Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Latest website: "Protest, protest..." Tyson's manager, Don King, began to pull the referee to prevent him from declaring Douglas the winner. And immediately lodged a complaint with the event organizers and referees on site, as well as officials from the three major boxing councils.

But Douglas didn't care about this. He had already put on a white towel, yelled at the host, and made some postures, asking him to quickly announce that he had won.

The scene was so chaotic that Ronald couldn't do anything to bet on his victory. He put the betting slip in his pocket, bypassed Bobby Brown with Spike Lee, found the assistant assigned to him by Sony, and the three of them went to Sukiyabashi Jiro in Tokyo to eat sushi together.

"Please..." Several pieces of sushi were placed in front of the dining table.

This sushi restaurant was arranged by Sony. It's very interesting. There is no menu here. The owner Jiro Ono decides what sushi to make based on what's fresh in the fish market today. Spike Lee grabbed it and put it in his mouth, "It's pretty fucking good."

Ronald and he chatted while eating. It had been a long time since they had met and chatted. "What movies have you made lately?"

After all, they were interns at New York University to shoot commercials together. There was no mincing words, and they asked about each other's film careers directly as they did back then.

"I just completed a movie about jazz, which tells the life story of two trumpeters during the heyday of jazz. Let me tell you, I completed a very powerful shot, indoor 360-degree tracking, without stopping. A scene of him composing improvisationally around the leading actor, Denzel Washington..."

Ronald was in high spirits. It was rare for him to have an old friend discuss pure film technology with him like before. The more they chatted, the happier they became. "This is really amazing. When you get back, you can make a copy and show it to me..."

"Bro, no problem at all, let me show you my level... hahaha"

"Are you going to shoot songs and dances or black people next?" Ronald ate another piece of sushi. The owner made it really delicious. The ingredients were well matched and very layered.

"A black theme, I plan to shoot a love theme between a black man and a white woman..." Spike Lee started talking happily.

"Oh, the new Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?" Ronald knew that Spike liked to make black stories. The Guess Who's Coming to Dinner, a movie that caused a great social sensation, was about black men. A white girl falls in love, and the hero goes to meet his parents-in-law when the girl's parents don't know he is black.

"No, no, no, it's a completely subversive story. The two are colleagues and superiors, and each has a partner. It's a double forbidden love between the office and race."

Ronald smiled and shook his head. He knew that this old acquaintance liked to film controversial racial topics. Spike Lee liked Ronald's photo of "Working Girl" and asked him about the costumes, props and makeup. Ronald promised to introduce his current team to him.

While they were chatting happily, the owner and chef Ono Jiro came over, bowed to them, and spoke a bunch of Japanese. The assistant translator who was eating next to me said that the thirty-minute dinner was over.

"Hey, please give us some more. We still have something to talk about." Ronald was unhappy. Is there anyone else who could drive people away?

Ono Jiro was resolute, saying that it was impossible for them to add food. The sushi was best eaten at this point, and he would not be able to taste and appreciate the deliciousness of the sushi any further.

"You have a fucking problem here..." Spike Lee pointed to his head and began a series of greetings to the shop owner.

"Forget it, is there any other place? Let's continue a little bit..." Ronald stopped Spike.

"Let's go to Shanju Restaurant, which specializes in tempura..." The assistant didn't expect that Ronald wasn't full yet, so he tapped his head and borrowed the phone here to reserve a seat.

…

After eating some Tokyo-style food, Ronald still didn't cash in his bet order the next day. Yesterday, Don King's fuss had some effect. Among the three major boxing organizations, only the IBF admitted that Douglas had won the game. The WBA and WBC both said that they needed to carefully investigate the video to see if Tyson knocked down Douglas in the eighth round. The referee committed a violation.

Carrying the uncashed bet slip, Ronald took a special plane back to Los Angeles, and by the way, he hooked up with Spike Lee and asked him to show his face properly in front of Bobby Brown, who was frustrated.

Just after getting over the jet lag, Ed Bastian came over to find Ronald. He first brought a low-price sale agreement for ABC's "Growing Pains" across the Pacific and asked Ronald to sign it.

"ABC is very satisfied with being able to enter the local channel market there, and asked you if you can continue to supply. Their TV series with high ratings can be sold to us at the lowest price for our cooperation with Channel 20."

Ed Bastian brought the idea from ABC. It seems that Ronald is not the only smart person who knows how to cultivate the brand without making money first, and then wait for the income of the people there to increase.

Ronald flipped through the list of TV series provided by the other party. ABC is very generous, using all popular dramas that were first aired around 1985, and are only aired a few seasons later than the current American viewers.

If the cooperation can really succeed, Americans who go there for travel or business will be surprised to see that both Chinese and American TV stations are broadcasting the same TV series. Not to mention China, even Japan, Britain, Europe and other countries with developed capitalism will have protective measures in place, which is a scene that is hard to see.

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Ronald pointed to the TV series "A Hundred Battles of Dragons" above and said, "Actually, this TV series was introduced in Xiangjiang. Some TV stations over there had pirated it, but it was quickly called out Stop. Not because it was found to be a copyright infringement, but because some people think it will teach children bad things.”

Just a few years ago, "The Garrison Suicide Squad," an old TV series from decades ago, was still halfway through.

There is also "Blue Moonlight Detective Agency", many plots are too absurd. Some of the emotional entanglements in "Standing at Thirty" are beyond the acceptable atmosphere.

"Several TV stations and radio stations owned by Columbia Pictures are also planning to be transferred to ABC. We have priority in selecting them. Take a look at which ones you like?" Ed Bastian put away the list of TV series and took out another one. The list was handed to Ronald.

Sony acquired Columbia Pictures, but could only retain the film-related parts. The local wireless television stations and radio stations originally owned by Columbia had to be divested according to law. Ronald has the right to choose a few first.

Ronald took a look and found that there were radio stations and television stations in big cities like New York and Los Angeles, as well as in small places such as Ohio and Connecticut. He didn't understand this, but he knew that Bastian must be prepared, so he asked, "What do you think?"

"I think WABC-AM in New York, KNX-FM in Los Angeles, and KRON-FM in San Francisco... and WCIX-TV in Miami could be considered." Ed circled several items for sale on the list. lock up.

"What's the reason?" Ronald noted that he didn't pick any Chicago, Detroit, Philadelphia, or other Midwestern locations.

"The latest census shows that the population on the east and west coasts is growing, while the Great Lakes region is declining, especially the proportion of young people in the total population..." Bastian said the reasons for his optimism. Radio and wireless TV stations will, after all, be Maintained by advertising.

The central and western regions used to be the manufacturing centers of America, but now they are increasingly depressed by Japanese companies, and there is no hope of recovery...

"Also, these radio stations mainly focus on news content, which can be used to broadcast the talk show of your former assistant, Miss Lake..."

"Oh, she did a good job?" Ronald didn't expect to hear the fat girl's name.

"Not bad, pretty good. She is the youngest talk show host in the United States at only 22 years old. The show mainly focuses on young people's topics, such as how to fall in love, how to put on makeup, how to find a job, etc. It is gentler than ordinary talk shows. It is also smaller than evening talk shows and is very popular among teenagers.

Although there are not many traditional advertisers, some advertisements for products targeting young people are selling well. Someone told me that Lake Show may become the media advertising platform with the best reach for teenagers in the United States after the channel..."

"This is really unexpected..." Ronald raised his eyebrows. He didn't expect that Rich Lake, who had been his assistant for several years, was actually a talk show wizard.

"She is very approachable, and she is a bit fat, so she is not aggressive as a host. Many of the guests who come to the talk show are ordinary people. Compared with a female star with a good figure and good looks, Lake can make them relax a lot," said There are many words that cannot be said in other programs..."

"How long has she signed a contract with us? What conditions must be given to her to keep her?" Ronald was keenly aware that Ed Bastian wanted to talk about this sudden talent.

"I gave her a salary of five thousand dollars at first, and later it increased to twenty thousand dollars. I plan to bind her with a long-term contract..."

Ronald nodded, the anchor is the soul of the talk show. He looked at the annual salary figure, then wrote a plus sign next to it, and a bonus based on ratings.

"We bought all the radio and television stations you mentioned as a way to expand Lake's popularity across the country. After that, we will contact several major TV networks to see if her program can be syndicated and broadcast nationwide. Of course, We want her to agree to sign a long-term contract with us..."

"Ronald, you are a really good boss and it is a pleasure to work with you." Ed Bastian felt that Ronald had a tacit understanding with him. He originally wanted to build Lake's program into a well-known brand of the TV station and serve as an umbrella product for the entire media group.

When attracting investment, a TV station needs a program that is well-known and can provide a shield for other programs. There are so many TV stations in New York. If you say that our TV station produces and broadcasts the Richie Lake Show, then advertisers can easily spend money.

Ronald signed his name on all the documents and allocated a large amount of money to Ed Basti to complete the radio and television acquisition with Sony. Ronald resumed his normal working hours.

On this day, he found Jim Cameron again.

"This is the outline I wrote..." Ronald finally recalled the plot of the Terminator sequel that he had dreamed about back then, and then wrote the outline script. The most exciting thing inside is the T-1000 liquid metal robot and the airport battle scene with the T-800 robot starring Schwarzenegger.

In addition to the liquid metal robot that Cameron wanted to shoot in the first episode, which can transform into anyone, there are also motorcycle chases between two robots on the road, encounters in narrow corridors, car chases and shootings, and T-1000 being destroyed by liquid nitrogen. Frozen to pieces, and the final scene of falling into a steel furnace and melting during the battle at the steel plant.

"Oh, this makes my blood boil..." Cameron was beaming with joy. Unexpectedly, Ronald understands himself so well. When watching the sequel, the audience wants to see more exciting scenes than the first episode.

Some of the things in the first episode, such as fighting and shooting, need to be even more intense. The big truck chase in the first episode was not filmed due to budget and technical conditions, so a completely upgraded version was needed.

These scenes are meant to gradually escalate, leading the audience's hormones to explode, and finally reverse in the third act, allowing their emotions to reach a climax stimulated by the tense plot...

Cameron quickly drew some scenes written by Ronald on his writing pad and sketched out storyboards for several shots. Ronald knew that his old friend's inspiration had come, and made him a cup of black tea...

After finishing two paintings, Cameron was still unfinished. When he wanted to continue, he suddenly frowned and said to Ronald, "But..."

"But what?"

"The scenes in your script are all very exciting, but the cost of filming may be unprecedentedly high..." Cameron pointed out several scenes, such as the scene where the T-1000 transforms into other people and then faces those people face to face. . For example, after the T-1000 was frozen to pieces, it gradually thawed under the heat source of the explosion, and then the mercury-like liquid metal came together again to become a robot again.

"If they are all shot, I'm afraid it will cost more than 80 million US dollars..." Cameron sighed. No one in Hollywood is willing to invest the money of two "Batman" movies to make one movie.

"Then cut some off?" Ronald asked tentatively.

"Cut it off?" Cameron touched this page and then that page. He couldn't let go of any of them!

But keep them all? Cameron knew it was unrealistic. Carloco Pictures is a medium-sized production company, and it is already extraordinary to be able to finance a movie with a budget of 40 million. Now it is doubled. Even if the Samsung Pictures that Ronald negotiated increases, or even Ronald himself increases, it will not be enough.

In addition, for a movie with a production budget of US$80 million, investors from Wall Street would not dare to invest in such an extraordinary film.

Ronald shook his head. He understood that Cameron had not adhered to the budget since he cooperated with 20th Century Fox. I am afraid that the production cost of this movie is more than 80 million. I don’t dare to invest all this money. No one’s money comes from the strong wind, right?

"Let's wait and see. I went to Japan this time and heard news that Japanese capital may be interested in Carloco. Maybe they can raise the money you want..." Ronald told what he heard. The news that Pioneer Electronics was going to invest in Carloco was told to Cameron, who was in a complicated mood and went back to perfect the script and budget.

Ronald has other important things to do and wants to spend time with Diane.

…

"I'm so nervous..." Diane finished her lunch and stared at the TV on the sofa. At noon today, the Academy of Motion Picture Technology and Arts will announce this year's Oscar nominations. Ronald filed for Diane in the Best Supporting Actress category for "Steel Magnolias," the same as Julia Roberts.

He wanted to repeat the grand occasion when Sigourney Weaver and Joan Cusack were nominated for Best Supporting Actress in "Working Girl".