh..." It has to be said that Helen Slater's morning sickness is a bit severe, much more uncomfortable than Diane's pregnancy.

Ronald was not vague either. He found a female servant who had been serving the Hansen family for many years from Douglas's home on Staten Island to take care of Helen. They are loyal and tight-lipped, and have rich experience in taking care of pregnant women. Such old people, Ronald, a new rich man, can't find them.

However, his personal accountant, Lawrence, also recommended him an old woman in Chinatown, New York. She didn't know much English, but she was very caring and could do a little massage, which made Helen feel a lot more comfortable.

After two days, Ronald felt that he also needed a deep mansion like Los Angeles in New York for convenience. Otherwise, it would be inconvenient to go in and out of the attic suites of these high-rise buildings on Fifth Avenue.

For example, these two days, Ronald met the newly retired host Johnny Carson in the elevator lobby. He walked with a young woman, so Ronald had to wait for him to enter the elevator first to avoid embarrassment when they met.

After calling the famous real estate developer and asking about the status of some entertainment industry people's stay, Ronald found out that even Bruce Willis bought a house. I wonder if it's for Demi Moore or for himself?

When Demi Moore was not married, she rented a house here. She was a famous celebrity in the New York celebrity circle. If she knew that Bruce Willis was coming now, I wonder what she would think.

Putting the house purchase on the agenda, Ronald summoned his personal accountant Lawrence and his private lawyer Lindsay Doll. This matter should be separated from his other property so as not to affect each other...

"Do you want to listen to the recording of me telling stories to my children?" Helen also knew Ronald's arrangement. She was very passive in such things, but Ronald's actions touched her a lot. She had nothing to give in return, so she used this family atmosphere to please Ronald.

"Of course, dear, you have a nice voice..."

Helen Slater's qualifications as an actress are really good. In addition to her outstanding appearance and good figure, her voice is also very typical of an upper-class white female star, with elegant words and an authentic Long Island New England accent.

This accent is very distinctive, with a greater fluctuation in pronunciation than the general East Coast accent, and the final R is often silent. Most people can hear it at a glance, and it is generally considered to be a real old money, upper-class accent.

If a woman can speak with such a Long Island urban accent, she will be considered a well-educated woman from a wealthy family.

Although Helen tends to hide some of her Long Island accent when acting in movies, and prefers the authentic Mid-Atlantic broadcast accent of the classical Hollywood era, it is still sometimes revealed in life.

The current trend in Hollywood is to make the characters more realistic. If Helen enters the industry now, speaking with a Long Island urban accent may become her label.

"Your Long Island accent sounds really interesting. I think many children from other places will like it too..." Ronald listened to Helen's tape and heard the entire story of "Charlotte's Web". Helen's voice expression is much better than her acting skills.

"Do I have a strong accent? I seem to be reading for our children, so I don't use a Mid-Atlantic accent..."

This kind of accent commonly used by radio announcers is a made-up accent that was originally popular in the upper class of New England on the East Coast. It combines some characteristics of American and British accents. For example, Katharine Hepburn in Old Hollywood is a typical representative of this accent.

However, in real life, ordinary people don't speak like this. It also requires special training to speak like this. Although Helen has undergone relatively rigorous training, she is still far behind those actors who have been trained on Broadway in the classical Hollywood era.

"I feel very kind... It's almost like talking to my mother..."

"Oh, Ronnie..." Helen was very moved and hugged Ronald and leaned her head on his shoulder.

"Hey, if you feel bored during this period, how about recording a few children's stories and I can help you make an audiobook record?" Ronald suddenly had an idea. Helen's voice really sounded very pleasant. If she could make a record, he would not be afraid that Diane would be unhappy if he bought a few copies himself.

"Really? Then I'll read it with a standard Mid-Atlantic accent..."

"It's better to keep some Long Island accent, which is more comfortable..."

Ronald knows that people nowadays tend to like authenticity. If the character speaks with an accent that only radio announcers use, they will not like it and feel it is fake. I guess this kind of children's book has almost the same mentality.

As long as some normal regional characteristics are added to the standard accent, more people will like to listen to it. Besides, Helen's voice is more shrill than Diane's. Adding a little Long Island accent makes people feel more charming and attractive...

"I'll listen to you..." Helen gave up arguing with Ronald in the professional field a long time ago. She just listened to him. Facts have proved that the performance methods she thought of are useless.

In this way, Helen found something to do at home and slowly discussed the content and rhythm of the recording with the people from Columbia Records. With serious things to do, Ronald also came to accompany her, and gradually she had fewer random thoughts.

After settling his family here, Ronald took the ferry back to his hometown on Staten Island on Monday. He was going to vote once every four years.

…

"Ladies and gentlemen, Ronald Lee, our loyal and capable boss, has come back to vote this time. We asked him to say a few words for us…"

The people in the factory hadn't seen Ronald for a long time, and they all asked him to say a few words to boost morale.

"I am very happy to meet you. Hollywood is a paradise for artists, but artists will be much inferior without your products.

This time, Director Spielberg specifically asked me to bring a message to praise your flash lights for adding a lot of color to his new film. The editing tapes you produce have enabled many directors to complete movies better. Your prop tapes have made the filming of movies more convenient and rich. The camera accessories you produce have also facilitated many shots that were previously impossible or expensive to shoot.

It can be said that real experts will praise Hollywood for having people like you when they see the movie, which will make it better..."

The employees were encouraged by Ronald and were very happy. In addition, Ronald always sent the latest copies to the local cinema. The town of Totville on Staten Island gradually became the most popular place on the island.

Everyone was happy, and someone started to make a fuss and asked Ronald who he would vote for.

"Hey, this is our fundamental system. Everyone has to vote for the candidate of their choice, and no one can interfere with other people's votes... But everyone knows that I invested in the Elephant Party before, and our factory also depends on the federal policy of the past ten years..."