Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"This is one of the three sets of earring props worn by Marilyn Monroe in "Some Like It Hot". It is made of rhinestones..."

A pair of Marilyn Monroe earrings are up for grabs at a charity auction for screenwriters in Los Angeles. Although it is shiny and beautiful, it is not worth the money. This was donated by a collector named Kent Warner. He used to work in the props department of MGM and had a lot of "liberated" movie props.

"One thousand and five, is there another bid? Two thousand? Two thousand five? Three thousand? Three thousand two times, three thousand three times, it belongs to No. 68 Ronald Lee, thank you for his contribution to the screenwriters of the screenwriters union contribute."

Ronald stood up to greet everyone. On this occasion, they are all small objects that everyone uses to make up the numbers. Commemorative significance is higher than real value.

Ronald handed the number plate to Helen Slater next to him. This pair of earrings has some commemorative significance and is not expensive. It just suits Helen's personality who advocates environmental protection and uses recycled items. She is very happy to have the opportunity to wear Monroe's earrings.

"The next item to be auctioned is Miss Marilyn Monroe's relics. A pair of Salvatore Ferragamo (Salvatamo) stilettos worn by her. The starting price is three thousand dollars."

This Ronald will not be sold. Second-hand jewelry earrings have the commemorative value of classic movies and are acceptable. This kind of shoes are not the right size...

But these stilettos were really beautiful, with their scarlet satin uppers studded with hundreds of rhinestones, rhinestones, sparkling. You can imagine the sexy look of Monroe wearing it back then.

"Five thousand dollars, okay, five thousand, six thousand, eight thousand..."

Ronald doesn't want it, but there are still many people who want it. Soon the price was fired up to 20,000, and it is still increasing.

"Thirty-five thousand dollars . . . to Mr. Hugh Hefner."

Ronald smiled, this is the founder of Playboy. According to rumors in Hollywood, he was obsessed with Monroe, and the first issue of Playboy used nude photos of Monroe on the cover. Whenever there is an auction of Monroe's belongings, he will always be there.

He has different needs from other people. As long as it is the clothes, shoes and items that Monroe used personally, he collects them. But I don't buy any jewelry or other relics.

"Let us thank Mr. Hugh Hefner, and Ms. Anna Strasberg..." the auctioneer said, and both the buyer and the seller stood up to pay tribute. "Next up is Ms. Elizabeth Taylor's costume in the movie 'Serenade'..."

Ronald felt nauseous,

This Anna is the legacy of Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio. Lee Strasberg was the executor of Monroe's will during his lifetime, but he took all the things that Monroe left to his relatives and friends in the will as his own. Now every time there is an auction of such Hollywood star items, They will take out a few pieces and make money and favors.

Ronald thought about the past when Lee Strasberg held training classes indiscriminately, teaching emotional memory, and making the actors cry. Maybe Monroe, who is pursuing acting skills, also became depressed because of this method that violated human nature.

On the contrary, this couple, now relying on Monroe's fame to earn such bad money, really set a very bad example for the acting teachers in the future.

"Ronnie, it's time for your drawing..." Helen reminded Ronald who was lost in thought.

"Oh...", Ronald also submitted the eight Andy Warhol paintings he bought, including those that were not Marilyn Monroe, as auction items, and also submitted them to this auction. At that time, I bought a pair of 3,000 pieces, so it is best to pay back the money this time.

"Three thousand dollars, is there any need for three thousand dollars..."

The auctioneer on the stage began to elongate his tone, changing various tricks, and selling to those present. But everyone is not stupid, how can this kind of printed matter be compared with that created by other painters with brushes?

"Okay, sir at the back, three thousand, three thousand, is there a higher price?"

Seeing that the auctioneer was about to fail the auction, everyone looked unsightly, so they pointed backwards in vain, as if there was really someone bidding there. This heated up the atmosphere at the scene and gave other buyers a signal that this thing is not rubbish.

"Three thousand, three thousand, is there a higher bid?" The auctioneer's expression was not very good, what kind of rubbish is this? I made a virtual bid myself, why didn't I even have a bid? He looked at Ronald, you better buy it yourself.

Ronald didn't understand these things, so he acted as if he couldn't see it. Anyway, someone who took advantage of him paid for it, and it would be best if he didn't lose money.

"Three thousand and five..." Helen had seen many charity auctions in New York, and knew what was going on, so she smiled and raised a placard, and bought it as a gift for Ronald. Anyway, he also gave himself a pair of earrings of about the same price.

"Why did you buy it? If you want it, I'll give it to you." Ronald thought it was a waste of money? In addition to the auction price, there is also a handling fee.

"Hee hee...you don't understand..." Helen smiled and told Ronald the inside story.

"Hey, I really fell for David Geffen's old trick."

"It's so beautiful..." Back at the hotel, Ronald put the necklace Monroe once wore on Helen. The most important thing about accessories like jewelry is not the material or design, but to match the temperament of the owner.

Helen Slater has a relatively indifferent temperament. Wearing this artificial earring made of capstone, she has the feeling of a girl who supports environmental protection. Look no less than the original diamond earrings.

Maybe Monroe's blessing also gave Ronald some psychological hints. He always felt that Helen was beautiful tonight.

"Thank you... Ronald." Helen closed her eyes and accepted Ronald's kiss.

"Thank you, didn't you send me that painting back?" Ronald didn't want it at first, so he gave it to Helen as a gift. However, Helen didn't like to take advantage of others, so she sent it back to Ronald.

Thinking that Helen won't be able to sell it if she takes it, and it still takes up space. Ronald thought, or find other ways to compensate her.

"How are you doing with your filming preparations?" Ronald asked Helen, the movie "Deep Love" will be ready to start soon. As the heroine, although she is already a 24-year-old woman, she maintains a very happy mood and is talented and reconciled. Playing a high school student is not too disobedient.

After all, this kind of romantic comedy for middle school students pays attention to the use of slightly older actors. The audience is also used to it.

"Let me show you my preparations..." Helen left Ronald's embrace, put on the silk pajamas, and then cleared her throat, "I took some college courses this year, and I have a glimpse of the future, All I can say to you is, go back to the present..."

"Haha...", Ronald laughed. Cameron Crowe's script is very interesting.

But this kind of humor is not difficult for people who have experienced it, so after the heroine played by Helen in the script finished speaking, the audience was silent, and only the male protagonist understood and smiled.

"You're very well prepared." Ronald hugged Helen into his arms again, and the silk felt very good.

"Hmm... well... what do you think of my preparation?" Helen resisted Ronald vigorously, and she insisted on an evaluation.

"You are indeed suitable for acting in this kind of idol drama."

"Mmm...mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm'', Helen refused, and slapped Ronald a few times to express protest, but they still did not touch the opponent's arms, and stuck together tightly.

...

The 1 million donations raised on the spot were sent to the rebellious members of the Screenwriters Union.

With money, these people have weapons. As long as they agree with their plan and reconcile with the producer alliance, they will be given relief money. If you don't agree, you still support the negotiator Walton stubbornly, and you are dead against the producer union, then ask him for money.

Soon, the screenwriters who got the money had their first income in so many months, and after returning home, they all saw the smiling faces of their family members. The wife's frown began to ease, and the child said that he could finally watch the TV series written by his father on TV, which still made many screenwriters feel relieved.

Don't you just sell scripts to overseas TV stations and theaters for dividends? I don't know if I can write TV programs that can be shown abroad for more than one hour. The union won the screenwriter's right to make suggestions to the director and actors, which already represents a victory for this strike.

Taking advantage of the screenwriter's exhaustion, Nick Kunt, the president of the Producers Union, immediately started shuttle diplomacy upon seeing this. He first held a meeting with the film writers of the Western Screenwriters Guild, and won their support, which was only half of the number of Eastern Screenwriters Guilds.

Then I got on a chartered plane and flew to New York to negotiate with the Eastern Screenwriters Union. The commissioner sent by the commander-in-chief also served as a supervisor and attended the meeting of the two parties. The supervisors must negotiate in an atmosphere of "goodwill and goodwill".

The results went well. The hardliners headed by the negotiator Walton became the weaker party within the union. The new negotiating team was represented by 20th Century Fox and Universal, and most of the productions were domestic screenwriters. The dark pile of big studios.

After their efforts, a new negotiation plan was drawn up, and the labor contract negotiations were scheduled to take place in Los Angeles three days later.

In this way, only three wireless TV stations and one Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., were left looking forward to the continuation of the strike.

...

Ronald called the screenwriters he had worked with, and he was also helping this final, final, final negotiation to proceed smoothly. They are all rich people now, and they are all looking forward to the end of the strike as soon as possible. The TV broadcasts that Ronald's movies brought to them, and the remaining dividends from the video tapes, are not affected by the strike, so the strike will not hurt their quality of life.

These people do have some appeal in some circles, such as Shang Li, the screenwriter of "Moonlight Seductive". After winning the Oscar, he had some influence on Broadway. Under his instigation, more than 30 screenwriters stood up to support the conclusion of the labor agreement.

On the 2nd of August, the negotiations finally proceeded. Walton, the negotiator of the Screenwriters Union, had a bitter face, and finally shook hands with Nick Counter of the Producers Union. After a whole night of marathon talks, Walton finally relented. Most of the new agreement was completed in accordance with the producer union's proposal.

Dividends for overseas distribution are still only applicable to film and television projects of more than one hour. The screenwriter also got a symbolic right to make suggestions on the creation. In fact, these are minor details. The most important thing in this agreement is that the screenwriters can join the crew to work before the agreement has been voted by the members of both parties, and it will not be regarded as a strike that violates the union.

Under the American legal system, unions have strong powers to prohibit members who do not want to participate in union strikes from returning to work. In other words, strikes are not voluntary but compulsory. Anyone who wanted to go to work was violently stopped by the pickets.

And if the temporary work agreement is released, the system that allows union members to supervise each other and report each other will immediately become invalid. Everyone hurried back to make money, and those who came to persuade them would be regarded as fools. The drive to unite as one and fight capital to the end is also discouraged.

Soon, Johnny Carson, the stand-up show with David Letman, ushered in the return of the screenwriters first. The quality of the program improved instantly, even higher than the ratings before the strike. During the strike period, those screenwriters also secretly saved a lot of jokes.

Ronald also quickly seized the opportunity to let Cameron Crowe's "Deep Love" crew start work immediately.

"It's time for you to call the shots, Cameron..."

After the crew's brief opening ceremony, Ronald saw that Cameron Crowe was not moving, so he had to whisper a reminder in his ear.

"Ah...that's right...we'll start right away..." Cameron Crowe didn't seem to have recovered from the surprise that his wife came to support him. He has rarely seen the adoring look in his wife Nancy, who is a rock star, recently.

"You have to tell the director of photography what picture you need, and then he will do it for you." Ronald saw that Cameron was a little overjoyed and at a loss, so he had to continue directing.

"I want a shot of a conversation between Helen (Slater) and John (Cusack) at a forty-five-degree angle..." Crowe, who finally came to his senses, began to express his thoughts.

"Huh...", Ronald let out a long breath, but fortunately he came to the scene today.

Unlike the director of "Steel Magnolia", Herbert Ross, who was overconfident and was too strong on the scene. Cameron Crowe's problem is not enough confidence. He has been working as a screenwriter for several years, and finally waited for the opportunity to direct his own work. He was overwhelmed by various challenges and was a little at a loss.

"a!"

Cameron Crowe's first order to start shooting finally came from the loudspeaker. The low motor sound of the video recorder witnessed the birth of a new Hollywood director.

After Ronald watched the entire filming, Helen really played the role with her true colors. She is very good at this kind of smart, beautiful, and well-protected role since she was a child. In other words, this is a lot of her real character, which is reacting with John Cusack.

John Cusack was born in theater, and like his sister Joan, he is a veteran in acting. Coupled with Helen's characteristics, the performance of the two was very smooth.

"cut!"

Crowe looks to the director of photography, and to the producer, Polly Platt. After getting the no-problem gesture, he was finally relieved.

"Let's take a break, and then we will shoot the hero and heroine at the school graduation ceremony."

Everyone didn't listen to Crowe's order, dismantled the camera, and all looked at each other, not knowing what to say.

In the end, everyone's eyes focused on Ronald.

"Hey, hi... Cameron, come here." Ronald almost didn't laugh out loud. Cameron Crowe doesn't know how to shoot. Did he think that a movie is shot from beginning to end one by one?

"Do you know the Hollywood method, the rule of one master and two shoulders?"

"What?" Crowe was stunned, obviously not knowing.

"It's a working method that has been passed down from the golden age of Hollywood. One main shot explains the scene and the characters, and then you shoot the over-the-shoulder shot. You just finished the part of Helen, and you have to switch the camera to shoot Cusack talking to her. The over-the-shoulder shot. Then there is the close-up shot of the two people, also called a reaction shot, which is used to edit to hear the other party talking, and the character's reaction..."

Seeing this, Ronald had no choice but to tell Cameron Crowe the ten-minute crash course on directing that Roger Coleman taught him back then.

"The most important rule of being a director is to find a place to sit and rest anytime and anywhere on the set. You will walk a lot and stand for a long time. Have you seen the stool with your name on it? You have to sit and rest when you have time. .Directing is a very tiring job, you have to persevere. Otherwise, you might as well go back and be a screenwriter.”

"I see", Cameron Crowe has a high level of comprehension. After listening to Ronald's crash course, he immediately took pictures in a decent way.

As Crowe was getting better, Ronald walked aside and told the producer Polly Pratt, "I'm counting on you here. If he has any problems, you can help him a little bit. If you can't solve them, Just call me."

"You trust him too much, even if you don't know how to shoot over-the-shoulder shots, you can become a director."

"That's okay, Orson Welles didn't understand these things when he filmed 'Citizen Kane', so he created a special style of photography." Ronald believes in human talent, more than those Hollywood dogmas important.

However, it seemed that Polly was going to follow the group for a long time, helping Crowe solve some technical problems that he couldn't handle, and helping him establish his directorial authority. Originally, I wanted to transfer Polly Pratt to the "Steel Magnolia" crew after the filming started smoothly, but the idea of ​​suppressing Herbert Ross fell through again.

This Herbert Ross, after he left, started again, speaking ill of Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton.

Diane secretly called Ronald and expressed concern. Several actresses felt uncomfortable, and if things went on like this, there would be problems with the crew's performance, and Ronald had to solve it.

The work of a producer is like a principal of a public middle school. Not only does he have to arrange a comfortable environment for the students and teachers, but if someone misbehaves, he also has to keep them in school and lecture them in the principal's office.