"I hope you can bring more films about women. After all, no one in this industry can make films like yours that center on female characters..."
Dane Steele, the president of Columbia and TriStar Pictures, found ways to discreetly flatter Ronald in his office.
The more legendary the story of Jodie Foster single-handedly winning the Best Actress title in "Pear Blossom" becomes, the worse her situation becomes. After all, she has lost money from the company to help an actress establish the pinnacle of her career.
It's a joke among producers.
Not only did TV stations refuse to buy the rights to broadcast many of the controversial scenes and plots in this movie, but they also faced a cold reception in overseas markets and the video tape market. Europeans don’t understand why flirting in a billiards bar can lead to rape, while Asians
I don’t understand why such a “bad girl” who takes the initiative to seduce men would have a lawyer to try her best to defend her.
"I didn't have any intention of making a movie about women. It's just that the movie that I think will be a hit has a female as the central character..."
Ronald feels that this concept-first approach is ridiculous. Daydream really needs to cooperate with more studios and use their distribution channels, but using this concept to select films will definitely not work.
"You are too modest. There are very few directors in Hollywood who do not treat actresses as vases and ornaments. In your Working Girl, Harrison Ford has become..."
Ronald smiled and stopped the other party from continuing. It would be bad for such words to reach the ears of the person involved, so he changed the topic, "I wonder what you think of women's movies?"
"My standards are very simple, female protagonists, female directors, or female screenwriters..." Dane Steele is very straightforward. This is how she hopes to change the status quo of the male power center in Hollywood.
"That's easy to handle. We are also short of scripts now. If you have a suitable script here, we can consider joining forces and having Daydream take the lead in filming..."
"Columbia-Tristar can handle the distribution and part of the shooting costs..." Dane Steele was also a cheerful person. After shaking hands with Ronald, he asked his secretary to bring two large boxes of scripts for Ronald to choose from.
.
…
"The Snow White incident has been suppressed in the media, but it has just begun in Hollywood..."
Ovitz sat in the office and dictated his plan to his secretary. This was his habit. He never used a tape recorder to record his thoughts to avoid leaking secrets. He usually only asked his secretary to write it down in a well-secured office, and then kept it in his own room.
In the office.
He helped the gay gang headed by David Geffen temporarily suppress media reports, but the media is not so easy to suppress completely. No one knows whether there will be another accident and the media will start to be interested in this again.
In the industry, everyone began to look for the cause of the problem. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Technology established an Oscar Awards jury and began to investigate why the broadcast caused such a strong negative reaction from the media and Ye Shunya that the two
The best actor, two best actresses, and two best director winners all signed the joint letter of protest.
Ovitz hoped to influence the investigation and turn it into a criticism of producer Alan Carr, so that he would take all the blame so that no one would blame Geffen and the others.
The main members of these gangs with the same surname are makeup artists and hairstylists for celebrities (a high proportion of these two professions). If they come out to cause trouble, it will affect the careers of Hollywood stars, and thus affect CAA's revenue. This is his
Issues that have to be considered.
For this reason, he hopes to insert an influential director into the investigation committee... Among the directors he has signed, who is the most popular and influential?
…
When he received Ovitz's invitation to a private dinner, Ronald was reviewing the script brought back from Columbia with David Simkins, Daydream's creative director of scripts.
The screenwriters all signed away the rights attached to the script in order to get the Columbia project approved, and Ronald seemed to have no legal problems at all.
If he is willing, he can completely change the script he is optimistic about, leaving behind the dramatic conflicts, and then change the era of the script, the background of the protagonist, and the details of the story, clean up the script, and turn it into his own project with no flaws in terms of legal copyright.
Of course, there is no need for Daydream to do this now. They are already good partners that many well-known screenwriters are willing to cooperate with. Several projects produced or co-produced by Daydream have given Ronald a good reputation for respecting the main creators.
.
"I think the idea of this script is very good..." David Simkins recommended one to Ronald that he had read and found interesting.
"Huh?" Ronald frowned when he saw the screenwriter's name on the cover. He turned to the title page and read the screenwriter's full name, and he confirmed that it was the person he had known in his early years.
"Don't look at the script. The story is very simple, but this kind of perspective is very rare. Moreover, the audience of the movie has great potential. Whether they live in a big city or a small town, and regardless of political affiliation and gender, they will be interested in this subject matter.
.”
Simkins thought the story of Ronald's objection to the script was too simple. Unlike the movies he had made before, there were always some connections with history or current trends, and it was a pure comedy.
"You have also seen that the sales of ET alien video tapes have broken records recently. Although they use special anti-theft technology and are five dollars more expensive, the sales results are really great. There are piles of them in Wal-Mart.
It’s placed on the ground, and it’s selling like hot cakes…”
Simkins was influenced by Ronald, and now the first criterion for evaluating scripts is market potential. In addition, his own wife has just given birth to a second child, and it is really very endearing to see this kind of story.
"It's not because of this. This screenwriter and I have a 'history'..." Ronald smiled. She once wanted to steal her project, but after many years, the two are no longer on the same platform.
It doesn't matter if you can make money for yourself.
"Ronald... Hi, David..." Richard knocked on the door and came in, bringing Ovitz's invitation. After Simkins exited, Richard handed over a formal invitation.
letter.
Ovitz does have a knack for making people who want PR feel great if he needs to.
"Ronald... we are really happy that you can come. My home has been illuminated because of your arrival..." Standing in the Japanese-style courtyard of his mansion, Ovitz was wearing a blue suit and tie.
It was very formal, and he and his wife specially came to welcome Ronald's arrival.
"You're too polite, Mr. Ovitz." Ronald knew that Ovitz was a fan of Japanese culture, but he didn't know that he was already so obsessed. The style of the courtyard at home and the way he spoke were already very Japanese.
"This is not worth mentioning. I invited you here just to make it up to you. Many people think that I manipulated the Oscars. It would be great if I had this ability. However, in the subsequent Oscar selections, as long as you have a movie
Once you reach the level of being nominated, I will definitely mobilize the resources of the entire company to support you..."
The formal greeting, the humble words, and the review of the history of acquaintance with Ronald. If Ronald hadn't known about his changeable skills, it would be difficult not to think that Ovitz had changed his tune after starring in "Rain Man" this time.
Next time, I must support Ronald and give CAA’s contract clients an extra Oscar-winning director.
This is actually reasonable. After all, after a director has won an Oscar, winning it again will not increase his personal reputation or appeal to stars much. Instead, mobilize resources to allow more CAA clients to get it
The Little Golden Man is a much more cost-effective deal.
Under Ovitz, there are already Oscar-winning directors such as Sydney Pollack, Barry Levinson, and Francis Coppola. If Spielberg can be signed, Ronald and Martin Scorsese
If Sri Lanka wins the award, CAA's hegemony will remain stable for another ten years.
"I don't blame you, Mr. Ovitz. This is a fair game. You also said before that the Oscars cannot be manipulated. I may just lack a little luck." Ronald did not reveal any of his thoughts.
, he has already discussed with Niceta and others to use Ovitz's influence before officially falling out.
If such a powerful figure in Hollywood cannot be beaten to death at once, it will be very troublesome for him to turn him over. It will lead to an extremely powerful counterattack. Therefore, the principle is that if you want to turn against him, you must do it right at once to ensure that he will never turn over again in the future.
ability.
Ovitz used a Japanese chef to entertain Ronald with an original sushi feast.
He was also very satisfied with Ronald's reaction. The director's dream was nothing more than winning an Oscar and making the movie he wanted to make.
For Martin Scorsese, he used the financing for his "The Last Temptation of Christ" to get it. Ronald doesn't have too many financial worries, but his desire for the Academy Award is only greater.
high.
Ovitz spent the whole night making Ronald happy, praising his "Dragon Boy" series of movies for showing the characteristics of Japanese culture very well, Japan's current manufacturing industry is strong, and their advanced culture
It doesn't matter, America must learn this.
Speaking of his rise, Ovitz also took Ronald to see his various collections.
"This is the earliest prototype of Sony's Walkman...At that time, Chairman Akio Morita asked me to give me advice on their design. You see, there is only one headphone hole here, but the version sold later on the market had two headphone holes.
That’s what I came up with.”
"Oh, that's really interesting..." Ronald saw that what Ovitz said was very true, and he didn't know if Akio Morita had really asked him for his opinion, but it seemed like he was given a prototype.
it is true.
"This is Jasper Johns' 1955 masterpiece 'White Flag'. I am very careful not to mention it in front of outsiders and only keep it in the warehouse for appreciation. I will only show it off if a good friend like you comes...
…”
Ovitz then took him to see a famous collection of paintings. This was different from the Andy Warhol paintings hanging outside. These were truly valuable. Historically, the painter had different versions, and they were highly sought after by collectors.
, the historical transaction price exceeds 10 million US dollars.
"Oh?" Ronald exclaimed in admiration. His collection was like a pile of waste paper in front of the real good things.
"Every guest who sees my collection, I have to say one more thing, although you will not go around talking about it. This painting was secretly sold to me by a real estate agent in Japan. I cannot own this painting publicly.
Secret, otherwise their goodwill will be in question.
Of course, if you tell others that I own this painting, I will deny it, hahaha..."
Ronald couldn't help but look sideways. Ovitz bought such a painting casually to provide cash flow for the real estate company in Japan. Moreover, he didn't show it off casually, and just kept it silently in the warehouse.
How much is this guy's net worth? He looks much richer than himself.
After Ovitz showed some strength to Ronald, he finally made a request and asked him to participate in the college's investigation committee. He would communicate with Ovitz about any progress and influence.
Ronald happily accepted the invitation. Anyway, if he wanted to win a prize, he had to establish a real network of his own. Relying on CAA was not enough. After all, he was not their top priority.
If I am nominated for an Oscar again, if they want to sign Spielberg, or if Sydney Pollack wants to win another Oscar, my ethnic identity may be put in the second tier again.
"I hope to get good news from you..." Ovitz finally sent Ronald to the door, which was a solemn etiquette that he rarely used.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "Stay, Mr. Ovitz, it is good news for us..." Ronald knew that he was not necessarily Ovitz's only insider.
Anyway, it would be beneficial for all practitioners to get this kind of bad thing settled as soon as possible. It would be better for Hollywood not to have another strike.
…
"CAA's commission income last year has exceeded 200 million." Niceta answered Ronald's question when she accompanied Ronald to meet the president of the academy.
"Is it already so much? No wonder..." Ronald frowned, he was still not as wealthy as Ovitz.
The number of CAA's clients last year has exceeded a thousand. Their agents have also exceeded hundreds. Major directors are paid 5 million for one film, and male stars are even higher. And potential new customers can be paid for one appearance.
One hundred thousand.
CAA has become a monster in Hollywood, raising the production costs of many film projects, and many people dare not speak out.
With revenue of 200 million, Ovitz alone owns more than half of the equity. In addition to most of the commissions divided by the brokers, most of the dividend income from the packaged projects went into his pocket.
With a revenue of 100 million in one year, it is really easy to buy a few famous paintings.
Because of his average taste, the "white flag" is actually a dirty white flag painted on canvas using paint, color painting, and carbon strips, removing the colors of the flag, leaving only white.
Ronald didn't know how much difference in artistic talent there was between this kind of painting and a botched art class assignment with a naughty boy.
"That's what we agreed. It won't take up much of your time, Ronald."
The Academy's investigative committee was led by producer and former Directors Guild of America president Gilbert Cates. After he welcomed Ronald to the committee, he took him to talk alone for a while.
Cates said that he felt that this performance was purely due to the poor directing skills of producer Andy Carr, who lacked the artistic accomplishment of a normal film director.
It would be a mistake to arrange such a long and cliched song and dance performance at the awards night.
This situation would never have happened if he and an active director like Ronald were producing the Oscars.
"That's indeed what happened..."
Ronald knew in his heart that this person also wanted to settle the matter as soon as possible. Then he also took up the position of producer of next year's Oscar Awards ceremony. This is a good thing that brings fame and fortune.