"Okay, that's it. If they still don't give in tomorrow, then I will take legal action and send them a lawyer's letter first."
After discussing on the phone with lawyer Lindsay Dole for more than an hour, Alan Parker's behavior is legally impeccable. The regulations of the industry union are respected by the law, and less than one-third of the modifications can be made without signature.
of.
Of course, Ronald could argue that he was writing a more important plot, but that would require the Writers Guild to intervene in arbitration.
This is back to the old Catch-22 problem: If you are not a member of the Writers Guild, you cannot apply for arbitration of signature disputes. To join the Writers Guild, you need to have the signature of a screenwriter on a released film.
The two decided to pursue legal action. Attorney Lindsay Dole explained the various preparations, evidence and witnesses required for prosecution.
The lawyer said there was little hope of winning, and Ronald's most realistic goal was to force MGM to settle out of court.
This kind of script-stealing scandal will be picked up by the gossip media when the movie is released. If the audience has a strong negative perception of it, it may force the studio to settle the matter.
For example, Fat Boy director Michael Cimino had a falling out with Dalek Washburn, the screenwriter of "The Deer Hunter". Fat Boy said that screenwriter Dalek's first draft was so bad that he completely rewrote it.
The screenwriter Dalek said that Fat Boy only changed a few dialogues and wanted to take the script as his own.
The controversy broke out when "The Deer Hunter" was released. Distributor Universal quickly reached an understanding with the Writers Guild and arbitrated the screenwriting credit to Dalek.
Ronald and the lawyer lady also pinned their last hopes on a similar situation.
But the side effects of doing this are also great, and Ronald is a little hesitant. He completely offended the director, not to mention the producer. MGM will also add him to the blacklist, and other major studios will also know about his "glorious deeds"
”.
It is better to send a lawyer's letter first and see the other party's reaction.
If it can be resolved, it's better not to go to court.
"Ring ring ring ring..." The phone rang.
"Hello, I'm Ronald."
"Ronnie? I'm Roger Coleman. Gale told me about you, how did it happen like this?"
While Ronald was thinking, he received a call from Roger Coleman.
I told Roger Corman the whole story of the whole thing, how I tried to challenge the producer, how I almost succeeded but was counterattacked by the director, and what legal action I was going to take next.
"Are you really going to take legal action?"
"I'm still undecided. Both my lawyer and the other party's lawyer told me that the chance of winning the lawsuit is slim. I want to place my hope in the studio's negative public opinion when the movie is released and make them give in."
"Then what? You take that script with your signature and are kicked out of the film industry forever? Put the script in a bookcase at home and lock it up? When you are old, tell your grandson that grandpa also had the opportunity to be a movie star.
The director makes the movie?”
"I admire your business vision for discovering midnight movies in New York. But your plan to pursue legal action makes me a little disappointed, Ronnie. I thought you could find a better way."
"What should I do, Mr. Coleman?" Ronald asked the other party immediately.
"Let me tell you something about lawyers, Ronnie."
"Lawyers make money not by winning or losing cases, but by litigating. As long as you go to court, they will make money. So under the same circumstances, they always tend to let you use legal means to solve the problem."
"Businessmen don't think like this, you know? In the ten years after World War II, I made films for American International Film Distribution Company. I never signed a contract with them. The two parties just shook hands. Even if it was agreed, we would abide by the promise afterwards.
,Do you know why?"
"Because the people at that time were simple and honest?"
"Hahaha, of course not. Because those who negotiated contracts at that time were self-made bosses, unlike today's professional managers."
"Business cooperation is based on mutual benefit between both parties. The role of lawyers is only to fix this mutually beneficial cooperation in the form of law. As long as there is mutual benefit between both parties, why should we change the original commitment? In that slow-paced era, there were
Without a contract, there is no big difference."
"You are a business-minded person, and the midnight cinema idea is great. When you encounter things in the future, don't just look at it from one angle."
"I understand, Mr. Coleman, thank you." Ronald felt that his perspective was indeed somewhat restricted.
“Confucius, the wise man from the East, once said that when looking at a problem, one must grasp the main contradiction.”
“Back then, in order to make Gone with the Wind in Hollywood, several opposing studios could even join forces to contribute their own movie stars and cooperate to complete this masterpiece. The key is that everyone realizes that this movie will be a big hit once it is made.
earn."
"As long as there is an expectation of increased profits, the conflicting parties will also bridge their differences. As long as there are common interests, there is no fear of non-cooperation between the two parties."
"Of course legal means are also important, but they are mainly used to deal with dishonest scoundrels, or to reduce losses afterwards."
After hanging up the phone with Roger Corman, Ronald began to re-examine the issue of the script's signature.
The reason why producers and directors are unwilling to change the contract and sign their names is for two reasons:
1. The value of your own script is not high enough to improve the final box office and artistic achievement of the movie.
2 Since I don’t have the backing of a union, I have less trouble dealing with myself than I do with the original screenwriter, union member Christopher Gore.
The strategy of Miss Lawyer Lindsay Dole has solved the second problem. Now the main thing that stuck her is the director Alan Parker. As long as he feels that his script can solve the problem of his artistic achievement, he can help him film.
Become a classic...
Ronald took out the script again and read it carefully.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The problem still lies in Doris's role. Director Alan Parker seems to subconsciously feel the contradictions of this character, so he always urges her.
Modify it yourself.
A shy singer who cannot sing well will not be able to pass the entrance interview. Only an actor can be admitted because of his appearance and body shape.
Ronald loaded the letter paper on the typewriter and started writing again. He changed the setting for Doris. It was no longer the singer Barbra Streisand, but the undebuted actress Jane Fong.
Da.
During the entrance interview, Doris couldn't perform the planned script, but her shy and anxious look was very real, and her appearance and voice were very good. The interview teacher gave her a place to be determined, and she was lucky enough to get in.
Performing Arts Diploma.
While attending the midnight show of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with Latin boy Ralph Garcia, Doris was infected by the audience's enthusiasm for the performance and rushed to the stage to join the performance. Her desire to perform finally broke through her shyness.
Obstacles, a real actor was born...
After modifying all the main scenes of Doris, including the interview, love, transformation, etc., Ronald realized that it was already 4 o'clock in the morning. When he got into the state, he really couldn't remember the passage of time.
After working for most of the night, Ronald revised the total scenes, which were far more than one-third, close to half. This is mainly because Doris, like CoCo, is a linking character that connects multiple main characters.
Several protagonists in the acting department are all driven by her plot. He is in love with a Latino boy, Ralph, and is good friends with Montgomery, a gay student.
When Ralph performed stand-up comedy for the first time on stage, Doris invited many students to support him. It was also because of Doris's encouragement that the character Montgomery came out as gay in the acting class.
Ronald poured himself another small glass of whiskey and honey to soothe his tired nerves.
With this bomb, I'm not afraid that director Allen won't appreciate it. In that case, he will support himself instead, right?
However, I cannot directly take out the script and show it to the director.
Allen played a trick today. He took out his script and rewrote two pages to replace it. If he had not finalized the signature issue and showed it to him, then he would definitely do it again and take away his own creativity.
, and then change some details and treat it as your own creation.
Ronald put down his wine glass and began to rub his forehead again. Overloading his brain for a long time made his head feel a little swollen.
We cannot let him see it in advance, but we must let him recognize the value of his creation so that his film can reach a higher level of art. What should we do?
Unless you find an intermediary who also recognizes the director's artistic vision, there will be no real conflict of interest between the two parties.
Ronald took out his address book and business card book and began to flip through them one by one.
I still know too few people in the industry.
Roger Corman was far away in Los Angeles, and Alan Parker didn't necessarily approve of his exploitation film mogul's artistic vision.
Erin from the Stella Adler Center is just an acting coach, and her opinions are not authoritative.
If only I knew an Oscar-winning director.
Michael Cimino's fat boy's face popped out.
Forget it, Ronald waved his hand and drove away the scene of the fat boy. I'll ask Julia Taylor at the casting studio tomorrow.
Unlike Margery, she no longer works for the "Hot Lunch" crew. And she is much senior than Margery, so maybe the director will trust her vision.
By the way, speaking of hot lunch, do you still have the snapshot of the adult movie poster? Ronald found the snapshot taken by Antonia, which is also a weapon that can be used.
This adult movie with the same name will definitely drag down the box office of the movie. If the producer is told, he should change the name of the movie to increase the box office.
It's still the middleman problem. If you tell me directly, the card will be invalid, but if you don't tell it, the producer won't believe it.
Where can I find a middleman that both parties can trust?