Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 132 New Youth Exploitation Film Election

   "Your performance is very natural, very good." Ronald said to Helen Slater.

   "It's just too short. After two afternoons, it was gone in 15 seconds."

  Helen pressed the unwind button of the video recorder and took the videotape of her advertisement.

   "Here's another version. It's the version you sang Carpenter's song, but your father thought it was inappropriate to buy the cover of the song for an advertisement, so he ended up using the version you sang jazz."

  Ronald handed another videotape, "I'll give you this copy as a souvenir." Then he picked up a book on the table and continued to look.

   Helen Slater called Ronald after Thanksgiving. Her mother also wanted to see a copy of her daughter's advertisement and made an appointment to come to Ronald's house today to get it.

   She took over the Carpenter version of the videotape, put it into the VCR happily, and enjoyed it.

   put on her own performance a few times, and Helen was very satisfied. Seeing that Ronald was looking down at a book and didn't read his advertisement, he felt a little lost for some reason. The director doesn't seem to care much about his film and television debut, and is more interested in the black-covered, soft-covered book in his hand.

  My performance looks perfect, the young director must be editing every day, so no matter how good the performance is, I don’t feel it anymore. Or is his book too engaging?

   "What book are you reading?" Helen Slater looked at Ronald with big blue eyes.

"Endless love, I gave my cousin Donna a Thanksgiving gift, but she said that Aunt Karen would not let her read this kind of novel, let me not tell my aunt I gave her, and leave it with me for the time being, and wait for her next year. Go to Stuyvesant High School and look at it."

   Ronald lowered his head and answered Helen while reading the book. There are some very explicit descriptions and deviant plots in Endless Love. No wonder Aunt Karen did not like it. Ronald began to quickly flip through the novel in his hand and read it.

   "Your cousin can get into Stuyvesant, she's really good."

   "Yeah, that's a purely IQ test, Donna is still pretty good."

  Ronald remembered the day after Thanksgiving when he visited Stuyvesant with Aunt Karen and Donna.

  Donna's grades have exceeded the historical admission threshold of Vincent High School by nearly 40 points, and she will definitely be admitted. The three then went to high school to visit Donna's future school.

   This is a high school that asks nothing but IQ tests (math, reading, logic). Jews have always made up the majority of the students, but they see a lot of Chinese in the school, and I heard that the enrollment rate of Chinese has been rising rapidly recently. There are basically no Latinos and blacks.

  The school also offers more than 50 pre-university courses, and college credits can be obtained in high school. In addition to increasing the probability of admission to Ivy League universities, it can also deduct the hours spent at the university, which can save a lot of tuition.

  Students study three foreign languages, art, music, etc. in addition to math, science, and English.

  In addition to academic courses, there are also skills courses such as gymnastics, fencing, equestrian, health management, speech and so on. Basically, it is a public school that cultivates social elites in accordance with the curriculum of private preparatory high schools, and New York State residents can study for free.

   Anyway, Aunt Karen and Donna are very satisfied, Ronald is also very happy.

"Your performance is perfect, I actually prefer this version to sing Carpenter's songs." Ronald finally finished the novel and looked at Helen who was rewinding, "Is there a new role for you in Gerald? "

   "No, Daddy said I'll wait until I take some more acting lessons." Helen already has her own acting career plans. "Stop talking, I'm going to my mother's place."

   "I'll take you." Ronald got up and picked up his coat.

   sent Helen away, and Ronald went to the casting studio, where he routinely took pictures every Saturday, and returned the old script he borrowed last time. The last time Julia Taylor of the studio saw him reading an old script, she promised to take one home and read it every time, and return it next time.

"Ronnie, you're here, we're going to be busy soon, and there's another youth film that needs a nationwide cast. Be prepared, there will be a lot of young girls taking pictures." Julia Taylor saw him, Give him a job right away.

   "Like the blue reef last time?" Ronald asked.

   "The casting range is wider than that, and this time may need to be aimed at ordinary people without actor experience." Julia Taylor said.

   "What movie, such a big fight? Romeo and Juliet?" Ronald couldn't think of a movie that would require a national audition for teenagers.

   "Almost, it's an adaptation of a romance novel," Julia Taylor replied, "because the studio, Casablanca Records, is the first to get involved in filmmaking as part of the film's marketing plan."

"So do you really want to find ordinary people with no acting experience and outstanding appearance?" Ronald thought it was a bit incredible. He directed Helen Slater, and it was already very difficult to find someone with no experience. .

   "This possibility is very small, but it is not unheard of in the history of movies, and there are many girls who have reached the sky in one step."

   "So which novel? Jane Austen, or Dickens?" Ronald wondered.

   "Neither, it's the latest best-selling romance novel, Endless Love," Julia Taylor replied.

   "Is this the novel?" Ronald waved the book in his hand, "It can't be called a romance novel. The author wrote it very controversial, more like a romance novel."

  Endless love, in addition to minors stealing forbidden fruit, there are also arson, teenagers committed felony and sentenced to a mental hospital, mother seduce daughter's lover and other very controversial plots. Ronald does not believe that this novel can be adapted into a pure love movie.

"Sometimes the adaptation is like this, only borrowing the name of the novel and the setting of the protagonist, and the rest can be rewritten. But I can't say for sure, let's see how the people from Casablanca Records decide." Julia Taylor hasn't seen it yet Script, also not sure.

"Casablanca Records prepared a budget of 8 million, and they got a $100 million quota from PolyGram to use for filming. So for this film, they are definitely going to make a big deal. I heard that they invited Martin Scotia. Seth's screenwriter, Paul Schrader, is directing the film."

  Julia Taylor told Ronald about the background of the producer, "If we can make the casting of this film successful, all the films that Casablanca will invest in will not be without us."

   "Don't worry, I will work hard. I have completed all four courses in the first semester well. Christmas is the winter and Christmas holidays, so I can spend more time on this matter."

"Very good, this is another youth exploitation film. It is expected that there will be a lot of **** scenes. You are a well-known signed screenwriter. If you have time, you can also help us check the audition candidates. The intuition of your peers is the most accurate. "

  Ronald was interested in Scorsese's screenwriting and being invited to direct the film, and he planned to take this path himself. Paul Schrader, who wrote Scorsese's critically acclaimed "Taxi Driver," is also the writer of the new film that Scorsese is currently editing.

   Ronald intends to have the opportunity to ask Scorsese how he can actually become a screenwriter and go from screenwriter to director.

  …

"Mr. Paul Schrader, I'm Keith Barrish, the producer of Casablanca. Our invitation is very sincere. It's up to you to spend the $8 million budget and determine the hero and heroine of the national audition. to decide."

   Keith Barrish was the main driver of Casablanca Records' foray into the film industry. Seeing Robert Stigwood's investment in "Saturday Night Fever", "Grease" two musicals were big hits, and together with his RSO record company sold tens of millions of records.

   In particular, the Saturday Night Fever soundtrack album by the BeeGees band, from January 1978 until July, was number one for 28 consecutive weeks. 5 singles from the album reached the top of the relay singles chart. The entire album went 16 platinum in North America alone, selling 16 million copies.

   The film also brought a resurgence of disco, turning a slew of disco singers, including Donna Summer.

  Casablanca, like other record companies, was very jealous, thinking that they had found the code of wealth, and they joined the film industry one after another. This is the real reason why Hollywood began to invest in musicals again in 1979.

  Lian has been out of film for many years. The Hollywood dance king in the 1940s and 1950s, Gene Kelly, was also called back by the film company. Some time ago, he said that he would start shooting his first musical in many years.

   "Keith, can I call you Keith?" Paul Schrader has a number of blockbuster screenwriter films, and now is the time when film companies are begging him to direct.

   "You know, I just finished the post-production of my movie American Gigolo, waiting for the release in February next year. I still have to participate in the announcement of the movie, why don't we talk about your new movie later."

If    is a hit after the release, Paul Schrader's worth will not be the same as it is now. Producer Keith Barish is a newcomer to the film industry, but he is well aware of these directors' plans, and they are no different from singer-star contract renewal negotiations.

   "Mr. Schrader, this is our first film in Casablanca, we will take it very seriously, that's why I'm here to ask you to cooperate, we believe in your artistic expression..."

  Paul Schrader has actually read the novel "Endless Love" before. Although it is very controversial and criticizes American society, in his opinion, it is not powerful enough. At least it's a lot worse than the "American Gigolo" that is about to be released by his director.

   So despite the hype that Keith said, he just wouldn't let go. We have to wait for news from Universal, they have approached the bankrupt RKO film department to discuss buying the remake rights of the classic movie "Catpeople".

  Global's 12 million investment, and the fledgling Casablanca's 8 million investment, he still knows how to choose.

   "Well then, Mr. Schrader, we will keep you updated with the latest news, and come back to visit when the updated version of the script comes out."

   (end of this chapter)