Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"202-707-9100", at nine o'clock in the morning, Ronald dialed the number of the Library on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

"Hello, I need two copyright registration application forms." After waiting for a long time, an operator finally answered Ronald's call. "Yes, it is the PA form. Please send it to the East Village of Manhattan, New York..."

Michelle Pfeiffer looked at him busy on the phone, feeling a little strange. When Ronald put down the receiver, she asked, "I have seen several screenwriters in Hollywood. They all put the script in an envelope and then mail it." Give it to yourself, doesn’t this prove copyright?”

"Honey, does any screenwriter you know have an agent?" Ronald put a copy of "Intersection" and a copy of the "My Brother's Keeper" script into his wallet.

"I don't know, probably not. They all work odd jobs in cafes." Pfeiffer laughed as he said this, "Isn't this method safe?"

"Yeah, my agent Richard reminded me to go to a formal agency to register the copyright." Ronald started to get dressed. "The method of mailing the script to yourself is called a poor man's copyright certificate, but in case there is really a copyright If there is a dispute, the court will not accept this evidence.”

"Why?"

"How do you prove that you didn't mail yourself an empty envelope 10 years ago and then put the script in it today?"

"So in order to protect one's own rights and interests, one usually spends 30 US dollars to register with the Writers Association, so that others can check it. However, the registration needs to be renewed after 5 years, and if it is infringed, it needs to be proved that the other party is using it to make a profit.

A safer approach is to back it up in the Library of Congress, so that if it is infringed, it can be automatically used as evidence of infringement. However, filing will take a long time. This is why the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. "

"Didn't you already call the Library of Congress to request the application form? Why do you still need to go to the Writers Guild to register?" Pfeiffer stretched out his jade arms and hugged Ronald, who was picking up the document package.

"Producers usually go to the Writers Guild to check copyright registration. Richard said it's better to register it. It only costs 30 US dollars for a script, and I don't have to work in a coffee shop."

"Aren't you afraid that your agent will lie to you? Or that he will send your script to other producers, so that the producer also has the script and can't register it first?" Michelle Pfeiffer doesn't really have it This concern is more about wondering that under the same conditions, wouldn’t the agent cheat the screenwriter?

"To be honest, I'm not afraid. My agent relies on me to make money, so naturally protecting my interests is the right choice. Just like your agent won't secretly give roles to others unless he has someone prettier than you. Actress, or he doesn’t want to do it.”

"As for the producers, they are too busy. Instead of plagiarizing, they might as well spend a small amount of money to buy the option of the script. For making a movie, the purchase cost of the script is only a small amount of money."

Ronald turned back and kissed Pfeiffer before getting ready to go out.

"By the way, my agent Limato is coming to New York. I'll go meet him later and won't be back until tonight." Pfeiffer went back to her yoga practice with satisfaction, wearing high-slit yoga clothes on her body Very charming, Pfeiffer even wore long leg warmers for her beauty.

"Okay, honey, see you tonight."

I went to the Writers Guild's office in New York and spent $60 to file for my two scripts. The staff gave him two slips of paper with registration codes, which were the registration codes of his scripts. Ronald put it away carefully.

"In the future, your outline can be used for registration. Many screenwriters here do this. The outline can also prevent others from plagiarizing." The staff reminded.

"Okay, I will." Ronald didn't care if it gave them an extra $30.

Back at the apartment, Pfeiffer hadn't returned yet. Ronald goes on to break down scripted scenes from "Endless Love." This kind of exercise is also a kind of training for future directors. Every director has different ideas. For the same scene in the script, different directors adopt different shooting methods.

Ronald referred to the "Romeo and Juliet" script and scene breakdown table given to him by Zeffirelli to figure out Zeffirelli's directing style. It seems that Italians like to shoot movies like operas. Many times it is a static camera, and the lens follows the protagonist's face.

It’s similar to the movement of the audience’s eyes when watching an opera.

Mastering Zeffirelli's style, Ronald began arranging scenes according to the director's preferences. This kind of shooting method will be a bit dull, and the unique audio-visual language of some movies will not be used. But the benefits are also great. It saves money and can be shot quickly.

Time passed quickly. After rubbing his sore eyes, Ronald got up and made lunch for himself. Take out the butter from the refrigerator, pick a small amount and melt it in the pan, then take out two slices of bread and slowly fry it until brown, then spread the salmon sauce on one side of the bread and heat it.

At the same time, I cut some tomatoes and Mao-style pickles from a Ukrainian restaurant, and finally melted two pieces of bacon from the supermarket and fried them. I sandwiched the two pieces of bread, cut them into two angular shapes with a knife, and bit into the bread crust. Served with ginger soda, it tastes really good.

While eating, I turned on the TV and watched the CBS noon news.

“At the recent National Elephant Party Congress, as everyone expected, the former California governor defeated the former CIA director and director of the representative office in China and was elected as the Elephant Party’s candidate for leadership.

The former governor of California said that he would invite former President Gerald to be the candidate for Vice President. In the election four years ago, many Elephant Party representatives said they had voted wrong after listening to the former governor's speech. In 1976, when the representatives of the Electoral College of each state voted to confirm the candidate for President, a representative from Washington State broke his oath and voted for the former governor instead of Gerald. "

On the other side, the Donkey Party, the current President defeated the challenger, President Kennedy's third brother Edward, and won the candidate qualification of the Donkey Party.

Edward's hit-and-run scandal that caused death greatly affected his election this year. Even though his two brothers were assassinated, the public sympathized with the Kennedy family, but this sympathy soon turned into anger.

"This year's election will be between the current President and the former Governor of California.

"Did you really get the candidacy?" Ronald finished his last sandwich. "America is really free. It's okay to be the governor of California, but it's possible that an actor will be the president?"

"Ring, ring, ring..."

Ronald picked up the phone. It was his two agents, Richard Lovett and Rick Niceta, calling together.

"Ronald, we received your script. It reads perfectly, but you seem to have forgotten something?"

"Forgot what?" Ronald couldn't think of it.

"You forgot the dessert at the 73rd minute."

"What?"

Niceta laughed, "Don't you know what dessert means? No wonder, this is a popular term in Hollywood, you are in New York. Dessert means passionate scenes."

"Passionate scenes? But isn't this a Vietnam War drama?"

"Why can't there be passionate scenes in Vietnam War dramas? Isn't there a passionate scene between Jane Fonda and a disabled veteran in "Homecoming"?"

"Oh, right." Ronald forgot the passionate scene that was said to be the first passionate scene between a disabled person on the American screen. It is said that Jane later became a sexy idol for all disabled people.

"For a script to be favored by producers, the most important thing is that stars are willing to act in it. If you add a love story between the protagonist, the platoon leader, and the female volunteer who takes care of the veterans' families, and extend the entire movie script to 120 minutes, I think we can go to the studio to promote it."

"Okay, I'll change it now." In order to get the project started and filmed as soon as possible, Ronald agreed to any changes, "But will there be a studio willing to add a love story?"

"Of course, have you forgotten that the script needs to be passed through several hands before it reaches the producer? If a star likes your script, you can skip all the stairs and take the elevator to the top floor, so that we can ensure that your script will be placed on the desks of vice presidents and above in the eight major studios."

"Do you have a candidate?" Ronald heard some confidence from Niceta's words. Maybe he already has a suitable star candidate in mind?

"There is no specific candidate yet, but after Jane Fonda won the second Best Actress award with "Coming Home", many female stars thought that filming Vietnam War themes was a shortcut to becoming the best actress, and many star agents are frantically looking for suitable Vietnam War scripts.

For example, Barbra Streisand, Farrah Fassett, the new Meryl Streep, and even Maggie Smith from Britain... You list a list of Hollywood actresses, and I guarantee that everyone on the list will be interested."

"Okay, I will revise it as soon as possible." Ronald felt full of fighting spirit, even if he was breaking down the script of "Endless Love" during the day and working overtime to revise "My Brother's Keeper" at night, he was still full of energy.

"Remember to put the biggest passionate scene on page 73 of the script."

"Why?" Ronald was surprised.

"What is 73 divided by 119?"

"Ronald took the calculator and it was 0.613"

"That is the golden section point. I am waiting for your good news." After saying that, Niceta hung up the phone.

Ronald reacted. According to Hollywood standards, one page of the script is basically equivalent to one minute of the finished film plot. Generally, the last minute has to be connected to the subtitles. The actual length of a 2-hour movie is more than 119 minutes.

Page 73 is the golden section of a 2-hour movie. Adding the best passionate scene here can just cheer up the audience when they are tired and enter the plot of the second half.

Ronald was thinking about how to set up this female character. She is a volunteer who takes care of the families of veterans, and she and the platoon leader finally became lovers. What kind of identity should be arranged for her? Is she a young female college student or a mature divorced woman?

The sound of the key being inserted into the door came, and it was Michelle Pfeiffer and her agent Limato who came back together.

"Ronnie, I have to go to Los Angeles in advance." Pfeiffer looked at Ronald and said.

"What? You don't want to play the supporting role of Endless Love?" Ronald asked curiously.

"No, she can't play it. It's a waste of time to wait here. I have arranged everything for her in Los Angeles, acting training classes, in-circle parties, appearances, etc." Limato answered for Pfeiffer.

Ronald and Pfeiffer were originally planning to go to Los Angeles together after filming "Endless Love". It just so happened that he also needed to go to CAA. President Ovitz would interview every signed client.

"Why can't Michelle act?"