Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"You see, this computer is much better than what we use for office work now, and it looks good. Just buy another Encyclopedia Britannica software and type a celebrity you want, such as John Ford. The relevant content in the encyclopedia is all It can appear..."

  Ronald is in Daydream's office, and the black administrative manager is reporting to him the procurement plan for the new year.

  Because everyone already has a computer for office work, this capable manager added a few new computers to the procurement report. Ronald was a little confused and asked her to ask.

"I see that in your script department, many people have to spend a lot of time going to the library to look up materials. With such a computer, wouldn't it save a lot of cost? They can also spend more time doing business." The black manager was very impressed. Know that the young boss is not stingy, as long as your purchase has a suitable reason.

"Well, the Los Angeles and New York offices have purchased some. You asked this company to send one to my home, plus the encyclopedia, and the sound module." Ronald saw all the classical music on the material And modern pop music, as long as the melody is selected, the melody can be played out, and I am also curious. How can such a small computer store so many things.

   "Okay, boss." The administrative manager got up and left.

   This computer called NeXT is exactly the new product of the new boss of Pixar Studio that Ronald saw two days ago. Ever since they purchased a batch of computers, the people at Pixar have been expressing some "journey to the west" materials every day, obviously wanting to invest in themselves.

  In order to determine whether this kind of movie can be made under the existing conditions, or how much money it will cost, Ronald is going to ask the best advice among his friends, James Cameron.

   "You came just in time. I'm going to the Cherokee Nuclear Power Plant in South Carolina soon. The big pit there can be filled with water, and I will leave in two days. I will dive down by myself to see the scene and the operation of the underwater camera."

   Cameron has a long beard and looks excited. The filming of "The Abyss" is about to start. Knowing the purpose of Ronald's visit, he specially took him to visit the special effects team he had formed temporarily for the special effects shots in "The Abyss".

   Except for the clay and model special effects, which are still handled by Industrial Light and Magic, the other parts of "Abyss" are handled by a company called DreamQuestImages.

   This company once produced the low-cost special effects movie "Escape from New York", and it is also well-known in the industry. The main reason why ILM didn't let ILM handle all the special effects is that ILM people are still busy with the projects of George Lucas and Spielberg.

  The main structure of the special effects is set by Industrial Light and Magic, and the dream image only sent some skilled engineers to participate in this project.

"Probably like this, build the model first, then introduce mathematical formulas to stipulate the actions of these models and particles, and finally process it on the minicomputer for rendering. Jim gave us a general concept, and the storyboard of the final shot. We expect to generate about Two minutes of completely computer-generated special effects, and then synthesized with real shots."

   The person introduced to Ronald was Stan Winston. He had produced special effects for Cameron in the Terminator, and he also won the Oscar for Best Special Effects for Alien 2.

  Ronald knew in his heart that the process was similar to that of Pixar, that is, everyone used different software. Even the hardware and the workstation used for production are about the same length...

   Wait a minute, isn't it almost the same, is it basically the same? Ronald touched a workstation computer on the desktop, the same dark green shell, the same round head and round brain shell.

"This is the latest generation of IRIS desktop workstations from SGI. This one costs 20,000 dollars, and the other one is used for modeling with advanced configuration, which costs 80,000 dollars. We use it for pre-production work, post-rendering, and display On that small computer, it takes a week of continuous rendering to generate a usable picture of more than ten seconds."

Stan Winston chuckled. Cameron’s friends are similar to him, and they all pay attention to technical details. They are not traditional Hollywood directors who just say in general that I want special effects like ET. And new inventions are very keen.

   "Good guy, isn't this just covered in a skin?" Ronald said in his heart that the appearance is exactly the same, and if he puts a Pixar brand on it, he can sell it to me for an extra 30% of the money? Even if their software is better, it's not good... I've been here long enough with Cameron, and I haven't seen a single crash, and it's always crashed at Pixar.

   "Wait a minute, you said that one week of rendering can only generate a finished special effect picture of more than ten seconds?" Ronald suddenly thought of the meaning of Weinstein's words.

"That's right, this is an ideal estimate without any errors. Sometimes the screen cannot be used due to some errors, and sometimes there will be problems that our engineers cannot explain, so now It can only be rendered segment by segment." Cameron explained to Ronald.

  Because he is a good friend, Cameron did not hide his secrets, and made it clear that the problems of computer special effects still exist.

   "Such a small number of shots will be rendered back and forth for a week?" Ronald completely extinguished the idea of ​​investing in the Monkey King.

"When shooting Alien, the length of time was more than doubled. We were very careful at that time, so we could use a little bit. According to Moore's Law, it will take almost until the 1990s before the fully computer-generated feature-length film images can theoretically appear. .”

   "What is Moore's Law?" Ronald asked Winston for advice.

   "This is a rule of thumb invented by Intel's chairman Moore. In about eighteen months, the computing power of the computer can be doubled, while the cost will be doubled."

  Ronald nodded. Unless it is a TV animation that doesn't pay much attention to picture quality, it will take a long time to make a movie that is all computer-generated.

Thinking of this, Ronald also extinguished his idea of ​​establishing a computer special effects research department. He is a genius who is half a step ahead of others. If he is too early, he will fall into the situation like Pixar, and he can only rely on selling hardware. maintain the appearance.

  …

   "Ovitz, Peterson, Schwarzman, this time please..."

  In the executive suite of the Peninsula Hotel in New York, Norio Oga, the president of Sony, is bowing down to three Caucasian men, making a very formal etiquette.

  Ovitz also imitated President Dahe and made a ninety-degree bow. It made the two financial elites next to them a little embarrassed, so they had to bend a little deeper casually.

When the time came to May, Sony Corporation’s preparations for the acquisition of Columbia Pictures gradually began to enter a very in-depth stage. Norio Ohga hired three top talents in related industries in America to serve as consultants for mergers and acquisitions to assist Sony in the acquisition process. This is the largest merger and acquisition case in history between an Japanese company and an American company.

  Three consultants, in addition to the founder of CAA Michael Ovitz, there are two founders of the Wall Street upstart Blackstone Investment Company, Pete Peterson and Steve Schwarzman. They jumped out of the positions of Lehman Brothers and established their own investment management company. Last year, he also helped his former owner, Lehman Brothers, acquire Hutton, the largest stock broker on Wall Street, and received a bonus of 3.5 million US dollars.

  It happened that Sony needed the guidance of mergers and acquisitions experts. They paid a lot of money and invited two bankers to focus on dealing with the compliance issues of Japanese companies' mergers and acquisitions in America.

When Ronald met and discussed with Norio Ohga, he also pointed out the complexity of American regulations, just like in his new movie "Working Girl", a small legal loophole can help Sony bypass Overcome impossible barriers to complete the acquisition.

  The intention of inviting Michael Ovitz was also reminded by Ronald. The biggest goal of Sony's purchase of Columbia Pictures is the most complete film library in Hollywood that has been accumulated over the years. The copyright issues here are complex and acute, and they need a company that has a good relationship with major Hollywood studios and major stars. People who have grievances and hatreds between them come to help.

  Michael Ovitz is the most suitable candidate. As an agent, he has a good relationship with all the stars, directors, and agents. So he was invited as a consultant to help sort out some intricate relationships in the copyright involved in the Columbia film library, so as not to cause unnecessary disputes. After all, after the acquisition, Sony still has to cooperate with these real powerful people in Hollywood.

And Ovitz and the two bankers are also very fond of this job. Just by simply using their professional knowledge and connections, they can get five times the salary of domestic customers, and they can also have joint business after the successful merger and acquisition. I don't know how this President Dahe would take a fancy to me. Isn't this the cake that fell on the head?

Several people chatted about the progress of the merger and acquisition. Sony said that money is not the problem, the problem is to be safe. Sony does not want to use a kind of In a way that everyone is satisfied with, buy Columbia Pictures.

  This attitude of making it clear that I want to spend money to buy a clean place makes the two bankers of the Blackstone Group very satisfied. In order to enter the American market, the Dongying people have to turn to them, these well-established Wall Street bankers.

  They and Norio Ohga determined several major principles, trying to choose the acquisition method that can cause the least disputes within the scope of the law.

   "Ovitz, I don't know what advice you can give me in terms of copyright dispute resolution?" Dahe came to ask Ovitz's opinion again.

   "I would like to ask President Dahe first, why is Sony only interested in Colombia?" Ovitz asked sincerely.

"I consulted a Hollywood friend about this matter, and he told me that Columbia would be a more suitable acquisition target. MGM, which has the largest Hollywood film library and the most classic movies, has a very bad copyright situation and will cause many problems." Dahe also replied sincerely.

   "I don't know which good friend it is?" Ovitz further inquired about the news.

   "Eh..." Norio Oga didn't know how to answer. Ronald was helping out as a friend, so it might not be good to say his name.

"My CAA has represented about one-third of the famous artists in Hollywood, and the proportion is even higher among the big stars and big directors. If your friend is my client, there is no need to worry about confidentiality. I As a broker, bound by broker-client privileges, I can only act in the interests of my clients, or my license will be revoked."

  Ovitz pointed out the other party’s concerns, and he reassured Dahe that if he knew who was pushing Columbia Pictures, he would have more room to gain benefits for himself.

"It's Mr. Ronald." Dahe and his assistant confirmed Ronald's agent, and then told Ovitz, "It's Ovitz's client. We are very optimistic about him. If he is interested, And the right person to run a major studio."

   "Mr. Ronald..." Ovitz also pretended to address Ronald affectionately. From this tone, does Sony want to ask Ronald to be the producer of the lawsuit after the merger? I want this job too...

   "His understanding of Hollywood audiences is very talented, but he may not have been in Hollywood long enough. In fact, in Hollywood, there is another company that may be suitable for you without Columbia... It is Universal..."

   "I would like to hear more about it..." Norio Ohga also asked Ovitz to continue talking, paying a lot of money to hire this person as a consultant, isn't it just buying his connections?

"Columbia was not one of the three largest studios in the golden age of Hollywood, and in the new Hollywood movement that began in the 1970s, Universal and Fox were the two leading the trend, and their classic films were also the most. "

Ovitz’s words are not nonsense. The two studios of Spielberg and George Lucas were discovered respectively, plus the original Paramount at the helm of Eisner. In the new era, it is the shooting classic. most movies.

   "Mr. Ronald has already mentioned this matter, but we have acquired Columbia Records, and we are more familiar with the personnel and affairs of Columbia Pictures." Norio Ohga found a reason. In fact, the real reason why he prefers Columbia is that he is not the top leader in Hollywood. Ronald said that the success or failure of mergers and acquisitions ultimately depends on the acceptance of this behavior by the public and the political circles.

  When the United States and Japan are arguing over the semiconductor dispute, if they acquire the three top Hollywood companies, the momentum in the media will undoubtedly be much greater than that of Columbia. To be on the safe side, coupled with the contacts of Columbia Records (the two separated not long ago), they are more sure about the copyright status of Columbia Pictures.

"That's true, but are Universal's movie copyrights, ET, Back to the Future, Jaws, and The Breakfast Club movies that have had a huge impact on teenagers?" Ovitz knew very well that the Dongying people wanted What, selling electronics among teenagers, their biggest target customers!

   "I heard that director Spielberg is unwilling to release a videotape?" Norio Ohga was also a little bit tempted, who would want to buy Columbia if he could buy Universal? He posed a problem and asked Ovitz to solve it.

  …

"Rick (Nisita), what is Ronald up to lately? Is his new film still undecided? Do you need me to help him? Recently, some of our newly signed stars have started to complain to me that there is no top Hollywood The director is looking for them, hahaha."

  Ovitz returned to the office and immediately invited Ronald's agent, Nisita, to inquire. After the merger, Sony needs a person at the helm. This person must understand both America and Japan.

  Ovitz has always thought that he is the perfect candidate, but when he met the president Dahe today, the other party thought Ronald was a good candidate, which made Michael Ovitz very uncomfortable.

Norio Oga thinks that Ronald has a unique vision, so if Ronald is not favored by Sony, he needs to make one or two movies with poor box office...Young people want to win Oscars , making money and achieving commercial success, don't you have to turn to artistic recognition? If he satisfies him more in this respect, he will naturally ignore the box office results.

   "He's looking for an understudy director for the script Steel Magnolia. If he can't find one, he might do it himself. This movie is a story about a small southern town, and Ronald is still a little worried that he can't make a good Dixie story."

   "Hahaha, our golden boy is a Yankee." Ovitz smiled. This guy Ronald is so cautious about the film project, it seems that he has to increase his efforts to deceive.

"This movie is an adaptation of a famous Broadway play. It is indeed a bit risky for him to direct. I will find some suitable directors for him. In fact, if Ronald wants to nominate Oscar for best director again, he will shoot the big northern city that he is best at. The story is a good choice.

  I will let all the agents who signed the screenwriter pay attention, and give priority to choosing the script that suits him to become the youngest best director in Oscar film history. "

   "That's a good thing, Ronald will thank you." Nisita stood up and said goodbye to Ovitz, and went to convey the good news.

   "The secret of success is to make people think that the idea you sell them is their own idea," Ovitz said to himself, "I'm such a genius."

  …

   "Ronald, can you make time to attend the premiere of Tom's new movie?"

  Paula Wagner, come to invite Ronald to attend the premiere of Tom Cruise's new film "Cocktail", and pass on the good news that Ovitz promised to give priority to providing high-quality resources to Ronald.

"I think it's okay. Elizabeth Sue is also an actress I discovered, and it should be there." Ronald said that Cruise and Sue's "Cocktail" film will be released in July. , just in line with "Die Hard" produced by Ronald.

   "Well, Tom said that whether you are free or not, he will go to the premiere of Die Hard, so that everyone can support each other, which is the best." Paula Wagner has completed the main task.

"Tom's Rain Man, how is the filming going? I met Oliver (Stone) in Cannes. He said that he will be filming the exterior of the new film in the Philippines. Tom will probably be very busy." Ronald also hasn't seen it for a long time. Seeing Cruise, there are many movie appointments for big stars, and the schedule is very full. It is already very powerful to be able to stand on the platform of Die Hard.

   "Hey..." Paula sighed.

  “The movie went well, but Tom wasn’t happy and I was worried.”

"What's wrong?"

   Paula complained a little in front of Ronald. It turned out that since Tom Cruise knew that because of the last film, he became "Hoffman's Gate", Hollywood has not treated Dustin Hoffman very much. But what CAA fought for him was actually a salary comparable to his own.

  Michael Ovitz is too obsessed with taking care of the old stars who signed when CAA was weak. After the newly signed stars obviously become famous, they are not treated as well as those outdated old stars.

  The most obvious example here is 007 actor Sean Connery. Such a Scottish actor who has no works, actually enjoys the largest office in CAA, and even created a script specially for him, and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, which made Cruise envious.

"I think we have to look at it from a long-term perspective. After all, CAA is still for Tom. His long-term image management is also the most important part of a star's career." Ronald felt that Connery's role is not Fits Cruise. The role played by Tom is to be handsome! Handsome is the first.

"Hey, I understand." Paula sighed again, "But if I don't fight for Tom, I won't keep my job for long. Not every client is as concerned about money as you are Ronald. Open-minded."

   "Er... well", Ronald thought, I make money from producing, which is certainly different from your Tom.