Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 945 There is a problem with the shooting of Rainman

"If there's one thing you're especially like a director in the golden age of Hollywood, it's when you're shooting and you already have the final image in mind." In the cutting room, Walter Murch joked to Ronald, then added "This also makes the work of editing seem lacking in challenges."

   Ronald smiled and understood what he meant. In the early years of Hollywood, movies were a time-consuming business, and quality was not the most important thing. Therefore, the bosses of many large studios will let the editors re-create on the film shot by the director.

   Often the director comes home from get off work on Friday night, and on Monday morning, the movie has been edited into a completely different look, and it will be released immediately.

   This has also allowed many directors with artistic pursuits to develop a skill. It is to edit in advance when shooting, and there is not a foot of extra film.

  Many times, they don’t shoot the main shot of the panorama to explain the relationship between the background and the characters, and they don’t want to take half a second of unnecessary shots. In this way, the studio can't "secondary creation", and can only edit the film according to their original intention.

  After the collapse of the big studio system, the new generation of Hollywood directors generally have the power to make complete edits to movies. At least the producers won't be cutting the scissors on the film until the first cut is tested.

  So most directors in the new era don't have a preview of what the movie will look like before shooting. They prefer to think of the shooting as part of the creative process, and then assemble the story in the editing room.

  The creativity of this kind of editing work is much greater than that of Ronald's "old-fashioned concept" director. It's no wonder that Murch prefers that kind of challenging shooting method. In such a movie, the editor's contribution to the creation is actually no less than that of the director.

   "Well... I was born on a small budget, so I like to make plans in advance, and then shoot according to the plan." Ronald squeaked haha, fooling himself about relying on dreams.

"The next step is fine-tuning, and the meticulous work of the soundtrack. You still want to work with me here. If you have confidence in me and have other jobs..." Walter Murch was already busy with Ronald I got a feel for the time arrangement, and offered to complete the most time-consuming detailed adjustment process by myself.

   "I happen to have something to do. My editing is taught by you... If there is anything I need to confirm, let's call."

  What Ronald said was to go to Palm Springs.

  Tom Cruise found himself through Paula. His new film "Rain Man" has entered the shooting, but two weeks after the start of shooting, he encountered great difficulties. Tom intends to propose a replacement director and let Ronald take over.

  This "Rain Man" is also ill-fated, and the investment is two independent producers that Ronald knew, Gubel and Peterson. The one who took over the distribution contract was MGM, which did not have much distribution business. As for the production company, it has already been acquired by MGM, and now there is only one brand left, United Artists.

   These entities, as you can imagine, have no ambitions to promote a big project starring Oscar winners and popular stars. The real promoter behind this project is actually the president of CAA, Michael Ovitz.

  Ovitz's wishful thinking is well done. Dustin Hoffman is a client of CAA, and the market is asking for a salary of 6 million pieces, but this price is now in jeopardy.

This is because, in order to repay the female director Elaine May (Elaine May) who brought him to debut last year, Dustin Hoffman and another Hollywood actor, the big star Warren Beatty, brought in 50 million investment , to contribute to Elaine May's return to Hollywood directing.

The two film kings not only played the leading role, but also recruited Chinese female star Isabella Adjani to play the leading role. The film went to Morocco for filming, and Elaine May wrote and directed a two-word writer's mistake. The movie that entered the Cold War spy war is called "Ishtar".

It's a pity that, like those film stars who just won awards, the film's over-ambitious ambition made it unbearable. The new film released last year only got a box office of more than 10 million yuan, which lost all its investment and made Elaine May, who the two wanted to help, , completely lost the opportunity to shoot big productions in Hollywood.

   So this calls for another movie that brings Dustin Hoffman back to life, and Rain Man is a great project.

  On the other hand, Tom Cruise's appeal in commercial films is getting stronger and stronger, but he himself does not want to be a star, but an acting school. To his liking, Ovitz also stuffed him into this "Rain Man" project, starring in one of the starring roles.

  Finally, the two male protagonists with both acting skills and fame, and the autism story that no one has filmed before, are another sharp weapon to attract famous directors.

  Ovitz successively approached many directors to promote the project, including the top Hollywood directors. If they are interested, it can just let them experience CAA's meticulous service spirit and strong operational capabilities, and maybe they can sign up for CAA.

   Famous directors are the scarcest resources in Hollywood, and Ovitz was the first to take over the project. Barry Levinson took over the project. But superstar Dustin Hoffman wants to spend time with autistic people to learn how they behave.

   Shooting was delayed for a year. Levinson dropped out of the project to film "Good Morning, Vietnam."

  The second director who took over was Spielberg. Ovitz had long coveted the signing of the No. 1 director in Hollywood, and paid a lot of money to hire him this time. Spielberg even did a lot of prep work, drawing some of the sub-shots.

   But after a long time, he found that Hoffman was difficult to cooperate with, and George Lucas called him back to film the new Raiders of the Lost Ark, so he quit and recommended his good friend Sydney Pollack.

  Sydney Pollack has directed Oscar-winning films such as "Tootsie" and "Out of Africa", and belongs to the top three directors in Hollywood in recent years.

  After he took over for a period of time, he also felt that the difficulty of filming was too high. Hoffman had too many demands. In addition, the production company he opened was busy with business. He gave up the director a few weeks before the screenwriters union went on strike.

  It was about to go on strike. If there was no director to take over, the shooting would be affected if the script was not submitted. In an emergency, Ovitz began to recruit Barry Levinson, who was the first to take over, to take over.

  However, it is very interesting that Ovitz did not find Ronald, who was originally a client of CAA, during the several director changes.

   Just a few recommendations from Tom Cruise. But after Ronald proposed to change the leading role and let Cruise play the mentally retarded among the brothers, Ovitz stopped mentioning this matter.

   People are not as good as heaven, and after a few weeks of shooting, they once again reached a deadlock. Dustin Hoffman felt that his performance was like a horseshxt, and refused to continue filming until he found the feeling. This brought the entire crew to a standstill, embarrassing director Barry Levinson, who resigned.

   At this time, Tom Cruise thought of Ronald again, and once again strongly recommended him to direct him. Ovitz also had no choice, so in a hurry, he had no choice but to ask Ronald to go to Palm Springs for a chat through Nisita, in the name of taking a vacation.

  …

   "Hi Ronald, it's great of you to be here", Tom Cruise, wearing Ray-Ban sunglasses, picked Ronald up in the parking lot himself. As soon as the car stopped, he came up and opened the door, showing a charming smile, and hugged Ronald tightly.

"I brought you my aunt's biscuits to taste, without butter and sugar, and with some vegetables, specially baked for you." Ronald handed over a pair of biscuits, which Aunt Karen made for Christmas every year. And Thanksgiving received a cake from Cruise in return.

   "Ha, Aunt Karen remembers that I have to exercise and can't eat too much sweets. She is too kind to me." Cruise happily accepted it and handed it to Paula beside him. A group of people changed two carts and drove towards the reserved hot spring hotel.

   "Rain Man" is a big production, and Barry Levinson decided to follow the order of the plot and shoot the scenes one by one in chronological order. This is a road movie with a simple plot, all relying on the true feelings between the actors to impress the audience, coupled with a sufficient budget, so the director decided to use this filming method that can best guarantee the performance.

  The beginning of the plot was filmed in a nursing home in Palm Springs. Rich boy Charlie Babbitt, played by Tom Cruise, meets his autistic brother Raymond for the first time.

   But for these uncomplicated scenes, Dustin Hoffman spent a full two weeks without a single usable shot. Now it is equivalent to a strike stop.

"So, what's going on? Why can't Dustin continue filming?" Ronald saw that there were no outsiders in the room, only Cruise, Paula, and Nisita, who were deeply tied to their interests, so he asked Straightforwardly asked about the trouble.

"Dustin thinks that he doesn't act like an autistic person. Every time after the filming is finished, it is very painful to watch the samples the next day. If he does not meet his requirements, he will not continue..." Paula replied, she is very dedicated, The young children were left at home to be taken by the nanny, and they continued to accompany Cruise by themselves.

   "So how does he adjust it? It's impossible to shoot for two weeks and still not get the feeling?" Ronald was also surprised, how could he not produce a satisfactory shot in two weeks?

"He spent a long time studying with autistic patients in advance, but his performance in the demo film is still not very similar to the real patients. Dustin is considering suspending filming, and he will go back and interact with more autistic patients. Live for a few more months.

   "Puff...cough cough..." Ronald choked on the black tea he drank, and he choked up when he heard this passage. How can he play like this? If the shooting plan is stopped like this, the loss will be great. It's okay to lose money. Where can a popular star like Tom Cruise adjust his schedule?

"Yeah, Tom has already agreed with Oliver Stone to go to the Philippines to shoot a new film about the Vietnam War in the second half of the year." Paula is also very anxious. She hopes that Ronald will take over the most. Hoffman ruled, he was very good at dealing with Harrison Ford before, and the circle of Hollywood agents spread, and he calmed down Han Solo by relying on delicious food.

   "What do you think?" Ronald asked Tom Cruise.

   "Dustin is a very dedicated director. He said that he can continue to shoot as long as he finds a shot that he can barely satisfy, but so far there is no one. I think we have to give him more patience..."

   "Hmph... I don't act well, so I'll go back to live and study with autistic patients..." Ronald was really not interested in acting like him. Then he wants to play a murderer, so... In the end, he just can't play it.

   "What do you think? Ovitz will ask you to have a private chat tonight..." Nisita asked beside him, what kind of charter is Ronald himself.

   Tom Cruise is a young actor after all, he has no experience standing on the other side of the camera to see the problem. Ronald has been filming all the way, and has long doubted the acting skills of certain actors who are rumored in the industry.

  The Oscars are more partial to certain types of roles. Dustin Hoffman's imagination is actually very general, and he can only play those roles he has experience with.

   "I still say that, Tom should play the mentally retarded among the brothers, if you want to win an award." Ronald said with a smile.

   "Dustin and I often read lines in different roles in the trailer. In fact, I think the role of Raymond is not as difficult as expected..." Tom Cruise replied.

  It seems that he was a little moved, and regretted not listening to himself at the time. To compete for an award, you have to use all your advantages. Playing a fool is actually more recognized by peers and audiences than playing an ordinary person.

  Hollywood recognized actors with top acting skills, such as Jimmy Stewart, James Cagney, and Henry Fonda, are all powerful characters who can play very ordinary roles. An actor like John Wayne who can only play fixed-character roles is generally considered to be second-rate in acting.

   Everyone kept silent, and began to seriously consider this possibility for the first time. Replacing the trouble is also a solution to the trouble.

  …

  In the evening, Michael Ovitz flew to Palm Springs and specially invited Ronald to a dinner. He also needed to chat with this director who was not the first choice for the Rain Man project.

   "I just came back from New York, and the crew is really worrying. But this also shows Dustin's dedication. He has high demands on himself, and the movie will definitely be a masterpiece. It's just a temporary difficulty."

  This style of talking is not quite right. Ronald listened and understood in his heart that Ovitz still wanted to keep Dustin Hoffman's starring role. As for whether to change the director, it depends on whether Barry Levinson can control the male lead.

   "I'm a good friend of Tom. I'm here to visit the class this time, and I also met the new mayor Sonny Bono. I have a small film, and I hope it will be screened at his first Palm Springs Film Festival next year."

  Since Ovitz did not invite Ronald as a corporal, it is still necessary to put on airs.

   "We need Dustin very much. His acting skills are very profound. We hope to find a way to make him regain his feeling..."

   Ovitz heard that the topic was wrong, and changed his tone back. After all, Dustin Hoffman is his own person, and he has to take care of his needs first.

"I'm an outsider. I'm interested in this movie, and now I just want to see it on the screen. So I can make a hypothetical question, shall we do some technical discussions?" Ronald saw Ovie Ci didn't speak crisply, so he asked questions that no one wanted to talk about.

   "Please say..." Ovitz looked at Ronald, the little screenwriter who he brought to see Jane Fonda back then, but now he is a big director who can't speak directly, and has to be cautious of the other party's emotions.

"If in the golden age of Hollywood, there was such a big production, a leading actor couldn't get into the mood, and there was no one available after a week of filming, then the studio boss at the time, such as Samuel Goldwyn, was reasonable. What will be the action?"

   Ronald's meaning is very simple, since Dustin Hoffman can't play, then replace it. There are too many actors in Hollywood who can play, and it will be over if he is left alone.

   "It's a historical question, right?" Ovitz laughed.

   "Of course...a discussion of the previous Hollywood system." Ronald knew that Ovitz was inconvenient to speak ill of his clients.

"If it was in the era of big studios, then the film would either stop shooting or change people... But now in Hollywood, you know, Ronald, our financing and distribution rely on stars to a large extent. .

  If it wasn’t for finding such a big star with a salary of 6 million yuan as a guarantee, there would be doubts about whether the entire project could be established. "

   Ronald frowned slightly, isn't Tom Cruise enough for this movie? What a gag for Cruise, the pretty blond boy, to play a retarded, female fan across America, and not cry and yell to see their cute Tom?

   "I see. From this point of view, Dustin has to figure it out." Ronald said that he was just offering an opinion, and you can do whatever you want. Unless Cruise is replaced by the protagonist, he won't be in this messy water. This script looks very difficult to shoot at first glance, and there is no structure for a three-act play. Only by the strength of the director and the leading actors can the audience be interested in watching it.

   "I want to see the filming sample tomorrow, can you come with me? I know you are now an expert in directing the acting of big stars. Fox and Harrison are full of praise for you."

   The conversation didn't yield any results, but he agreed to watch the sample the next day. Ronald returned to the hotel and treated it as a vacation after soaking in the hot springs.

   "Ronald...are you there?" Tom Cruise called, hoping to talk to Ronald again.

   "Come on..." Ronald put on his clothes, and what did Cruise think.

"I still hope you can come. Barry's level is good, but he has trouble dealing with Dustin. His temperament can't hold Dustin down. Sometimes, I think what the crew needs is someone who is full of confidence like you." , so that Dustin can follow his advice."

   Ronald watched Tom Cruise without speaking for a long time. Cruise's thinking is still a bit naive, to win an Oscar winner depends on acting skills? Filming with movie kings and famous directors will improve your acting skills? By following their plan step by step, can they finally get the awards and evaluations they want?

   "How much did you get paid for this movie?" Ronald asked suddenly.

   "Three million, what's the matter? Isn't Paula willing to tell you? In fact, she doesn't need to keep it a secret from you..." Tom Cruise smiled with white teeth. Ronald is his benefactor and also a director, so there is no need to keep him secret.

"Do you know what Dustin's salary is?" Ronald made a six-sign and continued quickly, making Tom Cruise overwhelmed, "Ovitz said that the film needs to rely on Dustin. Only the best actor Guangbai can get investment and distribution... Do you believe it? I think he is Bullshxt..."

   "Then why are they?" Tom Cruise was disappointed. The value of an American is measured by bids. I didn't expect my salary to be half of Dustin's. Ronald didn't have to lie to him, it was Ovitz again. This number is likely to be true.

  I have also heard about his previous remuneration, but Dustin’s previous film was a big hit, and he lost a lot. This time it will always be lowered, right? He always felt that this time he used his fame to bring him into the crew, even if he was lower than Dustin, he shouldn't be much lower.

  If the script is good, it is expected to win an award, and I lower my salary to act. So Hoffman should also be lowered, or should it remain at the past six million, what is this?

   "I'll tell you why..." Ronald took a piece of letterhead on the table, tore off one, put it on the table, and wrote down several names with a pencil.

  Michael Ovitz, Barry Levinson, Sidney Pollack, Dustin Hoffman, Guber and more…

   "No way?" Tom Cruise thought of a possibility.

   "That's it. I, you, are in the second echelon of CAA's priorities."

   Ronald crumpled up the letter and went to the bathroom to rinse it off.

   "I'm going to talk to Paula, it's wrong..." Tom Cruise walked out with an unswerving expression, he went to talk to Paula, and he got second-class treatment for his enthusiasm? It's not fair, it's not America.

  (end of this chapter)