Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 799 Old Friends of Cannes

   "Ronnie, Mr. Bannon showed me all the brokerages, brokers, and investment firms on Wall Street." Donna called Ronald at night, and her voice sounded excited.

   "Have you decided yet? Which company will you choose as an intern?" Ronald motioned to the small man opposite to stop first, pick up the phone and talk to Donna first.

"I'll go to Goldman Sachs first, then Morgan Stanley. I'll go to brokerages and investment funds when it's over. But I just came back from Renaissance on Long Island and had a very speculative chat with the founder, Mr. Simmons, and I I think his investment philosophy is the most interesting.

   However, Mr. Bannon said that in investing, you still need to know different companies and investment styles, and you can find your strengths only by comparing. "

   "Ah, that's very good, Mr. Bannon's arrangement is very appropriate, you must ask him a lot..."

   Chatted with Donna about his work arrangements. It is a very happy thing to be able to apply what you have learned and find a job that interests you when you graduate from university.

   The investment company Donna looked for had a strange name called "Renaissance Technology Company". Their founder, Simons, was a mathematician. When investing, you also use formulas to hedge bets, not gossip, or analyze a company's financial statements.

   "Please go on, Detective Mike Pike."

   Ronald hung up the phone, and sat across from him was Detective Frank McPike, who he had used in New York. He wears a pair of small round glasses, and his eyes are full of shrewd eyes. His hair was bald more than the last time Ronald saw him, so he simply shaved it short, and did not use the method of combing the peripheral hair to the center.

"James Simmons founded the Renaissance Technology in 1982. He once won the highest award of the American Mathematical Society for the Chen-Simons form, a mathematical expression of differential geometry, which he discovered in cooperation with Chinese mathematicians. Swald Veblen Prize.

  This mathematical form has good applications in the most cutting-edge fields of physics, such as gauge field theory and Yang Mills theory. However, James Simmons felt that his mathematical talent was much different from that of his partner Chen Shishen, and it was difficult for him to win the Fields Medal and leave his name in the history of mathematics.

   So he left academia and got into investing. He is a graduate of MIT, and he teaches at his alma mater, Harvard, Stony Brook and other universities, so many Ivy League school boards have invested part of their funds with school funds.

   He also stayed away from the hustle and bustle of Wall Street and concentrated on investing on Long Island with mathematical and physical equations. The researchers he recruited were mostly top students majoring in mathematics and physics. "

  Frank McPike spread out the investigation materials he had written and talked to Ronald about the key points. His cousin went to this company and should be able to play without fear of getting stuck in the fast lane of Manhattan Wall Street that has to pay a price.

   "Very well, thank you, Detective Frank McPike. It's the same old rules." Ronald handed a large envelope over.

  Frank McPike picked it up, measured it, and put it into his bag. "It's still the same old rules. We haven't met each other, and we only have one copy of the materials. Remember to destroy them. To be honest, I appreciate your protection of your family. If you do the investigation in advance, there will be no problems."

   Ronald got up and sent him out. The agent, Nisita, and Daydream's general manager, Eddie, walked in from outside the office of Daydream's chairman.

   "Done?"

   "Yes, well, I can go to Cannes with peace of mind."

   The two close people who were closest to Ronald in business knew that Ronald had to deal with the privacy of his family, so they waited outside and only came in after he was done.

   "The production factory in Colombia has already agreed to work on the original sound record of Spicy Body Dance. Let us start work first and make 100,000 copies."

   Eddie first reported on the production of the record.

   "Mr. Daario is very helpful." Ronald looked at the progress report.

   "Yes, if he hadn't found a chance to speak in front of MJ, we don't know when we'd have to wait."

  Columbia Records, the largest factory in New Jersey, has not started construction during this time, waiting for the final completion of MJ's new record.

  Michael Jackson, as the most powerful record industry money-making machine, all resources must revolve around him.

  The best lyrics, composition, arrangement, harmony, and backing dance are all occupied by him. When he makes the last little detail modification on the music, he can immediately record it in the best recording studio.

  You don't know when the greatest genius will be inspired. The best way is to leave everyone empty and wait for him.

   As the new record has not yet been finalized, the factory is idling to ensure that after MJ is finally completed, the motor can be fully started to produce immediately.

   Only MJ himself knows how far he is from that perfect state.

   His manager, Dario, is one of the few people who can communicate with him about record production. After asking a question for Ronald, MJ said that this week, the factory can record Ronald's new film first.

  With the assurance of the King of Pop, Ronald's new film "Spicy Body Dance" can at least stock up on a batch before shooting, and then adjust it according to the sales speed.

"The copy of The Spicy Dance has been sent to Paris ahead of time, and Richard will go to call you first. When you get there, just let the people at Cannon help you determine the date and time of the premiere, and the rest, Richard I'll help you out." Nisita handed Ronald a first-class ticket.

"The distribution manager of Daydream, Michelle Cannold, has also flown to the hair country with his assistant. After the premiere is successful, you can try to find buyers who are willing to buy in Europe." Eddie He also handed Ronald the contact information of the hotel where Michelle Cannold stayed.

   "Ha, thank you, I feel that you are taking care of me too well."

  Ronald got up and left. Some of the details in Los Angeles have been taken care of. For other matters, Nisita and Eddie can handle them. If they need to decide, they can also use telegrams and long-distance calls.

   Time to go to the 40th Cannes Film Festival with Meinahan Golan too.

   "Bud, let's go", back home, little Bud has packed his luggage and is waiting for himself. His girlfriend Lucy had come to Los Angeles and lived with him in a small apartment five minutes' walk away.

   "Lucy, long time no see." Ronald hugged Bud's fiancée. She is now looking for a job in the front desk. She does a good job in a computer company. She has a regular income and can get off work on time.

"I carefully put your dress and formal clothes into the big suitcase. When you check in, you only need to bring this suitcase." Lucy studied secretary, and Ronald's luggage was made by her own hands. .

   "Thank you, Lucy. Bud, let's go."

  …

   "Ronald, Gaga... You're here, I've been waiting for you for a long time."

  Minahan Golan wore a dirty blue tracksuit, sweatpants, and sneakers, and waited for Ronald at the airport.

Ronald hugged him, then took out his sunglasses from his pocket and put them on. He was wearing an Armani navy blue jacket and light gray trousers. He stood with Minahan. and.

   "Where's Yoram?" Ronald turned his head and didn't see his cousin Yoram, who was inseparable from him.

   "He went to Paris first. We have a new ribbon-cutting ceremony to be held there. He is busy first. I'm waiting for you to go with me."

   "Oh, okay," Ronald found the check-in counter with an Israeli dressed like a fruit seller.

   The two asked for their seats together and started chatting on the plane.

   "This time, we have a big presence in Cannes, where several films are doing big promotions."

   "Is it the fourth Superman movie, or the Mastersoft the Universe?" Ronald knew that Minahan had been talking about two sci-fi giants.

  The previous one is the latest sequel to Superman, Clark Kent's opponent this time is all the nuclear weapons in the world. The latter one is an adaptation of the famous cartoon "Cosmic Giant Seaman". Although Seaman was not authorized, the story is very similar at first glance.

  "Quack...", Minahan asked for a glass of red wine and drank it to cover up the embarrassment, "The post-production of the special effects took longer than expected, so I won't premiere at Cannes this time."

   Ronald gave him a suspicious look, Minahan's performance today was a bit abnormal. Originally, as soon as he saw himself, he would always chatter about his film ideas, but today he seemed to be very quiet. Even when he asked him, he just talked lightly, and he returned to the grand occasion of this Cannes Film Festival.

"This year is the 40th anniversary of Cannes. The government and the Organizing Committee of the hair country intend to expand their influence, and they will also present the Lifetime Achievement Award to the British actor, Sir Alec Guinness. Rufus, this time also to present the award to his widow, Fanny Adante."

   "Oh, so grand", Ronald knew that Sir Alec Guinness was the role of Teacher Obi-Wan in the "Star Wars" trilogy. Truffaut is the only new wave director who insists on both art and box office.

   In order to promote commercial films, he also participated in Spielberg's "Third Contact", and his works are mostly artistic and commercial successes.

  Compared to Godard, another leader of the New Wave who fell out with him, he would only make short films that he didn't understand, leaving the audience and the actors puzzled and wondering where they were going.

  Unfortunately, he died of brain cancer. After the hair country, there are no directors who insist on making commercial films.

   Without Meinahan's wordy words, Ronald also felt that there was nothing to talk about, and soon fell asleep.

  Long-term transoceanic flight, Ronald felt a little uncomfortable even in first class. He also felt his face swell in his sleep, and his toes and fingers were a little swollen and numb.

"Do you want to know the secret to rejuvenating after a long flight? When you get to the hotel, take off your shoes and socks, go barefoot on the carpet, let your toes, like a fist, tuck in, repeat a few times, and soon It can go back to normal.”

   "Like making a fist?" Ronald seemed to have dreamed of a movie where a character was teaching himself how to get used to a long flight.

   "Haha, I know it sounds incredible right? I've been doing this for nine years, trust me, it's better than drinking hot coffee and taking a hot shower."

   "Mr. Lee, Mr. Lee..."

   "Uh... eh?" Ronald was awakened by the voice of the flight attendant, and the images and sounds in his dream disappeared.

   "We are about to land at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport, please open the sunshade of the porthole..."

   "Mr. Golan..."

  Ronald rubbed his eyes and curled his toes like a fist. He still remembered the plot in the dream, and tried it a few times in slippers, which seemed to work well.

  The two got off the plane, and Minahan looked around and found his cousin, Yoram, talking to the heads of the Cannon Hair Branch. They seem to be waiting for some star to arrive.

   "Yoram, Yoram, who do you think is here, Gaga?" Minahan hurried up and called Yoram to see Ronald.

"Aha, Ronald. We haven't seen each other for a long time. How long will you be in Paris this time?" Yoram was waiting for other publishers when he saw his cousin Minahan invited Ronald, He hurriedly greeted a group of executives in the hair country who surrounded him.

   "I'm going to transfer to Cannes. Will Meinahan stay here?" Ronald turned to look at Meinahan.

   "Gaga, I'll be in Paris for a few days, then we'll see you in Cannes. Yoram will arrange the premiere of 'Dancing Hot'."

"Yes, yes, this is really a masterpiece. You shoot a dance film, which is the best in the world in this era. I have already rented the screening room, and I have prepared the marketing for the premiere locally in Cannes, and I will do it tomorrow. We'll be in Cannes, and we'll have a good chat then."

   Yoram's waistline has a tendency to catch up with Minahan. After EMI Group acquired Cannon, he was even more appreciated by EMI's executives. Now, most of the affairs in Paris and Cannes have been decided by Yoram.

   "Okay, I'm going to transfer." Ronald chatted with Yoram for a while, then said goodbye to Minahan, and took his luggage to the transfer channel.

  A lot of people around were on their way to Cannes, and the passage was a little crowded. Ronald once again felt the attraction of the Cannes Film Festival to filmmakers from all over Europe.

   "Ronald, Ronald..." It seemed that someone was calling Ronald's name.

  " Ronald turned his head and glanced a few times, but he didn't see anyone.

   "Ronald...", a thin figure, waved to him from behind. Seeing Ronald didn't see himself, he couldn't help being a little discouraged.

   Finally found an English-speaking American who would love to talk to someone on his trip to Cannes.

   "Deep Well Ice, Deep Well Ice, Ronald, I'm Deep Well Ice."

  In a hurry, he called out the Chinese he learned in Xujiahui.

   Ronald was surprised when he heard Chinese, who is this? Loudly calling herself Deep Well Ice in Paris.

   "It's me, John Malkovich."

   Ronald finally discovered the actor he met while filming Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun". He played an American businessman in that film and learned a few words of Yang Jingbin's Chinese.

   Sure enough, the effect of screaming his own ice deep well in Paris is excellent.

   "Well, I haven't forgotten my Chinese yet. Did you remember me as soon as you heard it?"

  Markovic is much thinner than when he was in Xujiahui. His hair is a little sparse, and it is combed from one side.

   "Yes, it is very conspicuous in the crowd. There are very few people in Xujiahui who are as brave as you and call themselves Shenjingbing."

  The two joined together and boarded the plane to Cannes.

   "Are you also showing a movie in Cannes this time?"

   "The 'Glass Menagerie' starring me will compete for the Palme d'Or."

   "The Glass Menagerie? Is it a Tennessee Williams book?" Ronald had heard this play, and it was a Broadway classic.

   "Yes, for the second time in a movie, this time with Joanna Woodward as mother Amanda and Karen Allan as sister Laura."

   This story is about a small town in the south, where a sister and her brother and their mother depend on each other for life. No money, poor health, Amanda can only do odd jobs to make money, and her sister is disabled, and she relies on her brother Tom to make money to support the family.

  My mother wanted to sell my sister Amanda. My brother's friend Jim came to visit. My mother arranged for him to have a blind date with my sister. I didn't expect that he was indeed my sister's classmate. In the end, Jim confessed that he was engaged, and Tom said he was going to leave the house and go outside.

  Ronald found out that the two heroines are big-name movie stars, Joanna Woodward is Paul Newman's wife, Oscar winner. Karen Alan played the leading lady of the first Indiana Jones and is also a celebrity in commercial films.

   They suddenly came to play a dull drama adapted from Broadway. Is this an award-winning film?

   "Joanna Woodward actually made a comeback?" Ronald knew that the actress had stopped filming since the 1980s.

   "Guess who the director is?" Markovic winked at Ronald.

"not?"

   "Yes, her husband Paul Newman."

   "Oh", Ronald snorted, no wonder, Paul Newman got what he wanted and finally won the Oscar for Best Actor. Now he is finally on an equal footing with his wife in terms of artistic achievements. Now it's the time when actors who have become famous are doing it again, and they're switching careers as directors.

  Two people were in the crowd and squeezed inside. Small planes are not as spacious as transoceanic flights.

   "Are you filming in Paris? What movie?" Ronald spoke to Malkovich in a casual manner. The two were only casual friends in Xujiahui, but in a place where most people speak French, the two English speakers naturally became close.

   "Miles from Home, with Richard Gere."

   said Markovic.

   "Ah, that must be a good movie."

   The two found a seat, put down their luggage and sat down. Suddenly, a man with messy hair and angry upwards also sat in their row.

   "Ronald, hi, I didn't expect you to come to Cannes too."

   "Nick?" Ronald recognized Nicolas Cage, "How come your hairstyle is back to the lunar sultry look?"

   "My film will be here, 'Raising Arizona'..." Cage looked at John Malkovich.

   "John, this is Nick, Nick, John."

   "We met." The three English speakers adjusted their seats and sat together.

   "Raising Arizona" is still being released in North America. This time, the director and producer brought the male lead Cage to Cannes. They also wanted to gain popularity and sell copies in Europe. This film by the Coen brothers is a literary story about a prisoner played by Cage, who married a policewoman played by Holly Hunt, and later robbed a tycoon's son as his own child.

   Ronald laughed dumbly after hearing this, and Minahan was still a bit level. Before Hollywood, the best market for international copies was found in Cannes. Now, many Hollywood movies that were not very affordable in Cannes are also trying their best to show here, participate in competitions, and strive to sell copies in the trading market.

  My own "Dancing Hot", I came to Cannes to find some marketing hotspots before it was released. Cage's "Raising Arizona" is currently being shown, and I will come to Cannes to sell copies.

   The three of them chatted on the plane for a while, and all fell into a deep sleep. When they opened their eyes, the plane was about to land.

  John Malkovich got off the plane, said goodbye to Ronald and Cage, and hurried to the public phone, picked up the phone card of the hair country, inserted it and started dialing.

  Ronald felt that this person was acting a little strange. After saying goodbye to him, he and Cage went to wait for the luggage.

"Glen... I just got to Cannes" Markovic saw Ronald leave to pick up his luggage, he pressed the last phone number, and started whispering over there, he was a little afraid of his wife, and every time he went All have to call his wife Glenn.

   "Ronald? We were a long time ago."

   "So, will your film be selected for the Palme d'Or? Or the Critics' Award?" Ronald waited bored next to the luggage carousel, and chatted with Cage. Cage regained the look of an angry young man, which seemed to attract the attention of those around him.

   "None, our films can only participate in the screening session."

"It doesn't matter, movie buyers don't watch this. In fact, the awards and the potential of the audience are two different things." Ronald has experience in Cannes. Last time, "Break Dance" could only be screened in a booth outside the venue. Movies still sell much better.

   "Ronald, is that you?"

   Attracted by Ronald and Cage's chat in English, another American also came and stopped Ronald.

   "Jonathan?" Ronald took off his sunglasses and hugged him.

  This is Ronald's brother, Jonathan Demme, a graduate of Roger Coleman Film University.

   "Hey, I came to the screening with Lulu, a shotgun."

   "Ha, it seems that none of our films are eligible to compete." Ronald laughed.

   "Shot Lulu" was released in America late last year, and Orion doesn't know how to market this strange fusion of romance, thriller, action, gangster genres.

   As a result, it was released in four weeks and only got 8 million box office.

   "Now we Hollywood Three Musketeers are all alive."

Ronald pointed to the two of them and said, "Your movie has been released, your movie is being released, and my movie has not been released yet. Now Hollywood's marketing is not good, and low-budget movies are all here to get some coverage. heat."

   "Hahaha..." The two also laughed wryly.

   The films made by their American filmmakers, whether it is a slow-paced drama or a fast-paced high-concept commercial, must consider the box office and be based on the audience's preferences.

   In Cannes, where the chairman of the jury is dictatorial, regardless of the audience's reaction, they only watch the preferences of a few jurors, and their films are a small minority.

   (end of this chapter)