Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 335 Roger Coleman Will Only Invest Half a Million

  Several major studios are not interested in the new script, Ronald thinks of former boss Roger Coleman. He threw off his agent, secretly called Roger, and asked him to talk about the "Night of the Comet" project.

   "Ronald, congratulations. With a box office of 40 million, we will definitely be in the top 20 in North America this year." Roger Coleman warmly embraced Ronald in the office.

   "What's your production cost?"

   "3.6 million, some of which is the cost of placing advertisements."

   "Implant, is that the shoe?"

"Yes, and the All-American Burger." Ronald took out a few Vans canvas shoes exchange coupons and handed them to Roger Coleman, "This is a gift for the children, I don't know their shoe size, based on this You can exchange for the style you like.”

   "Oh, thank you. Julie said last time she couldn't buy shoes of this style."

   The two chatted about something "fast-paced", and then Ronald took out the script and handed it to Coleman.

   "This is a new script I wrote. I remember the last time we met, I said that I was going to make a movie for the new world. Look at the script."

   "Oh, there's a new film? Science fiction?"

  Roger Coleman blurted out when he saw the title "Night of the Comet" on the cover.

   "Well, there is some sci-fi background. The story is that the girl in the valley used the military knowledge taught by her father and learned some knowledge from watching TV to defeat the mutant zombies and lead the survivors after the catastrophe."

  Ronald touched his ears, it seemed that it was really necessary to consider Tanin's suggestion and change the title to "The Comet, the Maiden, and the Zombie". Even Coleman blurted out that it was a sci-fi movie, and that title could be bad.

  The title of a movie is a very important marketing tool, which can be seen by viewers who are interested in seeing the title. But the name of the night of the comet is clearly a science fiction film, and it will attract a group of science documentary fans instead of the teenagers that I want to attract.

Roger Coleman watched it quickly, he closed the script, and then said, "This movie is suitable for an investment of about half a million. If you are willing to let New World invest, you need to change the script and delete the big scenes. out, get used to that kind of investment.”

"why?"

   Ronald did not expect that Coleman would only invest half a million.

   "Who are you looking for to play the hero and heroine?" Coleman asked again.

   "I didn't think about it, let's cast as normal."

"In this case, if there are no stars, TV stations will not buy them. We don't have pre-sale funds, so we have to rely on theaters to distribute them. But if the investment of this kind of sci-fi film is less than 10 million, it is impossible for mainstream theaters to sign contracts to buy it. "

   "We don't need such a high investment at all, right? Two or three million investment, saving a little bit of use, can also shoot scenes such as explosions, 500,000 is too little."

"Ronald, you're a good director, but don't know enough about production and distribution. You've known me for a long time, do you know why I never make high-budget blockbusters?" asked Roger Coleman road.

   Isn't this your digging? Ronald groaned inwardly.

   "I don't know, maybe you're more cautious, Roger."

   "What do you think film distribution is?" Coleman asked another irrelevant question.

   "Just find a movie theater to show your movie."

   "Yes and no." Coleman adjusted his glasses, like a college teacher, and began to explain, giving Ronald a lesson in American film distribution.

   "Yes, because the distribution is really like this, find a movie theater willing to show it, and then charge a copy rental fee, or like the new emerging method in recent years, according to the box office.

   says it is not, because the distribution cost that the theater chain is willing to pay for films of different production scales is different. They consider whether to show your film, not entirely based on the quality of the film itself.

   If it is a small production of 300,000 to 500,000 yuan, the general theater chain will simply insert it and release it, and find a chance to show it in the annual schedule. These films have low rental fees for copies, and they can be used when the original expected release of the film is not good at the box office, or when the blockbuster copy has not yet been waited for.

   But the big productions of the big studios are usually scheduled in advance at the Las Vegas release conference in April last year, and the buyers of the theaters will bid.

   Therefore, for this kind of sci-fi film, when the buyer of the theater chain signs the agreement, the film has not yet been edited. In many cases, there is only one star, and the shooting has not yet started, and sometimes even the script has not been finalized. "

   Ronald listened carefully, and Coleman came to teach him again after a long time.

   "After Lucas' Star Wars, Spielberg's Jaws, sci-fi movies are no longer the era when I was a director, and the audience would love to get some blue lasers.

The audience has seen lightsabers and Tie fighter wars on the screen, and watched the scary big shark in the sea. They are not satisfied with the cheap sci-fi movies I used to shoot and put in drive-in theaters, so if they want to release them nationwide, Big investment is required.

  But if there are no stars to help out, how can the buyers of the theaters be willing to pay the best schedule and advance payment? ... Ronald, I'm not saying you're not good enough for a big production, but your name isn't a box office guarantee with the studio.

  If you can get most of the investment, I am very willing to help you produce and distribute, prepare for this year, shoot next year, and release the year after. If not, then we have to take a step back and get this movie done on a budget of half a million. Take the road of simple distribution, and it can be released next year. "

   "Thank you, Roger. I see."

  Ronald listened carefully to Coleman, and he kind of understood why the big seven studios were less interested in their scripts.

   Unlike a small production like Coleman, you can get advance payments for cinema lines, TV stations, etc. Large productions have to be financed and filmed, and then within the time of release, the cost is recovered by the cinema line.

   This gamble is a huge risk, and the average American now owns nearly one TV in a household. If audiences can't see something in the movie theater that they can't see on TV, it's going to be hard to make money at the box office.

  The seven major studios are known as the “Big Seven”. In fact, the number of films they invest in and shoot may not be as many as Coleman’s each year.

  Each movie has to hire star actors and directors. On the one hand, it is for financing, and on the other hand, the theater chain only believes that the movies they make are good-looking and can attract audiences to come out of their homes and drive to the cinema to watch.

   The blockbuster movies in the past two years are either Superman or Star Wars, a big production that costs tens of millions. The audience knows that they can see some interesting things, such as space wars, Superman flying and so on.

Either it's a relatively mid-sized production, starring, and winning by plot and deep emotion, like the best picture Oscars of the previous two years, "Mrs. Kramers", "Ordinary People", "Golden Pond" all belong to This kind of family flick.

   And my own sci-fi film just falls into the category of no-top. With a big investment, his name has not yet had such a strong appeal.

   Small investment, mainstream cinemas cannot attract audiences with simple special effects.

   In addition to being made into a small-budget film like Coleman, it was released in some second-round theaters and old theaters. There are only two ways to keep looking for producers to sell and try your luck, or to find big-name stars who are willing to star in two ways.

   And big stars mean big investments, so rather than taking a risk on Ronald, the studio might as well hire him to make some well-proven teen comedy as insurance.

   Ronald no longer continues to sell Coleman, which is an impossible task. Coleman, who has been digging for half his life, can't bet big on himself because of the success of one of his exploitative films.

   "Then how should I reduce the scene to suit your small investment?"

   Ronald simply explored the possibility of making the film a low-budget exploit as a backup option.

   "First of all, your large explosion scene must be reduced, or simply not shot, and let the character narrate."

  Ronald began to take out his notebook and jot down.

   "Then there are some special effects scenes, you have to find a cheap solution. For example, an empty city, you have to reduce the size of the scene, stop shooting the city, and shoot an empty school, so that you can use the holiday to frame the scene."

   "And those zombie special effects, you have to find a very good special effect model and special effect makeup."

   "It's still cheap, isn't that Jim?" Ronald laughed, "Is he still working for you now?"

   "No, he poached my best special assistant, and now Gail is working as a producer for him, and is promoting his script. Just found me two days ago, and listened to my reasoning."

   "Hahaha", Ronald didn't expect that he was not the first student to listen to Coleman's lecture on distribution.

   "Speaking of which, you guys are a bit similar, and his script is also a science fiction theme."

   "The story of that metal robot?" Ronald remembered the metal robots that Jim had drawn in Italy.

   "Yes, it's a robot. A robot from the future fights a human being. His imagination is as wild as yours."

   "Hahaha." Ronald laughed happily. In fact, Coleman is also a director with a wild imagination, and he often shoots some brain-opening movies.

   This time, I didn't even invite Jim and Gale, and I was just trying to sell it to the big studios. Looks like it's time to chat with old friends.

   (end of this chapter)