Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Don't be nervous, Ronald." Eddie returned to his normal tone, "I'll read you a paragraph..."

"The unknown screenwriter has achieved great success! This is the front-page article of the New York Times today."

"Hollywood is a dream-making machine that becomes famous overnight. Now this machine not only creates star actors, but also spreads to the people behind the scenes. In the first summer of the 1980s, an unknown screenwriter sold his debut work "My Brother's Keeper" for $350,000, with an additional 3% box office share..."

"The most unusual thing about this news is that so far, no related news about this movie has been published. Our reporter asked Frank Price, the president of Columbia Pictures, for confirmation, and his secretary's office gave a no-comment answer."

"The strange thing is that he did not appear in the entertainment section, but in the business section. News edition. "

"The most direct evidence about this rumor comes from Mr. Michael Ovitz, president of CAA. He confirmed to this newspaper that the deal does exist and has been finalized. Columbia will invite quite heavyweight male and female protagonists, perhaps Oscar winners, but at the current stage of contact, it is not convenient to disclose specific details..."

"Ovitz told this newspaper that CAA has gradually transformed from a TV-based agency to a film business. This cooperation plan also well countered Kerkorian's accusations against Columbia management..."

"If I didn't know that you signed with CAA and wrote the Vietnam War-related script "My Brother's Keeper", I wouldn't believe that you sold this script, hahaha..." Eddie laughed happily on the other end of the phone.

"To be honest, I'm not jealous. Only CAA has the connections in Hollywood to facilitate deals. And once your name gets out, I can also offer a high price for advertising business. I'm going to take the New York Times to Calvin Klein."

"Please buy me a new New York Times for my collection."

"Do you need it? Your name is not in this report at all."

"Ah...?"

Ronald suddenly knew about this surprise and quickly called Ovitz. What's the matter with this 3% box office share?

"Hello, I'm looking for Mr. Ovitz. I'm Ronald Lee. I haven't made an appointment, but you can tell him that I saw the New York Times report... OK, I'll wait for your call back."

Ovitz got the news quickly and called back.

After Ovitz answered the phone, the first sentence he blurted out was, how did you know?

"Didn't the New York Times report it? An unknown screenwriter? Why didn't you mention my name? Mr. Ovitz."

Ovitz didn't answer, but continued to ask, "Who told you?" It seems that he didn't expect Ronald to read the business news of the New York Times.

"My agent in New York told me after seeing the report. He represented me in the advertising director business."

"What? Your advertising director business is not represented by CAA? Are you a director? Do you have any directing experience? What works have you shot?"

Ronald was shocked by Ovitz's ability to distort the question, "Mr. Ovitz, I asked you first."

"This is part of the film project promotion. Because this report is mainly aimed at the capital market, and your name and other main creators' names are not included, I didn't tell you. We will release the news in the entertainment media soon, and then your name will be on the entertainment page of the New York Times."

Ovitz briefly said, "Now it's your turn. Have you ever been a director?"

"I graduated from high school and worked in Roger Corman's company. I was the second group director of an exploitation film. I also shot a few commercials in New York, such as Chewels chewing gum. I took the photo. I am a second-level member of the Directors Guild..."

"Come to the company as soon as possible. We will sign a director agency agreement with you. Isn't your dream to be a movie director? CAA is also in need of director clients now."

"Uh, Mr. Ovitz, I am studying editing at Zoetrope Productions in San Francisco."

"What? Zoetrope, can you connect with Coppola? We at CAA also want to talk to him."

"I know him, but he doesn't know me, and he is not in the company during this period."

"Think of a way, Ronald. If you can get a photo with him, it will be very beneficial for your next promotion. Ask someone to introduce you. If you can get to know Coppola, your path to being a director will be much smoother."

Ronald imagined a photo of himself standing with Coppola, which was put on the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, or the New York Times as an illustration to introduce a genius screenwriter.

"The inheritance of Hollywood's top directors." Ronald has already thought of the text explanation below the illustration. This scene is very exciting. Who cares? It's just a photo. It's also for his own publicity and to facilitate his future as a director.

"Okay, I'll go look for him tomorrow and try to take a photo with him. By the way, what does the 3% box office share mean?"

"That's hype, the share belongs to Jane Fonda, and has nothing to do with your salary. Columbia hopes Jane will give her all to play the role."

"Okay, I understand, Mr. Ovitz. Does the director have any ideas about the script now? I need to meet with him to revise my script. I've made a lot of notes here."

"When you return to Los Angeles, I will arrange a meeting for you. Remember to tell your main agent Richard about the results of the meeting with Coppola and your schedule."

"I will. Also, for the role of the fool's sister, has the director seen Michelle Pfeiffer's audition photos? What does he think? Mr. Ovitz." Ronald thought of Michelle Pfeiffer's agent Limato's instructions. "

"We haven't reached that stage yet. Let's finalize the revision of your script first. Then you can recommend it to the director yourself." Ovitz hung up the phone.

Early the next morning, Ronald returned to the Sentinel Building.

The editing room was deserted, and the idea of ​​having Walter Mersey introduce the film was abandoned.

Ronald could only wander around the peepshow company, trying to meet the current Hollywood director, Francis Coppola. . Went to the studio. The Peep Show Company invested heavily and rented a small studio in the Sentinel Building for filming.

But he didn't see anyone there. Ronald checked that the door was unlocked, walked into the studio, fumbled to find the switch, closed it and turned on the lights.

In the empty studio, lighting, recording and other equipment were well covered with black cloth, waiting for the master's visit.

Ronald watched for a while and imagined the scene in which he directed the entire team to film.

“Recording, turn on!

camera? Full speed ahead!

Snapped,

Start filming! "

The empty studio had only his own echo. Ronald looked at the lights above the center of the stage. The lighting engineer had to climb over the wooden board next to him to operate the lights. On the left and right are large electric fans that create various breezes.

Ronald turned off the lights again and walked out.

As worthy of being the number one director in Hollywood, such a large space is used as a studio and is not used at ordinary times, so it is left vacant here. Another director would definitely not be able to support such a large rental expense.

Without getting to Coppola, Ronald found a hotel and booked a flight back to Los Angeles, preparing to continue working on the "My Brother's Keeper" project with CAA.

There was nothing to do in the evening, so Ronald was going to go to the bar he had visited the day he arrived in San Francisco. The guys there were quite interesting to brag about and chat with.

After taking a shower, I turned on the TV and listened to the news while drying my hair.

"The former California governor continued his campaign and made offensive remarks in New York, pointing out that the current governor started his campaign in Tuscumbia, Alabama, the birthplace of kukxkn."

"The commander-in-chief didn't dare debate with me because he knew he wouldn't win." The former governor's movie-star face appeared on TV. Although he was old, he was still very handsome. "Even if this debate was held in the Rose Hall, the audience would be the federal government. Employee, the question is from Jody Powell.”

Ronald burst into laughter. The former movie star has a very vicious mouth. The Rose Hall is the venue for the White House press conference. Jody Powell is the President's press secretary. Even so, the President cannot defend him.

This kind of harm can really relieve people's anger. The Persian hostage crisis has not yet been resolved. Gas prices have more than doubled from the beginning of the year, and we often have to queue up.

Turning to a channel, a Cantonese TV series was playing. Ronald looked at the station logo. It was ktsf. There are many Chinese Americans in San Francisco, and even local Chinese TV stations have them.

Unfortunately, I can’t understand Cantonese and there are no subtitles. Ronald looked at it for a while and couldn't understand it. It seemed to be a story about the young owner of the shipyard returning home to inherit the family business.

Moving on to another channel, there was an advertisement, "Thompson Waterproof Coating." The soundtrack of the advertisement was very nice, and Ronald stopped to read the advertisement.

"Who'llsthera" Ronald remembered this song. When Aunt Karen attended the Veteran's Day party, the music of this song was played. Many veterans liked the songs of this band, and there was also a song "Fortunateson" that they also liked. Like it, mocking the senator's son for not having to go to Vietnam.

“It’s been raining for as long as I can remember.

Mysterious clouds pour down from the sky, confusing people. "

Ronald also hummed a few lines. The name of this song is "Who Will Stop This Heavy Rain", and it is really appropriate to be paired with an advertisement for waterproof paint.

"Good people throughout the ages have tried to find the sun

I am still curious, who will stop this rain? "

The singer in the commercial was still singing, but Ronald suddenly felt something was wrong. Why was this voice so familiar?

…

"So you are really the lead singer of Creedence Clearwater Revival, John Fogerty?" Ronald found the man in the bar again wearing a blue plaid shirt, jeans, and Martin boots. Uncle.

"What's the benefit of pretending to be John Fogarty? I can't even sing my own songs now."

"I often hear your songs on Veterans Radio, but I don't have a record player, so I haven't bought your records or seen you. Just now I saw an advertisement for waterproof coating on the TV station, and I heard your voice. Think about it."

"I understand you. I also come from an ordinary family. Records are very expensive. My brother and I have to save money for a long time to buy one."

"So you were really defrauded of money by your boss Sol, and you can't even sing the songs you wrote?"

"Why would I lie to you? Saul Zaentz, if you're really in the movie business, you should know this name, he produced 'One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest' with Kirk Douglas' son, come on Oscar Grand Slam. The money for that shoot was stolen from me.”

"And he bribed the other two bastards in my band, signed an agreement, and bought the copyright to my songs at a very low price. In addition to waterproof coatings, he also authorized rainproof tires, which are used in a lot of garbage advertisements. My song, it's a distortion..." John Fogerty started calling out the liar boss again.

"Hey, John, you're bragging again. Don't lie to the kids. If you're really John Fogarty, why don't you sing us a who'llsthera?"

Several regular patrons in the bar started joking with John again.

"You old bastards, I sang R songs at a bar commercial and had to pay Sol. I'm not stupid."

"We'll buy you and your friends a drink." Those regular customers were regulars at the bar and often joked with John Fogarty.

"Come on, let's sing a song? No one will tell, and the bartender held an acoustic guitar in front of John."

"I won't sing. You are abetting a crime. You let young man Ronald sing."

Ronald took over the acoustic guitar and began to sing the song "who'llsthera?", with three lyrics and a few simple E chords, it was not difficult to sing.

"No, no, no, the interlude here needs to change d, a, c, and change it on the quarter beat rhythm." John Fogerty also taught Ronald a few tricks to make the accompaniment more pleasant.

"There is only one acoustic guitar, but we still need to create three rhythms, one is the rhythm of strumming, the second is the rhythm of changing chords, and the third is the rhythm of the progression of the song melody." John taught on the spot, allowing The bar patrons were enjoying themselves.

As expected of a master teaching, Ronald felt that an acoustic guitar seemed to play three rhythms: bass, drums, and melody. He also felt that the accompaniment sounded much better.

"A rhythm is destined to be monotonous. If you have some talent as an artist, you should also pay attention to the matching of speed and slowness for a good melody." John Fogarty was very satisfied with Ronald's interpretation of the song. It had been a long time since he heard someone singing himself live in a bar. Wrote the song, "Next Round of Beers on Me."

"Dang, dang, dang..." the bartender rang the brass bell on the bar, "The next round of beer is free, thank you John!"

"The rhythm of fast and slow rhythms. Walter Mersey said that the rhythm of film narrative is actually the same thing, right? The rhythm of the story, the rhythm of the characters, and the rhythm of the conflict must be matched to make it look good." Ronald was unexpectedly interested in the rhythm of the film. Got some insights.