Exploitation Hollywood 1980

"The strike ultimatums of the two major Screen Actors Guilds are set to expire tomorrow night, and very inside sources tell me that the Producers Guild refuses to compromise.

All film and television actors will officially go on strike at 2 a.m. the day after tomorrow. The production of all movies, TV series, live programs, and radio programs in America will be stopped. Starting the day after tomorrow, major TV stations will only be able to broadcast dramas that have been filmed.

After next weekend, TV stations can only show reruns of old dramas or imported TV dramas. Movie production has also stopped, and in half a year the people of America will have no new movies to watch," said agent Limato.

"What? All entertainment program production has stopped?" Ronald looked blank.

American film and television actors belong to two major actors unions: Screen Actors Guild (SAG), and the American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (AFTRA), also known as TV actors

union).

Beginning in March 1980, the two major actors' unions began collective bargaining with the Association of Motion Picture and Television Producers (AMPTP), demanding better treatment.

Both parties to the negotiation, one is a trade union registered with the government, can initiate collective wage negotiations on behalf of all union members, and initiate a strike when negotiations break down. All union members must be forced to obey. Members who do not obey the strike resolution can be labeled as "workers".

Fired in the name of "thief".

The other side is an association, which has no coercive force on member organizations. But this association is a producers' association, an association of capitalists. No one is willing to let the union take away more benefits for no reason.

In addition, AMPTP has fewer members, is more united, and has greater tolerance for strikes. In a sense, it has more bargaining chips than the two major actors unions.

The two sides talked about it from March until May. The Producers Association AMPTP refused to give in, and the two major actor unions vowed to launch a strike if their goals were not achieved.

At this stage, no one took the strike threat seriously. Two years ago, in December 1978, when Ronald was participating in the filming of "Rock High School", the two major actors' unions also threatened to strike. Soon the management

They compromised and ended the labor dispute.

However, the news from agent Ed Limato is very pessimistic about this strike.

The reason is that the two major actors' unions have made seemingly unreasonable demands, and their negotiator, Ed Asner, is a desert cobra who bites his opponents and won't let go.

The Screen Actors Guild and the Television Actors Guild made two major demands.

The first one is to continue to increase the minimum wage for actors, increase the minimum wage by 40%, and increase the daily wage from US$225 to US$315. When Ronald heard this, it would be more difficult to join the Screen Actors Guild.

Even more fatal is the second one, where the Screen Actors Guild demands a share of the revenue in the home video department. In addition to being paid a fixed salary for film and television productions, all actors must also participate in revenue sharing from VHS tapes, beta tapes, and pay television.

The union requires that 12% of all pay TV operating income from video tapes must be included in the actors' surplus, and the film and television dramas will be handed over to the two major actors' unions, and the actors' union will then issue checks to members to distribute the residual value.

"Is there a lot of income from this video tape?" Ronald didn't know how much money this part of the money was.

"The viewing rate is high, but the total amount is very small." Pfeiffer's agent Limato replied, "Now only 2% of households in America have video recorders, and the proportion of pay TV is about the same. This is a small amount of money."

"But it will become more popular in the future, right?" Ronald owns a VHS recorder, which has recorded many classic movies, and it is very convenient to use.

"It's hard to say who will go to the theater to watch movies with video tapes? All eight major studios hate this thing. Now Universal is suing Japan's Sony Corporation, the manufacturer of Beta video tapes, to ban the sale of video cassettes in America.

Very big.

So a lot of people don’t understand why union negotiator Ed Asner is so tough?”

Limato is well-informed. Just as television has destroyed many market segments in Hollywood, housewives no longer go to movie theaters to watch movies, but watch TV at home. If teenagers also watch videos at home, then Hollywood will have the last piece of cake.

There will be no more.

"If it's not for the interests of the union and the actors, then it's for his own interests." Ronald is no longer a naive child. If something goes wrong, there will be problems, and this Asner is probably no exception.

"Yeah, you're smart, Ronald. Rumor has it that Asner is seeking the SAG chairmanship."

"Isn't he a TV actor?" Michelle Pfeiffer had been in the TV industry and knew Asner's name. He was the star of one of the most popular TV series in the 1970s, CBS's "The Mary Tyler Moore Show."

A resident actor who plays a character named Lou Grant.

This character was so popular that after The Mary Tyler Moore Show ended, CBS gave him a spin-off called "The Lou Grant Show."

"How can TV actors have the social influence of movie actors?" Limato hates this cobra, which has stalled the work of his actors. Moreover, Limato's staff are all star actors, and he doesn't care much about labor unions.

Fight for the interests of low-level actors.

"He is the far left wing of the Donkey Party and an active member of the American Donkey Party Socialist Association. He was inspired by the former California governor's victory as the Elephant Party's candidate for leadership, and he also wanted to follow suit." Limato criticized Asner.

ambition.

"How long will the strike last?" Ronald asked.

"No one knows, but Asner will last at least a month, otherwise he won't make a few headlines. Making headlines during the election season is his purpose."

Limato held Ronald's shoulders and continued: "I know about you and Michelle, but Pfeiffer is a rare star seed. Her face shape is naturally suitable for the wide screen, and her hair color and temperament are both excellent.

It’s just one chance to soar into the sky.”

"I contacted the advertisement for Lux soap for her. The news of the strike has not been leaked to the public yet. As long as we quickly go back to Hollywood to sign a contract, we can get few job opportunities during the strike. Lux is a mass consumer product, and her advertisement will

It was broadcast and became known throughout the country.”

Ronald looked at Michelle Pfeiffer and originally wanted to ask her what she thought. But when he saw the desire for success in her blue eyes, he immediately understood that he didn't need to ask and knew Pfeiffer's answer.

"when are you leaving?"

"Tomorrow morning." Limato answered on her behalf. I will pick her up at eight o'clock tomorrow morning. You can have a good chat in the evening. Then he turned and walked out the door.

"Ronnie, I will always owe you twice. You helped me get rid of the scammers and helped me sign a good agent. Sooner or later you will come to Hollywood. I know your ambition. I will wait for you in Hollywood."

Michelle Pfeiffer approached Ronald and said hesitantly.

Ronald didn't want to make the short separation sad. "Did you know that I'm an advertising director? If you go to shoot a Lux soap commercial, you can act it for me first and I'll tell you about it."

Pfeiffer smiled and hugged Ronald. The smell of Lux soap steamed up from his body and spread through his hair into Ronald's nose.

With her slightly wet hair draped over her shoulders, Pfeiffer hugged her chest with both hands and looked back with a smile, "Lux soap makes my skin smoother." The smooth back and the perfect curves are fascinating.

Ronald picked up the Nikon camera and started taking pictures.

"That's it, Michelle. The way you look back and smile is the most charming."

Putting down the camera, Ronald finished the "Special Acting Coaching", and the two lay hugging each other. Pfeiffer drew on Ronald's chest with his fingers, "I am a person who is afraid of loneliness. Come to Los Angeles as soon as possible."

.”

"Yes, if there is progress with the script this time, I plan to suspend my studies at New York University. After finishing the work on the Endless Love crew, I will first go to San Francisco. I have a meeting with Mr. Mersey, Coppola's editor.

I have made an agreement that I will go there to study for a period of time, and I will go to Los Angeles to meet you when I am free on the weekends."

"Kiss me, Ronnie." The two of them were very affectionate all night.

Ronald got up early the next morning, prepared a sumptuous breakfast for Pfeiffer, and ate it with her with a smile until his agent Limatora knocked on the door.

"Aren't you going to take me to the airport?" Pfeiffer noticed that Ronald didn't stand up.

"No, I find that I can't bear to say goodbye at the airport. It's better to say goodbye here, just like an ordinary couple saying goodbye in the morning."

"Hahaha, it's not common in America for a husband to send his wife out for work."

"Set up and call me." The two kissed goodbye affectionately, and Ronald helped take Pfeiffer's luggage downstairs and put it in the taxi called by the agent.

After sending Pfeiffer away, Ronald began to call people he knew in the industry. First, his agent Richard.

"There's a strike tonight, that's the exact news I got."

"Oh, Shxt. Is the information reliable?" Richard's level was obviously not high enough to know this inside information in advance.

"Truly enough, Pfeiffer's agent moved her to Los Angeles, giving up her role in Endless Love."

"I'm going to tell Niceta right away that several of his actors will be affected, and the filming of Jane Fonda's 'On Golden Pond' will also be stopped. I'll call you later." Richard hung up the phone.

"Paula, there's a strike tonight and you have to rearrange Tom's plans."

"Is the news reliable?...Okay, I will let him go back to Hollywood first and rent him a good apartment. We need to keep the role of Endless Love as much as possible. What he needs now is an appearance on the screen."

Then there is his own advertising agent Eddie.

"Eddie, have you heard? The two major labor unions have decided to go on strike tonight. The advertising project at Calvin Klein can continue.

When Brooke's mother gets this news, she will definitely go to the set of "Endless Love" to lower the price first. Guber will swing the balance of the heroine back from the girl named Meg Ryan. We have to seize it.

The strike led to the filming of the commercial, and Terry wasn't going to tolerate her daughter being without work for a month."

"Leave it to me, you wait for my call." Eddie Cohen put down the phone and went to contact Calvin Klein, the designer of CK jeans.

Then it was director Zeffirelli, "Franco, it's me, Ronald. I have received definite news that the two major actors' unions will announce a strike tonight. It will last for at least a month."

"Fanculo! Ed Asner is a venomous snake. I knew he would stick to a tough stance. We have to stop filming and I'll go find Mr. Gubel."

"He may already know. I will break down the script and give it to you. I think your assistant director should be free."

"I'm sorry, Ronald, but when filming resumes, I welcome you to the set."

"Thank you, Mr. Zeffirelli."

He is still old and hot. Ronald thought of Helen Slater's father Gerald. He was obviously busy with this matter before. Most of PBS's programs were educational, documentaries and imported British TV series.

These programs do not have videotapes and pay TV, and have different contracts, so they are not affected by the strike. On the contrary, the three major public television stations still need to purchase programs from PBS stations to fill the gap of the lack of new TV series produced by the strike.

However, if the strike lasts for a long time, the movies scheduled to be released next will also be affected. The copies of "Rock High School" that have entered long-term screenings and midnight screenings will be able to sell more, and it seems that they will soon reach the second place.

The conditions for the second dividend.

Ronald rubbed his chin and thought that maybe he could ask Mr. Roger Coleman for a bigger bonus.