Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 961 Chapter 101 Is there real friendship between men and women?

   "Okay, okay, I see, still need a young 'virgin' star, right?"

Ronald stayed in New York for two days, and with the help of Nisita, together with Michele Cannold, the production director of Daydream, intensively sent out invitations to major studios, trying to make "Steel Magnolia "The distribution rights to the script were sold to them.

  Whether it is Paramount, Universal, or Disney, they are all very interested in this movie. But they all put forward a request, asking Ronald to direct.

   Ronald, who is good at female themes, has a record of many blockbuster movies. As long as he nods to direct, the estimated investment of only 15 million and the joining of many acting female stars will not be a problem.

  However, Ronald has not dreamed of any details of the film so far, so he is still a little hesitant about directing it himself. In addition, screenwriter Harlin repeatedly pointed out that this play actually reflects the southern part of America, the small town's way of life is completely different from the big city stories Ronald is familiar with.

  The female films that Ronald has filmed, whether it is Baby in the 1960s, Loretta, a middle-aged Italian woman, or Tess, who has just passed the age of 30 and stepped into the right path of life, are all New York girls.

  They strive to seek independence, liberation. Unlike many of the conservative Southern women in "Steel Magnolias." Those Dixie girls, whose highest purpose in life is to marry a husband and have children for him, take care of the family, and even risk their diabetes to worsen to have children.

  So Ronald tentatively proposed the asset as a producer and be responsible for a part of the investment quota.

  Now those big studios who have promised with all their mouths have begun to propose conditions that did not exist.

  Ronald thinks that the script is excellent, and he asked Olympia Dukakis, Shirley Maclean and other acquaintances to participate in the role, and they will definitely agree.

   But the studio was very practical. The distribution department evaluated several Oscar winners proposed by Ronald and found their box office appeal data through CinemaScore.

  Unfortunately, even Dukakis, who just won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, is not enough to get the target audience (especially those southern housewives) to enter the theater for them.

  Hollywood has divided actresses into three categories from a very early age, virgins, sluts, and mothers. This is based on their age classification, not completely according to their appearance.

   Actresses who have just debuted can play young girls who are in love. At this time, they can fall in love with popular male stars. Except for the protagonist, he doesn't pretend to speak to other male characters. The most typical is Grace Kelly in the western film "High Noon". She's only in love with the sheriff played by Gary Cooper.

   When the female stars start to age and play girls no longer convincing, the studio will give them some "slut" type roles. In a movie, the role of these female stars is not to stick to one end, but to deal with several men, and they can have love and romantic relationships with multiple men.

  When Grace Kelly gets older and enters the "high society", she will be surrounded by ex-boyfriends, fiancés, and fresh boys who want to have **** with her characters.

  If Grace Kelly hadn’t married the Prince of Monaco and quit Hollywood, then when she reached middle age, a third acting career would gradually open up to her, that is, to play mother or grandmother roles instead of occupying the center of the stage.

And this "Steel Mulan" happens to be a very special script. The six female characters, except for the girl who escaped from marriage by a foreigner, is responsible for eliciting the story. Among the other five female characters, there are four "mother" types. A "virgin" type.

  Although the acting skills of those mother-type actors, after years of precipitation, are now as mellow as old red wine. But to be honest, most moviegoers who go to the cinema are still attracted by virgin or **** type "young female stars".

  Four post-Oscar actresses who are mothers are not as attractive as a young and glamorous star.

  Even if this female drama-based play is very popular on Broadway, but in Hollywood now, the film depends on the appeal of young female stars, and the chances of recovering the cost at the box office are high.

   Ronald didn't want to go against the laws of the market, so he agreed to find a suitable young and **** female star to play the heroine Shelby. Universal, Paramount, and Disney all mentioned the same name: Michelle Pfeiffer.

   Regardless of Pfeiffer's Oscar career, she is indeed the most attractive young female star to moviegoers right now. Many young viewers will collect her posters.

Other major studios that are suitable as distributors, MGM's production volume has been drastically reduced, and Columbia has been blacklisted by screenwriters, only 20th Century Fox, and many of their recent investment film projects have not yet been released , How much money is left to invest in new projects is also a problem.

But this is Ronald’s idea. In fact, Columbia and Fox are very appreciative of Ronald’s project’s profitability and the response of film critics. At this moment when the screenwriter’s union is still going on strike, there is a well-formed script and a director’s investment guaranteed by the box office. , the willingness of these two studios to participate is no less than that of the others.

   It happened that Ronald's good friend Cameron Crowe called his agent and said that he had something important to talk to. Ronald asked him what was going on, Crowe said it was inconvenient to say on the phone, and invited him to meet him when he returned to Los Angeles.

   Ronald didn’t know what was going on. During the strike period, Crowe secretly helped him change the script under pressure, which helped a lot. Ronald couldn’t refuse, so he went back to have an interview with him.

  However, Ronald ran into trouble when leasing a business jet. All the business jets that can be rented in the past two days have been fully booked.

   I asked Douglas Jr. for help. It turned out that these two days happened to be the time for the primary election of the donkey party leader candidate in New York. People from political groups and action committees across the country rushed to the most important fundraising place in the east to see the results of the competition.

   Unlike the Elephant Party’s candidate primary election, which was basically decided on Super Tuesday last month, the current deputy leader, Old George, will be able to get tickets for next year’s general election as long as he completes the process. Donkey's Super Tuesday is a very competitive situation.

Olympia Dukakis was the cousin of hundreds of millions of voters at the Oscars party. Governor Michael Dukakis of Massachusetts took advantage of the popularity of the new Oscar for Best Supporting Actress, and his popularity among candidates rose rapidly. quick. He won nine of the twenty state primaries on Super Tuesday.

   But Dukakis is of Greek origin, with bushy eyebrows, a hooked nose, and a sinister look, and his appearance is really bad.

  In contrast to the Senator from Tennessee, Al Gore has a handsome appearance and is very popular among female voters. He won the primary elections in six states, especially Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma in the south, all of which only recognize this Dixie.

  Jesse Jackson, who was born as a black civil rights leader, continued to forge ahead with multiple scandals on his back. In Mississippi, Alabama, and Louisiana, states that are poor and have a high proportion of blacks, they have also won the support of five states.

In such an anxious battle situation, even the Colorado senator Gary Hart, who had a big scandal before and went out to sea with Miss Beauty Pageant Donna Rice, wanted to pay for the re-election after withdrawing from the election, and also sent someone to run for office Go to New York to find out.

  The multi-party political team has rented out all the business jets in the market, and is now waiting for the results of the New York primary election at several airports in New York.

   Ronald had no choice, and he didn't want to bother little George with trivial matters, so he booked a commercial flight ticket and returned to Los Angeles.

   “Do you think Senator Joe of Delaware would be interested in voting for him when he comes back for the primary?”

  At the airport, Ronald, wearing sunglasses, was stopped by a group of volunteers in blue T-shirts, asking him to do a survey.

  Looking at their display boards and the badges they wear, Ronald can see that it is Senator Joe who withdrew from the primary election last year. Now seeing that Hart also wants to come back, he is also ready to move, so let the people who are running for the office come to New York first to find out the direction of the wind.

   "Who?" Ronald asked back.

   "Joe, Mr. Senator from Delaware, he participated in the presidential primary election last year, but was forced to withdraw because of rumors fabricated by his competitors."

   "Who?" Ronald asked again. The tone of sarcasm is obvious, in a small state like Delaware, who can remember who the senator is?

  The volunteer backed away in dismay.

  A tall, thin woman next to him burst out laughing. She seemed to appreciate Ronald's humor and nodded to him.

   "Ma'am, can I spare a moment of your time? You are right..." The volunteer went to harass her again.

   "Is that the senator who copied the speech of the leader of the British Labor Party, Neil Kinnock, without changing a word?" The ability of a woman to taunt is no less than that of Ronald.

   "It was all rumors spread by the Dukakis camp. Our candidates, after each speech, noted the source of the original manuscript."

   "So he plagiarizes every speech?" The woman's ability to sarcasm is undiminished.

   "Puff..." Now it was Ronald's turn to laugh out loud.

   Arriving on the plane, Ronald found that he and the tall and thin woman were sitting in the front and back rows. After he put away the luggage, he helped her pack the luggage.

   "Nora, Nora Ephron," the woman reaches out and shakes Ronald's hand before thanking him for his gentlemanly demeanor.

   "Ronald, Ronald Lee."

   "You won't be the one..." Nora Ephron was surprised, looked at Ronald who took off his sunglasses, and recognized the well-known young director in Hollywood. She quickly switched seats with other passengers and sat next to Ronald.

   "I have a new script here, are you interested in talking about it?"

  After the plane took off, it changed to a level flight, and the noise became much smaller. When the stewardess began to distribute snacks, Nora Ephron poked Ronald and asked in a low voice.

   "I'm also a member of the Screenwriters Guild, aren't you afraid that I'll report you?" Ronald deliberately joked.

"Ha, I didn't talk to you about the shooting project, just treat it as a chat between two artists. By the way,...Your name is Sally? I want a piece of bread, but don't put the strawberry jam in the middle of the plate , put it on the side, warm the butter, but don't open the package, and then have a bottle of Coke, sugar-free, not a new flavor, it's a sugar-free Diet Coke..."

  Nora Ephron's food requirements are very detailed, and every detail is clearly explained to the flight attendant named Sally.

   "Okay", the stewardess is almost fainted by these requests.

   “Can you paraphrase it?”

   "Eh...you want our airline's special buns, strawberry jam on the edge of the plate, butter warm, don't open...and a can of Diet Coke."

   "Very good, um... Let's have another vegetable salad. Don't put the salad dressing in the vegetables, serve it separately. I will make it myself, and the olive oil also..."

   Clearly seeing the stewardess rolling his eyes, Ronald came to ask himself, and quickly said, "I want Coke and a big meal."

   "Do you usually order like this? It seems that you are very clear about what you need." Ronald watched the stewardess who was still mumbling about Nora Ephron's request go away, and asked the other party in a low voice.

   "You don't know, the salads and breads of this airline are very good, but strictly follow my method, the way they mix their own sauces is really a waste of good food."

"What's the story of your script?" Ronald watched with relish as Nora Ephron prepared salad and bread in her own unique way, and ate a bit of the salad Nora gave him with great interest. .

   I have to say that Nora Ephron does have a high level of food. The salad she made is much better than the one in Ronald's set meal.

   "Sally, please bring me some olive oil too. Thank you", Ronald did the same, and asked the stewardess to mix it with olive oil, and it tasted much more delicious.

   "It's a love story, you know, whether there is a real friendship between a man and a woman, the kind that does not involve physical attraction to each other. It is an eternal topic." Nora Ephron said.

   "Ah... your story is about this proposition?"

"Yeah, my protagonists are two men and women who met each other in college and then meet every few years. They are always in a state of friendship but not enough love. It's not that men have it. A lover means that the woman has a partner, and after more than ten years of separation and reunion, they still haven't come together in the end."

   "It sounds like you believe in true friendship between men and women?" Ronald asked, frowning after hearing the general direction of the story.

   "Why do you say that? This is your interpretation. In fact, I believe that there is no real friendship between young men and women. It must be accompanied by physical attraction."

   "Then why don't you let the hero and heroine come together?" Ronald asked.

"Life is not like this. The hero and heroine finally came together and lived happily together. I am an example... I will not talk about it. I think that since the two of them were not together at the beginning, it means that they are not attractive enough to each other. It is obviously unrealistic to be together in the end, and it will destroy the character creation."

   "Heh...", Ronald finished the bread, "Your script didn't sell, did you?"

   "Indeed, I'm chatting with a few friends about the newly established production company, how do you know?" Nora Ephron was very strange.

  "Hollywood audiences all like happy endings. They may not get together with the person they like in life, and they come to the movie theater to make up for their regrets on the screen."

"If you say that..." Nora Ephron thoughtfully, "But my friend, he is also a film director, don't look at it that way, he thinks that the two protagonists and heroines will be missed on the street. good."

   "Well, I think your director friend needs to watch an old Hollywood movie, 'Sullivan's Travels (Sullivan's Travels)." Ronald laughed.

"Sullivan's travels, the debut of Veronica Lake, a Hollywood **** icon in the 1940s?" Nora Ephron was quite familiar with film history, she nodded, "I will talk to Rob... Hehe, this Let's see what he has to say."

  Ronald smiled, it seems that Nora Ephron herself is in favor of a happy ending, and it is that director named Rob who messed up the direction.

   "I said, are you interested in reading this script? I asked my agent to send it to you, and I am now looking for an investor." Nora Ephron did not want to let go of the opportunity.

"You can call my agent, don't mention the script on the phone, just say I asked you to call." Ronald took out a business card with the agent's phone number on it and handed it to Nora Ephron. There are many factions in the CAA, and Ronald doesn't want to give others a handle.

   "Understood." Nora Ephron ordered another salad and handed it to Ronald after mixing it with the exclusive method.

   "Well, this is really delicious." Ronald felt that it was worthwhile to change this secret recipe considering the conditions of production investment. Although this script doesn't sound like it will be a blockbuster, but now that the script is scarce, it's good to have a look.

  …

   Arrived in Los Angeles, Ronald and Cameron Crowe found a place to meet. In the Beverly Hills Hilton, drinks and food were prepared in an executive suite, waiting for the two to meet in privacy.

   "I wrote a script, can you read it?" Cameron Crowe came straight to the point and took out a newly bound script.

   "Of course", Ronald took it over and took a look. The copper nails bound on it had just been polished to prevent himself from turning the pages and cutting his hands while reading.

  I saw two words written on the cover, "SayAnything (love to the depths, followed by an ellipsis.

   "Love to the depths?" Ronald looked at the very interesting script name, opened it and read it.

   "Youth romance movie?" Ronald blurted out after finishing the flip.

   "Yes, I want to direct this movie, so I picked the subject matter I am most familiar with." Cameron Crowe's eyes were full of hope.

   For such an old friend who silently helps, Ronald is not as hypocritical as he was with Nora Ephron.

   "Now that the strike is still going on, I can ask Daydream to make an assessment. If it is good, we will sign a contract. If it is less than 6 million, I will invest it myself. If it exceeds, I will find a big publisher to cooperate with."

   "Hahaha, thank you, Ronald."

  Cameron Crowe felt Ronald's kindness, and he couldn't be happier. Ronald actually agreed to an investment of at least 6 million yuan. For a screenwriter who has never directed a movie before, this condition can be said to be very loose.

  Ronald is actually very happy. Now that major film studios are struggling with a script shortage, Crowe’s script has at least a smooth structure, and the ending is also very sunny. The hero and heroine came together despite all obstacles. Much better than the Nora Ephron one.

   "Great, when do you think the strike will end and we can start operating this project?" Cameron Crowe finished laughing and said something.

"Why…"

  Ronald sighed, "I don't know either! No one in Hollywood or major TV stations know. Have you heard? Almost all TV dramas this season will stop filming."

  (end of this chapter)