Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"That's not an easy task." Katzenberg laughed. "It's relatively easy to make an Oscar-winning movie or a box-office hit, but you have to make a movie that's always been successful." It’s not easy to make a movie that can stand the test of time.”

"Why? I don't quite understand, Mr. Katzenberg."

"Anyway, there is still some time. If it ends now, my secretary will bother me with the list of calls to be returned." Katzenberg was passionate about movies and simply chatted more deeply with Ronald.

“Do you know how many movies Hollywood produces in a year?”

Ronald shook his head.

"Today's film production has shrunk significantly, but there are still more than 300 films a year that can be released in theaters across the country. And Hollywood produces at least 10 times this number of films every year."

"In the golden age of thirty years ago, when there was no television, this number would have increased several times. But how many movies released before 1950 are still remembered today?"

Ronald was lost in thought. He had only watched nearly 100 old films in Scorsese's film classic appreciation class, plus the TV evening theater recorded on video tapes.

And this is a classic movie that has been filtered through thirty years of time from the birth of the movie to 1950, all the movie production in the past 50 years.

It looks like it will be circulated for thirty years, and there are still people who remember it. This is indeed a high request. But I just want to direct a movie that will be remembered. Maybe if I work hard towards this goal, plus luck, and the chance to dream of a movie, maybe I can achieve it?

"Yes, Mr. Katzenberg, I know how difficult this is, but this is also the goal I want to pursue in this life."

"Well said, I like young people like you." A middle-aged man opened the door and walked in.

"Mr. Eisner." Katzenberg and Ovitz both stood up and greeted the president of Paramount.

Michael Eisner shook Ovitz's hand and then pulled him into his arms for a hug. "How about I own Jane Fonda's new film?"

"As long as your bid is the highest, Jane Fonda demands fair play." Ovitz answered with a very professional smile.

Ronald also stood up and looked at the most powerful person in Paramount.

Eisner’s eyes were sunken,

The square chin looks a bit like Superman in the comics. He is wearing a yellow T-shirt and a lilac jacket. Wearing dark gray trousers, white leather shoes, and a white belt around her belly, she is very eye-catching. Only the birth line seems to be further back than Katzenberg.

Eisner looked like he had just come back from the golf course.

"You must be Ronald, the author of the script. I heard Jeffrey mention your name. Hollywood needs young people like you." Eisner actually remembered Ronald's name and shook his hand. , gave an encouraging word.

"Michael, you and Jeffrey continue to talk about the details. I'm waiting for the good news."

Like Caesar in purple robes, Eisner visited the centurion's tent, chatted with each soldier, and then walked away.

This style is completely different from that of Disney's top management, and it gives you the illusion of dealing with friends.

After talking about the bidding methods and details, Michael Ovitz took Ronald out of the gate of Paramount.

"With the first bidder, the subsequent negotiations will be much easier to handle."

As expected by Ovitz, the negotiations became smoother and smoother in the next few days. With each additional studio willing to bid, the next one becomes less difficult to negotiate.

In the film market, no one knows whether a project will make money or lose money, but since others are optimistic about the project, the prospects must be good. We can borrow the vision of popular producers in the industry like Katzenberg to judge the film's box office prospects. Several subsequent studios agreed quickly.

"So your script is definitely going to be sold?" Pfeiffer came to the hotel to stay with Ronald that night.

"I don't know, if it can be sold, it is also Jane Fonda's credit." Ronald and Pfeiffer sat on both sides of the dining cart pushed by the waiter, eating the dinner that was delivered.

"Now I don't trust anyone's promises. In the past two days, Mr. Eisner and I met with Paramount, 20th Century Fox, Orion, and Warner Brothers. I was responsible for selling the script for about half an hour. Speech, hoping to impress the producer.”

Ronald put a piece of pizza in his mouth and took a sip of soda.

"The answers I heard were: We are willing to invest in any project approved by Jane Fonda, we like the Vietnam War theme very much, and we like this script very, very much... But in the past two days, I have not heard from any studio executives I was told on the spot to prepare bids to compete for the contract.”

"I'm not sure. In Hollywood, "very, very much" means "I like it", which is the same as New Yorkers saying "I don't like it"? "Very willing" means you can find someone else, right?"

"Giggle..." Michelle Pfeiffer was amused by Ronald and laughed, "I don't know the producer's speaking style, but her agent Limato said that many stars speak like this."

"So I'm not very confident that I can finalize the contract this time, and I have to meet with Frank Price, the president of Columbia, tomorrow."

"You're going to make it, Ronald," Pfeiffer said, shaking his hand.

"How are you? Are you still getting used to the acting class?" Ronald held Pfeiffer's hand with his backhand and asked about her situation.

"It's okay, but the emotional memory often makes me collapse."

When Ronald heard this, his hands visibly shook. Memories of the Actors Studio in New York came flooding back.

"What's wrong, Ronald?" Pfeiffer felt Ronald's nervousness, "Don't worry, I've met some classmates, and they are all more experienced than me. Peter told me that as long as you select the emotional memory that is suitable for use, , such as the crying scene. It won’t be a big problem.” Michelle Pfeiffer in turn asked Ronald to relax.

"Really? What memory did you pick?" Ronald drank water again, suppressing his nervousness, "Would you like me to help you analyze it?"

"Hahaha, you're not an actor and you don't know that emotional memory doesn't work when you talk about it."

"Okay...that's what you said." Ronald remembered the method of emotional memory. The emotion must belong only to the actor himself in order to achieve the best effect.

When you have time, ask Diane's father, Bert, who used to run acting training classes. Maybe there is a better way.

"By the way, who is Peter?" Ronald forked another piece of pizza.

"Hahaha... I thought you wouldn't ask. Peter is also an actor and often plays supporting roles in TV series. He is a classmate in my acting class." Michelle Pfeiffer laughed at Ronald's jealousy.

"I won't come over tomorrow. There are a lot of exercises in the afternoon acting class and physical training."

"I will miss you." Ronald reached out and wiped away a little tomato juice on Michelle's mouth, and the atmosphere in the room immediately became ambiguous.

"Do you become an actor to become famous or to make money?" Ronald hugged Pfeiffer and the two whispered on the bed. He remembered what Katzenberg said, it is easy to make money and become famous, but it is difficult to beat the spread of time.

"I don't know, I just like acting. After I became the Miss Orange County beauty pageant champion, I called the agents in the yellow pages and asked them how I could act in movies." Michelle hugged Ronald said the shoulder.

"I was really naive at the time, but I was pretty lucky. My first agent treated me well. Unfortunately, I met those two scammers later. He was older and was no longer willing to represent me. I heard Later he retired.”

"Why did you enter this industry?" Pfeiffer told Ronald about his original intention of entering the entertainment industry.

"Me? At first it was to make money. Then I wanted to create something, preferably to leave some traces in Hollywood."

"Hehe..." Pfeiffer took the initiative. He liked the warmth of Ronald's body, "By the way, who were your parents before? I've never heard you talk about them."

"They were just ordinary people who lived outside of Boston, Massachusetts," Ronald said. "Our family used to have a house, but after their car accident, I had no money to repay the mortgage, and the bank sued me and had it auctioned in court."

"I've never heard you say any of this, you must be upset."

"I stayed in the hospital for a long time and suffered from aphasia. Some of the insurance money and the remaining money returned to the bank after the house was auctioned were spent on medical expenses."

"Poor Ronnie..." Pfeiffer hugged Ronald tighter.

The next morning, Ronald reunited with Ovitz, and the two went to the last studio, Columbia Pictures, to promote "My Brother's Keeper."

Of all the senior studio executives Ronald had ever met, Frank Price was the least executive-like. He looks more like a senior accountant or a high school math teacher. He has a big forehead, but his suit doesn't fit him very well. A red tie wrinkled the shirt.

"Welcome, my friend Michael. Welcome, too, little Ronald." Frank Price hugged both of them warmly. This sale was more like a conversation between friends about a script.

Ronald did not expect that the president of Columbia would be so familiar with his script and asked many detailed questions. How did you come up with the name "My Brother's Protector", why did you set up a fool, and why did you make the fool become the protector of all warriors?

Ronald answered one by one.

This made him feel that all the previous studio executives may not have read his script carefully. Compared with Price, Katzenberg looked more like asking his subordinates to read the script and write a synopsis. And he himself only read the summary and the comments of his subordinates.

"Who is your favorite director?" Price asked Ovitz.

"James Bridges, the director of China Syndrome," Ovitz replied, "He works well with Jane, and Jane is hers."

"I know him. Paramount just released 'Urban Cowboy', which he also directed. The leading actors and actresses are John Travolta and Debra Winger, both of whom are notoriously difficult to deal with. actor. I agree in principle."

"Jane also wants Bruce Gilbert to serve as producer..."

Frank Price scratched his head and said, "Ronald, can you give me and Mr. Ovitz a private space to talk." Then he pressed the button on the table and called in his secretary, "Please. Take Mr. Li to the lounge to sit for a while."

Ronald followed the secretary to the lounge and drank the coffee brought by the secretary. Knowing that Ovitz might have to discuss some key issues with Price, he couldn't help but worry about gains and losses. Frank Price read the script the most carefully of all, and perhaps he was the most likely to finance the filming.

At the same time in the office, Frank Price was a little angry, "Michael, you have increased the conditions again. Do you want Jane's IPC Films to participate in the investment?"

"Bingo, Orion and Paramount all agreed to the terms."

"But none of them could afford a $3.5 million filming budget."

"Yes, but they weren't bitten by the hyena either."

Frank Price was silent. Last year, the Las Vegas tycoon Kirk Kerkorian, who took control of MGM and then ruined it, set his sights on Columbia again and aggressively increased his stake in Columbia in the capital market. shares nearly 25%.

Later, the Department of Justice launched an antitrust investigation into Kerkorian. He controlled two major studios, MGM and Columbia, as well as some theater chains, which triggered an antitrust red line.

Kerkorian's connections are so deep that he actually turned the antitrust lawsuit into a verdict in his favor. He was not allowed to increase his stake in Columbia or any of the major Hollywood studios, but he was not forced to sell the 25% stake he had already acquired.

During this time, Kerkorian was even preparing to sue Columbia Pictures on the bizarre grounds that it failed to do its job to create benefits for shareholders. This was a combined punch aimed at executives such as Price, with the intention of purging the original management, teaming up with other non-movie industry shareholders to gain controlling stakes, and then slowly hollowing out Columbia like MGM.

After seeing Kerkorian's approach to MGM, most of Columbia's shareholders were dissatisfied with the casino operator's troubles. However, it is also a reality that Colombia lacks profitable star productions.

Now Price needs this Jane Fonda movie more than anyone to win over shareholders.

"So what are your full terms?"

"With a production budget of 3.85 million, Jane Fonda stars as the lead and gets a guaranteed contract of 2 million. Director James Bridges, producer Bruce Gilbert and IPC Pictures are involved."

"Let's talk about any other conditions."

"Announce an investment of 12 million, and I'll help you create buzz in the media. How about starting with a young screenwriter selling a sky-high script?"

"Do you have a complete publicity plan?"

"Yes, let this news slowly ferment and appear repeatedly in the media. It is best for Ronald, a young screenwriter, to fire the first shot. The 20-year-old screenwriter wrote the Vietnam War script and attracted Oscar-winning actress Jane Fang After reaching the attention of the media, five Hollywood studios finally bid for it, and it was settled in Colombia..."

"I love this media headline."

multiple copies

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