Kevin Costner was very interested in restoring his original idea (although he didn't know what it would look like), but he didn't have time to stare at the edit himself. So he asked Ronald for help.
Ronald resolutely refused. Not to mention that he was not free, even Walter Murch, who was familiar with him, could not edit the extended version of the film for him. This was not due to time or money, but because of the time between Ronald and Ronald.
In the opinion of the two Murchs, "Dances with Wolves" has passed the test of the market, and the audience is very satisfied with the current version.
And even if it needs to be revised, it should be in the direction of reducing the duration, not increasing the content. However, the ears of the new Best Director Oscar will not listen to these opinions.
Costner still asked Ronald to find someone he could trust to keep an eye on the new version of the edit. After all, Ronald also had a high share of overseas profits from this movie.
Speaking of business, Ronald agreed. Anyway, the video tape can produce two episodes, and being longer does not affect the audience's viewing experience.
When it came time to daydream about candidates for editing, Ronald happened to see the fat white guy he saw last time, Joss Whedon.
"Hey Joss, how's your script going?"
"I have already submitted it to Director Simkins." Fatty smiled a little shyly.
"I'll ask you again, don't you still want to direct it yourself?"
"I still want to learn more about the filmmaking process. I'm afraid that my script will be ruined."
"Oh? Your idea is very good. I happen to be working on editing the extended version of Dances with Wolves. Are you interested in learning? You can learn the knowledge of editing..."
"Ah, is there such a good thing?" Fatty Joss Whedon rubbed his hands and agreed excitedly.
"If you don't direct, we will assign you, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, to other directors. You can make up your mind and tell our production department director, Mr. Cannold, then. Do your best!"
After Joss Whedon revised the script of "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" several times, it met the requirements of the production department. After Ronald read it, he thought it was very good. However, it seemed to be the same as what he had dreamed about.
It's not a story, just a few similar characters.
But maybe this is a good thing. Because only successful movies can be made into a series of movies or adapted into a TV series. In any case, this movie is bound to be a box office success.
However, the director of Daydream is still on hiatus. "Firebird" directed by Emil Adolino did very well at the box office and is expected to earn around 70 million. Continuing such mid-range productions is a bit detrimental to his career.
Ronald didn't want him to continue to waste time in this kind of movie, and was helping him run new projects. Ang Lee and others were also busy working on their own movies, and there was no suitable candidate, so Ronald had to hire someone else, Roger Coe.
Mann Business has found the right candidate.
…
"I don't have time to deal with it, so let's let editor Neil Travers handle it. He is the Oscar-winning editor, so I think there is nothing wrong with his decision."
Ronald found Kevin Costner who was in Oliver Stone's office to discuss the overseas distribution of "Dances with Wolves". Oliver Stone was on a long phone call, and the two
I happened to talk about the extended version first.
Kevin is also really busy. After filming "Dances with Wolves" last year, he also took on a role in "Robin Hood" to earn money from the film to support his family. "Dances with Wolves" emptied all his savings, but luckily it turned out
Satisfactory.
"Robin Hood" is a purely commercial production, starring Costner, Alan Rickman, Morgan Freeman and other acting stars. The main purpose is to have a star effect to attract the audience to the cinema and watch it.
A decent Hollywood commercial production.
But the production company won the big prize. After all, before the Oscars, they didn't know that Costner would win so many awards. Now it's like using a salary of 5 million to hire a star of 15 million. In any case, it's a huge profit.
earn.
But Costner has pursuits after all, and he hasn't won the Oscar for Best Actor yet. So now he is having a heated relationship with Oliver Stern, and he hopes that the next movie they collaborate on can hit the Best Actor.
"Oliver..."
Finally, the call to Oliver Stone was finished...
"Ah, Ronald, you're here...please take a seat wherever you like."
Oliver Stone's face was not very good. His new film "JFK" is about the murder of JFK, Lee Oswald, who quickly confessed his crime and was killed again soon. His murderer Jack...
Ruby claimed to be a supporter of JFK, but he also fell ill and died in prison...
Three years later, a prosecutor, Jim Garrison, rediscovered the strangeness of JFK's shooting and speculated on the official's miscarriage of justice that year...
Such subject matter, like other masterpieces he shot, is of course full of controversy. But this time it was different from usual. Both the FBI and CIA contacted him directly and told him that some plots were not allowed to be filmed.
"What? Can they do this? Where is the First Amendment?" Ronald frowned upon hearing this. This was the principle established by the Miracle Case back then.
In fact, at the beginning, Hollywood movies were not regarded as the same media form as newspapers and radio stations, but were judged as a commercial product. Therefore, they did not enjoy the protection of the First Amendment. Later, it was established
The MPAA conducts content review, also known as the Hays Code.
By 1952, a distributor who introduced the European film "Miracle" was banned because of the film's controversial content. He successfully challenged the previous bill, thus establishing that the film also enjoyed First Amendment rights.
the principle of protection.
This is the fundamental reason why Hollywood can still exist after the film market shrank in the 1950s. More pillows and pistols appeared in movies, continuing the prosperity of the film industry for thirty years. Now that someone wants to intervene, why can't people
accurate?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! "They said that this is a requirement of the Archives Confidentiality Act. Many of my research results do not meet the conditions for declassification, so if I tell the true story of JFK's assassination,
If the reason is revealed, I'm afraid I will end up like JFK..."
"Ah? Do you know the reason why JFK was assassinated? The FBI and CIA want to prohibit you from filming it?" Ronald immediately figured out Stone's hint.
"Yes, if you want to know, I can tell you, but you will also accept their supervision."
"Forget it, I don't want Ronald Lee's name to appear in the FBI's filing cabinet." Ronald heard from the older generation of insiders that when Hollywood was arresting unpatriotic people,
Those who are included in the gray list will generally leave surveillance files with the FBI. If they show any signs of colluding with foreign enemies, the scandals in the files will be exposed.
Therefore, Ronald weighed it up and decided that freedom was more important than his curiosity to know the truth about JFK’s assassination. Anyway, even if Stone didn’t say anything, he could probably guess it...
"Are you Ronald Lee?" A female assistant stood next to Oliver Stone. When she heard what Ronald said, she cried out in surprise.
"I just, why, don't I look the same?" Ronald thought that she looked like a Chinese, but he couldn't confirm it and didn't ask rashly.
"Ah, yes, my name is Yang Yanzi, and I am a fan of yours. The movie "Push Hand" that started filming in New York two months ago has been spread throughout our Chinese circles. Many old people have been telling each other that Chinese stories have not been told for many years.
movie."
"Ah, hahaha, Ang Lee is a good director, and the actors he has found are also very good."
"Yeah, especially the one who plays the daughter-in-law, she's so beautiful, which adds to the prestige of the Chinese..."
"a ha ha ha……"
This Yang Yanzi was very enthusiastic and good at chatting, and was able to make the person she was talking to happy. When Oliver Stone saw the two of them chatting so happily, he jokingly said, "Janet, you are leaving me."
, are you not in love with this handsome guy?"
"Go ahead and go, I'm willing to work for him. After so many years, he is the first successful person in Hollywood who is willing to invest in filming Chinese-American stories. Unlike you, every film he makes is about Vietnam."
"Are you a Chinese born in America?" Ronald thought this person was quite interesting, so he switched to Chinese and said.
"I'm from New York, graduated from Brown University, and got an MBA from Columbia. However, my Mandarin is not very good, but my Cantonese is okay."
"Then let's speak English..."
Ronald chatted with her about her role in Stone's project, and the more she talked, the more he liked her. It happened that his assistant, the fat girl Richie Lake, had switched careers and became a TV host. He just lacked a capable assistant.
It just so happened that this woman could work as a production assistant for great directors like Oliver Stone, and she was very capable. More importantly, she was both Chinese and New Yorker, with a clean background.
Despite Oliver Stone's joking protests, Ronald immediately decided to hire this capable woman.
"This is my current work schedule. Please help me organize my schedule."
Ronald took her back to the office, handed her his work information, and asked Yang Yanzi to sort out a work schedule.
In less than a quarter of an hour, Yang Yanzi had arranged everything in an orderly manner. Moreover, this top business student's abilities obviously didn't stop there.
"Ronald, I have an idea. You have made a lot of good investments in Chinese-language films recently. Director Huang's "Hi, Frank", the promoter of Ang Lee, and you also asked Director Wu to make a collection of classic films.
Now New York happens to have gathered all the Chinese practitioners from the two sides of the Taiwan Strait and three places. Why not call them to hold a meeting and establish the Hollywood Discourse Film Practitioners Association? I have seen business reports that Chinese-language films, especially martial arts films and gun fight films in Hong Kong, are
The video tape market, as well as some Chinese and black areas, all have very good profits. If these resources can be integrated, it will have a strong supplementary effect on Daydream's business."
"What supplement?" Ronald asked.
"In the past few years, Daydream, starting with Dirty Dancing, has become one of Hollywood's leading medium-sized independent producers. But its biggest weakness is that it does not have its own key market.
America's distribution market has been monopolized by monopoly production companies, so small and medium-sized studios have been seized by them. If the annual production volume is too much, they will be afraid of hindering distribution, and if it is too little, they will not be able to start production and raise funds.
I can’t afford my own publicity channels.
Therefore, this is an opportunity for Daydream to open up a small but stable enough market in the Chinese film market, which Daydream will monopolize. With this as a foundation, we can advance, attack or retreat, and future productions will
In terms of business, there is much more room for maneuver.”
"Very well, you write a report to me."
A few days later, Yang Yanzi's report was delivered to Ronald. At the same time, she did not delay her assistant's work.
The biggest problem that foreign language films encounter in the American market is the language barrier. This is because American audiences are notoriously arrogant and unwilling to learn foreign languages or read subtitles.
The main reason why Nordic films had a place in America before the 1970s was because Swedish films at that time were famous for their direct nudity scenes.
But after the video tape market boomed, this advantage disappeared. The import volume of foreign films dropped significantly in the 1980s.
However, during the same period, the number of video tapes produced by Xiangjiang increased very rapidly. This is because those movies mainly focused on action scenes and the plots were relatively simple. Many black people also like to watch lively scenes, and Xiangjiang action movies are popular in the black community.
There is a special market.
In addition, the plots of action movies are very stylized. Even if you can't understand the lines, it doesn't affect your understanding of the plot. It's clear who are the good guys and who are the bad guys. What the audience appreciates the most are those exciting action plots.
.
This is a market that the seven major studios cannot touch. It is impossible for them to invest in this seemingly "low-level" market.
And this kind of movies are especially cultivated with daydreams. With these action movies accumulated over the years as the basic business, a small team can be supported. These movies can also attract video retailers, and Chinatown and
Black areas, as well as some second-run theaters, distribute re-releases of old films.
With distribution channels, it can in turn give "promoters" a channel for niche films like "Hi, Frank" to be released. Anyway, due to exchange rate relations, only relying on this small distribution theater system, the box office share has been
It can support Chinese-language films that have low investment in the first place.
This is like a flywheel, which can spin faster and faster by relying on Xiangjiang's action movies to start, entering a virtuous circle.
"Very good. You will serve as my assistant for a period of time and help me sort out the resources needed to complete this matter. When the time is right, we will do this. When the time comes, you will be in charge of the new business.
You can work alone, or you can just daydream and become a shareholder in your new company."
Ronald understood that it was impossible for such a top student to stay as an assistant for a long time. She wanted to enter Hollywood because she loved this industry and wanted to make a career here.
"Thank you, I'll book a ticket to New York for you first." Yang Yanzi's dream is to be a producer herself, and she was very happy to hear this. It would be much happier to work for such a boss.
"Hehehe...he has a business jet that he can use...you have to get more familiar with his daily habits..." Diane said with a smile next to her. She was also quite satisfied with Ronald, the new assistant.
He's not pretty, and he looks a few years older than Ronald.
"Hahaha, Yanzi is not here to be my assistant. I just want her to become more familiar with the business so that she can work independently." Ronald said with a smile.
In order to join the job, he asked Yang Yanzi to fill in a resume. She had first worked at MCA Global and was familiar with the prices of old Hollywood movies. When she saw the opportunity, she was the one who sold the operation of Roman Holiday to China for release. But
Because of ethnicity, there is no room for advancement in Global.
In addition, she still loves the film industry, so she went to work as a production assistant for Oliver Stone. This is a very good talent, but she does not discriminate against Chinese Americans, so she saw the opportunity for career development, and then she decided