Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Main Text Volume Chapter 85 Something Goes Wrong During the Shooting of Rain Man “If there’s one thing about you that’s particularly like the directors of the Golden Age of Hollywood, it’s that when you’re shooting, you already have the final image in mind. ” Walter Murch joked to Ronald in the editing room, before adding, “It also makes the job of editing seem less challenging.”

Ronald smiled and understood what he meant. In the early years of Hollywood, movies were a business that competed for time, and quality was not the most important thing. Therefore, many bosses of major studios will ask editors to recreate the films shot by the director.

Often the director would come home from get off work on a Friday night, and on Monday morning the film would have been edited into a completely different look and be released immediately.

This has also allowed many directors with artistic pursuits to develop a skill. Just do the editing in advance when shooting, so there is not even a foot of extra film.

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Many times, they don't take a panoramic main shot to explain the relationship between the background and the characters, and they don't take an extra half second of unnecessary footage. When it's time to change the editing, they call it quits, and they don't take a few extra seconds for insurance. In this way, the studio cannot "re-create" and can only edit the film according to their original intention.

After the collapse of the big studio system, the new generation of Hollywood directors generally have the power to complete the editing of movies. Producers won't be putting scissors on the movie until at least the first test screening of the cut.

Therefore, most directors in the new era do not have a mental preview of what the movie will look like before shooting. They prefer to regard shooting as a part of creation, and then assemble the complete story in the editing room.

This kind of editing work is much more creative than an "old-fashioned" director like Ronald. It's no wonder that Murch prefers the challenging shooting method. In such a movie, the editor's contribution to the creation is actually no less than the director.

"Well... I am a low-budget photographer, so I like to make plans in advance and then shoot according to the plan." Ronald chuckled, getting rid of his reliance on dreams.

"The next step is fine-tuning and detailed work on the soundtrack. You can still work with me here if you have confidence in me and have other work..." Walter Murch was already busy with Ronald Lu Lu got a feel for the time arrangement and took the initiative to complete the most time-consuming and detailed adjustments by himself.

"I happen to have something to do. You taught me all my editing... If there is anything you want me to confirm, let's call."

The thing Ronald was talking about was going to Palm Springs.

Tom Cruise found himself through Paula,

His new film "Rain Man" has begun filming, but two weeks after filming started, it encountered great difficulties. Tom intentionally proposed changing the director and letting Ronald take over.

This "Rain Man" was also ill-fated. It was financed by two independent producers whom Ronald knew, Guber and Peterson. The one who took over the distribution contract was MGM, which didn't have much distribution business. The production company is linked to United Artists, which has been acquired by MGM and now only has one brand left.

It is conceivable that none of these entities have the ambition to promote a major project with an Oscar winner and a popular star. The real driving force behind this project is actually CAA's president, Michael Ovitz.

Ovitz's wishful thinking was very good. Dustin Hoffman is a client of CAA, and the market is asking for a salary of 6 million, but this price is now in danger.

This is because last year, in order to repay the female director Yin Laianmei who brought him to his debut, Dustin Hoffman and another Hollywood actor, the big star Warren Beatty, attracted 50 million investments for Yoon Lai Eun Mei returns to Hollywood to direct the film.

The two movie kings not only played the leading male roles, but also cast the Chinese female star Yin Sabella Adjani to play the female lead. The movie was shot in Morocco, and Yin Laien Mei wrote and directed a movie that two lyricists accidentally entered. The movie about Cold War espionage is called "One Flew Over".

Unfortunately, like those movie stars who have just won awards, the excessive ambition made the movie unbearable. The new movie released last year only received more than 10 million at the box office, losing all their investment, and also made Yin Laien and Mei, who they originally wanted to help, The opportunity to shoot a big production in Hollywood was completely lost.

So it calls for another movie to rehabilitate Dustin Hoffman, and Rain Man is a great project.

On the other hand, Tom Cruise's appeal in commercial films is getting stronger and stronger, but he himself does not want to be a star, but wants to be an actor. In order to satisfy his preferences, Ovitz also inserted him into the "Rain Man" project as one of the starring roles.

Finally, the two male protagonists have both acting skills and fame, and the autism story that has never been filmed is a powerful tool to attract famous directors.

Ovitz approached many directors to promote the project, including all the top directors in Hollywood. If they are interested, it will allow them to experience CAA's meticulous service spirit and strong operational capabilities, and maybe they can sign under CAA.

Famous directors are the scarcest resource in Hollywood. Ovitz was first spotted by Ovitz, and it was Barry Levinson who took over the project. But star Dustin Hoffman wants to spend time with autistic people to learn how they behave.

Filming was delayed for a year. Vincent left the project and went to film "Good Morning, Vietnam."

The second director to take over was Spielberg. Ovitz has been coveting the Hollywood No. 1 director for a long time, and this time he spent a lot of money to hire him. Spielberg even did a lot of preparatory work and drew some of the shots.

But as time went by, he found that Hoffman was difficult to cooperate with, and George Lucas called him back to film the new Raiders of the Lost Ark, so he withdrew and instead recommended his good friend Sydney Pollack.

Sydney Pollack has directed Oscar-winning films such as "My Fair Lady" and "Out of Africa" ​​and is among the top three directors in Hollywood in recent years.

After taking over for a period of time, he also felt that the difficulty of film shooting was too high, and that Hoffman had too many demands. In addition, the production company he opened was busy with business, so he gave up directing a few weeks before the Writers Guild strike.

A strike was imminent. If there was no director to take over, the filming would be affected if the script was not submitted. In an emergency, Ovitz began to recruit Barry Levinson, who was the first to take over.

But what is very interesting is that during the several times directors changed hands, Ovitz did not find Ronald, who was originally a client of CAA.

Just a few recommendations from Tom Cruise. But after Ronald proposed changing the starring role and letting Cruise play the mentally retarded one of the brothers, Ovitz stopped mentioning the matter.

God's calculations are not as good as those of man, and a few weeks after the filming started, it once again reached a deadlock. Dustin Hoffman felt that his performance was like a horseshxt, and refused to continue filming until he found the feeling. It brought the entire crew to a halt, and director Barry Levinson was so embarrassed that he resigned.

At this time, Tom Cruise thought of Ronald again and once again recommended him to direct him. Ovitz was at his wits end, so he had to go through Niceta and invite Ronald to Palm Springs for a chat in the name of taking him on vacation.

…

"Hi, Ronald, it's great to have you here," said Tom Cruise, wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, as he picked Ronald up in the parking lot. As soon as the car stopped, he came up and opened the door, showed a charming smile, and hugged Ronald tightly.

"I brought my aunt's cookies for you to try. They didn't put butter and sugar, but also put some vegetables. They were baked especially for you." Ronald handed over a pair of cookies, which Aunt Karen makes every Christmas. and received a cake from Cruise on Thanksgiving in return.

"Ha, Aunt Karen remembered that I have to keep fit and not eat too many sweets. She was so kind to me." Cruise accepted it happily and handed it to Paula beside him. The group of people changed into two large cars and drove towards the reserved hot spring hotel.

"Rain Man" was a big production, and Barry Levinson decided to shoot the scenes one by one in chronological order according to the order of the plot. This is a road movie with a simple plot that relies entirely on the true feelings between the actors to impress the audience. In addition, the budget is sufficient, so the director decided to use this filming method that can best ensure the performance.

The initial plot was shot in a nursing home in Palm Springs. Charlie Babbitt, a rich man played by Tom Cruise, meets his autistic brother Raymond for the first time.

But for these uncomplicated scenes, Dustin Hoffman spent two weeks without a single usable shot. Now it's equivalent to a strike-style stoppage of filming.

"So, what's going on? Why can't Dustin continue filming?" Ronald saw that there were no outsiders in the room, only Cruise, Paula, and Niceta who were deeply bound by their interests, so he just Asked straightforwardly about the trouble.

"Dustin feels that he doesn't act like an autistic person. Every time after filming, it's very painful to watch the dailies the next day. If he doesn't meet his requirements, he won't continue..." Paula replied, she is very dedicated. , he left the baby at home with a nanny while he continued to accompany Cruise.

"So how does he adjust it? It's impossible to find the feeling after two weeks of shooting, right?" Ronald was also surprised, how could he not have a satisfactory shot in two weeks?

"He spent a long time studying with autistic patients in advance, but his performance in the demo film was still not very similar to that of real patients. Dustin is considering suspending filming and going back to work with more autistic patients. Let’s live for a few more months.

"Pfft...cough..." Ronald drank the black tea and choked when he heard this part. There is no way to play like this. If the shooting plan is stopped like this, the loss will be huge. The monetary loss is okay, but where can a popular star like Tom Cruise adjust his schedule?

"Yes, Tom has already agreed with Oliver Stone to go to the Philippines to shoot a new film about the Vietnam War in the second half of the year." Paula was also very anxious. She most hoped that Ronald would take over, and it would be best if Dustin ·Hoffman controlled. He had a good way of dealing with Harrison Ford before, and word spread in the Hollywood agent circle that he managed to seduce Han Solo with delicious food.

"What do you think?" Ronald asked Tom Cruise.

"Dustin is a very dedicated director. He said that as long as he finds a shot that he can barely satisfy, he can continue shooting, but so far there is no one. I think we have to give him more patience..."

"Hmph... If you don't act like it, then go back to live and study with autistic patients..." Ronald was really not interested in an actor like him. So if he wants to play a murderer, then... in the final analysis, he just can't act.

"What do you think? Ovitz wants to ask you to talk alone tonight..." Niceta asked from the side what kind of charter Ronald himself was.

Tom Cruise is, after all, a young actor who has no experience of being on the other side of the camera. Ronald had been filming all the way and had long been suspicious of the acting skills of certain actors who were legendary in the industry.

The Oscars prefer certain types of roles. Dustin Hoffman's imagination is actually very average, and he can only play roles for which he has experience.

"I still say that Tom should play the retarded one of the brothers, if you want to win an award." Ronald said with a smile.

"Dustin and I often read lines in the trailer while switching roles. In fact, I think the role of Raymond is not as difficult as expected..." Tom Cruise replied.

It seemed that he was a little moved and regretted not listening to himself. To compete for awards, you have to use all the advantages. Acting as a fool can actually gain more recognition from peers and audiences than acting as an ordinary person.

Actors recognized by Hollywood as having top acting skills, such as Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney, and Henry Fonda, are all capable of playing very ordinary roles. Actors like John Wayne, who can only play fixed special roles, are generally considered to have second-rate acting skills.

Everyone was silent and began to seriously consider this possibility for the first time. Replacing the trouble was also a solution to the trouble.

…

In the evening, Michael Ovitz flew to Palm Springs and specially invited Ronald to a dinner. He also needed to have a chat and feel out the director who was not his first choice for the Rain Man project.

"I just came back from New York, and the crew is really not easy to worry about. But this also shows that Dustin is dedicated and has high standards for himself. The movie will definitely be a masterpiece. It's just that it encountered temporary difficulties."

This style of speech is not quite right. Ronald listened and understood that Ovitz still wanted to keep Dustin Hoffman's starring role. As for whether to change the director, it depends on whether Barry Levinson can control the male lead.

"I am a good friend of Tom. This time I came to visit and meet the new mayor Sonny Bono. I have some small-scale films that I hope can be screened at his first Palm Springs Film Festival next year."

Since Ovitz did not invite Ronald politely, some airs were still needed.

"We need Dustin very much. His acting skills are very profound. We hope to find a way to get him back to feeling..."

Ovitz heard that the topic of conversation was wrong, so he changed his tone again. After all, Dustin Hoffman is one of our own, and we have to take care of his needs first.

"I am an outsider. My interest in this movie is just to see it released smoothly on the screen. So I can ask a hypothetical question. Can we do some technical discussions?" Ronald met Ovi. Ci didn't speak straightforwardly, so he raised a question that no one wanted to talk about.

"Please tell me..." Ovitz looked at Ronald. This young screenwriter who he brought to see Jane Fonda was now a big director who couldn't speak directly and had to worry about the other person's emotions.

"If in the golden age of Hollywood, there was such a big production, and a leading actor was still unable to get into the state, and there was no one available after a week of shooting, then the studio bosses at the time, such as Samuel Goldwyn, would , what would be the reasonable action?”

Ronald's meaning is simple, since Dustin Hoffman can't play the role, then replace him. There are too many actors in Hollywood who can play roles, and it would be over if he were cast.

"It's a historical question, right?" Ovitz laughed.

"Of course...a discussion of the old Hollywood system." Ronald knew that Ovitz was not comfortable speaking ill of his clients.

"If it were back then, in the era of big studios, then the film would have either stopped filming or been replaced... But in Hollywood now, you also know, Ronald, our financing and distribution, to a large extent. Depend on the stars.

If it weren't for such a big star with a salary of 6 million as a guarantee, there would be questions about whether the entire project would be established. "

Ronald frowned slightly. Isn't it enough to have Tom Cruise in this movie? Cruise, a beautiful blond boy, plays a mentally retarded man. What a gimmick. Female fans across the United States are still crying and shouting to see their cute Tom?

"I understand, looking at it this way, it's up to Dustin to figure it out on his own." Ronald said that he was just giving an opinion, and you can do whatever you want. Unless Cruise becomes the protagonist, he won't wade into this troubled waters. This script looks very difficult to film at first glance, as it doesn’t have the structure of a three-act play. It all depends on the strength of the director and the leading actors to keep the audience interested in watching.

"I want to take a look at the dailies tomorrow. Can you come with me? I know you are now an expert in directing the acting skills of big stars. Fox and Harrison himself are full of praise for you."

There was no result from the conversation, but he just agreed to watch the samples the next day. Ronald returned to the hotel and took a bath in the hot springs as a vacation.

"Ronald...are you there?" Tom Cruise called, hoping to chat with Ronald again.

"Come on..." Ronald got dressed, and Cruise had no idea.

"I still hope you can come. Barry's level is good, but he has trouble dealing with Dustin. His temperament cannot suppress Dustin. Sometimes, I think what the crew needs is a confident person like you. , so that Dustin can listen to his advice.”

Ronald looked at Tom Cruise and said nothing for a long time. Cruise's idea is still a bit naive. Winning the Oscar for Best Actor depends on his acting skills? Can your acting skills improve if you work with movie stars and famous directors? By following their plan step by step, can you finally get the awards and evaluations you want?

"How much did you get paid for this movie?" Ronald suddenly asked.

"Three million, what's wrong? Isn't Paula willing to tell you? In fact, she doesn't need to keep it a secret from you..." Tom Cruise smiled with white teeth. Ronald was his benefactor and the director, so there was no need to keep it a secret from him.

"Do you know how much Dustin's salary is?" Ronald made a six sign, and then continued quickly, so that Tom Cruise couldn't react, "Ovitz said that this movie needs to rely on Dustin Only when an actor is bad can he get investment and distribution... Do you believe it? I think he is bullshxt..."

"Then why are they?" Tom Cruise was very disappointed. The value of Americans is measured by bids. I didn't expect that my salary was half of Dustin's. There was no need for Ronald to lie to him, it was Ovitz who said it again. This number is most likely true.

I have also heard about his previous salary prices, but Dustin's previous movie "The Streets" suffered heavy losses, so it will be lower this time, right? He always felt that he used his fame to bring himself into the crew this time, and even if he was lower than Dustin, it shouldn't be much lower.

If the script is good and it is expected to win awards, I can act at a lower salary. Should Hoffmann also lower the price, or keep it at the past six million? What does this mean?

"I'll tell you why..." Ronald took a letterhead from the table, tore off a piece of paper, put it on the table, and wrote down several names with a pencil.

Michael Ovitz, Barry Levinson, Sidney Pollack, Dustin Hoffman, Guber and many more...

"No way?" Tom Cruise thought of a possibility.

"That's it. You and I are in the second echelon in terms of CAA's priority."

Ronald crumpled the letter into a ball and went to the bathroom to flush it away.

"I'm going to talk to Paula. This is wrong..." Tom Cruise walked out with a unswerving expression. He went to talk to Paula. He was so enthusiastic in exchange for second-class treatment? This is unfair and very un-American.