Exploiting Hollywood 1980

David Simkins is the script assistant hired by Ronald. His main job is to select various potential and interesting scripts for Ronald.

This job is more interesting than similar jobs in TV stations.

Because Ronald is a director who knows how to write. He would discuss scripts with David in person or on the phone once or twice a week. From Ronald's words, David Simkins learned a lot about how to view a script from the perspective of a director and producer.

David Simkins, who originally only looked at scripts from the perspective of the script itself, quickly understood what kind of scripts would be loved by directors and producers.

To be precise, the two angles are not quite the same. Directors like to find room for performance in the script, what kind of performance space is there, who can be found to play what role, and how the final film will be different depending on the role.

From the producer's perspective, everything starts from the cost. How much would it cost to photograph these lines of text? How many costumes, makeup, props will this scene require? Are there ways to control costs? How to choose a scene so that you can shoot it at the lowest cost.

Of course, if actors and stars read the script, they will consider more about whether they can use their acting skills to outshine their rival actors on the screen, and whether they can deepen the star's image among the audience.

David Simkins felt well coached. The truth in Hollywood is to give the director as much room as possible within the budget.

Now that major trade unions have strongly raised the minimum wage, the most popular way to save money in the past two years is to go to Australia or Canada to shoot. In addition to lower wages, more working hours, and tax rebates.

He also worked very hard. In addition to learning knowledge, Ronald also promised him that if the script he wrote himself met the requirements, Ronald would also consider filming it or recommend it to a suitable producer.

Of course, the most important thing now is to summarize various interesting scripts and discuss with the boss the possibility of directing them himself.

"Mr. Spielberg thought about it for a long time after talking to you, but he still hasn't let go. He is a little worried about the script adapted from his deeds. I hope it won't be too obvious in the script, so that people will guess that it is him."

David Simkins conveyed to Ronald exactly what Spielberg's assistant Catherine called to explain.

"What? He still doesn't want to reveal the secret? Hmm..."

Ronald knew in his heart that Spielberg was a shy person at heart.

This kind of story, based on his early deeds as an apprentice at Universal, made him a little uneasy. The director is filming the story for others to see, rather than showing his own story to others...

"I will have a chat with him after I come back from London. Mr. Frank Price, would you like the same reply? Anyway, Michael J. You can film.”

"Then I'm just going to go back to Price?" Niceta chatted next to him. "Fox is currently focusing on preparing the movie he most wants to make about the life of a rock band. I'm afraid his focus will be mainly on that. .”

"This is just right. If Steven is unwilling to come out to promote it, the film will have some marketing problems."

Ronald was a little worried about the box office performance of the movie that Frank Price had pitched him to direct.

He and Spielberg talked about this script, and Spielberg pointed out on the spot that this movie might not attract enough moviegoers to watch it with ordinary marketing methods.

That was April before “Top Gun” came out. Ronald, Frank Price, and Spielberg met at Universal under the arrangement of Michael Ovitz, the president of CAA.

The plot of this movie is actually a story that happened when Spielberg was working in the Universal Television production department in the 1970s.

Spielberg graduated from high school at the time and dropped out of college to work at Universal Studios. Because he is young, no project is willing to hire him as a director.

Spielberg loved movies so much that he grew a beard and tried to look older. Then he imitated Universal executives, put on well-pressed suits, and wandered around various sets and offices.

Because he had a Universal work permit, the directors, photographers, and others on the set didn't know who this person was. So he was allowed to wander around the set, asking other people technical questions and artistic decisions. The people on site were also willing to answer his questions.

He soon discovered that if you were pretending on set and in the office, as long as your clothes were ironed, your tie was on, your shoes polished, and you showed confidence, no one would find out that you were lying.

This made Spielberg, who had been relatively introverted since he was a child, but had a rich imagination, very proud. He played this set for more than half a year, and even got an office for himself in Universal's office building, where he put all kinds of script materials. There, go to work every day.

It wasn't until one day by chance that Sidney Sheinberg, the president of Universal at the time, saw him and asked who this very knowledgeable young man was, that Spielberg revealed his secret.

But Sheinberg admired his effort, courage, and risk-taking. Instead of blaming Spielberg, he gave him the opportunity to direct several TV films, which later led to the filming of "Jaws".

Originally, Price wanted to show the script to Spielberg, but the other party was not interested at all. That's why I asked Ronald to take over.

Ronald was confused as to why Spielberg was not interested. The story was well written and the characters were well-developed. It was supposed to have the potential to win box office and critical acclaim.

But what Spielberg said to him at that time only deepened Ronald's doubts, and he even became a little unsure.

"You know this movie is talking to the Sound of Music audience, who have been missing for a long time."

"The Sound of Music? The Julie Andrews one?" Ronald didn't quite understand what Steven meant.

"You should understand, Ronald. I see that you have always known how to attract an audience when making movies. Do you know who the audience of The Sound of Music is?"

"I think those housewives and some adults who are fathers may take their children to see it." Ronald thought for a while and replied.

"Yes, they are the group of viewers who disappeared from the cinema after the invention of television. But sometimes, they will be inspired by a certain movie and enter the cinema again. We don't know what the key is here. This is a gamble. .”

"Oh," Ronald sort of understood what Spielberg meant, and figured out why Frank Price wanted Spielberg in the movie, using his true story as a marketing gimmick for the movie.

After the invention of television, the first people to disappear from the regular audience of movie theaters were housewives.

Their entertainment has shifted from movies specifically about housewives in the cinema to watching soap operas on TV.

Ronald has also read many market research reports on movies, and there is a proper term in them called movie audiences.

Hollywood has a clear definition of this, that is, viewers who have gone to the cinema more than ten times in the past year and have regular movie-watching habits.

These housewives may occasionally go to the cinema once or twice a year, such as Ronald's "Top Gun" or Spielberg's "E.T.", but other than that, they stay away from the rest of the movies. .

If your movie's primary audience is these people, then you're taking a gamble. Bet your movie has some qualities that fill a gap in movies, talks about some major real-life issues that have never been touched on by previous movies, and most importantly, it has to be good-looking.

In this way, you have the possibility to inspire more "missing audiences of The Sound of Music" who don't usually watch movies through word-of-mouth to come back to the cinema.

This possibility is actually relatively small, so mature directors like Spielberg stay away from it. Especially after his last movie "The Color Purple", which reflected major real-life issues, completely failed in the awards.

This movie, which Spielberg has high hopes for, has already received more than 80 million at the box office in April due to large-scale publicity and the gimmick of his first exposure to real-life themes.

But at the Oscars, Spielberg was humiliated. The movie "The Color Purple" received 11 nominations, including Best Picture and Best Adapted Screenplay, but there was no single nomination for Spielberg for Best Director.

In the end, at the awards night, all 11 nominations were unsuccessful. Ronald felt very embarrassed at the scene, especially every time the camera panned Spielberg.

Even the above host Jane Fonda was extremely embarrassed when she announced the best picture award winners. Spielberg did not attend the after-party and walked away.

Anyway, in the short term, he and the Oscar organizing committee did not give him a best director nomination. Those members who have the right to vote do not want the young Spielberg to win the award so quickly.

Because of this experience, Ronald also had a lot of concerns about directing this reality-themed movie.

Plus……

"Is Helen still pestering you to play the leading role?" Niceta found an opportunity to ask Ronald alone.

"She thinks so, and I feel a little annoyed..."

Ronald was a little embarrassed because he didn't really want to direct Helen Slater. On the one hand, her acting skills are not very good, but she thinks very highly of herself. Ronald, a person close to me, felt that it was difficult to speak harshly as a director.

On the other hand, this movie has a lot of not-so-good plot points. The heroine is a lover who clings to the boss of the company. She relied on the relationship with the boss to become the director of the financial department. Although she finally got married to the male protagonist, this kind of plot was harmful to the actor's image.

But Helen Slater's demand for space for her acting skills exceeded everything else. She really wanted to play the heroine and pestered Ronald to flatter her. On the one hand, Ronald enjoyed Helen's tenderness, but on the other hand, he felt a little annoyed. It was best either not to direct it himself, or for Helen not to play the leading role.

But it was not easy to say it out loud, and it was a bit embarrassing anyway. Only the manager could find a way to mediate in the middle, not only to persuade Helen to give up, but also to find an excuse that would not hurt her self-esteem.

"I will talk to her more." Of course, Niceta would actively share Ronald's worries. "You go to London first. When you come back, I should be able to handle it."

"Well," Ronald turned back and asked his assistant David Simkins, "how about the script that Eleanor sent?"

"The script is a good one, but it tells an old story from the era of Kennedy's leadership, and there is also a problem with the audience. The audience who loved to watch stories about little girls at that time are now middle-aged housewives, and they are also... "

"You are also a missing audience member of The Sound of Music, right?" Ronald waved his hand, please give me a copy of the script and I will read it on the plane. Wait until I get back from the Royal Premiere of "Top Gun" in Britain.

7017k

Please remember the first domain name of this book: . :