Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"202-707-9100", at nine o'clock in the morning, Ronald dialed the number of the Library on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC.

"Hello, I need two copyright registration application forms." After waiting for a long time, an operator finally answered Ronald's call, "Yes, it is the PA form. Please send it to the East Village of Manhattan, New York..."

Michelle Pfeiffer looked at him busy on the phone and felt a little strange. When Ronald put down the receiver, she asked, "I have met several screenwriters in Hollywood. They all put the script in an envelope and then mail it." Give it to yourself, doesn’t this prove copyright?”

"Honey, does any screenwriter you know have an agent?" Ronald put a copy of "Intersection" and a copy of the "My Brother's Keeper" script into his wallet.

"I don't know, probably not. They all work odd jobs in cafes." Pfeiffer laughed as he said this, "Isn't this method safe?"

"Yeah, my agent Richard reminded me to go to a formal agency to register the copyright." Ronald started to get dressed. "The method of mailing the script to yourself is called a poor man's copyright certificate, but in case there is really a copyright If there is a dispute, the court will not accept this evidence.”

"Why?"

"How do you prove that you didn't mail yourself an empty envelope 10 years ago and then put the script in it today?"

"So in order to protect one's own rights and interests, one usually spends 30 US dollars to register with the Writers Association, so that others can check it. However, the registration needs to be renewed after 5 years, and if it is infringed, it needs to be proved that the other party is using it to make a profit.

A safer approach is to back it up in the Library of Congress, so that if it is infringed, it can be automatically used as evidence of infringement. However, filing will take a long time. This is why the Library of Congress is the largest library in the world. "

"Didn't you already call the Library of Congress to request the application form? Why do you still need to go to the Writers Guild to register?" Pfeiffer stretched out his jade arms and hugged Ronald, who was picking up the document package.

"Producers usually go to the Writers Guild to check copyright registration. Richard said it's better to register it. It only costs 30 US dollars for a script, and I don't have to work in a coffee shop."

"Aren't you afraid that your agent will lie to you? Or that he will send your script to other producers, so that the producers also have the script and can't register it first?" Michelle Pfeiffer doesn't really have it This concern is more about wondering that under the same conditions, wouldn't the agent cheat the screenwriter?

"To be honest, I'm not afraid;

The agent relies on me to make money, so naturally protecting my interests is the right choice. Just like your agent won't secretly give the role to someone else unless he has an actress prettier than you, or he doesn't want to do it anymore. "

"As for the producers, they are too busy. Instead of plagiarizing, they might as well spend a small amount of money to buy the option of the script. For making a movie, the purchase cost of the script is only a small amount of money."

Ronald turned back and kissed Pfeiffer before getting ready to go out.

"By the way, my agent Limato is coming to New York. I will meet with him later and won't be back until evening." Pfeiffer went back to her yoga practice with satisfaction, wearing high-slit yoga clothes on her body Very charming, Pfeiffer even wore long leg warmers for her beauty.

"Okay, honey, see you tonight."

I went to the Writers Guild's office in New York and spent $60 to register my two scripts. The staff gave him two slips of paper with registration codes, which were the registration codes of his scripts. Ronald put it away carefully.

"In the future, your outline can be used for registration. Many screenwriters here do this. The outline can also prevent others from plagiarizing." The staff reminded.

"Okay, I will." Ronald didn't care if it gave them an extra $30.

Back at the apartment, Pfeiffer hadn't returned yet. Ronald goes on to break down scripted scenes from "Endless Love." This kind of exercise is also a kind of training for future directors. Every director has different ideas. For the same scene in the script, different directors adopt different shooting methods.

Ronald referred to the "Romeo and Juliet" script and scene breakdown table given to him by Zeffirelli to figure out Zeffirelli's directing style. It seems that Italians like to shoot movies like operas. Many times it is a static camera, and the lens follows the protagonist's face.

It’s similar to the movement of the audience’s eyes when watching an opera.

Mastering Zeffirelli's style, Ronald began arranging scenes to suit the director's preferences. This kind of shooting method will be a bit dull, and the unique audio-visual language of some movies will not be used. But the benefits are also great. It saves money and can be shot quickly.

Time passed quickly. After rubbing his sore eyes, Ronald got up and made lunch for himself. Take out the butter from the refrigerator, pick a small amount and melt it in the pan, then take out two slices of bread and slowly fry it until brown, then spread the salmon sauce on one side of the bread and heat it.

At the same time, I cut some tomatoes and Mao-style pickles from a Ukrainian restaurant, and finally melted two pieces of bacon from the supermarket and fried them. I sandwiched the two pieces of bread, cut them into two angular shapes with a knife, and bit into the bread crust. Served with ginger soda, it tastes really good.

While eating, I turned on the TV and watched the CBS noon news.

“At the recent National Elephant Party Congress, as everyone expected, the former California governor defeated the former CIA director and director of the representative office in China and was elected as the Elephant Party’s candidate for leadership.

The former California governor said he would invite former President Gerald to serve as his vice presidential candidate. During the election campaign four years ago, many representatives of the Elephant Party bluntly stated that they had voted wrongly after listening to the former governor's defeat speech. In 1976, when the state Electoral College representatives voted to confirm the candidate for the general election, there was also a Washington state representative who broke his oath and did not vote for Gerald, but voted for the former governor. "

On the other side of the Donkey Party, the current leader defeated the challenger, President Kennedy's third brother Edward, and obtained the Donkey Party's candidate qualification.

Edward's hit-and-run scandal, which resulted in death, has greatly affected his election this year. Even though his two brothers were assassinated, the public sympathized with the Kennedy family, but this sympathy quickly turned into anger.

"This year's general election will be fought between the current president and the former governor of California. Let's listen to the analysis of experts."

"Did you really get the candidate qualification?" Ronald finished eating the last piece of the sandwich. "America is really free. Forget about the governor of California, is it possible for an actor to be the governor?"

"Ring ring ring ring..."

Ronald picked up the phone and it was his two agents, Richard Lovett and Rick Niceta, calling together.

"Ronald, we received your script. The script reads perfectly, but what do you really want to forget?"

"Forgot what?" Ronald couldn't think of anything.

"You forgot about dessert at minute 73."

"What?"

Niceta smiled and said, "Don't you know the meaning of dessert? No wonder, this is a popular saying in Hollywood, you are in New York. Dessert means passion scene."

"Passion scene? But isn't this a Vietnam War scene?"

"Why can't there be passionate scenes in Vietnam War dramas? Didn't there be passionate scenes between Jane Fonda and a disabled veteran in 'Homecoming'?"

"Oh, yes." Ronald forgot about the passionate scene that is said to be the first passionate scene involving a disabled person on the American screen. It is said that Jane later became a sex symbol for all disabled people.

"For the script to be favored by the producer, the most important thing is that the stars are willing to participate. You add a love story between the protagonist, the platoon leader, and the female volunteer who takes care of the veteran's family, and lengthen the entire script to 120 minutes. I think I can go to the studio to promote it.”

"Okay, I'll make the changes right now." In order to get the project started as soon as possible, Ronald can agree to any changes. "But if I add a love scene, will any studio be willing to do it?"

"Of course, have you forgotten how many hands a script has to go through before it gets to the producers? If a star likes your script, you can skip all the stairs and get on the elevator to the top, and that way we can make sure you The script was put on the desks of vice presidents and above in the eight major studios."

"Do you have a candidate?" Ronald heard some confidence from Niceta's words. Maybe he already has a suitable star candidate in mind?

"There is no specific candidate yet, but after Jane Fonda was awarded the title of Queen for the second time with "The Return", many female stars thought that filming the Vietnam War theme was a shortcut to the title of Queen, and many stars' agents were frantically looking for suitable Vietnam War scripts.

For example, Barbra Streisand, Farrah Fassett, the newly-minted Meryl Streep, and even Britain's Maggie Smith... If you make a list of Hollywood female stars, I guarantee that everyone on it will be interested. "

"Okay, I will revise it as soon as possible." Ronald felt that he was full of fighting spirit. Even if he was decomposing the script of "Endless Love" during the day and working overtime at night to revise "My Brother's Protector", he was still full of energy.

"Remember to put the biggest passionate scene on page 73 of the script."

"Why?" Ronald wondered.

"73 divided by 119 equals?"

"Ronald took the calculator and it equals 0.613"

"That's the golden section. I'm waiting for your good news." With that, Niceta hung up the phone.

Ronald reacted. According to Hollywood standards, one page of script is basically equivalent to one minute of the plot of the film. Subtitles are usually added at the last minute. The actual length of a two-hour movie is more than 119 minutes.

Page 73 is the golden section of a two-hour movie. Adding the best passionate scene here can just cheer up the audience when they are tired and enter the second half of the plot.

Ronald was thinking about how to set up this female character. She was a volunteer taking care of the families of veterans, and she and the platoon leader eventually became lovers. What kind of identity should be assigned to her? Is it a young female college student or a mature divorced woman?

The sound of a key entering the door came, and it was Michelle Pfeiffer who came back with his agent Limato.

"Ronnie, I have to go to Los Angeles early." Pfeiffer said looking at Ronald.

"What? You don't want to play the supporting role in Endless Love?" Ronald asked curiously.

"No, she can't act. It's a waste of time to wait here. I've arranged everything for her in Los Angeles, acting training classes, industry parties, appearances, etc." Limato answered on Pfeiffer's behalf.

Ronald and Pfeiffer originally planned to go to Los Angeles together after filming "Endless Love". It happened that he also needed to go to CAA. President Ovitz would interview every client who signed a contract.

"Why can't Michelle act?"

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