Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Whether it was directing a teen film to prove his ability or earning some extra money to invest in the production of "Night of the Comet," Ronald was eager to get to work.

He notified two agents at CAA and began to resume accepting script invitations and director invitations. The economic situation has improved in the past two years, and a lot of money has begun to flow into Hollywood. Even a barmaid can sell her debut screenplay for $250,000.

"Ronald, your decision is very good. If we don't take advantage of the 'fast pace' to take on some new projects for you, Hollywood is very good at forgetting."

Niceta was very happy that his popular director finally figured it out and no longer required priority in promoting his so-called science fiction films. A large number of youth film scripts were waiting for Ronald.

"This is a long-term apartment for you. Let Richard take you to see it in the afternoon. The conditions are good, with security and a swimming pool. If you feel you need it when writing, we can also ask the producer to provide a chef and maid ." Niceta threw a bunch of keys.

"There is also a car, which is the BMW I eliminated. You can take it and drive it." By signing Coppola, Niceta's acting business has also been greatly improved and she has earned a lot of money.

"Thank you." Ronald accepted with a smile.

Arriving at the apartment chosen by Niceta, Ronald deeply felt the film industry's preferential treatment of people who could bring them profits. This apartment was very similar to the one where he went to take audition photos for Natasha Kinski and Demi Moore. It was not far away, but the size of the room was slightly smaller.

"Helen, I have something to do and I won't be able to go back to New York soon." Ronald called his girlfriend and informed her of the number of the new apartment.

"Ronnie. I miss you...but it's okay, I'm probably going to Los Angeles soon."

"oh?"

"Reeve has withdrawn from the Supergirl project. They have to re-revise the script and write out Superman's part. I'm going to Los Angeles to talk to the producers..."

The two chatted about their longing, and more than an hour passed in the blink of an eye. After hanging up the phone, Ronald shook his head. It seemed that his phone bill still couldn't be reduced.

A few days later, Ronald was reading various scripts in the apartment. Since accepting the script for the youth film, he has received many invitations from economic companies.

"Have you ever filmed a music video for Paramount?" Suddenly, manager Niceta came excitedly to see Ronald.

"Oh? It's actually the end of a movie." Ronald thought of Diane Lane's "Ladies and Gentlemen, The Magic Band."

"I talked to the director, Mr. Lou Adler, and he needed to add an ending. I filmed a live ending for Diane Lane and Laura Dern, but it didn't do well at the box office."

"You may not know that the MV, which is the ending of the movie you mentioned, had very good ratings on MTV. The movie was eventually sold to the late-night cable channel of Paramount Network, and the ratings were not bad.

Paramount is so pleased with your directorial approach that they want to invite you to discuss a musical adaptation. This time it is Mr. Eisner himself who calls your name. "

"Huh? Why does Mr. Eisner remember me?"

"You made blockbusters, Ronald. And have you forgotten? You wrote them the sequel to 'Grease' and they were impressed."

“Didn’t that movie do poorly at the box office?”

"The poor box office performance had little to do with the script. It was choreographer Patricia Burch's first time as a director, and the set was a mess.

I heard that when Paramount saw the fast-paced finished film, they held an internal meeting to discuss you. At that time, it might have been much better if they had asked you to direct the film. "

"What were you doing earlier?" Ronald muttered. Of course, at that time, I was not qualified to take on such a large project worth more than 10 million yuan.

No matter what, it's nice to have someone appreciate you, and the person who appreciates you in particular is the boss of Paramount's production department.

"What script is it?"

"In a small town in Utah, the pastor banned rock music and dancing. A transfer student from Chicago fell in love with the pastor's daughter and changed everything."

"I think I've heard this story somewhere. What's the name of the script?"

"Footloose".

Soon, Ronald and Niceta came to Paramount's office together, waiting to be received by Mr. Eisner in person.

Michael Eisner was a pushy man who, as the head of Paramount Productions, insisted on interviewing the artists on every project. According to his own statement, his intuition is very good, and it is easier to assess the other person's true ability when meeting him.

Ronald and Niceta sat on the waiting seats for a long time. Eisner's secretary pretended not to see their curious glances.

I don’t know who Eisner’s current guest is, but they are “discussing” loudly inside, and the sound leaks out faintly from time to time.

"For Christ's sake, it's almost the start date and the heroine hasn't been decided yet."

In the president's office, Eisner was speaking loudly and discussing issues intensely with two middle-aged men across from him.

"This is because Brian De Palma was dissatisfied with his treatment and went to pick up a new film shortly before the start of filming. We spent too much time looking for a new director." Among the two middle-aged men, the one with shawl long hair replied, As if to argue that this is not our responsibility as producers.

"No matter what, the heroine must be decided today."

"Mr. Eisner," the other middle-aged man with a beard replied, "We still think we should choose a sexier heroine."

"This is the result of the secretaries' rating, you have seen it."

Eisner pointed to the poll on the table. In order to choose a favorite among the three finalists, he had asked all the secretaries of Paramount to rate the three actresses. The final result was that the girl named Leslie scored the highest.

"She is not suitable, Michael." The bearded man replied.

"I don't care who is suitable. Anyway, we have to decide today. The results of the poll are here. I don't know what you are not satisfied with. Do you still like that Demi?"

"Demi Moore, she is sexier than Leslie and more suitable for this movie." The long-haired man began to get excited again.

"Mr. Eisner," the secretary finally came in and knocked on the door, "The next guest has been waiting for half an hour. Should we ask them to come back tomorrow?"

"No, let them come in," Eisner signaled the secretary to bring Ronald in, "You two, we must decide on the heroine today. You guys discuss it first. I'll come back to you after I finish talking to them."

"e On," the long-haired girl began to speak excitedly, "Seventy percent of the charm of this movie lies in the heroine dancing in this bar. Leslie has no sex appeal at all."

"Stop!" Eisner gestured to the two of them, indicating that he was going to meet other guests and come back to discuss with them later.

"If you are not optimistic about the prospects of this movie, please tell us honestly. Brian De Palma ran away because he didn't get the respect he deserved, and the director who shot a fucking jeans commercial was finally found."

"Are you talking about me?" Ronald walked into Eisner's office and heard the last sentence of the long-haired girl.

"You? No, I'm talking about Adrian Lane. He's famous for shooting jeans ads in the UK." The long-haired man saw Ronald and Niceta walk into the office, knowing that he had misunderstood, and hurried forward to clarify.

"Don Sipson, this is my partner Jerry Bruckheir." The long-haired man with a beard introduced himself.

"Ronald Lee, I did shoot a CK jeans ad." Ronald shook hands with Don Simpson, "Mr. Eisner, should we talk later?"

"No, you're just in time, Ronald." Eisner greeted Ronald with a pleasant face.

"You're also a movie director, why don't you come and take a look at this little problem." Eisner asked him to come forward and look at the three audition photos.

"Here are the candidates for the last three heroines of a musical film, which one do you think is suitable?"

Don Simpson and his partner Jerry Bruckheir looked at each other. They knew Ronald's name, a new and popular director of youth films.

"Yes, take a look? We need some expert opinions."

Ronald looked at the three photos. The middle one was Demi Moore's audition photo. It was not the one he took that year. Demi, who was two years older, was more attractive.

On the left was a slightly darker actress with big and attractive eyes.

The beauty on the right had a slightly longer face and a temperament that was more in line with the traditional Hollywood beauty. Her name was Leslie Wan.

"What kind of movie is it?" Ronald guessed that maybe the room was arguing about the choice of the heroine just now. He couldn't express his opinion rashly. He picked up the three photos and looked at them carefully.

"A musical film, about a female welder who danced striptease in a bar and attended a ballet school at the same time." The bearded Jerry Bruckheimer answered.

"What is this?" Ronald found the photo.

"This is the score given to the three candidates by the secretaries of Paramount. They like Leslie Wan the most." Eisner answered.

Ronald smiled. Isn't this the method used by BBDO when deciding on the advertising creativity back then?

This may not work. The secretaries are all women, and their tastes may not be the same as the target audience of the movie.

However, these secretaries may also be the most convenient candidates for investigation. It seems that Paramount also likes to use this method.

"Excuse me, Mr. Eisner. This movie..."

"Flash Dance", Don Simpson felt that this tall young man did not seem to like Leslie Wan.

"Yes, who is the target audience of this Flash Dance?"

Eisner looked at Don Simpson.

"This is a story of an ugly duckling turning into a swan. The heroine Alex is a welder. She is sexy and beautiful and dances in a bar. Our target audience is those blue-collar men and some urban teenage men."

Don Simpson talked about their plan, "Ronald, with an artist's intuition, who do you think is the most beautiful and sexiest in their minds?"

Ronald looked down at the three people again. Leslie Wan was obviously a good girl, and was deeply loved by the middle-aged female secretary. But the other two were very sexy and attractive. He and Demi Moore had a relationship, so it was not convenient to express his opinion directly.

"I don't speak for the audience." Ronald looked up at Don Simpson, who also seemed to dislike Leslie Winn.

"Mr. Eisner, why don't you ask some target audiences to vote? Paramount should have a lot of blue-collar workers, such as camera operators, lighting technicians, and truck drivers?"

"Damn, you make a lot of sense." Eisner pressed the call button on the table, "Notify all the camera operators, lighting technicians, and truck drivers in the nearby studios to come to the big fucking conference room."