Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The crew was on holiday, and Ronald wanted to continue preparing for the filming in Toronto, but almost everyone was under the supervision of the union. Everyone went back to celebrate Christmas, and there were no staff or actors to accompany him.

Ronald also slipped back to Toteville, a town on the southern tip of Staten Island, to spend Christmas with Aunt Karen and Donna.

Being away from home all year round filming and busy with promotion and marketing, Ronald hasn't had a quiet meal with his family for a long time.

Donna began to think about where she would go after graduation. Physics today is no longer as lively as it was in the past twenty years. Donna has the idea of ​​​​wanting to work in other industries, such as finance or the computer industry, which also require high mathematical skills.

Of course, Ronald was very much in favor. Now her aunt didn't need her to work to earn money. Choosing a career based on her own interests was the most important thing.

"Ring ring ring ring..."

While chatting with his family about daily matters, the call came to Ronald's home again.

"Can't you just let me have a good Christmas with my family?" Ronald was not very happy.

The call came from Niceta, urging him to attend the release ceremony of MGM's new film and attend some charity events.

"Ronald, it's unfair for you to say that. I didn't spend Christmas with Paula either. MGM invited you to participate in some activities, and it was also to accumulate some resources for the movie you are shooting now. If you don't want it by then When 'Moonlight' was released, more celebrities and celebrities came to support it..."

"Okay, okay, I'll just go."

Calling Little Bud, Ronald returned to Manhattan.

Last year, MGM shot a co-production at the Great Wall. It was a film about an elderly Chinese returning to the city where he grew up, the collision of cultures between the two countries, and the elderly reminiscing about their childhood. It did not do well at the box office after it was released there.

Come try your luck here in America this year.

The English name of the movie is "A Great Wall", and Ronald attended the movie's promotional reception in Manhattan.

Now the two countries on both sides of the Pacific have strong reasons and motivations for getting closer, and the people on both sides are also full of curiosity and affection for the other's people.

Therefore, all walks of life in Hollywood are also full of curiosity about movies shot on that land.

Before big studios and directors like Spielberg and Bertolucci began to be allowed to film in the heart of the two largest cities this year, a small independent studio quietly entered last year. Got there.

The director and starring actor is an old man named Wang Zhengfang who spent his childhood in the capital there. In addition, a student from the film school, Li Qinqin, was found to be the heroine. A song and dance troupe in a southern province hired a young man named Wang Xiao to be the second male lead.

It was screened in China in 1985. Because the plot reflected daily life in the capital, it did not arouse any movie-going craze and failed at the box office.

Wang Zhengfang found someone to put English subtitles on the copy, and this year it was screened in America.

This time, he found a way to succeed.

The people of America are affluent, and "A Great Wall" ranked 18th in its first weekend of release. Although the box office was not high, it more than made up for the ultra-low cost of filming and printing there.

The famous film critic of the Chicago Sun-Times, Roger Ebert, gave this movie three stars and specifically recommended it: The greatest pleasure in watching this movie is to see the different interpretations and mentality of the people of the two countries towards life in the two countries. .

With such a good response, MGM did a lot of marketing for the film.

The first was to participate in the Sundance Film Festival led by Robert Redford, but did not win the jury award. But the heat was high enough across the Pacific that Redford gave it a special jury award. This award is not included in the normal selection. It is specially established. It is not so much for the movie, but for the title of the first movie shot on the Great Wall.

With this title, "The Great Wall" continues to participate in film festivals across America and PR with film critics associations in major cities.

However, despite the blessing of the place where the story takes place, the movie itself was shot in Chinese and was not very popular. In total, it only won one Best Foreign Language Film Award from the Kansas City Film Critics Association.

After going round and round, finally at the end of 1986, I came to New York to participate in the selection of the New York Film Critics Association.

Ronald watched the movie. As a reincarnated Chinese, he was also very curious about what the other side of the Pacific looked like now. Coupled with knowing Chinese, it was quite interesting to watch the city scenery on the screen.

Ronald was fascinated by the various courtyard houses, old-fashioned buildings, Soviet-style buildings, and the unique skyline composed of tall poplar trees.

"How's it going? Is this movie good? We also feel that there is a Chinese craze in American society now, and more and more Chinese are studying here, so we introduced it."

A senior manager of distribution at MGM was very grateful that Ronald came to the screening and took the initiative to say hello.

"I heard that this movie ranked 18th at the box office?" Ronald was actually quite surprised that the movie could be released in America. This kind of foreign-language films with subtitles are increasingly disliked by young people in America.

Unlike the 1970s when America was on the defensive during the Cold War, the 1980s was an era when America regained the upper hand.

Perhaps Ronald's "Top Gun" film contributed to the situation. Young people always think that America is the best country in the world, and there is no need to understand how people in other parts of the world live.

"Now it no longer participates in the box office rankings. The film is mainly shown in Chinatown cinemas in major cities across the United States. The Chinese there have not seen images of their hometown for decades, so they are very enthusiastic about watching movies.

There are also various art theaters, where there are also some college students and foreign film lovers who like to watch such foreign language movies.

We plan to send the film to the Independent Film Festival in California next March, where all independent films will compete..."

"Oh, you are really good." Ronald had the idea of ​​​​operating Director Huang's "Human-Ghost Love" in the same way. He first praised the other party's operation, and then asked the other party for advice.

This senior manager is also willing to communicate with Ronald. When "Moonlight", which he is currently filming, is released, he can also serve as his marketing director and be responsible for the marketing of the film.

The two had a very lively chat, discussing many details about the movie's announcement. Ronald also expressed a lot of his thoughts on the film's performance. A foreign film must have a selling point that attracts audiences in order to gain word-of-mouth.

In general, this movie lacks stars and does not have a particularly interesting story. Only Chinese audiences are interested in the daily life reflected in the movie.

'Moreover, there is a problem with their casting. Some Asian actors have never been there. From birth to growing up, they are all from America. "Ronald got excited about the conversation and expressed some of his judgment.

"Oh yeah? Why? Tell me, are those people born and raised in America?" The manager in charge of marketing still didn't quite believe it.

"First of all, the lead actor and director Wang Zhengfang was born there and has lived here for decades. Li Qinqin is definitely from the capital, and Wang Xiao is from the south. As for Kelvin Han yee, it looks like he grew up on the West Coast."

"Oh, that's right. I have their background information in my hand. How did you do it?"

"The director's eyes," Ronald pointed to his own eyes. Of course he would not say that he had two lives. He would naturally be able to tell the difference if he saw more.

Perhaps it is a matter of food and language. Chinese Americans who grew up in the two places have some subtle differences in the distribution of facial muscles. On the other side, the people in the two big cities in the north and south have very different temperaments and can be distinguished at a glance.

"I really admire you. It seems that being a director does require a lot of talent... hahaha."

"By the way, my name is Michael Gray. It's a pleasure to talk about movies with you, Ronald. How is the filming progress of your new movie?"

"The scenes in New York have been filmed. By the way, my movie will be released in the second half of next year. Will you be responsible for the marketing of the movie?"

Did Ronald meet a marketing manager who he could talk to and had a unique understanding of distribution?

"Of course, if you are willing, I am very willing." Michael Gray achieved his goal. He took two cocktails, clinked glasses with Ronald, and wanted to continue chatting.

"Ronald, we have to go." Niceta intervened. Ronald was about to rush to attend another Christmas charity dinner.

There are many celebrities there, as well as celebrities from various industries. Ronald's fame is gradually spreading beyond the Hollywood circle. This kind of charity dinner is a very good opportunity.

"Okay, we will keep in touch in the future. Rick is my boss, and I have to follow his arrangements. You can call him. We always run around when filming movies. You can find me there."

"This is my phone number. If you have anything to do with Ronald, just call me. I'm his butler."

Next, Ronald transferred to the St. Regis Hotel. This place was originally transformed into a social place for New York's richest people, and there are also independent designer suites for Tiffany, Dior, and other brands.

In the dinner hall, everyone sat down at a round table. Ronald came late and shared a table with the Wall Street bankers.

The light was not bright enough, and he could only see a few people at adjacent round tables, so Ronald chatted with the bankers. Bankers are all very social people, and I had a great time chatting with Ronald when we first met.

"I said, my child is particularly obsessed with fighter jets. Can you get me an autographed photo of Tom Cruise." This is for those who have little fans at home.

"Fighter dogfights are very exciting. We need more people like this. Here we also pay special attention to the winning spirit and keep winning." This is what I like about Ronald's movies.

"How about disclosing it privately. Which Hollywood movies can make money? There are many funds investing in Hollywood now, and we don't want to miss this good opportunity." This is because we want to make money.

"Maybe you don't believe this. I don't know either. No one in Hollywood seems to know. The box office of a movie is a metaphysical issue." Ronald shrugged, saying that he didn't know either.

"Is there really no secret? I heard that celebrities guarantee box office performance. Is this true?"

"A lot of you Wall Street bankers see it that way, but I gotta say, it's not like stars don't make movies that fail at the box office."

"Hey, it's true that there are movies made by big stars that no one has seen." Bankers resonated very much with Ronald's statement.

"You know, we have an unlucky guy there. I don't know why he invested in a single movie. The star is Al Pacino, who was famous for "Scarface", and the director is Hugh Heard, who won the Oscar for Best Picture. Sen, what’s the result?

The big-budget film "Revolution" with an investment of US$30 million did not even reach US$500,000 at the box office. This unlucky guy has never been defeated before. "

"Larry? Some people said he jumped off the building. This is what our industry is like. We have to call countless customers every day. If you fail to complete a project, no one will answer your call. If you lose money Big money and your business card will be thrown out of the card box on the table.

At that point, we'd better hope we've earned enough commissions to retire. Otherwise the only option is to shovel horse manure in Kansas. "

"Hahaha..." Ronald clinked glasses with them. These bankers talked interestingly and nicely. It was quite pleasant for Ronald to chat with smart people like them.

"Ah... let go..."

Ronald was about to continue chatting with them, when suddenly a woman at a table next to him exclaimed.

It was a beautiful model, wearing a backless short dress and a bow tie, dressed a bit like a waiter. In fact, the organizer invited us to fill up the venue. When we saw that there were vacancies, we sat down and chatted with everyone to avoid being left in the cold.

For many graphic models who are not yet famous, this is a good job that pays well and allows them to meet some successful people.

That model is a little different from other models. She doesn't look very thin like the flat models. She looks 5 feet 9 inches (1.75 meters) and close to 110 pounds. She looks thin among ordinary people. Extraordinarily plump for a model.

And there is a mole at the corner of her mouth, which is rare in the modeling industry. Most models are required not to have too many personal characteristics. After all, when they are models, what they want to sell is fashion, and models are more like movable clothes racks.

"Cindy?"

Ronald recognized the girl with blond hair and red lips, the model he recommended to take the opening New York street scene of "Secret of Success", Cindy Crawford. He spoke out to save her.

Cindy couldn't help it. Being rude on such occasions was inevitable. Usually they just get rid of it and get over it.

But today, this person was a designer from Europe. Relying on his power in the modeling circle, he kept touching Cindy's buttocks with his hands.

Cindy Crawford wanted to avoid him, she didn't want to gain power this way. But the designer saw that she wanted to leave, so he hugged her, locked her, and forced her to sit in his arms.

"Ronald?"

Cindy saw clearly that Ronald was very personable. When he introduced her to the crew, he did not forcefully demand anything in return. Cindy immediately agreed. Then he stood up and quickly walked over to Ronald before the designer could react.

The designer had her hair tied in a ponytail. When she saw that someone here knew the female model, and the model walked over obediently, she suddenly felt that her self-esteem was hurt.

"Who is that? Why is the model so afraid of him?"

The guests next to him didn't like this person, "That's the famous Hollywood director, Ronald Lee."

"Movie director? What's the point? A model will eventually work in the fashion industry. What's the use of Isabella Rossellini having a boyfriend to help her in filming? In the end, she will come back to shoot ads for Lancôme."

Ronald stood up, took Cindy Crawford's hand, and guided her to his table, where the banker made room for her.

"Thank you, thank you, you are all knights of America, you saved me from the monsters from Europe..." Cindy Crawford was very good at talking, and she thanked Ronald and several bankers.

But her hand kept holding Ronald's hand.

"Hahaha..." Bankers are not as rough as designers. They surround beautiful models and still communicate mainly through words.

Ronald felt Cindy Crawford's hand holding his hand tightly. He glanced at Cindy several times, and received warm but low-key looks in response.

After a while, Ronald saw Niceta standing in the corner giving him a signal, so he said goodbye.

The bankers exchanged business cards with Ronald for a while, and Cindy Crawford also stood up, holding Ronald's hand, and wanted to go out with him.

The designer sitting over there felt extremely dissatisfied when he saw his prey about to leave. He stared at Ronald fiercely, stood up and walked over to stop him.

Ronald felt something, glanced over there, and smiled contemptuously. This kind of European guy just doesn't understand current affairs, and he behaves like this on this occasion, acting like an arrogant narcissist.

Seemingly irritated by Ronald's contempt, the designer wanted to come over and use his fists to reason with Ronald. But the hotel's banquet space was small, and he couldn't squeeze in even though he tried.

Seeing that Ronald had begun to move away, he was so angry that he made a middle finger gesture towards this side.

It happened that the banker with a child was using a Polaroid to take pictures of the celebrities at the dinner party. When he saw this, he clicked the shutter on the designer. Then he shook the photo quickly, and it quickly appeared. The designer's indecent gesture was just caught.

Taking the photo handed over by the other party, Ronald thanked him, then called Niceta and handed him the photo.

"Help me take care of it."

"Okay, I'll help you book a suite at the Four Seasons Hotel. Cindy knows how to do it. She hasn't returned your help yet. If you have other opportunities to appear, you might as well help her. If you don't have the chance, it's okay not to help."

Ronald nodded to express his understanding, took the hand of beautiful Cindy, left the St. Regis Hotel, got into Little Bud's car, and drove to the Four Seasons Hotel.

The disgraced designer was drinking heavily and was surrounded by two hotel waiters. Then a manager showed him an ugly photo of himself and said, "Sir, you don't have an invitation from us. Please go out." .”

"I came here with people from fashion magazines..."

Before he could protest loudly, he was carried out by two waiters, carried to the door of the hotel, and pushed outside.

"Damn..." The designer, who had drunk a little too much, was pushed and staggered to the ground, unable to get up for a long time.

…

"Your jacket." Cindy Crawford returned Ronald's jacket after entering the hotel suite.

It was cold outside just now, so Ronald put a short windbreaker on Crawford to cover the skin exposed by her halter top.

Cindy's style still maintains the style of a beautiful small-town girl born in a small town in Illinois. She yearns for the big city, but she has no stage fright for big scenes and knows how to distinguish between men.

She took off her high heels and walked slowly on the carpet with her bare feet.

"I don't mind women wearing high heels," Ronald said humorously.

"Hahaha..." Cindy was extremely happy, "My agent also said that I may not be suitable for the film and television industry, and there are not many male actors who can cooperate."

"Your conditions are very good and you have a unique temperament. I think even if you don't want to be an actor, someone will come to you in the future."

Ronald looked at Cindy's figure. After rigorous training, she had a tall and straight figure, and her figure was not like that of an ordinary model. She was very attractive.

There is also that beauty mark, which is also a rare asset for film and television heroines, and it is difficult for the audience to forget it once they see it.

What's even more unique is that Cindy has a special sense of relaxation when walking on stage and is not nervous at all. Whether walking on the catwalk, taking photos as a model, or doing odd jobs at dinner parties, there is always an attitude of not taking things seriously.

This unique temperament is also very suitable for acting. At least relax this level, many beautiful girls can't pass it.

"Really? Actually, I filmed The Secret of Success, and the director scolded us several times. I thought I had no talent." Cindy didn't believe it.

"Really, I have a director's vision." Ronald smiled, "If you become famous in the modeling industry...\

,"Seeing Cindy Crawford frown slightly, Ronald adjusted his words, "When you become famous in the modeling industry, there will be a lot of invitations like this. You will know by then."

It is also a routine operation for America for a model to become famous and switch to film and television.

"I haven't thanked you yet." Cindy finally approached Ronald, stretched out her hands to wrap around Ronald's neck, stood up on her bare feet and kissed him on the lips. "Well, it feels pretty good."

Ronald looked at the beauty in his arms. He was well-informed. He was also slightly distracted by this beauty with long hair and red lips. When he came back to his senses, it seemed that the other party was waiting for his further move. "Actually, you don't have to do this."

"Why don't you do this? I like you, Ronald. When we work as models, we are always bullied. We just think that one day, a knight will come back to save us. Today, you are that knight. Satisfy me when I was in high school. fantasy."

Cindy was very spicy like a girl from the central region. As soon as she finished speaking, she jumped up, wrapped her legs around Ronald, and hung on him.

"Hmm..." Ronald lowered his head for a long kiss. The beauty in his arms seemed to be trembling with excitement because of the sudden passion, and his feet continued to exert force.

Ronald had no choice but to quickly carry her into the bedroom...

"Um……"

After a long time, Cindy was very satisfied, her legs still wrapped tightly around Ronald, as if it wasn't enough.

"By the way, why haven't I seen you in the magazine yet?" Ronald hugged Cindy and whispered in her ear.

"There are quite a few, but there are no covers. I still lack some exposure. Ordinary readers don't know much about me, so...but I think sooner or later I will be on the cover of a fashion magazine or a sports magazine..."

"Well... does it help to be on a late-night talk show?" Ronald thought of his friend David Letterman. He always welcomes famous beauties to appear on his show.

"Really? Can you help me?" Cindy clamped her legs tightly in excitement.

"Let me see what I can do..."

"Aww... I love you so much, Ronald. Come again..."

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