Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Several major studios had no interest in the new script, and Ronald was reminded of former boss Roger Corman. He ditched his agent, secretly called Roger and asked him to discuss the "Night of the Comet" project.

"Ronald, congratulations. With a box office of 40 million, it will definitely enter the top 20 in North America this year." Roger Corman warmly hugged Ronald in the office.

“How much did it cost you to produce?”

"Three million and six hundred thousand, some of which is the cost of product placement."

"Is the implant the shoe?"

"Yes, there is also the All-American Burger." Ronald took out a few Vans canvas shoe redemption coupons and handed them to Roger Coleman, "These are gifts for the children. I don't know their shoe sizes. With this You can exchange it for the style you like.”

"Oh, thank you. Julie said last time that she couldn't buy shoes of this style."

The two chatted about "fast-paced" stuff, and then Ronald pulled out the script and handed it to Coleman.

"This is a new script I wrote. I remember when we last met, I said I wanted to make a movie for New World. Please read the script."

"Oh, there's another new movie? A science fiction movie?"

Roger Corman saw the title "Night of the Comet" on the cover and blurted out.

"Well, there is some science fiction background. The story is about a valley girl who used the military knowledge taught by her father and learned some knowledge from watching TV to defeat mutated zombies and lead the survivors after the catastrophe."

Ronald touched his ears. It seemed that it was really necessary to consider Tanin's suggestion and change the title of the film to "Comets, Girls, and Zombies." Even Corman blurted out that it was a science fiction film, a title like this might be bad.

Movie titles are a very important marketing tool, which can attract interested audiences to watch the movie. But the name Night of the Comet clearly indicates that it is a science fiction film. Don't let the teenagers you want to attract not come, but instead attract a group of science documentary enthusiasts.

Roger Corman read quickly. He closed the script and said, "This movie is suitable for an investment of about half a million yuan. If you are willing to let New World invest, you need to change the script and delete the big scenes." Get used to this kind of investment."

"Why?"

Ronald did not expect that Coleman would only invest half a million.

"Who are you looking for to play the leading role?" Coleman asked again.

"I haven't thought about it well. Let's choose the casting as usual."

"In this case, if there are no stars, the TV station will not buy it. We have no pre-sale money, so we have to rely entirely on theater distribution. But for this kind of science fiction film, if the investment is less than 10 million, it is impossible for mainstream theaters to sign and purchase it. "

"We don't need such a high investment at all, right? With an investment of two to three million, we can save a little and shoot explosions and other scenes. Five hundred thousand is too little."

"Ronald, you are a very good director, but you don't know enough about production and distribution. You have known me for a long time. Do you know why I never make high-investment blockbusters?" Roger Corman asked road.

Isn't this your picking? Ronald complained secretly in his mind.

"I don't know, maybe you're more cautious, Roger."

"What do you think about film distribution?" Coleman asked another unrelated question.

"Just find a movie theater to show your movie."

"Yes and no." Coleman adjusted his glasses, like a university teacher, and began to talk about it, giving Ronald a lesson on film distribution in America.

“I say yes, because that’s exactly how distribution works. Find theaters that are willing to show the movie, and then collect rental fees for the copies, or share the box office according to the new method that has emerged in recent years.

It is said that it is not because theater chains are willing to pay different distribution costs for movies of different production scales. When they consider whether to show your movie, they don't entirely consider it based on the quality of the movie itself.

If it is a small production worth RMB 3 to 50 million, most theaters will simply release it in a slot and find opportunities to show it during the year-round schedule. The rental fee for copies of these movies is low, and they can be used to play when the box office of the movie originally expected to be shown is not good, or when blockbuster copies have not yet been released.

However, for major productions from major studios, the schedules are usually set in advance at the Las Vegas distribution conference in April of the previous year, and buyers from the theater chain bid for them.

Therefore, for this kind of science fiction film, when the buyer of the theater chain signs the agreement, the film has not yet been edited. In many cases, there is only one star, and the filming has not yet started. Sometimes, the script has not even been completed. "

Ronald listened carefully, and Coleman came to teach him again after a long time.

“After Lucas’s Star Wars and Spielberg’s Jaws, sci-fi movies are no longer the era when I was a director and just made some blue lasers and the audience would love to watch them.

The audience has seen the lightsaber and TIE fighter battles on the screen, and the scary sharks in the sea. They are not satisfied with the cheap science fiction films I made in the past and were shown in drive-in theaters, so if they want to be distributed nationwide, Big investment is required.

But if there are no celebrities to support the movie, how can the theater buyers be willing to pay the best schedule and advance payment? …Ronald, I’m not saying that you’re not qualified for big-budget productions, but with film producers, your name is not good enough to guarantee box office success.

If you can find most of the investment, I will be happy to help you produce and distribute it. It will be prepared this year, filmed next year, and released the year after that. If not, then we have to take a step back and make this movie within a budget of half a million. If we take the simple route of distribution, it will be released next year. "

"Thank you, Roger. I understand."

Ronald listened carefully to what Coleman had to say, and he had some idea why the seven major studios were less interested in his script.

Unlike small productions like Corman's, you can get advances from movie theaters, TV stations, etc. Large productions need to be financed and filmed, and then within the time of release, the cost will be recovered through the distribution of theaters.

It's a huge gamble, as the average TV set in America now approaches one per household. If the audience cannot see something in the cinema that cannot be seen on TV, it will be difficult to make back the money at the box office.

The seven major studios are called the Big Seven, but in fact the number of movies they invest in and shoot each year may not be as many as Corman shoots.

Every movie has to hire star actors and directors, on the one hand to raise funds, and on the other hand because the theaters only believe that the movies they make are good-looking and can attract audiences to leave their homes and drive to the cinema to watch.

The blockbuster movies of the past two years are either Superman or Star Wars, a large-scale production that can easily cost tens of millions. The audience knows that they can see something interesting, such as space battles, Superman flying into the sky, etc.

Either it is a relatively medium-sized production, starring stars, relying on plot and touching emotions to win, such as "The Kramers", "Ordinary People", and "On Golden Pond" that won the Oscar for Best Picture in the past two years. This kind of family emotional film.

And my science fiction film just falls into the category of neither good nor bad. It’s a big investment, but my name doesn’t have such strong appeal.

It requires a small investment, and mainstream theaters cannot rely on crude special effects to attract audiences.

In addition to being made into a low-budget film like Corman's, it was released in some second-run theaters and old theaters. The only two options are to try your luck by constantly looking for producers to promote, or find big-name stars willing to star in the film.

And big stars mean big investments, so instead of taking risks on Ronald, the studio might as well ask him to make some youth sex comedies that have been proven by the market as insurance.

Ronald stopped selling Coleman, which was mission impossible. Coleman, who has been stingy for half his life, cannot bet big on himself just because of the success of one of his exploitation films.

"Then how should I reduce the scene to suit your small investment?"

Ronald simply explored the possibility of making the film as a low-budget exploitation film as a backup option.

"First of all, your big explosion scenes must be reduced or not shot at all, and let the characters narrate them."

Ronald took out his notebook and started jotting down.

"Then for some special effects scenes, you have to find cheap solutions. For example, in an empty city, you have to reduce the scale of the scene. Instead of shooting the city, shoot an empty school, so that you can use the scene during the holidays."

"And for those zombie special effects, you have to find a particularly good special effects model and special effects makeup."

"It has to be cheap, isn't that Jim?" Ronald laughed, "Is he still working for you now?"

"No, he poached my best special assistant. Now Gale is working for him as a producer and is promoting his script. He just found me two days ago and listened to my reasoning."

"Hahaha", Ronald did not expect that he was not the first student to listen to Coleman's publishing class.

"Speaking of which, you are somewhat similar. His scripts are also science fiction."

"Is it the story of the metal robot?" Ronald thought of the metal robots Jim had drawn in Italy.

"Yes, it's a robot. A robot who comes back from the future fights against humans. His imagination is as wild as yours."

"Hahaha." Ronald smiled happily. In fact, Coleman is also a director with a very wild imagination and often makes some imaginative movies.

This time I didn’t even ask Jim or Gale, I was focused on selling to big studios. Looks like it's time to chat with old friends.

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