Chapter 224: What is the most important thing when starting a production company?
"Do you feel used to coming to Hollywood?"
"I was very lonely at the beginning, but now I feel better after attending more parties."
Diane and Nicole Kidman went for nail care together, and exchanged some experiences on filming in Hollywood, how to deal with photographers, and how to win over makeup artists and hairstylists.
Tom Cruise, Niceta, Paula Wagner, and Ronald left the hotel room they had booked and went to another executive suite at the Beverly Hills Hilton. This place was owned by and several others.
The name and credit card were opened by an unknown person. The person who opened the door for them was Richard who had already come over. Ronald's bodyguard Daniel had already thoroughly checked the room to ensure that there was no eavesdropping equipment.
Several Hollywood people with closely related interests can openly discuss some sensitive issues in this room. They must first establish an offensive and defensive alliance to jointly target Ovitz's various aggressive methods.
Tom Cruise's Oscar dream has been restrained by Ovitz. He is very much looking forward to his new film Born on the Fourth of July. He does not want to be deceived last time and not be nominated for Best Actor again.
.
Ronald also desires an Oscar. Such a strong influence and manipulator of votes is something that no star or director wants to see.
The most important thing for the Niceta-Wagner couple, Richard and others is to break the packaging strategy led by Ovitz. In his domination of C, any movie with stars participating needs to listen to the opinions of this C tyrant
.
However, as he grew older, his personal preferences for celebrities were greatly out of touch with the real tastes of Hollywood audiences. A good actor like Jack Nicholson, because he signed the contract relatively late, actually had to wait for Sean Conn.
A person like Nally plays a secondary role, and he doesn't even have a fixed office in the new C building.
The younger generation of agents, as well as veteran partners like Niceta who had no chance of obtaining shares, all had a certain amount of resentment towards Ovitz. They just wanted to blackmail everyone with higher salaries because of his ability to set up custom-made films.
On the premise of bringing in higher income, I still resisted not expressing my opinions to him.
But his long-term success gave Ovitz some illusions. He really thought that he was the most powerful person in Hollywood. Especially at the last Oscar, he dominated the world with one hand and offended several other people who were also signed to C and were also nominated.
Clients also offended their brokers.
For a time, everyone was secretly communicating, hoping to lead customers to leave at the right time, go to William Morris and C, or simply start their own business.
Of course, this kind of thing is still in the conspiracy stage, and everyone only vaguely feels the undercurrent. Everyone is waiting for the opportunity, and no one wants to take the lead and be targeted by Ovitz, who still holds the power.
Tom Cruise, Niceta, Paula Wagner and Ronald have been friends for a long time. Their interests are very close to each other compared to others, not to mention the many years of friendship between Ronald and Cruise.
, Niceta and Wagner are husband and wife again.
So when encountering this kind of thing, they are the easiest to form an alliance. In addition, Ronald is best at commercial films, and has many cooperation opportunities with Tom Cruise. Regardless of history or future, they will be the first
An offensive and defensive alliance was formed.
Everyone has reached some agreed-upon principles. First, everyone must discuss any decisions in advance and advance and retreat together. Second, no matter what measures are taken in the end, Ronald and Cruise should be more bound together.
Paula Wagner hopes this will happen the most. The value of Tom Cruise is closely related to the movies he makes. If he is still so enthusiastic about Oscars, the number of commercial movies he makes will decrease, and his value will also decrease.
It's getting lower and lower. Hanging out with Ronald and making more movies like Top Gun that will quickly grow his fans is actually the best way to maximize profits.
And Niceta is also happy to see an alliance. Ronald and Tom Cruise, the two people tied together are enough to bargain with anyone. Even Ovitz can't take it lightly, otherwise the two will run away. William
·Morris will shake the whole c.
After chatting about secret matters, Ronald and Cruise went to the hotel's executive lounge for a drink. This kind of matter had to be left to Niceta, Richard, and Wagner for discussion. Of course, Cruise and Ronald
Nader also needs to talk privately. There is also an issue of profit distribution between clients and brokers.
"I heard that Paula found a big studio to back you?" Ronald said to Tom Cruise with a smile.
"Yes, you can probably guess that Paramount may be undergoing another reshuffle, and my new film is a stepping stone. Ovitz is so strong, everyone should think more about it." Cruise has long since given up.
Although he is a naive actor, he studied very hard in the movies he participated in. Now he actually has a lot of considerations about his acting career.
"I heard that you are also very close to a big producer?" Cruise also asked Ronald.
"It's not convenient to say now. We'll know in a few months. It's a big event that will change Hollywood. You go back and talk to Paula about it." Ronald's cooperation with Sony can only hint to a few people he trusts.
partner.
"In short, we will have more choices. Choice is always better than monopoly." Tom Cruise smiled and clinked glasses with Ronald. He only drank alcoholic beverages when he was with good friends like Ronald.
What follows is some small talk. Cruise is obviously very attracted to Nicole Kidman. He and Mimi Rogers have already started the divorce process. However, he has Paula, an agent like a big sister, who has been protecting him, including
The prenuptial agreement and a series of wealth divisions are well done to ensure that Spielberg-like problems will not arise.
"Ronald, do you think actors can also set up their own production companies?" Finally, Tom Cruise couldn't help but asked Ronald a question in his heart, "I also want to set up my own production company."
production companies, but in Hollywood there are still many directors who set up independent production companies."
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "Is there any problem with this? In the future of Hollywood, the power of stars will continue to strengthen. The current marketing cost is too expensive, and whether there are stars or not is related to the film project.
Life and death, you now have the ability to influence movie box office and audience evaluation, so there is no problem in setting up a production company."
Ronald remembered how Cruise single-handedly raised the box office of the bad movie "Cocktail" to a higher level. Such an ability would not be missed by producers and banks.
"Then what do you think is the most important thing in setting up an independent production company?" Tom Cruise can learn from his rival actors when it comes to acting, and screenwriters and directors can learn from the members of the crew. Only this knowledge of starting a company can
Only Ronald can give himself some useful advice.
The other people around me are either actors who know nothing about business, or people like Wagner who have conflicts of interest.
"If we want to talk about the most important thing, for an artist like you, the most important thing for opening a production company is to have talent. I heard a famous investor say that we are about to enter the 1990s, and talent will become the most important thing.
Important asset."
Ronald thought for a while. For people like them, whose core competitiveness is still in the category of artists, it is almost impossible to be an outstanding businessman. God is fair and will not give a person too many talents.
.
"Talent?" Cruise mused.
"Yes, people actually have different pursuits. Not everyone regards money as the most important thing. The first tip for me to work with those talented people is to take good care of them and give them enough money.
and respect, understand what they want in their hearts, and then find ways to give them a stage to display their abilities. In this way, they will work hard for you and earn enough wealth for you. Of course, at the same time, they themselves
Also get what you want, wealth or self-realization..."
…
"Nicole really has a face that the cameras prefer, I'm even jealous..." Diane came back and told Ronald her feelings. Nicole Kidman's appearance is a bit like the previous one
Grace Kelly is the most beautiful actress in Hollywood. There are many good-looking people, but not many have the opportunity to enter Hollywood and are favored by the cameras.
Just like a widely circulated saying in old Hollywood, making movies is to take close-ups of beautiful women's faces. Some darlings' faces can be enlarged to a two-story close-up on the screen, and the audience can't see any flaws.
To a large extent, becoming a fan of a celebrity is due to the human instinct for good-looking faces.
"Oh, don't say that, Diane Grace Kelly didn't leave any impression on people except her face. What people really remember are those characters who are equally good in appearance and acting, creating unforgettable characters.
Role."
"But it's rare for that face to be remembered..." Diane's jealousy is mainly aimed at her screen image. The audience doesn't care too much about the acting skills, they just love to see the beautiful face on the screen.
"No, you are the one I remember..." Ronald kissed Diane on the face. Although he didn't say anything, Diane was still quite concerned about the small scar at the corner of her eye. And Kidd
Compared with Man's perfect face, Diane, who is usually quite confident in her beauty, is also a little jealous.
"I'm going to New York. I have some business matters to deal with. I'll be back with you then." Ronald has spent significantly more time with Diane recently, and he also enjoys this feeling.
"I'll go with you..." Diane smiled and kissed Ronald back.
"What are you going to do?"
"I also have my own things to deal with..." Diane and Ronald bickered happily, and she chuckled, "I want to see Old Bert. I still need to get his approval for the new film, and I can ask him for some advice.
matter."
"Oh, he has indeed studied acting very deeply, and he is also the person who understands you best." Ronald understood. Diane played a street girl. After all, she violated the agreement with her father, old Bert. There is no need now.
Making the relationship between father and daughter so rigid, this is a big production anyway, and opening up the conversation will actually help maintain the relationship between relatives.
…
Ronald arrived in New York and made an appointment with Ed Bastian. The other person had already turned his main focus to acquiring the daily news and TV stations and radio stations for Ronald. He only waited a few months before the acquisition was launched to get the money from PricewaterhouseCoopers.
Firm resigned.
Ed Bastian is very capable and made a good acquisition plan for Ronald. The two companies and charitable foundations used for the acquisition have also been established. In this way, the equity can be dispersed, and the supervision and management can be divided.
Flying low below the competition's radar, it doesn't cause much resentment.
He also told Ronald about the business strategy of cooperating with Daydream Pictures after the acquisition.
In Ed Bastian's view, business is business and art is art, and the two cannot be confused. Orion's concept of regardless of production costs and just letting the director play in order to win Oscars is in the general trend of raising interest rates.
invalid.
After the acquisition is completed, the most important thing to do is to recuperate and strive to make money with every movie, every TV series, and every business strategy.
Newspaper distribution should reduce the number of color pages and increase the price appropriately to ensure that every reader is the target customer group of advertisers. Stop doing charity for those readers who are too poor to afford any mass consumer brands.
TV stations should reduce procurement costs, try to introduce as many cheap movies from Hong Kong, Japan, and Europe for broadcast, and then introduce some English TV series from Australia and Britain. They must not appear in big-production TV series just to gain a reputation.
In his opinion, Daydream's annual output is still too small and it relies too much on Ronald's own vision and connections. The most suitable strategy for Daydream is actually Roger Coleman and Minahan Golan.
Early strategy.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Produce a large number of small productions with two to three million US dollars, finance and shoot more than ten movies every year, aiming at action movies, horror movies, and films with a fixed audience.
A low-budget comedy film. Try to make it in Europe and East Asia, relying on Ronald's good reputation to collect advances and reduce the pressure on cash flow.
"I have investigated Hollywood's dark horses at the box office every year. Every year, there are actually some low-cost productions that stand out, earn considerable box office, and sell again in the video market. This kind of thing is like luck. As long as we guarantee that all ten movies will be successful,
Ben, as long as one or two movies can perform well, then the profit figures for the whole year will be very good."
"You seem to know the business operations of movies better than me. It seems that I have found a good candidate for the president of the new company." Ronald read the plan and was very satisfied. Even if he could only achieve half of it, the new company would not
As for adding cash to it yourself.
"After all, movies are just a commodity..." Ed Bastian concluded. Compared to Pepsi-Cola, he is still interested in the media industry. Aren't movies and TV series more interesting than selling sugar water?
After the two of them finished chatting about business, Ronald and Bastian talked for a while about the rules of film and television production, and the topic came up with C's Ovitz's recent strong moves.
"Tell me, why is Ovitz so crazy? Doesn't he understand that if he does this, he will offend a large number of actors, directors and screenwriters? This is the basis of his success."
"Hey, this is the curse of the successful." Bastian put down his pen and crossed his hands, "I have seen a lot of business at PricewaterhouseCoopers. Most successful businessmen will explain the reasons for their success.
Make a summary. Then make it a principle and let employees learn from it.
And most of these people will think that this is the secret to their success, and that luck and the market have nothing to do with their success. When the business reaches a new level, they will use their original experience in the new business.
in the field.
It is clear that Mr. Ovitz considered his experience as a celebrity agent to be the main, if not the only, reason for the film's success."
"Humph..." Ronald thought carefully about what Ovitz had done, and Bastian really said it to him.
The most important thing for a celebrity agent is to find the role that brings the most benefits to the client. To this end, they can create many reasons to make the client appear to be the most suitable candidate for the role.
In this process, they can do many things, such as slandering competing actors, doing a good job as directors and producers, and letting screenwriters express their opinions. After getting the role, they will strive for the highest salary, such as intimidating the system.
Studios will let stars quit without paying high salaries. For example, they will secretly contact other studios, such as falsifying previous salary records, etc...
Ovitz's tactics for winning Oscars are similar to his tactics for winning roles. He coerces his actors to vote for the people he likes, creates public opinion that someone is determined to win the Oscar, etc.
When helping Sony acquire Colombia, he relied on private contacts with small shareholders to lower the price. After Sony did not adopt his idea, he privately contacted the Australian tycoon Scars to bid to raise the price, creating an illusion for customers that it was him.
These are all typical broker tactics.
Maybe Ovitz is overconfident, or maybe he simply doesn't understand that different industries require different business operations. This kind of domineering attitude towards artists with exaggerated emotions and producers under great financial pressure in the film industry is always ready to carry a golden parachute.
Running studio executives are indeed very effective. But in other industries, when faced with real business elites, they will look naive and ridiculous.