Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Jodie Foster is petite and smart. She had excellent grades during her five years at Yale University. She is not the kind of Hollywood actress who is beautiful but brainless and knows nothing about common sense as the general public stereotypes.

This time, she finally got Ronald's verbal promise, and immediately and cleverly proposed to take Ronald's private jet back to Los Angeles. These big directors are very busy every day. If they don't stick close to them, appear beside them, and remind them, they may be forgotten soon.

Ronald is not disgusted by such a motivated actress. It is a good thing to have a sense of career. So he agreed to Foster's request. Besides, chatting with a smart beauty all the way on the plane is much better than chatting about work with two men, Michelle Cannold.

"What novel are you reading?"

"This one? "Nothing is Forever", a police thriller." Ronald's novel was still on the chair. He thought it was really well written and was going to read it again on the way back.

"You want to adapt it into a movie? Action movies nowadays are not like they were a few years ago. They are a bit sluggish." Jodie Foster was very smart and saw Ronald's plan from his schedule.

"It's not confirmed yet. I just think the novel is very good."

"What attracts you?" Judy leaned over and reached the novel over Ronald's body.

"Tsk..." Ronald sighed. Foster's body is petite, but his figure is not small. Among movie actors, it is a very rare real person with a relatively well-proportioned figure. Of course, such a figure will appear a bit fat in the anamorphic widescreen lens.

"I don't understand why you are so optimistic about this novel. It's just a very old detective novel?" After reading for more than an hour, Foster finished reading the novel. Seeing that Ronald was handling official business, she came to disturb him.

"You have made many movies, you should have seen the advantages of adapting it into a script." Ronald asked the stewardess to pour a glass of ginger water and started chatting with Foster to relieve his boredom.

"Well... because the structure of the novel is very good? The trick that the hero used to turn defeat into victory and defeat the bad guys was unexpected?"

"Very good, Judy, very good." Ronald drank a sip of ginger water, and a breath of air rushed to his head. His whole mind became much clearer. It seems that chatting with a beautiful woman with high IQ does stimulate rational thinking.

At the end of the novel, the hero tied the pistol to his back with tape and unexpectedly killed the kidnapper. This is indeed a plot that is very suitable for the movie. "Anything else?" Ronald smiled to Foster.

"Well, the kidnappers claimed at the beginning that they wanted to liberate the guerrilla leader in Panama, but their goal was actually the gold in the building. This is also a good MacGuffin. It can mislead the audience's attention at the beginning, and then reveal the kidnappers' real purpose."

Foster has been making movies since she was a child, and she has learned a lot about various movies.

"I have to say, you can be a director in the future, Judy." Ronald had already overestimated Jodie Foster's level, but he didn't expect her to surprise him.

"How would you rate my answer? Is it A+?"

"Absolutely."

"Haha, I shouldn't have missed anything, right?"

"If I wasn't a producer, there wouldn't be any problem." Ronald replied with a smile.

"Where? Tell me, what did I miss?" Jodie Foster simply got up and sat next to Ronald, hugged Ronald's arm, and began to act coquettishly.

A scent of perfume came from Judy's body, and Ronald was shaken by her a few times. I don't know if it's because business jets are higher than commercial flights, with a cruising altitude of more than 10,000 feet. Ronald looked at the petite Foster's white skin and felt a little dizzy...

"The biggest reason I'm interested is that almost all the scenes in this novel are in a skyscraper, which saves money to shoot."

"Ah..." Jodie Foster didn't expect Ronald to say such a non-artistic reason, and her mouth opened wide.

...

"Kelly, this is Judy, Judy, Kelly..."

After arriving in Los Angeles, Ronald

first sent Judy Foster to Kelly McGillis, who was anxiously waiting for the candidate recommended by Ronald.

After introducing the two beauties, Ronald said goodbye and went home.

"You know I want to play District Attorney Murphy, you are here to play the role of the victim, right?"

"No problem, Ronald told me, I am willing to accept any challenge."

The two beauties chatted at the door, Ronald watched McGillis open the door in the back seat of the car and let Foster in. Foster took McGillis's hand...

The car turned a corner, and Ronald didn't see what happened later. He had some doubts in his heart, but he quickly put it all aside, and he still had a lot of things to do.

The next morning, Ronald came to Joel Silver's office.

Joel Silver, the producer of "Streets of Rage", rarely appeared in his luxurious office early, waiting for Ronald.

His taste was very vulgar, and everything was copied from Wall Street investment banks, even the receptionists and secretaries. He tried his best to find a few blondes with good figures, dressed in office girl clothes, but they still twisted their waists while holding folders, betraying their empty brains and their real idea of ​​using this to get promoted and make movies.

"How is your screenwriting going?" Ronald asked when he saw Silver.

"Why are you interested?"

"Indeed, I have read the novel several times and it is very suitable for adapting into a movie."

"Okay, okay, okay!" Joel Silver grinned happily after saying "ok" several times.

"So, you agree to join?"

"I want to see the adapted script, Joel. Then I can decide on the amount of investment."

"Investment? How much can you offer?" Joel Silver didn't expect that Ronald wanted to invest instead of being a director. But even though Ronald is a successful director and has enough money, can he invest in a production produced by seven major studios?

"I have the Japanese chaebol behind me. As long as the plot satisfies them, I can do whatever they want." Ronald made the conditions.

"You want to change the script?" Joel Silver frowned.

"I only ask for a high-ranking Japanese character who is positive and who can preferably lead many Americans."

"That's it?" Joel Silver and Ronald confirmed.

"That's it, but the quality of the script itself must satisfy me. Then I will consider whether to direct."

"No problem. Anyway, you will have a share of this big cake." Joel Silver was very happy. He was able to attract large investments from Japan, and they were all talented people!

"Can you insert such a character into the script?"

"Of course, I treat the screenwriter, by the way, his name is Jeb Stewart. I am very relaxed with him. Compared with writing an important supporting role, he will agree. Let the Japanese be the chairman and CEO of the company. How about it? All the Americans in the building are his subordinates."

"I think Japan has no problem." Ronald thought this arrangement was good.

"Hahaha, didn't they say they wanted to buy New York and Los Angeles? Since they signed the agreement two years ago, the yen has appreciated from 250 to 160. Now there are so many people in Hollywood who want to get Japanese investment. I didn't expect you and They are also related. Can you tell me which chaebol it is?"

"In short, they are two talkative people in the Japanese entertainment industry, the big guys who control half of the market there."

"There are two more, very good, very good." Joel Silver quickly ordered the female secretary to get some good wine to celebrate.

"boom"

After opening the champagne, Ronald and Silver toasted to celebrate the agreement of cooperation.

"You said your screenwriter works 16 hours a day. How far is it now?" After taking a sip of champagne, he still cared about the script.

Compared with those senior executives in Qida who have never been engaged in film shooting, Ronald is a producer who truly recognizes the value of scripts. Unlike people like Shirley Lansing who talk the talk, he won't invest in a script if he doesn't approve of it.

"I've asked my secretary to call him and ask him to come over. Jeb's first draft has been written.

, but he is a fledgling screenwriter, and we still need to find some script doctors to polish it. "

"He's just starting out. Hasn't he written a movie script before? How can you rest assured?" Ronald was surprised.

"He was doing script revision work for Disney and Paramount. Because there was not enough business, I gave him this opportunity.

Hollywood is full of talent, and I don't know if he can do it. But he acted professionally and passionately in front of me, and he also needed the money to pay off the mortgage. So I gave him a chance.

I figured it out a long time ago. As producers, we cannot interfere with the creative details of screenwriters and directors. We need to find those geniuses who have passion and fire in their hearts, and then give them full creative freedom.

I don’t interfere in their creative process. I only look at the results. If I’m impressed, I’ll give a green light. If I’m not satisfied, I’ll give a red light. It’s that simple. "

Ronald kept nodding. This producer's concept is very advanced. In fact, you don’t have to worry too much about the creative process and details, just let the final product speak for itself. The scripts are all interconnected, and the settings of the details are also meaningful. If the producers modify it at will, it will be bad.

If you are not satisfied with the quality, just don’t take pictures, instead of pretending that you know how to make decisions.

"But aren't you afraid that they will go astray?" There is only one thing Ronald doesn't understand. Highly creative artists sometimes add too many of their own ideas, distorting an original idea that has commercial potential. Although the creator may be happy, the end result will not be good.

"I only gave him three constraints. I wanted a Rambo story in an office, it had to be set in a skyscraper, and it also had to have a Christmas plot. He made the rest on his own."

"We also need to add a Japanese boss character."

"We also need to add the role of a Japanese boss." Joel Silver raised his hand and clinked glasses with Ronald again, fully respecting the investors' opinions.

Ronald basically figured out the framework of this successful producer.

Unlike "Top Gun" producer Don Simpson, who abused drugs and was so emotional that it was difficult to discuss things in an organized manner. Joel Silver actually thinks very logically.

As a producer, what he has to grasp are several elements that are popular in commercial films, at least those that he thinks the audience will like.

These three restrictions have obviously reduced the production budget a lot, and the story will be liked by the audience within this framework. Who doesn’t want to watch a hormone-soaring action movie about beating bad guys in a building?

Speaking of which, Hollywood has yet to see a Rambo-style action movie set in an office building.

Ronald thought again about the movie he had dreamed about when he went to Cannes. A good building, why make a boring movie about a frustrated man committing suicide? How good it is for shooting commercial action movies.

"boom!"

While the two producers were discussing the project, a loud noise came from the road outside the window. The sound was so loud that it seemed like someone had fired a gun or something had hit a rock.

The two walked to the floor-to-ceiling glass window of the office and saw a Japanese Toyota car on the opposite side of the road crashing into a fire hydrant on the side of the road. The front part had been smashed in. The driver seemed to be unconscious and no one could escape.

"Shxt!, that seems to be our screenwriter, Jeb Stewart's car."

Joel Silver suddenly cursed. He recognized the white car here, which looked very much like the one owned by Jeb, the screenwriter he paid to hire.

"Hurry up and call 911. I'll go take a look."

Ronald thought to himself that working 16 hours a day was really not enough. He quickly ran out of the office. He had received first aid training before and hurriedly walked to the front of the car.

The front part of the Toyota Corolla had been smashed in, and the ground was covered with broken pieces of glass and metal.

Ronald took a closer look and saw a man in the driver's seat, his face covered in blood, and a bulging airbag popped out on the steering wheel.

"Jeb? Is that you? Jeb? Are you hurt there? Does it feel wrong there?"

When Ronald saw the screenwriter named Jeb, his eyes were wide open. Except for his broken nose, there seemed to be no blood anywhere else.

But the injured in the car accident couldn't speak, so they could only call out softly.

"I...I'm fine. I was just scared." Jeb Stewart was scared to death. He moved his legs, then looked at his abdomen. There were no scars. He unbuckled his seat belt and trembled. Got the car.

"Be careful." Ronald saw that his legs were weak and supported him.

"Are you, are you Ronald?"

Jeb found that the person supporting him was the idol he admired in the screenwriting circle. He was a lucky screenwriter who had received US$350,000 for his debut work as a young man. His eyes were wide open and he couldn't believe it.

"Stop talking, go sit over there for a while, Joel calls 911, and the ambulance will be here soon."

"It's okay. My script is still in the back seat of the car. I'll bring it to you."

…

After noon, Ronald and Joel Silver arrived at the hospital to visit screenwriter Jeb who had completed his examination here.

The unlucky man's car had been destroyed. Fortunately, the Japanese car-building philosophy allowed him to luckily escape the damage of the car crash.

Before Joel Silver came to the hospital, he had read the first draft of the script that Jeb had written in the past few days. He was very satisfied with the script. The screenwriter, who was inspired by the mortgage, future, and ambition, turned out to be the most creative as he expected.

"The script is very good and we will continue the project. Ronald will also join the project. As a producer, we have discussed that you should add a Japanese character to your script."

"That's no problem..." Jeb was lying on the hospital bed. Fortunately, the tests he had done were covered by the Screenwriters Guild's medical insurance. However, his car was destroyed. Fortunately, he was fine. If this movie can be approved, he would buy one. New cars are still available.

"But..." Jeb recalled the moment before the car crash, and the image of his wife flashed in his mind.

When he came out this morning, he had a quarrel with his wife because of house repairs. Unexpectedly, when the accident happened, all I could think about was how sorry I was for my wife and wanted to ask for her forgiveness. At that time, I was afraid that I would not have a chance.

"Don't worry, I made an agreement with Joel that I will give you a second-hand Toyota to drive first. When you get the official payment for the script and the filming of the movie starts, you can buy a new car."

Ronald knew that these screenwriters were poor and solved his worries in advance.

"No, no, I mean thank you. That's not what I was thinking about just now. When I crashed the car, I had an idea and wanted to add it to the script. Hiss..." Jeb became excited and moved the car that was damaged by the air bag. Nose injuries.

"Slow down, great writer." Ronald smiled. He had also experienced this kind of moment. He thought about the script day and night. Sometimes, an accident would lead to a complete understanding.

"I want to add another plot to the protagonist John Ford. He comes to Los Angeles to make a last effort to reconcile with his wife who is discussing divorce. In this way, the audience will like the protagonist more and worry more about his fate. After rescuing a hostage in a building and killing the kidnapper, will he get along with the wife of the senior vice president who is... um... the CEO of Japan?"

"It's a very good idea, but you should rest first." After hearing this, Ronald felt that this setting would indeed make the beginning more grab the audience's attention, and also add a soothing emotion to the entire intense and tense plot. Vice line.

How come this protagonist’s name has the same name as America’s most important western film director? Hollywood generally doesn't make fun of an important figure in film history like this.

"I have nothing to do, I can rewrite it right away, hiss..."

Jeb still frowned, his chest was pinched by the seat belt, and it hurt a little.

"Jeb..." Outside the hospital ward, a woman rushed in. It seemed that she was the wife he had argued with in the morning.

"An, why are you here? I'm fine, I just got bumped."

"It was Mr. Ronald who called me to inform me. Just hope you're okay... Wuwu..."

Scared me. "

…

Ronald and Joel Silver did not continue to disturb Jeb and his wife. They walked out of Memorial Hospital and agreed that after Jeb's revised version came out, they would jointly show it to Japan and Fox's two investors and publishers.

If Ronald can be the director, he will probably get the green light all the way. Even if he is not the director, Fox and the Japanese will make him responsible for keeping an eye on the director to ensure that the production goes as expected.

After an exciting day, Ronald returned to his apartment and took a hot bath before going to bed.

The hot water soothed his spirit a lot, and soon a dark and sweet dream came over him.

…

A gangster wearing a designer suit and a beard, with a fierce look on his face, but at the same time he was polite and spoke with a London accent.

"Hey, isn't this Alan Rickman, the leading actor in Broadway's "Dangerous Liaisons"? "Ronald was surprised to find that the villain in the dream was played by the charming Allen.

He really deserves to be an actor in Shakespeare's company, he looks like who he plays.

The gangster set up a family photo on the desk in his office.

His expression changed from surprise to realization, and then became ferocious again. He picked up the gun in his hand, pointed it at a middle-aged actress in her 30s outside and said, "Nice to meet you, Mrs. McClain."

Detective Allen cocked his pistol and fired a shot at the ceiling. The other hostages were frightened and screamed.

"It turns out that the villain's kidnapper leader was played by Allen. You really wouldn't have guessed it if you didn't watch it." Ronald sighed.

The scene fast forwarded for a long time, as if we were on the upper floor of a skyscraper. Alan Rickman was holding a gun in his hand, pointing it at the head of the actress just now, and talking to a person opposite.

When the camera turned, it was Demi Moore's boyfriend, Bruce Willis, opposite him.

He was naked and covered in blood. His pants were a little torn. He had no shoes on and his feet were bare.

"Hahaha..." Officer McLian pretended to smile and stretched his hands behind his back.

The camera shows a pistol taped to his back.

"Holly! Yippee-Ki-Yay, Motherfxcker"

Bruce Willis yelled something incomprehensible, pulled out his pistol, and shot Alan Rickman and his accomplice once each.

Um? Ronald looked at Bruce Willis who shot the gangster barefoot, and recalled the beginning of his dream when he went to Cannes. Could it be that the plot of going barefoot to relieve the fatigue of the journey was a foreshadowing here?

Could it be that what I was dreaming about at that time was not some artistic film, but this action blockbuster?

So why did he commit suicide in the end?

Alan Rickman was not killed immediately. He dragged Holly, the wife of the protagonist McClain, to the edge of the building. It broke the glass and fell out, but finally grabbed the heroine Holly's wrist.

With a ferocious look on his face, he picked up the pistol in his hand and was about to shoot and drag Holly to death.

Bruce Willis rushed over and tried to untie Allen's hand but failed. At the critical moment, he had an idea and untied the watch from Holly's wrist.

"ah……"

Alan Rickman fell off the building together with his watch. In slow motion, he danced and fell from the top of the building.

"ah……"

Ronald woke up with a scream. It turned out that what he had dreamed about was not jumping off the building, but a reversal of the plot in which the gangster was finally killed.

No wonder I dreamed about this movie again today. The two protagonists are my acquaintances, and I have a new version of the script in hand.

This movie seems to be destined for me!

"Oops," Ronald realized and rolled to the ground again.

"Damn it, I have to spend extra money today to buy a California King size bed (20% larger than the regular King size)."