Exploiting Hollywood 1980

  Chapter 843 Black Monday

   "Ronald, we finally meet."

  At the weekend, Ronald, accompanied by his agent Nisita, and Joel Silver, met the hottest male star in Hollywood today, Harrison Ford.

   "Hello, Harrison."

   Ronald took a closer look at Harrison Ford, who looked exactly the same in real life as he did on the screen. On a very tough face, there is an American optimism that does not care about any difficulties.

  “I often hear Steven (Spielberg) and George (Lucas) talk about a young director who is very imaginative. I didn’t expect it to take us so long to meet.”

   “Well, it’s a very busy industry and a lot of viewers think we should all know each other.”

  The vast majority of Hollywood stars have an extraordinary charm. In other words, the reason why they can stand out and become stars is the ability to make people feel happy that ordinary people don't have.

   As long as they want to make you happy, celebs can make someone they hang out with feel like a really nice guy in a matter of seconds.

  Like Harrison Ford now, much the same about Ronald director and producer Joel Silver.

"What they said really aroused my curiosity. It's not like before. Young directors have the opportunity to direct their own movies after working on the set for a while. How did you get into this industry? Ronald?"

  “I was very lucky, because I met Roger Coleman, and I changed the script for him with the minimum wage. One day on the set, the director happened to be unwell and went to the hospital…”

"Oh, ha, it's him, a lot of people made their debut from him. I know, he pays the federal minimum wage, not the union minimum wage, hahaha..." Harrison Ford's voice was low and masculine . His laughter put everyone in the room at ease.

   "So, Harrison, how did you get into this industry?" Ronald had a pleasant chat with him, and asked about his entry experience.

"I'm about the same level as you. I was doing extras on set. I was making $120 a week minimum wage. I was a delivery guy in the first movie, and the producer didn't like me. He said I would never Might make it in Hollywood.

  ‘When I first saw a star, I knew they were going to be a star. Don't think too much about it. Just like when I saw the big star John Curtis, his first movie played a salesperson in a department store. When I saw him, I thought he could become a star'

   Then I just leaned over and looked at him”

   Speaking of which, Harrison Ford also imitated the appearance at that time, and looked at Ronald sideways, and I asked him, "Don't you think Curtis is acting like a salesperson in a department store?"

   "Hahahaha..." Everyone burst into laughter.

  Ronald laughed too. The jokes some people made were actually not that funny. But the way they tell jokes still makes you think that this is the funniest joke in the world.

   "So, Harrison, what do you think of this script?" Joel Silver couldn't help but asked the big star what he thought of the script.

   "I like this script very much. As you know, my principle of accepting plays now is that every new film must have different changes. I don't want to repeat past roles."

  Ronald nodded slightly. For such a famous star, what he is pursuing now is not commercial success. Instead, he has the opportunity to win awards and affirmation from film critics, and to further broaden his acting career.

  Any space cowboy hero like Han Solo, or a scholar hero like Dr. Indiana Jones, he doesn't want to play again.

  In Joel Silver's new script, the NYPD detective, who comes to Los Angeles to defeat terrorists, is a very fresh idea for Harrison Ford.

   "I really like the setting of the protagonist John McLean, who pays for his family, shows no mercy to his enemies, is confident and smart..."

   Listen, Ronald, something is wrong. Harrison Ford doesn’t seem to be talking about the civilian police detective in the script, who lives in two places with his wife, does not earn as much as his wife, and is facing divorce.

   "I just feel that something is wrong with some plot settings, so please come with Ronald and see if you can talk him through."

   "Oh, what's wrong?" Ronald and Joel Silver looked at each other, thinking at the same time, coming!

  Stars are more important to production companies than directors and producers, and far more than any screenwriter.

  On the one hand, they can attract investment, and banks will give them preferential loans for their sake. On the other hand, it saves marketing costs. When the audience sees a star in a movie, they will watch it without advertising.

   Therefore, stars often abuse their status to exert influence on movies and change the characters and plots in a direction that is beneficial to them.

  However, Harrison Ford is still relatively well-mannered among the stars. He politely invited Ronald and Silver to come over to discuss, and he would not rudely directly propose that there should be revisions...

"For example, the background of this character is a police detective who is not very successful. I have read the original novel, which is a retired police detective in a high position. Only such experienced police detectives will deal with terrorists way, isn't it?"

   "Ronald...", Joel Silver thought that he didn't understand the consequences of these changes to the plot, so he looked to Ronald for an expert's opinion.

"But on the other hand, the protagonist in the original novel is a retired police detective who goes to see his daughter who has a bad relationship with him. This is also a kind of hero who comes out with setbacks in life. Killed the terrorists and solved the problems of life... in his own way."

  Ronald understands very well that the core of this movie is different from the protagonists played by Harrison Ford in the past with the halo of success, and even different from all other Hollywood movie protagonists before.

   This is a protagonist who has ordinary people's troubles and problems. This is the important reason why the audience can sympathize with him and then be concerned about his story. Ronald is not optimistic about the box office performance of this kind of story if Harrison Ford is played as the high-rise version of Han Solo.

"Well, what you said makes sense. At the beginning, the estrangement between him and his wife, and the plot of his wife using her maiden name to work in the company, I feel a little uncomfortable here, but I can't tell why." Harrison Ford frowned slightly, and he continued to pick out a plot problem.

"This is a marriage of strong women and weak men. McClane's wife is a vice president of a multinational company and earns far more than a New York police detective. That's why we set up a nasty one who wants to marry him." The reason for the role of the male vice president whose wife has a one-night stand. The audience must hate such a person who seduces the actor's wife, so we killed him with a single shot."

   "Hahaha, indeed, I was relieved after watching that part."

  Harrison Ford understood Ronald's reluctance to rewrite major parts of the plot to fit his established star image. However, everyone is a person with status in the industry. At this point, it is enough for everyone to understand each other.

"Would you like to visit my collection? I still have the laser gun from Star Wars here." Harrison stopped pestering and got up to chat with Ronald. Among the ten Americans, seven or eight are star wars fan.

   "Of course, can you give me a picture and sign me, my cousin is a big fan of Dr. Indiana Jones."

   Ronald asked for Harrison Ford's autographed photo for his cousin.

   "Of course, what's your cousin's name?"

   "Donna, she is a graduate of MIT's Department of Physics. She has always felt that the doctor you played has changed the view of the top academics. Doctors can be so charming..."

   "Hahaha", Harrison Ford was delighted to sign one of his stills from Raiders of the Lost Ark "To the charming Donna..."

  …

"Can't you really change it? The plot or something? Harrison is the most attractive male star right now." Joel Silver said to Ronald in the car after leaving Harrison Ford's house. Just to make sure, he didn't want to lose this opportunity.

   "I can't say, but if you still want the story, he's not right. If you change the script, it's not the story."

  Ronald spread his hands, it's not that he doesn't like Harrison Ford joining the movie. But this kind of big star's drama has certain elements, that is, it cannot damage the image of the star itself.

  Whether it is the police, cowboys, or even the president, Harrison Ford must be the one who can solve all the troubles when he comes out. He cannot have the same troubles as ordinary people.

   "Although what you said is correct, but... what a pity..." Joel Silver took out a bottle of champagne from the refrigerator, opened it with a bang, and poured it for Ronald. Then he turned on the car TV and watched the news.

   "Huh?" Ronald felt that familiar thought again. Is this the plot of the movie he dreamed about?

  "Boring news", Silver saw that the tragedy of the hurricane in Western Europe was still playing on the TV, so he found a video tape from the corner and stuffed it into the car video recorder.

   "Ah... ah..." A blond girl was lying on her back, and another handsome guy was using a piece of ice, starting from her belly button, and making her feel the cold of the ice along her body, teasing her.

   Then he took out a piece of cloth to cover the girl's eyes, let her taste the strawberry, and finally replaced it with a chili pepper, making the other party yell hot.

"Is there any mistake, we two guys, what are you doing watching this?" "Love You for Nine and a Half Weeks".

   "Why, do you want to go to my place, there are many blonde girls waiting to meet you. Hahaha..." Joel Silver laughed.

   "Seriously, what do you think of the actor Mickey Rourke? How about he play John McLean?"

   "Ronald, Ronald..." Joel Silver saw that Ronald was distracted, thinking that he had approved his casting.

   "Then I'll talk to Mickey Rourke's agent?"

   "Ah, okay." Ronald came back to his senses, the episode of watching the pornographic tape in the car just now seemed to trigger some familiar feeling.

  …

   "Adrian, this is Ronald. Why doesn't Mickey Rourke want to be in my movie?"

The communication with Mickey Rourke's agent was very difficult. When the other party heard that it was Ronald Lee and Joel Silver's project, he directly refused, and said that Mickey Rourke had already started to focus on business other than acting. Don't want to repeat myself.

   Ronald was baffled, so he had to call his old friend, director Adrian Ryan. He directed Mickey Rourke's "Nine and a Half Weeks of Love," a commercial success that launched Rourke into stardom.

   Now let him transform into a police detective role, isn't it just pulling him out of the orbit of pornographic movies, and there is a chance for him to go to the next level?

"He's out of his head. Maybe he's boxing too much. He's also been in an X-rated film 'Angel Heart' and I've got an R rating for 'Loving You for Nine and a Half Weeks'. "

   "X-rated? Who still acts in X-rated movies now?" Ronald was relieved now. It was indeed not that Mickey Rourke looked down on himself, but that he looked down on everyone.

   "Isn't that your old acquaintance, Alan Parker? This 'realistic' director who specializes in filming the dark side of society?"

   "It turned out to be him", Ronald thought, no wonder, only this British director who is at odds with him will make this kind of movie that is destined to have no box office and expose the dark side of America. The problem is that you have a lot of dark sides in Britain.

"I advise you to give up Mickey Rourke, he is now in a daze, and go to be a screenwriter. He wants to write a movie about boxers, 'The Man with the Iron Fist.' ', and 'Angel Heart', and then he was beaten to death directly in the ring, and he may become a more successful legend than James Dean."

   "Huh..." Ronald put down the phone, thinking that this old friend was bad enough for Mickey Rourke, and he seemed to have suffered a lot. He also looked very dissatisfied with Alan Parker, who is also a British compatriot. Both of them are role models of British directors in the Hollywood film circle, and it depends on who can get the Oscar nomination first.

   "Joel, it's over. My friend Adrian said that Mickey Rourke has a brain problem, and now he's going to be a screenwriter..."

   Ronald called Joel Silver with the bad news.

   "Ah, what a black weekend. We lost three leading actor candidates, is it really going to be postponed until next year?"

"If I can't find a suitable casting, I'd rather wait for Bruce Willis. You know, in New York casting director circles, there is a saying that if there is no suitable actor, then the best The choice is not to shoot."

   "Shxt!", Joel Silver swore, he didn't like the line.

"The commander-in-chief made a speech at the White House. He said that he would consider raising the tax rate, reducing the tax exemption amount and period of investment income, in order to reduce the runaway federal deficit." The news broadcast on the TV, Ronald turned his voice louder .

   "I would consider raising taxes to reduce the deficit...what? Inaudible..."

  Ronald watched the TV, the commander in high spirits wearing a brown suit and red tie, pretending not to hear the reporter's question clearly, evading the tax increase issue. He pointed to the propellers of the helicopter parked on the south lawn to signal the noise.

   "Sorry, I couldn't understand your question."

  The commander-in-chief turned around and boarded the "Marine One" helicopter, preparing to go to Camp David for vacation. He and First Lady Nancy waved to the cameras below from a porthole. The rotors of "Marine One" began to accelerate and took off.

   "The acting skills are really good." Ronald laughed.

  …

  Life goes on. Unlike Joel Silver, an independent producer who is affiliated with major studios, Ronald is a daydream production company, not a leather bag company like Silver Films.

  His daydream has its own distribution channels and its own production plan. Although the power has been delegated to Eddie and Michelle Cannold, the low-cost shooting plan of less than one million dollars, but such a big project as "Ecstasy", a joint venture with Roger Coleman, still needs He asked it himself.

   Today is Monday, which happens to be the time when Ronald went to Coleman to hold a simple opening ceremony. The heroine, Cassandra Peterson, has been waiting for a long time for this opportunity to be a leading actress.

   "Hey, where's Roger?"

  At 9:30 in the morning, Ronald and Cassandra were in the conference room of Coleman's Concorde Company where the opening ceremony was supposed to be held, but Roger Coleman was nowhere to be found.

   "I don't know, Roger is never late." Ronald asked a female secretary about Coleman's whereabouts.

  Roger Coleman is a real iron man. When he made 20 or 30 films a year ago, he and his wife Julie were in charge, and there were no mistakes.

   "I called him, but he didn't answer." The female secretary couldn't find anyone either.

   "Where does he usually go at this time?"

   "He's usually in the office. Roger will come to the office at six o'clock in the morning to look at his stock investment, make a few phone calls, and then he won't go to the set to watch the filming until after noon."

   "Have you connected with Julie?" Ronald thought of Roger's wife, Julie Coleman.

"nor."

"Strange, nothing will happen." Ronald turned around and pretended to be calm, talking to the heroine Cassandra, "Maybe Roger's children, his four children, just happened to be in high school. Age to graduate and go to college. You know how rowdy boys can be at that age."

"Hey...it's okay, the actual shooting will not start today. I just used to shoot movies in companies like Cannon, and I haven't had such a formal opening ceremony." Cassandra took out a mineral water and drank it Two bites.

   "It is estimated that the ceremony will not be held today, we will go first. I will definitely make up a beautiful ceremony for you, and arrange some reporters to come." Ronald waited for another half an hour, but no one answered the phone.

  He put Coleman's secretary in touch with him, got into the car by himself, and was about to go home and read the script.

   "Zi..." Seeing that Ronald picked up the car phone, the driver, Bud, began to press the button to put away the fender.

"It's okay, I'll call Donna, and I found her a signed photo of Harrison Ford." Ronald looked at the time, and it was already noon in New York. During the time when the transaction volume is relatively small, employees can have some lunch , make a private call.

   "Hi, this is Donna Parker, please leave a message after the beep."

   "It's me, Ronnie, I got you a gift. It's a signed photo of Dr. Indiana Jones. Do you want me to send it to your office or home?"

  Seeing that it was a message on the phone, Ronald said something, and then hung up the phone.

   Ronald thought for a while, then called his agent, Rick Nisita, to discuss with him if there were any other actor candidates.

   "Hi, this is Rick Nisita, please leave a message after the beep."

   "Why aren't you here?" Ronald put down the phone.

  Well, let’s talk about the financial support of the new film for the financing partner, former Wall Street banker Bannon.

   "Hello...Steve?"

   This time the call was picked up.

   "Mr. Bannon is not here, please leave your name and phone number, and he will call you back as soon as he is free."

  The anxious female secretary wrote down Ronald's name, and then quickly hung up the phone.

   "Why are you so rude." Ronald hung up the phone.

   "Bud, let's find a Chinese restaurant to eat, is Lucy empty? Call her too."

  "She's waiting for lunch in the office. Let's go to the sandwiches she made this morning." Little Bud smiled when he mentioned his girlfriend, and Ronald saw two rows of white teeth in the rearview mirror.

   "Call her, we haven't seen each other for a long time."

   "Okay", Little Bard turned the steering wheel and went to the computer company where Lucy worked.

   "Lucy, Lucy?"

   Arriving at the computer company where Lucy works, Little Bud finds everyone standing at the front desk, watching the news around a TV.

  "Lucy?" Little Bard spotted his girlfriend.

   "Bud?" Lucy turned her head and hugged little Bud tightly, her body still shaking slightly.

"What's wrong?"

   "The stock market has crashed! Today, it has fallen more than the day of the Great Depression? Are we going to die in America?"

   "Due to the inability to carry out a large number of deliveries in the overnight securities futures market, this morning, a total of 95 stocks in the S&P 500 index delayed the opening.

  After the market opened, the stock market began to plummet. Today is the day when Wall Street has recorded the largest single-day decline since Black Friday of the Great Depression.

  A total of 2,257 stocks listed on the New York Stock Exchange, 195 of which delayed or canceled the opening due to the inability to deliver overnight futures.

  Due to the influx of a large number of sell orders into the market, the computer system of the New York Stock Exchange could not function normally. Starting at 10 o'clock in the morning Eastern Time, there was a traffic jam for about an hour, and normal delivery could not be carried out. "

  CUU channel is a 24-hour rolling news, and the face of the host is not as calm as usual. The big news makes them nervous and flustered when they read it, and the voice of the female host is trembling.

  There are scrolling subtitles at the bottom of the screen, and the stock codes of each stock on the stock exchange are followed by the percentage of decline in red.

   Stocks that fell 20%, 30%, or more abound.

   "Oh, my God, Coca-Cola has also fallen so much, and the college tuition I plan to pay for my child is almost gone." A middle-aged man who looked like a manager in Lucy's company was frightened.

   "It's a good thing I sold it, but I didn't buy it back." Ronald secretly made a sign of the cross.

   No wonder everyone disappeared this morning.

   Fortunately, I have no positions, so I did not receive calls from stockbrokers and private accountants Lawrence.

  Looking at those who have invested in the stock market, they are sweating profusely, and their shirts are soaked in autumn, like dry pickles.

   There are also those who are engaged in stock business on Wall Street, it is even worse if you think about it. Roger Corman and Bannon must have lost a lot.

   "No, Donna." Ronald was also sweating from fright, and ran out quickly to the car, but was locked out of the car.

   "Bud, Bud!" Ronald anxiously called Bud to come over and open the door, and called Donna as soon as he got in the car.

   "Hello, Donna." Donna's voice came from the phone.

   "I'm Ronnie, are you okay? I'm scared to death what happened to the stock market today."

   "Fortunately, our losses are limited. Many hedge funds that used leverage to bet long in the stock market, someone jumped off the building today." Donna's voice was quite stable.

   "I still have things to do here, let's talk after the market closes."

   "Ring ring ring ring..."

  Just as he put down the phone, Nisita called.

   "Are you okay?" Ronald and he both called out at the same time.

   "I'm fine. We had an emergency meeting in the morning. Many Hollywood stars have suffered heavy losses in their investment. I hope it won't fall like this again tomorrow. I heard that during the Great Depression, many Hollywood stars sold their houses to pay off their debts."

   "It's fine, it's scary. Fortunately, I sold the stock last year."

   "Yeah, yeah, fortunately, neither you nor Tom has a heavy position. I heard that Stallone suffered heavy losses. His financial analyst helped him buy a lot of hedge fund products."

   Ronald called his female friends again.

  Diane Lane listened to her own opinion and deposited all the money in the bank, but there was no loss. Helen Slater didn't have much money herself, but from what she said, it seemed that after her parents divorced, their new families suffered a lot from the stock market crash.

  In the evening, Ronald and his friends in the circle talked on the phone. Everyone is worried about their own future, Hollywood, and the future of the country.

  Today, the New York Dow Jones Index plummeted by 22%, creating the largest single-day drop in history, surpassing the Great Depression that year.

  (end of this chapter)