Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Do you British people also say Die Hard?" Ronald asked Alan Rickman.

Although the United Kingdom and the United States speak the same language, there are actually many differences in daily expressions.

"Well, this phrase was invented by the British Redcoats during the Peninsular War during the Napoleonic era. A lieutenant colonel of an infantry regiment who was shot refused to evacuate the battlefield and encouraged his subordinates to die hard (Die Hard) even if they died."

"Hahaha..." Ronald couldn't help laughing. Alan Rickman spoke in a unique slow manner and was very good at telling jokes.

"In fact, this phrase is now more commonly used in the political world in the UK. It refers to those right-wing MPs who are firm in their beliefs and are not shaken by changes in the situation, such as the right-wing Conservative Party represented by Churchill during World War II."

Alan Rickman continued to explain the use of Die Hard diehards in British politics.

"How do you know this? I remember you are a graduate of the Royal College of Art's Department of Drama?" Ronald was amazed. He himself had heard someone use Die Hard to describe the political stance of the current president, and some people also said the same about George Sr.'s campaign adviser Roger Ailes.

The two peoples use this phrase in politics in a similar way, both describing people with firm beliefs that will not waver. But how is Rickman, a drama actor, so familiar with political allusions?

"Hahaha, my girlfriend, Rema Houghton, has just been elected as a member of the Chelsea Local Council in London. She is also the whip of the local Labour Party. And my brother is a Conservative member of the Leicester Local Council.

Rema's nickname for me is Little Diehard Thatcherite."

"Hahaha..." Ronald shook his head. Rickman's expression was very sweet when he said this. It seems that he and his girlfriend have a good relationship. With such opposing political views, they can still live together and have a sweet relationship. It is indeed true love.

"Ronald, we need to talk. You seem very happy..." Joel Silver came over panting. He had just been informed of the danger just now by the stunt staff on the scene. Seeing Ronald laughing happily, he was puzzled.

"Joel and I have some things to do..." Ronald said goodbye to Rickman. He glanced at director John McTiernan in the distance, and helped Silver to the office area of ​​the Fox Building. They found a soundproof meeting room that served as a lounge for the crew's senior management and began to discuss privately.

"I want to fire McTiernan, that bastard. What do you think? Anyway, today is the first day, and the explosion and jumping shots he shot don't need to be reshot." After Joel Silver closed the door, he got angry and picked up a decorative crystal ball and slammed it hard on the table.

"Why, you can't stand him taking the initiative to let Bruce go in person?" Ronald asked indifferently.

"Don't tell me I don't want to fire him on the spot! This guy is too much. If something happens, we will all be put on a different list by Hollywood. What do you think?"

"We really want him to pay the price. This matter can't be let go like this, but it's not easy to find a director to take over now." Ronald put the crystal ball back to its original place. He didn't want to take over this job. He was also busy promoting "Moonlight Temptation". It was not fun to take over someone else's job in the middle of the film.

"I need you to find someone who can restrain McTiernan in the crew. Willis is not allowed to do the special effects shots in the future." Ronald turned his back and said slowly, word by word. This was the boundary of future filming he drew for Silver.

"I will personally watch it..." Silver nodded, Ronald didn't respond. Anyway, this self-willed bastard McTiernan had to continue to finish the movie.

"Record today's accident and report it to the Stuntmen's Union, the Directors' Union, and the Screen Actors Guild after a detailed summary. Do you agree?" Ronald proposed his own solution. This kind of thing can't let him disappear without a trace, which would benefit the director. But it's not good to make a big fuss and let the media know, at least not during the filming.

"This needs to be communicated to the various unions, so that they ignore the reporting time according to the process." Joel Silver thought about it. It should be reported, but not now, quietly without attracting the attention of the media, and solved among the insiders.

"I will say hello to the Directors Guild and the Actors Guild, and the Stuntmen's Guild?"

"I will contact them, I am familiar with their presidents." Silver continued.

"After the filming is over, I will put John McTiernan on the blacklist of the daytime producers, and then tell the major studios, you..."

"I will do it with you."

Ronald nodded, stood up and personally made a cup of instant coffee for his partner Silver. Joel Silver is a very professional person and understands the importance of interests. Both of them have a consensus on this handling, which is to prevent the recurrence of dangerous situations in the future and not to hinder the interests of both.

"This bastard, I didn't expect him to be such a gambler." Silver took the coffee and took a sip. The accident scared him so much that he didn't expect this when he agreed to McTiernan's request to let Willis do it himself.

"Do you know what annoys me most about John McTiernan?" Ronald also took a sip of coffee.

"What is it?"

"He is a die-hard gambler. He deliberately put this dangerous scene in the first scene to shoot..." Ronald narrowed his eyes. McTiernan's heart is quite vicious and ruthless.

"Shxt! He is really a die-hard." Joel Silver's mood was revived by Ronald's words after he recovered from the shock. So that's what this bastard thought.

If it succeeds, it's all his fault. If it fails, his two producers will bear the main responsibility. Silver had originally just echoed Ronald's mentality, but now he was adding more pressure on McTiernan, and wanted to give him some harsh treatment after the filming.

"By the way, what do you think of the phrase Die Hard? I always feel that the title 'Nothing lasts forever' will mislead the audience that this is a romantic tragedy."

"Ah...well, that's good." Joel Silver was a little uncomfortable with Ronald's ability to change topics quickly. This young man was very rational in his approach, which was a bit scary. When I was this age, I didn’t know much about anything.

"I think Die Hard can not only depict the texture of the movie at once, but also give the audience a little suspense and stimulate their curiosity..." Ronald said his reasons. Alan Rickman gave him an inspiration just now. This name has some innate magic power and will capture the audience immediately. What kind of diehard is it?

It may be a terrorist, or it may be the character of the protagonist McClain who insists on taking care of any injustice on the road.

"But let's see... I have a project and I'm actually considering using this name, but from what you said, it seems more appropriate to use it for this movie."

Joel Silver took out his notebook and said, "Well, my screenwriter originally planned to use this name for this movie, so let's take it and use it first. That movie should be tentatively titled 'The Last Boy Scout' ”

The two of them agreed and returned to the scene together.

"John, let's talk," Joel Silver pulled director McTiernan aside and informed him of the two producers' decisions. In the future, there will be a producer with decision-making power present on the set. If special effects shooting or other scenes are found to be more dangerous than expected, he has the right to stop filming.

McTiernan will be responsible for the damage caused.

In the future, all action scenes with a certain degree of danger will be done by stand-ins for the sake of filming progress, regardless of whether the actors themselves can do it. The actor himself only shoots close-up scenes of his face after the dangerous action.

Ronald went to talk to Bruce Willis.

"That's totally unnecessary, Ronald. I can handle those shots."

Bruce Willis hugged Demi Moore. His adrenaline had not faded from the jump just now. He was not afraid at all but a little excited.

"The director deliberately put this dangerous scene in the first scene to shoot. It is very dangerous. This is not a personal grudge. Bruce, as a producer, I have to ensure that the filming is completed on time and with quality. Even if you can do it, I will It's impossible to let you do it. If you twisted your foot while filming the stunt, the crew would have to stop.

Don't worry, I will leave all the close-ups and less dangerous close-ups to you, but the panoramic stunts must be left to Mr. Ken Bates, the stunt double. This is also the union's rule. "

"Okay, for the sake of the movie, I agree." Bruce Willis agreed as soon as he heard that his glorious image would not be compromised.

"That's it for today's shooting. You go back and take good care of Bruce. Demi, he will feel pain when the adrenaline wears off."

Ronald said hello to Demi Moore, then walked to an apple box in the middle of the set, picked up the microphone, and announced to everyone that the filming tonight was very exciting, but because the rooftop needed to be restored to its original state after being burned by fire, In order not to get in trouble, the rest of the evening filming has been canceled and will continue tomorrow night.

Joel Silver over there also finished chatting with McTiernan. It could be seen that although John McTiernan was a little unhappy that he would have an emperor watching him on the set in the future, he used a little trick to make the best After finishing the filming, he smiled proudly.

"To celebrate the successful completion of the first day of startup, I ordered pizza and beer for everyone."

"Oh!" The staff clapped happily.

"John..." After Ronald finished speaking, he jumped out of the apple box amidst the applause of the crowd and smiled at director McTiernan.

After calling each other idiots in their hearts, the two turned their backs and walked towards each other.

…

"Oh, this is a surprising director."

At the same time, Goldberg, the president of 20th Century Fox, watched the last small screening of "Moonlight" tonight at the Twin Theaters in Los Angeles.

The performances of the actors trained by Ronald were surprisingly smooth and natural, without any trace of deliberateness. Except that Cher, as a non-professional actor, is a bit different from other supporting characters.

But it doesn't matter. Cher is the heroine, and she is the focus of the audience. And the acting skills of Nicolas Cage, who co-stars with her, tend to be exaggerated. The two complement each other perfectly.

Two scenes in particular struck a chord with Goldberg.

One is the beautiful moon, which makes people feel excited all over. Thinking of their first love, they are ready to move, but also a little confused.

The second is the final dinner table scene. There are so many characters and such complicated arrangements, but the long shot actually seems natural.

The "God of Movies" must have favored him at this moment... Otherwise, how could a young man who was not married yet film such a heartwarming family scene?

"Ronald, I'm Leonard, Leonard Goldberg"

"Mr. Goldberg..."

After Ronald returned to the apartment, he had already gone to bed when he suddenly received a call from Goldberg. He was a little surprised that the CEO wanted to ask him for something so late.

"I watched your new film 'Moonlight' tonight, and I was very moved. It is an epic about immigrants coming to the New World of America. I have rarely seen a film that depicts family life so well, especially yours. Young director..."

"Ah ha, glad you like it," Ronald replied with a smile.

Goldberg praised Ronald's work in all aspects. He really likes this kind of drama without action scenes, just ordinary people's lives. This kind of movie is actually more difficult to shoot than a pure high-concept commercial movie. It is rare that Ronald can handle it so that the audience will not be distracted throughout the whole process.

"That's right, I have a script here. It's also about New York, your hometown, but this time it takes place in Manhattan..."

"Looks like a good script," Ronald said with a smile, lying on the bed with the phone in one hand. It is certainly a good project for the president to call and invite in person.

"Originally this was a project directed by Michael Nichols. You know him...yes, he is the director of The Graduate. However, there have been some changes in his personal life recently. I asked my assistant to deliver it to you at the airport tomorrow. You If you’re interested, remember to call me back when you get to New York.”

"Is there a project for you? Is there a role for me?"

Diane raised her head from the bed. She heard some fragments of words. Now that she was lacking a role, she immediately opened her eyes and asked Ronald.

"Didn't Paula (Wagner) arrange a career development plan for you and contact you to audition for some roles in mini-series? I haven't read the script yet. I don't know if there is anything suitable for you." Ronald touched it Diane's dark brown hair, to tell the truth.

"Ah... um... um..." Diane rolled around on the bed for a while.

"Okay, okay, I know. Paula told me that the problem I had in the past was that there was no continuity in the character, and I didn't use a series of movies to build a similar image."

Diane knew that Ronald was unwilling to compromise on casting, and Paula said that Ronald was the heir to the comprehensive casting school of Marion Dougherty's New York casting studio.

This group has produced many classic New York movies, such as "The Godfather", "The Graduate", "Mean Streets", and "Crimson", all of which were cast by them. It is their casting philosophy. 's masterpiece.

They pay attention to the actor's temperament and coordination. If there is no suitable candidate, they are the kind of people who would rather not shoot.

"However, if there is a role that suits me, you..."

"Of course, why not? The equal conditions are of course you...", Ronald held Diane in his arms.

"Equal conditions", Diane touched Ronald's slightly stubborn chin and kissed him.

…

"How about it, your man is very brave, isn't he?" At the same time, Bruce Willis was also bragging to Demi Moore.

"I jumped from a height of 25 feet (7 meters 6), followed by a 60-foot wall of explosive fire. Even Ken Bates, the most die-hard stunt double on the crew, said that this is not an action that every stunt double dares to try... ...Ah... be gentle..."

"Hmm...?" Demi, who was applying painkilling ointment to Bruce, raised her eyebrows, "Do you know the pain now? What Ronald said is indeed true..."

"He's just a director. To be a tough guy, it depends on your man..." In order to prove his qualifications as a tough guy, Bruce Willis even did a bodybuilding move.

"The director John McTiernan admired me so much that he said I could be the second Stallone and that this movie would be 'First Blood' in the building," Bruce Willis continued to boast.

"Are you stupid?" Demi Moore was furious and spread the ointment on Willis' back.

"Ouch...how could I be an idiot? That's the character of the character."

"Didn't you hear what Ronald said to you when he got off the air mattress?" Demi Moore really had no choice about her blue-collar cowboy boyfriend.

"What words?"

"He said that the director deliberately put this dangerous scene in the first scene..."

"What's the matter? This kind of heroic scene should be filmed in the first scene..."

"You idiot..." Demi got angry and turned away to wipe the corners of her eyes. She recalled the scene when Ronald held her hand to comfort her on the set when she was so frightened that she turned pale. He was such a gentle man, much better to women than this fool.

After a long time, Demi turned around from Bruce's question about why his girlfriend was so angry, "Don't you understand? If something happens to you, the director can change an actor without affecting the subsequent filming. If it is filmed later... …”

"Shoot it in the back, because there is my image in the front, so they can't easily replace me..." Bruce Willis is not an idiot, but he is more of a cowboy.

"McTiernan, you bastard!" Willis, who had figured it out, also began to curse, and punched the table.

"The director doesn't care whether you are in danger of being injured, so Ronald said those words and asked you to have a substitute do all your dangerous moves in the future..."

"It's okay, it's okay, Demi, I know you are worried about me..." Bruce Willis hugged Demi and comforted his girlfriend in turn.

"Hmm..." Demi thought to herself that cowboys also have their advantages, "Hold me, Bruce."

"Ah..., my back can't move..." Bruce hugged her for a long time without moving. It turned out that the pain in his back had really hurt after the adrenaline subsided. The punch just now made his back start to hurt.

"Hold me back to the room, Demi, I can't move."

"I don't want to do it anymore, go by yourself", Demi's emotions were interrupted again.

"I have..." Bruce Willis took out a stack of 20-dollar bills, "There are 200 dollars, help me in."

"You..." Demi Moore laughed angrily... "Come on", she took the money and put Willis's arm around her shoulders.

"Ouch, be gentle..."