Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Paul Hogan is now living with his girlfriend Linda Kozlowski. They bought a house in Los Angeles. In addition to dealing with his wife's divorce, the two are more interested in taking root in Hollywood and filming some more The blockbuster movie has become a representative figure of Australians in Hollywood.

Because of Ronald's reminder, the two had a fight with Paramount under the blessing of lawyer Mitch Kanter. In the end, because of the fear of high lawyer fees and the bad prospects of the trial of the case, Paramount proposed Reconciled, recalculated the dividends of the video tape, and paid a generous "bonus" as compensation for defrauding Australians before.

  Ronald went to listen, and Hogan immediately agreed. Australia does not have the jurisdiction of the screenwriters' union, and all kinds of manpower there are cheaper than in America. In the first season, Hogan suggested shooting in Queensland, which has the lowest cost. Except that the various insects are bigger, it is very suitable for shooting this kind of Cold War spy film.

  The coastline here is a tropical rainforest, the southwest is a cool plateau, and the northwest is a desert terrain. Off the coast of Brisbane, there is a famous tourist attraction, the Great Barrier Reef. The fights of Cold War spies in the Caribbean, the jungles of Southeast Asia, and small African countries can all be filmed in state borders. After simple calculations by the Daydream production department, the cost of filming the restarted version of "Bitter Dare" here is only about 40% of that in China.

The ABC executives who got the shooting plan given by Ronald were very happy. A rough calculation shows that the cost is only 80% of the cost of setting up scenes in China. They can also hire local screenwriters and use actors from Australia, Ireland and other places. Resources, said on the spot that this shooting plan is very good, and we will implement it accordingly.

  Ronald immediately formed a joint venture shooting entity with Gerald Slater and Paul Hogan and his wife to undertake the shooting and management of ABC's new drama. ABC was really forced by the strike to have no other choice, so they had to go to the film library to search for dramas that were not filmed that year. With a makeover, they can hurry up and shoot to catch up with the release season of new dramas in September.

Gerald is also very satisfied, and his matchmaking seems to be very successful, but he told Ronald to find some insiders in Australia to cooperate, so that when filming in a new country, he will encounter many unexpected difficulties. Ronald had better go if necessary.

  Ronald doesn't want to go to the place where the poisonous bug is big and poisonous. He still has a lot of things to do in New York and Hollywood. Now that Paul Hogan is going to be based in Hollywood, he has other Australian friends who can act as local partners.

   "Hey, Rachel, my colleague used to call the front station of ABC, and I would like you to help me get in touch there." Ronald then contacted the Australian female star who did not gain a foothold in Hollywood, Rachel Ward.

   "No problem, there are not many people in the entertainment industry in Australia, and I know them all. Paul (Hogan) called me, and his actors and screenwriters in Sydney, as well as the technical staff behind the TV station, can come to Queensland to participate in the filming.

  She settled in Brisbane after marriage, and with her British background, she has a lot of contacts among actors. Ronald asked her to set up a local company to help contact some staff members and negotiate shooting locations. In addition, more Australian and Irish actors could be stuffed into the series.

   In this way, the two parties cooperate and each gets what he needs. With Daydream, an advanced production company in Hollywood, ABC, one of the three major wireless TV stations, and Hogan Films, which has a wide network in Britain, Australia, and Ward Productions, the production will soon start smoothly. The director, cinematographer, and lead cast crew fly in and start working as quickly locally as they do in a New York studio.

"Barry is in Hollywood right now. I'm flying to Hollywood next month to cheer on the premiere of his new movie. We'll talk about it later." Rachel Ward's own star chart is bleak, but her husband Barry Brown , it is very popular in Hollywood to play the image of an honest person who looks dull but is smart inside.

This year he and Tom Cruise's new film "Cocktail" and Sigourney Weaver's new film "Gorilla in the Mist" will be released, which coincides with Ronald's new film "Die Hard" . At that time, you can talk to them in detail.

  Australia is a sparsely populated place, and filming is cheap, and the performing arts industry is influenced by Britain, with a good base of actors. Ronald felt that he could consider moving the movie here to shoot in the future.

  …

   While in New York, Ronald found director Rob Reiner, and Nora Ephron, and met Meg Ryan together.

   It is said that this method of directly contacting actors without an agent is theoretically breaking the rules. But Ronald Meg Ryan is an old acquaintance, the two have worked together in "Top Gun". Meeting as friends, introducing new friends and chatting is also in line with the social life of normal people.

  Many heavyweight star collaborations are negotiated in this informal way, and then let the agent go through the process, and then audition and so on.

   "Well, I want a salad, the dressing is separate..."

   Meg Ryan's first words in the Russian black teahouse where they met made Nora Ephron very satisfied. This actress who has a lot of requirements for ordering food fits perfectly with the image she has created.

   "Oh..." The idea of ​​ordering food is the same as Nora's.

   "Then what, I want a coffee and a sandwich." Seeing this, Ronald immediately ordered something that had no chance of being spit on in the back kitchen.

   "I'll have one too." Rob Reiner immediately followed. The two looked at each other, it seems that men understand that women are troublesome sometimes.

  Now that they have seen the right thing, Meg Ryan and Nora Ephron immediately started chatting about many details in the script.

  For example, the protagonist Sally is the same as the mainstream values ​​of society at the beginning, and she wants to marry a financial genius. It was only later that I realized my own needs and wanted to find someone who met my needs. Both of them are inexplicable because of the opinions of the majority of people around them, and the experience of falling in love is very congenial.

  Seeing Nora Ephron and Meg Ryan as his on-screen double, Ronald knew half the battle was done. This script is signed by Nora Ephron. In fact, after the first draft, director Reiner has participated in the creation, and many things are constantly chatted between him and Ephron.

   In this way, the heroine Sally in the script has been added a lot of Ephron's characteristics and real life. What about the hero Harry? That's a lot of Reiner's real-life artistic reenactment.

   Now that Ephron has found his screen double, who does Reina plan to use to play himself on the screen?

   "Of course it's Billy (. Crystal. Hearing Ronald ask about the candidate for the leading actor, Nora Ephron immediately proposed the candidate. Reiner and Crystal are good friends. In the script, Harry and his good friend are in bed and have to call each other. This is the true portrayal of Reiner and Crystal. They are so good that they can give each other personal emotional advice friend.

   "No, no, I don't want to invite him." Rob Reiner shook his head immediately. This movie is about men and women who are connected with each other, because after they have a relationship, it feels wrong and there is no relationship. Billy Crystal is a comedian. If he acts in this kind of movie, it might not do well at the box office, and it will affect the stardom of his friends who are currently on the rise.

"Then who do you think is suitable? Is he not handsome enough?" Ronald didn't know, so he thought that Renner played Harry because of Billy Crystal's appearance, someone who could attract someone like Meg Ryan Sally's man, not convincing enough.

"No, no, in fact, some plots are artistically based on Billy's life. It's just that his performance is more comedic. We need an actor who plays comedy as well as a drama." Of course, Rob Reiner can't say I came up with a real idea because I didn't want to hurt my friends, so I didn't have the psychological burden to find other actors.

   "An actor who plays comedy like a drama?" Ronald knew that he was talking about acting temperament, and it would be better if the comedy has a touch of tragedy temperament. Thinking back to several actors, Ronald thought of Tom Hanks who played "Grown Up" with Diane.

   "How is Tom Hanks?"

   "Him? He's pretty good, I think he's the kind of man girls will fall in love with after they get to know him." Nora Ephron immediately agreed.

   "Then I'll talk to his agent." Ronald has the goal of a male lead.

   "However, you have to talk to Billy." Ronald pointed to Renner and said. It is very controversial to weave a friend's private life into the script, and the consent of the person must be obtained. Ronald suffered from it when he first entered the industry.

   "No problem", Reiner said that he would go to obtain consent.

   "In addition, the last ending needs to be changed...there will be a happy reunion, and we will live happily ever after..." Ronald mentioned the ending again, why did Harry and Sally separate in the end? What are the audience looking at?

  "How can this be a happy ending? Men and women understand each other, but there is no sexual tension. Harry and Sally didn't like each other at the beginning, because they were together rationally, so when they went to bed, they would be out of place.

  They are only suitable for being friends, not for being together. Rob's and I's personal experiences illustrate this point. ’ Nora Ephron vehemently objected.

  Her ex-husband is the Wall Street Post reporter Bernstein who exposed the Watergate incident. The two got together because Nora admired his heroic deeds.

  And Rob Reiner's ex-wife is the "grown up" female director Penny Marshall. The two are together because they appreciate each other's talents.

The two marriages ended because of cheating. All Nora and Rob came to a consensus. Marriage must have a strong original impulse at the first sight. Feelings generated purely because of rational appreciation cannot withstand all kinds of life for a long time. test.

   "This... What kind of nonsense is this, isn't there a happy couple who have changed from friends to a couple?" Ronald was speechless to them.

   "Of course not, we have all been married and divorced..." Nora Ephron obviously looked down on Ronald who was never married.

"Well..." Ronald didn't want to debate love with two long-lost men and women, "Even if your views are right, shouldn't we give a good ending? Have you seen the early Hollywood 'Sullivan's Travels ( Sullivan\'sTravels)'No, the more difficult things happen in life, the more you need to give the audience a little hope, which may be their only hope.

   "Stop talking nonsense, it was during the Great Depression, and now urban men and women like to find meaning in ordinary life." Nora Ephron never compromises when it comes to art, she always thinks she's right.

  Maybe his husband just can't stand her... But Ronald dare not say this, Ephron's husband cheated on her during her pregnancy, and he is also a very ugly man.

"Let's not draw conclusions from this, let's write a reunion ending and see everyone's reaction?" Ronald took out the communication skills he had learned as a director. Anyway, if you write one, will you use it when the time comes? Which one can you use? It's not up to you as a screenwriter.

   "Right? Meg, we gotta see her first reaction to the positive ending." Ronalda came to Meg Ryan to back herself up.

   “I do want to see what a happy ending feels like too.” Meg Ryan, who is waiting for her boyfriend Dennis Quaid to propose, certainly likes a happy ending. According to Ephron, happy couples fall in love at first sight...at least at first sight.

  She and Quaid were attracted to each other as soon as they saw each other when they had a significant other. So, the two of them will grow old happily, right?

   To talk about the difference, it’s just that Meg Ryan clearly broke up with her then boyfriend Anthony Edwards in Top Gun), while Dennis Quaid still stepped on the two boats of Leigh Thompson.

   Quaid is also a handsome guy, and he knows how to please women. This kind of person has a lot of advantages in the Hollywood love scene. Therefore, it is also very advantageous in business.

   "Okay, I'm going to change the ending. I still think that Harry and Sally should separate after going to bed and never see each other again. This is in line with the behavior of urban men and women."

   Ronald looked at Nora's reluctance, and it was a bit difficult. If a screenwriter doesn't believe in her own story, she can't write a story that moves the audience.

  It's a pity that the screenwriters are still on strike, and Ronald can't find the right person to rewrite the ending of the story. Nora Ephron was signed, and a script doctor who wrote a romantic drama was found to write a commercially strong ending, which is also a common practice in Hollywood.

   If this is the case, the relationship with Nora Ephron may not be very good in the future.

   Ronald can only wait for Ephron to write the same touching reunion ending, and he still has the premiere of "Die Hard" to prepare.

  To promote the action movie starring TV star Bruce Willis, Ronald enlisted the help of Tom Cruise. Joel Silver found Stallone and contacted Schwarzenegger. If he agrees, an action movie approved by the three major action stars is a good publicity stunt.