Exploitation Hollywood 1980

In the end, everyone argued (grabbing credit) that Scorsese taught Ronald to use the camera to express the character's emotions, just like in Taxi Driver, using the most awkward camera movements to express the inner feelings of the protagonist Travis.

Lonely and lonely.

Coppola taught Ronald how to use color and tone to stylize film narratives, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the environment and era in which the film's story takes place at a glance.

Spielberg taught Ronald how to balance the needs of business and art. He personally demonstrated how to gain the trust of producers and management through effective communication, so as to achieve the film effects he wanted to achieve, and

Conversely, when you serve as a producer, how do you constrain the director to achieve a balanced budget?

Walter Murch taught Ronald how to do secondary creation in the editing room, so that the footage on the shooting scene can be connected to tell a smooth story that seems to have originally been there.

Cameron taught Ronald how to do model special effects and computer special effects, especially how to combine the two seamlessly, leaving the audience amazed and amazed by the spectacular effects that cannot be seen in TV series.

Only Roger Corman…

He wanted to teach Ronald that movies are not a necessity in life and not to shoot movies that cost more than 10 million US dollars. He also wanted to teach Ronald how to tear up a few pages of the script and not shoot the shots that couldn't be completed within the budget frame.

However, under the tide of commercial movies, his film business philosophy still failed. Ronald still embraced Hollywood's business philosophy and grew into a man who has both box office guarantees and artistic ability, and can make movies from time to time.

A work that resonates with the great times.

Of course, Coleman was not a complete failure. At least Ronald learned how to observe whether the director was qualified on the first day and how to use various tricks to save budget.

The most important thing is that he learned that in film shooting, all the budget must be presented on the screen for the audience to see. Don't make a movie with a budget of hundreds of millions and just a few stars walking around and talking.

Taking advantage of everyone's good mood, Ronald finalized with them that he would continue to fight for Roger Corman's honorary Oscar next year, which the executive committee could decide to award. Roger Corman, who has always been relatively free and easy, was also moved.

.

After sending the distinguished guests outside the main entrance one by one, and then letting them board the luxury car to leave, Ronald waved his hand and asked Ang Lee to go in with him for a chat.

Ang Lee's Eat, Drink, Man and Woman was recognized by the Oscars and was nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film, which was also an unexpected surprise for him. With this nomination, Ang Lee, like Jennifer Tilly, received a lot of initiative

Directing invitations are no longer the same as before where you can only go around asking for investment with a script.

The first to take action was Sidney Pollack's Phantom Productions. They financed a remake of Jane Austen's "Sense and Sensibility" in Britain. I don't know why, but they took a fancy to it.

Ang Lee, thinking he could capture the spirit of Jane Austen's original work, made an offer to his agent.

But Ang Lee was very hesitant. He and his partner James Shams both had a favorite work they wanted to shoot, which was Rick Moody's novel "The Ice Storm" last year. In addition, this completely new work of Sense and Sensibility

The large-scale production model of commercial films made him hesitant.

Sidney Pollack, the boss of the production company and also a famous director, knew that Ronald had a favor for Ang Lee and was optimistic about his directing ability, so he called Ronald to help persuade him.

Of course, Ronald checked with someone and found out that the film had indeed been financed because Four Weddings and a Funeral was a hit and Hugh Grant was considered to have strong appeal in America.

Emma Thompson not only plays the role of the eldest sister Eleanor, but is also the author of the adapted script. Lindsay Dolan, who used to be a vice president at Paramount and had dealt with Ronald and had a good impression of him, has now become this

Film production director.

Old acquaintances were all optimistic about Ang Lee because the director they were originally interested in rejected the film. Seeing that filming was about to start, they had to find another candidate.

Ronald understands that an Oscar nomination is an endorsement of a director's ability, and Eat Drink Couple is another story similar to Sense and Emotion. Both stories are about men and women in a conservative and repressive social atmosphere. The three sisters,

Each has a completely different view on love, and even their lines are similar.

At this stage, if we want to find a safe director, Ang Lee is of course the best candidate. If he doesn't agree, we will have to give up the project temporarily.

"I don't understand. Isn't this a good opportunity to enter the mainstream Hollywood market? If you want to make the movie you like, you have to pass this test and make a profitable mainstream English movie..."

Ronald said that he had already received a call from the producer, so he came to ask Ang Lee what he thought. He was afraid that he had too many ideas and wanted to make it in one go and directly make art films instead of passing the Hollywood exam first.

Ang Lee's previous three films were all profitable, but they were all Chinese-language films. They were minor hits in the American market, and there were no real English-language films.

"I have indeed thought about this, but I still don't have much confidence in it..."

Fortunately, Ang Lee's concerns are not what everyone is worried about, but a shortcoming that traditional Chinese people often have, which is lack of self-confidence.

Ang Lee hesitated mainly because of two points. First, his English was not good, and he was unsure about working with a group of Hollywood stars, especially Hugh Grant, who had won many awards and nominations, and Oscar winner Emma Thompson.

.

Secondly, he was not sure that he could grasp the essence of Jane Austen's pure Britain. Therefore, he was noncommittal to Phantom Films' invitation, neither rejecting nor agreeing.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "You never have to worry about this," Ronald smiled, "If this movie was made in Hollywood, I think your concerns are reasonable, but this

It is a purely British film, no matter how big the problems the actors have, there is one thing they can do, and that is respect for the director."

Ronald understands that there are many stars in Hollywood, and they always don't respect directors who are not famous enough. Sometimes even famous directors will still bully them.

For example, in Brian De Palma's "Bonfire of the Vanities", co-star Bruce Willis directly denied De Palma's orders on the set. After the scenes he wanted could not be shot repeatedly, Bruce Willis

Willis bypassed the director and directly directed lighting and photography to relight the scene according to his wishes.

But unlike Hollywood stars, British stars have a good point. They still respect the director and will not directly block the director from the stage. At most, they will use some British humor to tease the director and make some roundabout complaints, but the director

Orders issued will still be obeyed.

This difference is related to the relatively small film market in Britain and the low power of stars. It is also related to Britain's profound drama tradition. No matter how big-name an actor is, he will not disobey the director's orders. This custom has also been transferred to

Came here during a movie shoot.

After hearing what Ronald said, most of Ang Lee's hesitation was gone. However, he was still not confident enough in himself, which was in contrast to some American directors who were overconfident.

Perhaps Ang Lee's current ability and on-set control are not enough to make a perfect Jane Austen movie, but if he tries his best, he can actually reach higher heights.

However, the idea that he was not confident in directing English films due to his poor language skills was not completely unreasonable. Ronald had to find a way to dispel his concerns.

"Have you seen Nora Ephron's new movie?" Ronald asked. After the success of Nora Ephron in Sleepless in Seattle, she followed up with "Mixed Nuts."

This movie is also a romantic comedy, starring Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Adam Sandler and others. Efron wrote and directed it.

The movie was released at the end of last year, but failed during the Christmas period. This movie, with a budget of 20 million US dollars and a screenwriter guaranteed by Nora Ephron's gold medal, failed at the box office and only received a total of more than 6 million US dollars.

At the box office, it has sadly been taken off the market.

Nora Ephron complained a lot about herself. According to her agent, she cried for more than a while at home.

But she also couldn’t figure out why she failed at the box office. She clearly wrote the screenplay for When Harry Met Sally and Sleepless in Seattle, which she directed, and both were huge successes. This Mixed Nuts film, produced with the same formula,

Why was it such a failure?

But Nora Ephron is a New Yorker after all. She quickly adjusted and sent a set of copies to Ronald's house, and begged Ronald to read it once and help her find the problem. After all, she was in the film industry.

All successes are due to Ronald's participation. Maybe this man really knows much more about movies than he does.

Before he had time to watch this failed work, Ronald didn't really want to watch it, so he kept this copy at home for several weeks. Just when Ang Lee needed a little encouragement, Ronald had an idea and invited him to watch it together.

"Ahem...Boss, I have a call for you..."

About ten minutes after the movie was shown, Yang Yanzi, a well-behaved assistant, came to see Ronald.

"Sorry, I have some important business to deal with. Can you watch it for me and then tell me what you think? Nora is quite upset about the failure of the movie. She wants to know the opinions of some experts. Can you first

Take a look at it for me and tell me what you think is wrong."

"certainly……"

Ang Lee didn't know it was a trick, so he continued watching in the screening room.

"Hey, Kirk? You figured it out?"

Someone really called Ronald, it was the Las Vegas tycoon Kirk Kerkorian. Ronald pointed out a way for him. After careful consideration and evaluation, he decided to follow Ronald's advice.

The solution is to buy back MGM Pictures.

"Yes, prepare the money, United Arts can be yours..."

"OK..." Ronald smiled and put down the phone, and held a conference call with Ed Bastian and others to study the acquisition of United Artists' assets.

Kerkorian has decided to buy back MGM at a premium, so that Ronald's acquisition of United Artists can be regarded as a very normal acquisition, allowing Kerkorian to have enough cash to purchase MGM.

financing measures.

However, several big names in Hollywood have an extraordinary sense of smell. DDH acquired United Artists' film library, which barely gave it some negligible competitive capital. It can be said that it has the ability to go further and acquire other companies to become a comprehensive company.

Media groups are now competing head-on with existing media complexes such as Viacom, Disney, or Fox.

In Hollywood, if you run a small studio business, no one will care about you. But if you add distribution business, the eyes of the seven major studios will notice you. For example, Harvey

Weinstein's Miramax Pictures still needs to maintain its own distribution business within Disney, so Eisner's tolerance of him is not so reliable.

If you still want to expand your influence and establish distribution channels around the world, such as DreamWorks established by Spielberg and Katzenberg, then the Big Seven will keep a close eye on you to prevent you from really reaching out to things you shouldn't.

Stretching the Field - a national television media.

Fortunately, Spielberg and the others are not entrepreneurs like Ronald after all, and the money they got from Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, is not enough to acquire a large television media.

This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Or if you already own a national television station and want to get involved in the film industry, such as Ted Turner, then you will become a public enemy of Hollywood, and no one will want to work with you.

It doesn't matter if your new wife is a two-time Oscar winner.

As for Ronald, he still keeps a low profile and does not do anything that touches the sensitive nerves of big players.

In fact, people like Eisner viewed Ronald's business strategies, or the business strategies of Ed Bastian, the CEO he hired with a high salary, with a kind of ridicule or contempt.

Treat it with attitude.

In their view, in this era when media outlets are trying to unite to go national and even globalize, this business strategy of still acquiring local TV stations is simply stupid and outrageous. If they do it just for some profit, they are missing out on gold.

time of merger and acquisition.

When the mergers and acquisitions of major TV media by various media groups are completed, high monopoly barriers will be formed. If you want to get another ticket, you may have to spend ten times the price.

Ronald also knew that this idea was actually correct, but it was too late for him to get rich. It was beyond his ability to spend nearly 10 billion to acquire a national television network.

If you don't acquire it, you will lose control of DDH.

Although the current monopoly barriers seem to be very high, the media market is undergoing some profound changes. Who knows what it will be like in the next ten years? It is the film libraries of these media and the irreplaceable things of local media that are

It is an out-of-print asset that can never be reproduced.

Major electronic consumer product manufacturers are now discussing new home entertainment media carriers. When the time comes to match the new widescreen TVs, the current video tape market may be about to undergo a reshuffle.

Having a national video rental online store seems to be a huge monopoly barrier, but although channel innovation is not as fast as technology, it is also updated every five to ten years.

However, those movie copyrights used to record video tapes or new media can never be copied... The choice involved is also everyone's judgment of the future. Ronald will always remember the memory of watching movies on the computer in his dream,

Looking for opportunities to seize as many Hollywood classics as possible may be the way to success in the future.

After the conference call, I happened to have finished watching Ang Lee's movie over there.

"What's going on, Lee, what's the problem with the photo?"

"The casting was wrong. Steve Martin should not have been allowed to play a romantic comedy, and his comedy performance was too exaggerated. Nora should have hugged Tom Hanks..."

After watching the movie, it’s obvious that Ang Lee’s confidence level has increased a lot. It’s no wonder that Nora Ephron’s directorial skills are actually only so-so. Her strength lies in concocting love stories that are close to reality. The reason why her previous movies were so popular

, has a lot to do with the personal charm of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as movie stars.

Such a director can get a budget of 20 million and shoot to such a level. Ang Lee has obviously made a lot of adjustments to his directing skills in terms of ratings.

"So you agreed to direct Sense and Sensibility?"

"Yes, I figured it out, and I will take it down even if I grit my teeth."