Chapter 707: Chatting and laughing with the top reporter
"Oh? You said Cameron also works at New World Productions?" Mike Wallace made a surprised reaction, but Ronald knew that he had known about this for a long time. This man was very concerned about his
I have done some historical research, and maybe CBS has some of its own information there, specially prepared for today's interview.
"Ah, yes. He was very capable at that time. We were working together on a crew called Rock and Roll High School. He took the subjective perspective shot of the heroine riding a motorcycle. If you have seen this movie,
If we compare the scenes of the T-800 driving a motorcycle and racing a truck in Terminator 2, we will find the inheritance relationship between the two."
"So what did you film in that movie?"
"Ah, to say the least, I was very lucky. I shot some shots of the second unit, and because of this, I was recommended by Mr. Roger Corman and Cameron and became a member of the Directors Guild."
"You were very young at that time. This doesn't seem to be common in the Hollywood industry?" Wallace was very good at asking questions and simply presented the interesting aspects of Ronald's personal experience.
"Yes, Roger Corman's film philosophy is to save money and make movies quickly. The second group of directors on the crew at that time were the Zach brothers who later made All-Time and All-Stars, and they got Paramount's budget.
When I went to shoot a big production, because I was young and was earning the minimum wage, I was entrusted with important tasks by Mr. Coleman. Fortunately, I completed the job well."
"What you said is very interesting. I find it very interesting. Mr. Coleman seems to be the biggest boss in Hollywood. You and Cameron, two new directors who started to emerge in the 1980s, have both worked for him.
"
"That's not all. In fact, in the earliest days, Francis Coppola, Marty Scorsese, and Jack Nicholson all made movies for him before he became famous."
"Hahaha, it seems that he is the biggest talent scout in Hollywood...then why so few viewers have heard of his name?" Mike Wallace looked like he didn't believe what Ronald said.
"Why, Mike? You don't seem to believe what I'm saying. Don't you trust me? Roger Corman is a producer who is very friendly to new directors, as long as you have a certain level and accept minimum wage.
I am very grateful to him in my heart. Without him, I might still have entered the film and television industry, but it might have been postponed for many years."
"It's not that I don't believe you, I just feel strange. I found a video of Roger Corman being interviewed. He said that no movie worth more than 10 million US dollars should be filmed..."
"Maybe this is the reason why all the directors who have worked for him, including me, have left him? Hahaha..."
"Hahaha, maybe, after all, the stars of the movies you direct now receive more than 10 million U.S. dollars."
Ronald and Wallace laughed together, but saying this seemed to make Roger Corman misunderstood. Ronald explained:
"What he said has a certain context. Roger is an independent producer. He obtains filming funds through some second-round theaters and drive-in theaters, or pre-sales of video tapes. This is not the golden age of Hollywood. People like him
It's not easy for producers to get funding.
So he could only shoot low-budget movies, which is why we people were able to have the opportunity to direct at a young age."
"Roger Corman also said that there are many other more important things in the world that require money, such as public education and assistance to the poor. There is no need to shoot a movie with a budget of more than 10 million.
And the movies you are shooting now are all large-scale productions, and the protagonist's salary alone exceeds 20 million US dollars. What do you think Corman would think about this?"
Mike Wallace asked another question. In short, he is very good at finding inconsistencies in the interview subjects' speech, and then asking the question bluntly...
If you have cheated in any way, he will probably ask you questions and your face will turn red...
However, Ronald still appreciates such a provocative question. After all, a reporter who takes his job seriously like Wallace and is not afraid of offending the interview subjects but also making the audience happy is loyal to himself.
A model of professionalism.
Anyway, Ronald has no idea of fabricating his own history. This kind of question is just a way to get to the topic he wants to talk about.
"I think this interview was from ten years ago? Right... Filmmaking has changed a lot in the last decade or so. We've seen more, more expensive special effects being used in movies.
In production, the salaries of movie stars are getting higher and higher...
These prices are market prices, and we have not deliberately raised them. Mr. Roger Corman once told me another of his criteria. All your production costs must be visible on the screen.
As long as the movie you are shooting, with its expensive paychecks and expensive special effects, can make the audience exclaim when they watch it in the cinema, knowing that a lot of money has been invested here, then our spending cannot be regarded as fake.
I think when Roger saw that the money I spent turned into a very real adventure for Forrest Gump on the screen, he would probably pat me on the shoulder and say well done."
"I think you didn't answer my question directly. There must be other places in the world that need money. Why spend so much money on movies?"
Mike Wallace is indeed very forthright. When he interviewed international politicians, he was pushed back and even canceled the interview many times because of his forthright questions. I am afraid that no other CBS reporter would be able to ask such a question.
.
"I think this is the wonder of our country. In our lives, we need some miraculous plots in movies to encourage ourselves. As Hollywood people often say, movies are larger than life.
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading! You must know that the audience of this movie is not the teenagers who often go to the cinema, but the middle-aged people who have experienced the history of America in the past few decades. They can spend
The fact that so much money has gone into the cinema shows that they have gained power from this movie, and I firmly believe this."
"Are you saying that the value of Forrest Gump might be greater than the funding for public education?"
"I didn't say that, but this is not a simple issue. Public education and assistance to the poor are the responsibilities of the government. But my film does not use funds from the government or other public institutions like some other countries.
Photographed.
The profits of Forrest Gump all come from the box office of the movie and the distribution of video tapes. I think this not only does not hinder those charities, but also promotes it. Film shooting and screening have to pay taxes at every link, and we are equal to
It has contributed a lot of job opportunities to society, and in short, this is a good thing."
"You mean, watching Forrest Gump is equivalent to doing charity?" Mike Wallace asked with a smile.
"I didn't say that, but it is true to a certain extent. I personally used part of the box office revenue to set up a charitable foundation to do some small help for the veteran groups. For example, they
The agency's budget is tight, and surgeries are long-delayed. Many of the veterans we have helped are veterans of World War II. We can help them improve their quality of life. I think veterans who have sacrificed for the country deserve some kindness.
treat."
Ronald very cleverly avoided the controversy of the Vietnam War and changed the question to veterans, thus including the group of World War II veterans who are highly respected in American society.
The more Mike Wallace talked, the more he admired Ronald. He didn't dwell on the details. After all, he didn't really like the ill will towards Vietnam veterans. The view on the war was one thing, the view on the war was one thing.
Veterans are another story.
"I think this is a bit unfair. I asked a very simple question, and every time you answer it, you have a lot of explanations. It seems to me that you are deliberately avoiding the question, or looking for an angle that suits you.
answer."
"You are really difficult to maintain..." Ronald sneered.
"I think this is the case. Simple questions often require complex answers. For example, if you ask me how I view my career, I will definitely have to say a lot. If you ask a complicated question, you will take into account all the difficulties I faced in filming Forrest Gump.
, whether it is technical or other disputes, list them all, and then ask me if I am satisfied with it, I can simply answer that I am very satisfied with Forrest Gump."
"A fair answer..."
Mike Wallace had a rare moment of frustration and suggested taking a break.
"Mike, be nice to my Ronnie..." Diane came over to greet them, and then said to Wallace with a smile.
"Oh, I have always been very good to Ronald..."
"Hmm... you can't lie to me. I've seen you interview Kirk Douglas. It's like a fan facing a star." Diane stretched out her finger and shook it. She watched the entire first half and asked those questions.
It made her very nervous, fearing that Ronald would not be able to handle it well.
Now it's time for her to speak as the hostess...and put some pressure on Wallace.
"This is a fair question, but you know my age. I was a fan of Kirk when I was young. But I will not torture your husband like I tortured Grand Ayatollah Ruhollah Mousavi."
Diane smiled and made an "I'll watch you" gesture. She was very protective of her husband, Ronald. If he saw someone being disrespectful to Ronnie, she wouldn't just watch and do nothing.
Voice.
…
"Talk about your personal life, your wife, the famous Hollywood actress Diane Lane, you are a director and she is an actress, but there is not much cooperation between you."
At the beginning of the second half, Mike Wallace immediately changed the subject.
However, this question is not easy to answer, and it is a somewhat difficult question that the audience is also interested in. If you are not honest with yourself in life, such questions will easily reveal your secrets.
But if you are an honest person in life, such questions will be very outstanding, and if you give excellent answers, you can give extra points to the interviewee.
"This is a difficult question to answer. First of all, of course I value Diane as my wife most.
I was very lucky to have her favor. You know, when I was working as an assistant for Coppola, she was the natural heroine in Coppola's movies.
Filmmaking is a very challenging job, and as a director, this challenge is ten times greater than that of the general public.
Therefore, I will cherish the harbor of family. Every time I am exhausted on the set, as soon as I return home and see Diane and the children, I am full of energy and fighting spirit like magic.
Secondly, Diane is a very good actor. I did worry that directing her on the set would have an impact on the intimate relationship in our lives. However, I was very happy to direct the last movie about someone else's money. Diane and Diane
Tom Hanks’ acting skills made it a lot easier for me as a director.”
Sure enough, this answer not only satisfied Wallace, but Diane next to him was also elated.
"You mentioned Tom Hanks, how important was he to the Forrest Gump movie?"
"It's very important. I can't think of another person in America who can interpret Forrest Gump so perfectly. Contrary to what most people think, this role is very difficult to perform. Forrest Gump is not just a person with low intelligence.
, he is still an ordinary person, a person who we ordinary Americans will have had similar experiences.
His performance was very surprising, and many of the subtleties were spot on, which made me very excited. Of course, what I am most grateful for is his cooperation in the post-production special effects studio, where he was very boring over and over again.
Performing against an empty blue screen may be his biggest challenge in this performance."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! The following topics mainly revolve around the summary review of Ronald's current career and the various negative comments on Forrest Gump.
Mike Wallace was very cooperative at this time and asked questions that Ronald wanted to answer and had prepared in advance. In response to the current criticism of Forrest Gump in the media, Ronald
De also responded positively.
First of all, having a good box office is not an indicator that a movie is not artistically strong. Now some film critics seem to have a certain concept that good movies will not be liked by the general public. These people are not as good as The Shawshank Redemption and Pulp Fiction.
The box office performance of Forrest Gump serves as evidence to highlight the poor artistic quality of Forrest Gump.
Instead, Ronald pointed out that in the golden age of Hollywood, the successful films that won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Performance awards were often the ones with the highest box office that year. This simple dichotomy is both boring and unfair.
Very misleading.
Secondly, the quality of a movie has nothing to do with whether it conforms to public values. As long as the story is well told and the performance is convincing, which values the protagonist adheres to has nothing to do with the artistic quality of the movie itself.
Nowadays, some people often attack Forrest Gump for not making a clear statement against the Vietnam War. Ronald told them that the best literary and artistic works do not directly reflect the author's values. You have to experience it yourself through the actions of the characters.
their values, and thus draw their own opinions.
Wallace also brought some videos of random interviews with Vietnam War veterans before he did the show. In those videos, they were all happy with Ronald's movie and thought it truly reflected the battlefield of that year.
There are also interviews with some anti-war people at that time, who were also happy with the scene that Ronald filmed of Forrest Gump and Jenny's reunion at the Washington Memorial Square. They despised the general's behavior of pulling the plug.
Both sides had positive comments, and Ronald was very happy to see them.
"Speaking of which, I have another question. What did Forrest Gump say on stage?" Mike Wallace, like an ordinary audience member, was curious about what Forrest Gump said after unplugging the microphone.
.
What he said was: "Sometimes, when people go to Vietnam, they come home to their moms without their legs. Sometimes they don't come home at all. That's a bad thing. That's all I have to say." Luo
Nader smiled and replied. Many friends were also curious about this paragraph, "How is it? Is it very Forrest Gump?"
"I think it's not just that. Do those who didn't go home also include your uncle? And your father, even if he comes back, he won't have any good friends around him?"
"oh……"
Ronald didn't expect Wallace to have such a move, and he was stunned for a moment. Then he pinched his eyes with his fingers, trying hard not to shed tears.
However, Wallace did not speak further, and just looked at Ronald happily, as if expressing his parents' appreciation for his achievements.
Ronald couldn't hold it back, tears still burst out of his eyes. He wiped his eyes hard with his hands, and then shook his head at Wallace, "God, you still made me cry, I'm sorry..."
"It doesn't matter, I think they must be very pleased with your achievements now, Ronald. They will be proud of you..."
The camera was turned off, and Diane came over to hug Ronald and comfort him.
Mike Wallace couldn't help but said to the staff, "Daxmn, this interview subject is really good. The ratings this time will be good. I really like interviewing such real people."
The 60 Minutes program was quickly edited and put online as quickly as possible. This interview indeed received high ratings, with a total of 25 million viewers watching this episode.
Among the people, the general reaction is that Ronald is the image of a director in their minds. He speaks in an orderly manner, has profound thoughts, is very emotional, and has a perfect family.
In turn, such comments have also affected Hollywood. Many people admired his performance on the 60 Minutes program. Such interviews marked that he has become a cultural figure that transcends the entertainment industry.
Most of the actors are emotional. After seeing Ronald crying in memory of his late father at the end, he was full of affection for him. For a while, those film critics who ridiculed Forrest Gump only received praise because it catered to mainstream values.
Everyone also shut up, no one wanted to criticize a popular person at this moment.