Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Chapter 906 Oscar Nomination

"The land opposite is a natural pond, and our garden is facing it. Although the land does not belong to you, Director Luo, it does not prevent us from directly seeing the scenery of the pond from the garden. The essence of Jiangnan gardens is The design is based on the natural scenery.”

"First have the natural scenery, and then design the building?" Ronald and Mr. Wang, a garden designer from China, stood on a hill behind the house where they bought the land where "The Godfather" was filmed, looking at the garden. design diagram.

"Yes, this is a tradition of Chinese culture. For example, our Temple of Heaven, look at this photo..." Mr. Wang handed Ronald a photo of the Temple of Heaven from National Geographic magazine, "This Temple of Heaven follows the Western Architectural aesthetics are not profound enough. But the photographer of the photo understands Chinese culture very well and took the blue sky above the Temple of Heaven into the photo. This makes the entire building appear very harmonious and integrated with nature. This is the unity of nature and man. Thought……"

"So, what you mean is that we don't need to buy that land. As long as we build a garden here, the scenery over there will naturally become part of the garden, right?" Ronald listened for a while and understood the garden design. concept.

After the sales revenue from the "Dirty Dancing" soundtrack and video tapes entered Ronald's bank account, Ronald's long-decided garden project also began to speed up progress.

It turned out that Ronald had a very simple idea. He bought a quick land to build a garden for his own entertainment and to entertain his friends. But as the process progressed, I discovered that although America is a supposedly free country, land sales may be the least free of all tradable commodities and are subject to the greatest control by states and towns.

First of all, except for local snakes like Douglas Hanson Jr. who have been entrenched in the local area for more than a hundred years, new land sales rarely adopt the "Free Simple Absolute" method used during Lincoln's reign.

This kind of land contract, which was only possible before the Civil War when the land was vast and sparsely populated, was the most liberal type for landowners. The owner can own the property rights of the land forever, and there is no need to pay property tax if he does not build a house. Moreover, the use of the land is completely free. You can dig it however you want, use it for farming, or build houses and factories.

But after the economy developed, land was divided into more detailed areas by local governments. In addition to the expiration date of land property rights, there are also usage restrictions. Different uses of land come with different fees and taxes.

In addition, there are some compulsory collection and special protection provisions. If the people on the land vote to absolutely expropriate the land for public development or to create a park, the government can set a price to compulsorily expropriate the land.

If there are wild animals on the land, or any protective relics with historical commemorative significance, it can be designated as a protected area by legislation, and no reconstruction is allowed.

The large piece of wasteland that Ronald is interested in has a pond, and many migratory birds will stay here for a few weeks every year when they migrate. Therefore, the owner of the land is willing to sell it, and Ronald is willing to buy it, but the municipal government The ministry informed that the deal needs to be approved after an environmental protection assessment.

As a veteran landowner, Douglas Jr.

He told Ronald's Creek that assessment could take more than a year. Ronald, who couldn't wait any longer, asked Huaguo's design team to come over and build a small garden first.

"Then we dig a creek from here and bring in live water..." Mr. Wang, the garden designer, continued to introduce.

"You should contact my lawyer, Miss Lindsay Dole. I have a new movie to shoot, so I'll leave it to you."

"Ronald, there's your phone number. It's from Richard." Little Bud, who was in the car under the mountain, shouted to Ronald on the mountain. His car phone received a call from his agent.

"Richard, it's me, what's the result?" Ronald knew that Richard was so anxious to find him, he must have been nominated for the Directors Guild's Best Director Award. This most influential director award before the Oscars has always coincided with Oscar nominations at a high rate.

"Sorry, Ronald. We don't have much influence in the Directors Guild... Although this is the precursor to the Oscar nomination for Best Director, it does not coincide 100% every year. We can still look forward to the Oscars, and there is still one day tomorrow. Voting time, the nomination list will be announced the day after tomorrow.

Mr. Ovitz has issued an order requiring all CAA agents and clients with voting rights to do public relations for you. "

"It's okay, that's it." Ronald hung up the phone. The Directors Guild Awards and Oscar nominations are closely tied. Many directors who have the right to vote probably filled out their voting forms for both awards together. I'm afraid there won't be much difference... Sigh...

Ronald felt a little depressed. I have made a lot of psychological preparations for the Oscars. They all say that the Oscars focus on qualifications, and young directors who perform well often can only get nominations, but because of their young age, they do not win the award. If you really want to win the award, you may have to nominate for a second or third time and be punished.

But now it would be embarrassing if there was no nomination.

By the end of the night, Ronald received the list of films nominated by the Directors Guild.

The Directors Guild's five nominees for Best Director this time include, in addition to the much-anticipated Bertolucci of "The Last Emperor", James L. Brooks, Adrian Lyne, and Si Pierberg.

Ronald's nomination is occupied by a dark horse. Lasse Hallström from Sweden. The director's semi-autobiographical film, "The Dogface Years," was released in America in the middle of last year.

It tells the story of a child in Sweden in 1958 who is sent to live in the countryside because his mother is seriously ill. There, he encounters a quirky town and learns about love, sexuality - and himself.

It should be said that it is not surprising that Ronald was squeezed out by the Swedish director. Because this Swedish movie is a very weird movie. Not only is the plot of the movie relatively undramatic, but the movie was released in America with the original Swedish sound and English subtitles.

Just such a movie, relying purely on word-of-mouth, has earned more than 8 million in box office in North America, and has aroused praise from film critics. The main audiences of this movie are in big cities, mainly college students and young people.

This plot of self-discovery can easily resonate with young people. Even the director himself did not expect the film's results. He soon gained the favor of Hollywood producers and was ready to develop in Hollywood.

Ronald had a copy of the movie fetched and watched it himself. Although "The Dog-Faced Years" was filmed with full emotion and skillful technique, I still felt uncomfortable being robbed of a nomination by a Swedish-language film.

Is it true that, as is said in the industry, young directors must be ranked based on their seniority in order to be nominated? The Oscars are not all judged based on the strength of the films of that year. Sometimes there is also the factor of repaying a debt of gratitude. For example, the director should have been nominated a few years ago but did not get it because the competition was too strong.

Or like Lasse Hallström, who made this medium-production movie with a small budget and a very literary theme. Hollywood has always been open to European talents.

Another possible reason is that Ronald's previous films were all commercial films, and there was not much innovation in directorial techniques or the ability to inspire actors to perform breakthroughs. Many directors with voting rights may not have seen "Moonlight". man,” simply voting based on their impression of Ronald’s past.

"Ronald, Ronald, are you going to Manhattan?" my aunt called downstairs.

"I'm not going." Early the next morning, Ronald was still lying in bed unwilling to get up.

"Then you come and have breakfast first. I made a sandwich that you like."

"I'm a little tired, let's talk later."

Ronald rarely stayed in bed. He couldn't bring himself to cheer up the next day. He called the crew from bed and decided not to go to the scene or watch the actors prepare today.

"Ronnie, you go for a walk, the sun is so nice. An award is nothing special, the audience likes to see it." Aunt Karen brought breakfast into the room.

"Hey..." Ronald had no choice but to get up, finish breakfast, put on his coat and take a boat to Manhattan.

Wandering aimlessly, Ronald came to the entrance of the New York Art High School, the prototype of the school that was "famous all over the world". After the place was redesigned and renovated, it was renamed LaGuardia Art High School.

The stone building at the entrance has not changed, except that a bronze plaque is embedded in the stone wall of the new school entrance. Under the school name, a row of small characters "Famous throughout the world was filmed here" was engraved in small letters.

Today happens to be a holiday, and many students who are interested in applying for art colleges came to visit the school. They all end up taking a group photo under that bronze medal.

"Did you know? This was a famous filming location back then, and many actors were art students." A girl said to her friends. She had an outstanding voice, and she might be taking the singing exam.

"I didn't watch the movie at that time, I only watched the TV series adapted from the movie..." Her companion was a little taller than her and looked more like a dancer. Maybe he was applying for the dance department.

"Actually, this is not a filming location, but it is true that the actors are students." Ronald couldn't help but interrupt and corrected them.

"Huh, what do you know? When Gene Anthony Ray was interviewed, he said this was his alma mater. He is the only movie protagonist who continues to act in TV series."

"Haha, is that so?" Ronald heard this name that he hadn't heard for a long time. His black younger brother continued to play the same role in the TV series adapted from the same name. America Today once reported that he was drinking and abusing drugs, but this was denied by him and the crew.

The TV series ended last year, and several of their characters finally graduated from high school in the show. Gene was later selected to star in the musical adaptation of Stephen King's novel "Carrie." It closed on Broadway after only 21 days.

However, in the minds of these little girls who grew up watching his TV series, they still remember that handsome black dancer.

Ronald turned the corner and walked toward uptown Manhattan. The area around Central Park was quiet. In the upper-class neighborhoods, only boutiques and some yoga places were open.

Ronald saw one of the karate halls, where there were some children wearing Taoist uniforms and black belts, imitating Daniel LaRusso's Crane Kick on the tatami.

"Sir, do you also want to come to our gym? We have training for adults and children." A staff member saw Ronald standing outside the transparent glass floor-to-ceiling window and came out to greet him.

"Nothing, I just took a look..." Ronald nodded and left.

"You are welcome to come here often. We also have peripheral products authorized by 'Longwei Boy', including the kind of headscarf made by Master Miyagi. Children like it very much."

Ronald then moved downtown, gradually approaching Chinatown. The street shops here were much busier than uptown, and many of the customers were whites, blacks, and Latinos who came to buy food and cheap goods.

"One, two, three, four...five, six, seven, eight...two, two, three, four...jump..."

On the second floor of a narrow porch came the sound of a dance command.

Ronald looked up and saw a small dance studio teaching mamba. Outside the stairs leading up to the first floor, there was a Latina-looking woman handing out promotional materials.

"Have you ever seen Dirty Dancing? We teach this kind of dance here. It's easy to learn. Do you want to try it?"

"I don't have a dance partner..." Ronald declined, but his mood gradually improved. Although the Directors Guild award failed, the films he shot did indeed change America a little bit.

Continuing to walk down, you will find the Sangui area where security is not very good. Chinatown, Little Italy, and Latino areas.

A group of Latino guys used paint cans to spray incomprehensible graffiti on the wall. There was a dual-card loudspeaker recorder in the corner. Along with the rap music, several young people in sweaters were imitating Michael Jackson's moonwalk. , in contact with Breakdance.

"Boom...boom..." The sound of a motor reminded me that on the other side of the road, a woman wearing a leather jacket and leather trousers was sitting on a motorcycle. She looked like the heroine in "Night of the Comet".

"Boom..." The female Ah Fei started her motorcycle and rushed towards Ronald.

"Shxt..." Ronald saw that he was coming to grab something, so he quickly turned around and ran across the street. A few Latinos who were ready to cooperate with the sneak attack were left behind to curse.

After running four or five blocks, Ronald stopped. He felt very good. The effects of his daily exercise were still there, and he would not be out of breath after running for a short time.

The smooth blood circulation brought by running brought Ronald's fighting spirit back. He put his fingers in his mouth, whistled loudly, hailed the cab, and said, "Go to Fifth Avenue."

"Mr. Li, I have a message from you."

In the lobby, Ronald was stopped by the butler, who took out a note from behind the counter and handed it to Ronald.

"It's a call from a gentleman from Niceta. He called you several times and you're not here. Please call him back as soon as possible."

"Oh..." Ronald touched his body. He was in a bad mood, and he didn't bring out his bag or pager.

"Hello, this is Ronald." When he arrived in the room, Ronald called Niceta.

"Oh God, where have you been? We need to hire an assistant for you. I'm so anxious that I can't find you."

"What's so urgent?" Ronald asked.

"You have been nominated for the Oscar for Best Director. It will be announced tomorrow. We have arranged for several important media to interview you. I can confirm the time when you show up. Richard, Richard, Kuaihe Hollywood Reporter , call the reporter from the variety show..."

"Oh yeah? Hahaha..." Ronald laughed out loud. CAA's agent is still very powerful. He actually made the Directors Guild's nomination go wrong. With the votes of the Film Critics Association, he turned the tables and won the Oscar for Best. Director's nomination.

After so many years since his debut, he finally got nominated for an Oscar again. Different from the best original song last time, this time it is the best director, one of the five major awards.

"You are also nominated for the best picture. (Because Ronald is the producer)" Niceta also laughed there.

"In total, Your Moonlight is also nominated for Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, and Best Original Screenplay, for a total of six nominations."

"Hahaha..." Ronald smiled very happily. Being able to get six nominations is a treatment only available to blockbusters. In the future, will any star in the industry dare to underestimate him?

"It's not over yet, your 'Dirty Dancing' was also nominated for Best Original Song."

Nishita talked about the circumstances of being nominated. The other films that received multiple nominations are all old acquaintances along the way.

Bertolucci's "The Last Emperor" has nine nominations, "Broadcast News" has seven, Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun," Adrian Lyne's "Fatal Attraction," and "Moonlight" "The same six items.

"So the director of that Swedish film didn't get a nomination? Did they give him Best Foreign Language Film?"

Ronald felt a lot more angry. Originally, the Academy Awards were Hollywood awards. Why not give Hollywood insiders their own nominations to support a foreign language film. Since it is a foreign language film, the Best Foreign Language Film Award is where it should end up.

"Are you confused? Ronald, foreign language films released in mainstream theaters in America are competing for normal awards. Lasse Hallström won the best director and best director for The Dog-Faced Years Nominated for Adapted Screenplay.”

"Huh? He's still there? Then who was squeezed out?" Ronald heard that this Swedish director was still on the list of Best Director nominees. Who was the unlucky guy who was nominated for the Directors Guild Award but didn't get an Oscar nomination? ? "

"It's Steven..." Niceta's tone also changed, "He was squeezed out by John Boorman, the director of the British film 'Hope and Glory'."

"Spielberg didn't get the best director nomination?" Ronald didn't know what to say when he heard the news.

"Yes, there was no nomination for Best Film. It only received minor awards such as Best Art Direction, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Costumes, Best Score, and Best Sound Effects."

"This..." Ronald thought to himself, is this the first time Spielberg has been tricked by Oscar?