"You guys are at Cannon, do you have any projects going on?"
Ronald took Dolph Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Dam back to Daydream. Of course, he didn't really ask the two action actors to be his bodyguards, he just came when necessary.
Support the scene.
Lundgren and Jean-Claude looked at each other, knowing that the opportunity had come, and quickly told them about the project they were negotiating with Cannon Pictures.
Minahan Golan is a bit weird when he makes movies. No matter what movie he shoots, the movies he makes look a bit like cartoons. For the two newcomers, Minahan gave them the protagonists of cartoon-like movies.
The project Minahan prepared for Jean-Claude was He-Man's live-action movie. This year's film "Unicron" adapted from He-Man starred Lundgren. However, Lundgren's acting was too bad, so next year he and Mattel
In cooperation with the company, Minahan turned to Jean Claude, whose acting skills were slightly better than Lundgren, to play He-Man.
Lundgren's image among the audience is still stuck in "Rocky IV", that fighting machine with no human emotions created by the Soviet Union. Anyway, he didn't have the acting skills to create a new character, so Minahan did it for him.
A script was created for him to continue playing a Soviet Union fighting machine and go to Africa to fight against the rebels of a country.
After being bullied by Cuban mercenaries, he was rescued by a local tribe and moved by the free people. In turn, he defeated the Cuban mercenaries and Czechoslovak instructors under the Soviet Union, and finally gained the support of the black brothers.
Both of them have been preparing their projects for a long time, but Minahan has been delaying it for various reasons. They don't dare to really fall out with Minahan, so they have to go to the office every once in a while to inquire about the progress. They happened to meet him today.
Ronald comes...
Ronald heard that their project had been delayed for half a year, and thought that it didn't matter what Minahan said, it was what he did that truly reflected the Cannon's financial situation.
"Did Minahan give you a time to start shooting?" Ronald asked the two action actors, touching his chin.
"He said it will be at least until the middle of next year, but from his usual evasive behavior, it may not be until the end of next year." Jean-Claude has not yet got the role of Cannon, so he doesn't particularly trust Minahan.
"It can't be said that Mr. Golan is very serious about making movies." Lundgren has already participated in a blockbuster film about Cannon, although in the end because there was no money for special effects, the final effect was as bad as a low-quality cartoon.
"But maybe you're right. All major cannon projects have been suspended. We don't know what's going on. There are a lot of rumors."
"I can't promise you anything, but before Minahan starts your 'big project', you may be able to shoot some small and medium-sized productions for my daydreams...if you are willing." Ronald looked at the two
He is a very skilled action actor, but he has the idea of picking up bargains.
"Excuse me...did you direct it?" The two looked at each other and asked Ronald.
"Haha, my daydream is a small production company that can only make movies with a budget of less than 5 million US dollars. So at most I can only name myself as an executive producer, and the director and producer will find someone else. But I can guarantee you one thing.
Both of them will be the absolute male protagonists of the movie, and they will give full play to your karate action characteristics. I will find the best action director to make your actions look good on the screen."
Jean-Claude and Lundgren looked at each other. Ronald said this, so they had no choice but to believe it. Anyway, except for Minahan and Ronald, no one in Hollywood would ask them to make a serious movie with a male lead and a budget.
It's not a big deal, actually. Make some money by making a movie first, and then wait until Minahan's big production starts shooting.
"Very good, very good. I will prepare the script right now, and then find an action director to tailor a good-looking fighting scene for you."
Ronald was very happy. Actors who knew karate, were good at fighting, and were trained in film shooting were actually not that easy to find. Anyway, there are many martial arts directors at Jackie Chan in Xiangjiang. I will find two of them when the time comes.
, make some Xiangjiang-style action movies, and change the protagonists to blond and blue-eyed Westerners. Think about it, there is a market. The audience here has never seen that kind of oriental martial arts.
"I will pay for you to find a suitable acting coach. You should study hard and practice karate to maintain your skills. If I need you to help, you can just act as my bodyguard."
Ronald patted both of them on the shoulders and went to call Jackie Chan to train himself, leaving the two fighters confused as to what kind of medicine Ronald was selling in his gourd.
…
"Luo Sheng, it's no problem. If you want to make a movie together, there's no problem at all. You want to come to Xiangjiang to film, or I can send someone to Hollywood, hahaha... Sister Jiao, please translate for him quickly...
"When Jackie Chan heard that Ronald wanted to make a movie together, she immediately patted her chest and said there was no problem.
"Okay, I'll prepare the script here and send someone over to negotiate with you. Don't worry, your people will help me. All income will be in accordance with Hollywood standards."
"Luo Sheng is so polite. We are all friends..."
Jackie Chan hung up the phone and said to Sister Jiao, "Hollywood has a lot of rules. Director Luo said it was a small production, but he still works on the script so rigorously. When his people come, remember to remind me to receive them well..."
"Jackie, other people's small productions also cost millions of dollars, but if you put them here, they would be big productions. Do you think they are like Hong Kong Filmmakers and have Flying Paper Boys, who write scripts on the spot?"
"Don't tell me, their stuff is still good. The tapes Luo Sheng gave me last time were stuck on the wall during filming. For plastic ones, use plastic tapes, for painted walls, use tapes meant for painted walls, and for wallpapers, use tapes meant for wallpapers.
If I had these good things when I was shooting the food truck, I wouldn’t have to pay the owner of the castle for decoration money after the photo was finished.”
This chapter is not over, please click on the next page to continue reading!...
"Ronald, you asked me to investigate the financial status of Cannon Pictures, and I already have the results." Ed Bastian, a partner at PricewaterhouseCoopers, flew to Los Angeles to report the investigation in person to Ronald.
Condition.
Ronald took the report and started reading it.
"You mean, Cannon's current financial situation is not bankrupt, but it is unable to make large investments?" Ronald asked Ed after hurriedly flipping through the report.
"Yes, in fact Cannon's 400 million financing has been spent, and the main destinations are divided into three places:
The first was to acquire the largest theater chain in Britain, Starlight Cinemas. This acquisition gave them the distribution capabilities in Europe. As a result, they cooperated with EMI in China to acquire theater chains in China, Spain, and Italy.
Holding, Cannon is now the company with the strongest distribution capabilities in Hollywood in Europe.
The second is the shooting of more than 40 movies every year, ranging from small productions with 6 million yuan to large productions with 30 million yuan. Originally, most of Cannon's shooting budget was obtained from pre-sales in Europe, and then through mortgages
The contract was issued and a bridge loan was provided by a bank in Belgium. However, this bank is currently under investigation for money laundering. There is a gap in their capital chain, so they used this financing to fill it.
The third is the new office building they built. The size of this building is only slightly smaller than the new building of 20th Century Fox. The real estate market has been very good in the past two years, and this is one of their best assets.
"
"So lavish, you spent all 400 million in two years?" Ronald lamented that Minahan's spending ability is also first-rate.
"Spending money reasonably and quickly is actually a kind of ability. If you look at these three investments, they are actually relatively cost-effective." Ed Bastian quickly explained to Ronald the difference between running a company and personal wealth. From
The cost of the money raised in the bond market is interest. If you can buy high-quality assets accurately, you can not only cover the interest, but also increase in value. If this money is not spent in the bank, it will be a waste.
"British Starlight Cinemas is a high-quality asset. In fact, Cannon encountered financial difficulties this time. Their first move was to mortgage Starlight Cinemas and obtain a loan of 80 million pounds from British banks."
"So it turns out that it's easy to get a mortgage loan for the cannon building, right?" Ronald understood the nature of the company's investment.
"Yes, Cannon's financial crisis is actually a temporary difficulty in cash flow. They are seeking a US$300 million loan on Wall Street, using the soon-to-be-topped building as collateral. Now it seems that they have a high chance of success."
De Bastian acknowledged the customer's inferences.
"So, their financial crisis is mainly caused by the second item, the big movie they invested in did not pay back?" Ronald continued to flip through the materials.
Cannon was still a film company that mainly produced small- and medium-budget exploitation films before. It produced twenty or thirty exploitation films every year, most of which could be sold through television and earn back their money at the box office. And it was hard to guarantee that one or two of the twenty or thirty films would not appear.
A big-selling work, such as "Break Dance" that Ronald filmed for them is the biggest successful project.
Although this kind of business may not be a big hit or win Oscars, it is still a good business because it is stable, has a short payment cycle, and has a steady flow of money.
But after receiving 400 million in financing, Minahan seems to have changed into a different person, starting to play in big productions and big stars. Not only did he destroy the star salary structure in Hollywood, he gave Stallone more than 10 million in salary, and he also invested in several movies a year.
A major production worth over US$30 million.
It just so happened that he had bad luck this year. None of his big productions were successful at the box office, and he did not follow the tradition of obtaining a bridge loan from a bank. Instead, he advanced the funds for filming himself, so there was no difficulty for the time being.
As a small company, Daydream has made money with the success of "Dirty Dancing", but it must learn a lesson and not gamble with its own money over and over again.
"On the surface it looks like this," Ed Bastian knocked on the table with his hand, "but there are deeper reasons. Cannon could have continued to raise funds in the market by issuing bonds, at least according to their current financial statements.
, which is better than a few years ago, and you can get issuance conditions with lower interest rates.
However, some profound changes are taking place on Wall Street. Milken, who previously handled the bond issuance for him, is now being investigated by the prosecutor of the Southern District of New York and is in big trouble.
The bonds of Cannon Pictures are also part of a series of suspected irregular financial operations by Milken, so there are no bond brokers on Wall Street who are willing to get involved in this company's bond issuance operations."
"So what is your conclusion?" Ronald understood. Minahan's company's assets are still abundant, but its cash flow has dried up. The original bond financing channels have been blocked by special investigations. No wonder some people are starting to let loose. If they want to
Take advantage of him.
"As long as they are willing to take out the building as a mortgage, it will not be difficult for the Cannons to get through this difficult period. But they have to make a truly blockbuster movie. Just one movie can make bankers change their view of them.
Otherwise, if the market continues to question their ability to make money in the future, it will only be a matter of time before problems arise again."
"Hmm..." Ronald didn't quite agree with Ed Bastian's conclusion. Making money in movies is largely a matter of luck. No one is sure of winning. To truly be able to run a healthy business, you still have to
Returning to the route of making small-production, quick-turnaround exploitation films.
Make a small amount of money steadily every year, and then look forward to one or two profitable movies.
"Thank you. I'll keep this report here. Maybe it will come in handy in the future..."
Ed Bastian said his goodbyes and left, and Richard walked in.
"Mr. Ovitz has arranged a time to invite you to see the filming set of Steve Segel's new movie. However, he has other things to do, so he will not accompany you to the set this time."
"Okay, let's go by ourselves." Ronald nodded.
Steve Seagel, Ovitz's aikido instructor, gained Ovitz's appreciation and contacted Warner Bros. to produce and distribute a B-level action film with Seagal as the leading actor.
Although Ovitz is the boss of an agency, he has actually done a lot of work as a producer and has a good vision. "Ghostbusters", which was previously packaged by CAA, was a great success and became the annual box office champion.
The project that Ovitz set up for Siegel was definitely not to repay his master, but because he saw the box office prospects of this kind of movie. Ronald wanted to steal his master's work to see what kind of action movie it was, and what kind of action movie it was.
Wiz is also optimistic.
"What has Mr. Ovitz been busy with recently?" Ronald asked Richard.
"Well, I know that he continues to contact Mr. Spielberg, and I don't know anything else..."
"Oh, he is quite persistent."
Spielberg has always refused to sign an agent contract. He can move easily between Universal, Warner Brothers, and Paramount studios without being tied to any distribution company. And with his strength, he doesn’t actually need to
Ovitz helped him get the project done.
If we talk about the role of producer, Ovitz and Spielberg actually have some competition with each other. Therefore, Ovitz's plan to acquire Spielberg and further control his stars has never been
success.
"He has been very busy recently, and we can't always find him. No one knows where he has gone except his secretary. This time, I just happened to see his secretary arranging his schedule, and I found him through every opportunity."
"Okay, let's go by ourselves. Call Duff (Lundgren) and Jean Claude (Van Dan)."
"Duff, Jean-Claude, we are going to the set of a new film shot by an actor named Steve Seagal. He likes to scare people with Aikido and is well-known in Hollywood. So the main task of you two is
, just don’t let him touch Ronald.
This person often arranges for photographers to hide nearby and take photos of guests being frightened by him. Although Ronald is not necessarily afraid of him, we must prevent this from happening."
On the way to the Warner Bros. studio in Burbank, Richard told two fighting experts about today's situation.
"Hehehehe..." Ronald laughed beside him. In fact, he was not afraid of a fight on the spot. He just happened to see the quality of Sigel's self-proclaimed Aikido master's certificate.