Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Tom Mount is the president of Universal Pictures. He is very tall and wears a dark handmade suit with a white shirt and a blue tie. He exudes the aura of a Hollywood elite and is not as businesslike as Wall Street. Style, and a bit of an artist's temperament.

From Ronald's perspective, Mr. President's deep-set eye sockets, high forehead, and neatly combed hair look a bit like the old Corleone played by Marlon Brando in The Godfather.

But the words that came out of his mouth were not at all like a godfather, more like a door-to-door salesman selling vacuum cleaners to housewives. I want to sell the vacuum cleaner to the other party, but I am afraid that I will scare the other party away by going too far.

"I saw your first feature film, 'Eraserhead,' and it was a crazy movie, but I loved it."

The person Tom Mount was talking to was a quiet young man. His hair was combed upward from the roots, which gave his chubby face like a college student a strange rebellious look.

"Oh, yes. It was a difficult movie to make. It took me several years, making and stopping, and then it was shown at the New York Film Festival and Cannes, and it was rejected. I was pushing a I took the cart from the supermarket with all my copies in it, and I begged the person in charge there, but to no avail.

If it hadn't been for the opportunity given to me by the Los Angeles Film Festival, I wouldn't have had the chance to continue my career as a director. "

The person speaking was David Lynch, who was nominated for the Golden Globe Award for Best Picture (Drama) and Best Director for "The Elephant Man".

His two big eyes were wide open, constantly looking at the two young men sitting on the right side of Tom Mount. The one with shoulder-length hair is the author, Cameron Crowe, and the one with shorter hair is Ronald Lee, the screenwriter.

Ronald was also looking at David Lynch. The first impression this man gave people was that he was quiet. When President Mount spoke, he listened very carefully and was not the kind of person who just expressed himself.

"Hi, yes Mr. Lynch. Now Hollywood has learned about your talent through The Elephant Man. I think your film will never be rejected by any film festival. On the contrary, those film festivals will probably come to ask for you. Go to a film festival.”

"I'm afraid so, Mr. Mount."

Tom Mount was choked. Hollywood stars are accustomed to talking and praising each other. They refused and the orthodox statement of the other party was that this is really a very good movie, but I still have to look at my schedule.

He was not used to Lynch's direct conversation style. Having heard of Lynch's reputation for a long time, Tom Mount also brought two screenwriters to discuss the matter.

He loosened his tie,

He leaned back slightly, his body language began to relax, and the words coming out of his mouth lost the aura of a CEO.

"These two are the original author of 'Fast Richmond High', Cameron Crowe, and the screenplay adaptor, Ronald Lee. I think you have read the script, and if you have any questions, you can contact me They communicate directly.”

"Oh, this is a very interesting and interesting script." Lynch faced the two authors and began to ask questions.

"How do you write the valley speak like that of a Southern California high school? I still don't quite understand what they mean by inserting a like between the subject and the predicate when they speak."

"I was in the twelfth grade of a high school, and I worked undercover for a year, and finally attended the graduation prom. So the way I speak has real prototypes to look for..."

The so-called Valley accent is a way of speaking among girls from various upper-middle-class families in public high schools in Southern California, especially in Fernando Valley, a suburb of Los Angeles.

Girls there are more vain and like to buy designer clothes and bags. Going to the beach to surf, playing tennis and other upper-class lifestyles, coupled with poor English grammar learning, add like as a modal particle when speaking very distinctively.

For example, "Nancy, like, she is a bitch. That day she went to the beach, like, and she actually wanted to seduce my boyfriend Jack. I like, went up and grabbed her hair, and gave her face like, come on one time."

Ronald retained a lot of the Valley Dialogue written by Cameron Crowe in the script. Not only that, the Italian character Spicoli is a master surfer, which is also the favorite sport of high school girls there.

"And you, Ronald, I know you. Famous, you were nominated for Best Picture (Comedy or Musical) at the Golden Globes, and you were one of the screenwriters.

I have seen "fast-paced" scripts, very skillful, with well-controlled rhythm and length. I also tried to write a script "Rooney's Rockets" myself. But I haven’t adjusted the plot for a month. How did you do it? "

When David Lynch saw the two authors, they had a lively conversation. This is the purpose why president Tom Mount invited them here. This new favorite director in Hollywood has some quirks and is more willing to communicate with artists.

"This is an adapted composition, Mr. Lynch. It also took me a long time to adjust the proportions of the group portraits. I used sorting cards and rehearsed the combinations repeatedly on the wall..."

Ronald also talked about his writing method.

David Lynch said that he had to read the script in depth before he could learn Ronald's method. Now he is busy with public relations for "The Elephant Man" and competing for awards. He needs to wait until after the Oscars to have a lot of time.

"Do you have anything to ask me?" David Lynch said.

"Of course, how did you become the director of your first feature film, 'The Elephant Man'?" Ronald asked. Eraserhead is more like a student project, while "Elephant Man" is a commercial production.

“It was Transcendental Meditation that inspired me,” Lynch said with an unexpected answer. “I kept promoting ‘Looney’s Rockets,’ but no producer was willing to invest in me.

One day while I was meditating in my house, a voice suddenly told me, why not try directing someone else's script? As a result, the first producer I asked gave me the opportunity to direct ‘The Elephant Man’. "

"This guy is not joking, right?" Ronald thought to himself, you might as well say you are lucky. Everyone ended the meeting.

"This sob, he must have been invited by other directors. As soon as the 'fast-paced' filming started, he avoided the topic." Tom Mount scolded his subordinates in the office, "Go and find out who wants to invite the director." David Lynch.”

The subordinate came back soon and whispered a name in Tom Mount's ear.

"This lucky guy. Continuing to follow up, this invitation has increased his value. George is not that easy to work with. If he can choose the 'fast-paced Richmond High School', we can even get 6 million in investment." "

Ronald didn't know that David Lynch was now being sought after by Hollywood, so he went to Jane Fonda's house for an appointment in the evening.

"Ronald, it's nice to meet you." After the veneer ceremony, Jane Fonda took out the leg warmers given by Aunt Karen, "Is this produced by your company? My lawyer checked the records From now on, tell me that the patent belongs to you."

"Yes, but my Aunt Karen knitted these two pairs herself."

"I like this little accessory very much. It not only keeps my legs warm, but also modifies my legs. The seller of the video tape is willing to let me wear it while doing aerobics during the video. I want to make this an optional purchase." , and are offered for mail order together with the video tapes, would you like to supply them to me?”

"Of course, Jane. You can have your lawyer call my Aunt Karen. Our leg warmers have been sold to big cities on the West Coast like Los Angeles and San Francisco."

The two of them finalized the cooperation in a few words. Ronald was very happy. This kind of mail order business might be able to sell tens of thousands of leg warmers. With a fixed shipping channel, the leg warmer business can go to a higher level and order knitted leg warmers. Machine-made small factory production.

"I heard from my agent that you have completed another script?" Jane Fonda finalized the cooperation and could chat with Ronald about the trends in the industry.

"Yes, a youth movie. Universal wants David Lynch to direct it."

"Oh, it's him. Then you have a lot of competition. George Lucas also wants David Lynch to direct the sixth installment of his Star Wars, which is tentatively called Revenge of the Jedi."

"Don't George direct it himself?" Ronald was surprised.

"The fifth film was not directed by him. Originally, he wanted to ask his old friend Steven Spielberg to direct the sixth film. However, the Directors Guild fell out with George because Star Wars did not put the credit of the creators in the title, and banned it. Steven directs Star Wars Episode VI."

"Now George just wants to enjoy life with his wife Martha. He hired a famous architect to build his manor in the suburbs of San Francisco. David Lynch is indeed a good choice..."

Ronald took the news to heart and went to CAA the next day to mention it to his agent Niceta, "If David Lynch directs Star Wars, will I have the chance to be a 'fast-paced' director?"

"I've heard this rumor, Star Wars. If David Lynch goes to direct Star Wars, then 'fast-paced Richmond High' loses his biggest selling factor, one that's about to be nominated for a Best Director Oscar 's young director. The budget will probably be pretty low."

"All I asked for was an opportunity to direct independently, and since I was a student of Roger Corman, any low budget from Universal, in my opinion, was very generous."

"Yeah, I forgot that you graduated from Roger Corman University." Niceta smiled, "If David Lynch rejects Universal, I will do my best to get this director opportunity for you. I ensure.

In addition, I have some scripts that Spielberg likes. He wants to find someone to independently evaluate them and give some suggestions and directions for revision. The pay is not high.

But I think it is an opportunity. Spielberg has close cooperation with Universal. He has also recently considered getting involved in the production business. In short, he is currently evaluating a large number of various scripts, including many youth-themed ones. "

"Of course I do." Ronald nodded quickly. Being familiar with Spielberg is by no means a bad thing.

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