Exploiting Hollywood 1980

After Diane's father Bert knew about this, he called Ronald to express his gratitude.

"Ronald, thank you!

Diane has long stopped listening to me. I made an agreement with her before that she should not take roles that would affect her image before she became a star. For example, strippers, call girls, etc. We had an agreement at that time, but I can't control her now."

"Hey..." Ronald scratched his head. This matter made a fuss. It seemed that he really stopped Diane from reshooting those scenes because of Bert's instructions.

"Actually, let Diane decide some things herself, otherwise she will hate you or me." Ronald thought for a while and replied, "This time, the producer made a bad movie and deliberately deceived Diane in order to increase the box office. I stepped in to stop it."

"That's right... I don't understand Hollywood at all now. Please help her more... Diane is a good actor."

Bert's old experience drawn from history and experience was greatly impacted after entering the 1980s.

It is no longer an iron rule that famous directors can make actors famous. He secured many opportunities for Diane to work with famous directors, such as several films with Francis Coppola. Instead of helping Diane successfully enter the first line, he turned down two popular films that looked very exploitative... "Crazy Boy" and "Little Mermaid".

Not playing negative or childish roles is no longer an iron rule for female stars who want to be famous. The two roles of call girl and mermaid in the animation that Diane refused were starred by Rebecca De Mornay and Daryl Hannah, respectively. On the contrary, their status in Hollywood is now higher than that of Diane Lane, who became famous at a young age.

Luck may have replaced the rules and become the biggest factor for success in the 1980s when the audience structure was changing rapidly.

Let's put this aside for the time being. Ronald has more things to deal with. The soundtrack of "Dirty Dancing" has been produced and is ready to be sent to the factory to press the record.

However, Weintraub has left the record industry, and the record company he introduced offered a very expensive price. Jimmy Reiner, who is responsible for the record production, came to Ronald to complain.

"This price is too expensive. Compared with the market price, it is not lower at all. MGM doesn't take Weintraub seriously now. Columbia Pictures, which he used to cooperate with, still has some connections in Columbia Records, but now they don't cooperate with Weintraub. There is no reason to give face to the outgoing president of MGM. We didn't get the internal price."

"Why is the quotation given to me so expensive? Is it the same price when they cooperate with the record company?" Ronald took the cost table given by Jimmy Reiner and felt something was wrong.

If we produce it according to this unit price, the gross profit is really too low. These gross profits have to be shared with the retail channels. With such a small expected sales volume, it is good enough not to lose money.

"Maybe it's not because they bully us because we are newcomers, but simply because they have no connections. The record factory doesn't care about these, and they will accept the order if there is one.

The problem is that the production volume of the record company is large and stable, and the production cost of a single record can be kept very low. Our production volume, the larger factories will not accept it. It was finished in half a day after the start of work, and it was not enough to cover the cost of changing the mold." Jimmy Reiner explained.

"Let's wait and let me find some connections. Even if we don't make money this time, we have to learn some knowledge about publishing movie soundtracks." Ronald made up his mind. Besides, if the movie is a hit, he is very optimistic that many people will buy the records and go back to learn this hot dance.

"If someone is willing to help, we can actually enter the queue of the record factory. Many best-selling records require a long time to switch between productions, and the free time in between can be used to jump the queue to make our records."

"Okay, I will meet J in the near future anyway to see if his manager Dario can help."

"Do you know him? Well, he has a wide network of contacts. It would be best if he is willing to help. When can it be decided?" Jimmy Reiner became interested. Although this boss is a director, he also knows many big names in the record industry.

"Don't worry, I have to attend the premiere of Universal's new film "The Secret of Success" first. J specifically asked to see the rough cut of another movie of mine. Then we can make requests together."

Let Jimmy Reiner be patient. J is busy with the launch of his new album. It is not easy to find him. I decided to talk to him about it all at once when the rough cut of "Boy Rent a Girl" came out.

Time soon came for the premiere of "The Secret of Success" starring Michael J. Fox and Helen Slater, which was distributed by Universal.

"Helen, how could you not come to the premiere? This is a movie in which you play the leading role. Universal has made great efforts to promote it. Universal has booked the "Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences Theater" in Beverly Hills for the premiere. Why didn't you come? I didn't know until Michael (J. Fox) called me."

If Helen didn't attend, Universal would ask Fox, who was busy filming a TV series, to save the situation in order to avoid the embarrassment of not having the leading actor attend the premiere.

"Well, I had a great time talking about acting and drama with Helen (Hunt) and several other like-minded actors in New York. Is this kind of distribution and marketing thing really that important?"

"Hey..." Ronald thought Helen Slater was a little childish and cute.

"Universal has high expectations for this movie, and the premiere was held near the best cinema in Beverly Hills. There will be many movie stars coming because it is close to home. You don't always expect to have the opportunity to work with established movies. Isn’t this a good opportunity for celebrities to exchange acting skills?”

Ronald knew Helen's hobbies and deliberately said that.

"Huh? You're right. I'm going to buy a ticket right now. Anyway, I happen to miss you a little bit."

"You don't have to worry about it, I'll have someone take care of the air tickets and hotel."

Helen was in the Broadway environment in New York during this period, and she felt like a fish in water.

There are so many actors out there who don’t have the opportunity but love to talk too much. Helen had acted in blockbuster movies such as "The Evil Husband", and she stood out among those people. Everyone gathered around her to praise her, and they were so happy talking about the drama that they almost didn't want to come to the premiere.

Although there is no stipulation in the contract that Helen must attend the premiere, actors who can actively cooperate with the promotion will definitely be taken seriously by the studio. And being able to socialize with some big-name stars, is there any better opportunity for a young actress who wants to produce her own film?

Helen was still the same as before. She didn't like to wear branded or designer high-end dresses. She casually wore a leather jacket and a pair of overalls to the premiere.

However, natural beauty comes at an advantage, so wearing it casually gives you a masculine style.

Ronald always paid attention to this kind of marketing occasion. He wore a dark blue navy-style jacket with double-brand copper buttons, paired with light-colored trousers. It had a wonderful sense of matching with Helen's blue-collar dress.

Universal spent a lot of money to rent a movie theater owned by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It is very close to the mansion area of ​​Beverly Hills and is a place where celebrities often go to watch movies. This time, invitations were given to many established celebrities in mansions.

As Ronald's friends, Cameron and Gale also showed up and chatted with Ronald for a few words. The two of them had no immediate plans to invest in the production of a new film, but wanted to go further in special effects. Especially computer-generated special effects, which have recently begun to gain prominence.

Ronald chatted with Cameron for a while, but he didn't quite understand what he said. He had to wait for him to get some clues and see the real thing before he could understand more.

Ronald also met many familiar faces, including many big-name celebrities who lived nearby and stopped by to attend.

In particular, the popular rock star Bruce Springsteen also brought his wife Julie Phillips and drove two convertible sports cars to join in the fun.

Springsteen was surrounded by fans as soon as he got out of the car, frantically asking for autographs.

Julie Phillips is also a film actress. Although she is not as famous as her husband, some fans still want her autograph.

Ronald and Helen were pushed aside by the crowd and observed the situation.

"Rock stars are more famous." Helen also compared the popularity received by famous celebrity couples.

"Not necessarily. Julie Phillips' achievements in the film industry are not comparable to Springsteen's influence in the rock industry." Ronald replied.

"Ronald!" Two beauties got out of the sports car behind. The one named Ronald was Bruce's sister, Pamela Springsteen. She made a cameo appearance in Ronald's first directorial film, "Fast Times," and dated Sean Penn, but she was impressed by Ronald.

"Pamela, what is this?" Ronald looked at the dark-haired beauty who arrived with her, and she looked familiar.

"Don't you know? In my brother's V, the audience member was invited to the stage to sing rock music with him..."

"Oh," Ronald remembered. It was the little girl in v. Now she was following the Springsteen family to look for opportunities.

"Hello, my name is Courteney, Courteney Cox..."

"Hello, let's go in." Ronald quickly invited them in to watch a movie.

Helen put her arm around Ronald and said happily in his ear, "It was a wise decision for you to ask me to come to the premiere. There are so many acting masters from the golden age. That's Tamar Hough Come on, that’s..."

Helen ordered a lot of names of old men and women who came to the scene and dressed in classic clothes. For them, the premiere is a very solemn occasion, and they dress as appropriately as possible.

Ronald really didn't know all these old celebrities as well as Helen, but they just felt familiar. Many of these old stars came to the premiere because of Michael J. Fox's reputation. Many stars will star in TV series once they are past their prime, and now Fox is the most popular TV star.

"Look, that's Carl Reiner."

"Who?" Ronald saw a bald old man with a straight suit, a red tie and light-colored trousers, so he was dressed similar to himself.

"Carl Reiner, haven't you seen his 'Dick Van Dyke Show' and 'The Mary Tyler Moore Show'?"

Helen mentioned two TV series that were popular in the United States in the 1970s. The latter was a spin-off of the former. Both of them strangely put the real names of the leading actors in the names of the TV series, which was a special marketing method in the 1970s.

"I'll go talk to him." Helen saw the acting idol in her heart and went over to chat with the old gentleman first.

"Ronald, I'm here."

Ronald was stopped by Bannon, who had finally made it through the crowd of Springsteen fans and squeezed in.

Bannon came back from Arizona with the film negatives. He had just developed the sample film for editing, and then he roughly cut a version and ran to Ronald. He was anxious to use the copy to get Michael Jackson's approval.

The song "'tbuylove" is a great marketing tool for the movie. When the audience hears the name of the movie, they will think of the song by the Beatles. This saves a lot of marketing costs.

In addition to the name being easier to spread, the name of the song is used as the name of the movie, so the plot of the movie will be immediately understood by the audience who hears it, saving a lot of trouble.

Bannon understood the huge opportunities in it. After finding Ronald, he began to chatter about how well the movie was made, how the performances of the two leading actors matched, and what strategies should be adopted to talk to J.

"You are too nervous. J has agreed to see the sample film. He is so busy releasing a new album, but he can take time to watch our movie. Doesn't it mean something?" Ronald laughed.

"You're right, you're great, you're the best. It's destiny that I met you in Tokyo, we're destined to achieve great things..."

"Wait... I just have something to ask you." Ronald waved his hand to stop Bannon's flattery. He saw Helen and the old man named Carl Reiner chatting happily and laughing from time to time, so he took the opportunity to ask Bannon's cousin Donna about her wish.

"Job opportunities on Wall Street? Your cousin? Is she from Yale or Harvard? Oh, IT", Bannon was a little surprised to hear Ronald's question, "IT is okay, IT graduates can handle high work pressure better and can perform well.

But why doesn't she work in Hollywood, but go to Wall Street? It's too tense there, everyone's strings are too tight. I don't think Wall Street is suitable for a girl who graduated from college. If I have a daughter, I won't want her to go to Wall Street."

"Why?" Ronald turned around and asked in surprise.

"Let me put it this way," Bannon gestured with his hands. "Every one of us on Wall Street has a place to put notes on our desks. Written on it are the names of the people you need to call back from the secretary's phone calls.

There will be more than a dozen notes in that place every day. Of course, you don't have time to reply to everyone, so you always pick the most urgent ones from top to bottom. Similarly, notes with your name and phone number are also placed on other people's desks.

If you have completed a big project recently, you will be the priority for others to reply. If you haven't completed a project, your phone call will be put on the back burner.

If you don't make a project that attracts the attention of other companies on Wall Street in three to six weeks, your name will be left at the end of the stack of notes. \u003eIf you haven't returned in the next three months, your name will not be left on the secretary's boss's desk. Then, you will completely disappear from Wall Street, so everyone is under a lot of pressure."

Ronald frowned. He certainly didn't want Donna to enter such a competitive place that was so fierce that it was a cut-throat war. "Are there any jobs on Wall Street that sit in an office? Don't you have to work so hard every day? For example, studying corporate financial statements or something like that."

"You must be kidding. Everyone on Wall Street is a trader. What's the point of looking at financial statements? Everyone cares about news. Those with news make money, and the others can only eat behind them..."

"Ah..." Ronald didn't expect that Wall Street is also a place like Hollywood, where people will do anything to compete.

Donna is full of yearning for Wall Street. If she encounters this situation, Aunt Karen will be sad.

But America is a place that respects personal freedom of choice. If she is not allowed to pursue her dreams, she will also feel frustrated, and Donna will be sad.

"Forget it, I'll think about it again." Ronald waved his hand.

"No, no, Ronald, wait a minute. I remember when I left Wall Street, I heard that someone in Long Island used a different method to invest in the financial market. He doesn't need more people to roll in the mud of Wall Street, but it's not so easy to get in. You need a background in physics, mathematics, or philosophy."

"Oh, my cousin Donna is in the physics department."

"I'll ask someone to write her a letter of recommendation." Bannon is now holding on to Ronald and is willing to help with anything.

"Okay, let's go in." Ronald saw the old man Carl Reiner, who was making Helen laugh, and hurried forward with Bannon.

"Ronald, I like watching your movies very much." Although Carl Reiner is over 60, he is elegant and speaks well.

"Mr. Reiner, I like your work, too."

"Hahaha, my early stand-up comedy is hard to find. You probably mean my 'Dick Van Dyke Show' and 'Mary Tyler Moore Show'."

"Ah, yes, I know a little about your early work. But Americans have seen those two TV shows."

The two walked and talked, and Helen listened beside them.

Carl Reiner lived next door. He was a big name invited by Universal to support him. The old man was extraordinary. He was not only a stand-up comedian, but also a movie actor, stage actor, screenwriter, and director. In the early 1970s, he pioneered TV comedy.

In the late 1970s, he returned to movies. Today's comedy star, Steve Martin, was discovered by him and became famous for starring in the movies he directed.

Carl Reiner was born in 1922, but at his current age, he is still very close to people's preferences. His 1984 movie "Allof" also earned nearly $40 million at the box office.

This is much wiser than the old producer who was still obsessed with the glory of the past in the movie made by Diane.

Ronald respected this kind of old artist who has always been close to the audience's preferences, and quickly asked him for tips on how to make movies that young people like to watch at this age.

"I'm actually behind the times. The script is not very good, but Steve Martin's performance saved the movie." Carl Reiner was more straightforward, saying that he felt that this movie was beyond his capabilities, and it was the actor's performance that succeeded.

This mentality of being able to face reality may be one of the secrets of his success.

Helen and Gao were able to communicate with old stars in the industry and talked about a lot of things about acting. He also said that he wanted to make a movie that reflected urban women and asked the old man for advice.

"You have to understand, honey, I'm old." Carl Reiner seemed very happy to be so respected by two popular directors and actors. "The people who understand movies now are talents like Ronald. My grandson We are all fans of his Top Gun movie. You should ask him.”

"Him? He makes movies full of male hormones..." Helen looked at Ronald with a smile, not believing that he could make movies with female protagonists.

"Uh..." Ronald shrugged, showing helplessness.

Carl Reiner smiled even more happily as he watched the two people being funny, "I haven't been this happy for a long time. My sons and daughters are all in the entertainment industry and rarely come to see me. I am very happy to be with you today." You two great minds in Hollywood chatting.”

Carl Reiner comes from an acting family, and his children are all working hard in Hollywood and the music industry. Among the three children, Rob, Anne, and Lucas, the eldest son Rob is the most promising. He is an actor and director.

Last year's "Standby," a low-budget children's film that was a huge box office success, was directed by his eldest son, Rob.

"My eldest daughter-in-law, uh... my former eldest daughter-in-law is Penny Marshall. She is also an actress from an acting family. She has won a Golden Globe Award and is now trying to direct movies.

It's a pity that today's young people can't be like me. His mother, Elsdale, and I have been in a very good relationship since we got married in 1943. "

The old gentleman came alone, and his wife waited for him at home to have supper. She talked too much when she was happy.

"Modern people are different. The diversity of beliefs and social interactions makes it difficult for them to stay consistent." Helen said, comforting the old man, and glanced at Ronald.

Ronald touched his nose and changed the topic, "Mr. Renner, how do you maintain the energy of a young man?"

"Directors have their own methods. I often play tennis, and every year I sponsor and participate in a charity tennis match named after myself. It also attracts many retired tennis stars to participate."

Ronald couldn't help but feel that this old man was a model of understanding. He had been in Hollywood, Broadway, and television, and he was the best at everything. After retiring, you can exercise and organize a charity event with your name on it.

Helen was very happy and kept holding Carl Reiner's arm and chatting like she was accompanying her grandfather. Ronald was a bit boring to be around.

Carl Reiner glanced at Ronald and knew that the young man was a little uncomfortable seeing his female companion talking with him, so he told a joke: "One of the big challenges in retirement is how to face the things that you could do effortlessly before. things.

This morning I also saw my neighbor George Burns (an eighty-year-old director who once directed Brooke Shields) going out with two hotties.

I asked him, how can he still be so energetic at the age of 80? "

Carl Reiner was a comedian, taking a page out of George Burns, "Ahem... you know, Carl, at eighty he wanted to do that... like..."

Then Reina mysteriously lowered his head to Ronald and Helen and said, "Have you ever played pool with a soft rope as a cue?"

"Pfft...hahahaha..." Ronald and Helen both burst into laughter. Helen moved her hand to pull Ronald and leaned on his shoulder.

"It would be nice to watch a movie with a wise old man," Ronald thought.

"Wow, wow, wow..." The audience applauded as the movie ended.

The backbone of this movie is a story of business war on Wall Street, and Michael J. Fox's performance is outstanding. Helen is a little lacking, but as a vase, responsible for the beauty inside, this simple task is completed very well.

Maybe it was because of the height difference between Fox and Fox that the last kiss scene between the two was a bit fake, I don’t know. /\u003e

But for Ronald, this is also a good thing. He lowered his head to meet Helen, imitating the posture on the screen, and kissed Helen deeply. Helen lay in her arms, facing Ronald's head at 180 degrees, and kissed each other.

"When can we go see Michael Jackson?" Bannon found an opportunity to spoil the atmosphere again.

Ronald was helpless, parted lips with Helen, held her hand hand in hand, and said angrily to Bannon, "It will be arranged. How do you think this movie shows the takeover war on Wall Street? Is it real?" ?"

"In principle, it is true. When facing a hostile takeover, if there are those old money bankers in New York to help, it is not difficult to acquire the other party in turn. However, the roles played by Fox and Helen are unlikely to be recognized by Wall Street bankers.

Their attitude towards business is too naive..."

"Ahem..." Ronald indicated that he did not really want him to express his opinion.

"Of course, this is a love story. Helen's performance is wonderful, and the business war is just a background story..."

Bannon immediately turned around and began to praise the performances of the two protagonists in the movie.

"Listen...Mr. Bannon turned out to be a banker, and he also recognized my performance..." Helen was very happy to be recognized by people in the same profession in the real world.

Uh, Ronald turned his head and made a weird face at Bannon.

"Don't worry, I have contacted J's manager Dario. When he is free after the production of the new album is completed, we will go to see him with a copy."