Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Hello everyone, I'm Jane Fonda. I'm standing at the door of AM's recording studio in Hollywood. At the end of January this year, a great thing happened here..."

"Cut!" Ronald called to stop filming. He was still the director of this monologue. Anyway, it was a public welfare project, and it was also good to leave a subtitle on it.

"Jane, you are such a great actor. I don't need to give any guidance at all." Ronald sighed. This kind of great actor who comes from a family of actors is very worry-free to shoot. Any narration can make the lines perfect and the emotions in place.

After filming her monologue, Jane Fonda sat on a chair next to her and chatted with Ronald.

"The leg warmer business is very good. I have asked them to find a factory in Southern California and prepare to move it here in advance."

"Except for the New York State Tax Bureau, I think everyone is satisfied." The Coca-Cola stock that Ronald bought after selling his business has risen well, and Jane Fonda's business has also made more profits after the integration. Both of them are very satisfied.

"Actually, it's really good for you to shoot this kind of short video. The cycle is short, the price is good, and you can handle it. You can consider doing it as your own business." Jane Fonda said to Ronald while drinking vegetable juice.

"I do have this idea, but Jane, your aerobics videotape was shot and edited by your own company, and I can't compete with you for business."

"Hahaha..." Jane Fonda laughed, "You also know my friend Debbie Reynolds. She wants to shoot a fitness aerobics version for the elderly and is looking for a suitable candidate. You might as well go for it."

"Why, aren't you worried about her competition?" Ronald blurted out. How could Jane Fonda introduce producers to competitors of videotapes like this?

"Maybe in another twenty years, I will be worried. Debbie is targeting the aerobics market for the elderly. If her videotapes sell well, it will only boost the entire aerobics market."

"Oh," Ronald was taught a lesson, "I'll go talk to her now."

...

"Oh, my lovely little Ronnie." Debbie Reynolds happily made tea for Ronald in her dance studio.

"This is the set drawing I drew. If I hadn't been an actor, I would have probably found a job as a set designer in Hollywood. Take a look."

Ronald took it and saw that it was an ancient Roman-style hall with several pillars. Debbie Reynolds wanted to do the old-age version of aerobics here.

"Find me a few young and beautiful beauties and I'll teach them to dance. I'm not used to Jane dancing right away. I have to tell some jokes and chat with the girls so that I can keep up. Do you understand?"

"No problem. What kind of girl do you want to set you off?"

"At my age, it's past the time to compete with young girls. You can find anyone you want. You don't need to have a dance foundation. We can learn while dancing, and maybe the effect will be better."

"Then I'll recommend my people?"

Ronald and Debbie negotiated the business of the old-age version of aerobics. His partner, Douglas Hansen Jr., flew over with New York agent Eddie to participate in the first feature film shooting business of "Daydream Pictures" that was more than 30 minutes long.

"Debbie Reynolds has a wide circle of friends, so we just need to guarantee that we don't lose money by offering her a price." Eddie calculated very well. He has also accumulated a lot of experience in shooting company promotional videos in New York, and he is considered a competent project manager.

"Great, can we invite her daughter Princess Leia to shoot?" Little Douglas also wanted to use this opportunity to break into Hollywood and get to know more female stars.

"I'm afraid that won't work, Carrie Fisher is now transitioning to become a screenwriter." Ronald actually also planned to let Debbie's sexy idol-level daughter appear on the screen. However, the old lady refused, saying that her daughter had already begun to transition behind the scenes.

"Good morning, good afternoon, good evening... I don't know when you will watch this video. I never thought I would shoot such a video, but I bought Jane Fonda's aerobics, and I found that I couldn't keep up with her at all.

Maybe I have... reached the time when I like my own rhythm, so I specially found Ronald Lee, the director who worked with me on "Breakdancing". Hi Ronald. You may not know that he shot the breakdancing battle in my dance studio..."

Debbie Reynolds was very relaxed and happy, and improvised a line on the spot.

"Debbie's video may have more tongue training than whole body training." Little Douglas didn't see the beauty, and many of the women who appeared with Debbie were older women, so he began to complain.

"Doug, if you don't agree, you can change into gym pants and leg warmers and dance with me." Debbie has seen a lot in Hollywood, and she teased little Douglas on the spot.

"I'm not... I don't... I mean you're in great shape."

In one day, Ronald finished filming the aerobics. In the future, if there is such a simple business, he will not personally shoot it.

"Very good, I can already imagine the scene of the video selling well." Debbie Reynolds looked at the rough cut video and liked her performance very much.

"Wish us success."

"Very good, I will also ask you to shoot the second and third episodes. There is no production company as cost-effective as yours in Hollywood."

"Isn't this why I hired college film majors to work?" Ronald sent checks to several college students who came to intern and signed the internship records. Not only do they earn money by working here, but they can also get school credits.

…

"Ronald, Mancuso called us. He couldn't stand it anymore." Don Simpson called Ronald.

"Great, it looks like we're going to take back control of the movie."

"Is this what you edited?"

Ned Tanin saw a rough cut of a "Top Gun" scene that two editors had made. The pilot communicated with others on the radio for a while, and then two fighter jets passed each other. The screen switched to a real shot of the Navy launching an air-to-air missile. There was a burst of white smoke and a loud bang, and the MiG-28 was shot down.

The two editors were very nervous, and they spent a lot of effort to put together this air combat sequence.

"We selected some shots that are long enough. This is just the first cut...we can continue to modify it..."

Frank Mancuso waved his hand to stop Tanin from questioning further, "This is not just a problem of editing. I think the filming is flawed." After a period of adjustment, he finally caught Ronald and the two arrogant people. The producer's sore feet are too lazy to argue with the two editors now.

"At least Ronald wouldn't cut the air combat like this." There was no logical relationship between the several shots, and Tanin looked unhappy.

"Well, the material isn't quite enough," the editor explained carefully.

"Then let them come back and participate in the editing. If there is any need for reshoots, you can also approve it... However, we have funds for other projects now, and this 'Top Gun' cannot have additional budgets. Let the three of them try their best to work on the original Some can be solved within the budget.”

"This...?" Ned Tanin was discouraged for a while. Mancuso blocked the gap in his additional budget in advance. Can a good-looking movie be cut with just these materials?

"Don't worry, the audience won't have too high requirements for this movie. It's enough for them to see missiles being launched and enemy planes exploding.

Mancuso looked at the camera with great satisfaction. Those short shots ranging from three to five seconds were difficult to splice together. The editor tried very hard, but still managed to pick up the story in two long shots of missile launches lasting more than ten seconds.

The two male and female protagonists fell in love with each other inexplicably without any foreshadowing. They were still scolding each other in the first paragraph, but then the good brother's wife said a word, and the two kissed on the motorcycle. The audience will definitely not buy it.

"Just throw the garbage back to Ronald and the two producers and let them deal with it. When the box office fails, I will have an excuse to punish Ned Tanning and the others. By then, I will not be responsible for the production. Take the power back."

Mancuso smiled with a smile on his face, "Ronald, this little kid, has made a fool of himself in front of all the senior management of the company. He must be thanked properly. And those two arrogant producers Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer.

These two people have made two blockbuster movies in a row. Now when facing themselves, the game of playing can no longer be called good employees or bad employees. But bad employees and worse employees. This time it happened to give them a taste of the power.

"This clip is too rough." Ronald also watched several large sections of the first cut of the two editors Chris and Billy.

"You don't give us your script and shots. This is the best we can do." The two editors now believe that Ronald has a secret shot script.

"We have nothing to hide from you," Ronald chuckled. In fact, he just didn't draw the detailed shot drawings in his mind.

The two editors didn't quite believe Ronald's statement, but they were just doing a job. Soon Ronald would become their boss and the leader of editing. We wanted to see what secret weapon he had.

"Now we have to do two things." Ronald read all the first cuts and couldn't use any of them.

"First, ask the lab to send you a working copy. I'll start editing from scratch." Ronald took the thermos cup, poured a cup of tea and started drinking. He likes to use a thermos cup when editing.

"Second, now it's time for the creators of those interludes to submit their manuscripts. Before editing, I need to see the interludes first, and then confirm the editing rhythm based on the music."

"Determine the editing rhythm based on the music? Are you going to shoot a MV?" The two editors, Chris and Billy, looked at Ronald. Very few movie makers do this? Nowadays, the common practice is to add a soundtrack and interludes to the film after it is completed, and let the composer modify it if there are any rhythmic issues.

"Bgo!" Ronald said with a "You guessed it" expression on his face. He and the two producers had discussed it long ago to use the fast pace of the MV to edit "Top Gun".