After the three-minute strike ended, Ronald ran back to the hotel to rest for a few hours, and then waited for Daydream's general manager Eddie to come over and report the situation.
"The Television Actors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild, the two major actors' unions in the film and television industry, have begun a new round of agreement negotiations with the Producers Union. They are very encouraged by this condition of the Directors Union. I estimate that they will
Propose the same remaining dividend conditions." Eddie began to talk about the news from the Producers Alliance.
"This is a good thing anyway. Their conditions will eventually cut off a piece of meat from the three major wireless television networks and the small cable TV networks. Presumably there will be no major problems in the negotiations. The actors' strike in 1980
It won't happen again," Ronald replied.
Ronald knew that this negotiation was about the unions uniting to ask for more benefits from the TV station and making the cake bigger. The new media channels had achieved good benefits. After everyone talked happily, they raised the minimum wage.
Once the increase is over, it will be over. This is not like the last round of negotiations, where the unions united to demand benefits from the producers, so the negotiations were difficult and triggered a long strike.
Just like the residual dividends insisted on by the Directors Guild this time, internal data from the union said that the total dividends received from TV stations this year exceeded 50 million U.S. dollars, and it is expected to exceed 100 million U.S. dollars under the new contract next year. With such a big cake, the bottom-level directors
Provisions to raise the minimum wage will be easier to pass.
"Where are the other unions?" Ronald asked. The Producers Union is different from unions of a single type of work. He has to negotiate labor contracts with all unions. Without one, work cannot start.
"There are no problems with the technical staff behind the scenes and the various unions. They do not enjoy dividends and the increase in the minimum wage is expected to be acceptable. There is also a Writers Guild for artistic online positions. Negotiations can also start in January next year. It is expected that the same as the Actors Guild.
The proportion of dividends is through salary increases.”
"Great, the production business is not easy now." Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. The sequelae of the stock market crash have not yet passed. This time the stock market crash was as sharp as the Great Depression, which left a very bad impression on the public. There are strict requirements.
Calls to investigate the illegal activities of the Wall Street giants have begun to appear, and various loose financial market regulations are probably coming to an end.
The financing capabilities of various studios on Wall Street are gradually being restricted. Many studios that have taken on heavy debts will have problems with their ability to repay old debts if their ability to borrow new debts is affected. If this happens
If the situation continues, it will one day affect the entire industry.
However, the problem with daydreams is that they are different from those companies that have borrowed heavily in debt. They mainly do not have good scripts worth investing in.
The time in the industry was relatively short, and all Daydream got were scripts for small-production exploitation films. When Eddie came this time, he also wanted to urge Ronald to use his connections in the industry to get more scripts for his company to produce.
.
"Hey, this requires time and money. Our daydream is not an old brand like Qida, nor is it an upstart like Cannon, so we'd better take our time." Ronald scratched his head, this matter is not that easy.
Many of the scripts that are being sent unsolicited now are actually aimed at Ronald himself. If he does not agree with the director or producer, then many screenwriters will not sign with Daydream and instead seek support from other studios.
The two chatted about the company's business for a while, and finally ordered takeout pizza for a quick lunch.
Eddie turned on the TV and watched the noon news while eating. "Your acting skills are really good," he joked, pointing to Ronald's performance at the strike site that morning.
"Hahaha..." Ronald also ate pizza and drank Coke.
"The China Securities Regulatory Commission is beginning a series of investigations into Cannon Pictures to see if there are any violations."
"Huh?" Both of them were attracted by the next news, and Eddie went over and turned up the volume.
"As of today, in my opinion, the company can no longer make normal profits." A female accountant in charge of auditing was being interviewed by a TV station and expressed her opinion.
"Cannon's movies are unsatisfactory at the box office. Their accounts have incomprehensibly huge expenses in the category of 'sales and administrative expenses.' And they previously raised $400 million through junk bond financing on Wall Street.
, and are constantly generating high amounts of interest.”
"Cannon is in financial crisis?" Ronald heard the interview on the news and couldn't help but be surprised. Will Minahan, an old cunning guy, go bankrupt just because several big-budget movies such as Superman IV and Over the Top did not do well at the box office?
?
"It's unlikely. Cannon still has many production plans in the industry. When I went to the Producers Alliance, I saw Minahan, and he didn't look like there was a big problem."
"But it's all on the TV news, so there must be some problem." Ronald thought about the script shortage Daydream encountered, "I'll make some phone calls..."
The first call was to accountant Ed Bastian.
"Ed, I'd like to ask you to do an audit. That's right...it's not my daydream, it's Cannon Pictures. I need an assessment. How much is theirs worth?"
"Do you want to acquire them? Very ambitious move, but I have to remind you that financing on Wall Street is very expensive nowadays, unless you have additional financial resources..." Ed Bastian is very satisfied with the aggressiveness of his customers.
, as long as the source of funds is solved...
"No, no, no, Ed, I don't want to acquire Cannon just yet. I want to settle the account and be as clear as possible. Cannon is a listed company, and I just want to understand the situation through public financial statements. You know
Generally, if a Hollywood company goes bankrupt and is sold, it will bundle its assets into different packages. I wanted to see if there were any opportunities for bargain hunting."
"That's simple, but because of the delay in financial disclosure, you're not going to get a very accurate assessment."
"It's okay, I just want a rough idea, and you can send me the bill..."
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! Then Ronald dialed Minahan's phone number again.
"Hello, I'm looking for your chairman, Mr. Minahan Golan."
"Hi, Ronald, I'm Minahan, why did you call me today?"
Ronald frowned, why didn't Minahan's secretary answer the call first?
"I saw on the news that you cannons..."
"Those are all tricks of the bankers. They just want to make some noise to reduce the amount of further financing we need. They are all actions that are not on the table. I am preparing a new big production here. If you don't believe it, you can come here
Look... quack quack..."
Minahan's laughter was as hearty as ever.
"Why not? We haven't seen each other for a long time. You know my movies are doing well at the box office. I should go over and have a chat with you. Maybe we can jointly produce a few movies."
"Quack, quack, then I'll be waiting for you to come. When will you come over..."
Soon, Ronald arrived at the Cannon's office not far from CAA, opposite the new building built by Minahan, which will become the Cannon's office after it is completed.
"It seems like it's almost finished? When will you move there?" Ronald hugged Minahan and said hello when he came out to greet him. When he arrived at his office, he pointed to the new building opposite and asked.
"About next spring, we will be at about the same progress as Fox and others..." Minahan puffed on a cigar in his office.
"That's great. Don't forget to invite me to attend the inauguration ceremony." To be honest, Ronald was quite envious of companies like this that had the money to build their own buildings.
"Then I must not forget you..." Minahan took out a new cigar and handed it to Ronald.
"Hmm..." Ronald lit it and took a sip. It was not as good as the ones in the offices of the seven CEOs.
"I'm just curious, who wants to get in trouble with your cannon?"
"Aren't they just those jackals who are trying to attack us in the capital market... I will leave these matters to Yoram. He will be interviewed by reporters soon and make a statement. Now I only care about next year's film project."
"What big production do you have?" Ronald saw that Minahan didn't want to talk about the financial issues in the news, so he took advantage of the situation and asked about Minahan's film projects.
"I'm going to continue to make a sequel to the movie with a budget of 30 million U.S. dollars." Minahan heard Ronald ask about the movie and immediately became energetic again, "Do you remember that comic book 'He-Man' adapted into the movie Unicron? I
We will make a prequel or sequel, this time in cooperation with the copyright owner Mattel, and the tentative name is 'He-Man'."
"Sounds interesting, who will star?" Ronald remembered the box-office hit "He-Man - Unicron", starring Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, who played the villain of Rocky IV. His acting skills were real
Oops, I wonder if Minahan will continue to use it.
"I'm thinking about Stallone or Chuck Norris. What, who do you have in mind?" Mina rarely saw Ronald asking such a detailed question and showing interest, so he thought for a moment, "Do you want to play the role yourself? No.
The problem...you are tall enough, just right for He-Man."
"No..." Ronald quickly clarified, "I just watched He-Man's cartoons and wanted to know who would play the live-action version." He-Man is a muscular man shirtless and wearing underwear, and he didn't want to play the role.
"Stallone is a little short, but he is a star and can help a lot in distribution."
The two were chatting blindly when the door to the office was pushed open with a "click".
"Mr. Golan, you promised me to make me a movie star. Why haven't you given me a chance yet?"
A blond macho man rushed in, "I'll show you my abilities, uncle..."
The person jumped, his feet flew into the air, then he crossed his legs, his right foot brushed against Minahan's nose, and he launched a mid-air back kick..."
"Jean Claude, how many times have I told you, don't use this trick in front of me..."
Minahan didn't have time to react, and was startled by a mid-air sweep kick. This actor's action skills are good, and his fighting looks much better than Stallone, but he always likes to scare himself.
He was very familiar with this move and would not hit himself, but no one could bear to be frightened by him like this.
"I just want you to see my level to prevent you from forgetting me, Mr. Golan." The blond man chuckled, obviously this was not the first time he had done this.
"Jean Claude...do you remember me?"
Ronald next to him was also startled by the mid-air kick, but he knew who it was when he saw the person's appearance.
This is the same Jean-Claude Van Damme who stole the scene with a backflip at the beach hip-hop scene during "Break Dancing". He also used this mid-air kick on himself back then. I haven't seen him in a few years. He used it.
Becoming more proficient...
"Ah...Ronald...No, Mr. Li, hello, hello." When Jean Claude saw it was Ronald, he immediately came up to shake hands and say hello, "I'll show you..."
"Jean Claude, don't bother Ronald. I will give you what I promised you. But you have to be patient now, be patient..." Minahan continued to fool the action actor.
"Mr. Golan, but I have to survive in Hollywood. Acting coaches are also very expensive. I have to make movies to survive. Otherwise, I have to participate in karate competitions and make money as a coach."
"Are you making a movie now?" Ronald asked Jean Claude suddenly.
"Not now, I'm looking for an opportunity, Mr. Li..."
"Just call me Ronald. If you are not busy, you can work for me for a while. Minahan is very optimistic about you and will definitely let you play the leading role if there is a chance."
"What, you want Claude to star in your new movie?" Minahan seemed to have an old toy that was suddenly noticed by other children. He found that this toy was really fun and immediately asked Ronald.
"No, no, it's not a movie. I have some other temporary jobs here. I want to hire Jean Claude..." Ronald thought of the former bodyguard who was at the premiere of "Moonlight".
Siegel.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading! I want to go to the filming site of his new movie to learn about the new trends in action movies. Sigel will definitely challenge himself at the scene. Although I am not afraid of him, but with him
It seems shameful to do it, but this Jean-Claude Van Damme has good skills. Karate is a martial art with practical combat capabilities, and he can act as his own bodyguard.
"What kind of job is it?" Jean Claude was overjoyed. It was a rare opportunity to work for Ronald.
"I want to ask you to be my bodyguard." Ronald told him about the conflict with Siegel.
"No problem. I've been a bodyguard for big shots before. I know Aikido. I can fight very well against ordinary people... against real martial arts, such as karate..."
"Very good, you go and help Ronald first. When I have a new film ready, you can play the leading role for me." Minahan Golan suddenly became more and more attracted to Jean Claude Van Dam.
Having been Ronald's bodyguard and then starring in a movie is a gimmick.
"Who do you want to give the leading role to? Mr. Golan, you promised me first..."
While he was talking, another blond man walked in. He heard Minahan's last conversation with Jean-Claude Van Damme. Both of them were actors of the same type, and he immediately stepped forward to question him anxiously.
"Duff? Don't worry, I'm talking about another movie. Your Unicron didn't do well at the box office, so it's normal for President Yoram to have doubts about the choice of the sequel. I'm on your side, as long as you
Improve your acting skills a little bit..."
When Ronald took a look, it turned out to be Dolph Lundgren, the star of He-Man's adaptation of "Unicron".
"I have worked hard to improve my acting skills, Mr. Golan, but acting coaches in Hollywood are too expensive. I have to find a job first. Can you give me some work as a stand-in or supporting actor?"
"Hehehe..." Ronald and Jean Claude both laughed.
"What are you laughing at? What's so funny about this? Oh, Ronald, no...Director Li." Longgren recognized Ronald and immediately stepped forward to apologize, "I'm sorry, I just hope that in Hollywood I can
Stand still, I hope you don’t mind.”
"What do you study?" Ronald didn't know him well.
"I majored in chemical engineering and completed my master's degree in New York." Longer replied.
"No, I'm asking what kind of martial arts you learn..."
"I learned karate, Goju-ryu karate, and a little bit of judo."
"Goju-ryu", Ronald thought to himself, isn't it the style of Master Miyagi in "The Dragon King"? He can definitely fight.
"I recently need some temporary bodyguards who can fight. Can you work for me?" Ronald invited him.
"No problem. I came to America to work as a bodyguard for Gracie Jones. I'm very familiar with this business." Longger also knew that being a bodyguard for a big shot like Ronald was a good opportunity. Anyway, it's his old profession.
, and still make money.
"Welcome..." Jean Claude and Lundgren shook hands, and the two naturally retreated behind Ronald, one to the left and one to the right. The two blond men immediately began to get into their roles and became Ronald.