Chapter 140 A producers job is like a middle school principal
"This is one of the three pairs of earrings worn by Marilyn Monroe in 'Some Like It Hot'. They are made of rhinestones..."
At a charity auction held for screenwriters in Los Angeles, a pair of Marilyn Monroe's earrings are being auctioned. Although they are shiny and beautiful, they are not worth much. They were donated by a collector named Kent Warner.
He used to work in the props department of MGM and had many "liberated" movie props.
"One thousand and fifty, are there any more bids? Two thousand? Two thousand five? Three thousand? Three thousand two times, three thousand three times. It belongs to No. 68 Ronald Lee. Thank him for his contribution to the screenwriters of the Writers Guild.
contribute."
Ronald stood up and greeted everyone. On such occasions, they are all small items that everyone brings to make up for the loss. The commemorative value is higher than the real value.
Ronald handed the number plate to Helen Slater who was next to him. This pair of earrings had some commemorative significance and was not expensive. It just suited Helen's personality of advocating environmental protection and recycling items. She was still very happy when she had the opportunity to wear Monroe's earrings.
happy.
"The next item to be auctioned is a relic belonging to Miss Marilyn Monroe. A pair of stiletto heels from the Salvatore Ferragamo brand she wore. The starting bid is three thousand US dollars."
Ronald will not sell this. Second-hand jewelry and earrings have the souvenir value of classic movies and are acceptable. These shoes are not the right size...
But these stilettos are really beautiful. The scarlet satin upper is inlaid with hundreds of artificial gemstones and rhinestones, which are sparkling. You can imagine how sexy Monroe looked wearing them.
"Five thousand dollars, okay, five thousand, six thousand, eight thousand..."
Ronald didn't want it, but there were still many people who wanted it. Soon the price was raised to 20,000, and it's still growing.
"Thirty-five thousand dollars...belongs to Mr. Hugh Hefner."
Ronald smiled. This was the action of the founder of Playboy. There were rumors in Hollywood that he was obsessed with Monroe, and the cover of the first issue of Playboy used a nude photo of Monroe. Whenever there was an auction of Monroe's belongings, he would always
Will be there.
His needs are different from others. As long as they are clothes, shoes and items that were used personally by Monroe, he will collect them all. But he will not buy any jewelry or other relics.
"Let us thank Mr. Hugh Hefner and Ms. Anna Strasbourg..." the auctioneer said, and both the buyer and the seller stood up to pay tribute. "Next is Ms. Elizabeth Taylor.
Costumes from the movie 'A Little Night Music'..."
Ronald felt sick for a moment. This Anna was the legacy of Lee Strasberg of the Actors Studio. Lee Strasberg was the executor of Monroe's will during his lifetime, but he left Monroe to his relatives in the will.
I keep all the things I own with my friends. Now every time there is an auction of Hollywood star items, I will take a few of them out to make money and favors.
Ronald thought about the past when Lee Strasberg held random training classes, taught emotional memory methods, and made the actors cry. Maybe Monroe, who was pursuing acting, also became a person because of this unnatural method.
Get depressed.
On the contrary, this couple, relying on Monroe's fame to earn such bad money, really set a very bad example for future acting teachers.
"Ronnie, it's time for your painting..." Helen reminded Ronald, who was lost in thought.
"Oh..." Ronald put the eight Andy Warhol paintings he bought this time, some of which were not about Monroe, as auction items, and also submitted them to this auction. At that time, three
I bought a thousand pairs, it’s best to get my money back and sell them this time.
"Three thousand dollars, do you want three thousand dollars..."
The auctioneer on the stage began to lengthen his tone, change various tricks, and sell to the people present. But no one was stupid. How could this kind of print be compared with the one created by other painters with brushes?
"Okay, sir, please bid three thousand. Is there anything higher than three thousand?"
When the auctioneer saw that the auction was about to fail, everyone looked bad, so they pointed back vaguely, as if someone was really bidding. This heated up the atmosphere and also gave other buyers a signal that this thing was not real.
Rubbish.
"Three thousand, three thousand, is there anyone with a higher bid?" The auctioneer's face didn't look good. What kind of rubbish is this? He made a virtual bid, but why wasn't there even a bid? He looked at Ronald,
You'd better buy it yourself.
Ronald didn't understand this and treated it as if he couldn't see it. Anyway, someone had taken advantage of him and offered the money, so it would be best if he paid it without losing money.
"Three thousand and five..." Helen had seen many charity auctions in New York and knew what was going on. She smiled and held up the sign, bought it and gave it to Ronald as a gift. Anyway, he gave it to himself.
A pair of earrings for the price.
"Why did you buy it? If you want it, I'll give it to you." Ronald thought to himself, isn't this a waste of money? In addition to the auction price, there is also a handling fee.
"Hehe...you don't understand either..." Helen smiled and told Ronald the inside story.
"Hey, I really fell into David Geffen's trap."
"It's so beautiful..." When he returned to the hotel, Ronald put on Helen the necklace that Monroe once wore. The most important thing about accessories like jewelry is not the material or the design, but that it must match the owner's temperament.
.
Helen Slater has a rather indifferent temperament. When she wears these artificial lunarite earrings, she feels like a girl who supports environmental protection. They look no less than the original diamond earrings.
Maybe Monroe's blessing also gave Ronald some psychological hints. He always felt that Helen was beautiful tonight.
"Thank you...Ronald." Helen closed her eyes and accepted Ronald's kiss.
"Thank you. Didn't you send that painting back to me?" Ronald didn't want it at first, so he gave it to Helen as a gift. However, Helen didn't like to take advantage of others, so she sent it back to Ronald.
.
Thinking that Helen couldn't sell it even if she took it, and it would still take up space. Ronald thought to himself that he should find other ways to compensate her.
"How are you preparing for filming?" Ronald asked Helen. The movie "Love in the Heart" will be shot soon. As the heroine, although she is already a twenty-four-year-old woman,
The mood remains very cheerful, and the talent is harmonious. Playing a high school student is not too inconsistent.
After all, this kind of romantic comedy for middle school students is very particular about using older actors. The audience is also very used to it.
"Let me show you my preparations..." Helen left Ronald's arms, put on her silk pajamas, and then cleared her throat, "I took some college courses this year, and I got a glimpse of the future.
All I can say to you is, it’s better to go back now..."
"Haha...", Ronald laughed. Cameron Crowe's script is very interesting. It is a kind of dry humor, teasing that the challenges in the future will be too great and that everyone will still miss their high school days.
However, this kind of humor is difficult to understand for those who have experienced it, so after the heroine played by Helen in the script finished speaking, the whole audience was silent, and only the male protagonist understood and laughed.
"You are very well prepared." Ronald hugged Helen into his arms again, and the silk felt very good.
"Um...well...what do you think of my preparation?" Helen resisted Ronald with all her strength, insisting on an evaluation.
"You are indeed suitable for this kind of idol drama."
"Hmm... um... um." Helen refused, hitting Ronald a few times in protest, but still did not resist the other's arms, and stuck together tightly.
…
The one million donations raised at the scene were sent to the members of the Writers Guild who launched a rebellion.
With money, these people have weapons. As long as they agree with their plan and reconcile with the Producers Alliance, they will provide relief funds. If they don't agree, they will still support negotiator Walton and the Producers Alliance.
If he is stubborn, then go to him and ask for money.
Soon, the screenwriters who got the money had their first decent income in many months. After returning home, they saw the smiling faces of their families. The wives’ frowns began to relax, and the children could finally speak on TV.
After seeing the TV series written by my father, many screenwriters were relieved.
Shouldn't we just share the profits from the scripts sold to overseas TV stations and theaters? Nowadays, I don't know if I can write a TV program that is more than one hour long and can be screened abroad. The union has obtained the rights of screenwriters to make suggestions for directors and actors. This
It already represents the victory of this strike.
Taking advantage of the exhausted screenwriters, Nick Kuant, the president of the Producers Alliance, immediately started shuttle diplomacy upon seeing this. He first held a meeting with the film writers from the Western Writers Guild, and won over half the number of them who were from the Eastern Writers Guild.
support.
Then he got on a chartered plane and flew to New York to negotiate with the Eastern Writers Guild. The special commissioner sent by the General Command also served as a supervisor and attended the meeting between both parties, supervising that both parties must negotiate in a "good faith and good" atmosphere.
The result was very smooth. The hard-liners led by negotiator Walton became the weak party within the union. The newly participating negotiating teams were represented by 20th Century Fox and Universal, and most of the producers were domestic screenwriting teams.
The hidden stakes of a major studio.
After their efforts, a new negotiation plan was drawn up, and labor contract negotiations are scheduled to be held again in Los Angeles three days later.
In this way, only three wireless television stations and one Hollywood studio, Warner Bros., are left hoping that the strike will continue.
…
Ronald called the screenwriters he had worked with to help the final negotiations go smoothly. They are all rich people now, and they all hope that the strike will end as soon as possible. Ronald's movie
The TV broadcasts and video residual dividends brought to them will not be affected by the strike, so the strike will not harm their quality of life.
These people do have some appeal in some circles, such as Shanley, the screenwriter of "Moonlight". After winning the Oscar, he became very influential on Broadway. Under his instigation, more than 30 screenwriters came forward to support the labor agreement.
achieved.
On August 2nd, the negotiations finally took place. Walton, the negotiator of the Writers Guild, grimaced, and finally shook hands with Nick Kuant of the Producers Union. After a whole night of marathon talks, the two sides finally concluded
Walton still gave in, and most of the new agreement was completed in accordance with the Producers Alliance's proposal.
Dividends from overseas distribution are still only applicable to film and television projects of more than one hour. The screenwriter has also received a symbolic right to make suggestions on creation. In fact, these are all details. The most important thing in this agreement is that the screenwriter has no rights in the agreement.
Before being voted by members of both parties, you can join the crew without being considered a strike that violates the union.
Under the American legal system, unions have the strong power to prohibit members who do not want to participate in union strikes from returning to work. In other words, strikes are not voluntary but mandatory. Anyone who wants to work will be violently stopped by pickets.
.
With the release of temporary work agreements, the system that allows union members to supervise each other and report each other will immediately cease to work. Everyone will go back to make money, and those who come to persuade will be regarded as fools. If we unite as one, we will definitely
The energy to fight against capital to the end has also been discouraged.
Soon, the talk shows of Johnny Carson and David Letterman were the first to welcome the return of their writers. The quality of the program instantly increased, and the ratings were higher than before the strike. Those writers,
During the strike, I also secretly accumulated a lot of jokes.
Ronald also quickly seized the opportunity and asked the crew of Cameron Crowe's "Love Deeply" to start work immediately.
"It's time for you to give the orders, Cameron..."
After the brief opening ceremony of the crew, Ronald saw that Cameron Crowe did not move, so he had to whisper a reminder in his ear.
"Ah...yes...we'll start right away..." Cameron Crowe didn't seem to have recovered from the surprise of his wife coming to cheer him up. He rarely saw his rock star wife Nan recently.
Hey, that look of admiration in his eyes.
"You have to tell the director of photography what pictures you need, and then he will help you get it." Ronald saw that Cameron was a little overjoyed and at a loss, so he had to continue directing.
"I want a shot of Helen (Slater) and John (Cusack) having a conversation at a 45-degree angle..." Crowe, who finally came to his senses, began to express his thoughts.
"Huh..." Ronald let out a long breath. Fortunately, he came to the scene today to defeat the enemy.
Unlike the director of "Steel Magnolias", Herbert Ross, who was overconfident and too strong on set. Cameron Crowe's problem is that he is not confident enough. He has been working as a screenwriter for several years and finally got the opportunity to direct his own work.
, all kinds of challenges came down, and I felt a little overwhelmed.
"a!"
Cameron Crowe's first instruction to start filming finally came from the loudspeaker. The low sound of the video recorder's motor was heard, witnessing the birth of a new Hollywood director.
After Ronald watched the entire filming, Helen was really good at playing the role. She is very good at this kind of smart and beautiful role, and has been well protected since she was a child. In other words, this is a lot of her true character, and she reacted with John Cusack.
.
John Cusack came from a theater background, and like his sister Joan, they are veterans in acting. Coupled with Helen's characteristics, the two performed very smoothly.
"cut!"
Crowe looked at the director of photography and producer Polly Platt. After getting the no-questions-asked sign, he was finally relieved.
"Let's take a break and then shoot the scene of the hero and heroine at the school graduation ceremony."
No one listened to Crowe's order to dismantle the camera. They all looked at each other and didn't know what to say.
In the end, everyone's eyes were focused on Ronald.
"Hey, hey... Cameron, come here." Ronald almost laughed out loud. Cameron Crowe doesn't know about shooting. Does he think the movie is shot shot by shot from beginning to end?
"Do you know the Hollywood construction method, the rule of one master and two shoulders?"
"What?" Crowe looked confused, obviously not knowing.
"This is a working method passed down from the golden age of Hollywood. One main shot introduces the scene and characters, and then takes an over-the-shoulder shot. You have just finished shooting Helen's part, and you have to turn the camera to shoot Cusack talking to her.
Over-the-shoulder shot. Then there is a close-up shot of the two people, also called a reaction shot, which is used to edit to hear the other person speaking and the character's reaction..."
Seeing this, Ronald had no choice but to teach Cameron Crowe the ten-minute crash course in directing that Roger Corman taught him.
"The most important rule of being a director is to find a place to sit and rest anytime and anywhere on the set. You will walk a lot and stand for a long time. Have you seen the stool with your name on it? Sit down and rest when you have time.
.Directing is a very tiring job, you have to stick to it. Otherwise, you might as well go back to being a screenwriter."
"I understand." Cameron Crowe is very perceptive. After listening to Ronald's crash course, he was able to shoot with style immediately.
As Crowe was getting better, Ronald walked aside and told producer Polly Platt, "I'm leaving it to you. If he has any problems, you should help him more. If you can't solve it,
Just call me."
"You trust him so much that you become a director without knowing how to shoot an over-the-shoulder shot."
"That's okay. Orson Welles didn't understand this when he was filming 'Citizen Kane', so he was able to create a special photography style." Ronald believes in people's talents more than those Hollywood dogmas.
important.
However, it seems that Polly will have to stay with the team for a long time to help Crowe solve some technical problems that he cannot handle, and help him establish his authority as a director. I originally wanted to transfer Polly Platt after the filming started smoothly.
"Steel Magnolias" crew's idea of suppressing Herbert Ross fell through again.
This Herbert Ross, after he left, he started to be rude to Julia Roberts and Dolly Parton again.
Diane secretly called Ronald and expressed her concern. Several actresses felt uncomfortable. If this continues, there will be problems with the crew's performance, and Ronald will have to solve it.
The job of a producer is like that of a principal of a public middle school. Not only must he provide a comfortable environment for students and teachers, but if someone is mischievous, they must be detained in school and given a lecture in the principal's office.