Chapter 406 The Individuals with Disabilities Act and Theater Acquisitions
"Let me introduce myself, I am Mario Casal from Carocco Films..."
Casal, the founder of Carocco, has been driven crazy. Cameron's spending methods are really high. The film's overruns have exceeded 50% and are still rising.
But no matter what the senior management of Carloco wanted Cameron to stop, Cassell still insisted on investing money in him. For no other reason, just because of the two special effects shots that Cameron had done.
It really makes people's eyes fall off.
The T-1000 liquid metal robot turned into a ball of fluid and passed through the fence gate in the corridor. The railing cut his face into several strips, and then returned to its original shape. Casal was struggling in Hollywood like this for ten years.
Even young people have never seen such a visual spectacle.
He understands that if this movie is a box office success, he will become the second Sidney Shenberg. He has a keen eye for the potential of "Jaws" and insists on supporting Spielberg's legend despite over budget and overdue filming.
Producer.
But access to financing is limited. Even if Carolco Pictures still has loans that can be used to secure bank loans, such a record-breaking and high-cost movie still makes Wall Street institutions doubtful.
So he directly called the best Chinese restaurants in Los Angeles, found the one where Ronald was located, and then came to persuade Ronald to invest more.
This is not only about getting money, but Ronald's continued investment can also be used to convince banks and increase their confidence in the project.
"Hey, this foreigner is so awesome. He even chased him into the hotel. Do I want to hug him too?" Teacher Zhao still didn't understand Western etiquette, so he stood up and hugged Casal.
This made the atmosphere harmonious. Ronald stood up and asked the waiter to add a seat next to him so that Casal could sit down and chat slowly.
Mario Casal, on the other hand, looked puzzled. How could Ronald have dinner with two old Chinese ladies? What kind of solution was this?
Everyone sat for a while, and Casal found an opportunity to chat with Ronald at the coffee table next to him.
"I can invest, Jim is my friend. But this is against business rules. If you want me to invest more, you have to give me corresponding remuneration. I need to increase the share of Daydream in this movie, or you can cut a piece
Give me the profits from the video tape or overseas distribution. Don’t say I don’t know, you need this investment, right?”
Mario Casal was already feeling a little uncomfortable. Carloco had basically been promised everything he could exchange for money. If he wanted to give Ronald a big piece, wouldn't it be in vain?
"Ronald, you know what this movie means to Hollywood and what it means to Jim. You know all about my several rounds of financing. Whatever you want and what you like, I will give it to you. But other than that,
Additional sharing is simply not possible."
Mario Casal holds the core interests tightly in his hands. Other investors are not afraid to sign the share ratio. How can those laymen understand the profound knowledge involved? Just a share order can make them
No more money to be made.
But Ronald is no amateur, he is difficult to be deceived. And he also has his own team of accountants and lawyers. That Mickey Kanter helped Jack Nicholson to extract six pieces of information from Warner Bros.
Ten million. That’s Warner who accounted for “Batman” as a loss.
"Okay, okay, for Jim's sake too. That movie is really worth investing in. So, does your company have a Gulfstream aircraft?"
Seeing that he couldn't get any more out of it, Ronald changed the subject and started talking about Carloco's fixed assets.
"I've already given it to Schwarzenegger..." Mario Casal spread his hands, suggesting that you choose another toy.
"You? There's no way to talk about it? There's no way the investment won't be repaid, right?" Ronald turned to leave.
It seems that Carloco's financial situation is even tighter than he thought. In order to get Schwarzenegger to join the team, he promised a salary of more than 10 million yuan. Due to cash pressure, he exchanged part of the investment for dividends, and the other part
He used the Gulfstream III business jet he used to pay part of the cash.
"Wait a minute, wait a minute, let's discuss it..." Mario Casal grabbed Ronald. "The spot stock is gone, do you want the futures?"
Carloco's income was good in the past few years, and Mario Casal also ordered a latest Gulfstream IV. This aircraft can fly across the Atlantic, but the order has been queued and it has not yet been time to receive the goods.
"Hey? You have a Gulfstream IV, are you willing to give me the right to queue up?" Ronald turned from anger to joy, and he was pleased to get whatever he wanted.
"Of course, for the movie Terminator 2. When it is released, what will a business jet be?" Mario Casal was also pleased. Carloco's cash flow is almost drying up, and how many more planes are left on this aircraft?
Delivery is expected to last a month, and even if we don’t fly by then, the airport parking fees and insurance premiums will be almost unbearable.
Both parties were happy, and an additional $10 million was quickly credited to the crew, and Mario Casal notified Gulfstream that the ownership of the aircraft had been transferred to Ronald.
…
"Hey, brother. Come take a look at this shot. We just finished it." Cameron greeted Ronald in the special effects studio for inspection.
On the monitor of the workstation is the scene in the chase scene where the T-1000 is frozen to the ground and turned into pieces by a truck filled with liquid nitrogen. The collapse of hundreds of particles is very impressive. On the other side is this scene
Later, after the temperature was restored, the liquid metal gradually turned into a lump like mercury, and slowly became the LAPD-like robot.
"This shot of lying on the ground with limbs breaking apart looks very real to me. Computer special effects can reach this level?" Ronald asked, pointing to the picture on the monitor. This was beyond the scope of his imagination.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "This is when I asked Robert Patrick to lie on the ground, then found a disabled actor and filmed it from this angle, as if it were his limbs.
"
Cameron smiled and explained that being able to hide it from a director like Ronald showed that he was doing a good job.
"Yes, Robert is very dedicated..." Ronald noticed that in the outdoor scenes shot in winter, Robert Patrick never breathed out white air, maintaining the image of a robot and not wearing a mask. He must have had something in his mouth before filming.
He wore ice cubes to lower the temperature. And he ran so much without breaking a sweat, which shows that he put in hard work to train.
"I just got together with Mr. Roger Corman. He heard that the cost of shooting your movie exceeded 100 million, and he sighed with me. What do you think he said?" Ronald shot before
"Black Belt" and other action movies are about to shoot sequels again, and there are some new scripts in preparation. It just so happens that Coleman is brought along so that he can use his genius cost management ability.
"Ha, he must have said that I betrayed the traditions of the New World." Cameron laughed.
"No, he said Jim, I know, his movies look expensive, but every penny is spent on what you can see on the screen." Ronald looked at these carefully designed shots and sighed.
.With the current technical level, only a director like Cameron who understands both models and computer special effects can rack his brains and serve a feast that the audience will be happy with.
"You have to hurry up. It's released in the summer, and the special effects haven't been finished yet. There's also editing, are you too late?"
"Terminator 2" has been officially named "Terminator 2: Judgment Day" and is scheduled to be released nationwide in early July.
Carloco's pockets are already empty, and the person responsible for the distribution is Samsung Pictures, a relationship that Ronald hired. If Cameron fails to complete it on time, it will cause the two companies to suffer financial losses. This film
There is no room for delay in the movie. Cameron must work overtime like crazy to catch up on the schedule...
"I'm going to work twelve hours a day, seven days a week. I've calculated every working time, and I'll definitely make it in time." Cameron bit into a Burger King, took a sip of Coke, and told Rona confidently.
Morality guaranteed.
"Well, don't be too nervous. It's okay to take one day off a week...otherwise your efficiency will be reduced. I'll send someone to bring you and the team some delicious food every day..."
…
After dealing with the Terminator matter, Ronald met Yang Yanzi again.
"If I want to see you now, do I still need to make an appointment?" Ronald said to Yang Yanzi with a smile.
Yang Yanzi was extremely busy with the preparations for several film projects. As Ronald's assistant, she had to let a newcomer from the company take over temporarily. Ronald had not seen her in the company for several days.
"Boss, I'm working for you. These are all your projects..."
"How is the distribution of those two Chinese-language films going?" Ronald finished joking and asked about the progress of the business.
"Boss, I was just about to report to you that the distribution work in Chinatown has encountered some obstacles..."
"Are there any obstacles? Chinatown movie theaters are showing Chinese movies, shouldn't they be happy?" Ronald couldn't help but wonder. Originally, these movie theaters were distressed because they didn't have Chinese movie rooms.
"I'm happy, but many movie theaters in Chinatown have no money to renovate and can no longer operate. Large-scale closures may occur this year or next. Not only them, many old movie theaters in old cities can't survive either."
"Why? Didn't it run well in the past few years? I haven't heard of any problems... After all these years, can it still operate without renovation?"
"Boss, I only found out after chatting with them. This is stipulated in the bill that was just passed at the end of last year..."
Yang Yanzi took out a bound document from the folder. There were the words "PL 101-336" in the upper corner of the cover, indicating that this was Bill No. 336 passed by the 101st Congress. In the middle was the name of this bill.
Name, "America with Disabilities Act."
Ronald turned to the back, "In America, 6% of the population is disabled. This bill is based on the principle of fairness for all Americans. It stipulates that public facilities must provide disabled access to ensure that disabled people can enjoy equal public services."
and access to facilities.”
In the subsequent implementation details, cinemas are also counted as a type of public facilities.
"Oh, Shxt!"
Ronald slapped his forehead. This is a move that has a great impact on the film industry. But in Hollywood, not many people really discuss this matter. Because they are all chasing the glamorous part of making movies, not many people
From being dirty, tiring, and having to do a lot of trivial things every day in the film industry.
Old-fashioned movie theaters, including most of the movie theaters in Chinatown, are theater-style. They can accommodate hundreds of audiences, and are often separated by stairs to form a two-story staircase. Some large old-fashioned movie theaters imitate
The shape of the opera house even has upstairs seats or boxes.
As soon as this bill comes out, those middle stairs must be installed with passages that are convenient for people with disabilities to go up and down. Generally speaking, in order to accommodate the audience to the maximum extent, these old-fashioned theaters have very narrow stair passages that are convenient for the audience to go up and down, and it is impossible to simply add them.
Install a disabled access.
To meet this bill, some seats must be removed and disabled access must be installed. Those theaters with upstairs locations must also develop elevators that meet the requirements of disabled people.
Although the intention of this bill is good, these theaters are already operating in dismal conditions. It is completely suicidal to be closed for several weeks to carry out renovation projects. And if disabled access is built, how many disabled people can come to the theater?
What about watching movies? How about leaving a few wheelchair-friendly spots for them?
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! This is a very troublesome thing. When operating facilities that do not meet the requirements, the undercover investigators of the Federal Ministry of Justice who are responsible for the inspection are not vegetarians. Leave more seats for the disabled.
Time is wasted when no one comes to see it, and it also makes other viewers dislike it. If there is less left, they will complain again, complain to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and it is no joke to be in the media.
Therefore, instead of going to war, many operators of old movie theaters are thinking of simply going out of business.
"This is an opportunity..." Ronald's mind flashed and he remembered Thomas W. Stephenson Jr., a young man from the East Coast Hollywood Cinema.
Although these cinemas are not very profitable, one thing is for sure, the locations are pretty good. Back then they were popular stalls in the downtown area, so they were used to build cinemas.
Thomas Jr. came to Los Angeles with Douglas Jr. Thomas W. Stephenson Jr. also knew about this opportunity, but he just didn't have the extra funds to do this business. It was a chain of theaters developed in the countryside of New Jersey. It was very traditional and old-school.
There is no room for imagination, so there are no people on Wall Street pursuing it, and financing is difficult.
When Ronald took the initiative to contact him this time, he knew that good luck was on his way.
Douglas Hansen Jr., whose family is the largest landowner on Staten Island, made his fortune by building various commercial facilities. This business fits perfectly into the movie theater renovation business.
They looked at the address list given by Ronald and investigated the movie theaters in major cities on the West Coast that encountered operating difficulties under the new law. The three studied for a while and divided these movie theaters into several destinations.
There are some local historical and cultural landmark theaters that involve a lot of people's feelings. The best way is to preserve them. These theaters will be excluded from the scope of acquisition because they can't make much money by buying them.
.
Some of the old large cinemas in downtown areas can be demolished and rebuilt into modern multiplex cinemas.
There are also some old cinemas in poor locations with a lot of open space around them. If they meet the conditions, they can be bought and developed into shopping mall complexes.
The three people discussed and decided to take advantage of this legal wave to attack the east and west coasts. Thomas W. Stephenson Jr. was responsible for the theater management talents and management model, and Douglas Jr. used the family business to renovate and select locations for construction.
work, and Ronald was responsible for most of the funding.
The only irreplaceable resource that Hollywood has truly mastered is distribution. With the scale effect and original production volume as the threshold, it is difficult for latecomers to get involved in America's domestic distribution business.
But this Disability Act, which included movie theaters as public facilities, accidentally opened a small window for Ronald to get involved in the distribution business.