Exploiting Hollywood 1980

After the party, Ronald returned his energy to the marketing of the film.

Two things needed his immediate attention. When he and Helen went to two parties, colleagues from Daydream had already called Ronald's agent.

This is the disadvantage of being an artist and a businessman. Being a director and a producer is one thing, and being a distributor is another. Artists often focus on the preparation, shooting, editing and even the final completion of a project day and night for a few months. After that, they can rest, recharge, or let loose to absorb inspiration.

On the other hand, businessmen have to pay attention to the details of business every day, and then make decisions big and small, without resting. In English, business and busy are cognates (Bess), which makes sense.

Ronald now tasted the incompatibility of two ways of thinking and the way of allocating energy and time, and attacked himself.

However, Daydream is still a small company. Before the distribution and production teams are cultivated, Ronald has to be deeply involved in both.

I really don't know how Roger Corman, who can produce more than 10 movies in parallel and is responsible for the distribution of New World Pictures, can do all this?

Moreover, Coleman was against the hierarchical management and business meetings of the enterprise. He decided everything by himself and then ordered his subordinates to do it.

Ronald felt that he could not be like Roger Corman. If all his energy and time were put into daily management, he would not have time to learn and improve, and he might stop at the current level for the rest of his life.

In the final analysis, he still preferred to be a director rather than a businessman. It was also very simple for him to choose one of the two. If there was a suitable person, he would throw the distribution business out, and he would be more comfortable as a producer and director.

There were two things to worry about. The first one sounded more troublesome, but it was actually easier to solve.

As the box office exploded, the sales of the soundtrack "Dirty Dancing" also rose. Because the release of the movie was postponed for a month, the records that no one wanted consumed the inventory at an ultra-high speed after the premiere.

Especially those record stores located within a mile of the cinema, almost every day, the newly arrived records were snapped up by the audience who just left the cinema.

And the record stores that did not purchase the stocks at the beginning were also calling the distribution department of the record company day and night to urge the shipment. These phone calls were collected, and Jimmy Rainer was so anxious looking at the empty record warehouse that he contacted the record company the day after the premiere to discuss reprinting.

But the original Columbia record company refused to continue producing Ronald's original soundtrack. Their production capacity was all occupied by Michael Jackson's new album. Since the release of "Thriller" in 1982, which made MJ the best-selling pop singer in history, his second album "Bad" will also be released in America at the end of the month.

So Columbia's record companies are all working hard to prepare stocks, and there is no spare production capacity for "Dirty Dancing".

Jimmy Rainer urgently contacted other record companies and learned about the popularity of "Dirty Dancing" in the United States and the grand occasion that the audience turned around and bought records after leaving the cinema. These companies are very willing to take over the production and distribution of the remaining records.

The conditions given by two of them can meet the requirements of rapid production and distribution.

One is David Geffen's Geffen Records, who is willing to take over the "Dirty Dancing" record. Taking care of marketing, distribution, production, etc., Ronald's film company only needs to wait for the distribution to collect the share.

The other is the old record company RCA. They don't want to take over the record, but are willing to provide production and distribution cooperation. Both parties also use the profit-sharing method to settle, but because their investment is not much, the share they ask for is lower than Geffen's.

"Who do you think has better conditions?" Ronald asked Jimmy Rainer on the phone.

"I think RCA is more reliable. Originally, this record was largely marketed by movies, and most customers wanted to buy it because they watched the movie or saw the theme song on MTV.

So the conditions proposed by Geffen actually don't have much effect on us. The share he asked for is too high, although it can be negotiated."

"Negotiation..." Ronald remembered David Geffen's previous style of doing things, and he didn't have much hope that Jimmy Rainer could negotiate and get an advantage from him.

The owner of this record company signed John Lennon, a former member of the Beatles. Before Lennon's album was released, he was shot and killed by crazy fans.

Geffen also dated Cher, the heroine of Ronald's next movie, "Moonlight". A man who is interested in men, openly dating a beautiful woman like Cher, and finally asked for all the jewelry he gave her back when they broke up.

Whether it was a matter of luck or shrewdness, Ronald suspected that he was no match for the other party.

"We don't have much room for negotiation, Jimi. What matters now is to produce a large number of records as quickly as possible and then distribute them to the national market. If the audience can't buy the records, we may lose more when the craze for this movie is over."

"If you think so, Ronald. I will contact RCA again to see if I can negotiate better terms." Jimi Reiner still has the thinking of a broker. In his opinion, every transaction should give the employer the best terms and match the transaction, which is the professional ethics.

"Stop talking, just agree to their conditions and sign the contract as soon as possible. I happen to be in New York, you ask their people to come see me."

"Okay, boss. I'll tell you right away."

…

"Director Li, this is our RCA headquarters. Our company invented the 33-rpm LP record in 1931, which can hold more songs than the 78-rpm record that was common at the time."

Jimmy Lehner acted quickly. Early the next morning, Ronald arrived at RCA's headquarters in New York. A distribution manager took Ronald on a tour of RCA's Historical Room of Honor.

This factory, established in 1929, is a giant in the American record industry. After entering the 1980s, with the support of financial market financing, they acquired 50% of the shares of Bertelsmann's Allista Records, and formed a joint venture with Bertelsmann to distribute each other's popular records in Europe and America.

After Datong's second term, they used signing fees that far exceeded the market price to sign two famous singers, Kenny Rogers and Diana Ross. Trying to capture a larger territory in the American recording industry.

However, luck was not on RCA's side. Two big stars who were popular in the 1970s and early 1980s, last year, the two stars quickly became popular under the fresh music style. RCA had no choice but to withdraw records worth 25 million that could not be sold in record stores.

This year has made things even worse. The record sales of its singers are sluggish, and it has encountered a superstar like MJ. It has begun to release its second album in five years, which is eagerly awaited by music fans.

Music fans only have a fixed budget to spend on records in a year. MJ only released an album in five years, which has overwhelmed many other companies' new albums.

In the first half of the year, RCA is expected to lose close to 40 million, and the full-year loss may exceed 60 million. Therefore, forced by the situation, RCA's current policy is not to invest huge sums of money in releasing records that require a lot of publicity and marketing.

Ronald's "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack album just met their needs. They could not only use the effect of the movie to avoid marketing expenses, but also absorb the production capacity vacated by the two superstars' weak record sales.

Therefore, everyone at RCA respected Ronald. A vice president deliberately discussed the details of cooperation with Ronald after he visited the history of the record company.

"We at RCA also have many distribution channels in Europe. Will your movies be distributed in Europe?"

"Of course, I have signed distribution intentions with many distributors at the Cannes Film Festival. Now the box office of the movie has exceeded expectations. I think we will have many fans in Europe, and they also want to buy a record. Learn the mambo.”

Ronald was confident that he could sell copies all over the world and kept telling the good news in front of RCA's vice president.

After all, the greater the volume of records released, the cheaper RCA's production costs would be, and they would be more willing to give up a certain amount of profits to Ronald's daydream.

"If, I mean, by that time, Dirty Dancing becomes a box office success in Europe, we can distribute the goods through channels there. At that time, our share can be reduced by 10% on the original basis."

The vice president did the math and found that with the current momentum, it would be just around the corner to surpass the platinum record. In the long run, it would even sell several platinum records. By then, the average cost of each record will be so low that it will make the company's financial director laugh out loud. The most important thing now is to win this guaranteed profit-free deal.

"make a deal!"

When Ronald heard that there was such a good thing, he immediately stretched out his hand to shake hands with the other party.

Now another factory as big as RCA has taken the initiative to extend an olive branch. All the production capacity is ready, and it can quickly produce and distribute goods to all towns in America within a week. What better partner could there be?

Moreover, they have a joint venture with Bertelsmann, Europe's largest publishing group, and have ready-made overseas sales channels. "Dirty Dancing" will make money for both RCA and Daydream.

"Mr. Mickey Kanter's team will be fully responsible for our contract issues. He will come over tomorrow to talk to you about signing. Jimmy Lehner, as my plenipotentiary representative, will sign with you as soon as possible."

"Very good, we can actually start preparing for production in advance. After signing the contract tomorrow, the production line can be started." The vice president was very satisfied. It is really hard to find such a cheerful person.

…

By night, Ronald and Cynthia Rhodes were on a plane bound for Nashville, Tennessee.

They both sat next to each other in the business class cabin. As soon as Ronald got on the plane, he took out a pen and notebook and started writing something.

"Are you writing your next work?" Cynthia Rhodes had just taken off her shoes and was resting comfortably while reading the wine list. Ronald had just achieved great success at the box office, and he was still so diligent, which made her feel that this person was destined to succeed.

"No, I'm analyzing the reasons why our movie is particularly successful in the southern region." Ronald showed the notebook to Cynthia.

"The box office here, based on the standard of an average single theater, is actually higher than that in New York, which is really surprising. I think this issue needs to be figured out before I can decide whether to increase marketing investment in the southern region, or even more. Hold some fan meetings.”

"I don't understand, but the story of this movie really makes the girls in my hometown like it. They have called me many times and they all said that I acted well." Cynthia Rhodes was not interested in these, and I'm talking about my own experience.

"This is what I don't understand. Your hometown is a small town. Why do girls there like this movie? The story takes place in New York in 1963. A rich girl falls in love with a poor boy. What do you think? It’s not in line with the conservative style of the South.”

Ronald closed his notebook. This question had been bothering him for several days. If he couldn't come up with a reasonable answer, it would be a bit risky to rashly invest more money.

Although the box office of "Dirty Dancing" is expected to be very good, it will take a long time to settle the payment. Ronald does not have much money to invest in marketing now, so he can only choose a breakthrough point and concentrate resources. Spreading a little money everywhere may not be effective, and it may not be enough.

"The city of Nashville is actually not conservative. There are many record companies in the town, and it is also the mecca of rock music. It cannot be conservative. But outside of the center where many record companies gather, the rest of the place is still very conservative."

Cynthia Rhodes gave Ronald a brief introduction to Nashville's style. In the southern state of Tennessee, it is considered open-minded, but compared to New York and Los Angeles, it is much more conservative.

…

Soon, Ronald saw this mix of conservative and progressive styles.

In downtown Nashville, the most famous movie theater is the Belcourt Theater.

Not only are various Hollywood and European avant-garde movies screened here, but many record company employees come back to watch them. On the other hand, it is also home to the Nashville Children's Choir, and nearby churches often borrow the space to hold large choirs.

…

"We want to see Johnny, we want to see Johnny!"

At the fan meeting, many female fans of the leading actor Patrick Schwytz occupied the venue, clamoring for Patrick Schwytz to show up.

This is exactly the opposite of the general situation where female stars are more popular than male stars in movie marketing. This movie with a female as the first perspective attracts movie fans who want to see the male protagonist.

They chanted "I want to see Johnny, I want to see Johnny" and held up a sign saying "No one can leave the baby in the corner". They broke the rules of the fan meeting and clamored to see Schwytz. .

Seeing that the momentum was not right, Ronald quickly stepped forward to ease the situation. He picked up the phone, knocked a few times, and spoke to

"Do you want to meet Patrick? If you want to meet, stop and I'll talk to you about the arrangements in detail. How can I meet Patrick Schwytz? Are you willing to listen?"

"If you are willing, just say it quickly!"

"Um...Patrick Schwytz is in New York now. We are planning his schedule. If the box office performance here is good, we will arrange for him to come and hold another fan meeting."

"Box office? Our box office here is very good. If you don't believe me, ask the theater manager?"

A blonde woman wearing a T-shirt and jeans,

"Please give her a microphone." Ronald, sweating profusely, asked the staff to give her the first microphone.

"What's your name?" Ronald asked politely from above.

"My name is Casey, when can Patrick come?"

"Uh," Ronald felt beads of sweat slipping down his hair and into his back again. These movie fans were too real.

"As I said, when we arrange fan meetings, we need to take into account the box office situation in each place and the actors' schedules. For example, this time we came to Nashville, we invited Cynthia Rhodes, who was born in the local area.

"Cynthia, hey, tell the director when to have Patrick Schwytz come to our place."

"Kathy, I don't have the power. You have to ask the director." Cynthia also took a microphone and spoke to

Seeing Ronald's questioning look as he handed it over, Cynthia smiled, lowered the phone, and replied to him, "My middle school classmate."

"So, as long as we can do well at the box office, you will let Schwytz come, right?"

Kathy has the fierce side of a southern girl. She is usually gentle and approachable, but at critical moments, she knows what it means to do her job.

"Well, actually we don't arrange fan activities entirely according to box office." Ronald sweatdropped again, this was too tough.

"Come on, I understand. If the box office is good, you can let us see Johnny. If the box office hits a record, can you let Schwitz dance with me?"

"Haha, it depends on whether he is interested. He did dance with several audiences and film critics in New York." Ronald could only say this.

"It doesn't matter, we have already formed a 'Dirty Dancing' movie watching club. We have watched the movie many times, and it will definitely do well at the box office. Don't keep your word, director."

"How many times have you seen it?" Ronald was a little surprised. This movie has only been shown in Nashville for a few days?

"I've watched it 6 times," Casey puffed up his chest proudly. "We have another one here who has watched it 10 times and hasn't missed a single scene."

"With all due respect, you watch 'Dirty Dancing' several times a day and don't you want to see other movies?"

"No, this is the most beautiful movie. You can never get tired of watching it."

"No, I still cry every time I see Johnny go back to find Baby."

"You don't know, director, what a wonderful movie you made. When we watched the movie, it was like seeing our own lives."

In the end, it was the girl who watched 10 shows who told Ronald why they wanted to watch it over and over again.

Tennessee is a very conservative and backward state. These girls often have to get married and have children after graduating from high school.

In "Dirty Dancing", Baby's life is the kind of life they longed for when they were young, but did not get.

She has a well-educated, enlightened and wise father, a handsome boy with small eyes as a lover, and can dance such a sexy and beautiful dance.

Baby Houseman, the role played by Jennifer Grey, wears a sweater and an ordinary skirt, but can experience such a good love and dance such a sexy dance. This is to live out the dreams of these girls.

"Okay, I will discuss it with Patrick Schwitz alone and try to add a fan meeting for you."

Ronald was very moved. After the meeting, he went to the hamburger restaurant next door to eat alone with Casey and other core members of the fan club.

These girls are really cute. They cut out stills from magazines and pasted them in scrapbooks, and drew various dialogues with water pens, just like making a comic book for "Dirty Dancing".

They also carefully pasted the movie ticket stubs on the scrapbook. The girl with the most tickets has accumulated 11.

"Don't watch Dirty Dancing over and over again. We will start making videotapes soon. The price will not be higher than 40 US dollars. Then you can take them home and watch them over and over again. The money you spent on watching the movie 10 times is enough to buy one."

Ronald also asked his assistant to bring a list, registering the names and addresses of all the girls in the fan club, and promised that after the videotape is released, he will pay for it and send them all a copy.

"That's a videotape, the big screen in the movie theater that we like to watch." Cathy, the head of the fan club, waved his hand, indicating that the videotape is the videotape, and they will continue to watch the movie repeatedly.

"Why? Is my movie really that good? Of course, Cynthia's dance and performance are worth watching. I'm just worried that you've wasted your money."

"It's not unfair, it's just good to watch," Cathy and other members of the fan club disagreed with Ronald's opinion.

Ronald didn't seem to be polite to them, and looked confused.

"Cynthia, you talk to him," Cathy saw that Ronald still didn't understand, so she asked Cynthia Rhodes to explain.

"Ronald, you don't understand the girls in Tennessee. At home, they have husbands, several children, and endless housework. Watching movies is the only time they can relax."

Ronald said, this is something he has never experienced, and he has no such life experience. Going to the cinema to watch Baby in "Dirty Dancing" do what they dream of is a rare time for these girls to escape reality and relax.

Watching videos at home, being interrupted at any time, is not the same effect.

"How about this, I'll buy all the tickets for tomorrow's show, please watch it." Ronald felt that it was not easy for the girls in the fan club, so he asked them to watch it, hoping to save them some money.

"Oh yeah..." Everyone happily clapped their Coke cups on the table.

"I'm lucky to have fans like you." Ronald also raised his Coke to greet them.

"When you watch 15 or 20 shows, you will almost set a record." Ronald said with great emotion, "I rarely heard of anyone watching 10 shows in a row for my previous movies. You really surprised me."

"How can 15 shows be enough?" Casey put down the Coke and looked at Ronald with wide eyes, "We all have an agreement in the club to watch 100 shows in the cinema! Girls, right?"

"Yes! We have to watch 100 shows."

"Oh oh..." Ronald almost couldn't close his mouth while eating a hamburger.