Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Sonny, thank you for your warm hospitality..."

"Anytime, anywhere, anytime, Ronnie."

This year's Christmas, Ronald and his family came to Palm Springs, a famous resort in California. The whole family, including Aunt Karen, Donna, little Douglas and others, came here to play.

The former mayor of Palm Springs is former singer and movie star and Cher's first husband, Sonny Bono. He also single-handedly created the Palm Springs Independent Film Festival, a film-selling and trading event dedicated to independently produced films every January.

The reason why he was able to become the mayor was because the movies produced by Ronald Company cast him several times, allowing a washed-up star to reappear in the eyes of the mass media. At the fledgling Palm Springs Film Festival, Ronald's Daydream also sent films every year for trade fairs and competitions.

Therefore, Sonny Bono was very grateful to Ronald and specially gave his vacation villa to Ronald's family to live in. His wife Mary also baked gingerbread treats herself.

"Barbara Boxer, hi?"

After Sonny Bono and Ronald enjoyed a feast of lobster, red wine braised beef, and tuna sushi, they found an opportunity to sit down with Ronald and chat about the latest California Senate election.

"You know, if you run for office on behalf of the Elephant Party, I will definitely donate to you. It's all for the marketing of the movie..."

Ronald raised his glass and clinked it with Sonny Bono. This time, two California Senate seats are vacant. Sonny Bono also resigned as mayor of Palm Springs to run. But he was defeated in the primary election, leaving him without a mayor.

"Hey, I can only concentrate on my film festival now..." Sonny Bono was still a little disappointed. Being a politician felt better than being a popular star.

"I think many publishers will want the Street Fighter I brought this time..."

"Of course, in addition to buyers from Canada, I also have buyers from Mexico, Australia and South America. They can't afford the big productions at the Las Vegas show, so the movies here are the most suitable for them."

Sonny Bono's Palm Springs Film Festival is now in its fourth year and has gained some international traction. He told Ronald that in the eyes of small and medium-sized international film buyers, Tom Cruise was not as attractive as Jean-Claude Van Damme.

Although Tom Cruise's movies are indeed blockbusters, their output is not as high as that of B-level film professionals like Jean-Claude Van Damme. Coupled with the language and cultural barriers, Jean-Claude Van Damme, who can fly in the air, is really more popular than Tom Cruise in some countries.

In addition, the wholesale price of Jean-Claude Van Damme's movies is relatively low, and the audience there has watched too much, and the aesthetics have been a little distorted. When it comes to Hollywood, the first thing they think of is the flying-footed Jean-Claude Van Damme. pause.

"Oh, I didn't expect that..."

"Yes, there are many retired stars living here in Palm Springs, and they are also shocked..."

The two chatted about movies for a while, and Sonny Bono suddenly whispered in Ronald's ear, "I'm going to run for the House of Representatives, maybe in the 30th or 44th district. What do you think?"

"I support them all...Whenever you need my support, just give me a call." Ronald was very happy. He didn't have any political hardcore here in Los Angeles. If Sonny Bono became the 30th District , that is the constituency where Beverly Park where he lives is located, and then Sonny will be his public representative...

"Great, can I..."

"Of course, when I have the opportunity, I will reintroduce your new identity to those celebrities... and employees..." Ronald thought that ordinary staff might play a greater role in the election, Sonny Bono's political achievements in Palm Springs were quite good, and he was re-elected twice, which shows that he also has some political skills.

"That's great, hahaha. Someone happens to be here to show a movie to our residents in the evening. Are you interested in going and watching it?" Sonny Bono finally achieved his main goal.

Ronald also felt very relaxed here, so he and Diane went to watch a movie together.

"It's strange, why are you giving such an expensive gift? Is this some kind of public relations project?" After Diane came back, she started showing the contents of the gift package sent by Fang.

In addition to women's perfume, a lot of green food trial sizes, and coupons for boutique shopping stores, there are also coupons for massage services in Palm Springs, two scented candles, and a phone number that can also provide customized services. You can also enjoy five Discount.

"It looks familiar..." Ronald suddenly felt that it was similar to the gift packages given out during internal previews for film critics.

"Do you remember what movie this is? It's premiering here?" Ronald couldn't remember. This movie was produced in Britain and told the story of the Irish Republican Army. Because he wasn't interested, he started the movie. Ten minutes later, I fell asleep. I have to say that the quality of sleep in the cinema is high.

"I don't remember, have you forgotten? We are the last two viewers to leave." Diane also fell asleep inside, and the two of them slept together hand in hand, but were woken up by the staff.

"It's really crazy to do a premiere here..." Ronald felt that this producer must be a strange layman. Maybe it was from Britain who wanted to enter Hollywood and didn't know basic business operations. You know, there's not even a decent media here in Palm Springs.

"How strange..."

After a relaxing Christmas, Ronald returned to his home in Los Angeles. AngLee also returned from a vacation in Hawaii, and his depression symptoms had completely recovered.

Ronald specifically asked him to stop in Los Angeles for a day to explain the editing to him.

"I have done the experiment, and computer editing is not mature yet. You should use a traditional editing machine this time."

Ronald showed him the clips he edited with a computer. Because the focus was not clear, many shots were edited as good shots.

On the monitor, you can only see a vague overview, and it is impossible to do deeper editing work.

"Oh, I thought it would be easier. I heard from the manufacturer that the editing speed on the computer is faster."

"That's right, but the quality is too bad. I guess it will take another five years for computer editing to mature." Walter Murch is also a person who is very curious about new technologies.

The weakness of computer editing is that the resolution is too poor, but you can see the editing results intuitively, which is more convenient than traditional editing machines with scissors and tape.

"Okay, I'll go back and edit it with an editing machine. I won't be able to rest during the Chinese New Year. It's stressful to finish it before the Berlin Film Festival."

"If you have any difficulties, remember to call me..." Ronald could do nothing else except to give support. Directors are like this. When creating and editing, they are like possessed. Especially for novice directors, if they don't spend time in the editing room, they will never graduate.

"This time in Hawaii, I still watched a good movie called Enticed April. I am still fascinated by the British way of expression, which is different from the straightforwardness that Hollywood likes..."

Anglee then talked about his experience in Hawaii. Unlike his wife and children who happily enjoyed Hawaiian culture, the director was still most interested in movies. There was a film company there that specially held a screening in Hawaii and invited many people to watch it. AngLee also received an invitation because he was filming for Daydream.

"Go to Hawaii for the premiere? Or a British movie? There are so many laymen nowadays," Ronald said with a smile.

"It's a bit strange when you say that, but my wife is very happy. There are a lot of good things in the gift package they sent. I don't recognize those brands, so I gave them all to her."

"Ha, you are still too young. You haven't experienced the movie era of the 1960s and 1970s. At that time, many producers used the premiere to go to scenic resorts and invite relatives and friends to go, as if it was a public travel..." Walter Murch was well-informed. At that time, the income tax rate was still relatively high. Sometimes it was more comfortable to spend the salary as an expense.

"By the way, who made this movie?" Ronald remembered the movie in Palm Springs that he fell asleep while watching.

"It seems to be Miramax. Their boss is a Jew with a big head and a thick neck..."

"Oh, Harvey Weinstein." Ronald remembered the producer he met at the European Film Festival, and then wrote down his name and told Michelle Cannold when the time came. At the Berlin Film Festival, he had to prevent this idiot from buying all the important publicity channels at a high price, so that his "The Wedding Banquet" and "Street Fighter" would have no place to advertise.

When the fool Menahan Golan got the money from Wall Street, he spent it wildly. It seems that Harvey is similar. He starts to spend recklessly when someone invests.

…

The New Year has passed in a blink of an eye. Ronald made a new suit for the whole family according to Chinese customs. Armani is now a European luxury custom brand accepted by Americans. Although women's clothing cannot be compared with Saint Laurent, it has a certain reputation in men's clothing.

Ronald and Diane met Giorgio Armani, the costume director of the movie, because of "Rage on the Streets". For so many years, they have been wearing Armani clothes to attend various formal ceremonies.

From the initial sponsorship of Richard Gere's "American Gigolo" to the later sponsorship of Michael Douglas' "Wall Street", Armani's men's clothing has also entered Wall Street from models and male public relations, becoming the first choice of many self-proclaimed romantic bankers.

This influence can be seen from the fact that when Ivy League graduates recently chose to choose a tailor-made suit, they changed to buying a set of Armani ready-to-wear clothes.

At various award ceremonies, more and more male stars are wearing Armani. Now only high-end customers can enjoy the personal service of Giorgio Armani. Ronald is one of these few people.

All employees under Daydream also enjoy the company's clothing discounts, and many people choose Armani. This is also a microcosm of the complementary relationship between the fashion industry and Hollywood.

"Not bad, you look much better in Armani..."

Ronald came to Daydream's office for the first time after the holiday and saw Joss Whedon wearing an Armani suit.

His clothes were always wrinkled, like pickled vegetables bought in Chinatown. Ronald couldn't stand it and had to throw him an Armani voucher to allow the fat man to barely attend important occasions.

"Girls all like Armani... Hehehe..." Whedon had just returned from the Palm Springs Film Festival. His Street Fighter was a huge success, and there were many female characters in the movie. Thanks to this movie, his exposure rate was increased. From Palm Springs to Hollywood, many actresses showed their affection to him. This guy thought that his temperament was extraordinary...

"What do you think of the script of Lowest Speed?" Ronald saw that Whedon's task was completed, and the plot gave him a new task.

"First of all, the name is a bit problematic. The minimum speed makes people depressed. It's better to simply call it speed.

Then, all the stories in the movie take place on the bus, which is too monotonous. We are not a stage play, so there is no need to give up using film and television language to show more scenes. I suggest adding some action scenes in closed spaces, such as elevators and trains...

Finally, the dialogue in this movie is really bad. The FBI and the bus driver don't speak like their identities. They all need to be rewritten..."

Joss Whedon's screenwriting talent is still very good. He used his spare time to analyze the script that plagiarized Kurosawa Akira.

Ronald was very happy. He praised the annotations and immediately gave him a salary of 300,000 US dollars. Because he was a script doctor and could not sign the script, Ronald doubled the compensation in terms of money.

Joss Whedon whistled proudly. This money was enough for him to have a good time in Hollywood for a long time. The chick actress who just met also hinted that he should buy a better car and change to a better apartment. Now he has everything.

"How about it, are you interested in directing this movie?" Ronald felt that Street Fighter Whedon did a good job, so he also wanted to cultivate him.

"To be honest, I'm not very interested. I'd rather remake my Buffy the Vampire Slayer."

Joss Whedon still considers himself a creator, not a Hollywood commercial film machine. His passion for realizing his own dream is much stronger than filming other people's stories.

"It's impossible in a short time, unless it's a TV series..."

"TV series are also good, anyway, there are many stories about Buffy..."

"Very good, you write a detailed report, I'll find money for you to shoot a pilot episode, and then let Ed Bastien take you to a big TV station to try to promote it..."

Ronald has always strongly supported such idealistic directors. Anyway, if they fail, they will come back to shoot their own commercial films. If they succeed, they will also have a good relationship. Future cooperation will also be based on daydreams. Who else can support independent production like himself?

"Boss, you are really great..." Joss Whedon suddenly felt that among so many producers in Hollywood, only Ronald is a good person.

"But you still have to go to Berlin..." Ronald ordered. The director went to market his work, and he couldn't be exempted.

"Of course, do it all. But can I have a day off in the afternoon? My girlfriend and I want to go to the movie screening ceremony. I heard there are a lot of free gifts there."

"Of course, is it your girlfriend Kay?" Ronald knew that Whedon had a regular girlfriend and was happy for him to return to his family.

"Ah...ah, yes..." Joss Whedon was vague. The girl he just met was a little actress in Hollywood. He learned from Ronald's approach and dressed himself up as a feminist. Sure enough, many actresses were fooled and thought he would have a lot of female role resources. This trick was always successful...