Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 334 Fast-paced celebration reception

  The time went back to October 1982, Ronald, at the urging of his agent, flew to Los Angeles to attend the "fast-paced Richmond High School" celebration reception.

  Helen Slater took a break from acting training for "Supergirl" to accompany Ronald to Los Angeles to celebrate.

   "Honey, here's your new book." Helen was delighted.

   Outside the hotel arranged by Universal, Ronald and Helen saw a bookstore, and in the "Reference Books/Software" column, they found Ronald's newly written "Words Star for Dummies".

   "Is this written well?" Picking up a few movie scripts that he hadn't seen before to check out, Ronald saw that the person checking out in front was holding a book for fools he wrote, so he asked.

"It's very good, look here." The man in front was very enthusiastic, turned to the last page of the fool's book, where the shortcut key list was, and pointed to Ronald, "It's very useful to stick it next to the monitor, I suggest you buy it too One."

   "Just for a list of shortcut keys? Isn't there one in the text star's manual?" Ronald asked.

   "Hey, what are you kidding. Where did I get the instructions?"

   Ronald understood, this man was using pirated software.

  Wordstar published a DOS version in 1982, which made it a cross-operating system word processor, available on both Commod computers running the CPM-80 operating system, and IBM personal computers running DOS.

The most powerful function of   Text Star is what you see is what you get. The appearance displayed on the monitor is exactly the appearance of the printer. This is much better than his competitor "electronic pencil", those software display one look, print out another, and it takes a long time to adjust the typesetting.

   Such easy-to-use software is of course very popular. The sales of genuine software, from 500,000 US dollars in 1979, have sold tens of millions of US dollars before the end of this year.

   But piracy also followed. Word Star is distributed on floppy disks. As long as you have an IBM computer and two floppy drives installed, you can make a copy for your friends.

   These pirated users do not have user manuals, and they need such teaching books to learn how to use the software.

  …

   "Mr. Linson, this is my girlfriend, Helen Slater, who was chosen to star..." Ronald introduced Helen to producer Art Linson.

   "Supergirl needs no introduction, hello Helen."

   At the celebration reception, Helen wore an ordinary dress, as if she was already known by many people in the circle. I don't know if it was because of her father or the influence of Supergirl herself.

   "What are your plans for your new film? Is there a new script?" Art Linson was inspired by the fast-paced box office results, and planned to pull Ronald to continue his youth film journey.

   "I wrote a sci-fi script with two valley girls as the protagonists, telling how they use the valley girls' wisdom to survive under the disaster of the world."

   "Oh, your inspiration is really endless. As soon as I saw you, I knew you had a heart that understood the teenage audience." Lin Sen began to boast in different ways.

   "You're so kind."

   "Do you have any urban youth dramas?"

   "I don't have any inspiration yet." Ronald replied.

   "It's okay, just enjoy your moment of success. We'll go talk to Cameron Crowe later, he might have a new idea."

   "Thank you, Lin Sen. What do you think of my sci-fi script? I asked the agent to send you a copy?"

"Wang Defu, I'll be waiting to read. Are you in Los Angeles these two days? I'll make an appointment with your agent, and then we'll chat with Crow. Is it possible to have another fast-paced movie? A sequel to the characters."

   "Sequel..."

   "Ladies and gentlemen...let's welcome Ronald Lee."

  A master of ceremonies called Ronald on stage to give a speech. Ronald and Lin Sen paid their respects and walked to the microphone position on stage.

   "Thank you everyone, I'm a lucky guy..."

   After finishing the speech, the staff pushed in a big cake with the words 40 million on it. In late October, the scale of the fast-paced release began to shrink, with a weekly box office of more than one million yuan advancing rapidly. By this weekend, the box office finally broke the 40 million mark.

   "Cheers!"

   Ronald cut across the board, picked up the wine glass, and sipped the big champagne with all the crew and guests who came to the celebration party.

   "Honey, how much will your movie end up making at the box office?"

   After the celebration was over, Ronald returned to the senior executive suite reserved by Universal to rest, and hugged Helen and talked.

   "The average single-house box office has fallen below $2,000 last week. I estimate that it may be offline next week, and the copies will be transferred to second-tier theaters. It may be about $1 million more."

  Ronald thought with regret, if he had not been influenced by Mount at the beginning, or had it been released simultaneously across the country, would there be a chance for more box office?

  Send Helen on the plane back to New York. Ronald stayed temporarily in Los Angeles. He began to meet with his agent Nisita, Richard and others frequently, to meet producers frequently, and to sell the script of "Night of the Comet".

   "Very good, Colombia is very willing to cooperate with you. Although there is no project for 'My Brother's Protector', we have always expected to cooperate with you, Ronald."

   "Warners has always been optimistic about your talent, Ronald. We have worked together on 'The Outer Boy', why don't you make your next movie at Warners?"

   "Twentieth Century Fox looks forward to working with the most talented young comedy directors."

  …

  Accompanied by Nisita, Ronald visited several major studios with the script for "Night of the Comet".

  As an upstart director of youth films, a genius supernova who won 40 million in his debut as a box office, Ronald was warmly received by the executives of several production companies.

   "It seems that the new film is not worried about no one being cast? Which one should I choose?" Ronald was delighted, and after returning to CAA, he asked Nisita happily.

   "Don't be too happy, none of them offered to buy the script for your new film. Not to mention setting up a project for you to direct."

"Um?"

  Ronald thought carefully about what he had heard when he met high-level officials these days. It's all flattery, touting his genius grasp of the market and his speed and efficiency in writing scripts.

   It is true that no one has actually opened the door to buy the script, or set up a project.

   "So they're perfunctory me?" Ronald was unhappy, "I'm a 40 million director."

   "It can't be said to be perfunctory. If your script is a fast-paced youth comedy, I guarantee that they will give you a high commission, and then line up to invite you."

   Yeah, Ronald feels better.

   Even Art Linson, one of the fast-paced producers, invited himself and Cameron Crowe to talk about the sequel, not the script of Night of the Comet.

   "But science fiction movies," Nisita shook his head, "I don't think they agree very much. Tomorrow I have an appointment with Universal's Ned Tanin, and he is willing to chat with you."

  Ned Tanin later helped "Fast Pace" deal with the film review problem, and he didn't side with Tom Mount on ET Alien, and his position was safe for the time being.

   Of course, he also needs a new film to consolidate his status, so he invited Ronald, who surprised him, to chat face-to-face.

   "Why don't you keep making teen movies? Sex comedies aren't very good, they're very popular?" Tanin asked Ronald, frowning, making the script over and over again.

   "This 'Night of the Comet' is essentially a youth film, it just borrows the background of a comet hitting the earth. The main line is how two young girls are in crisis..."

   "Shit, a sci-fi movie is a sci-fi movie. What other audience with this name would see it as a youth movie?"

   "What do you mean?" Ronald's title was criticized by Universal Vice President Tanin, but he was not very angry. Compared with the perfunctory behavior of other studios, Tanin is still telling the truth. Although the words are ugly, there is no lack of truth in them.

   "I think it's better to be called Comet, Maiden, and Zombie."

  Ronald thought that the name was straightforward, but it was really exploitative.

   "The name is very direct..." Nisita took over.

   "Why don't you go on to the teen **** comedy, Ronald?" Tanin interrupted Nisita and asked Ronald directly.

   "My inspiration was the comet movie."

   "No one in Hollywood wants to break the formula for success. Your fast pace is very popular with teenage audiences. Why not make another one? I know you probably don't want to make another episode like this, but audiences haven't seen enough."

   "I don't have great script inspiration," Ronald replied.

   "Actually, I also thought, isn't this not dreaming of a suitable teen **** comedy script?" But this reason can't be said.

   "If you don't have inspiration, you can look at Universal's script library. There are many teen scripts in it. Which one is better for you, just change it."

   "I still think the idea of ​​Comet... Comet, Girl, and Zombie is a good idea, and I'm very confident in it."

   Ronald couldn't do anything either. He didn't know which of the scripts in the library would sell well. This Night of the Comet was certified by Dreamland, and all of them have been released on videotapes, so you can't go wrong.

   "Sci-fi is shit. No one in Hollywood wants to touch sci-fi these days."

  Ned Tanin filmed the cover of the script and told the truth.

   "Blade Runner was a complete failure at the box office, with only over 20 million at the box office, and not as much as the cost of filming, let alone the cost of publicity and distribution, and the share of the theater chain.

   All sci-fi projects have been suspended. I heard that David Lynch's 'Dune' script was typed back and rewritten.

   This kind of movie is too expensive. I think only George dares to make his Star Wars - Revenge of the Jedi in Hollywood. Why don't you look at other scripts first? Take your pick from all the teen scripts in Universal's library. "

  Tanin looked at Ronald, let's just get on with the teen **** comedy.

   (end of this chapter)