Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Richard, it's nice to see you again." Ronald met his agent, Richard Lovett, who made a special trip to see him in a hotel in Los Angeles. As soon as he got off the plane and checked into the Holiday Inn, his agent Richard came to meet him. Ronald was very satisfied with this efficiency.

"This is my new business card. CAA has changed the business card format uniformly. Take a look." Richard handed a brand new business card.

Ronald took it and saw Richard Lovett's name on the front, and the title changed to "Literary And Talent Agent" below.

"I remember that your CAA is the actor's agent in the front, and the literature in the back (Talent And Literary Agency)?"

"Yes, Mr. Ovitz's new strategy of opening the way with screenwriters, and then packaging and selling directors and stars has been a great success. Now the name of CAA has also been changed to literary agents."

"Great thing! For me or for you." Ronald was very happy.

"Yes, we can go to Columbia Pictures today to sign a contract and get your check." Richard said with a smile.

Ronald likes his agent's anxious attitude towards clients. He doesn't have any pressure to get along with Richard. He understands clients' thoughts very well and always speaks out the questions he wants to ask first. Answer.

Unlike Ovitz's uneasy, always serious, reserved, slightly aggressive professional attitude, Richard is more like a good friend.

"Do you have offices in London and Rome?" Ronald noticed that under the name of the CAA company, there was a new line of labels "New York London Rome".

"That was Mr. Ovitz's idea. In fact we only have partner offices in London and Rome, and we have a permanent agent in New York."

"Global layout, huh?" Ronald joked.

"Yes, a global perspective. Mr. Ovitz often said that only with a global audience can you be considered a true star. So our agents should also have a global foothold." Richard Lovett said with a smile.

"We can go to Columbia Pictures in the afternoon to get the check. If you want to take a day off, go today."

"I'll listen to your arrangement."

The two rest for a while,

In the afternoon, he came to the office of Columbia Pictures, and Ronald met the subordinate producer of President Frank Price, a hardcore who followed him to the film industry from the TV station.

"Mr. Lee, this is the contract for Columbia Pictures to buy a 12-month option for your script 'My Brother's Protector', please sign here." The producer pointed to the place where the signature was signed, "After signing this check You can take it."

Ronald glanced at it. It was a cash check from Bank of America on a pale blue background, with the signature of President Frank Price below it. It said that it was paid to Ronald Lee for $35,000.

Missing a zero?

Ronald and Richard Lovett looked at each other and realized that the other was a little confused.

Take another look at the capitalization of the checks, Thirty Five Thousand; And 00 Cents.

Thirty-five thousand indeed, not the promised $350,000.

what happened?

The producer seemed oblivious to all this, with a professional fake smile on his face. "If you have any doubts, you can call Mr. Ovitz."

"Thank you. Can you?" Ronald indicated if he could take the script contract and study it. "I need to discuss it with my lawyer."

The producer raised his hand from the contract, indicating that he could take it.

Ronald intuitively sensed a tinge of danger from this approach of making a surprise attack without notifying himself of the details of the contract. Just like the last time the famous script signature battle, there may be some conspiracy waiting for him.

Be careful before signing.

Ronald's first call was to lawyer Lindsay Dole in New York. She was not in the office. She left a message to Rebecca at the front desk and asked the lawyer lady to call back.

The second call was to Michael Ovitz.

"Mr. Ovitz, I got a script purchase contract at Columbia Pictures, and I don't think it's what I thought...Richard doesn't know the reason for the change....Yes, the purchase of the script became a purchase option, and The price is only one tenth of the original price.”

"Ah, a 12-month script preemption option, that's the industry's common practice. Richard is a rookie who just graduated from the mailroom, and he has no experience with script contracts.

In fact, not many CAA have been in contact with script contracts. Let's put it this way, the studio won't buy the rights to the script until the day before shooting starts.

They all pay about 10% of the price to buy a preemptive option. Then pay the full amount the day before the shoot. "

"This is also new information for me. Would you mind if I consult my lawyer?"

"This is my negligence, Ronald. I forgot that you are also a novice screenwriter, your script, and the seriousness of your work, make me forget that this is your debut." Ovitz apologized repeatedly.

"Of course I have no objection, in fact I suggest you do it. You can ask Richard to send you to the CAA office and we'll figure this out together."

With the contract in hand, Ronald went back to the hotel first and asked Richard to wait in the room. He went to the business center to fax the contract to the New York law firm, and connected with the lawyer lady.

"This is indeed a common practice in Hollywood, Ronald, since I took you as a client in the entertainment industry, many other people in the industry have also come to me for consultation, and I have read a lot of related contracts. The contract you faxed over, There is no legal problem. But whether there is a specific business problem, I can't answer you."

And then to Eddie Cohen, an advertising broker in New York.

"Usually there is no problem with this kind of contract, but your story has been announced to the media, and several major studios are bidding for your script, in this case, the possibility of Columbia buying the script at one time will be bigger.

But it's not impossible to buy options first. I can't say it well, Ronnie.

If you feel that there is a problem, you have to think about it, is there anything unusual in the past two days, who is on your side? Who could possibly sacrifice your interests? I don't believe in any so-called 'coincidence'. "

Eddie wasn't familiar with the situation either, but his words opened Ronald's mind.

I'm just a small screenwriter and don't know anything about the ubiquitous pitfalls of Hollywood. It is as if one is navigating through the fog, knowing that there is a storm in the distance, but not in what direction.

They lack the information they need to make a decision, and they lack the time to think before making a decision. If you make the wrong decision, you may not only lose money, but also lose a valuable opportunity to be part of a big-budget movie.

You can rely on those who are in the same boat as you. First of all, you must figure out who has the same interests as yourself, and who will sacrifice yourself for the greater good.

His own prime agent, Richard Lovett, was undoubtedly on the same boat. He has no other clients but himself, and his check is one zero less than his own.

But Ovitz is not necessarily. He has many stars acting under him. If anyone's interests in this project need to be prioritized, it is not impossible to sacrifice himself.

So who is this person who needs to be prioritized?

Ronald returned to the room and pulled Richard to analyze it together.

"Ronald, it was an oversight of my job, I didn't expect Columbia to come up with a right of first refusal contract."

Ronald waved his hand to stop Richard, who wanted to criticize himself.

"I trust you, we have the same interests, there must be something wrong that we don't know about."

"Thank you for your trust, Ronald." Richard rubbed his hands and sat down. Just now, Ronald left him alone in the room and didn't let him participate in the communication with the lawyer. It seemed that he was also a little uncomfortable.

"What has Jane Fonda been up to lately?"

"She got a filming exemption and joined the 'Golden Pond' crew." Richard's eyes flashed, obviously thinking of the possibility of a conflict of interest.

"Anything new on the 'My Brother's Protector' project lately? I mean anything other than the New York Times report."

"Progress?" agent Richard mused. "Ms. Fonda went to the location to shoot Golden Pond in New Hampshire. Her producer partner Bruce Gilbert went there after we settled on the director."

"Director candidate?"

"Yes, James Bridges, who worked with Jane Fonda on 'China Syndrome', his new film 'Urban Cowboy' is not only a good box office, but also criticized Home sought after.

Bridges is the new hot spot in Hollywood right now, and every studio wants him to direct new films. And he..."

"What's wrong with him?" Ronald saw a look of anger on Richard's face, which was rarely seen in a man who was always hard working and polite.

"Fuck, now Rapke is after him."

Agent Richard Lovett brought himself a glass of tap water and drank half of it in one go. Then sit down and talk to Ronald about what might be the problem.

Richard joined CAA shortly after graduating from college. He works in the mail room, where the elimination rate is high, the salary is low, and the work intensity is high. Unless he is favored by an official agent, he needs to stay there for a year or two. .

Jack Rapke, the official agent who jumped over from William Morris, approached Richard in the hope that he would read himself the script every weekend and then write the synopsis, so that he could learn from the heavy reading. Free yourself from script work and spend more energy on clients.

Richard helped him read the script conscientiously and responsibly, and the quality of the synopsis was very high. Rapke asked him to read more and more every weekend. The reward was that if there was a vacancy, he would first promote Richard from the mail room. graduate.

But Rapke reneged on his promise. He jumped in to promote another star relative with connections in the industry, leaving Richard in the mailroom. The next Monday morning, Richard threw the script back to Rapke to read for himself.

"I said to him at the time, you broke your promise, I don't trust you anymore, so our deal is canceled, you can read the script yourself in the future. I read it for Rick Nisita, one of your agents, a few more times. Monthly script, I just graduated from the mail room."

"So Rapke wants to sign Director Bridges, but why is he playing tricks on my contract?" Ronald vaguely thought of the key, but there was always a bit of fog shrouded in it, "If you only sign options like this , Colombia is impossible to shoot."

Richard said word by word, "Director Bridges is also a screenwriter, and used to write the script for 'Hitchcock Hour'."

Ronald turned his head sharply and stared at Richard, "How dare they do this?"

"I'm afraid yes, remember, Ronald, your name never appeared in that New York Times article."