Chapter 471: Sugar-coated traps and stepping stones
Perot was a self-made entrepreneur. After retiring from the Navy, he worked as a salesman for IBM and immediately set an annual sales record. After IBM did not adopt his suggestion of using electronic storage to replace traditional paper files, he himself
A company called Electronic Data Systems was established and won a government contract to store medical insurance records.
This allowed him to successfully become rich, and was later hailed as the fastest person to become a billionaire by Fortune magazine.
This man does things completely unlike a traditional American rich man. He uses naval methods to manage his company and respects honor and records. The most well-known thing is that during the Persian Revolution, he organized a private armed force to enter Tehran.
, rescued the company employees who were trapped there.
Perot also found the famous novelist, Ken Follett, and wrote a novel "On Eagle Wings" based on it, which became a best-seller. It was also made into a TV movie in 1985, with more than 20 million copies.
The audience has seen it.
After becoming famous, his company was acquired by General Motors for $2.5 billion. This year, his personal wealth was valued at $3 billion.
Therefore, Perot has the confidence to say that voters who support him should not donate more than five dollars, thereby opposing the electoral system of the two parties that relies on large donations to PAC. Moreover, he also shows his true qualities as a businessman and can be elected
A free talk show with no advertising.
He has appeared on the programs of more serious talk show hosts such as Larry King and Barbara Waters. He has also promoted his own ideas and gained a large number of rational elephants in the suburbs and in the city.
There is support from the Donkey Party members who agree with old Ronald’s ideas.
"He is a master at discovering and exploiting public opinion..."
Ronald spent some time watching Perot's talk show and came to this conclusion.
He knows what the people like to hear, and he also knows why those people who were originally unwilling to vote are disappointed with this country. Therefore, his ideas are very popular with that kind of people.
For example, he advocates that rich people should spend more than ordinary people to eliminate budget deficits. Although he is a rich man himself, he is more popular among poor people than the governor of Arkansas who has a grassroots background.
For example, he packages himself as a business master, although his business is actually the kind of government outsourcing business that relies on his connections in the navy and government relations. He has not outperformed his competitors in free competition.
As for today's movie audiences, have their concepts changed significantly from before? Ronald remembered the movie he dreamed about on the plane, picked up the phone and called Richard.
…
"Oh? And they're questioning your client's appeal among the audience?"
"No, I am not his agent now. I am talking to you as a producer of C/W Production Company."
After hearing the news that Ronald phase was working with Tom Cruise again, his former agent and current partner Paula Wagner was so excited that she came to visit Ronald as quickly as possible. When she saw Ronald, she apologized first
, through her husband Niceta, she broke up the relationship before Cruise's agent, and went to the house to talk directly without following the rules.
Now that the cooperation between Tom Cruise and Shirley Lansing has been negotiated, the two parties will form a close alliance. Lansing will give Tom Cruise the opportunity to cooperate beyond the regular sharing, while Cruise will contribute some
The return on investment is not very high, but it is a project that is guaranteed to be profitable.
This kind of cooperation relies on Tom Cruise's super attraction to movie fans. This is not something that ordinary people can compete with. It has been certified by Cinema Score, the most authoritative audience reputation survey company in Hollywood. It is the only one in Hollywood that can
Taking advantage of bad audience reputation and single-handedly raising the level of superstar.
Generally speaking, the Cinema Score rating can roughly tell how many times the total box office of a movie will be the first weekend box office. This multiplier index is correct in the vast majority of movies. With a few exceptions
, there’s “Cocktail” starring Tom Cruise and Elisabeth Shue.
This movie, which has a very bad reputation among the audience, has received a box office multiplier two levels higher than the word-of-mouth rating. It is impossible that this was brought about by Elizabeth Shue? Therefore, the producer has a high opinion of Tom Cruise.
Take a look, because with him, there is double insurance.
With such ability, people still doubt whether she can get the box office she deserves. It stands to reason that Shirley Lansing is not such a stupid person? She is now in desperate need of a superstar to bring blockbuster projects to her new movie.
The position builds confidence. I have never heard of such a veteran being so stupid as to ruin the cooperation by bargaining before the project is completed...
"This is other pressure from within Paramount..." Paula Wagner had no reservations about Ronald and explained the current situation within Paramount.
Now Shirley Lansing has become the vice president in charge of production. She is now in the necessary stage of changing CEOs at major studios, a handover period of about six months. The studio business is not like other businesses.
Many projects need to be watched by the person in charge until they are completed, otherwise the person who takes over midway may mess up the project because they are unclear about the situation (or intentionally).
Although this makes the predecessor look bad, it is good news for the new one, but it is not good for the stock price of the listed company... Therefore, there is usually a six-month handover period for the old man to complete the projects that should be done.
, and then the new employee can move forward without any burden.
But Shirley Lansing messed up one thing. Before she even took office, she let her independently produced "School Ties" be released early in an attempt to get some extra box office before the fiercely competitive summer season.
You can establish greater authority for yourself.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Shirley Lansing originally thought that this kind of youth-oriented movie would be like John Hughes's youth movie, which was a complete hit, both applauded and well-received. Likewise.
It is a theme about teenagers, and there is no intense dramatic conflict, but it has the kind of reflection on teenagers and the outlook for adulthood.
But contrary to expectations, the movie's box office was a mess, and the production cost was not even recovered at the box office. Shirley Lansing was instantly questioned greatly, and some people began to ask whether she was the best candidate for Paramount's future CEO.
"Oh, can't she wait until she takes office to try this trick again?" Ronald understood at a glance that this was a way of using his power to sell his bad works at a good price.
"Shirley thought this movie would be a hit..."
"John Hughes's teen movies were about teenagers in the 1980s, and all those viewers saw on the screen were themselves. Who the hell wants to see a few handsome guys acting in an old story from the 1950s?
A Jew is discriminated against because of his identity? It would be better if they did not discriminate against other people? Sorry, I shouldn't say this in front of you..."
Ronald was just about to curse when he remembered that Paula was also Jewish.
"It's okay, I also want to scold her. Why is this guy so short-sighted?" Paula Wagner was anxious, and she felt even more hatred for Shirley Lansing's stupidity. He had just made Tom Cruise and
Shirley Lansing is tied together to some extent, the purpose is to find a stable distribution channel for her C/W production, not to wipe the butt of an unqualified CEO.
Both sides scolded Shirley Lansing severely, but both laughed out loud when they came back. The more stupid she is, the higher the terms of cooperation can be raised with her, right? The pressure on Paula Wagner is also
Once Ronald and Tom Cruise work together again, any objections will be eliminated.
Because those at Paramount's parent company, just hearing that the golden duo of "Top Gun" were working together again, couldn't listen to any other objections.
"What subject do you want to film? Lawyers, business? Another Wall Street?" Speaking of formal cooperation, Paula Wagner also wants to fight for a better genre film for Tom Cruise. I heard Ronald
She was a little surprised by the idea.
I originally thought that Ronald would continue with business war films, or return to movies for teenagers like Top Gun. Unexpectedly, Ronald would come up with a slightly darker subject, which seemed like something only Martin Scorsese would make.
The kind of theme that reflects the dark side of America.
"No, I wanted to make a movie that caters to the current audience's perception. Didn't you see that Perot's approval rating has reached 15% now? Many people actually complain about those Wall Street and gangsters who make money by breaking the law.
I wanted to make a movie that would allow the audience to relieve their stress, allowing them to become like a clown in the movie, and be fooled around by a traditional American small-town boy like Tom..."
"Oh, when you say that, I was reminded of a script. When we were filming A Few Good Men, someone passed the script to Tom through connections. It happened to be an adaptation of a thriller about working as a tax lawyer for a rich man.
But they expected Tom Cruise to direct and star, just like Kevin Costner and Barbra Streisand. Tom knew that he was not very suitable as a director, so he turned it down."
"Oh? What's your name?" Ronald didn't know whether to laugh or cry when he heard the news. Actually, few people outside the circle know that Tom Cruise is dyslexic. Let him, a person who has difficulty reciting his lines, go there
When a director wants to convert text into the audition language, it is simply difficult for him, no wonder he refuses.
…
"Oh, this project is really strange..."
When Ronald got the novel called "The Firm" and the adapted script, he found that the script was not quite what he thought.
The author of this novel is called John Grisham. Before it was published, the manuscript was spotted by Paramount executive Lance Young, who paid $350,000 in advance to buy the rights to adapt it. The novel was then published and distributed.
, achieved bestseller status.
However, due to changes in senior management at Paramount, this project became an ownerless project. The main person driving this project was an independent producer, Scott Rudin. After the change in senior management, he found that no one was paying attention to his project.
, and began to desperately look for interested celebrities everywhere to obtain financial investment.
They asked Tom Cruise to direct, which is the best manifestation of this desperation. The desperation is also reflected in that they asked a playwright, David Leib, to revise the script. After spending tens of thousands of dollars in revision fees, they got
After two revisions, the script had completely transformed into a film noir.
Ronald smacked his lips when he saw that, it was really a noir movie. Tom Cruise played a Harvard Law School graduate named Mitchell Madill, and his wife was named Abby.
In the revised version of the script, the two were just like Warren Beatty's project that failed at the box office and awards the previous year, and the whole thing became a tragedy. Abby was raped in the end, and Mitchell held it
Gun broke into the law firm and killed everyone with his pistol, including his bad boss and gangster clients...
"I wanted a little bit of a dark thriller, but it wasn't really a noir. Who the hell is going to watch Tom Cruise kill everyone in despair and then shoot himself?"
Ronald was so angry that he threw the script on the table. What kind of brains do these people have? This is not the Great Depression. At that time, there were still many audiences willing to watch such crazy revenge under despair.
Now is the age of stars. Of course, Tom Cruise upholds the positive spirit of the traditional American small-town youth, uses his intelligence, bravery, and true love to correct the incorrect things in this society, and finally gains the status of his lover and career.
It's right to be reborn.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The most important issue in the movie is to win the resonance of the audience. Nowadays, people are just dissatisfied with the share of economic development they enjoy. Compared with the 1970s, their lives
, there was still a big improvement.
At this time, if you give them such a tragic ending, they will not have the empathy to deal with the bad guys like this, but will feel that the character of Tom Cruise is a bit anti-social.
Tom Cruise is by no means a candidate for using brute force to solve problems. For that kind of thing, he should go to Schwarzenegger or Stallone. He should use his wisdom as a Harvard law graduate to defeat those stupid bad guys. In the end
It’s only right to win a new chance in life for yourself.
Paula Wagner immediately followed Ronald's advice and hired an expensive script doctor to rewrite and rewrite the script.
Shirley Lansing was even more grateful. This kind of act of giving help in times of need is rare in Hollywood. In order to repay this kind of friendship, she promised to give Tom Cruise a salary of 12 million US dollars to break her own record.
Ronald was given a salary of 5.5 million, which is exactly 500,000 US dollars higher than the current market price of first-line directors.
In addition to this prestigious salary, not surprisingly, Ronald and Tom Cruise also received a share of the box office. This was not announced to the outside world as the promotion of the film. Since Jack Nicholson
After the Joker makes a lot of money, this kind of sharing contract will become evidence that the producer has no negotiating power.
…
"Tom, Nicole, look here, look here..."
In order to celebrate the collaboration between Ronald and Cruise again and the first production since the establishment of C/W Films, Tom Cruise took the initiative to bring his wife Kidman to the premiere of Ronald's new film.
This "Fighter", a collaboration between Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme, would not have been able to attract a high-profile star like Cruise to the premiere, but Tom Cruise was grateful for Ronald's help and still
Take the initiative to support.
"Oh, you know, I have always liked action movies. Me? I can't rule it out, haha..." Tom Cruise was very considerate and said a lot of good things about the two action stars. He even talked to the two leading actors.
group photo.
Of course, Lundgren was on his left and Jean-Claude Van Damme was on his right. The two still did not speak to each other. They only smiled when taking a group photo, and after the photo was taken, they snorted and glared at each other.
This mutual hype gimmick started from the project establishment, to participation in European film festivals, to the premiere. It can be regarded as beginning and end.
"Tsk, after all the hype, the box office performance still didn't exceed expectations."
On Monday, as soon as the box office of the premiere came out, the large-scale screening in more than 1,900 theaters only contributed more than 10 million in box office. Cinema Score also only gave a B rating. It seems that this movie is most popular in theaters.
Stay for five weeks...
"Is it the director's problem?" Distribution Director Michelle Cannold was very puzzled. The plot of this movie is good, and the actors' performances, especially Jean-Claude Van Damme's performance, who plays a dance film, are quite good.
A debut action star, his continuous study over the years has actually given him good acting skills.
"It has nothing to do with Roland Emmerich. It's the audience's taste for stars." Ronald didn't want to blame the German director. This was actually his mistake. The audience's taste drifted quickly. Lundgren and Shangge
Van Damme's square chin is quickly losing the favor of mainstream audiences. They should make pure action movies to gain fans.
"What's next..."
"I will plan some movie ideas suitable for them..." Ronald shook his head. Stars are most afraid of being born at the wrong time. If Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme had debuted ten years earlier, they might not have been unable to break up with Stallone in the 1980s.
Arm wrestling. Now... Of course, everyone prefers stars with small cheeks like Tom Cruise.
"That's great." Michelle Cannold looked at her boss Ronald eagerly, wondering when the idea would come up.
"Wait a minute, I have other things to be busy with..." Ronald waved his hand, indicating that he would not give him the answer right away.
After the other party left, he took out a document from the drawer, which was the letter he wrote complaining about "Hey, Frank" not being released.
Someone wrote instructions in handwriting on it, "We must carry out various forms of film art cooperation pilots with Hollywood artists who are friendly to China to meet the people's higher demand for literary and artistic works."
With this directive, it was a real stepping stone to the other side's market. Ronald had to think about how to use this thing to get the highest value.