Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Excuse me, did you know about this prenuptial agreement before Spielberg got married?" Amy Irving's lawyer has a big nose. Her face and exposed skin parts, such as her hands and neck, are all orange from the sun. Speaks aggressively.

Ronald met all the best makeup artists on the set. It seemed that the lawyer's skin color was not natural. Maybe it was not a natural tan but a fake color.

Ronald looked at the lawyer Lindsay next to him, and when she nodded to indicate that it was OK, he simply replied: "I heard Mr. Spielberg talk about it."

"Did Spielberg tell you that he wanted to get married in New Mexico in order to reduce the amount of property that my client, Ms. Amy Irving, might receive in the divorce?"

"Objection, induce the witness..." Spielberg's lawyer objected, and the court-appointed staff also stated that the question was illegal and invalidated the words that the stenographer had typed.

"Then let me put it another way. Do you think Mr. Spielberg's prenuptial agreement is fair to my client?"

"Objection, Mr. Li is a famous director and producer, he is not a divorce lawyer..."

The evidence collection process was so boring and long. Ronald was questioned by lawyers from both sides for more than an hour. The final conclusion was that Ronald did not own Spielberg's prenuptial agreement written on a napkin. He was heard to say anything that was against the rules.

He also found no instance of Amy Irving being forced to accept an unequal deal because of her identity as a woman. Simply put, Ronald's testimony provided no valuable information.

But Ronald's testimony was not useless. On the contrary, his testimony confirmed Spielberg's statement that the two fell in love and married without any reluctance or coercion, and there was no secret from Amy Irving.

Spielberg was grateful to Ronald, who was his most powerful witness. Amy Irving found no flaws in the terms of the agreement, and the New Mexico marriage law did not support the woman, so she could only form a legal opinion based on the opportunity cost method.

That is to say, because Amy Irving was married to Spielberg and took care of the family for several years, she never got the role opportunities she deserved. She was originally a female star in Hollywood commercial productions. After her marriage, she only voiced the cartoon characters in "Who Framed Roger Rabbit". These were all sacrifices made by marriage, and Spielberg needed to compensate.

Based on her average salary before marriage and the frequency of one movie per year, in the end Spielberg only needs to compensate Amy Irving for her career losses of several million to tens of millions in one go. Although the opposing lawyer still has reasons to argue, it is not bad enough.

…

Construction of Ronald's house in Los Angeles has begun, and Lao Wang from the Southeast Garden Bureau led workers to build a lotus pond and an arch bridge. Paired with new houses in a neoclassical style similar to those on the east coast, it has a unique blend of Chinese and Western qualities.

Additional construction included a small screening room, equipped with the latest Balco projectors, and an underground film library with refrigeration equipment, all based on experience gained from Spielberg's home screening rooms.

After looking at the construction progress and looking forward to the life he would live in after the construction was completed, Ronald turned back and daydreamed. Jonathan Demme had encountered difficulties in the casting and was waiting to discuss with him.

"Michelle Pfeiffer still hasn't agreed?" Ronald looked at Demi who was a little frustrated.

"I tried to persuade her twice, but she didn't agree. When we talked in person, I thought she was very optimistic about joining, but the next day she called again and declined.

Jonathan Demme's directing style is very meticulous, mainly because he needs actors to understand his meaning and perform it with Pfeiffer. This requires the right actors and time, just like many Bergman or Antonioni who can make movies with small plots that fascinate the public. Fixed actors are an indispensable part of their movies.

But this is Hollywood, and the methods favored by European filmmakers won’t work here. Ronald guessed the problem area and called Michelle Pfeiffer's agent, Limato, from his office.

"Ronald, it's been a long time. Do you have any new movies? Are you looking for my client Nick to play the leading role?" Limato is also Nicolas Cage's agent. He is cunning and knows that Ronald is for For the casting of "Silence of the Lambs", let me first recommend Cage.

"If there is a suitable script, I will consider it. Ed, you know the purpose of my call. What conditions do you want to let Michelle (Pfeiffer) participate in the role?"

"This is not a matter of money, Ronald. You have to know that Michelle's star image has finally recovered from the extramarital affair scandal after a half-year break. What she needs is a positive, positive, and lovable beauty. , just like Demme’s last film, ‘Married to the Gang’.”

"The Lamb is also very good. There is a lot of room for her acting skills. The female FBI agent bravely captured the serial killer. The audience will fall in love with her, Ed."

"I admit that Starling's character is lovable, but the relationship between her and Hannibal is really hard for the average audience to accept." Limato has also read it, in which Starling and Hannibal are obviously beyond ordinary men and women. Feelings.

"Ed, come on, there's nothing like this in the movie..." Ronald argued with him, but Limato was very opposed to the movie. Even if the audience didn't hate Michelle Pfeiffer because of it, For a film that expresses some of the positive qualities of a murderer, it's probably best not to have anything to do with the glamorous Pfeiffer.

"Ed, we have known each other for a long time. You name a condition and I will satisfy it if I can..." Ronald also wanted to try to see if Limato had any requirements. He lowered his voice and said, "I won't. What harmed Michelle...you know.”

"Unless you can guarantee that she will win the Oscar for Best Actress..." Limato feels that the only person who can make Pfeiffer sacrifice her star image is the statuette.

"Who can guarantee this, Ed, you have nothing to talk about?"

"Sorry... I can't do anything that will harm Michelle's image value." Limato hung up the phone.

"You see Jonathan, not every actress in Hollywood thinks acting is the most important thing. This is a business decision, not something that can be solved by money." Ronald shrugged to Jonathan Demme, saying that he had done his best.

"You'd better try contacting Jodie Foster. I heard that she doesn't raise her salary as much as those actresses who win the Best Actress Award."

"But movies are art after all, and they cannot be considered entirely in accordance with commercial requirements..." Demi was a little sad. Ronald, like Roger Corman, tolerated artists within the budget.

"Actually, Judy also has good points in playing this role. For example, she is more innocent and shorter than Pfeiffer. This kind of figure can inspire the audience's protective desire..." Ronald still strongly recommends the match in the dream.

Seeing Demi, he still hesitated, but Ronald thought of someone else, "In this case, I will ask my lawyer Lindsay to make an appointment with a real female FBI detective. You and I will go to New York to meet her and see the real What is the temperament of female FBI employees? I believe you will change."

What Ronald was talking about was the female deputy detective of the FBI New York branch who accidentally detained Ronald when Michelle Pfeiffer was coerced by a vegetarian group. She is also an expert on serial murders and a true hero who has brought several serial killers to justice. Later, she also helped find Diane, who was kidnapped by her mother.

"OK, I happen to have some details that I want to discuss with them..." Demi agreed. Ronald was very happy and asked his lawyer to make arrangements. She was the female detective who was the best to him back then and helped him get rid of his handcuffs. He has never seen her since he became famous.

"When are we going?" Demi couldn't wait to hear Ronald talk about the female detective's experience.

"Let me go to South Dakota first. There's something wrong there."

Ronald rented a business jet and flew to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. The crew of Dances with Wolves has arrived here and started filming the exterior scenes.

David Simkins, a script expert, was sent by Ronald to serve as an on-site executive producer, responsible for budget and filming schedule issues.

But Simkins, who performed very well in script selection, was still unfamiliar with the role of producer. In other words, in front of Kevin Costner, he couldn't hold back his weight, the filming was delayed for a long time, and he couldn't control the crew.

The entire filming team listened to Costner, not Simkins. I don’t know why, but those people very much recognized Costner’s artistic choices and stood by him.

Seeing the seriously behind schedule and seriously overrun shooting costs on the report, Ronald had no choice but to go and solve the problem even if he suppressed Costner or frustrated Simkins' confidence.

After all, Orion Pictures can no longer afford any investment to add this "Dances with Wolves" film. Ronald is now launching multiple projects, and has invested his personal funds in rebuilding his house, acquiring shares in Capcom, and buying shares in Microsoft. He didn't want to buy Coca-Cola to make additional investment. After all, Buffy told him to hold it for the long term.

"!"

Kevin Costner wore a Union Army officer's uniform during the Civil War, glued on his mustache, and signaled to the camera. Then he quickly entered the role and walked toward a group of topless actors dressed as Indians. go.

"Cut!" We're going to do it again. Although Costner was a director for the first time, he still had a director-like temperament, and the entire crew of technicians admired him. The screenwriters, actors, and photographers of the creative team are all on his side.

David Simkins has been reduced to a set manager, helping with chores and having no say in the filming.

"Kevin..." Ronald clearly saw the problem. In this desolate national park, everyone is born to respect the strong person in life. This is not a Hollywood studio, and titles do not bring any power.

"Aha, Ronald, I'm so glad you're here. I still have some questions for you as a director." Kevin Costner was very happy. The team Ronald arranged for him was very cooperative. The technique is also very good, and my artistic ideas can be fully realized.

"I'm here to talk to you about technical matters first." Ronald made a motion of twisting money with his hands.

"Everyone, take a break. Let's take a break for this scene for an hour." Costner understood that this was Ronald asserting his authority in front of the crew, and he was grateful for it. But what is supposed to come will come, and there will always be someone to take care of the waste of money and time. But I didn't expect that the boss of Daydream would be disturbed.

"Ronald, I have to tell you, this movie will be a masterpiece. Don't let small cost issues hinder our smooth creation." Costner entered the RV and took two bottles from the refrigerator. I threw a bottle of light beer to Ronald, who started complaining first.

"I don't know the situation, but any producer who sees that the cost of filming in the first few weeks is 100% over budget and the schedule is half behind schedule, their first reaction is to fire the director..." Ronald also laughed, He is so eloquent and has a trustworthy face. No wonder Simkins, who was originally a screenwriter, couldn't suppress him.

"Hey, you can't..." Costner was anxious. He had been filming for a few weeks and was about to get better...

"Hey, hahaha, you fooled me, are you kidding me?" Costner looked at Ronald smiling calmly, knowing that he was startled by him. His trump card has been seen through, and all he can do next is persuasion.

Costner talked about a lot of his creative ideas, including how to find the bison herd, how to let the second team of directors shoot bison material for his own research, how to organize a Sioux language training class, how to get the heroine Mary McDonough to Nakko is shy...

"You are also the director, Ronald. You understand that in this movie we have all entered a space. Everyone gets into the state every morning when they arrive on the set..." Costner also spoke a few words of Sioux language, Demonstrate how hard they work.

"I haven't said anything yet..." Ronald smiled, "Well, you can show me the samples you took first and then talk about it."

…

"That's all?" Ronald, Costner, and Simkins drove to the nearest town. They rented a movie theater and started showing daily footage from the previous two weeks.

The number of samples is normal, but the footage is surprisingly small. Many scenes were shot many times, and there were many shots that were scrapped due to the unfamiliarity of the director.

"That's it...I don't want to defend myself, but don't these shots shock the audience?"

Ronald said to himself that this was not too much of a boast. Audiences haven't seen a big-budget Western in years. In recent years, western movies have gradually become a low-budget movie. Many good and evil characters confront each other, drawing guns and shooting. Before the 1950s, few western movies showed the majesty of the struggle between humans and nature between heaven and earth. Scenes.

"I agree, but why did you shoot them sequentially?" Ronald's dissatisfaction with Costner mainly focused on this aspect.

The plot of Dances with Wolves is complicated. Lieutenant Dunbar first fought on the North-South battlefield, and later settled in a border town. He became familiar with the Indian Sioux tribe, and also met the white woman "Standing Up" who was adopted by the Sioux tribe since she was a child. The scenes switch back and forth in various natural environments.

The normal way to shoot a blockbuster film is to classify it according to the scene. First, focus on shooting certain grassland scenes, which can save a lot of budget.

Costner didn't know whether it was because he was a rookie director or because he had his own artistic considerations, but he actually classified the movie according to the scenes in the script and shot them one by one.

For example, there were several wars between the Sioux and the Comanche (a very aggressive Indian race). If these extras, horses, and cameras were shot sequentially, they would have to be re-rented and hired every time. Once again, that’s a lot of money wasted.

"But don't you think it's very contagious when shot like this?" Costner certainly knows how to shoot normally. He deliberately shot in this order to get the best chemical reaction.

"First, I will withdraw Simkins, and then send you a more experienced on-site producer. She will be responsible for the cost." Ronald thought for a while and made a decision. The demos turned out very well, so Costner wasn't wasting money by not releasing the film.

Therefore, his shooting method must be affirmed, but an experienced producer must also control it, otherwise too much money will be wasted.

"Second..." Ronald took the script and shooting plan and turned to the scenes of the galloping buffalo and the war between the Sioux and Comanches...

"Hiss..." Ronald tore off these pages with force, "These scenes are not allowed to be shot sequentially. They have to be shot together. I don't care about the rest."

"That's... okay." Costner couldn't refute. These scenes were too expensive. People who couldn't deliver on time couldn't argue with investors in a place like this.

"I will come back and check again in a few weeks. If the cost and schedule are not under control, I will propose to Orion Pictures to suspend filming until we find someone to invest additional money... Do you understand?"

"Okay, okay, but this time you have to send me a producer who respects the director. You can't just control the budget. Making a movie is not making cola."

"Don't worry, take good photos. I sent you Polly Platt. She is a ruthless person who divorced her husband Bogdanovich and still works as an art director for her ex-husband. She definitely has artistic judgment... Take good care of her." Dry……"

Ronald patted the stunned Costner. Now I'll send you the most powerful female producer, so you won't be so easy to fool.

"By the way, I also brought you a few mobile toilets and mobile freezers. You guys worked hard during the filming, so it's important to ensure that you have the ice cream. We purchased the ice cream from the nearby air force base to ensure there is enough."

"I..." Costner was shocked by the reputation of Polly Platt, and it seemed that he would no longer be able to shoot whatever he wanted in the future.

"Thank you, Ronald." Costner held on to the mobile toilet parked behind the trailer, dumbfounded.