Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 805 Film Critics Special

   "Thank you for coming, and I hope to continue working with you..."

   Ronald and little Douglas stood at the entrance of the screening hall of the film screening, shaking hands one by one with the cinema operators who came to see them off.

"Huh..." Little Douglas let out a sigh of relief, "Fortunately, you were quick to respond, and asked that Aaron Russo before he made trouble. These operators now know that he and Steve Emperor I failed to grab the script with you before, but now I'm just here to make trouble.

   Not only that, but some people also feel that our movie has been competed by two companies, and they have more confidence in the box office. "

   "Happy cooperation", Ronald and Douglas Jr. shook hands tightly. Old friends of the two wrestling teams, seeing that they were here to cause trouble this time, cooperated to control Aaron Russo and stopped his attempt before the damage was done.

   "The buyers in New York are very generous with our films and have reserved enough copies. But..."

  Daydream's release experience, Michelle Cannold, turned her coat back and stared at Ronald.

   "Little Douglas is a shareholder of the company and a good friend of mine. I can say anything in front of him."

"Then, with all due respect, there are one or two Jewish buyers who book a very poor number of copies. They seem to have received a call from some foundations asking them to lower their expectations for 'Dancing Dancing' ."

   "Sit down and talk", Ronald pulled the two to sit down, snapped his fingers, and asked his colleague to bring three cups of coffee.

  "Thank you", Ronald took the coffee and shared with the two, "Then how about the order of 'Love is not for sale'?"

   "Basically on a pro rata basis, with the hot dance." Cannold wrote two numbers on a piece of paper and handed them to Ronald and Douglas Jr.

   The two of them circulated it, and both felt that it was better than expected.

   "It seems that the Jewish community still has an opinion on the hot dance? Didn't Michael Douglas say it's all right?" Little Douglas had seen the pre-sale numbers from other regions brought by Ronald and was very optimistic. Only unpleasant things have happened in New York, if the copies here are not selling well... Wouldn't that make me unqualified as a director?

   "We have done everything we can, and even if they want to make trouble, they don't know what to do is the most effective." Ronald said that he didn't need to think about the bugs in the dark, how to make trouble for himself when he came back.

   "Film critics, TV commercials, they have done what they should do." Douglas Jr. also saw this, "Movies are not fast-moving consumer goods, whether the audience buys it or not, it is a one-shot deal."

"Our sales journey has also come to an end, let's let our colleagues in the distribution department follow up on the next places." Michelle Cannold organized the national theater screening work for the first time, He followed Ronald across America all the way, and was also responsible for the organizational details of each place. He was much more tired than Ronald, and it was appropriate to say that hard work is worth the effort.

"Wish us good luck."

   Ronald got up, nodded goodbye to his two companions, and waved his hand to keep his manager Richard from following, expressing that he would be alone for a while.

  …

   "The dice have been rolled, now it's up to God's favor."

  Standing on the ferry to Staten Island, Ronald looked at the towering World Trade Building opposite and let out a long sigh.

   Little Douglas is right. Unlike those fast-moving consumer goods, you can roughly predict short-term sales data through the analysis of competitors' products, channel investment in distribution, and comparison of the sales of your own old products.

   Coca-Cola's new diet model has a new packaging, but compared with the launch of marketing advertisements, the sales volume will not change much. After all, the people who drink Coke will not have a major change in their taste in just one month, and they will all go to drink Pepsi.

   But movies are another story.

   Every new movie, when targeting the market, is a huge unknown mystery.

   Will the box office be good? Will teens like protagonists? Would you like their story? Will other films released in the same period constitute direct competition? Everything is unknown.

  Finished a blockbuster movie, and the next one has to start all over again, completely guessing the audience's taste from scratch.

   Worse, even if you want to make a sequel, move on according to the recipe for success. The stars, screenwriters, directors, and salaries of those who make up the recipe will all see massive increases. And their professional attitude will be greatly regressed.

   Unlike a company that successfully built a cola, or a chewing gum, a Hollywood product—movie, has to go through the high risk and high failure rate of developing a new product every time.

   "Ronnie, is your movie this time under a lot of pressure?" Aunt Karen fried pork chops at home. Before Ronald's movie was released, she felt a little different.

   "I don't want to say that, Aunt. I came home just to enjoy your meal and cookies."

   "Oh, then you've come to the right place." Aunt Karen went to the kitchen and brought out the freshly baked biscuits, poured them into a little blue tin and handed them to Ronald.

   "Well, the new recipe tastes better." Ronald praised immediately after eating a piece.

"Ronnie, I'm proud of you. This time your movie will be as successful as the past." My aunt couldn't help it. She saw that Ronald was more worried about the new movie this time, and persuaded a few words. .

   "How's Donna?" Ronald changed the subject wisely. He didn't come to worry his family, but secretly reminisced about the warmth of the family, and couldn't help but think about the result of that dice roll.

   "Oh, Donna, she's enjoying the hustle and bustle of Wall Street right now." Aunt Karen really changed her look when she talked about her daughter.

"Teresa Kate from the factory, told me a lot about Wall Street, where the competition is crazy. I think the company on Long Island is the right place for Donna, she hasn't come back to see me for a few weekends. It's okay. On Wall Street she was just an intern."

   "Relax, that Long Island investment fund is very good. It manages funds for MIT, Harvard, Yale and other Ivy League universities." Now it was Ronald's turn to comfort his aunt again.

   In his own bedroom that his aunt had set aside, Ronald couldn't sleep looking at the ceiling.

   Since he entered the industry, all his money has been invested in this movie. Although there is a dream endorsement, it is impossible to say that you are not nervous.

The filming and editing of the film are all the best people I can find. I sold copies all the way. Except for the last stop in New York, I exceeded my expectations. A lot of money was invested in MTV TV commercials and on-site posters. .

  The most important thing, film critics everywhere have arranged special film critics. Private blending has also been done, in short, there is no omission.

  The troubled Aaron Russo, Steve Tish, and some Jewish powerful people looming behind them... Where else can they start to sabotage their plans?

   Besides, the final box office of a movie depends not on how many audiences it can get at the beginning, but on how many audiences it attracts continuously through word of mouth, and how many weeks the movie can last in movie theaters across the country.

  Ronald is very confident in his work, even if there is something unexpected, he can only postpone it instead of destroying the success of "Spicy Dance".

   But why can't you fall asleep even if you are confident? Several hours passed, and it was close to three in the morning, and Ronald was still staring at the roof and ceiling, unable to fall asleep.

   I’m really nervous about spending my own money…

  No way, Ronald got up and found a bottle of red wine and had a drink, and then began to practice yoga breathing, "Breathe...breath..."

  …

"what…"

  Ronald suddenly realized that he was dreaming. In the dream, he saw a panicked face on the screen, but there was no cry. The electronic background music used a tense rhythm to render this moment.

   But Ronald was jumped, as if the man was also watching him in a dream. Close-up faces fill the screen.

   The face is very big, and it doesn't look like an American expression. He opened his mouth wide, and his eyes changed from fierce to panic... One, two, three... Under the rhythm of the electronic sound, it seemed to be elevated in slow motion.

  The actor with the beard began to gradually move away from the screen.

   "It looks like it's on the top of a skyscraper." Ronald found out, and dreamed of the literary, slow-paced movie he dreamed on the plane to Cannes.

The    actor starts waving his limbs, and there is an endless void in the background. The actor played a jumping off the building scene. The camera switched to the distant view, and two people in uniform looked at the man who fell from the building with a very unbearable expression.

  The shot cuts back to the building again, and the shot of the man falling took several seconds of slow motion.

   "No way?" Ronald was even more nervous.

  Why is the pace of this movie so slow?

At the beginning of   , it took more than a minute to discuss the secret of recovery on the plane. Here, I finally committed suicide by jumping off the building (should it be suicide?), and slowly falling from the roof for at least 30 seconds.

   All the films I directed before were very commercial and fast-paced films. Why dream of this slow-paced movie?

   Is it?

   Could it be that his "Spicy Dance" will fail at the box office? No one has invested in making movies by themselves, and is forced to switch to making slow-paced movies with a strong literary and artistic flavor, and switch to the award-winning route?

   "This is too miserable." Ronald broke into a cold sweat. If so, he wouldn't be laughed to death by those who attacked him and only made commercial exploitative films?

   "No", the more Ronald thought about it, the more uncomfortable it became. "I would rather make low-cost exploitative films, even if I work for Roger Coleman, I can't make this kind of film."

   "Hey..." The character who jumped off the building was shot on the concrete floor, and the two people in uniform showed unbearable expressions.

   "I hope that's not a hostage," said one of the black men.

   "Wait... hostages?" Ronald couldn't understand, is this a reflective film about how the kidnappers were forced by life to sue the American system?

   "Ronnie, Ronnie...Are you awake? It's so late today? I've prepared breakfast for you."

   "Ah...I'll come, wait..."

   Aunt Karen's cry came, interrupting Ronald's dream.

   "What's wrong with you, your face is not very good." Aunt handed Ronald the orange juice and asked him with concern. In this movie, unlike before, Ronald was under a lot of pressure. Maybe you didn't sleep well last night.

   "It's nothing, I didn't sleep well last night." Ronald picked up the sandwich and ate it.

   is really scary!

   This is really a collection of all your nightmares, do you want to make a movie that is contrary to all your previous ideas?

   Definitely not, "Spicy Dance" will definitely be a box office success, and I wouldn't make that terrible movie myself. Even if you fail...in fact, you don't necessarily fail...you don't have to make the movie you dream about.

  But...if the box office is not good and you lose most of your personal property, is there a possibility that you will be forced to make the kind of movie you have always opposed?

   “Ronnie…Ronnie…”

   Ronald, who was thinking more and more worried, found that Aunt Karen was holding the telephone receiver for him.

   "Ah, I'm lost."

   "Your phone is Douglas Jr."

   "Doug", Ronald took the microphone, distinguished the receiver from the microphone, and said hello there.

   "Ronnie, the results of the film critic's show are out. Those two **** in Chicago have said a lot of bad things to us."

   "What? Why the **** they don't do anything with the money..."

   "Ronnie..." Auntie made a gesture to Ronald to put her index finger to her mouth, signaling him not to speak rudely.

   "Sorry, Aunt." Ronald picked up the receiver and walked to the other side of the room.

   "Tell me, what the **** is going on?"

  …

"That's the way it is, Roger Albert, and Gene Sisko's film review faxed in, and they lashed out at 'Love is not for sale', and Albert even said it was a morally depraved movie. "

An hour later, Ronald, who hurried to Daydream's New York office, sat down with distribution manager Michelle Cannold, Jr. Douglas, and was on a hands-free call with Los Angeles general manager Eddie Cohen. Phone meeting.

   "What about the evaluation of Spicy Body Dance?" Ronald heard a big problem with the film review of "Love is not for sale", so he was relieved and hurriedly asked about the evaluation of "Spicy Body Dance".

   These two films are scheduled to be released in mid-July, but the financial situation of Daydream Pictures is crucial to the life and death of the film industry.

   The first batch of original soundtracks have been produced, packed and packed by workers, and are already lying in the warehouse, waiting for the premiere to be released in large quantities in retail channels around the world.

  MTV's advertising slots have been purchased, and the trailers of many wonderful dances of the hero and heroine have been edited, and they have also been edited and sent to MTV.

The protagonists Patrick Schwitz, Jennifer Gray, and Cynthia Rhodes have been vacated, starting with an interview with Barbie Wygant in Los Angeles, and promoting "Dancing Hot" all the way to New York for David The Late Late Show with Letterman is over.

  All the bullets are loaded, just waiting for the final critics to release their written reviews after the two premieres in Los Angeles and New York.

This is the chain of    film marketing, film critics and TV commercials, to attract the first audience. Then the quality of the movie determines the quality of the word of mouth, and determines how many follow-up audiences it can attract in the future.

   At this juncture, two film critics in Chicago who have the most national influence and have their own film review programs on PBS TV actually had a problem and released bad reviews on their films.

   "What did they say about the hot dance?" Cannold was also anxious, and asked Eddie on the phone.

   "Slightly over the passing line, I will fax it to you."

   "You read it to me." Ronald couldn't help but feel anxious.

   "Uh... well..."

   Eddie was a little surprised by Ronald's anxiety, and took out a film review and read it to the two of them.

   "Sisko said he gave the movie a fresh recommendation because he liked Jennifer Gray's great performance in the movie."

"Fuck, this guy was also bought by Jews, and he said that the only Jewish person in the movie's protagonist." Ronald became angry when he heard it, how did he charge money, no, he received sponsorship for the Chicago Film Critics Association , Why don't you give yourself a good review of the high-value travel coupons for the most important members and families of the Film Critics Association?

   "Albert said he gave thumbs down, not recommended. Because the plot is too boring, too predictable, a boring love story between two men and women from different classes and races."

   "Fuck..." Ronald was about to scold again.

"Also, don't worry," Eddie continued, "but for those fans of musicals, or fans of Ronald Lee's previous breakdance, this is a very recommended movie, the dancing is great, The male lead Schwytz has a strong body, **** dance, and the chemistry between him and Gray is very good. It is worth watching by men and women in love.”

   "This...is it a good review...or a bad review..."

   Ronald was speechless after hearing this.

  You call it a bad review. In fact, the two of them still said a lot of points worth watching to the target audience - teenage couples.

   You said it was a good review, what's with the old-fashioned attack on the plot?

  …

   "Ronald, you just don't understand"

After the discussion, Ronald and Cannold made a long-distance call to Roger Albert, who was far away in Chicago, and asked him why he did not accept the money.

"You don't understand, it doesn't matter if it's a good review or not, but what I say matters. What you said in the media package used for movie marketing is that the target audience for this 'Spicy Dance' is teenagers. Especially teenage women, I'd pick them up as they like to be heard.

   They heard that it was a romance movie with a **** male lead, how could they care about the literary and artistic nature of the story and whether it reflected reality? For a girl who wants to enjoy a weekend romance with her boyfriend or sister, the old-fashioned story is good news. "

   "Is that so?" Ronald said in disbelief, "Then why did you give me the thumbs down."

   "You have to ask yourself, the title holder of the New York University School of Art, the chairman of the New York Giants, and the word of the Emperor's family. Preston Robert personally explained it. How did you offend him?"

   "I just had a little friction with his son, why did the old man come out?"

  Ronald understood that this was scolding the younger, and the elder came out to vent his anger on his son. Laodi is spreading money everywhere to sponsor literature, art and sports, and everyone in the film industry wants to sell a piece of face.

   "Little Steve is his only promising son, and Preston Robert values ​​him very much." Roger Albert stopped. The Chicago Film Critics Association has also received a lot of sponsorship from the Diese Foundation.

   "Okay, it's your help." Ronald probably understood when he heard this. The Jews are still not satisfied with the plot of the movie, and some old stubborn people still want to spoil the movie. Jewish girls are cute, how can they be kidnapped by Irish thugs?

"I have a good reputation in the industry, and I never talk nonsense against the facts. If you have a good movie in the future, you can also find me to go to the film critic's special. Ronald, we are also old acquaintances, and I am looking forward to your next film. Movies. I heard Columbia likes your finished film.”

   "It's the end of the year," Ronald knew he was talking about "the moonlight is sultry."

   "That's it?"

   "Huh, huh?" Ronald was almost fooled by Albert.

   "You're helping out the hot dance, that love is not for sale, what's the matter with you? You also accuse me of having moral problems?"

   "Am I talking about you? Look again..." Albert also raised his voice, "I'm talking about director Rush, who pays to rent a cheerleader as his girlfriend. What values ​​are they promoting?"

   "This..." Ronald thought, he was right. Film critics also have to take into account the mainstream values ​​of society, and this episode is a bit deviant. A well-accepted moral code in America is that between men and women, women can fall in love with each other for the sake of each other's success (measured in money). But you can't accept the money. If you pay the price and then become the other party's girlfriend, that is to sell.

   "This is a movie," Ronald thought, and was almost fooled by him again, "Besides, didn't you criticize this value in the end?"

   "Ronald, it's difficult for me too. Your film company has two films, and my bad review spot is exactly one short of..."

   "You bastard."

"Don't be like this, I can comment just for you to attract audiences. There are so many movies, I don't have a comment. I tell the plot, there are not many male teenagers who want to see how to pay to rent a cheerleader to be themselves. girlfriend?"

   "Well, you're right this time." Ronald hung up the phone.

   "Fuck, these critics have a point."

  …

  The film critics in Chicago, at any rate, praised and criticized, and they helped Ronald to attract audiences.

   But I didn't expect that the film critics in Ronald's hometown actually opened a comprehensive criticism of "Spicy Dance". In particular, the magazine "Time Magazine", which has a huge readership in the country and even the world, has a very bad review of "Dancing Hot". Almost scolded.

"If Eleanor's script, the glitch is that the ending is too neat and inspiring. Then director Ronald's mistake is fatal. The low-level **** singing and dancing in the film can indeed attract some audiences, but the original script should be Some reactions to reality have been eliminated. We can't help but wonder if director Ronald has enough reason and judgment to direct this story from the JFK period. After all, he was still biting his pacifier at that time..."

   (end of this chapter)