Chapter 306 Roger Corman taught me how to deal with budget overruns
"Rudy announced his defeat, but his vote margin was the closest the party has seen in many years. This result ensures that he will not retire from politics.
He may compete with Senator Moynihan in the next election, or he may compete with Governor Cuomo in two years... But today, he and members of the election team went to a senior activity center in Queens..."
Amidst the overwhelming news programs about the Berlin Wall, Ronald began to see a local TV station, Fox Channel 5, broadcasting news about Rudy's defeat.
He danced with many old ladies in a nursing home in Queens. Rudy, an Italian-born man, has maintained a good figure even in his middle age. With his strong hairline and handsome face, he is very popular among the old ladies.
, one by one lined up to dance with him.
On the other side, the victorious Dinkins also delivered his victory speech on ABC Channel 7. Ronald turned the channel over, and the first black mayor happened to be giving a speech.
Dinkins said his main focus as mayor was healing. During his campaign, he proposed a platform to unify the city's diverse communities and address the deep racial and economic divides that emerged in the 1980s. He emphasized the need to build a "City of Opportunity."
The need to give everyone a chance to succeed, regardless of their race, ethnicity or background.
"I promise that if elected, I will be a 'Mayor for all New Yorkers' and work to heal the divisions in our city that have been created over the past decade.
We must come together now as one people to heal the wounds of the past and build a better future for all. We must break down the barriers that have divided us for so long. We must create a place where everyone feels welcome and respected
city of……"
"Oh..." The supporters at the scene began to shout and cheer.
Ronald noticed that these supporters were overwhelmingly black and Latino.
"Hmph..." Helen angrily snatched the remote control away and tuned into CUU's report on the Berlin Wall. She has not yet forgiven the young criminals who robbed her and Ronald in Central Park for what they did to Dinkins.
No cold either.
CUU is still good-looking. It replays hot news every 30 minutes, and broadcasts news headlines in text like a revolving lantern at the bottom of the screen every 5-10 minutes.
Helen was very excited and even took the video recorder to record. Her eyes were staring at the revolving door of words. Her name and those big-name Hollywood stars were slowly scrolling together. It was really fun!
"Honey, I'm leaving..." Ronald kissed Helen goodbye and went to Orion to discuss two new films.
Mike Medavoy accepted the responsibility and resigned, and also brought a US$150 million order from Colombia. But after boss Kluge checked the true financial situation of Orion, he was furious and began to look for sale targets.
It was impossible for 150 million to offset Orion's losses in the past two years. He began to make up his mind and wanted to find a scapegoat like Sony to take over.
However, among Japanese companies, there were not many companies with a global vision like Sony. It was difficult to find interested investors for a while, so Kluge began to cut costs wildly.
This also affected the subsequent release of the two movies that Ronald participated in. The person who took over the management of this stall was a financial executive hired by Kluge to replace Mike Medavoy.
"Mr. Lee, Mike (Medavoy) had spoken to Mr. Klug about the two films before resigning. Orion will guarantee the budget of these two films and commit to follow-up distribution, but you also know,
We are now under huge financial pressure, so..."
"As long as Orion can allocate funds on time and ensure the smooth completion of the production of the two movies..." Ronald understood that there was no way around it, and he could only hope that Orion would keep its promise.
"Orion will be responsible for what has been promised to the end. This is one of the conditions that Mike mentioned before leaving. He said that these two movies will be important opportunities for Orion... However, we cannot make any additional changes to the project.
Additional investment..."
As he said that, the other party handed over a piece of paper.
Ronald took it over and looked at it, and he almost became angry.
It turned out that it was Kevin Costner who made the report, and he wanted to invest an additional US$4 million to film the scene of the Indian tribe walking through the Grand Canyon and migrating to the reservation designated by the white man.
"I have seen the reports for these two dramas, and I have to say that Mr. Li is a role model in the Hollywood industry. All expenditures are justified. I have also seen some of the samples. What I see is a producer in charge.
The dedication of people and artists is compared to other movies that cost 15 million US dollars and only had a few actors walking around and talking...
Forget it, let's not talk about this. My idea is that if you feel that the shooting can be completed according to the budget, then I will do my best to ensure the distribution of the film. If you feel that more investment is needed, then we may need to divert some distribution
Once the marketing budget comes in, we can slowly figure out what to do next.
But this judgment still requires you, Mr. Li..."
"I will convince Kevin (Costner), or be convinced by him..." Ronald stood up and shook hands with the friendly new vice president.
…
"What's going on with Kevin Costner? Does he think I'm the villain?"
Ronald called the daydreamer. The only person in New York now was Polly Platt, who had been the producer of Dances with Wolves. He immediately asked her to come over on vacation with her children to discuss how to deal with this.
Overspending again.
Polly Platt is a veteran chef who has been in the industry for decades. When she saw Luo Jian's angry attack, she didn't say anything and just smiled in response.
Movies are a crazy industry, with huge budgets, huge risks, and huge investments. All producers and directors are dancing on a tightrope. They are only a few inches away from falling off the cliff, trying to find some space.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Therefore, she has also seen too much hysteria from producers. Ronald, a producer who just uses a few curse words from time to time, is already a
A very good example of gentlemanly manners.
"Ronald, calm down. You have also watched many scenes of this movie. Is it a good work?" When Ronald got tired of scolding, Polly Platt smiled and helped him clarify some facts.
.
After all, Ronald is a novice when it comes to investing in such big-budget movies. He is also under the huge pressure of a rookie in many things. Although there are rumors in the industry that Ronald can now earn up to 100% from the Dirty Dancing video every year.
to at least $20 million.
But more than two thousand US dollars is twenty million US dollars. If he invests in Dances with Wolves, he will also have to share about ten million US dollars. If such a large sum of money really turns out to be Kevin's...
Door, like "Valmont" lost all his money, Ronald's economic losses will be huge.
Not counting the loss of his own reputation, the myth that every movie makes money has been shattered.
"Well, the shooting was quite good. I can't tell that he is a novice director. But he is also very good at spending money. This bastard almost treated me like an ATM machine. I am not the richest man in Forbes like Kluge.
…”
"Are you feeling pressure? Ronald?" Polly Platt asked Ronald with a smile.
"No, I...well, I did get a little excited..." Ronald admitted that he was a little too angry that Costner had raised the budget several times..."
"Have you ever thought that Kevin's pressure is much greater than yours? This is his first directorial work, and he also invested his own money in the production..."
"Humph..." Ronald understood what Polly meant. Kevin Costner also invested his salary and became one of the investors of the film. But this is not like Ronald's investment of real money.
A lot of money was invested, including some investments from Douglas Jr. (of course, this also included George Jr.'s).
"What do you want to say?" Ronald asked Polly after he calmed down.
"I want to say that maybe Kevin also needs the guidance of some experienced directors, such as you... He may have fallen into a misunderstanding without realizing it..."
"Well, you're right, Polly, why don't you come with me to South Dakota again?"
"You have to compensate for my mental loss. It's not easy for me and the children to take a vacation..."
"So what? Are your two daughters interested in South Dakota National Park and western movies? Why don't I invite her to go on vacation to the set? I'll cover all the expenses? We'll go together on a business jet, and we can also take photos with Kevin...
"
"Fourteen!"
…
After Polly Platt divorced Bogdanovich, she married a prop master. Unfortunately, the prop master died of illness five years ago. In addition to her two girls, Platt also took on the responsibility of her husband.
Care responsibilities for two children from a previous marriage.
"Hey...hey..." The four children took the video tape gift from Ronald and chatted happily on the business jet. They even came over and asked to take a photo with Ronald.
Polly Platt looked at Ronald who was surrounded by four teenagers. She was surprised to see that he was not annoyed at all.
"When did Diane..."
"Next year, around the time of the Oscars..." Ronald grinned...
"Oh, the mother of the child is breastfeeding and needs companionship very much..." Polly Platt was abandoned by her ex-husband Bogdanovich when her child was very young, so it was okay to treat Ronald like this.
The Hollywood director in charge was very fond of Ronald. Seeing that he was not bored, he started chatting with him about some things about female pregnancy and childbirth.
In this way, with the longing for his future child, Ronald's mood became calmer. So what if he lost money? I don't care...it must be a rebirth of the genre of western movies.
Our wealth has been given by Hollywood, and it’s time to give the industry some rewards.
"Kevin, how are you? Were you stressed when you wrote that letter asking for money?"
When we arrived at the scene, we saw Kevin Costner, who was covered in gray while filming a battlefield scene. Instructor Ronald spoke softly.
"Oh, Ronald, I don't know what to say..."
Kevin Costner originally expected that Ronald would give him a storm when he came, but he didn't expect that he didn't curse. He was really well-controlled...
"Tell me, why do you want to increase the budget?" Ronald continued to be pleasant.
"This is what I think. This movie has been filmed to this day. It is an epic and needs a powerful ending..."
Kevin Costner was moved by Ronald's attitude. Being a producer like this is really his greatest luck. Ronald himself is a director and must understand his dilemma. This understanding allowed him to
I spoke out everything that was in my heart.
After all, Kevin Costner is similar to Ronald back then. His reputation, future, and money are all staked on this movie. He is under a lot of pressure, so he hopes to achieve the best in every scene.
most.
On the set, his good friend and screenwriter Michael Blake, like him, wanted his debut film to be perfect.
Therefore, when it came to filming, Michael Blake often rewrote some scenes on the spot. Kevin Costner saw that it was better than the original one, so he gritted his teeth and reshot some scenes.
When the filming entered the last quarter, the two of them felt more and more that the beginning of the movie was very touching, but it needed an impactful ending, otherwise the story would not be powerful enough and the audience might be disappointed.
Michael Blake also re-arranged the scene of the last Indian tribe, being driven out by the white people, and finally moving to the Indian reservation, and thought of a very grand ending.
Kevin Costner thought it was good at first sight, and it would be a pity not to film it, so he went ahead and wrote an application to Orion asking for money.
"Kevin, have you ever thought about how long your movie will take?" Ronald flipped through the added ending, which included the conflict between Indians and white troops, and Captain Dunbar becoming Dances with Wolves.
In the future, the conflict with the original comrades... If all were to be filmed, an additional half hour would have to be added to the existing basis.
"I just think……"
"You just want to shoot it and then slowly stitch it together in the editing room, right?" Ronald said it for him.
"That's pretty much it. An epic story must have an epic ending..."
"Hey, you don't understand film distribution and editing. I'll explain it to you and you'll understand..."
The film footage of Dances with Wolves has been shot more than twice that of ordinary films. These sample films, after rough editing, can be 5-6 hours long.
When editing a movie with such rich content, even if a master like Walter Murch is hired, not even a single frame is needed. Each scissor is cut at the most critical place, and the film can only be cut into 4 hours at most.
Just like cooking Chinese or Italian food, slowly reducing the juice and plucking it bit by bit, it can only be cut to three hours at most.
This is determined by the rules of the movie, and there is not much room for change. If we add another forty minutes of scenes, then the movie will definitely be more than three and a half hours long.
It is impossible for any movie theater to be willing to show a movie of this length. A movie is equivalent to the length of two ordinary commercial films, but the audience cannot pay twice the movie ticket price. What's more, for more than three hours, it is not enough for the audience.
The bladder is also a serious challenge.
There's no telling whether audiences will like this movie or not. Maybe "Dances with Wolves" will end up like "Valmont" and the studio will refuse to schedule it.
Kevin Costner is a smart man, and he also knows the ill will in the industry towards his Kevin Gate nickname. Coupled with the recent failure of Valmont, it has had a great impact on him. No matter how good the ending is,
If it can’t be released, it’s still equal to zero.
"Hey, what should I do? Is this how the movie ends?" Costner fell into doubts about himself.
He regretted that he was too demanding for his debut film. If he could not be so fussy about details in the early stage and not demand the best in every shot, then maybe he would have the money to shoot the big scene at the end now, right?
Filmmaking is a big gamble, and the director is under a lot of pressure. As a producer, Ronald should help them block these pressures and concentrate on artistic creation. He should also help the director make some difficult decisions when needed.
Decide.
"I'll tell you what to do, Kevin..."
"What can I do?" Costner had hope again. Ronald was a much more experienced director than him.
"This is what Mr. Roger Corman taught me. This is the best way to deal with movies that are over budget and beyond the distribution capacity..."
With that said, Ronald stood up, picked up the new script, turned to the scenes added by the screenwriter at the back, tore them all out of the script with a tear, and threw them into the trash can.
"That's it. We'll shoot as planned. Just shoot here..."
"ah……"
Costner suffered a serious blow and was just ripped off?
He stared blankly at the last page, which showed Dances with Wolves and the couple standing erect with fists clenched, walking along a path in the winter snow and embarking on a journey.
"That's right..." Ronald patted Costner on the shoulder, "Movies are an art of regret. A movie with regrets is better than a movie that cannot be released..."
After solving the filming problem of Dances with Wolves, Ronald flew back to Los Angeles. Once he arrived in Los Angeles, he saw Richard waiting for him at the airport, next to Daydream's script supervisor David Simkins...
…
"David, why are you here?" It was only right that Richard came to pick him up. Why did Simkins also come to the airport? Is there anything urgent?
"The script you told me about last time is now on the market..."
"Ah? You found it? What's your name? How much does it cost?"
“It’s called Other People’s Money, but things are a bit complicated…”