"This is protected by the First Amendment... We didn't know it was going to happen..." Jerry Bruckheimer returned Ronald's call.
In fact, the boundary between parody and infringement is a bit blurry. There is actually controversy over whether this "Today's Fighting Condor" plagiarized the backbone of "Top Gun" or whether it was a re-creation with a mocking mentality.
The director of the movie is Jim Abrahams, who actually met Ronald. He is the partner of the Zak brothers. In "The Last of Us", they made an exception and the three people jointly signed the director's name. The Zak brothers no longer want to direct this kind of spoof
This time as director, this time Jim Abrahams takes the lead alone.
Copyright law stipulates that if you comment, criticize, or ridicule the original work, it falls under the category of "fair use" and does not constitute plagiarism, and does not require the permission of the original copyright holder.
"But they plagiarized the core of Top Gun, the fierce competition between pilots at the training base, the relationship with the female instructor, and the final climax..." Although Ronald also knew that it was indeed difficult to rule it illegal, but
It's still a little tempering to have someone prank your favorite work like this.
"I said, man, no one in Hollywood is going to testify for you. The writers and directors of the movie, who have such expertise and the judge is going to call expert witnesses, who will risk offending the entire comedian community to testify for you?
?" Bruckheimer also thought about suing, but all roads were blocked.
"I remember the principle of fairness, which requires ensuring that the market value of the original work is not damaged. Wouldn't such a spoof affect the sales of Top Gun video tapes?" Ronald followed the instructions on a piece of fax paper and asked from a different angle.
Another form of litigation.
This was a cheat sheet sent to him from New York by attorney Lindsay Dole.
"Hey, I thought the same thing as you, but when the lawyer went to collect evidence, he found that the rental rate and sales of Top Gun this week had increased slightly. Many people have never watched Top Gun, and they heard that "Today's Fighting Condor" is a spoof.
It's there, I want to borrow it to have a look..."
"Shxt!" Although Ronald could still receive checks from Top Gun every quarter for the remaining dividends from his video tapes, the most important thing was that he was still feeling awkward.
…
Something even more embarrassing for Ronald is yet to come.
On Monday, the weekend box office statistics came out. Ronald's "Other People's Money", with the blessing of Harvard professors, rushed to 7.8 million. The box office of a single theater is more than 4,000 US dollars, in this kind of subject
For a drama with a little depth, it's pretty good.
The box office of "Terminator 2" continued to decline by 20% every week, closing at 7.6 million, which was surpassed by Ronald's new film.
But the number one box office hit was still the spoof "The Condor", which even exceeded 8 million, and was still above Ronald.
"Hey, how could you be defeated by such a movie?" Ronald held a barbecue party at home and invited Cameron and Linda Hamilton to come together. He stopped pretending to be happy in front of Cameron.
.The results in the first weekend were not better than those in the second week, which made my face not look good, so I sighed.
"Stop talking about you, my Terminator 2 cost so much, and now he has ranked first..."
The total investment of "Today's Fighting Condor" is just over 20 million, which is of course very high for a spoof film, but compared with serious movies, it is still a small and medium-sized production.
They did not have the help of the US military, so they hired "Flanders" fighter jets. The flight deck of the aircraft carrier was built on a cliff in the desert.
But by making do with the simplicity, the result actually made the audience laugh out loud. This kind of rough effect goes well with the atmosphere of this kind of spoof comedy.
To be honest, after seeing the box office results and the crudeness of the filming, Ronald began to wonder whether he should follow suit and make this kind of movie. Instead of letting you prank me to make money, I might as well prank it myself.
I'm fine on my own.
But when I think about my status as a commercial film, I really can’t bear to let my company produce a work that makes money by copying other people’s films.
"Why is your movie rated R?" Cameron didn't understand something and asked Ronald.
"Foul language and talking about relationships between men and women..." Ronald said calmly after taking a sip of beer and eating some barbecue.
"Can't this be edited?" Cameron was even more confused. Such a commercial-themed comedy movie is actually not the kind of exploitation film that relies on words and senses to stimulate the audience. On the contrary, the jokes in it are a bit advanced.
"If we re-edit, we need to reshoot key transitional plots. Several leading actors are unable to free up their schedules. In addition, if it has to be postponed to the off-season of October, the box office may be even worse. I will not appeal again..."
"Hmph..." Cameron also wants to make his Terminator PG-13, but he can only think about it. If a movie with such a violent aesthetic becomes PG-13... "Is the MPAA making things difficult for you?
"
"I can't say..." Ronald didn't want to go into the discussion. It involved a lot of conflicts and exchanges of interests. This time, someone was deliberately trying to make him feel a little sad.
But this is a minor issue, and Ronald didn't bother too much. "Other people's money", to be honest, won't lose many young audiences just because the rating is reduced from PG-13 to R. They would also watch it in the first place.
I don't understand such a complicated plot.
"Establish your production company as soon as possible so that you can become a member of the Producers Association. When the next MPAA election is held, we will work together to get a director seat."
MPAA ratings are reviewed by some anonymous parents. Several film studios that are official members of the MPAA certainly have a lot of room for internal operations. Some small and medium-sized producers can only be manipulated by others.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! In addition to the traditional Hollywood Seven (United Arts was eliminated after bankruptcy), this year there are Ambassador Pictures, Orion Pictures, and De Laurentiis Pictures, Film Road
Film and Television and several other medium-sized producers. These film studios suffered major blows after the stock market crash and interest rate hikes, and one after another went bankrupt and shut down.
If the MPAA is dominated by large studios that control distribution channels, it will be more difficult for small and medium-sized producers to do business. The rating system is an important key to the distribution system. In many places, large companies with distribution rights can use ratings steadily.
Come and hold you.
Therefore, the introduction of new MPAA members who represent the interests of small and medium-sized producers has been very popular in the past two years. During the next election, many small and medium-sized producers want to squeeze in, or join together to form an alliance to participate.
.
Ronald was also planning this matter, and it just so happened that Cameron himself was about to set up his own production company. After his ex-wife Gale Hurd left, he mainly worked as a part-time director.
The success of "Terminator 2" allowed him to form his own team to participate in the filming of future movies.
"We have to learn a lesson from this time. We will make more movies above PG-13 in the future. Now we can only look for the greatest common denominator when making movies, and we cannot find movies that suit the tastes of a small number of audiences." Ronald concluded.
"There must also be plots of family, husband and wife, lovers, and children..." Cameron added. Try to work more in the family fun genre, which has the greatest box office potential.
"It is best to conform to the common values of people around the world..."
…
Fortunately, in the second week, the spoof movie "Today's Fighting Condor" lacked stamina and fell by 26%, falling to just over 6 million, allowing "other people's money" with an unusually stable number of moviegoers to sell at 6.
1.2 million successfully reached the top spot, surpassing it and temporarily taking the top spot on the box office list.
In this off-season, which is about to end in the summer, this result is enough for "Other People's Money" to at least top the box office list for a week, maintaining Ronald's consistent record.
"How long has it been since you first came to my show?" The famous film review host, Bobbi Wygant, made an exception this time and went to Ronald's house to interview Diane Lane.
If senior viewers of NBC Channel 5 are careful, they will find that in this interview, the sofas where the two interviewers and the interviewee sat, and the furniture in the room are much more expensive and tasteful than those in ordinary hotels.
There are some Chinese-style wooden furniture, which are very distinctive.
"Oh, I remember it was Douyu, right? I went with Matt Dillon and Nicolas Cage..." Diane wore a light yellow shirt, with her hair flowing behind her head, just like the one on the show back then.
There is a big difference in the little girl's dress.
"Later there was the Cotton Club..." Bobbi Wygant also showed Diane two photos taken at that time.
"Yes, they are all Coppola's projects. Hahaha... Why was I so fat at the time..." Diane laughed. She appeared on two shows that year, but both suffered huge box office failures and fell directly out of Hollywood actresses.
of ranks.
"I have to say that I feel very emotional about you then and you now. You were still a little girl at that time, and look at you now, you are a wife and a mother..."
"Ah, yes, a lot of changes..." Diane doesn't feel insecure now. Compared with the tense look back then, she is much more relaxed.
"I heard that you and your husband, the director Ronald Lee, worked together on Coppola's crew?" Barbie Wygant came up with carefully prepared questions for this interview.
She also wants a breakthrough in ratings.
"Ha, you are really well prepared..." Diane showed a smile.
"I did my homework. What was your impression of him at that time?"
"I had a secret crush on him at that time..."
"Do you have a crush on him? Why?"
"You look so handsome, hahahaha..."
"What impressed you most about him?"
"He plays table tennis well. He defeated all the male actors in the crew..."
"Getting back to the subject, do you think there is any difference when Ronald directs you compared to when Coppola directs you?" Bobbi Wygant received strong sponsorship from Ronald this time, giving her a show in Dallas,
Having secured sponsorship from Coca-Cola, I will definitely repay the couple in a big way this time. So the problem ultimately has to be led to Diane’s acting skills.
"Professional speaking, well, Director Coppola is more talented on the spot. He can discover the possibilities of your performance on the spot, and then let you do it again.
Ronnie is a director who is more actor-oriented, he will create good opportunities so that actors can be free from any worries and give full play to themselves, well, and also, he usually doesn't shoot many scenes."
"Ah, when I interviewed Cher last time, she said the same thing. Is working with Ronald less stressful?"
"Yes, we, I mean the two leading actors, Mr. Parker and Tom, both felt that the filming team was very loving and it was a pleasant experience."
"What do you think is the difficulty in performing your character Kate?"
"First of all, Kate is a Wall Street lawyer. To be professional, I spent several weeks working with real female lawyers in New York to learn their speaking habits and clothing. At the same time, she is also a beautiful woman. I want to be here
Find a balance between the two...
As for acting, because I was lucky enough to work with two great actors, the performance was very enjoyable..."
"Thank you, Diane..." Bobbi Wygant ended the interview with a smile. She said everything that should be said. This time, Ronald spent a lot of money on his wife to pursue an Oscar nomination.
Anyway, I will cooperate if you pay. Dallas is not a very commercially developed city. With the sponsorship brought by Ronald, the influence of her program will be greatly improved.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "I asked Ronald to talk to you, haha, you can hear his side of things from him..." Diane stood up to call Ronald
.
"Hey, happy women always behave stupidly..." Bobbi Wygant stopped her with a smile, saying that Mr. Ronald is busy, so he can just wait. What else can I say, this interview with me
I just follow your husband’s wishes and give you a higher evaluation of your acting skills..."
Diane felt sorry and went to Ronald's study. He was talking about Chinese films with his former assistant Yang Yanzi inside.
"This is really interesting. The Mainland China's selection for the Oscar's Best Foreign Language Film was also starring an acquaintance of mine..."
Last year, "Ju Dou" directed by Yimou Zhang was very likely to win the best foreign language film. However, because Yimou did not come for some reasons, he missed a good opportunity. This time his new film "Raise the Red Lantern" is smarter.
, it was selected through a company in Xiangjiang, and it occupies a quota in Xiangjiang.
But what I didn't expect was that the one selected as a gift from the mainland this time was actually "New Year" starring Mrs. Zhao Lirong.
"Which movie do you think is likely to win more awards?" Ronald asked Yang Yanzi.
"If the movie reflects the national character, it is undoubtedly the Chinese New Year. This movie is a huge contradiction and irony. The Chinese New Year is originally a day of reunion, just like our Christmas. But instead it exposes all the family conflicts.
However, the core of this kind of movie is so profound that I doubt even the judges, not to mention ordinary American audiences, can understand it."
"Then you mean Yimou's movie?" Ronald heard the implication.
"Yes, patriarchal oppression and female tragedy are common themes all over the world. Besides, Yimou's movies are rich in color and style..."
"Haha, that's it. We will put all our public relations resources on this movie and strive to win the nomination." Ronald understood what Yang Yanzi meant. "If it wins, it will be fully launched in our Chinese theaters...
"Dear, Bobbi Wygant..." Seeing that Ronald seemed to have finished his work, Diane immediately came in and interrupted.
"Ah, Honey, I'll be right away." Ronald stood up and explained to Yang Yanzi.
"Barbie Wygant is still the same, but my performance this time is much better than before." Diane strongly felt that her performance in this interview was very relaxed and must be very photogenic.
"This is just the beginning, you still have many interviews to go..."