Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Why is the dream different this time?" Ronald lay on the ground and began to think of his worries.

Not only did those Americans talk about it, but he also dreamed of his friends who played with him in his previous life.

Concentrating on thinking about things, he didn't hear Diane talking to him.

"Ronnie, are you okay?" Diane didn't expect that her kick would have such a strong force, kicking Ronald under the bed, "Why don't you talk?"

Diane jumped out of bed wrapped in a quilt to see if Ronald was okay.

"Ah..., it's okay, I had a dream, you go to sleep first." Ronald put on his clothes, went to the bathroom to take a hot shower, and completely sobered himself up.

Looking at the Casio watch, it was already past four in the morning. Ronald simply stopped sleeping. He found the letterhead and ballpoint pen in the hotel room and began to write down several scenes in his dream on the paper.

Not writing for a long time made him forget words when he picked up the pen, and mixed some English words in it. For example, he couldn't remember how to write the three words "霹雳舞", so he had to use the English "Break Dance" instead.

After writing a few scenes, Ronald tried to string the plot together. The dancer played by Lucinda Dickey should be a jazz dancer from the bottom of society. She started to learn in a jazz dance studio, but was harassed by her boss Franco, who tempted her to submit to him by selecting her to participate in a dance competition.

Unable to bear the humiliation, Kelly met two street dancers, the black Mada and the Latino Tornado, through the introduction of her friend Eton, and began to learn breakdancing under their influence.

In the end, Kelly was still spotted by her agent (the man in a suit with golden curly hair), and after watching Mada and Tornado's dance battle, he recommended them to participate in a dance competition together.

Franco made a hindrance and did not allow them to participate in the competition. After an explanation of American freedom, the three were able to participate in the competition.

In the end, the judges were moved by their wonderful dance and could not help but sway with their rhythm. In the end, despite the opposition of Franco, an industry insider, they took their combination as the first place and let them enter the Broadway musical and star in the new dance drama.

"Eh... this plot is a bit familiar." Ronald, who was writing furiously, suddenly remembered that this was the final plot of "Flashdance" in which he had participated?

How about a different ending?

Although the three performed brilliantly, they could not tolerate the stereotyped jazz dance. In the end, they denounced it as a restricted dance and returned to the streets to dance happily with those dancing teenagers.

After writing two versions of the ending, Ronald made another cup of instant coffee and continued to revise it.

He had a long-lost creative impulse for this movie in his heart. This movie must have been very important to him in his previous life. Maybe it was the dubbing of the actors in the dubbing studio that made him understand the American story, or was it the opportunity for him to learn breakdancing?

And the childhood friend in the previous life, like Douglas in this life, the two seemed to be very familiar friends. Ronald thought that maybe he could find out who he was in his previous life by following the clues?

Moreover, now, driven by Michael Jackson's moonwalk, America has gradually set off a trend of breakdancing. Maybe after "Flashdance", another movie about breakdancing will greatly boost the sales of leg warmers.

The original film was shot very roughly, but it was actually distributed to the other side of the Pacific Ocean and dubbed. This movie must be very popular.

Ronald's heart flashed with excitement. This is a good opportunity. This time he must ask the distributor for more share.

Unconsciously drinking the instant coffee provided by the hotel, Ronald began to sort out the stationery on the table.

"Squeak..." The curtains were opened, and the sunlight shone through the inner lace curtains and shone on Ronald's table.

The brightness of the desk lamp on the table suddenly dimmed. Compared with the sunlight, the brightness of the artificial light was as dim as the candlelight in the dark night.

Diane had been awake for a while. She saw Ronald trying to write and didn't notice her at all. She jumped out of bed and helped to open the curtains.

"Ronnie..." Diane called sweetly, this night was more impressive than the last one.

Ronald was writing wholeheartedly and didn't hear it.

"Brother Ronnie..." Diane walked closer. Ronald was looking at the letter paper and making marks on them.

"Ronnie!" Diane was angry. He always ignored her. Did she become so unattractive?

Diane patted Ronald's shoulder.

"Hey...ah..."

Ronald was suddenly patted on the shoulder, and subconsciously grabbed the hand and used a little force.

As soon as he got started, he found that it was wrong. Such a fat wrist was Diane.

Ronald quickly put down Diane's hand and rubbed her, "Sorry, I'm thinking about something. You know I practiced wrestling. It was subconscious. Don't attack me from behind in the future."

"You..." Diane pouted and felt very wronged. Why did Ronald not care about her all night?

Valley Investment

"How can you be so strong?" Diane slapped Ronald twice with her other hand.

"Do you really think my look in the Cotton Club is not good-looking?" Diane sat on Ronald's knees. She still cares about her acting career. When facing her best friend's brother, she has never hesitated and asked directly.

"I think it's a bit too realistic. Movies are not only about stories and atmosphere, but also about personal image. There is a big difference between watching movies and watching movies." Ronald thought about it and said it directly to Diane.

Diane was a child star. She was on the Off-Broadway stage when she was still changing her teeth. She performed all over the world. I think she can understand that I am analyzing from a professional perspective.

"Do you mean that my image is more important than the whole movie?" Diane touched her fingers, moved back to Ronald's arms, and twisted her waist twice.

"That's not what I meant, but you have your own acting career after all, so of course I am speaking from your perspective." Ronald hugged Diane with both hands, feeling the heat from her legs.

Diane touched her chin with one hand, and began to stroke Ronald's chest with the other hand.

"Then do you think that the movie I starred in will be a big hit?"

"Hmm..." Ronald thought for a moment, and the movie seemed to have slipped from one end of the scale to the other. Although the actors' images were very eye-catching, and Diane was particularly beautiful, the story was really illogical. Would the audience really go back to the cinema to watch a pure 90-minute MV?

"I think this movie seems to lack a good story again."

"Didn't you say that? My image is more important?" Diane stroked Ronald's chest more and more heavily.

"These are the two ends of a scale. Your image is very good in the movie, but the story will make the audience lose interest. It is not good for attracting audiences. The story of the Cotton Club is good, but if it is filmed like this, I am afraid that it will be ignored by mainstream audiences..."

The more Diane listened to Ronald's analysis, the more impatient she became. She stopped what she was doing, "Anyway, you just don't like my movie."

Ronald was shocked. Diane seemed to be under a lot of pressure. "What's wrong? Are you under any pressure?" Ronald held her in his arms and gently stroked her back with his hand.

"Do you know what strikeout means?"

Diane's mood calmed down a little.

Strikeout is a baseball term. If the batter on the offensive side fails to hit three consecutive strikes, he will be sent off.

This term is also borrowed in Hollywood. Most producers do not know the secret of a hit movie. Most of them use the simplest method, which is to look at your past performance.

If a director, actor, or star fails to achieve the expected box office results for three consecutive movies, then... at least for a few years, she will not be able to get a script invitation from a big studio.

Ronald continued to slowly soothe Diane's mood. He knew the reason for Diane's recent anxiety.

Starting with Coppola's "The Untamed", her box office ability has been unsatisfactory. With a production cost of more than 10 million, it only earned 25 million box office in North America, struggling on the break-even line, and the film critics did not have much to say.

The subsequent "Fighting Fish" also had a production cost of 10 million, but it was made into a black-and-white art film. Only two goldfish in the whole film were in color. Regardless of the mixed reviews from the critics, it only had a box office of 2.5 million, which was very bad.

Now Diane's expectations are all on the "Raging Fire" which just finished shooting at a cost of nearly 20 million, and the "The Cotton Club" which has been budgeted by Coppola and has already cost nearly 50 million dollars.

If he were in Ronald's shoes, I'm afraid he would be worried every day.

"Why don't you come to shoot my next movie? A jazz dancer is attracted by street breakdancing and dances out a story of his wonderful life." Ronald thought, Diane just happened to practice some dance basics in the "Cotton Club", wouldn't it be good for her to shoot the "breakdancing" she just dreamed of?

Shooting a movie with a girlfriend may even increase feelings.

"Your new film?" Diane looked at Ronald, "How much is the budget? What's the plot?"

Ronald repeated the plot, "As for the investment, this is a typical low-budget exploitation film. If I were to shoot it, I could keep it under one million dollars."

"Hmph!" Diane was dissatisfied, "I haven't shot such a low-budget film before."

"I think this film will be successful. I have a feeling that it will cause a sensation. Even if your next two films don't do well at the box office, you can still make a comeback with this film. Hollywood is a place where dreams come true."

Ronald was full of confidence. It can be released on the other side of the Pacific Ocean. It must be a well-known film.

"Brother Ronnie! I'm an adult now. I know how to manage my own career. Don't tell me these chicken soup." Diane stood up dissatisfied, put on yesterday's clothes, and left angrily.

"Diane, Diane", Ronald saw Diane was angry, and hurriedly chased after her. He coaxed her for a while but to no avail. Seeing that she was determined to leave, he had no choice but to hand over yesterday's gift. "Don't forget your bracelet watch\

,""Hmph!" Diane took the velvet gift box, calmed down a little, and left.

Maybe it was because her teenage hormones hadn't completely subsided yet, or maybe it was because of the bad news from the "Street of Rage" crew that director Walter Hill hadn't finished the first cut after five months of editing, which made her stressed out. In short, she was like a volcano that was easy to ignite.

With her father Bert not around, Diane's nameless anger had to be directed at her brother Ronnie.