Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 492 Times Square Countdown

   "The countdown to the new year is coming soon. Look at that ball. It was dressed up in the shape of an apple for the first time this year. On the red apple, there is a green stem. Look at that, it fell!"

The OB van of    Fox Television, right next to Ronald and others, broadcast live the traditional New Year's Eve ceremony on New Year's Eve in New York in 1984, and the ball dropped in Times Square.

In previous years, it was a white metal ball with a diameter of six feet. This year, it was dressed up as New York City's nickname "The Big Apple" for the first time. Under the attention of all the people at the grand occasion, it slowly fell from the flagpole in the square.

  The hostess was very excited and started to shout.

   "Three...two...one...happy new year!"

With a bang, the countdown ended, the big apple fell to the bottom, and the display below printed the number 1984. Confetti began to pour down from the eight surrounding high-rise buildings, and fireworks began to be set off at the tops of the surrounding buildings.

   "Happy New Year!" Donna hugged Ronald with a red and white woolen hat. She didn't go to Club 54 last time, which was very unpleasant. This time, she finally pestered Ronald to watch the countdown at the Times Square scene.

   "New Year's Block!" Ronald didn't expect it to be so cold in New York tonight. He was wearing only a leather jacket and no hat, and he was a little bit inarticulate from the cold.

  The Fox broadcast on the square began to switch to the stage in the square, where veteran singer Andy Williams and a few young people were singing "Friendship Lasts Forever".

  "How can I forget my old friends, and I can't think of it in my heart

  How can old friends forget each other, friendship will last forever. "

  The background advertisement for the center stage was bought by Disney, and the set became the appearance of Disney Castle. Fireworks began to be set off under the castle, like a waterfall erupting upside down, turning into a galaxy of light.

  Donna looked at it from a distance, very happy, picked up the toy and blew it with a "du...", the rolled up toy was pulled straight.

   "Hahaha..." Donna jumped and jumped very happily.

   Ronald looked a little sad next to him. It was the first time my cousin came to participate in such a grand ceremony. If she likes it in the future, take her out to play more.

   "Come on, let's take a photo together", Ronald took out his Polaroid camera, stretched out his hand and took a photo of himself and Donna from a distance. After a while, a mugshot of the two of them developed on the photo, with the Milky Way and Disney Castle in the background.

"Look over there, look over there," Donna happily pointed to the cruise ship on the Hudson River in the distance, the fireworks above forming the words "Happy New Year, America", from the horizontal and vertical 45th Street exposed.

   There was a louder cheer in Times Square.

   "Are you happy?" Ronald shouted in Donna's ear.

   "Happy! It's a pity that Diane isn't here, she went back to reunite with her father." Donna looked around, "Let's go first, it is estimated that there will be a big blockage later."

  The two squeezed out of the crowd and walked east along Forty-fifth Street.

  The roadside is a mess, and all kinds of garbage are thrown all over the floor. Others are emitting everywhere.

  Ronald smiled. The bright capitalist center has such a scene behind it. When he and Donna came over at night, the square was already blocked. They parked far away and walked over.

   learned his lesson, Ronald drove Donna by himself. The two walked all the way, and finally came to the parking place, where Ronald's Honda Accord was parked under the empty building.

  "I'm going to the bathroom" Donna walked into the hall, leaving Ronald alone.

   "It's right and wrong," Ronald wandered around the door. This is the New York Performing Arts College who did not lend a place to the filming of the "Famous in the World" movie. Opposite is the location where they filmed that year, which has been abandoned and remodeled.

   "Famous in the World" TV series had poor ratings and was originally canceled. But in early 1983, the show was syndicated to national television networks by producer Da Silva.

  The story, which was originally unwatched in New York, unexpectedly achieved bursting ratings nationwide and was renewed for another season this year. I heard that they will also be sold to Britain and Europe.

   The Academy of Performing Arts, as the prototype of "famous in the world", is very popular. The number of applicants has increased year by year, and it has received a large amount of donations. This year, the construction of a new school site will begin.

  Ronald looked at this dilapidated campus and felt very melancholy.

  The years of youthful innocence have passed, and I have become more and more concerned with more interests, rather than based on passion and impulse.

   "Let's go." Picking up Donna, Ronald started the car and drove home.

  Not far from Ronald's sight, at the other end of Times Square, two fat men were crying.

   "Ah...why is it so difficult to make a movie in America, alas..."

   "Ugh...we Israelis are discriminated against here. Although Hollywood is full of Jews, most of them are unwilling to contact Israeli Jews."

  Minahan and Yoram were hit hard this afternoon. Their film "Sahara", although has won the British Starlight Cinemas distribution contract, but MGM once again rejected them.

   Brooke Shields doesn't participate in America's marketing, so they don't arrange distribution. A bad film, and there is no exposure of the popular heroine, large-scale distribution is equivalent to losing money.

  The two suffered a major blow, and they have been wandering the streets, and finally came to Times Square with the flow of people.

   "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Minahan cried the more and more sad he wanted to cry out all the grievances he had accumulated since he came to North America for more than two years.

   Yoram pulled Minahan, "What should we do, should we go back to Tel Aviv?"

   "No, I will never admit defeat, I must make a name for myself in Hollywood." Minahan wiped a tear with his hand, and the ambition to fight returned to his heart.

   "I swear, Yoram, just today, January 1st, 1984, our cannons will definitely capture Hollywood, and the movies we make must be recognized by American audiences!"

   "Be sure to make a blockbuster movie to watch, so that the movie can be sold continuously to Europe and the world." Yoram added.

   "Yes, MGM doesn't want to. We set up our own distribution department. We have done a good job in movie distribution in Europe and Israel, and there is no reason why we can't do it well here."

   "We must make a movie with a box office of more than 100 million."

   "Yes, we have to get an Oscar, and we have to be respected by everyone in Hollywood."

  The two fat men wiped away their tears, hugged each other and shouted slogans. The people next to him thought that they had encountered a mental disorder, so they hurriedly stayed away from them regardless of the crowd.

   The two of them continued to discuss after returning to the hotel, regardless of other people's side glances.

   "You must find a big-name director to make a movie and turn it over." Minahan reflected on himself that he was not good at directing and wasted the Brooke Shields that he had invited by every possible means.

   "Yes, we must find a director who is famous all over the world, so that there is both a topic and a level of protection."

   After thinking about it, the two listed all the big-name directors they knew and discussed the possibility of invitation one by one.

   Polanski? He has a wanted warrant and can't come to America to film.

   Akira Kurosawa? He can't make English films.

  David Lean? He is now filming his new film, "Journey to India".

   Godard? This new wave go-getter is reluctant to make movies for capitalists.

   Kubrick? He has regular investors.

   Tarkovsky? He mainly relied on the funds of the hair country for his filming.

  …

   calculated a circle, and the two fell on the sofa sullenly. Big-name directors are not so easy to hire. They either have their own ideas or have regular partners, and they will not succeed if they invite them rashly.

After much deliberation, the two felt that they could only find directors who were not well-known and had the potential to make blockbuster films. As long as one film was successful at the box office, they would be recognized by the industry. If they continued to invite these big names to film, they might be nominated for an Oscar. movie of.

   "Should we invite Ronald?" The two of them suddenly had an idea. This young director, who has helped him several times, has a very strong box office for several films. Anyway, he was not invited for the Oscars, but to attract big-name directors with the box office.

   "He told me that breakdancing might be the next subject that the audience likes." Minahan made up his mind to invite Ronald, so he began to think about the subject.

   "Break dance? But I heard that Orion has already approved a break dance movie."

   "What?" Minahan turned around, "What did you say? Orion has already approved a movie with the same theme?"

   "Yeah, should we discuss with Ronald and find another subject?"

   "Are you crazy? Since Orion, a studio that exists for Oscar-winning movies, is also optimistic about breakdance, let's hurry up, as long as the filming is done before them..."

   On the morning of New Year's Day, the two began to call around to inquire about the situation of the Orion movie.

   Through some low-level Jews working at Orion Films, they got an update on that movie.

Orion's project is called "BeatStreet", which tells the story of the Manhattan street dance group "BeatStreet" and the "Bronx Roller" two street dance teams, and finally won the Times Square New Year's Eve performance. Qualifications.

  The movie has already started in New York, and yesterday I went to Times Square to shoot. Filming is expected to end at the end of January, and it will take another two months to edit, and then Orion will use it as a small production and sell it to theaters at the pre-order meeting.

   "This..." Yoram felt a little tricky and had already started filming, so it was almost impossible for them to shoot before Orion to seize the market.

   "No, this is the opportunity!" Minahan ignored this, "They started shooting in early December, and it will take a month to finish, believe it or not, I can let Ronald finish filming and even editing before them.

   "How do you shoot this? After a month of filming, plus editing? How can the quality of the film be guaranteed?"

   "You don't know Ronald," Minahan said to his cousin, "Ronald is a fast-track player who can guarantee quality. All we have to do is to get him interested in this project."

   (end of this chapter)