Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Latest website: "Rudy announced his defeat, but his vote count was the closest to the Elephant Party in many years. Such results ensured that he would not retire from politics.

He may compete with Senator Moynihan in the next election, or he may compete with Governor Cuomo in two years... But today, he and members of the election team went to a senior activity center in Queens..."

Amidst the overwhelming news programs about the Berlin Wall, Ronald began to see a local TV station, Fox Channel 5, broadcasting news about Rudy's defeat.

He danced with many old ladies in a nursing home in Queens. Rudy, an Italian-born man, has maintained a good figure even in his middle age. With his strong hairline and handsome face, he is very popular among the old ladies. , one by one lined up to dance with him in his arms.

On the other side, the victorious Dinkins also delivered a victory speech on ABC Channel 7. Ronald turned the channel over and the first black mayor was speaking.

Dinkins said his mission as mayor is to heal. He campaigned on a platform of unifying the city's diverse communities and addressing the deep racial and economic divides that emerged in the 1980s. Emphasizing the need to build a "City of Opportunity" where everyone has a chance to succeed, regardless of their race, ethnicity or background.

“I promise that if elected, I will be a ‘Mayor for all New Yorkers’ and work to heal the divisions in our city that have been created over the past decade.

We must come together now as one people to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future for all. We must break down the barriers that have divided us for so long. We must create a city where everyone feels welcome and respected..."

"Oh..." The supporters at the scene began to shout and cheer.

Ronald noted that these supporters were overwhelmingly black and Latino.

"Hmph..." Helen angrily grabbed the remote control and tuned into CUU's report on the Berlin Wall. She had not yet forgiven the teenage criminals who had robbed her and Ronald in Central Park, and was not impressed by Dinkins's behavior.

CUU is still good-looking. It replays hot news every 30 minutes, and broadcasts news headlines in text like a revolving lantern at the bottom of the screen every 5-10 minutes.

Helen was very excited and even took a video recorder to record. Her eyes were staring at the revolving door of words. Her name and those big-name Hollywood stars were slowly scrolling together. It was really fun!

"Honey, I'm leaving..." Ronald and Helen kissed goodbye and went to Orion to discuss two new films.

Mike Medavoy took responsibility and resigned, bringing with him a $150 million order from Colombia. But after boss Kluge checked the true financial situation of Orion, he was furious and began to look for sale targets.

It was impossible for 150 million to offset Orion's losses in the past two years. He began to make up his mind and wanted to find a scapegoat like Sony to take over.

However, among Japanese companies, there were not many companies with a global vision like Sony. It was difficult to find interested investors for a while, and Kluge began to cut costs wildly.

This also affected the subsequent releases of two films in which Ronald was involved. The person who succeeded Mike Medavoy in running this stall was an executive with a financial background hired by Kluge.

"Mr. Lee, Mike (Medavoy) had spoken to Mr. Klug about the two films before he resigned. Orion will guarantee the budget of these two films and the promised subsequent distribution, but you also know, We're under huge financial pressure right now, so..."

"As long as Orion can allocate funds on time and ensure the smooth completion of the production of the two movies..." Ronald understood that there was no way around it, and he could only hope that Orion would keep its promise.

"Orion will be responsible for what has been promised to the end. This is one of the conditions that Mike mentioned before leaving. He said that these two movies will be important opportunities for Orion... However, we cannot make any additional changes to the project. Additional investment..."

As he said that, the other party handed over a piece of paper.

Ronald took it over and looked at it, and he almost became angry.

It turned out that that was the report made by Kevin Costner. He wanted to invest an additional US$4 million to film the scene of the Indian tribe walking through the Grand Canyon and migrating to the reservation designated by the white people.

"I have seen the reports of these two dramas, and I have to say that Mr. Li is a role model in the Hollywood industry. All expenditures are justified. I have also seen some samples. What I see is the production of a responsible person. The dedication of people and artists is compared to other movies that cost fifteen million dollars and only had a few actors walking around and talking...

Forget it, don’t talk about this. My idea is, if you feel that you can finish shooting on budget, then I will do my best to ensure that the film is released. If you feel that more investment is needed, then we may need to divert some of the distribution and marketing budget. We can slowly figure out what to do next.

But this judgment still requires you, Mr. Li..."

"I'll convince Kevin (Costner), or be convinced by him..." Ronald stood up and shook the friendly new vice president's hand.

…

"What's going on with Kevin Costner? Does he think I'm the villain?"

The only person Ronald called Daydream now in New York was Polly Platt, who had been the producer of Dances with Wolves. He immediately invited her, who was on vacation with her children, to come over to discuss how to deal with this once again overspending.

Polly Platt was a veteran chef who had been in the industry for decades. When she saw Luo Jian's angry outburst, she didn't say anything and just smiled in response.

Movies are a crazy industry, with huge budgets, huge risks, and huge investments. All producers and directors are dancing on a tightrope. Just inches away from falling off the cliff, trying to maneuver for some space.

Therefore, she has also seen too much hysteria from producers. A producer like Ronald, who just throws out a few curse words from time to time, is already a model of gentlemanly demeanor.

"Ronald, calm down. You have also watched many scenes of this movie. Is it a good work?" When Ronald got tired of scolding, Polly Platt smiled and helped him clarify some facts. .

After all, Ronald is a novice when it comes to investing in such big-budget movies. He was also under tremendous pressure as a rookie on many things. Although there are rumors in the industry that Ronald now earns at least 20 million US dollars every year from the Dirty Dancing video.

But more than two thousand US dollars is twenty million US dollars. If he invests in Dances with Wolves, he will also have to share about ten million US dollars. If such a large amount of money really turns into a Kevin Gate, as Hollywood ironically says, and loses everything like "Valmont", Ronald's financial losses will be huge.

Not counting the loss of his own reputation, the myth that every movie made money was shattered.

"Well, the shooting was quite good. I can't tell that he is a novice director. But he is also very good at spending money. This bastard just treated me like an ATM machine. I am not the richest man in Forbes like Kluge. …”

"Do you feel pressure? Ronald" Polly Platt asked Ronald with a smile.

"No, I...well, I am indeed a little excited..." Ronald admitted that he was a little too angry that Costner had raised the budget several times..."

"Have you ever thought that Kevin's pressure is much greater than yours? This is his first directorial work, and he also invested his own money in the production..."

"Humph..." Ronald understood what Polly meant. Kevin Costner also invested his salary and became one of the investors of the film. But this is not like Ronald, who invested a lot of real money, and there was also some investment from Douglas Jr. (of course, this also included George Jr.'s).

"What do you want to say?" Ronald asked Polly after he calmed down.

"I want to say that maybe Kevin also needs the guidance of some experienced directors, such as you... He may have fallen into a misunderstanding without realizing it..."

"Well, you're right, Polly, will you come with me to South Dakota again?"

"You have to compensate for my mental loss. It's hard for me and the children to take a vacation..."

"So, are your two daughters interested in South Dakota National Park and western movies? Why don't I invite her to go on vacation to the set? I'll cover all the expenses? We'll go together on a business jet, and we can also take photos with Kevin... "

"Fourteen!"

…

After Polly Platt divorced Bogdanovich, she married a prop master. Unfortunately, the prop master died of illness five years ago. In addition to her two girls, Platt also took on the responsibility of her husband. Care responsibilities for two children from a previous marriage.

"Hey...hey..." The four children took the video tape gift from Ronald and chatted happily on the business jet. They even came over and asked to take a photo with Ronald.

Polly Platt looked at Ronald, who was surrounded by four teenagers, and was surprised to see that he was not annoyed at all.

"When did Diane..."

"Next year, around Oscar time..." Ronald grinned...

"Oh, the mother of the child is breastfeeding and needs companionship very much..." Polly Platt was abandoned by her ex-husband Bogdanovich when her child was very young, so it was okay to treat Ronald like this. The Hollywood director in charge was very fond of Ronald. Seeing that he was not bored, he started chatting with him about some things about female pregnancy and childbirth.

In this way, with the longing for his future child, Ronald's mood became calmer. So what if we lose money? It doesn't matter to me... It must be a rebirth of the Western genre. My wealth was given by Hollywood, and it's time to give some rewards to the industry.

"Kevin, how are you? Were you stressed when you wrote that letter asking for money?"

When we arrived at the scene, we saw Kevin Costner covered in ashes while filming a battlefield scene. Instructor Ronald spoke softly.

"Oh, Ronald, I don't know what to say..."

Kevin Costner originally expected that Ronald would give him a storm when he came, but he didn't expect that he didn't curse, and he was really well-controlled...

"Tell me, why do you need to increase the budget?" Ronald continued to be pleasant.

"This is what I think. This movie has been made until now. It is an epic and needs a powerful ending..."

Kevin Costner was moved by Ronald's attitude. Such a producer is really his greatest luck. Ronald is a director himself and must understand his dilemma. This understanding allows him to speak out what is in his heart.

After all, Kevin Costner is similar to Ronald back then. His reputation, future, and money are all staked on this movie. There was a lot of pressure on him, so he wanted to do his best in every shot.

On the set, his good friend and screenwriter Michael Blake shared his desire to make his debut movie perfect.

Therefore, when it came to filming, Michael Blake often rewrote some scenes on the spot. Kevin Costner saw that it was better than the original one, so he gritted his teeth and reshot some scenes.

When the filming entered the last quarter, the two of them felt more and more that the beginning of the movie was very touching, but it needed an impactful ending, otherwise the story would not be powerful enough and the audience might be disappointed.

Michael Blake also re-arranged the scene of the last Indian tribe, being driven out by the white people, and finally moving to the Indian reservation, and thought of a very grand ending.

Kevin Costner thought it was good at first sight, and it would be a pity not to film it. He bit the bullet and went into battle and wrote an application to Orion asking for money.

"Kevin, have you ever thought about how long your movie will take?" Ronald flipped through the added ending, which included the conflict between Indians and white troops, and Captain Dunbar becoming Dances with Wolves. In the future, the conflict with the original comrades... If all were to be filmed, an additional half hour would have to be added to the existing basis.

"I just think……"

"You just want to shoot it and then slowly stitch it together in the editing room, right?" Ronald said it for him.

"That's pretty much it. An epic story must have an epic ending..."

"Hey, you don't understand film distribution and editing. I'll tell you about it and you'll understand..."

The film footage of Dances with Wolves has been shot more than double that of ordinary movies. The rough cutting of these samples would take 5-6 hours.

When editing a movie with such rich content, even if a master like Walter Murch is hired, not a single frame is needed. Each scissor is cut at the most critical place, and the film can only be cut into 4 hours at most.

Just like cooking Chinese or Italian food, slowly reducing the juice and plucking it bit by bit, it can only be cut to three hours at most.

This is determined by the laws of the movie, and there is not much room for change. If we add the forty minutes of scenes, then the movie will definitely be over three and a half hours.

It is impossible for any movie theater to be willing to show a movie of this length. One movie is equivalent to the length of two ordinary commercial films, but it is impossible for the audience to pay twice the movie ticket price. What's more, at more than three hours, it is also a serious challenge to the audience's bladder.

Whether the audience will like this movie or not is uncertain. Maybe, "Dances with Wolves" will end up like "Valmont," with the studio refusing to schedule the film.

Kevin Costner is a smart guy, and he's aware of the industry's ill will toward his Kevin Gates nickname. Coupled with the recent failure of Valmont, it had a great impact on him. No matter how good the ending is, if it doesn't get released, it still means nothing.

"Hey, what should I do? Is this the movie, without an ending?" Costner fell into doubt about himself.

He regretted that his requirements for his debut novel were too perfect. If we could stop worrying about details in the early stages and not demand every shot to be the best, then maybe we would have the money to shoot the big scene at the end now, right?

Filmmaking is a big gamble and the director is under a lot of pressure. As a producer, Ronald helps them block these pressures and focus on artistic creation. We should also help the director make some difficult decisions when needed.

"I'll tell you what to do, Kevin..."

"What can I do?" Costner had hope again. Ronald is a much more experienced director than him.

"This is what Mr. Roger Corman taught me. This is the best way to deal with movies that are over budget and beyond the distribution capacity..."

With that said, Ronald stood up, picked up the new script, turned to the scenes added by the screenwriter at the back, tore them all out of the script with a tear, and threw them into the trash can.

"That's it. We'll shoot as planned. Just shoot here..."

"ah……"

Costner suffered a serious blow, just torn it off?

He stared blankly at the last page, which showed Dances with Wolves and the couple standing erect with clenched fists, walking along a path in the winter snow and embarking on a journey.

"That's right..." Ronald patted Costner on the shoulder, "Movies are an art of regret. A movie with regrets is better than one that cannot be released..."

After solving the filming problem of Dances with Wolves, Ronald flew back to Los Angeles. As soon as he arrived in Los Angeles, he saw Richard waiting for him at the airport, next to Daydream's script supervisor David Simkins...

"David, why are you here?" It was only natural that Richard came to pick him up. Why did Simkins also come to the airport? Is there anything urgent?

"The script you told me about last time is now on the market..."

"Ah? You found it? What's your name? How much does it cost?"

“It’s called Other People’s Money, but things are a little complicated…”