Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Ovitz took Ronald to a mansion the next morning where Columbia Pictures president Frank Price lived.

This place originally belonged to Dinah Shore, the pop diva of the 1940s. After the love affair between Dinah and Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years younger than him, ended, she wanted to fill it with memories of the two. The house is sold.

In the 1970s, Dina Shore started her talk show career on the TV station and transformed into a talk show host. Frank Price happened to be the president of the TV station at the time and took over the building, which once often hosted Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley. A mansion waiting for a superstar.

Ronald was sitting on the sofa in the large living room. This very large and luxuriously decorated residence made him feel a little unsure of where he was.

"Ronald, I heard that you are not satisfied with the contract?" Frank Presby was much more relaxed in the office, wearing loose clothes. He didn't look like the president of a major eight film studio, but a neighbor. Kind uncle.

"My contract does not include the right of first refusal to modify, Mr. Price," Ronald came to his senses. "In this case, my rights and interests are not well protected by the 12-month option purchase agreement."

"Well, I understand what you mean." Price sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs, "So what do you want to do?"

"I don't know the opinion of director Bridges. In fact, I have already made some modifications to the script to improve Jane Fonda's role."

Ovitz did not expect that Ronald did not immediately demand full payment, but instead brought the topic back to the script. He quickly made amends: "In fact, Ronald, based on the modifications you proposed..."

"Why not let Ronald speak for himself?" Price laughed.

"Actually, I didn't fully adopt your revision suggestions, Mr. Price." Ronald took out the script revision ideas he wrote and handed it to Price.

Price quickly skimmed through the several pages of the outline recording the revised ideas, "This is very interesting. You changed Jane's character into a widow who helps disabled soldiers in a veterans hospital after her husband died in Vietnam. This is very easy to relate to. for her role in 'The Return'."

"Yes, this was a deliberate design on my part to make the audience think this was an unofficial sequel to 'The Return'."

"It's a good idea. If they weren't free right now, the president of United Arts would have called me to protest." Price smiled.

"So I'm not out yet,

Is it right? "Ronald said, he still wanted to struggle and couldn't give up before fighting for it.

Frank Price smiled and said, "Ronald, I really like the script you wrote, especially the scenes and dialogues in Famous. I asked producer Da Silva for confirmation."

Ronald knew that Mr. President had something more to say.

"But screenwriting is an art that accumulates in life. The life of teenagers you wrote is very good, but the love story of middle-aged Vietnam veterans you wrote is not convincing enough."

"Director Bridges and I have discussed some revisions to the script, and I basically agree with him. The proportion of Jane needs to be increased, and your treatment of the fool is too symbolic, symbolic, and he is too much like a myth. Bridges will use a more realistic approach to this role."

"But Mr. Price, the fool is the intersection of several plot clues..." Ronald suddenly realized that the president was not the script editor and came to discuss the script with him. Price doesn't have the airs of a CEO, but that doesn't mean he has time to discuss such details with a small screenwriter of his. He's here to inform himself of the results.

Ronald disagreed with Bridges's treatment. He did not see the real core of the script. The fool was a symbolic character...

"But this probably has nothing to do with me. If the director has his own ideas for revision, maybe it would be better for the movie if I sold the script and left." Ronald accepted the reality and satisfied Ovitz.

"Frank, Ronald has done a great job in his part. Since we are not going to let him continue to revise the script, then..."

Price waved his hand, "Of course, I will instruct the people below to re-contract you and buy your script."

"Ronald, don't feel frustrated. Take your royalties, enjoy the joy of becoming famous overnight, take a long vacation, find a girl and enjoy life."

"If you have a new script writing plan, I suggest you start with youth scripts. Teenagers are a very short period of time. After age, you will forget many of your thoughts at that time. Today's young people can easily save money by working part-time. Movie money, but Hollywood writers are so old that they’ve forgotten what they thought when they were young, and you’re still young enough.”

"You've written a new script, and you can ask Michael to come to me, and I'll always make time to read it."

Ronald thanked Price, knowing that his talking time was over, and moved to another sofa to sit down.

"Michael, it's your Rosh Hashanah..."

"I will go to synagogue with my family on Rosh Hashanah, and the rest of the time I will be at your beck and call..."

Within a few days, Ronald got his own check from the producer at Columbia Pictures. After depositing it into the bank's checking account, Ronald wrote a check for $35,000 to CAA to Richard who sent him here. The specific distribution among several brokers was not his concern.

Then there are Mickey Kanter’s legal fees.

With just over 300,000 left, Ronald hasn't figured out how to spend it. I thought about going back to New York to discuss it with my accountant, Lawrence. He seemed to know a lot about investing.

"The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety reported that your script sold for a sky-high price. If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't have known if it was the Ronald Lee I knew." Assistant to the President of New World Productions Gail laughed on the phone.

"I'm still in Los Angeles, are you and Cameron free? I have to find a friend to share the joy." Ronald said.

"He is still planning his escape from New York. Wait, it's Ronald... OK. Ronald, it's Mr. Coleman, he wants to talk to you."

"Ronald, the rental fee for Rock High School in New York has reached the second million. Here is a check from you. Although it is less than the script you sold, it is also the result of your business vision. Remember to pick it up. Coleman also joked about Ronald.

"I will. Are you here today, Mr. Coleman? I still have some questions to ask you."

Seeing the bright red and white building of New World Production, Ronald felt that something had not changed at all. It was still the same low-key company that was reluctant to put on the company name and brand.

"Mr. Coleman, that's what happened. Maybe I was lucky and won the lottery."

"Luck is also part of success. The first movie I made was with tens of thousands of dollars borrowed from here and there. It happened that a distributor found me and offered to buy it out at a price higher than the cost. I immediately I got my money back. If it had been three months before the first film found a distributor, my advance wouldn't have been enough to cover the film."

Roger Corman still likes to talk about business more than art. Maybe there are too many people in the film industry talking about art and too few people talking about business. Every time Coleman and Ronald chatted, they focused on the business side of the movie.

"Frank Price, the president of Columbia, felt that I was too young to write adult stories, and suggested that I write a script for a teenage audience. Do you think there is a market for this kind of script, Mr. Coleman?"

"It depends on the budget of the production. There are a lot of teen exploitation films in the New World, but recently the market is looking for high-budget films like Spielberg, and there are fewer and fewer low-budget teen films."

"But why can't teen movies rely on plot to win? Such movies don't need a high budget, right?"

"Yes, many people have thought about this idea. The problem is that there are no teenage actors in Hollywood with adequate acting skills. The leading role of Romeo and Juliet requires nationwide auditions. Hollywood originally used adult actors to play teenage roles, like Judy in The Wizard of Oz. ·Actors like Garland are hard to come by."

Roger Coleman took the $10,000 check from Gale, read it, and handed it to Ronald. "Your second payment."

"Actually, the rental fee for the second phase of the copy is lower, reaching a rental fee of one million US dollars. Mr. Coleman, you should give me more bonus." Ronald said jokingly.

The longer I have been in the industry, the more I know about film distribution. It can be said to be a miracle that a movie like Rock High School, which has a relatively low rental fee, can reach the second two million rentals in New York State. The promotion role of the PBS channel's film review program is also indispensable.

Roger Corman didn't take it as a joke, "I should definitely give you more, but a contract is a contract, and we have to respect it. Why don't you go to a film festival for me to see what foreign art films are worth buying? Me, Julie and the kids just celebrated Rosh Hashanah.

"Foreign... art film? Isn't it an exploitation film?" Ronald thought he heard it wrong.

“Where are the exploitation films shown at film festivals?”

"I didn't know you had an art film distribution business."

"Yes, many people don't know it. Italy's Fellini, Sweden's Ingmar Bergman, and Japan's Akira Kurosawa, their new films are all distributed in the United States by New World."

"Mr. Coleman's personal appreciation taste is completely different from the movies he makes." Assistant to the president Gale supported next to him.

It turns out that these foreign art films are traditionally played in theaters that specialize in showing art films. Roger Corman not only got involved in art theater distribution, but also developed a new market.

Introducing art films to drive-in theaters frequented by young audiences, small town theaters, and second-tier theaters in big cities. Today's American teenagers are still willing to learn about foreign scenery and culture, and they can also watch movies with subtitles.

"Where is the film festival held?" Ronald became interested and asked, "Cannes has already passed, right?"

"It's the Montreal Film Festival. It's a new one. It's in Canada, and travel expenses and hotels are very cheap." Roger Corman said with a smile.

"I have to think about it." It wasn't a big film festival, and Ronald was a little hesitant. Pfeiffer's agent Limato told him that Pfeiffer would finish filming Charlie Chan's scenes soon and come back.

"Okay, I'll keep the opportunity for you until the weekend." Roger Coleman finally found a free labor force.

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