Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 171 Order from San Francisco

   "Are you going back to New York, or staying in Los Angeles?" Over the roar of the Jaguar sports car, Ovitz asked Ronald what his next move was.

   "I will go to a diorama company in San Francisco to learn editing for a period of time, and I talked to the editor there last year."

   "Very well, give Richard your number in San Francisco. You'll get a check after we have a script auction."

   "Okay, I'll let Richard know first thing when I get to San Francisco."

Ronald likes the topic of checks very much. The total package price includes his own script remuneration. Ovitz said that it will not be less than 5% of the total production investment. As for the specific amount, it depends on the bidding of the script auction. Certainly.

Jane Fonda's remuneration is $1 million in Hollywood. Ronald feels that he has the hope of getting a script sale price of more than $100,000, excluding 10% of the agent's remuneration. Since he entered the entertainment industry, The most money earned from a single business.

   "Before the script auction, don't tell anyone about it. Confidentiality is the most important thing in the film industry. Otherwise, our project may be disturbed, and we won't be able to sell the highest price or even close the deal."

  Send Ronald back to the door of the Holiday Inn, Ovitz gave another order in the car. Seeing him make a gesture of zipping his mouth shut, he drove off satisfied.

  It was $100,000 after all, and Ronald felt he could keep it a secret, even Aunt Karen wouldn't tell it.

   "Ronnie, did your script sell?"

   "Very hopeful, depends on Mr. Ovitz's ability, but the next thing is out of my control."

  Michelle Pfeiffer came to the hotel again, helping Ronald pack his bags.

   "I see that you are smiling very happily today, don't you have high hopes?"

"I can't say this, but Mr. Price, the president of Columbia Pictures, talked to me about a lot of screenwriting tips. He also gave me a business card and said that if I have important questions, I can go to His secretary made an appointment and he was more than willing to take the time to answer my concerns."

   Ronald took a Frank Price business card from his pocket and handed it to Pfeiffer. This business card is different from the business cards generally distributed by executives. It has the direct phone number of the president's office on it, which represents a certain affirmation of the distribution object - you can speak to my secretary directly.

   And Katzenberg also gave him a business card, which was more common, with only Paramount’s switchboard phone number.

   "Oh, so Mr. Price appreciates you?" Pfeiffer played with the card for a while and gave it back to Ronald.

"I can't talk about it. It should be that he pays more attention to screenwriters. I even think he may have been a screenwriter before, and he is very insightful. And he is also the only studio executive I have met. He is the only one who started from scratch. Tai read my script."

   "It doesn't look like he's very busy." Pfeiffer helped Ronald organize his clothes and put them neatly into Ronald's old-fashioned suitcase, the kind without rollers.

  Ronald saw Diane Lane's rolling suitcase and thought it was very convenient, and went to the hotel store to check it out.

   But the sales there, when I asked if Ronald wanted to buy it, he showed a surprised expression. The suitcase with rollers is the patent of women and children. Of course, men have to carry their own suitcases, otherwise how can they show masculine charm.

   "So, is there a character in this script that suits me? Like a fool's sister?" Pfeiffer closed the box, hesitated, and asked the question.

   Ronald took her hand, went to the stool, brought her a glass of water, sat down and said, "If you don't ask this question, I plan to talk to you."

   Pfeiffer took a sip of water, moved his body forward, straightened his back, and waited for Ronald's next words.

"I'll try my best to get this role for you, but I don't have much power on the set. Several major studios are interested in buying this project, first of all because of Jane Fonda. She's a box office guarantee, so she has the greatest voice."

   "Then the director. I heard that director James Bridges is interested in working with Jane Fonda again. He must also be the main casting leader."

   "CAA's goal is to recommend their clients as much as possible through this program, so Ovitz will take great care of his clients during casting."

  Pfeiffer gulped down a mouthful of water, looking disappointed, "I just heard from you, I'm suitable for the drama, so I thought..."

"That's a normal thought," Ronald continued, "so I mentioned you to Mr. Ovitz. And I recommended you to the CAA, it's just that they weren't interested, and you had a chance to sign Limato. Mr. Ovitz promised to give you priority, on equal terms."

   Michelle Pfeiffer's eyes regained a charming brilliance, and he gave Ronald a quick kiss.

   "Of course, the premise of all this is that the movie can be sold." Ronald added.

   "Giggle..." Pfeiffer laughed, "Ronnie, your smile betrayed you."

"Really?" Ronald touched his face, "but you still have to ask your agent to do the best for you. The moment the screenwriter sold the script, he fell from the power rankings, and I have nothing to do after that. Influence."

   "I will, I will go to an acting training class later, you hurry back to Los Angeles, Ronnie." Michelle Pfeiffer said goodbye to Ronald and drove his own car to class.

   Ronald turned around and took the suitcase out, went to the front desk to call Diane Lane's room, and after a few chats, he waited in the lobby for a taxi to go to the airport with the little girl.

  Diane and Bert have resumed their conversation, but not much. This time Diane is back in New York, maybe she will really move out and rent a house by herself.

   "Hi, Ronald." Diane approached Ronald, who was thinking about something on the sofa, dragging his suitcase.

   "You're here." Ronald helped her with the suitcase. "The taxi won't arrive in a while."

   "I have something I want to ask you, Ronald." Diane fell heavily on the sofa like a free fall, laying down with her legs on the armrests of the sofa, "Where is the cheapest place to rent in New York?"

   Sure enough, Ronald thought, poor old Bert still couldn't escape the end of the sweetheart daughter living alone.

  “Renting in New York is not just about the price, nor the convenience of transportation. You have to find a safer neighborhood, preferably not too far from Burt.

   And you are an actor, it would be more suitable to live in Manhattan, in that case you can choose from midtown and downtown, the apartment in the upper city is not only expensive, but also requires the owners committee to review the tenant qualifications, I am afraid you can't pass at the age of 15. "

   "It is best for single women to choose the kind of shared property apartment. There is a doorman on the first floor, and the water and electricity bills for each family are paid separately. If you think the price is too high, you can find a girl to share the rent with."

   Ronald took on the role of an older brother, feeling as if he was telling his cousin Donna. I hope there won't be a day like this with Donna in the future.

  Diane Lane was fascinated, sat up, and began to think about who he knew he could share with. Suddenly, his eyes rolled, as if he had thought of something, and continued to listen to Ronald nagging with a smile.

  Caucasian girls grow very fast, and as soon as the hormones start pumping into the body, they start to grow like crazy. When Ronald first met Diane in the casting studio, she was still a skinny little girl, now with baby fat on her face.

  The taxi came, and the two got into the car and went all the way to the airport. Diane boarded an American Airlines flight back to New York. Ronald still bought a Pan Am ticket to San Francisco. Now Pan Am has started a promotion plan, and there are often very cheap tickets for sale. This time Ronald's ticket to San Francisco is only a few dozen dollars. There are no taxis that connect on both sides.

  …

  The plane landed in San Francisco, and Ronald got in touch with Diorama's Walter Murkey at the airport. Walter was glad he came, let him go directly to the diorama company tomorrow, and he would arrange everything.

   got into a taxi, and the driver drove towards the hotel Ronald had reserved on the phone.

"Oh, oh..." Ronald felt like he was riding a roller coaster. There are many steep slopes in the urban area of ​​San Francisco. The car is going up and down. If people with poor driving skills start uphill in San Francisco, they may keep slipping down and crashing. behind the car.

   "First time to San Francisco?" The driver saw many such tourists.

   "Yes," Ronald looked through the window and began to see the streetscape of San Francisco.

   This is a city where modern and ancient, orthodox and alternative are mixed.

   One side is the skyscraper Pan American Pyramid, which is the headquarters of Pan American Corporation, the parent company of United Arts, a multinational giant operating life insurance.

On the other side of    are all kinds of alleys and bungalows, and there are many homeless people, or strange people wearing strange leather clothes and waving flags in six colors on the street.

   "If you had come a month earlier, you would have seen them form a phalanx and parade on the main road." The driver said that Ronald was interested in weirdos.

   "Really? Who are they? What country's flag is that flag?"

   "No, they're a bunch of gays and lesbians who have been marching in San Francisco at the end of June every year for three years. They call themselves the Prideparade."

   "Uh..." Ronald didn't expect San Francisco to be so open and avant-garde.

   "San Francisco is a strange city. Many people who cannot be tolerated in other places live very well here." The driver turned on the tape recorder in the car, and a burst of singing came.

   If you are going to San Francisco,

   Be sure to wear some flowers in your hair.

   If you are going to San Francisco,

   You will meet some gentle people there.

   "Hi, this song represents the "Summer of Love" party 14 years ago, when I came to San Francisco. A lot of hippies gathered here, and people called them flower girls back then.

  MakeLove, NotWar.

   That is a good time, as long as you wear a flower on your head, there will be countless girls..."

   While listening to the driver review the glorious history, Ronald looked at the colorfully dressed street boys. Suddenly, he saw several men walking in leg warmers that he had produced.

   Some men actually wear leg warmers on the street. Isn’t it hot to wear them in summer?

   "What's that?" Ronald asked the driver, pointing to the leg warmers.

   "Oh, that's only been popular recently. It's like a leg warmer. A lot of gays like to wear swagger."

   "Uh..." Ronald didn't expect gays to wear them, so he stopped talking.

   arrived at the hotel and settled down. Ronald first notified the relevant people in Los Angeles of his hotel room number and phone number, and then called Aunt Karen.

   "Aunt? I'm Ronald, have we recently ordered leg warmers from San Francisco, CA?"

"How do you know? Indeed, some dealers in San Francisco asked us to stock up, and I plan to wait for you to come back and discuss this matter with you. Theresa always said that she would open a factory by herself and expand production capacity. Her husband David and I were afraid The order is a fad, so I haven't agreed for the time being."

"Really, I'm in San Francisco right now, and I'll be working as an intern in Coppola's company for a while. If you want to open a factory, you can ask my high school classmate Douglas Jr. Anyway, the open space in Totville is suitable for opening a factory. They belong to the Hansen family."

   (end of this chapter)