Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"This was once a house booked by two big-name Hollywood male stars. Coincidentally, they both canceled their reservations. Mr. Li was lucky. It was not easy to get two connected units in Area A."

"Oh, yeah?" Ronald adjusted his sunglasses, disapprovingly.

On this day, he had arrived at the foot of Beverly Hills, Los Angeles, and was preparing to buy a house in Beverly Park. The real estate agent was the same one I met last time, and he kept praising Ronald's vision and luck.

If one person unsubscribes, it may be due to luck, but if two big celebrities unsubscribe, it cannot be explained by coincidence.

Area A happens to be the best area of ​​Beverly Park. It is in the center of all the houses. In addition to the large trees surrounding the entire area blocking the view of visitors, there are also bushes around Area A, blocking the eyes of curious neighbors. look.

There are two large houses, one large and one small. The larger one covers an area of ​​2,500 square feet and has four bedrooms and three bathrooms. The smaller one is also 1,800 square feet and has three bedrooms and one bathroom. If you are not satisfied, you can modify it according to Ronald's opinion.

The most eye-catching outdoor feature is the large swimming pool, which is 100 feet long and 50 feet wide. The California sun is a great place for a pool party.

The two large houses also have various other exercise facilities, including an outdoor basketball court, an indoor swimming pool, an outdoor tennis court, an indoor tennis court, a gym, a yoga room, a small library, and an audio-visual room. .

"The audio-visual room attached to the big house is a bit small. I have some copies of old movies. It needs to be redesigned and renovated according to the standards of new cinemas. The two garages next to the audio-visual room have also been converted into warehouses with constant temperature and humidity for storage. Celluloid copy. There is a grassy pond here. Build me a Chinese-style pavilion and an arch bridge to connect the two houses on the pond... Let Lao Wang and the others come over."

Ronald's time was precious, so he just put forward ideas for these things and asked Richard to help him find someone to implement them. The celebrity who originally ordered the big house obviously liked luxury cars. There were six garages for sports cars alone. Ronald conveniently converted two of them into places for business study.

What rich people pay attention to when doing things is efficiency. Ronald made the decision and plan, left the matter to a private lawyer and a private accountant, got in the car and ran to CAA to meet Niceta with Richard.

"Aren't you interested in who is the original owner of these two houses?" Richard didn't care about his role as an assistant, and was a little pleased. The client asks you to handle some personal matters, which shows that the trust between the two parties is still at a very healthy level.

"I don't want him to find a reason to raise the price..." Ronald was not very interested in this kind of gossip.

No matter which big star you are, you are not as rich as me.

"So who is it? You must have some news about CAA, right?" Ronald looked at Richard's expression of trying to flatter him but had no chance, so he asked in passing.

"The big one is Stallone..."

"Pfft, hahahaha... let me laugh for a while." Ronald heard the name and couldn't hold back his laughter.

"Hehe... The artist who is the best at managing money in Hollywood may be you... Ronald, I haven't heard that you have failed in investment." Richard adjusted his glasses, and this asshole looked for opportunities on his own. It's been a long time.

"Hey... that's all good luck..." Ronald was proud for a while, but when he thought about the Andy Warhol painting he bought from David Geffen, he regretted it and invested in the undefeated gold. The body is broken here.

"Ronald, you're here just in time. Do you want to go on vacation to the Aegean Sea?" Niceta enthusiastically pulled out her chair as soon as she saw him in the CAA office.

"Why should I go there?" Ronald sat down and took the coffee that his secretary had brewed. "I'm here to promote the release of Working Girl. How many of your clients can help with the promotion? "Ronald's movie "Working Girl" has already booked various female secretaries' stage shows, but just the secretary is not enough. If it can be paired with some big-name stars, the publicity will have the best effect.

"Because among our CAA client list, three directors are all in Greece. If you can go and talk to them..."

"Who is it?" Ronald asked curiously. It was normal for three star actors to be on the same location. What were three directors doing together? Why don't we start a fight?

"It's Francis (Coppola), Marty (Scorsese), and Woody (Allen)..."

As soon as Niceta explained the situation, Ronald understood. These three directors are often praised by film critics, but their box office performance is inconsistent, with one film often becoming a hit and the other losing money.

After the writers' strike ended, surprisingly, not all producers resumed filming immediately. Many were fine during the strike. Once the strike ended, the true financial situation was revealed, and many medium-sized studios began to resume production. A wave of bankruptcies.

The three directors wanted to make projects, but no one was willing to invest in them. They also had problems with their own financial situation, so they had no choice but to join forces and co-direct a movie in order to tide over the difficulties.

This kind of platter-style movie (each person directs a story) was originally an investment channel for wealthy movie fans. Allowing them to invest in their favorite directors and actors and "fulfill their dreams."

But halfway through filming, two of the four jointly invested producers have already begun bankruptcy liquidation procedures. The end of the writers' strike did not allow them to survive. On the contrary, due to the large number of commercial film projects, the box office of the film jointly produced by the three was not expected to be good, and there was a risk of unfinishing.

Niceta simply wanted Ronald to take a look. These were the people who had supported him in the early years of his directorial career. If he was willing to invest...

"Platter movie...ah..." Ronald pinched his eyebrows. This type of movie has always been a taboo for commercial movies. Every director has his own style. The more famous the director is and the one praised by film critics, the more unique his style is. When three people work together, it is easy for them to become fragmented.

The last time Hollywood had such a big director platter, it was the "Twilight Zone" that killed Jennifer Jason Leigh's father.

"If I invest in a movie, my partners in Daydream must agree. The return on investment in this kind of movie will not be very high." Ronald put down his hand and quickly but firmly refused.

"Okay, I'm just a proposal," Niceta took back his thoughts. Ronald was the most important customer to him. It's just that Ronald has always been nostalgic, and originally thought he would help.

"However, I might be able to find someone to help." Ronald doesn't contribute the money himself, but that doesn't mean no one is willing to invest in a joint work by three well-known Hollywood directors.

"Who? I asked everyone in Hollywood..." Niceta felt surprised.

"Who said it was from Hollywood?" Ronald laughed. He called Michel Cannold, who was daydreaming, and asked him to help him contact an executive from Credit Lyonnais he met in Cannes, who liked to invest in the film industry and provided money to Oliver Stone and Michael Douglas. The banker who financed the new film was Dutchman Frans Afman.

Anyway, his investment philosophy is to focus on the projects of big directors and would rather have a lower return on investment. Now, he would be happy to introduce three big directors to him at once.

Crédit Lyonnais quickly approved injecting funds into the projects of three major directors, saving the crew from running out of money. Frans Afman is even more fond of it. Vulgar Hollywood does not know how to cherish their treasures. The projects of these great artists require the support of the Bank of China...

"Ronald, thank you very much, not only because you helped introduce Mr. Frans Afman to inject funds into the crew. But also, we feel the respect for artists here." After Coppola received the check, Finally, he could pay the hotel bill and start serving all kinds of delicious European food. He learned that Ronald was the one who pulled the strings and called specifically to thank him.

"You have a lot of respect in Europe, which money can't buy. To thank you, it's also your good artistic reputation that makes Crédit Lyonnais trust you."

"Hahaha, once the money is in place, we can finish filming next month. Then the three of us will go to the premiere of your new film separately."

The three directors were all very happy. Ronald's words were true. An artist's reputation can be exchanged for money!

"Thank you, desserts can be served..."

Ronald put down the phone and handed it to the waiter. He was dining with Helen Slater in a Greek restaurant. The Mediterranean diet not only takes care of carnivores like Ronald, but also has many vegetarian dishes paired with olive oil for Helen.

Even the specialty dessert baklava has a high-calorie version with honey, eggs, and whole milk, and a low-calorie version with only yogurt and chopped nuts.

"So, are there really many stars in Hollywood who are in financial difficulty now? No one even invests in these three directors, which is really a sad thing."

"Um...it's not that sad." Ronald didn't say anything. Helen liked to discuss these social and moral matters, but as far as Ronald knew, these three directors were not very popular with big producers. Favor, only some mid-sized producers are willing to gamble on them.

"Hollywood can't just have genre films with a commercial frame. It must also explore a lot of artistic genres, otherwise the whole of Hollywood will become a stagnant water." Helen took a bite of the dessert (actually a healthy version, the yogurt is fermented and there is very little sugar), and then started chatting about some of her thoughts with her friends.

"That makes sense," Ronald said, following Helen's lead. Indeed, Hollywood cannot just repeat the proven commercial film model. It must also make bold explorations and breakthroughs, so as to form a new genre film model so that less talented practitioners can also produce profitable works.

If Coppola were to make "The Godfather Part III," producers would be lining up to give him money. But if he hadn't broken all the stereotypes and made the first "The Godfather", then today's gangster movies would still be repeating the noir movie model of the 1930s.

It's just that compared to letting these famous directors make exploratory art films that are not cheap. Ronald prefers to invest in small-budget exploitation directors who have never had the opportunity to fulfill this mission of exploring new genres.

"Are you unhappy?" Helen noticed Ronald's distraction, "Did I say something wrong? I just had some thoughts when I was chatting with my friends, ah... I didn't mean that you are a commercial film director who only repeats himself. Ah..." Helen waved her hands anxiously and relayed her usual thoughts about chatting with Helen Hunt and some Broadway actors, as if she was a bit blaming Ronald.

"Of course, honey, I know what you mean." Ronald held her hand and comforted her and said, "I was just wondering if there is any way to help those talented people who are ignored by the big studios. Directors come and shoot what they want to shoot.”

"Really?" Helen's eyes sparkled, and Ronald looked so charming when talking about this kind of industry and social responsibility.

"Of course, um... Also, before you go to Canada to continue filming, I also want to spend some time with you. We haven't seen each other for a long time."

"whee……"

The two spoke softly and quietly, getting closer and closer, and finally kissed each other.

"Please leave our table, Mr. Stallone." A man with a British accent shouted a scolding voice, interrupting Ronald and Helen's warm moment.

"Tsk...hey...can't you just calm down for a while?" Seeing that the eyes of the surrounding diners were all focused on a few tables away from Ronald, Ronald was not happy that his good mood was interrupted.

"That seems to be Meg Tilly..." Helen recognized the person on the table over there, "I heard that she and her husband are divorcing. I don't know if this is... No, this is the person who was rumored to be with her on the set. There must be a man with scandals, I remember Zinnemann’s father is over 70 years old, this man is not the right age.”

"The accent isn't right either..." Ronald whispered. The man was clearly Colin Firth, one of the two cheating couples he met at the Palace of Versailles in Paris.

Like Ronald, they came to this Greek restaurant for a date. I just happened to meet a Hollywood star, Sylvester Stallone.

This hormonal male star suffered heavy losses due to his divorce from his ex-wife. But Stallone has not changed his habit of attacking beautiful actresses everywhere and not knowing how to attract Hollywood actresses.

When Meg Tilly was dating her boyfriend, he showed Rambo-like courage and asked Meg Tilly to play at his house on the spot.

Colin Firth, who was provoked, of course stood up and protected Tilly behind him, separating her from Stallone. But the good higher education that Britain received made him not know how to deal with a fool like Stallone.

"Meg, why do you always hang out with these Losers? So does Zinnemann. So does he. Let me tell you the secret to success in Hollywood. Stay with Winner so you can Can become Winner.”

"Oh, God...", hearing this earthy confession, Ronald almost dug his toes into the ground in embarrassment.

"Look at me, then look at him." Stallone stepped forward and pressed Colin Firth on the chair. Then he made a posture that showed off his muscles and continued his earthy attack. "I'm a Wenner. I'm here." Hollywood Park, there is a big house in the most popular area now, where is your little boyfriend..."

"Uh..." Ronald had no choice but to deal with such fools. The larger house he bought was booked by Stallone. Cannon had no money to make a movie for him, and with the heavy losses in the divorce, he couldn't pay for the rest of the house. If even the deposit is not returned, he is in danger of going bankrupt.

In order not to go bankrupt, Stallone had no choice but to change to a house in District D, which is the smallest and worst, close to the road. Let’s talk about mortgage loans first. With the future income of his two movie series as collateral, there are still banks willing to lend money.

That place is easily visited by Hollywood tourists, gossip reporters, movie fans and so on...

However, speaking of it, Stallone might just wish that there were people watching, as this would prove to some extent that he is still alive.

"Hey, this is so rude..." Helen couldn't stand it anymore and stood up to protest to Stallone. To bully Colin Firth, a British actor, in such a arrogant and low-level manner is too embarrassing for Hollywood.

"What little baby is this..." Stallone turned his anger into joy. This actress is more beautiful than Meg Tilly.

"Ahem..." Ronald stood up and walked out of the dark corner. Originally, they had reserved a seat in the back because they wanted to have more privacy.

Ronald is tall, and although his muscles are not as good as Stallone's, he has a well-proportioned body that he has practiced wrestling for many years. In addition, he is half a head taller than Stallone. He is condescending, but he is not too far behind.

"Ah..." Stallone saw clearly that it was Ronald, and his arrogance was poured cold water on. He had boasted a lot just now, and now he was facing a man who bought a luxury house that he couldn't afford...

"I, the house, you, hey..." Even for a fool like Stallone, it was rare that he felt ashamed because he was not gentle enough and turned into Luther, and he no longer bothered Meg Tilly. Without saying anything, he turned around and left.

"Thank you, Ronald...Director Li..." Colin kept saying thanks.

"It's okay, we are not all like that in Hollywood. I have always had a good impression of British actors, and Alan Rickman and I have a great time working together." Ronald ignored Tilly, who was sitting next to him with a pale face, and pulled Holding Helen's hand, the two of them left.

"Meg, this Ronald is such a good man..."

"..." Tilly didn't know what to say. Various emotions came over her. She suddenly lowered her head, covered her face with her hands and started crying.

"Meg, let's not live in Hollywood anymore. Why don't we live somewhere else? Life outside Hollywood is more normal, unlike here where everyone is obsessed with fame and fortune..." Colin Firth thought that Stallone's rude humiliation just now made Tilly very sad.

"However, Zinnemann used visiting the children as an excuse. He said that I could only live in Hollywood, New York, and Cannes in British Columbia. Only then did he agree to the divorce and let me obtain custody of the children."

Meg Tilly knew that such conditions were vicious. Living in Hollywood or Manhattan, New York, they don't have enough savings, and Canada is too far away from the entertainment industry. The careers of both actors may be wasted.

The most beneficial thing for the two of them is to live in a small California town near Los Angeles. It is quiet, low-cost, and they can come to auditions and socialize at any time...

"British Columbia..." Colin Firth also hesitated. He came to Hollywood to make a name for himself.

"Ugh..." Meg Tilly couldn't help but feel even more sad when she saw that the two of them were helpless because of money. She lowered her head and cried. If back then... I should be living in that big house in Hollywood Park now!

"Honey, let's go to Canada, to British Columbia. For you, I can be a middle school drama teacher. It's no big deal..." Faith, who thought it was Tilly who was sad because he didn't want to go to Canada with her, quickly made an oath. ensure.

"Ah...wuwu..." Tilly cried even more sadly now.