Exploiting Hollywood 1980

The group returned to Austin. There is no direct flight from here to Santa Fe, New Mexico. Taking a commercial flight requires a transfer in Dallas. Because there are no big companies here, it is difficult for the business jet leasing business to guarantee that an aircraft will be transferred in time.

A few hours later, in the terminal of the Dallas Airport, Paula Wagner and Niceta found a VIP lounge for Ronald, where the three of them took a break.

"Ronald, Tom regrets..."

Paula handed Ronald a cup of instant coffee. She accompanied Ronald on this trip. What she wanted to do most was to help her biggest client and maintain a relationship with Ronald.

In fact, not only Tom Cruise, but also Paula, Niceta, Richard, and all the other agents on the CAA line all regretted it.

The appeal of a big star who can be nominated for an Oscar is far greater than that of an Oscar winner and a big star. Big stars who have won awards and box office have a huge impact on improving the business of related people.

If Tom Cruise can get an Oscar nomination, then whether it is a large-scale commercial film production or a medium-sized production with a particularly good story, if he expresses interest alone, the project can be established. If he doesn't want to take it, he can also Let the project fail.

On the set of "Rain Man", after being enlightened by Ronald's unintentional words, Dustin Hoffman performed very smoothly, as if he had found the feeling, and played an autistic person like a master.

This of course has a lot to do with the fact that he has spent a long time with a group of autistic people before, but if there is anything that is the secret of his performance, it is that some autistic people have relatively low IQs compared to other people. , which is relatively easy to act.

What ordinary people think of them as low IQ is not really low IQ, but a lack of basic skills in getting along with others and socializing. Some of them are not only not stupid, but also have higher IQ than ordinary people. There is a saying in medicine that they are called "savant syndrome".

"Rain Man" is such a character in the script. Although he was forced to complete the same action every day to feel at ease, he could accurately report the number of toothpicks by looking at the toothpicks spilled on the table.

Charlie, played by Tom Cruise, also used this characteristic of his brother Rain Man to go to the casino with him to kill everyone and earn enough working capital for his second-hand car shop.

"We were all belatedly aware of Dustin's purpose in insisting on changing the real mentally retarded patients in the original script to autistic geniuses. Or you can see at a glance that this revised script brings great benefits to the performers. The advantage comes.”

"Hi,

If you've done as much directing as I have and spent enough time in the editing room, you become very sensitive to the little movements of actors. They really felt that scene, and they used their memories to perform it, so you will have an intuition. "

The director is the only audience for the actors' performances on set, and he watches their performances over and over again in the editing room. Over time, you will develop an intuition, and you can judge at a glance how much effort an actor used.

Dustin Hoffman's acting method, which relies on imitating real-life prototypes, actually has a difficulty that is difficult to overcome. That is the real group of people with underground IQ. It is difficult for normal people to understand their thoughts.

Therefore, if he sticks to the original character setting, Hoffman will encounter the problem of not being able to live and eat the performance size when acting. In other words, it is easy to overact and make the audience feel like they are not as mentally retarded as they have seen or imagined in their lives.

However, it is much easier for this autistic genius patient to grasp the scale of acting. When the audience sees his performance about Rain Man's fear of social interaction and various stereotyped behaviors, it is easy for the audience to connect it with those introverts in life, and amplify their behavior several times to become Rain Man.

And Rain Man's talent in mathematics makes them think such a character is very cute. The script cleverly makes the protagonist gain extra love from the audience.

To be honest, this kind of role is not that difficult to perform, and Tom Cruise is completely capable of it. In fact, during rehearsals, he and Dustin Hoffman often swapped roles and said each other's lines. After each rehearsal, he would call Paula to express his regrets.

There is a subtle point here that neither Paula nor Cruise noticed, that is, Rain Man is no longer the kind of person with low IQ who is considered difficult to play. Everyone fell into the misunderstanding passed down from ancient times. Only Ronald felt this through intuition.

"Actually, Tom's appearance is not suitable for acting. He is so handsome, and the audience prefers to see him act handsome like a star on the screen, rather than being an actor like Dustin Hoffman." Rona De said something that everyone in the circle recognized.

"It's a pity that Tom himself is very pursuing acting skills. I can't convince him, and I don't want to convince him." Paula replied, of course she knew this. But it's a good thing that Cruise himself has pursuits. In addition, it is difficult for successful male stars of this age to persuade them to change their minds.

At this time, the radio began to broadcast the news that they were changing flights and starting to board passengers. Ronald and several agents arrived in the business class. After stretching his legs, Ronald picked up the eye mask, took out the earplugs, and said to Paula, "I'm a little I’m tired, I need to catch up on some sleep on the way to Santa Fe.”

"I will tell the stewardess," Paula showed a special smile and sat down with her husband.

The pilot seemed to be retired from the Navy, and his takeoff was particularly strong. But after that, it was very stable after level flight. Ronald soon fell asleep. The noise from the engine was relatively weak after reaching the business class. After passing through the soundproof earmuffs, there was only some residual buzzing.

…

"Buzz buzz..." A burst of low background music came, and Ronald saw a 2.39:1 widescreen picture, on which a group of Indians with colorful faces painted on them, holding spears and bows and arrows, were walking horizontally. across the entire screen.

There were a total of seven or eight horses in the team, and some people kept galloping to the front, only to be overtaken by others. Such a picture only occupies more than half of the wide screen.

Ronald smiled in his dream. This is the authentic way of making a western film, integrating the characters with the vast western grassland. If it were a normal 1.85 aspect ratio, it would be impossible to have so many characters in the middle shot and still leave the beautiful grassland in the background blank. Not to mention the 4:3 TV-level picture of Lone Dove shot by Diane. The dialogue can only be shown in close-ups, and the two characters cannot even fit in an over-the-shoulder shot.

"Oh... Lurrulu..." The Indians on the screen let out a characteristic howl. Ronald took a look and saw that there was a man with a mustache wearing a U.S. military uniform during the Civil War among the Indians. Inside, it was Kevin Costner.

"Has this guy really found an investor? This scene looks like a real scene. There are so many horses and so many people. It's very expensive to shoot." Ronald couldn't help but sigh. Could it be that western movies will become a popular genre again in the future? Filmed?

"No, why is the character played by Costner with the Indians?" Ronald suddenly discovered the problem. Traditional western movies all have plots of fighting Indian warriors. White people and Indians rarely fight side by side. At most, That is, some Indians naturalized white people and fought with the more brutal Indian tribes.

As the scene turned, women and children came out to see off the group of soldiers who were leaving. Ronald clearly saw a woman with a white face inside, wearing the clothes and decorations of an Indian woman.

The camera began to soar into the sky. These warriors, after bidding farewell to their families, appeared from the bottom of the camera and set off on saddleless horses.

"This lens is beautiful." Ronald exclaimed in his dream, "But it's also so expensive..." On the grassland, tall and large swing arms are installed, as well as Indian warriors riding bareback horses, these group performances The training and safety costs are scary.

A low and majestic soundtrack sounded, and the camera pushed towards the undulating hillside in the distance, and a gray line gradually emerged from behind the mountain.

"What is that? It doesn't seem to be the enemy's cavalry?" Ronald distinguished carefully.

The black and gray lines became clearer and clearer, and huge and fat animals gradually appeared on the horizon.

"Rumble, rumble..." The hoofbeats of these giant animals began to cover the entire scene. Ronald looked at them. They were bigger than ordinary cows and their fur was thicker.

As soon as the camera turned, this kind of animal - American bison - ran wildly towards the direction of the camera all over the mountains and plains. The rumbling hooves, accompanied by the bursts of smoke and dust kicked up by them, caused the human heart and the sound of hooves to change. The strange resonance is connected with the Indian hunters riding buffalo from the outside of the picture.

"Oh my God, there are thousands of bison here? This shot is really exciting, and it's so fucking expensive. How much did it cost to shoot this?"

Costner rode a saddled horse and hunted with a shotgun. The Indians rode bareback horses without saddles and hunted with bows and arrows. The camera seems to be following them and the bison herd, moving forward rapidly, giving the audience the feeling of following the hunter on horseback.

"It's so beautiful...I've never seen a Western like this."

Ronald shouted excitedly, and when he opened his eyes, he saw the concerned eyes of Niceta and Paula.

"Are you so optimistic about Lone Pigeon Town?" Niceta gave him a glass of water, and the couple also watched the live filming of Lone Pigeon Town. I didn't expect Ronald to be so optimistic about this western miniseries. Could the great director see something that we can't?

"Huh? Ah...it's okay, it's okay. That movie was copied from Red River, so it won't be too bad."

Ronald prevaricated and took a sip of water to calm down.

I don’t know why, but I tend to dream about movies when I’m on a plane. Costner's "Dances with Wolves" looks very magnificent. There has never been such a dynamic, real and immersive hunting scene in any previous western film.

Looks like I need to find it and study it carefully. If a shot of this level can really be shot, it will definitely be a visual spectacle that American audiences have never seen.

The plane landed in Santa Fe, and Ronald surprisingly found that he didn't have any symptoms of blocked ears. The temperature here is warm but not hot, and the humidity in the air is very low, making you feel refreshed.

"Drink more water," Niceta handed another bottle of water, and then gave one to her wife, "Santa Fe is a plateau city, with an altitude of 7,200 feet (about 2,000 meters). Drinking more water can help prevent Altitude sickness."

Several people checked into the hotel, and Ronald and Niceta found Gene Hackman's house here.

"Ding Dong..." Ronald rang the doorbell.

"Come in, the door is open, don't let me come out to invite you." Gene Hackman's familiar voice came from the room. Ronald and Niceta looked at each other, opened the door and walked in.

Gene Hackman held a beautiful black-haired woman in his arms and sat on the sofa in the living room. When he saw Ronald, he shook hands with him perfunctorily and did not get up.

The dark-haired beauty, on the other hand, looked at Ronald with a curious look.

"I know why you're here. I didn't want to say more at first. I already had arrangements for this movie, but Bob (Robert Duvall) called specifically and said that you are a director who understands the needs of actors very well..."

Hackman pointed to the sofa and asked Ronald to sit down.

"Who is this lovely lady?" Ronald did not follow the old actor's instructions. Instead, he asked for the beauty's name without introducing the lady. Hackman was very rude.

"Bessie, Bessie Arakawa," the dark-haired beauty introduced herself. She was the reason why Gene Hackman divorced his wife of thirty years.

Arakawa is a classical pianist, but there is no room for further development in Hawaii. He needs to work part-time as a yoga teacher at a fitness center until he meets the Oscar-winning actor.

"Hello, Bessie," Ronald shook her hand and sat down.

"We haven't met. But my last movie, 'Mississippi Burning,' was directed by Alan Parker. He didn't like you very much. He always said that you were a villain who stole other people's ideas." Hackman spoke very bluntly.

"The truth is exactly the opposite. The script I revised was plagiarized by him. However, the Writers Guild has made a ruling."

Ronald knew for sure that it was Alan Parker, the "famous" director, who had returned to Hollywood to direct movies. It seemed that Gene Hackman had heard a lot of bad things about him from him.

"Listen, Mr. Hackman. I came to Santa Fe to talk to you about that Hannibal Lecter adaptation, not to reminisce about our mutual 'friend' Allen."

"Haha," Gene Hackman seemed to be satisfied with Ronald's straightforward speaking style. He smiled, "Very good, then let's talk about this adaptation."

"Tell me, Ronald, who do you think is suitable for the role of Clarice?"

"This..." Ronald didn't expect to talk in such depth. "I think we have to wait until the first version of the script is revised before we can start looking for it."

The character image can be the same as the adapted script, or it can be very different. Therefore, it is difficult to say whether experienced readers will recognize the character's image on the screen.

"Eon, the Writers Guild still doesn't know when the strike will end. Do you have to wait until then to talk to me about casting?

e on, use your intuition, the first thing that pops into your head. I have always believed that movies need to rely on intuition to move forward. "

Gene Hackman has quite a temper and obviously doesn’t have much room for maneuver when speaking. Ronald didn't know what kind of medicine he was selling in his gourd, so he had to search in his mind and think about the real purpose of his question.

"Well, we need a weak appearance and a strong core. The appearance must be beautiful, making people doubt the professional ability of the female agent Clarisse, and the heart must be tense, so that the final role of subduing a serial killer can be convincing. force."

"Kid, I'm not here to give you a film analysis lesson. Use your intuition. Who are you thinking of now?" Gene Hackman didn't give Ronald time to stop and think.

"Um...Michelle Pfeiffer?" The image of Pfeiffer popped into Ronald's mind. She did have a delicate temperament.

"That's a good answer, hahaha," Gene Hackman said with a hint of appreciation in his eyes, and he was also satisfied with this casting choice.

"It seems we have thought of getting together." Ronald caught the change in the other person's expression and smiled.

"It seems that my old friend Bob still has such a good taste. He is very accurate in judging directors and knows who is the director who can really bring out the potential of actors."

Gene Hackman patted Arakawa on the waist and asked her to get some whiskey and have a drink together.

Several people took the poured wine glasses and drank slowly.

"Now that the Writers Guild strike is still going on, what are you going to do?" Hackman asked Ronald.

"I think we can slowly find overseas screenwriters. I have some contacts with screenwriters in Australia and Canada." Ronald relaxed and Hackman asked these questions. It seems that he has already developed a preference for cooperation with him.

"Hmm..." Hackman was noncommittal. This answer...

"With Michelle Pfeiffer, this cast configuration is very dramatic. Who do you think is better to play Hannibal?" Gene Hackman asked about the candidate for another main role.

"Hmm... should I still rely on intuition?" Ronald asked. In fact, this kind of casting can only be analyzed after the script is ready. But Hackman is a bit eccentric, and he holds the rights to adapt the movie, so just follow his ideas.

"I want an authoritative actor with a bit of evil temperament, and he also looks very smart and arrogant, um...Jack, Jack Nicholson?" Ronald thought for a moment and thought it was Nicholson. Suitable for this kind of role, he, Hackman, and Pfeiffer are quite a good configuration.

Hackman has acting skills, but he is not popular. Nicholson has excellent acting skills and star power, coupled with a sexy actress. As long as the cast list is announced, it must be good publicity.

It's just Michelle Pfeiffer and herself... Never mind, it's been so long, everyone is professional, so there must be no problem. Besides, it doesn’t necessarily mean that he will direct it himself. If Hackman wants to direct, maybe he can find a way to test his directorial ability. It’s not impossible to act as a producer and start supervising on the set.

"Hey, Jack, he's a good choice."

Hackman stopped smiling, said a few words without saltiness, and then sent Ronald and Niceta out of the house. "Let my agent keep in touch with yours." Hackman nuzzled at Nicita, then shook hands and walked in.

"Keep in touch. I really like the sequel to Dragon King that you shot. You shot it in Hawaii, right? I saw a lot of familiar scenes." Arakawa also shook hands with Ronald and said goodbye, "You need to know more about Gene's thoughts. , he was very happy to get the rights to adapt this film, and told me a lot of his thoughts."

Looking at the closed door, Ronald frowned, as if he had done something wrong. He and Niceta looked at each other, and the other shrugged and said that he didn't understand Hackman's thoughts either.

The two returned to the hotel and had a local dinner with Paula. The food here is deeply influenced by Mexico and the indigenous Indians. There are red and green chili peppers, steamed pasta filled with cornmeal vegetables and meat, as well as fried pastries, paired with chili-marinated pork chops. Ronald was full of them. Head sweating profusely.

"We have eaten these dishes in Los Angeles, but it is the best experience to come to Santa Fe to eat them in person." Paula also enjoyed the meal. Her visit this time was like a vacation with her husband, and she was so kind to her. For workaholics, this is a rare holiday.

"What did you say?" Ronald was stunned and asked Paula.

"I said I like this dish very much."

"No, the previous sentence"

"Rick and I also ate at a restaurant in Los Angeles..."

"No, the last sentence", Ronald asked again.

"For the best experience, I have to eat it in person?" Paula didn't know what Ronald wanted to ask.

"That's it, damn, Gene Hackman, this bastard, wants to write it himself, direct it himself, and play Hannibal himself!"

Ronald tossed the masa onto his plate. What Hackman really wanted to ask was who wrote the screenplay and who played Hannibal. This old bastard made false claims and revealed all his true thoughts.

"He plays Hannibal? Can he play it?" Paula wasn't sure whether Ronald was right. Gene Hackman's face looks stupid at first glance, can he play the highly intelligent Hannibal?

"He can play a xx" Ronald cursed. People seem to think highly of themselves. Hackman's face has been stereotyped as a person who does things according to the rules. He wants to play a man who is unconstrained, extremely smart, and always He couldn't play Hannibal, the highly intelligent criminal who controls the minds of those around him.

This is a movie, and the audience wants to see a close-up of the face. It's not like Hackman is doing a play on Broadway. Anyway, you can't see the expression clearly, you can only see the body movements and lines.