Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"So the karate match in the movie, where Daniel scored the winning move at the end, was it legal in the match?" Barbie Wygant asked the last question before the end of the interview.

"Oh, it is legal. There is no unified rule in karate. The movie makes it very clear that it is legal to hit above the waist and avoid hitting the throat and back of the head. Hitting the head directly will score three points and end the match."

"Okay, thank you, Morita." Barbie Wygant began to pack up her headphones.

"This will be played on Barbie's show on the weekend when the movie is released." Ronald paused the tape and said to Weintraub who was watching it next to him.

Senator Inoue did not come forward directly, but Sony took the initiative to contact and put an advertisement for Barbie Wygant's film review program. Barbie returned the favor and immediately filmed an exclusive interview with Morita Noriyuki, the main actor of "The Karate Kid" during her business trip in Los Angeles.

"Very good, so our movie will have a good foundation for the weekend of its release. I found Columbia's distribution department and urged them to increase the number of theaters from just over 900 to more than 1,000. Then we added real-life cardboard posters in all theaters."

Weintraub also mobilized all resources to compete for the summer season.

"What do you think of the box office prospects?" Weintraub was a little anxious. He didn't expect that in the summer season, two dark horses that were not optimistic about the film suddenly emerged and had the momentum to enter the top three of the year.

"I have confidence in the movie," Ronald replied. "Movie marketing, money and resources can only buy theaters when it is released, and the box office afterwards, how much percentage it drops every week, and how long it can be released in theaters, that is all a matter of word of mouth."

"I hope you are right. We have done everything we can. Next, we have to cross our fingers and pray."

"Yes, pray."

Ronald returned home, changed into a light outfit, drove to pick up Cameron and his girlfriend Gail who were ready to stay in the editing room, and went to Dan Aykroyd's house to attend the party.

Now that he knew about his social deficiencies, Ronald immediately made up for it by calling a Canadian gang he knew working in Hollywood to have a party together.

Ronald also found John Candy, who invited him to watch football, and called his friend Michael J. Fox to join them, and they all went to the party together.

Canadian parties are relatively quiet, where everyone just listens to music, and their wives and girlfriends prepare food and eat together.

"I heard from Ronald that the movie you are directing is a special effects spectacle?" Aykroyd pulled Cameron to chat. His fame has soared with "Ghostbusters", and now he is trying to get more directors to work with him.

"When are we going to watch football again? NFL or college is fine." Ronald was chewing on a chicken wing, and asked the fat comedian John Candy by the way.

"I've taken on several plays recently, and I'll be busy until the beginning of next year." Candy opened his mouth wide and ate faster than Ronald.

"What play, movie?"

"Yes, there is one in Thailand, and I'm working with Tom Hanks." Candy grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth.

"Thailand? What's the theme?"

"A spoof comedy, a rich kid joins a volunteer action and accidentally enters the Vietnam battlefield." Candy said, "I didn't expect Hanks to have a very good talent for comedy. He and I worked well together during the audition."

"What movie projects do you have next?" Michael J. Fox asked.

Fox's reputation has soared recently. He played the eldest son Alex in "Family Ties". He is an elephant party member who is incompatible with his hippie donkey party believers and believes in the president's economics.

It happened that since last year, inflation has been successfully suppressed to 3%, and economic growth has reached more than 5% for many years. More and more people have begun to like the current president, and the role played by Fox has also been liked by more and more people.

"Not recently, I am still in preliminary contact with some projects. I may contact Mr. Spielberg. It is possible to make a detective movie."

"Is there a role suitable for me?" Although Fox became famous in TV series, he still wanted to make a movie in his heart. When he heard that it was Spielberg's project, he immediately asked.

"I don't know yet. His Amberlin is very popular recently. Let's see what the negotiation turns out. But your role in the TV series is so important. It's hard to arrange your time for filming, right?" Ronald asked him.

"I still like movies. If there is a suitable role, I can do both." Michael J. Fox put out his cigarette under his shoe and put it in the ashtray.

"The beef is coming." Aykroyd's wife, Gail, and Fox's girlfriend Nancy brought out the food together. There were French fries next to the beef patties. Ronald and others had a big appetite and ate with their cheeks wide open.

"In the future, we Canadians have to get together often, and we have to give Ronald, the organizer of this time, the title of honorary Canadian." Aykroyd was very happy to expand his circle of friends.

"You're right. In fact, Ronald is more like a Canadian, not as arrogant as Americans."

"Hahaha, in fact, my ancestors on my mother's side seem to have Chinese ancestry, maybe they immigrated from Quebec."

Everyone left happily.

"A TV actor filming a movie part-time? That's not easy." The next day, I came to Spielberg's Amblin Pictures and was chatting with an old acquaintance, Chris Columbus, the screenwriter of "Gremlins". Speaking of Michael J. Fox’s wish.

"The filming of TV dramas is very busy. Their sitcoms have to release one episode every week. They are already very busy, unless they are filming during the break between TV dramas in the summer vacation."

"So that's how it is." Ronald recalled that Tom Hanks was in the same situation back then. Because he had no skills in TV dramas, he turned down Ronald's invitation and filmed a "fast-paced" one.

"Ronald, you're here!" Steven Spielberg walked out of the room, with his assistant Catherine beside him.

"Hello, Steven." Ronald stepped forward to hug him. "Your little monster is really good. Phoebe Cates is very suitable for that movie about Chinese myths and legends." Phoebe Cates was originally Just a quarter of Chinese ancestry.

"Ah, yes. That was a successful attempt by Amber Lin, and Chris's contribution was indispensable." Spielberg patted Columbus on the shoulder.

"He is also the screenwriter of 'Young Sherlock Holmes' this time. You can talk to him first, and we can discuss further cooperation after your movie is released."

Ronald shook hands with Spielberg and said goodbye, feeling that he was no longer as close to him as he had been in the past. It seems that I need to keep in touch if I have the opportunity in the future.

"How did you come up with the idea of ​​writing such a story?" Ronald asked a question after reading Columbus's script. This story tells the story of Sherlock Holmes solving his first case in college.

“When I was reading Sherlock Holmes, I always wondered why Sherlock Holmes didn’t have a girlfriend and ended up alone.

So I wrote a young story for him. In it, Sherlock was very emotional and met the love of his life. After the love was shattered, he began to become the detective we are familiar with. "

"Here is a shot of the knight on the mural coming to life. Why did a statue standing on the ground turn into a real person?"

Ronald was a little strange. If a statue became a real person, then just like Lucas's Star Wars, just let an actor get into the armor and act.

When such a mural comes to life, the whole person becomes a flat paper figure, which cannot be acted by a real person. Mechanically, it would be difficult to make this kind of paper man without being confused. "

"This is Steven's idea. He plans to experiment with computer-generated animation (CGI) in this movie, and his friend Lucas's Industrial Light and Magic will provide support."

"So that's it." Ronald also became interested. He used computer-generated special effects lenses for the "Girls just want to have some fun" v. I didn't know that Industrial Light and Magic's computers could do it. How realistic.

"Why don't you direct it yourself?" Ronald asked a few more questions and found that Columbus thought deeply, not only about the setting, but also about various plots and performances.

"Me the director?" Columbus seemed to have never thought about this question, "I have no experience."

"No one has experience from the beginning, right? The first step to becoming a director is to direct a thing, no matter the length or subject, so that you can understand where you are lacking." Ronald passed on his experience For a moment.

The subject matter of this movie is relatively old, and it falls into the category of a fan movie. Moreover, there was not much room for performance. Ronald felt that Columbus had talent. If he wanted to, he might as well recommend it to Spielberg himself.

"I don't know. I'd better continue to accumulate some experience. I will propose it to Mr. Spielberg and participate in the filming of the next movie." Columbus adjusted his glasses.

"Ronald, hello!"

Just as he was talking, a man with a square face, big ears, and glasses came in from outside the door, grabbed Ronald, and hugged him tightly.

"Hello, Robert." Ronald recognized the person. It was Robert Zemeckis, the director of "Emerald" which had been a hit at the box office some time ago.

"Your emeralds are simply explosive. I haven't seen such a wonderful adventure movie since the Raiders of the Lost Ark series."

Ronald had just watched this movie not long ago. In it, Katharine Turner suddenly changed from a beautiful blonde to a dull, introverted otaku writer, and started a Central American war with Michael Douglas. Adventure trip.

This director's ability to break through the inherent image is very extraordinary and is also very popular among celebrities.

"Do you still remember the script you helped me revise a few years ago? Because of the success of Emerald, they are now coming to me and asking for investment in filming."

"Back to the future?" Ronald thought of the adventure story about going back thirty years from now to his parents in high school.

"Yes, but Steven helped me last time. This time I came to him first." Zemeckis was very happy. He finally proved himself with commercial success and could film the script he wanted.

"That's what it should be." Ronald seemed to realize that there was a circle around Spielberg. Unless these people let his Amblin serve as the production company and then contribute scripts to him, it would be difficult for them to get Spielberg. Berg's favor as a producer.

"You have also changed the script. Who do you think is suitable to be the leading actor?" Zemeckis was in a happy mood and asked Ronald's opinion on the spot, a little eloquently.

"Isn't he ready-made Alex?" Ronald thought of the Michael J. Fox he had just met. He is a very good candidate for such an eccentric character. Moreover, Foxx is not very tall and plays the role of a high school student convincingly.

"He was our first choice, but he had a TV series to shoot, and the producers threatened to break our legs if we told him the news, because they knew Fox would regret not picking up the show. Movie."

Ronald shrugged. Scheduling conflicts are indeed difficult to resolve.

"We recently met with Eric Stoltz, and I heard that he made his debut as a director. What is your evaluation of him?" Zemeckis continued to ask.

Sometimes, it is difficult to tell whether an actor's performance is good or bad on the screen. That unforgettable shot is due to the director, the photography, or the actor's acting skills.

"I actually didn't give him a few scenes. He is an actor who is very willing to study, and he mainly uses method." Ronald worded his words carefully. This kind of opportunity is very difficult. Don't overestimate the other party or overestimate him because of your own evaluation. Underestimating Stoltz's acting skills.

"He is currently filming Peter Bogdanovich's new film, 'The Masked Man'. I will ask him if I have the opportunity." Zemeckis nodded in agreement, "Thank you for your suggestion. If you have any questions about casting in the future, I will I will also ask you, who told you how to shoot youth movies? There are too few young actors."

"welcome any time."

After meeting Spielberg, Ronald and Niceta discussed it for another afternoon. The prospects for this "young Sherlock Holmes" are explored.

Ronald had not submitted a script to Amblin. According to Amblin's typical style of exploiting young directors and screenwriters, there was little chance of giving the directorship to Ronald.

"Let's take a look at 'Longwei Boy' first," Niceta said. Ronald's first three films were all out-and-out mid- to low-budget exploitation films. Although they have sold high box office, major studios may still have doubts about him.

Now let's see how good the box office results of "Long Wei Boy" with a production cost of 8.5 million yuan can be. That’s when the real big production comes, like when Ronald opens the door.