Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 984 Differences in film and television

   “Helen, can you share with us how you got into Hollywood? We occasionally get invited to audition, but each time it doesn’t work out, so I would love to hear about this experience.”

  At the event site of "The Naked Angel", an actor theater company co-operated by Helen Slater and best friend Helen Hunt, a red-haired girl raised her hand to ask Helen who shared her acting experience today.

Helen Slater's performance in "Sticky Fingers" made her understand the shallowness of her acting skills, and she gradually gave up the mentality of being anxious to show her acting skills, and began to act in some off-Broadway theater companies in New York , and then volunteered to share with those young people who are interested in Hollywood film and television creation.

"I just thought that I could make some TV series. When I got experience, I might be able to show my face in some medium-sized Hollywood productions. I never thought that I could get the role of Superwoman." Helen wore a clean T-shirt, Wearing glasses, it is very eye-catching, and he answered the other party's questions unhurriedly.

"Well, you want to know how I won the audition? A friend of mine accompanied me to the audition and he had this crazy idea of ​​putting on a Supergirl bodysuit and entering the audition as the manga .

He had a relative who sewed, and I was the first one on the audition scene, which is usually the round with the least chance of getting the part, but apparently my surprise attack impressed the casting director, and he was in a later audition. , neither can rule out the image of me wearing a Supergirl uniform.

  So, have confidence in yourself, think of a way, and then do it, maybe your luck will come. "

   "Uh huh...", a tall handsome guy walked in from a corner of the scene, wearing aviator sunglasses like those in Top Gun, and a New York Yankees baseball cap, sending out a reminder.

   "Okay, we'll stop here today, and we'll continue next Tuesday." Helen hurriedly ended the sharing of the naked angel, took the handsome guy's hand, and walked out of the rehearsal hall.

   "Who is that?" Several members began to gossip.

   "Who else, Ronald Lee. You don't think Helen got so many roles by luck, do you? Do you think her acting skills are outstanding, so the director appreciates it?"

   "You can't say that. I watched her recent film Sticky Fingers, and her acting skills are quite good."

   "That was recently, you go to see the original "Billy King Legend", vomit... What we really need to learn is not her acting skills."

  …

   "This is a small gift for you," Ronald said to Helen Slater, pointing to the Yamaha piano in the corner when he arrived at Helen Slater's rented apartment.

  Helen is an independent person, unwilling to take expensive gifts from Ronald, and also unwilling to accept real estate such as apartments. She herself does not have high material requirements, and she can often go to the premiere wearing only homely clothes.

  So Ronald gave her some gifts that he liked in his heart, such as this piano made in Japan, which occupies a small area and is of good quality. It happened that Helen received jazz training since she was a child, and now she can resume her old career.

   "Oh, thank you." Helen was overjoyed. Ronald could still remember his hobbies in high school. With a sweet heart, she sat in front of the piano, opened the lid, played a jazz melody, and then sang.

  “It’s raining in the park, buy coffee for two, and Yankees game tickets at noon, this is New York in June…”

"Hmm... very good. Is this a song you wrote yourself? What's the name?" Ronald listened to a song beside him. The melody and improvisation were complete. With his little knowledge of music, it seemed to be a song in jazz. Common improvisation.

   "Hahaha, I sang it impromptu, um, what is it called, or it can be called New York in June."

   "It's really good, have you thought about releasing a record?"

   "No, but it's a good idea, do you really think I can release an album at my level?"

   "Why not try it? I can ask you."

   "Honey, you are very kind. But now I have to concentrate on preparing for the performance of 'Deeply Loved'."

  Helen talked about her preparations for the new movie in the past month, and also took notes. There are a bunch of videotapes of youth romantic dramas next to the TV in the apartment.

  Ronald nodded with a smile. In fact, this movie does not require much acting skills. The appearance and temperament of Helen fit well, and the acting skills are enough. However, it is also a good thing to be able to concentrate on learning and thinking about acting skills, so as not to rely on method-style empathy to perform and create true feelings.

   "Hmm... Ronald..." Helen raised her head, hugged Ronald who was supporting her shoulders, and kissed him. Ronald is a child from a poor family. He doesn't know how to play an instrument like the piano, which requires investment. He can't play four-hands with himself, so he has to take the initiative. After not seeing each other for many days, Helen only felt that her lower abdomen was warmed up by the masculinity on Ronald's body.

   With a "squeak", Helen was picked up by Ronald and leaned against the piano, making a series of weird melodies without chords, followed by a clang and a loud noise.

   "Oh, tap it, I need someone to tune it."

   "It's okay", Ronald simply hugged Helen, and only touched some black keys, one by one, accompanied by the chord combination of the black keys, Helen also improvised a piece of jazz again.

  Helen had already gone to Los Angeles to join the preparation and rehearsal of the crew. Just when she had agreed on a time with Cameron Crowe, the screenwriters union and the producer union broke down again. The strike continued, but Daydream's application for a strike exemption was not approved, and the crew was suspended.

   The two had no choice but to stay in New York, and Ronald was also looking for relationships, trying to start work earlier.

   After taking a shower, Helen put on a very plain dress and no makeup, and took Ronald to the Upper East Side of Central Park, where her father Gerald's big house had dinner.

  Gerald's current wife and children respect Helen even more, treating her as a real movie star at the dinner table.

   "I'll make coffee for you." Helen's stepmother pulled her, and the two went to the kitchen to have a private conversation. Helen, who had been very well-behaved in both families, got along well with her father's new wife now.

"Drink something good, my friend brought it from Bordeaux." Gerald and Ronald also went to the study, and took out an unlabeled glass bottle, which contained the brandy brewed by the owner of the Bordeaux winery himself. A gift I received when I went to France to purchase TV dramas.

"Why didn't it pass this time? When I held a meeting at the Producers Union in Los Angeles, basically all the producers agreed to the conditions proposed by the new mediator. The Screenwriters Union has not started work for almost three months. Don't they have enough to eat?"

   Ronald took a sip of brandy. The strike talks failed again, to the surprise of him and others in Hollywood. However, the writers union voted to reject the new agreement, mainly the Eastern Writers Union. He also wanted to pay a special visit to Gerald Slater this time, and ask this veteran TV expert, what is the problem?

  This time, the Producers Union came up with the "final (this time it's real) solution to the strike" in early June. It can be said that on the basis of the last time, it has made some nominal concessions to the screenwriter's requirements.

  Including the extension of the contract period, adjusted from three years to four years, so that the screenwriters have better protection, and the employer also reduces the frequency of negotiations. It also includes the expansion of creative rights, giving screenwriters some power to participate in the preparatory stage.

  At first, everyone was very optimistic that the negotiation could reach a result, at least one exemption for most new Hollywood films could be obtained. Who knew that in the voting last weekend, the final number of votes was still two to one.

  Most screenwriters in the Western Screenwriters Union have agreed to end the strike and pass a new labor agreement. However, the number of trade unions in the east is much larger than that in the west, and the voting results there are still overwhelmingly in favor of continuing the strike.

  The producers were a little lost, wondering if someone was playing tricks on the East Writers Guild vote. Ronald couldn't figure it out either, so he sincerely asked for advice.

   "Have you looked at the voting ratios of the two trade unions?" Seeing Ronald nodding, Gerald took out a copy of the new agreement and handed it to Ronald. On the second page of the summary, he heavily underlined a paragraph with his pen.

   "The remaining dividends of movies and TV shows are still based on the 1985 sharing ratio. Movies and TV shows that are more than one hour old can get the dividends of the national TV network and foreign TV stations."

   "I still don't understand, most movies are more than 90 minutes long, why is this one so important?" Ronald saw the word "more than one hour", and Gerald also put an asterisk.

   "You don't watch much TV, do you?" Gerald laughed.

   "I don't really watch it." Ronald admitted that he watched the videotapes of classic movies whenever he had time, and went to ponder the techniques.

   "Most talk shows, soap operas, TV series, and talk shows are stuck under an hour, come to think of it?"

   "Huh?" Ronald suddenly realized that it really was. The reason why the number of screenwriters unions in the east is much larger than those in the west is that they mainly serve television stations and radio stations.

   It's not what Ronald thought it was, serving Broadway.

  This clause is the key point of negotiation for several major public TV stations, and it is the most critical clause for them in the new labor agreement.

  If it is kept, the dividends that the screenwriter can get will be much less.

Imagine, for example, a black hostess Oprah Winfrey who came out of a local TV station in Chicago. Since 1987, the "Oprah Winfrey Talk Show" has been syndicated across the country. TV network broadcast. Compared with her original income from the local TV station, her personal income has increased by forty times.

   But this money belongs to the producer of the show, that is, Oprah Winfrey, a fat woman who likes to be sensational on TV. The screenwriting team under her can't get a penny of dividends, and the salary increase depends on the boss's face.

  This is the power of this clause, the talk show, minus the commercial time, the actual program length is less than one hour.

Therefore, it is requested to modify this clause. As long as a program less than one hour is broadcast live nationwide, the screenwriter can also get a dividend. Received the three major wireless TV networks, and Fox and Paramount, which have their own TV business The studio objected.

"It's dog-eat-dog time now, Ronald. We're all standing on the river bank, watching two packs of vicious dogs biting each other by the river, and the loser is either eaten by his own kind or driven into the river." , disappear in this line."

   "But dogs biting is not good for the long-term development of the entire industry." Ronald shook his head, he didn't like this kind of thing.

  The vicious dogs that Gerald is talking about are about to fall into the river. They are a group of independent producers in Hollywood.

  The vicious dogs who eat each other are the backbone screenwriters who are struggling to survive. The strike has been going on for three months, and they haven’t brought home a penny of wages. The low-level novices have already run away. These **** workers feel that there is still hope of resuming work, so they are still struggling.

  With the savings of an ordinary American family and the meager income of a screenwriter, Ronald felt that they would soon be unable to get out the valuables they took to the **** shop. Maybe in a few weeks, they would have to mortgage the house. This kind of thing is a great harm to the entire talent cultivation. If these people leave this industry sadly, they will never come back.

   "So, your TV drama industry, are you so sure? It must be the screenwriters union that collapsed first?" Ronald didn't know what the top management of the TV station thought. They haven't filmed an episode of a new TV series for three months. Could it be that the new TV series season is coming soon, and they still use reruns to fool them?

"Of course not. Many medium-sized local TV stations and medium-sized TV drama projects are now on the verge of collapse, but... Midtown New York, from Fifth Avenue to Eleventh Avenue, the people there are as fond of The crisis is greater than the fear of a crisis."

   "Well, this is an opportunity to annex those small and medium-sized TV stations and production companies?" Ronald was called by Gerald, and he understood. The current Producers Union has split as well as the Screenwriters Guild.

  The film circle, which has a large number of advantages in the producer union, wants to end the strike as soon as possible, while the large TV network with a small number of votes wants to wait.

  So, these giant TV networks, in order to continue the strike, secretly supported the Eastern Writers Guild—most of the screenwriters who wrote scripts for the TV station, strongly opposed themselves.

   "Damn capitalist." Ronald cursed.

   "Huh?" Gerald was taken aback for a moment.

   "I'm talking about those Wall Street capitalists who urged the TV station to artificially prolong the crisis." Ronald realized that this sentence could easily cause misunderstanding, so he immediately explained a few words.

   "Do you have spare production capacity here, or a production company that is not overseen by the Writers Guild of America?"

   "Huh? Of course I have, what do you need?" Ronald wondered if Gerald had any production work to subcontract to himself?

"There are also differences among the three major TV networks, and NBC is the strongest. ABC and Paramount don't have the kind of talk shows to fill their time slots. This kind of TV station, which uses TV dramas as its main weapon to attract viewers, actually wants the strike to end as soon as possible. It's just that they are inconvenient due to some rules of TV station operation.

  The general manager of ABC approached me. The old TV series they bought from CBS some time ago had good ratings, so they came up with the idea of ​​making a new version. Find me here, want to use the relationship I formed with the BBC's procurement of TV series, and cooperate with British TV production companies to shoot.

   But now the BBC and ITV are sitting on the ground and raising prices. Do you have any other places here that have English production capabilities? "Gerald took a sip of wine. If Ronald can discover a more affordable production capability that is not under the jurisdiction of the Screenwriters Guild, it will be very profitable."

   "Don't tell me, I really have it." Ronald thought of Mr. Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan's promise to pat his **** to ensure that he would pass, and if he wanted to go to Australia for filming, he would find him to take care of everything.

  (end of this chapter)