Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Niceta asked Ronald to look at this period of time and find invitations from his major producers and independent producers who wanted Ronald to direct.

"Paramount wants to find you to shoot a movie. The person they contacted me said that Mr. Michael Eisner, the president, has been paying attention to you. The success of 'Break Dance' again made him feel that he has been cultivated for a long time. When it comes to results." Niceta first turned to two script outlines.

"Do I have anything to do with him? Did he train me?" Ronald wondered.

"Didn't he ask for your opinion? He also asked you to participate in the filming of 'Flash Dance'. In the eyes of such a big shot, this is an opportunity for you."

Niceta noticed Ronald's strangeness and explained it to him.

"What movie does he want me to make?"

"There were two candidates, the first was 'Young Sherlock Holmes.' Young character, fifteen million production budget. It was a Spielberg project, co-produced by his Amblin and Paramount producers." Wen admires your ability."

"Hmm..." Ronald crossed his legs proudly.

"The second one tells the story of NASA, a science fiction film. It was invested by Paramount itself. It tells the story of young people building a spaceship and exploring deep space. The budget is no less than 15 million.

Both films are in line with your past resume, young protagonists, science fiction, high concept, exploitation film style. It's the kind of movie that uses the budget of an A-level movie to make a B-level exploitation movie. "

Ronald listened with a smile on his face. His three films were hits in succession, and he finally gained recognition from a major studio. An invitation to a major production was about to come.

"Any more?" Ronald still wanted to hear.

"Yes, Frank Price, the president of Universal. He is more optimistic about you. He called me personally and said that your first script attracted his attention that year. Your skills have been honed and gradually matured. , now it’s time to give you a chance to be a director.”

"What projects does he have?" Ronald still remembered that this was the only senior executive in Hollywood who could understand the script, and he was considered his boss.

"There's 'St. Elmo's Fire,' a young man's story. Written by your friend Cameron Crowe. It's an ensemble drama, about a group of college graduates entering society. It's the same as 'The Big Chill.' Very similar. But it was ten years after graduation, so they gave him the codename 'Xiaohan'."

"Group drama, youth drama", this is another project based on my resume.

"The other film has been in preparation for a long time. It is a script based on Mikhail Baryshnikov, a ballerina who defected from the Soviet Union. It tells the story of a ballet dancer who defected because The story of plane applause and crash landing in Siberia.”

"Dance Drama, Young People's Story" is based on Ronald's history.

"So I can pick and choose?" Ronald was very satisfied.

"Of course, you can just choose and negotiate with them. Of course, they are also choosing you at the same time." Niceta replied.

"It's already very good. What do you recommend? Which one should I choose?"

"Read the synopsis of the plot first, and then tell which one you feel like." Nisita smiled and moved over a bunch of scripts sent by another independent producer. "There are also these. Of course, I suggest you wait for 'Long Wei' "Boy" is released, and if it sells well, our negotiating leverage will be high. "

"Hahaha, okay, finally the day has come when they will send me the script." Ronald happily danced twice.

Screenwriters work very hard, and they have to endure rude revisions from big stars. Now it's finally their turn to choose someone else.

The marketing of "Longwei Boy" will not start until next week, and Ronald begins his vacation in Los Angeles.

Wearing a T-shirt and shorts, riding a Honda motorcycle, wandering around, having a very pleasant life.

"cheers!"

At noon that day, Ronald came to the home of his friends Jim Cameron and Gale Hurd. The three of them moved out the stainless steel barbecue grill together and ate barbecue and beer in the yard.

"Terminator" has just finished shooting. Under Ronald's revision, the scenes of the movie have been condensed a lot. With a budget of more than 6 million, the shooting went smoothly. On the day of packaging, the budget for the shooting part was just used up. Cameron was very proud.

"Your method is really effective. I went to the Sherman Oaks department store you recommended and used the lighting according to your "fast-paced" storyboards. The shooting was really fast."

"And in your Guerrilla War shooting, Gale asked Schwarzenegger and a few supporting actors to put on their own makeup and secretly rode Harley motorcycles to the bar in the middle of the night. Then Jim was there to snap the photo, and the photo was finished just before the police came. , just dispersed and went home.”

Gail gave them a glass of beer. Ronald's tricks really helped them save a lot of money.

"Boom!"

While they were chatting, there was a sudden burst of thunder. Ronald was frightened and dropped his fork to the ground.

"Tian Xia Ying... no... why is there such a huge cumulonimbus cloud?" Ronald raised his head and pointed at the layers of cumulonimbus clouds in the sky, hiding his embarrassment.

"Jesus, call the photographer. Quick...Gail, find my phone number."

Cameron jumped up, hurriedly walked into the room, and dialed the phone.

It turned out that there was only one ending shot of the entire movie that was not shot. The protagonist, Sarah Connor, drives a jeep into the distance with the future leader of the human resistance in mind.

This shot requires the cooperation of the weather, but Los Angeles has been sunny recently. Since Ronald came today, there have finally been particularly suitable clouds and light. Cameron and Gail immediately started to contact the photographer.

"Damn it, the photographer is on vacation." Cameron walked out cursing.

"It's just a long shot, right? Why don't we shoot it ourselves?" Ronald still knows how to operate the camera, and he has been a photographer, so he has some aesthetic taste for the picture.

"Thank you!" Cameron patted him heavily, "Let's go quickly, this celestial phenomenon will disappear at any time."

Cameron and Ronald carried the movie camera and film box temporarily placed at home to a jeep, covered it with canvas, and the two jumped into the car. Gail started the car and drove towards the interstate highway in the suburbs.

Next to the interstate highway, the group found an ideal shooting location.

"I think it's good to take a picture from here." Ronald squatted on the ground beside the road with the director's viewfinder, looking at the picture in the viewfinder.

On the vast land, a straight road leads all the way to the distant skyline. The clouds in the sky became thicker and thicker, as if it would rain at any time.

A feeling of the end of the world is approaching, and the protagonist is moving towards the unknown and overcoming numerous difficulties and dangers on the vast land.

"It's here, it's here." Cameron was so excited. Today, God cooperated. Such an ending shot will definitely upgrade the grade of the movie.

"Hurry up, hurry up." He kept shouting, urging Ronald to set up the camera.

"Don't rush," Ronald said angrily, "I have never loaded and unloaded film. If it is exposed, it will be all over."

"Okay, hurry up," Cameron ran to give instructions to Gail Hurd again. She wanted to sit in the driver's seat and pretend to be the leading actress Linda Hamilton. Anyway, it was a shot from behind, and it couldn't be seen that she was a stand-in.

"Why is he more like a tyrant on the set than me?" Ronald muttered. Cameron is not usually so irritable.

Finally, after installing the film in the black bag in the dark, Ronald shouted, "The camera is ready."

"Okay," Cameron took a clapperboard and tapped it in front of Ronald,

"A!"

In order to save time, no synchronous recording was done, and dubbing would be done later.

Gail started the jeep and slowly drove up the road behind Ronald. It was about to rain heavily, and there was no car on the road, which was a blessing from heaven.

Ronald operated the camera and pointed it at the road.

The jeep drove onto the road behind Ronald and slowly went away. Gail's hair fluttered in the wind.

In the distance were the blue mountains, and in the sky were thick cumulonimbus clouds moving quickly. A big tree on the side of the road added a center of gravity to the whole picture.

"Cut!"

Until the jeep was driven far away and shrunk into a small dot in the camera, Cameron called a stop.

"How is it, Ronald, can it be used?" Cameron came over and asked impatiently.

"Okay, do you want another one?"

"Please pull over, Jeep in front. It's illegal to film on the interstate in California without permission."

A police car slowly approached in the distance, and the state trooper shouted at the three people with a loudspeaker.

"Oh, shxt!"

Cameron was very frustrated. The cost of filming the movie had been spent and he had no money. The remaining budget was for special effects. If he was caught and fined, he would have to pay thousands of dollars out of his own pocket.

"It's the state police. Can we run away?" Gail, who drove the jeep back, was very brave. "Ronald, are you sure you can get rid of them?"

"Don't be impulsive. They must have remembered your license plate." Ronald stopped Gail's thoughts, "Let me talk to them."

"Sir, hello. We are film students from the University of Southern California. We are here to shoot our graduation work. Our teachers have not taught us the laws of film shooting. We don't know this kind of rules. Please be kind and let us go."

"USC? Students?" The state police looked at Ronald's young appearance and believed it. It was just that his two classmates looked old.

"Trojans!"

"Beat the Grizzlies!"

Ronald shouted the cheering slogan of the USC football team, which was to defeat the opponent UC Grizzlies. He knew this when he was shooting his first movie "Fast Pace".

"Let me see your library card. My brother is at USC." The state police relaxed.

Ronald was stunned. He didn't have a library card.

"This is mine, sir."

Cameron took out the library card he got when he was reading movie books for free at USC and handed it over.

"Okay, you have to abide by the law in the future, understand? If you want to shoot on the highway in California, you have to apply for a shooting permit from the Film Association in advance, understand?"

"Huh..." The three of them let out a long breath and returned to the jeep.

"It seems that we can only shoot this one, go back and print it." Cameron started the car.