Shirley Lansing wore a bright red office girl suit, a broken diamond brooch, and a small platinum necklace with a huge diamond on it, which kept stimulating Ronald's eyes.
"Hello, Ms. Lansing..." Ronald rubbed his eyes.
Not only is she "radiant", but Shirley Lansing apparently had lip augmentation surgery and had her typically Jewish nose reshaped. It would be great if she was still working as an actress.
In terms of career, Ronald would tell her that you have reached the age of playing a mother, so stop doing this kind of surgery that will be exposed to the camera in an attempt to stay in the role of a girl.
In addition, Shirley Lansing's accent has also changed a lot. She originally had a central Chicago accent, but now she speaks like a "valley girl". I really don't know what this woman is thinking. Maybe Paramount
Do those old men like this tune?
"I heard Kevin (Hu Wen, her agent) say, you have something you want..." If Shirley Lansing has made any progress in the field of independent production in the past few years, she understands it.
Not everyone is interested in her beauty, especially a young man like Ronald, who has the best effect if he speaks directly.
"Yes, I want this..." Ronald handed over a note.
"A satirical novel by Winston Groom? I heard that Warner Bros. has given up on it and put him in rotation? The previous Rain Man has exhausted the audience potential of this genre... Well, it is
I'm too talkative. If I get this position, I will definitely try my best..."
"It's not about trying my best. I have to get this script. It has nothing to do with the box office, it's my personal preference..." Ronald interrupted the other party's stylized statement.
"OK, it's not too difficult to think about. I have a good relationship with Terry Tramel from Warner Bros., but why don't you go and get it yourself from them?"
Ronald shrugged and thought, if I could buy it, would I still talk nonsense to you?
"It's my problem." Shirley Lansing made a gesture of zipping up her mouth, thinking that this must be a personal grudge. Many people in Hollywood do not regard movies as a pure business.
.
Some directors and producers, knowing that the movie has no potential at the box office, will still make a certain movie in order to realize their dreams. Thinking of this, she glanced at Ronald. There are also some people who feel disrespected for some trivial things.
, it is common to just refuse to cooperate with certain people and wait until the most suitable person dies.
"Speaking of box office matters, if it wasn't for some hobbies, how would you consider whether to film a certain script?" Shirley Lansing brought the topic back to the exam she was about to take.
"This is nothing more than those clichés, Shirley. You are also a producer, so you understand. The star is the most important thing. The script has the commitment of the star, and then it is matched with a suitable director, supporting actors, technical team, etc., instead of
in turn."
Ronald first talked about some common sense in the industry, and then he was shocked to find that Shirley Lansing actually wrote down with a pen in a small leather notebook:
"Stars are number one..."
"This..." Ronald was full of doubts. Could this woman just follow Stanley Jaffe and do some administrative work? Didn't you do any decision-making work on those successful film projects?
Even if you follow Jia Fei and watch and hear, you won't understand nothing, right?
"Well, what else? I watched your previous movies before I came here, and I found that you have a special eye for selecting scripts, better than any Hollywood producer I know. Is there any secret here?"
Shirley Lansing really doesn't particularly understand the choices of Hollywood producers. She has always been Stanley Jaffe's assistant and is responsible for implementing the decisions made by Jaffe. More time is spent on distribution, marketing, etc.
At the time, I didn’t know if she wanted to reminisce about the feeling she had when she was filming movies and TV series.
Lansing has also appeared on several Bobbi Wygant interview shows, which is rare in the producer circle. How can ordinary producers leave precious camera time to themselves and all to the starring actors?
of the stars.
"Alas..." Ronald sighed in his heart. He overestimated this person's ability. He had made some preparations before coming, but looking at those things now, it would be difficult for Shirley Lansing to say it.
I understand, why not just explain something simple.
"Ahem, actually I don't know what makes a movie a hit. Maybe it's because I'm very lucky. I have two criteria for selecting scripts..." Ronald raised two fingers.
"Oh?" Shirley Lansing probed forward, her whole body mobilized, waiting for Ronald to tell her "secret".
"Ahem..." Ronald waited there for several seconds, feeling a little stiff. Why didn't this woman understand her conditions?
"Oh, don't worry, when I become the president of Paramount Pictures, I will communicate with Warner Brothers as soon as possible and buy the script. However, I also have a condition... You have to
The distribution contract remains with Paramount..."
Shirley Lansing is not very stupid, at least her ability to observe people's emotions is excellent.
"There is no need to be so anxious. They are not willing to sell to me. Just follow normal business operations..." Ronald touched his chin. Warner Bros. was deeply disapproving of him. If they knew that he was involved, or
I saw something was wrong, and this matter became dirty again.
"I understand, I will do a good job in this matter. How to make them feel like they are begging me and not to make this script too conspicuous. I am best at these office things..."
Ronald then withdrew a finger. Although Lansing didn't understand movies, he knew how to get what he wanted in the world of big studios dominated by old men. He stopped being pretentious and prepared specially for himself.
The "secret" was revealed.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! "I only look for two things in the script. As long as there is one, I feel that the quality of the script is good and I can try it. If there are both, then
If you can cooperate with the right director and actors, you can have a chance to win a big box office victory..."
Shirley Lansing remained motionless and stared very intently at Ronald's mouth. This was all a true insight.
"First, I will look for a protagonist that you want to cheer for..."
"Like Tess from Working Girl? An idol for all young American women?" Shirley Lansing blurted out.
"Well, it's not necessarily all cute and positive. Think of the Lone Ranger in Top Gun or Johnny in Dirty Dancing. These people can have flaws, and you don't necessarily like them particularly, but they
They have that exciting quality about them, and you can cheer them on..."
…
"These are very precious secrets. I don't know how to thank you... Ah, the script adapted from that novel is not enough to repay it. I also recently supervised the production of a movie, which was my last work before joining Paramount.
, do you want to be a nominal executive producer? After I join the job, I will let Paramount handle the distribution..."
Ten minutes later, Shirley Lansing was almost moved to tears after listening to the precious "Secrets of Film Selection". She had been Stanley Jaffe's partner for so many years, and she had never heard such a simple thing.
Such a useful "secret".
After giving so much time, energy, and beauty to Stanley Jaffe, who already had a family, he could not have taught me more than a young man who only made simple and reasonable requests. Hey, when I was young, how could I
Have you never met such a good person?
"Is there such a good thing?" Ronald asked Lansing to show the film to his colleagues at Daydream. Shirley Lansing is a bit interesting, although she actually doesn't have any deep understanding of the film industry.
Cognition, but a deep understanding of how to repay collaborators.
Ronald helped her because he wanted her to help him get the script and help Tom Cruise sign a distribution contract, so that his foundation in Hollywood would be deeper.
But Lansing knew that this kind of cooperation had its flaws, which was the lack of mutual trust between the two parties. So she took the initiative to use the power that she could only exercise before she became the president of Paramount Pictures, and first transferred her private production.
Movies, take them out as benefits that can be cashed in immediately.
Anyway, if she becomes the president, she will definitely gain fame and fortune by participating in this movie. If she doesn't, then all the cooperation today will not count. I have to say that she still understands business very well.
…
"Shxt, how could someone make a movie like this? I don't want to be named an executive producer..."
But Ronald immediately regretted it, and while daydreaming, he and Michelle Cannold watched a copy of Shirley Lansing's "School Ties" movie that had been sent to her.
It makes people's brains feel like they're going to explode.
Looking at the plot, a Jewish student is awarded a football quarterback scholarship, enters a prep school, and gets along with a group of white elite students, but he has to keep a huge secret, that is, he is Jewish.
What kind of cerebral palsy plot is this? Can Jews still be discriminated against now? It's not before the 1950s. Oh, by the way, this movie is a story from the 1950s... Then what the hell is there?
Who wants to see it?
"Hey, Ronald, have you watched that movie? Are you still watching it? How is it? Does it fit your two tips perfectly? I just want to say that because this movie is very similar to your Dirty Dancing.
Only then did I decide to invest. Yes, yes, this movie is very popular among the Jewish circles in Hollywood. I think it will be a big hit. Those cute male protagonists will also become the new Brad Gang.
…”
Before Shirley Lansing went to the second round of interviews, she even called Ronald specifically to ask for credit.
"It's very popular in the Jewish community?" Ronald heard this and thought, how about I invest a little and become an executive producer? You can get praise from the Jewish community by spending a little money. This is also a solution.
The Jewish Federation's good means can just resist the hostility of some Jews who hold on to their views on their ethnic group.
"I have to say, these actors are really good. I think their acting skills are much better than those of the Brad Gang back then..."
Michelle Cannold said to Ronald that when Ronald went to answer the phone, he had already watched the movie for more than 20 minutes. The movie had many teenage characters, and the acting skills of these people were okay.
Much better than the so-called Brad Gang ten years ago, at least it can be seen that they have received good training in drama performance.
"The Brad Gang", Ronald smiled, this name has not been mentioned for a long time. This gang started with Coppola's "The Kid", and later performed in Joe Schumacher's "St. Al"
The young actors and actresses from "The Breakfast Club" and John Hughes' "The Breakfast Club" swept the pop culture of the United States, but in the end only a few came out, and most of them disappeared from the public.
He sat down and continued to watch the movie. Michelle Cannold said it right. These young people born around 1970 do have better acting skills and understanding of the movie itself than Brad Gang.
Much more. When someone from the 1970s acted in a teen drama from the 1950s, there was no flaw at all, at least he couldn't see it.
This at least shows that these actors are well-educated and can understand the atmosphere in which Jews were still discriminated against in mainstream society for 50 years. Unlike those in the Brad Gang, most of them can only act instinctively and deviate slightly from themselves.
The background of the performance is so incomprehensible.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! "It's really good. Please pay attention to the subtitles. What are the names of these people? They are some good seeds..." Ronald doesn't want to read any more. Actor and Director
All the efforts were ruined by the inappropriate script.
"Okay, Ronald..." Michelle Cannold quickly opened the brochure, which read the list of the main actors of this movie, Brendan Fraser, Matt Damon, Ke
Reese O'Donnell, Ben Affleck... write them all down one by one.
"By the way..." Michelle Cannold heard some rumors and was a little jealous about it. After hesitating for a while, she finally asked, "I heard that you have some secrets for selecting movies?"
"Hahaha, that's an old trick told to Shirley Lansing..." Ronald thought clearly to Cannold, "...just these two points, these are general things, you
Shirley Lansing must have been very excited when watching this movie, and it perfectly matched these two points, but what's the use? The mainstream audience didn't feel it at all, she just moved herself..."
"Hahaha..." Michelle Cannold was relieved. There is really a secret. It's impossible for boss Ronald not to tell him first. The premise for the establishment of this "secret" is your aesthetics and the public of the American audience.
The aesthetics must be consistent, otherwise the selected movies will just suit your own preferences. Most people who disappeared after becoming successful in Hollywood did so because their aesthetic tastes distanced themselves from the public after becoming successful...
…
"The most important thing at the box office is the characters, the stars, and the best director. This kind of packaging policy is the basis for ensuring the box office, but it is our packaging, not the packaging imposed by Ovitz. Also, some scripts with small investments can also make profits.
, but those cannot use stars to star. We have to distinguish between two types of scripts, depending on whether there are stars to join, and adopt different marketing strategies... For example, my current independent production of Campus Storm..." Shirley Lansing faced
The second round interview team composed of several old men chatted...
"Ms. Lansing, your discussion of Paramount's production strategy meets our needs, but the foundation of the strategy is to select the right movies. What are your thoughts on this?"
Martin Davis, chairman of Paramount's parent company, who was very satisfied with her answer, personally asked an important question, which also represented the final test.
"If I have learned anything from working with outstanding artists, it is that I have always believed that the script is the foundation of a good movie. And I have always been looking for two things in the script. If there is one, it can be considered for production, and if there are two, it can be considered for production.
Has the potential to sell well.
First……"
"Very good, what you said makes sense to me, but what about the second thing?" Martin Davis chatted with people in Hollywood. He had never had such an experience. A beautiful woman could combine those complicated things with just a few.
It can be explained clearly in a few sentences, and it matches the best-selling movies in Paramount's history...
"Second, watching a movie is not a passive experience. You have to have a huge emotional investment. So I will look for such touching plots in the script. The Silence of the Lambs will scare you, Wall Street will make you sigh, and the Vietnam War will make you sigh.
Movies make you depressed..." Shirley Lansing used a fist gesture to emphasize the point of her expression.
"You really understand..." Martin Davis ended the interview happily and shook hands with Shirley Lansing.
"How are you feeling?" he asked Stanley Jaffe, Shirley Lansing's longtime costar next to him.
"To be honest, it far exceeded my expectations. It seems that Shirley has made rapid progress in the past two years." Stanley Jaffe did not expect that Shirley Lansing could summarize it so well.
"Yes, Yes..." Shirley Lansing got a call from her old partner Jaffe and knew that she was doing very well. She happily gave her husband William Friedkin, who had not been married long, two punches.
Ronald's two points are quite useful. Although I have done this in the past, it is not as simple and easy to understand as what he summarized. This ability is not possessed by ordinary directors. Most people are in project meetings.
It's hard to explain clearly.
Looking at her husband William Friedkin, who was also a member of the New Hollywood movement back then, and who no longer makes big-budget movies, Shirley Lansing also lamented: No wonder, the director’s strength lies in telling stories using audio-visual language.
Language skills are actually more important to producers.
Soon, Shirley Lansing was appointed as the president and CEO of Paramount Pictures. She also entered Paramount as the vice president of production in advance, waiting for the handover period between Cruise/Wagner Pictures and Paramount Pictures.