"That was Martin Sheen's eldest son, Emilio Estevez, but his scene was cut out." Hours later, at Walter Mersey's home
At the dinner table, he answered Ronald's question.
"Why are their last names different?" Ronald took the coffee from Walter's wife, Angie, and took a sip, "Thank you, Mrs. Mersey."
"Call me Angie, Ronald. When Walter came back from Los Angeles last time, he told me that finally someone understood his editing theory. We have been talking about your coming for the past two days."
"Thank you for the dinner, Angie. It was the best meal I had in the West. I brought gifts for the kids."
"I'm glad you can get used to British food." Angie took the Polaroid camera, leg warmers, building blocks and other gifts suitable for boys and girls of different ages prepared by Ronald, and was very grateful to Ronald for his thoughtfulness.
Angie was from Britain and married Walter Mersey to California. She was a nurse and took good care of the family. So she went back to take care of the four children while Ronald stayed in the living room and continued chatting with Walter.
"Martin Sheen is a Latino. When he entered the industry, he did not want to affect his acting career because of his ethnicity and belief, so he adopted an Anglo-Saxon surname - Sheen. However, his eldest son Emilio did not want to inherit it.
This stage name is based on the original name of a Latino."
"Then he has a lot of backbone?"
"When Martin was dubbing his monologue for the movie, he told me that he himself had always felt uncomfortable giving up his Latino surname due to pressure, so he still appreciates his son's decision very much."
"That's it." Since Ronald last learned about racial quotas in movies, he understands the idea that ethnic minority actors don't want to be classified. Emilio seems to be very confident in his acting skills and is not afraid of Latinos.
Influence your own stardom.
"Since you won the Oscar, the studios now ask you to be responsible for editing and mixing, right? I see you've been very busy these days." Ronald thought that Mersey had a lot of work orders now, and he was afraid there wouldn't be more.
time to teach yourself.
"On the contrary, I am very busy, but it is all piecemeal work such as mixing and recording. There is no sound design work that can oversee the entire film."
"Why is this? Didn't the Oscars recognize your achievements? How come no one asked you to be responsible for the entire movie?"
"That's the Oscar curse."
…
"Jane, you don't have to worry. All studio bids will be sent directly to this office via fax. We can just wait here." Ovitz was in the CAA president's office, trying his best to make Jane Fonda less so.
nervous.
"I have experience, Michael. After I won the Best Actress Award in 1971, I was cursed by the Oscar for three years. Two consecutive films only received 200,000 at the box office. This time, although the box office of "China Syndrome" was okay
, but that was just a coincidence of the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island, and I was very worried about Golden Pond and the box office performance of the next movie after that."
"That's why I insist all studios have one bid, Jane. Don't let them think you're a premium star," Ovitz told Jane Fonda about his considerations.
“The so-called Oscar curse, I personally think, is actually because after winning an Oscar, the market will give the winner an exorbitant price.
Often only those outsiders would pay such a price to hire new actors and actresses. But outsiders don’t understand production, and their judgment is problematic. This often results in award-winning actors taking on films that have poor box office performance."
"Think about the films you rejected over the years, Jane. First, A Doll's House, and then Godard's Everything's Well, were not projects favored by big studios. So this time we have to make sure that big studios
The studio is really optimistic that your performance in the movie can bring in box office, so it invests in the project, rather than gambling in which you are the only selling point of the whole movie.
I have no intention of lowering your salary, we just don’t need them to bid against each other and reduce other production budgets. As long as they can respect your status as a movie queen and choose one from the highest price quoted."
"So how much do you estimate the total price they can pay for the script, project, director, and my participation in the show?"
"It's hard to say. My feeling from communicating with them is that they are willing to pay an unprecedented high price for you, but it's hard to say how much they are willing to pay for the script and director. In their eyes, only you have star status, and that's it.
The only bankable asset in the project.”
The so-called bankable refers to high-quality assets recognized by banks, a guarantee of box office success, and collateral that can be used for loans. The managers of the bank's loan department have no idea about film shooting, and only bankable in their eyes
Only if you agree to participate in the film project will you be granted a filming financing loan.
There are many types of packages for sale, such as directors who have made consecutive blockbuster movies, top male stars, or gold medal producers with a string of successful resumes. Jane Fonda is one of the few who can rival male stars and is considered a package by banks.
Female celebrities selling goods.
"Here we go," the secretary on the side said, pointing to the fax machine.
"Squeak...squeak..." The fax machine began to ring with difficulty, and one quote after another was faxed from five major studios.
"You are a professional, Ovitz. We hope that no matter who it is, my IPC Films will have the right to participate in the investment. We will reinvest Jane's salary into the film production, jointly participate in the investment, and at the same time enjoy a corresponding share of the total box office.
Divide.”
Jane Fonda's producer said from the side.
After years of experience, Jane Fonda has long understood the various ways of playing Hollywood. This time she got a guarantee contract that guarantees a guaranteed harvest despite droughts and floods, and immediately turned back and invested in movies to pursue greater profits.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Of course, this is also a sign that she and the producer have confidence in Ronald's script and the director's control, otherwise they could just get paid and leave.
"Fox 2.8 million, Orion 2.9 million, Warner Bros. 3 million..." Ron Meyer collected the faxes one by one and reported each company's quotation.
Jane Fonda turned back and discussed quietly with the producer that the price was not satisfactory.
"Paramount 3.2 million..." The secretary did not wait for the last few lines of the fax to be sent, and hurriedly pulled the quotation page from the fax machine and handed it to Ovitz.
"Where's Colombia's offer?" Ovitz was also a little anxious. Don't go wrong at the critical moment.
"Squeak..." The fax machine began to spit out white paper again. There were a lot of faxes this time. The secretary cut off the long paper roll that was flowing on the ground. Then he stood in front of the fax machine and waited for the fax to spit out enough content.
Come here and show it to everyone.
"Are these all revisions to the script?" Jane Fonda took the fax from Ovitz, flipped through it roughly, and exchanged glances with the producer.
"Yes, Mr. Price, the president of Columbia, was originally a script editor and reviewer for CBS TV. His professional opinions are very valuable." Ron Meyer, one of the partners of CAA, added next to him.
"The quotation is here..." The secretary quickly handed the last fax to Ovitz, and Ovitz motioned for her to give it directly to Jane Fonda.
"The total project purchase cost is 3.65 million, including Jane Fonda's 2 million Pay or Play guaranteed salary, and the script purchase is 350,000..." Jane and the producer quickly browsed, "Colombia will invest another 6.35 million in production costs, with a total production budget
10-12 million."
"This 2 million is the limit given to you by IPC, Jane." Ovitz pointed to the last line of handwritten numbers. There was a pen, and after the printed number 10 million, the words "12 million" were handwritten.
"We call Mr. Frank Price, the president of Columbia." Ovitz directed his secretary to answer the phone.
"I'll inform the losers." Ron Meyer took the initiative to inform the bad news.
"Mr. Price," Ovitz greeted the other party first, "congratulations on winning 'My Brother's Protector'
"Hahaha... It should be congratulations to all of us." Frank Price's laughter came from the loudspeaker, "Is Jane here? I have left an investment limit of US$2 million for your IPC."
"I saw it, Frank. Thank you for your generosity." Jane Fonda decided to invest after discussing with the producer, "IPC will invest 2 million."
"This will give Colombia more confidence. Listen, Michael, the project is now ready for formal signing. We are ready to book a schedule for the summer of 2082. If you have no objections, we can start the project promotion plan."
"No problem, I got the strike exemption and I'm going to shoot 'Golden Pond' right away. When the camera shuts down in two months, we can set the filming schedule."
"That's just right. We can take advantage of this time to make some modifications and refinements to the script."
"I've seen your comments Frank, let Ronald revise the draft. Who do you have for the leading actor?"
"This is also a question I want to ask you, Jane. The interaction between the male and female protagonists determines the success of this movie..."
"Let Richard call Ronald and let him know that his script has been sold, but keep it quiet and wait for our promotion to start."
While listening to the phone, Ovitz turned his head and whispered instructions to his secretary.
…
"So this is what the curse of the Oscars means. If you win the award, you won't be able to get good projects." Ronald nodded.
"Yes, Ronald. I'm telling you, if you care about how many good movies you make in your career and not about fame, you'd better not win an Oscar, just get an Oscar nomination." Walter Mersey
said.
"Why?"
"Oscar nominations can already prove that you are the top in the industry, and employers will appreciate you. But Oscar awards have another meaning. Employers will always worry about whether your price is exaggerated and whether your temper is greater.
, have you become so self-inflated that you don’t listen to your boss’s opinions?”
"So that's it? But I don't think you have any signs of self-aggrandizement?"
"I have nothing to say about this. Sometimes things don't need to actually happen, but what everyone thinks will happen to you. Perceptions will replace the facts."
"Then what are your plans now?" Ronald couldn't help but worry about Walter Mersey.
"It usually takes three years to be unlucky after winning an Oscar. But I plan to use these three years to transform into a director. I wrote a script about the adventures of an archaeologist in Egypt. I hope Warner Bros. now owns this script.
The brother asked me to be the director.
The script was originally written for Peep Show, but after Apocalypse Now, Francis ran out of cash to make the movie, so he sold it to Warner Bros. It's been a few months since they bought it, and it's still not available
Contact me, I hope the script won't be gathering dust in Warner's script library."
"What, didn't they buy it just for filming?" Ronald was curious. Walter Mersey was not a new screenwriter like himself, but an industry veteran who had already won the Oscar for Best Sound Effects. Studios generally valued him.
Only with his strength can he buy it.
"This is no longer the 1970s. At that time, as long as the producer believed in the director and the money was available, he could shoot. Now major studios are more cautious about project filming. Studios will stock up on many scripts, but they will not start filming.
many."
After chatting for a while, Ronald said goodbye and went back to the Motel 6. The price here was cheap, it was relatively clean, and the service was pretty good.
"Mr. Li? Someone called you this afternoon and left you a message." When the front desk saw Ronald, he turned around and took out a folded note and handed it to Ronald.