"Do you know any scripts in Hollywood now that are set on Wall Street? There are elements of workplace and love." Ronald asked David Simkins, his script assistant, who was sitting opposite.
"I don't know, I haven't seen any similar scripts, submitted to our daydreams, you know Rachel?" David Simkins has just returned from Baltimore, where he was the producer of "Hairspray"
I went through all the shooting process. I happened to be escorting the developed film to Los Angeles, and I happened to meet Ronald, who was flying back from New York, at Daydream Company early in the morning.
"I haven't heard of it either, boss. This kind of script relies on the chemical reaction between the right actors to make people believe it. It also needs to set up scenes or actually shoot the scenes on Wall Street. The costumes are also very expensive. This kind of script
They won’t submit articles to small companies like ours. They usually go to the top seven to try their luck.”
Rachel Talalay is a capable female production director that David Simkins met on "Adventures in Babysitting", and she was also hired by him this time to serve as the production director of "Hairspray".
Ronald heard from David that Rachel was very capable and could serve as an independent producer in the future.
"Yes, Ronald, the structure of this kind of script and professional financial knowledge are not something that a fledgling screenwriter can challenge. He is probably a veteran, and there must be an agent to help him send it to a big studio. What, listen?
What's the buzz?" David Simkins agrees with Rachel Talalay's idea.
"I heard someone talking about this in New York. I didn't hear the title, so I asked you." Ronald made up an excuse for the dream, "How was the filming of Hairspray?"
"The dailies have been shipped back, and the sound and picture have been synchronized. Director John Waters said that editing will start in two weeks." David Simkins replied.
Ronald laughed after hearing this. John Waters has been shooting ultra-low-budget movies and is a veteran. After the filming is completed, he is very clear about the industry rules that the director cannot start editing immediately. This movie does not require any effort on its own.
Watch the clip.
"Are you going to see the samples?"
"Okay, let's go take a look." Ronald went to the editing room with the two of them.
"Is this Divine? I didn't expect that wearing a wig and playing a fat mother would be quite similar."
Ronald randomly selected a few reels of film to watch. The mother of the protagonist, the fat girl Tracy, was played by the famous Drag Queen. She pretended to be a woman, and she looked very similar. We have all seen that fat girl in our lives.
She is a kind-hearted mother who is always nagging and gossiping, but she always takes good care of her children and comforts them when they are psychologically frustrated.
"Hehehe, Sonny Bono's acting is pretty good too." Rona picked another film, which happened to be about the very mean girl villain heroine Amber. Her father is Cher's ex-husband.
, played by Sonny Bono. He played a snob very vividly.
"Very good, Rachel, your work is very good." Ronald looked at a few reels of film and didn't see any confusion in the scenes and props. This kind of plot with many group performances and large scenes can achieve a trace of perfection.
There is no chaos, and the ability of Rachel Talalay, the production director in charge of the scene, is evident.
"Thank you", Rachel was recognized and felt very happy.
"You guys take a long vacation first. The filming of 'Ecstasy' co-produced by Roger Corman and I will start soon. This time you can be an independent producer." Ronald's person
Not much, Michelle Cannold's team seems to be better at distribution, and there is a capable strong woman here who can solve a lot of things.
"Where's David?" Rachel Talalay didn't expect to be able to take charge of her own business right away. This speed exceeded the average promotion speed in the industry.
"David will also help me preside over the selection of scripts. He will also be named as the executive producer. However, you are still responsible for the on-site affairs. Please discuss it with the people at Coleman Company."
…
"The script you mentioned contains love and betrayal, as well as financial operations involving Wall Street?"
After reporting on his work, David Simkins suddenly remembered something.
"I think it's like a modern version of a classical drama that happened on Wall Street." There weren't many scenes in the movie that Ronald dreamed about, but the woman sitting in front of the window was very beautiful, and she said something about mergers and acquisitions.
Such professional terms must be such a movie.
"You said, is this Wall Street coming out soon? It premiered over the weekend. The structure of the story is an adaptation of John Bunyan's novel 'The Pilgrim's Progress', a seventeenth-century Christian writer, in a modern context.
The story of a young man who was seduced by the devil, carried away by the desire to make a lot of money easily, and fell."
"Ah? It's been filmed and it's going to be released?" Ronald said in disappointment. This was the first time that this happened, and he missed the movie in his dream.
"Who took the photo? What company?" With the last bit of hope, Ronald asked Simkins. If the photo is not good, he can change the look and re-shoot...
"Directed by Oliver Stone, invested and distributed by 20th Century Fox, Stone's Platoon team Charlie Sheen plays the protagonist who is seduced, Michael Douglas plays the villain who seduces him, Daryl Hannah
Playing the role of the villain's wife, who has an evil affair with the protagonist."
"You know very well, don't you?" Ronald seemed to remember that Michael Douglas did film in New York for a while. Oliver Stone, who had just won the Oscar for Best Director, and Douglas, who is now very popular, were paired together.
It is impossible for me to reshoot the young handsome man and beautiful woman.
It's a pity, it's a pity...
"Of course, this is a movie script with a complete classical dramatic structure that has been rarely seen in Hollywood in recent years." David Simkins did not see Ronald's uncomfortable expression, and enthusiastically copied the movie
The excellent structure of the script was analyzed in detail.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Overall, this is a movie script that is in line with the nature of a Christian evangelistic novel. If a righteous person fails to fully abide by moral principles, he will be evil
seduced into committing original sin.
And evil people will win the war against the young man who is immoral in some way because his moral bottom line is lower.
If you want to defeat the greedy demons on Wall Street, you must maintain your own moral perfection...
"You understand so deeply, remember to recommend it to me next time..." Ronald couldn't help but make a sarcastic comment.
"Huh?" Simkins was a little confused.
"Sorry, I rarely see such good scripts recently, so I'm a little jealous. You have done a good job." Ronald touched his chin. This was the first time that he was a step late in a dream movie, and he was a little angry.
Shun.
"However, the woman's back looks like a professional woman, not Daryl Hannah who plays the role of the wife in Wall Street. Daryl Hannah's temperament is more like a sexy stunner who needs protection.
, it seems like she can’t play a strong woman.”
…
Putting aside these feelings of not being able to tell others, Ronald finished handling the company's affairs, and the next most important thing in Los Angeles was to prepare for the premiere of "Moonlight".
After being persuaded by marketing expert Michael Gray, Ronald also began to work with more directors.
Gray believes that this year is a small year for best movies and best directors. Except for Spielberg's "Empire of the Sun" and "The Last Emperor" which recently received unexpected praise from film critics, there are no particularly strong movies in Hollywood.
.
It is very likely that films with high artistic quality will not be nominated for more than 5 films. In this way, under the commercial package of Ronald's "Moonlight", there is some artistic depth and reflection of some less important social issues (family).
There is a chance that a movie about Marriage and Love with an Old Leftover Girl can be nominated for Best Director.
Ronald discussed his idea of seeking a Best Director nomination with his agent Niceta.
Niceta was in the office, after listening to Ronald's thoughts, without saying a word, she took out the Oscar yearbook of the past ten years from the filing cabinet, and then looked at the nominated movies one by one.
Finally, Niceta closed the yearbook and happily said to Ronald, "Indeed, there is a bit of a chance this year. Last year, Oliver Stone's "The Field" won the first place, and the nominee was the team behind "Hannah and the Sisters."
Dee Allen, David Lynch in 'Blue Velvet', and James Ivory in 'A Room with a View'.
Any one of them has the potential to win an award this year. Not even Coppola's 'Peggy Sue Gets Married' was nominated."
"Then you think there is hope? Will CAA cooperate with you?" Seeing Niceta's attitude, Ronald seemed to have a little wildfire in his heart, slowly burning.
"I can't say I'm sure, but it's definitely worth trying, absolutely..." Niceta's fingers flicked on the table a few times quickly.
Being able to renew Ronald's contract will bind his influence in CAA and even Hollywood in the next few years. As long as he and his wife Paula continue to attract the most promising directors and most promising male stars in Hollywood,
The influence of this couple in the future can already be foreseen.
"I will mobilize all my connections and attack at the Directors Guild and the Film Critics Association in major cities. I will also go to see Mr. Michael Ovitz later to ask for more assistance." Niceta made a decision immediately.
.
Generally speaking, for a director to be nominated for an Oscar, he needs to have been in the industry for more than ten years before the directors responsible for the nomination will recognize you. But this year, no one expected this situation. There is an opportunity in front of you, and you should
Try your best once.
"All your personal relationships must also be mobilized. Ronald, a director who has been nominated for an Academy Award, and a director who has not been nominated for an Academy Award, actually belong to two species in the eyes of film critics and some producers.
.”
"Oh?" Ronald didn't expect his agent to value this nomination so much.
"You know, many producers don't actually understand what makes a movie a hit. And those film critics... hehe... they don't necessarily understand whether a movie is good or bad. As long as you are nominated for Best Director, those mediocre people,
After seeing your honor, I can no longer speak ill of your movie without any bottom line..."
It turns out that there is such a relationship, and Ronald understands it a little bit. Being nominated for the Oscar for Best Director is like you are a certified brand product. If someone wants to say bad things about you, they have to think carefully before saying anything.
.
Maybe even if you have good reason and point out many faults in your movie, readers may not necessarily accept it. If someone has been nominated for an Oscar, does the Oscar understand it or do you?
"So, is there really a chance?" Ronald had originally thought of just practicing it once if it didn't work out. I heard that Niceta also thought that this year was a rare opportunity, and he was about to start dedicating himself to it.
"Really, I will let Paula make some contacts. Although she is no longer your agent, this is too important to your career, and we must go all out."
"I really don't know too many directors who have voting rights." Ronald counted on his fingers for a long time.
Spielberg himself also has movies to compete for, Lucas is no longer a member of the Directors Guild, and there is a bit of a quarrel with the Academy over Star Wars not being nominated for an award. Although Roger Corman is also a director, he only
If you make a low-budget horror film, you may not even have the right to vote in the academy.
Among the directors with whom I have a very close relationship, only Chris Columbus and James Cameron have voting rights.
Directors are really a species that rarely meet each other. The people Ronald knows well and often collaborates with are all photographers, art directors, or screenwriters. After all, there is only one director for a movie, and everyone does not need each other to work.
Cooperation relies entirely on personal relationships or mutual support in the circle to establish relationships.
With an idea in mind, Ronald called Cameron and visited him with gifts.
"Gail, this is a gift for you." Ronald took out a high-value shopping coupon for Eve Saint Laurent women's clothing and gave it to the hostess.
"This is for you, Jim." The gift to Cameron is a voucher for a set of customized modifications to Harley motorcycles. The Japanese have many professional accessories. After replacement, the rough temperament, durability and durability of Harley are maintained.
The quality will be much better.
Ronald personally presented the invitation letter to the premiere of "Moonlight", and Ronald directly expressed his intention to James.
"Jim, I need your help. I'm running this year's Oscar nominations..."
"It's funny, if you ask me, you should have been nominated a long time ago. Those old fashioned directors of the Directors Guild still use the standards of thirty years ago to judge the selection of best director, and look down on commercially successful movies. You know, in the past
In Hollywood, only commercially successful films were eligible to be nominated for awards. At that time, if a film did not do well at the box office, it would be ridiculed if it was nominated."
"Thanks, brother." Ronald hugged Cameron happily.
In fact, this trend has become more and more obvious since the 1980s. Ever since Jane Fonda's "Homecoming" invented this kind of rush to release in limited theaters at the end of the year to meet the Oscar selection requirements, in order to grab Oscar nominations
More and more movies are beginning to learn this effective method of winning awards.
After all, it is the end of the year, and the nomination selection is very close, and the judges are more impressed. Except for those movies released in the first half of the year, which have excellent box office and critical reviews, some judges may have forgotten about them.
"What projects are you working on recently?" After all, Cameron is a director, and gathering with friends is still most concerned about the film career.
"I originally wanted to plan a story that reflected Wall Street. After all, after the stock market crash, many people were curious about those bankers... However, obviously Oliver (Stone) has a more sensitive sense of smell than me."
"Oliver really has a keen sense of smell, and he can always find the subjects that the people want to see." Cameron also agreed, "Many directors can only shoot the stories they want to shoot, and can combine what they want to shoot and what the audience wants to see.
If you are united, you are a great director." Cameron let out a long sigh.
"What projects do you have recently?" Ronald heard that his old friend seemed to have something on his mind.
"'The Abyss' is a movie I have wanted to make since high school. It was inspired by the science fiction novels of HG Wells."
Cameron talked about his thoughts. HG Wells, an early pioneer of science fiction, many of his novels have been adapted into film and television dramas. This "Abyss" tells the story of diving in the deep sea.
I heard from Cameron that while editing "Alien 2", he watched a National Geographic documentary that told the story of how to operate a deep-diving robot on the bottom of the North Atlantic Ocean.
This documentary awakened Cameron's youthful dreams. He made a modern adaptation of Wells' novel, changing the original protagonists of a group of scientists into blue-collar workers who are more commercially attractive to audiences.
However, the studio is very hesitant about such a movie. This kind of movie requires a huge investment, and the water tank will cost a lot to build, and the special effects images generated by computer graphics cannot meet the requirements. It must be shot while filming.
In research and development, this kind of risk is beyond the tolerance of most studios. Especially in the current economic situation, everyone still prefers to be conservative.
"Why are you saying this to Ronald? Can he still use his own money to make this kind of movie for you? I have long said that this movie should not be made now, or it should have to wait five to ten years.
Only when technology matures." Gale Hurd felt angry when he heard Cameron talking about his science fiction movie again.
Cameron's talent in commercial films is undoubtedly revealed, and I don't know why he doesn't continue to shoot some movies with commercial potential. Just like Ronald, he first makes a few more blockbuster movies, and then thinks about the movies he wants to make.
Not too late.
"If I have to wait for the technology to mature, then I can't shoot the Terminator now." Cameron was a little annoyed by Gale Hurd.
"Whatever, I wish you luck and can find a studio that is willing to pay 40 million without squandering it on you." Gale's voice became louder, and the couple obviously had a lot of arguments about this recently.
"40 million?" Ronald did not expect that the cost of filming this "abyss" would be so high.
"Maybe it's not enough. I talked in detail with the engineers from Industrial Light and Magic. They need more than a year to develop and produce at the same time."
"Well, the production cost is more than 40 million yuan. In North America, the box office needs to be around 100 million yuan to recover the cost. I don't know why you have so much confidence. It's a diving story." Gale said about the movie.
Full of complaints. The commercial potential of the story is not that great.
"This is my lifelong dream. I just want to make a movie about deep-sea diving." Cameron smiled, but Gale still couldn't understand his dream.
"40 million, with the current market price, which studio is willing to take such a big gamble?" Ronald also scratched his head. Cameron is great, but Terminator only had 38 million domestic box office, and Alien 2 took advantage of the sequel.
85 million.
Hollywood suffered from a cash shortage after the stock market crash. The cash that a large company can use is only 50 million to 100 million. Who dares to bet money on such a science fiction movie?
…
"Ronald, the Bruce Willis movie is almost ready. When will you come and see it? Twentieth Century Fox wants to hear your confirmation before letting it go to director John McTiernan."
Joel Silver found out from somewhere that Ronald had returned to Los Angeles and immediately called him. It was time to take care of the movie he was cooperating with.
"Okay, when?" Ronald thought that he should really care about this movie.
"Tomorrow morning, we will meet under the new Twentieth Century Fox building."