Diane notified Paramount of Ronald's conditions for joking with him. Lindsay Dolan, a female executive at Paramount, was overjoyed and immediately brought her secretary to visit Ronald.
"We agree to all your conditions, as long as you agree to be the director and supervise all script modifications, casting, filming, and subsequent marketing..."
"Are you kidding me?"
Ronald opened his mouth in surprise. The total cost of shooting such a movie in a Hollywood studio could easily soar to more than twice that of shooting in Canada.
"Why don't you find a young director who is good at shooting romantic comedies and can easily control the production cost of the entire movie to about US$10 million?"
As an outstanding graduate of Roger Corman Film University, Ronald was instinctively dissatisfied with this money-wasting production method. Although this crazy method was greatly beneficial to him.
Lindsay Dolan not only agreed that he would lead all aspects of the film, but also gave him a certain amount of investment from Daydream Productions to participate in the production of the entire film and share the profits afterward. This shocked Jack for all of Hollywood.
·This is particularly difficult in the current environment where Nicholson took away tens of millions of dollars from Warner Bros.
"This is the best script in Paramount's library. How could I just randomly find a young and inexperienced director to film it... Do you know, Ronald? Before you express interest, I just want
Two directors came to direct this movie..." Lindsay Dolan seemed very excited and was quite dissatisfied with Ronald's idea of wasting such a classic script on a young director.
"Ah? Who are you looking for?" Ronald was also shocked by her serious expression. Did she really have the idea to make this movie a classic in film history?
"Of course before you, I only considered two directors, Milos Forman and Stanley Kubrick..." Lindsay Dolan put on a look, "Look what you said, we are discussing very
Serious business" expression.
"Ah? Oh..." Ronald stared at this middle-aged woman in her early 40s for a long time, but found no trace of acting on her face. She seemed to have high hopes for this script.
"When I heard the news, I was in a meeting at the Western Film Exhibition in Las Vegas. As soon as I heard that you were interested, I immediately interrupted the meeting and rushed back." Lindsay Dolan continued to express, to
Ronald was very interested in this film.
Ronald hugged the waist of Diane, who was sitting next to him, and watched Lindsay Dolan explain her reasons one by one, and couldn't help but feel a little convinced.
This is not because the reasons stated by Lindsay Dolan are strong enough, but because of her professional family background.
Her father is a senior Hollywood producer, and her mother was a script typist for Columbia Pictures before getting married. She also has an older brother who once contributed to Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey."
Be a marketing manager.
She herself has been the production supervisor of a television station for a long time, and has some experience in judging scripts and estimating commercial prospects. But Ronald still hasn’t figured out why he feels that directing this movie is the best option for him.
The right choice.
"It's very simple. Who else can capture love more touchingly than you? What's more, this is a love between a person and a ghost that spans life and death..."
"Is that true?" Of course Ronald didn't believe it. He was not the only director in Hollywood who was good at making romantic films.
"Of course, the more important reason is that today's female stars all want to work with you..."
"This sounds like a common sense reason..." Bernard understood. It turned out that the real reason was here. If this kind of love commercial film wants to succeed at the box office, the biggest point is to find a very suitable actress.
, and then find a man who matches them and has a chemical reaction.
If Ronald joins the cast, all the actresses in Hollywood who can participate in this movie will be willing to come and audition.
"So I decide the staffing of the crew?" Hearing what he said and watching Diane nod slightly, Ronald felt that he could try to explore the possibility of filming this movie.
Lindsay Dolan shrugged and said of course, she would agree to whatever Ronald proposed.
"Well, let me find time to talk to the screenwriter Mr. Bruce Joel Rubin first..." Ronald didn't have a very deep understanding of the movie script. So he had to talk to the screenwriter before he could make a decision.
"Okay, I'll make arrangements."
"For photography direction, art direction, editing and sound design, I have to find long-term partners..."
"no problem."
"The daily shooting is at Paramount's Hollywood studio. I go to work every morning and get home at six o'clock in the evening on time..."
"Of course, no one will check your daily attendance, I can guarantee that."
"I read that there are a lot of ghost scenes in the script, which requires a special effects team. I have my own partners." Ronald thought of the special effects team of the Abyss created by Cameron, and the special effects team in Die Hard II
Inside, the team that made the frosted glass matte paintings could borrow the special effects shots for this movie.
"Of course we will take your opinion as the basis..."
Seeing all his conditions, the other party agreed very simply, and Ronald also felt Lindsay Dolan's sincerity.
“The investment share of Daydream, and the scope of participation?”
"I estimate that the entire movie will have a budget of 22 million to 25 million, and you can get no more than 1/4 of the share. In addition, you have the second-highest share rights besides Paramount."
"What about overseas distribution, TV broadcast rights, and video tapes?"
"The ratio will be lower than the box office share. Why don't we let our agents and lawyers finalize a number that is satisfactory to both parties?"
Seeing that all the conditions would be agreed to, Ronald had no reason to doubt the sincerity of the other party. After he and the other party agreed on a time to discuss the specific investment details, he picked up the script and read it slowly.
"Honey, do you really want Demi Moore to play this heroine?" Diane came over and asked Ronald.
"I don't know, she is just one of the final candidates. In the end, it depends on who is the most suitable for the role..."
…
"Demi, Paramount intends to make that ghost movie into a movie. Please ask your agent to send me your audition photos..."
"Really? Really? Oh, Ronald, I love you..." Demi Moore jumped up with joy after receiving the call. Who doesn't know that she is now working with Ronald in Hollywood?
An actress will fly to the top like a roller coaster.
"Hey, who are you loving?" Bruce Willis heard it over there.
"Hush, it's Ronald who wants to invite me to audition for his new movie."
"Ah, Ronald? Give me the phone..." Bruce Willis grabbed the phone and said to Ronald. "Hey, brother, thank you for your message. 20th Century Fox has improved
That’s my paycheck.”
"I heard about the extra $1.5 million, ha..." Ronald laughed.
Bruce Willis's salary for Die Hard 2 increased by another $1.5 million, but 20th Century Fox was determined not to let him participate in any profit sharing.
"Thank you, I owe you once..."
"We don't need to talk about this between us, but let's see who's talking at the premiere. Are you free to attend as a voice actor?"
"I will ask my agent to reserve time for that weekend, and then I will go with Demi... By the way, speaking of Demi, will she really participate in your movie?"
"Participate in the audition, you know I always choose the most suitable one..."
"Hey, he seems to have other candidates besides you..." Bruce Willis put down the phone and joked about his wife.
"Really, did he say who it was?"
"I didn't say, I forgot to ask..."
"What the hell do I need you for? I'll call my agent right away to find out who is trying to steal this role from me..." Demi Moore cursed angrily, and then immediately went to talk to her
Are the agents discussing how to get this role?
…
Ronald didn't start auditioning right away, but instead began studying the box office and reviews for "When Harry Met Sally."
After seeing the box office results on the second weekend after the expanded screening, Ronald also understood why Lindsay Dolan was so enthusiastic about cooperating with him in a romantic film.
In the second weekend of its large-scale release, When Harry Met Sally's single-theater box office remained at more than 10,000 US dollars. The screening scale of more than 800 theaters across the country also generated more than 10 million US dollars in box office.
What's even more rare is that on the east and west coasts, as well as in areas such as Chicago in the middle of the country, this movie has triggered a movie-watching craze in all urban movie theaters.
Meg Ryan's net worth has risen accordingly, and the romantic movie filmed in Hawaii may be the last chance for Hollywood to cast her as a romantic heroine for less than $2 million.
The most frightening thing is that even comedians like Billy Crystal, who originally mainly acted in comedies, have received invitations to make romantic movies one after another, and have offered roles that are no less than those of first-line male stars.
Remuneration.
Hollywood is so exaggerated, but also so realistic. Many producers are asking a question: Why has no one discovered that Billy Crystal is suitable for acting in love scenes before?
The standard answer in Hollywood is not to ask why? Now that Ronald has developed this side of him, all that's left is to squeeze all the value out of this part of Billy Crystal.
Ronald, who was discussing the follow-up marketing of the film with marketing consultant Michael Gray, also discovered this. If a male star is only suitable for one type of film, he will generally receive a higher salary than if he is suitable for two or three types of films.
The price of male celebrities is more than 30% lower.
Just like Stallone and Schwarzenegger, although they were the first in Hollywood to break through 10 million US dollars in salary, they are now far behind Eddie Murphy and Bruce Willis, who have both comedy and action styles.
of male stars’ remuneration.
"What's the prospect of this movie during awards season?" Ronald asked Michael Gray. He was still quite concerned about not winning an Oscar for two consecutive years.
"Not only you, but also the actors and screenwriters of this film do not have high recognition among the voting actors in the academy."
"The remnants of those Methodists are really annoying..." Ronald was also very angry after hearing this.
There is a very clear characteristic of the Oscar awards, that is, the winning of the award is driven by the voting orientation and taste of actors, and actors have never been very fond of those actors who have achieved big box office by making romantic films.
Comedies and romantic films have always been the hardest hit areas for Oscars. Those actors who have been trained by the so-called orthodox Hollywood method believe that comedy is not an orthodox acting skill and that they are inherently inferior to actors who act in dramas and tragedies.
.
Actors in romance films are even worse than comedians. As long as they are beautiful and have a chemical reaction with their opponents in front of the camera, then the rest is left to the director and the camera.
What kind of acting skills are there in romantic movies? They don’t exist. They just look good in the camera. If I am also interested in a director like Ronald, I can also become the heroine of a blockbuster romantic movie.
This is the general mentality of those Hollywood actors who have the right to vote. They long to become stars, but they look down on them...
"But we can try our luck in Britain and continental Europe. The European distribution of this film also needs to get some nominations in the awards on the other side of the Atlantic..." Michael Gray said to Ronald again from the perspective of film marketing.
A workaround.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! On the other side of the ocean, in Britain, there is also their so-called Academy Awards, called the BAFTA Awards, which are also known as the Oscars of Britain.
In fact, this award does not only allow British films to be selected, but is open to all English-language films around the world. Of course, if your film is produced in Britain or has a British director or actor, then it will undoubtedly be considered at the BAFTA Awards.
Get extra help.
"I will call the princess's secretary..."
If you don't get an Oscar nomination, it would be a good idea to try your luck at the British Oscars. Of course, Ronald will not let go of his biggest relationship in Britain.
He contacted Princess Diana's secretary and issued a formal invitation, asking the princess and his wife to invite members of the royal family to attend the film's premiere in London in November.
The British people like their common-minded Princess Ronald very much, so they are using their strength to build momentum there. On the one hand, they are promoting their overseas releases, and on the other hand, they also hope to influence the BAFTA Awards.
The organizing committee gave their films some nominations.
As a result, good news came. Not only the princess, but also Her Majesty the Queen was very interested in Ronald's new movie. He and his wife will also attend the royal premiere in London.
"Her Majesty the Queen said that I hope your new movie will make the Queen feel happy. The latest James Bond movie was really disappointing to the Queen and her husband."
"I am willing to serve His Majesty..." Ronald laughed loudly. Daydream's overseas distribution capabilities will be put to a better test in this time when Harry Met Sally.
…
After finishing this work, Ronald also met with Ruth Joel Rubin, the screenwriter of Ghost, and talked about their understanding of the script.
Screenwriter Ruth Joel Rubin was very satisfied with Ronald's idea. For him, Ronald could be a better director of his script than Stanley Kubrick and Milos Forman.
Much better. This 45-year-old film screenwriter actually has a deep relationship with Ronald.
Like Ronald, he was also a dropout from New York University's Tisch Film School. However, he was not as lucky as Ronald and quickly entered Hollywood. He was born in the class of 1962 and waited until the 1980s to see himself.
The first screenplay was adapted for the screen.
Speaking of which, when he was a student at New York University, he was a classmate of Martin Scorsese and Brian De Palma. People's situations are often very magical.
"Can you tell me who you would like to play the leading role?" Ruth Joel Rubin asked Ronald. He actually wrote this script in 1983, but he was still seen writing the script.
After being persuaded by his potential classmate Brian De Palma, he returned to Los Angeles from San Francisco to develop his career.
"In fact, Paramount is very supportive of our movie and has sent audition invitations to all the popular male and female stars in Hollywood."
Romand took out a list and handed it to the other party. The male star column included Jack Nicholson, Harrison Ford, Michael J. Fox, Crocodile Dundee, Paul Hogan, Tom Hanks,
Even less likely candidates like Tom Cruise and Bruce Willis were contacted.
The column of female stars also includes past and present celebrities, Michelle Pfeiffer, Molly Ringwald, and Meg Ryan are all potential candidates. Paramount’s most promising one, Mo
Too much Tom Cruise's new girlfriend Nicole Kidman, and Bruce Willis' wife Demi Moore.
If a husband and wife team can be hired to star, it will undoubtedly be a very good gimmick for the promotion of the movie.
"If you were the director, which female star would you choose to play Molly?"
Ronald asked the screenwriter Rubin that sometimes the screenwriter's opinions are very worthy of reference because when they write the script, they will use the image of a certain female star as a prototype in their minds to create the character.
"I don't know that when I wrote the script, I was imagining the black female star Diana Ross. I always felt that the heroine Molly had the temperament of a romantic artist and a very realistic housewife.
a mixture of.
Well, I think she is more like the heroine I imagined, Michelle Pfeiffer is too beautiful to be the wife of an ordinary bank manager."
Rubin's finger was on two mirror photos, one of Demi Moore and one of Nicole Kidman.
"Ha..." Ronald put away the audition photo. He didn't notice it at first, but it was the audition photo sent by Demi Moore. It was the one he took for her when he was a portrait photographer many years ago.
.
And Nicole Kidman has strawberry blond hair and piercing eyes, and she also looks full of fairy spirit...