Ovitz took Ronald to a mansion the next morning, where Columbia Pictures president Frank Price lived.
This place originally belonged to Dinah Shore, the pop diva of the 1940s. After the love affair between Dinah and Burt Reynolds, who was 20 years younger than him, ended, she wanted to create a hotel full of memories for them.
The house is sold.
In the 1970s, Dina Shore started her talk show career on the TV station and transformed into a talk show host. Frank Price happened to be the president of the TV station at the time and took over the building, which once often hosted Marilyn Monroe and Elvis Presley.
A mansion waiting for a superstar.
Ronald was sitting on the sofa in the large living room. This very large and luxuriously decorated residence made him feel a little unsure of where he was.
"Ronald, I heard that you are not satisfied with the contract?" Frank Presby was much more relaxed in the office, wearing loose clothes. He didn't look like the president of a major eight film studio, but a neighbor.
Kind uncle.
"My contract does not include the right of first refusal to modify, Mr. Price," Ronald came to his senses. "In this case, the 12-month option purchase agreement does not protect my rights well."
"Well, I understand what you mean." Price sat down on the sofa and crossed his legs, "So what do you want to do?"
"I don't know the opinion of director Bridges. In fact, I have already made some modifications to the script to improve Jane Fonda's role."
Ovitz did not expect that Ronald did not immediately request full payment, but instead brought the topic back to the script. He quickly made up for it: "In fact, Ronald based on the revisions you proposed..."
"Why not let Ronald speak for himself?" Price laughed.
"Actually, I didn't fully adopt your revision suggestions, Mr. Price." Ronald took out the script revision ideas he wrote and handed it to Price.
Price quickly skimmed through the several pages of the outline that recorded the revised ideas. "This is very interesting. You changed Jane's character into a widow who helped disabled soldiers in the veterans' hospital after her husband died in Vietnam. This is very easy to relate to."
Reminiscent of her role in 'The Return'."
"Yes, this is my deliberate design to make the audience think this is an unofficial sequel to 'The Return'."
"It's a good idea. If they weren't free right now, the president of United Artists would have called me to protest." Price smiled.
"So I'm not out yet, right?" Ronald said. He still wanted to struggle and couldn't give up before fighting.
Frank Price smiled and said, "Ronald, I really like the script you wrote, especially the scenes and dialogues in Famous. I asked the producer Da Silva for confirmation."
Ronald knew that Mr. President had something more to say.
"But screenwriting is an art that accumulates life. The life of teenagers you wrote is very good, but the love story of middle-aged Vietnam veterans you wrote is not convincing enough."
"Director Bridges and I have discussed some revisions to the script, and I basically agree with him. The proportion of Jane needs to be increased, and your treatment of the fool is too symbolic, symbolic, and he is too much like a myth.
Bridges will use a more realistic approach to handle this role."
"But Mr. Price, the idiot is the intersection of several plot clues..." Ronald suddenly realized that Mr. President was not the script editor and came to discuss the script with him. Price was relatively unpretentious as a president.
But this does not mean that he has time to discuss such detailed content with a small screenwriter of his. He is here to inform himself of the results.
Ronald disagreed with Bridges's treatment. He failed to see the real core of the script. The fool was a symbolic character...
"But this probably has nothing to do with me. If the director has his own ideas for revision, maybe it would be better for the movie if I sold the script and left." Ronald accepted the reality and satisfied Ovitz.
"Frank, Ronald has done a great job in his part. Since we are not going to let him continue to revise the script, then..."
Price waved his hand, "Of course, I will instruct the people below to re-draw the contract and buy your script."
"Ronald, don't feel frustrated. Take your royalties, enjoy the joy of becoming famous overnight, take a long vacation, find a girl and enjoy life."
"If you have a new script writing plan, I suggest you start with youth scripts. Teenagers are a short period of time. After age, you will forget many of your thoughts at that time. Today's young people can easily save money by working part-time.
Money to watch movies, but Hollywood screenwriters are too old, they have forgotten what they thought when they were young, and you are still young enough."
"You have written a new script and you can ask Michael to come to me. I will always make time to read it."
Ronald thanked Price, knowing that his talking time was over, and moved to another sofa to sit down.
"Michael, it's your Rosh Hashanah..."
"I will go to the synagogue with my family on Rosh Hashanah Eve, and the rest of the time I will obey your call at any time..."
Within a few days, Ronald got his own check from the producer of Columbia Pictures. After depositing it into the bank's checking account, Ronald gave it to Richard who sent him,
He wrote a check for US$35,000 to CAA, but how it was distributed among several agents was not his concern.
Then there are Mickey Kanter's legal fees.
With just over 300,000 left, Ronald hasn't figured out how to spend it yet. He wants to go back to New York and discuss it with his accountant, Lawrence, who seems to know a lot about investments.
"The Hollywood Reporter and Daily Variety reported that your script sold for a sky-high price. If you hadn't called today, I wouldn't have known if it was the Ronald Lee I knew." Assistant to the President of New World Productions
Gail laughed on the phone.
"I'm still in Los Angeles, are you and Cameron free? I have to find a friend to share the joy." Ronald said.
"He is still preparing for his escape from New York. Wait, it's Ronald... Okay. Ronald, it's Mr. Coleman, he wants to talk to you."
"Ronald, the rental fee for Rock High School in New York has reached the second million. Here is a check from you. Although it is less than the script you sold, it is also the result of your business vision. Remember to pick it up.
Coleman also made a joke about Ronald.
"I will. Are you here today, Mr. Coleman? I still have some questions to ask you."
Seeing the bright red and white building of New World Production, Ronald felt that something had not changed at all. It was still the same low-key company that was reluctant to put on its name and brand.
"Mr. Coleman, that's what happened. Maybe I was lucky and won the lottery."
"Luck is also part of success. The first movie I made was with tens of thousands of dollars borrowed from here and there. It happened that a distributor found me and offered to buy it out at a price higher than the cost. I immediately
I got my money back. If it took three months for the first film to find a distributor, my advance wouldn't be enough to cover the film."
Roger Corman still likes to talk about business more than art. Maybe there are too many people in the film industry who talk about art, but too few people talk about business. Every time Corman and Ronald chat, they focus on the business of movies.
Operation.
"Frank Price, the president of Columbia, felt that I was too young to write adult stories, and suggested that I write a script for a teenage audience. Do you think there is a market for this kind of script, Mr. Coleman?"
"It depends on the budget of the production. There are many teen exploitation films in the New World, but recently the market is looking for high-budget films like Spielberg, and there are fewer and fewer low-cost teen films."
"But why can't teen movies rely on plot to win? Such movies don't need a high budget, right?"
"Yes, many people have thought about this idea. The problem is that there are no teenage actors in Hollywood with adequate acting skills. The leading role of Romeo and Juliet requires nationwide auditions. Hollywood originally used adult actors to play teenage roles, like Judy in The Wizard of Oz.
·Actors like Garland are hard to come by."
Roger Coleman took the check for ten thousand dollars from Gale, read it and handed it to Ronald. "Your second payment."
"Actually, the rental fee for the second phase of copies is lower, reaching a rental fee of one million US dollars. Mr. Coleman, you should give me more bonus." Ronald said jokingly.
I have been in the industry for a long time, and I know more about film distribution. A movie like Rock High School, which has a relatively low rental fee, can reach the second two million rentals in New York State. It can be said that it is not a big deal.
Miracle, and the promotion role of PBS channel's film review program is indispensable.
Roger Corman didn't take it as a joke, "I should definitely give you more, but a contract is a contract, and we have to respect it. How about this, instead of me, you go to a film festival to see what foreign art films are worth buying.
Julie, I, and the kids just celebrated Rosh Hashanah.
"Foreign... art film? Isn't it an exploitation film?" Ronald thought he heard it wrong.
“Where are the exploitation films shown at the film festival?”
"I didn't know you had an art film distribution business."
"Yes, many people don't know it. Italy's Fellini, Sweden's Ingmar Bergman, and Japan's Akira Kurosawa, their new films are all distributed in the United States by New World."
"Mr. Coleman's personal appreciation taste is completely different from the movies he makes." Assistant to the president Gale supported next to him.
It turns out that these foreign art films are traditionally played in theaters that specialize in showing art films. Roger Corman not only got involved in art theater distribution, but also developed a new market.
Art films have been introduced to drive-in theaters frequented by young audiences, as well as small town theaters and second-tier theaters in big cities. Today’s American teenagers are still willing to learn about foreign scenery and culture, and can also watch movies with subtitles.
"Where is the film festival held?" Ronald became interested and asked, "Is Cannes already over now?"
"It's the Montreal Film Festival. It's a newly established one. It's in Canada, and travel expenses and hotels are very cheap." Roger Corman said with a smile.
"I have to think about it." It wasn't a big film festival, so Ronald was a little hesitant. Pfeiffer's agent Limato told him that Pfeiffer would finish filming Charlie Chen's scenes soon and be back.
"Okay, I'll keep the opportunity for you until the weekend." Roger Coleman finally found a free labor force.