Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 183 Take a Vacation

  Ovitz took Ronald the next morning to a mansion where Frank Price, the president of Columbia Pictures, lived.

It used to belong to Dinah Shore, the pop diva of the 1940s. After Dina and Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years younger than him, ended their long-term relationship, she wanted to put the house full of memories of the two people. sold.

In the 1970s, Dina Shore started her talk show career on a TV station and transformed into a talk show host. Frank Price happened to be the president of the TV station at that time and took over the place that used to receive Marilyn Monroe, Elvis Presley The mansion of the superstar.

   Ronald sat on the sofa in the large living room. This very large and luxuriously decorated residence made him feel a little bit at a loss as to where he was.

"Ronald, I heard that you are not satisfied with the contract?" Frank Price was very relaxed in the office, wearing loose clothes, he didn't look like the president of a big eight movie studio, but a neighbor Kind uncle.

   "My contract does not include the right of first refusal to modify, Mr. Price," Ronald came back to his senses, "In this case, the 12-month option purchase agreement makes my rights not well protected."

   "Well, I understand what you mean." Price sat down on the sofa and crossed Erlang's legs, "So what do you want to do?"

   "I don't know the opinion of director Bridges. In fact, I have made some revisions to the script to improve Jane Fonda's role."

  Ovitz didn't expect Ronald to ask for full payment right away, but brought the topic back to the script. He hurriedly remedied: "In fact, Ronald is based on your amendments..."

   "Why not let Ronald say it himself?" Price laughed.

   "Actually, I didn't fully take your revision advice, Mr. Price." Ronald took out his own script revision ideas and handed it to Price.

Price glanced through the outline of several pages that recorded the idea of ​​​​the revision, "It's very interesting, you modified Jane's role to be a widow who helps a disabled soldier in a veterans hospital after her husband died in Vietnam, which is very reminiscent of Play her role in 'Homecoming'."

   "Yes, it was my intentional design to make the audience think it was an unofficial sequel to 'The Homecoming'."

   "Very good idea, if they weren't free now, the president of United Arts would have called me to protest." Price smiled.

   "So I'm not out yet, right?" said Ronald, who still wanted to struggle a bit and couldn't give up before he fought.

  Frank Price smiled, "Ronald, I really like your script, especially the famous scenes and dialogues. I checked with producer Da Silva."

   Ronald knows that Mr. President has more to do.

   "But screenwriting is an art that accumulates in life. Your teenage life is very good, but your middle-aged love for Vietnam War veterans is not convincing enough."

"Director Bridges and I have discussed some script revisions, and I basically agree with him. Jane's weight needs to be increased, and your treatment of the fool is too symbolic, symbolic, he is too much like a myth The character in the game. Bridges will approach the character in a more realistic way."

   "But Mr. Price, the fool is the intersection of several plot threads..." Ronald suddenly realized that Mr. President was not the script editor and came to discuss the script with him. Price is relatively unassuming as a president, but this does not mean that he has time to discuss such details with a small screenwriter of his own. He is here to inform himself of the results.

  Ronald disagreed with Bridges' handling, he didn't see the true core of the script, the fool is a symbolic character...

   "But this probably has nothing to do with me. If the director has his own revision ideas, maybe I should sell the script and leave, which is more beneficial to the movie." Ronald accepted the reality and made Ovitz satisfied.

   "Frank, Ronald has done a great job on his part, and since we're not going to let him continue revising the script, then..."

  Price waved his hand, "Of course, I will instruct the people below to redraw the contract and buy your script."

   "Don't feel discouraged, Ronald. Get your paycheck, go for overnight fame, take a long vacation, find a girl to enjoy life."

"If you have a new script writing plan, I suggest you start with a teenage script. Adolescence is a very short period of time, and when you get older, you will forget a lot of your thoughts at that time. Today's young people can easily accumulate through part-time jobs. Movie money, but Hollywood screenwriters are so old that they have forgotten what they thought when they were young, and you are young enough.”

   "You've written a new script that allows Michael to come to me, and I'll always find time to read it."

  Ronald thanked Price, knowing that his talk time was over, and sat down on a different sofa.

   "Michael, it's your Rosh Hashanah..."

   "I will go to the synagogue with my family on Rosh Hashanah Eve, and the rest of the time I will always be at your call..."

   Within a few days, Ronald received his own check from the producer at Columbia Pictures. After depositing it in the bank's checking account, Ronald wrote a check for $35,000 to CAA to Richard, who had brought him to him. It was not his concern as to how the brokers allocated it.

   Then Mitch Kantor’s attorney fees.

   With over 300,000 left, Ronald hadn't figured out how to spend it. Thinking of going back to New York to discuss with his accountant, Lawrence, he seems to know a lot about investing.

"The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety reported that your script sold for sky-high prices. If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't even know if it was the Ronald Lee I know." Assistant President of New World Productions Gail laughed on the phone.

   "I'm still in Los Angeles, are you and Cameron free? I have to find a friend to share the joy with." Ronald said.

   "He's still preparing for the Great Escape from New York, you wait...it's Ronald...well. Ronald, it's Mr. Coleman, he wants to talk to you."

"Ronald, the rental fee of Rock High School in New York has accumulated to the second one million, here is a check for you, although it is a little less than the script you sold, but it is also your business vision, remember to get it. "Coleman also joked about Ronald.

   "I will, are you here today, Mr. Coleman. I have some questions for you."

   Seeing the red and white building of New World Productions, Ronald felt that some things had not changed, and it was still the low-key company that was reluctant to put on the company name.

   "Mr. Coleman, that's how it happened, maybe I was lucky and won the lottery."

"Luck is also part of the success. The first film I made was tens of thousands of dollars borrowed from scratch, and a distributor happened to find me and offered to buy it at a higher price than the cost, and I immediately I got my money back. If I didn’t find a distributor after three months for the first film, my advance wouldn’t be enough to cover the film.”

  Roger Coleman still likes to talk about business more than art. Maybe there are too many people talking about art in the film industry, but too few people talking about business. Every time Coleman and Ronald chat, they focus on the commercial operation of the film.

   "Frank Price, president of Columbia, thinks I'm too young to write stories for adults, and suggests that I write a script for a teenage audience. Do you think there is a market for this script, Mr. Coleman?"

   "It depends on the production budget. There are quite a few exploitative films for teens in the New World, but recently the market is looking for high-budget films like Spielberg, and there are fewer and fewer low-budget teen films."

   "But why can't teen movies win with plot? They don't need big budgets, do they?"

"Yes, a lot of people have had this idea. The problem is that Hollywood doesn't have teenage actors who can act. The lead role of Romeo and Juliet has to be auditioned nationwide. Hollywood used to use adult actors to play teenage roles, like Judy in The Wizard of Oz. Actors like Garland are hard to come by."

  Roger Coleman took the $10,000 check that Gale handed over, read it, and handed it to Ronald. "Your second payment."

   "Actually, the copy rental fee for the second phase is lower, and the rental fee of one million US dollars is reached. Mr. Coleman, you should give me some more bonuses." Ronald said jokingly.

   I have been in the industry for a long time, and I know more about film distribution. The fact that a movie like Rock and Roll High School with a low rental fee can reach the second two million rentals in New York State can be said to be a minor miracle, and the promotion of the PBS channel film review program is also indispensable.

Roger Coleman didn't take it as a joke, "It's true that I should give you more, but the contract is a contract, and we have to respect him. Why don't you go to the film festival instead of me to see what foreign art films are worth buying, Me, Julie and the kids happened to be celebrating Rosh Hashanah.

   "Foreign... art film? Isn't it an exploitative film?" Ronald thought he had heard it wrong.

   "Where are the exploitative films shown at film festivals?"

   "I didn't know you had an art film distribution business."

   "Yes, many people don't know. Italy's Fellini, Sweden's Ingmar Bergman, and Toyo's Akira Kurosawa, their new films are all released in the United States by New World."

   "Mr. Coleman's personal taste is completely different from the films he made." Assistant to the president, Gail, chimed in.

  It turns out that these foreign art films have traditionally been shown in some theaters dedicated to showing art films. Roger Coleman not only set foot in art theater distribution, but also developed a new market.

   introduced art films to drive-in theaters, where young audiences often go, as well as small town theaters and second-tier theaters in big cities. Today's American teenagers are still very willing to learn about exotic scenery and culture, and also watch movies with subtitles.

   "Where is the film festival held?" Ronald became interested and asked, "Is Cannes over now?"

   "It's the Montreal Film Festival. It's a new one. It's in Canada, and travel and hotels are cheap." Roger Coleman said with a smile.

   "I have to think about it." Not a big film festival, Ronald hesitated. Pfeiffer's agent Limato told him that Pfeiffer would be able to finish the filming of Charlie Chen soon and come back.

   "Okay, I'll keep you a chance until the weekend." Roger Coleman managed to grab a free labor force.

   (end of this chapter)