Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Main Text Volume Chapter 22 The Shortest Strike in History "Paula is very capable. My audition for this movie went very smoothly. In the second round of auditions, I acted opposite Tom Hanks. .Paula called me yesterday to congratulate me that I can play the heroine again."

"Well, as I told you, Paula is very good at considering the development of an actor in the long term. She doesn't choose the script based on the highest salary, but chooses the script based on the highest salary within five or ten years."

"Ronald, I'm so happy..."

"I'm happy for you too, Diane..."

Back in Los Angeles, Ronald heard the good news from Diane. She was spotted by Penny Marshall and played the heroine of "Grown Up", filming with Tom Hanks. It made up for the missed opportunity of cooperation with "Mermaid" a few years ago.

Paula Wagner did not tell Diane that Ronald asked director Penny to recommend her. Based entirely on her own strength and acting skills, Diane finally defeated many actresses because of her great chemistry with Tom Hanks. The reaction was opposite and I got the role.

Diane is very excited. She has not received a heroine with a large number of scenes for a long time. I talked a lot with Ronald about the performance of this drama, and how Hanks managed to get the right size for a character who is 13 years old on the inside and looks like an adult on the outside. How did I react to Hanks? Many of the lines were very interesting to read.

"Tell me, have I gained a little weight? I haven't played such an intense role in several years, am I getting rusty?"

After the excitement, Diane began to worry about gains and losses again. In the huge bathroom of the Beverly Hilton executive suite, she looked in the mirror, tried to squeeze the flesh on her waist, and then recited the lines from the audition.

"No, you did a great job. Penny Marshall is a veteran actor turned director. She must have chosen you because of your acting skills and your excellent coordination with Hanks." Ronald hugged him from behind Diane rubbed her smooth and flat belly with one hand.

Diane started practicing yoga with Ronald last year. Practicing non-stop every day has allowed her to maintain a good figure, and the last bit of baby fat has gradually faded away, becoming more mature and charming.

"But Penny Marshall is a female director. I think she will be very picky...well." Diane was a little confused and fascinated by Ronald's gentle kiss on the neck. Before she could finish her sentence, she Start closing your eyes.

"Believe me, I am also a director. This kind of thing depends on the reaction between the hero and heroine. With this reaction, everything else is secondary." Ronald looked at Diane's snow-white skin in the big mirror and began to A little red, she opened her eyes and glanced in the mirror before closing them in shame.

Ronald turned Diane around and started kissing her from the lips. The silk pajamas were dry, and the heat of the skin inside came out...

…

After a long time, the two hugged each other and lay on the king-size bed watching TV. The residual heat and a sweet smell in the air were still swirling and stimulating the nasal cavities of Ronald and Diane.

"Well, I feel now that I am the best candidate for the heroine, hahaha."

After having a relaxing and happy time with Ronald, Diane's fear and anxiety were completely eliminated, and what was left was the security and confidence after being satisfied.

"By the way, have you decided on your new role?" Diane hugged Ronald and leaned her neck on his chest. She had extra energy to care about Ronald.

"So far so good", Ronald replied with a smile.

After returning to Los Angeles, he and Julia Taylor immediately asked Alec Baldwin, who came from New York to audition, and Joan Cusack to find Demi Moore to read the script to see if she had the ability to play a secretary who could The ugly duckling who has been working for ten years.

As for always being unable to distinguish between reality and drama in auditions,

Kevin Spacey, who was suspected of harassing actresses, was left in New York and did not come with the two audition stand-ins.

The audition went very well, Demi Moore is the kind of beauty whose beauty is very relevant to her makeup and clothes. Wearing very old-fashioned clothes, exaggerated makeup, huge earrings, and an ugly blond wig, Demi really doesn't have much beauty foundation.

However, the biggest surprise was the two audition stand-ins.

Alec Baldwin obviously knew that this was his best opportunity, so when he was in New York, he had been training himself day and night for several audition scenes, and he also found Broadway friends to practice with him.

A handsome guy himself, he plays a handsome gangster named "The Gherkin" in Jonathan Demme's new movie "Gangster." This time, he also borrowed the costumes from the movie through connections and wore them during the audition in Los Angeles.

The clothing of Italian gangsters, after being interpreted in the movie "The Godfather", is now closer to the elite. So wearing a costume and looking like Alec Baldwin, it's fair to say that he belongs to the elite of Wall Street.

The chemical reaction between Demi Moore and Alec Baldwin was instantly stimulated by the latter's carefully prepared lines. The dialogue between the two had a back-and-forth atmosphere, like two goldfish biting each other's tails. The script reading for the second round audition turned into a Broadway performance, full of tacit understanding.

In addition to Hollywood investment banker character Jack Traynor, Alec Baldwin also read lines for Tess's other boyfriend, chef Mick Duggan. He read the character traits of both types of men. Not only was the casting director Julia Taylor very satisfied, but Demi Moore also asked Ronald privately which actor he was and whether he would star opposite her. , should you play a chef or a banker?

Another audition stand-in, Joan Cusack, is new to the Chicago theater scene and is also an excellent dramatic actress.

This actress's line skills and understanding of the character are absolutely fine. But her chin was a bit too big to ruin her overall face shape. In the theater world, this isn't a big problem, but in the movie world, Joan can't play a very positive female role.

Although the lines she read to Tess's boss Catherine and secretary friend Xin were both very good, if it were a movie, they would only be suitable for the role of secretary Xin.

After the audition was completed, Julia Taylor grabbed Ronald and said, "Just give Alec a chance. He is absolutely qualified to play the role of Jack Traynor. You know I never recommend an actor I don't believe in. Alec Baldwin is definitely one of the best actors for this role."

"Where's Joan?" Ronald did not reply immediately, but asked Julia Taylor what she thought of Joan Cusack.

"She can only play Xin, and her acting ability is fully qualified. Although the role of Xin is the driving force of Tess's plot several times, her time and status in the movie are not enough. If you ask me my opinion, she It’s also in the top three that I recommend.”

"Tell them to stay while I go see Goldberg."

Ronald took the audition tape and went to the Fox Tower to meet Goldberg, the president of 20th Century Fox.

"Mr. Goldberg, we seem to have won the lottery. Look what I found when I auditioned?"

Goldberg picked up his glasses, put them on, and watched the audition tape that Ronald had brought.

After a long time, he put down his glasses and said, "It's really very good. The level of these two actors is extraordinary..."

Hearing Goldberg say this, Ronald knew that the other party agreed. With such a wonderful performance, Goldberg has no reason to disagree.

"But..." Goldberg took out the fine brandy from the cabinet and poured a glass for Ronald and himself. "Catherine, you must find a well-known movie star to play the role. I can't let three of the four protagonists play the role." They are all actors that no one knows.”

"I understand that Julia Taylor is contacting suitable female stars everywhere. If you like their performances, can you give them some encouragement?" Ronald took the opportunity to speak.

"Encouragement?" Goldberg didn't understand.

"If the president of Fox can attend their next audition to read the script, and then personally say a few words of encouragement..." Ronald laughed.

"You kid..." Goldberg picked up the phone and called his secretary, "What are my plans for the afternoon? Okay, clear the time before three-thirty. I'm going to watch Ronald's audition."

"Very good, very good, thank you, Julia, would you be interested in working full-time for Fox?"

Goldberg watched the script-reading audition with makeup on in the afternoon, and it felt better to watch a live performance than watching it on a videotape.

"Thank you, but I prefer independent casting now." Julia Taylor declined with a smile. Many castings in big studios are not based on roles. She doesn't like to compromise just to let TV stars star in movies. .

"This is Alec Baldwin and this is Joan Cusack." Ronald quickly introduced the two actors to Goldberg.

"Hello, hello..." Goldberg shook their hands and went back to chat with Demi Moore.

"You came to Goldberg just to say hello to Alec and Joan?" Julia Taylor whispered in Ronald's ear.

"Yes, these high-level people, if you don't let them nod on the spot, they might regret it in two days. If you do this, they will be embarrassed to regret it later." Ronald replied quietly. He learned this trick from Coppola. Yes, when Marlon Brando was asked to play Godfather Vito, that was how he went to the big boss to finalize the decision.

…

"Ring ring ring ring..."

Ronald, who was sleeping with Diane in his arms, was woken up by the ringing of the phone.

"Hello..." Ronald found the phone in the dark, picked it up and listened in a daze.

"Mr. Li, this is the wake-up call service you set. It's three o'clock in the morning. Do you still need me to call to wake you up in ten minutes?"

"Ah... No, thank you." Ronald rubbed his sleepy eyes and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower.

After drying his hair, Ronald put on a high-thread-count shirt and light gray trousers, then took two dark blue and reddish-brown coats and gestured at himself. I am going to the strike site in Burbank today, and there will definitely be media there, so I have to dress nice.

"Well... Honey, you look very handsome in this navy blue jacket and this tie." Diane was wearing pajamas, took a bright yellow tie, and placed it on Ronald's shirt from the back for comparison.

"Did it wake you up?" Ronald turned around and kissed Diane.

"You're so handsome, I'll watch the TV news later." Diane kissed him, yawned and went back to sleep.

"Ding dong", Ronald, who had put on his blue coat, happened to hear little Bud ring the doorbell.

"Bud, let's go to the entrance of Columbia and Warner in Burbank."

Just after five o'clock, the car parked gently opposite Columbia's gate in Burbank. There were already many cars like his waiting here.

Ronald rolled down half of the car window and looked at the protesting crowd gradually gathering at the factory gate.

Today is the Directors Guild, which is going on strike in New York and Los Angeles because of the remaining dividends from television broadcasts. It proposes to the Producers Guild to modify the Directors Dividend Agreement, get more dividend points, and regulate what kind of movies are purchased by TV stations. Copyrights are eligible for renegotiation with dividends.

Ronald is a senior member of the Instant Directors Guild and is a member company chairman of the Producers Guild. According to the regulations of the Directors Union, he must appear at the six o'clock strike site to participate in union activities. The Producers Guild has a dedicated person to negotiate with the Directors Guild. As a member unit, he does not need to attend.

This strike is mainly aimed at the remaining dividends.

The so-called surplus means that after the box office dividends are over, if the movie is broadcast on a national syndicated TV network, the profits generated will also be distributed to the main creative staff in accordance with the labor agreement. Directors are the group of people who receive the largest proportion of the share.

In the original agreement, the formula for calculating the residual had very high standards. For example, the syndicated TV network must account for a minimum proportion of the entire American TV viewing share in order to participate in the residual dividend.

In addition, only those movies that are released in theaters and have a running time of more than 80 minutes can collect dividends after being sold to TV networks.

During this strike, one of the main demands of the Directors Guild is to modify the calculation standards. As long as the program exceeds one hour, even if it is not a theatrical film, it can participate in the residual dividend. Regardless of the minimum viewership share occupied by the syndicated TV network, as long as it is broadcast on a city TV station, it can be included in the residual dividend system.

The other main demand, of course, is a constant minimum wage for every strike. The conditions proposed by the directors' union are an immediate 5% increase in basic salary and a further 5% increase within 18 months.

For example, a television director is currently guaranteed a minimum wage of $17,935 for 15 days of preparing and shooting a one-hour television show.

"Why hasn't anyone come yet?" Ronald looked at the strike place reserved opposite with his binoculars. Only a few young people gathered there.

"Bang..." Little Bud turned on the car radio. Here you can hear the entertainment radio station in Los Angeles and the New York radio station broadcast via satellite.

"Joan Rivers, as a supervisory striker, has gone to the NBC building. On behalf of the Screen Actors Guild, she said that she will stand firmly with the Directors Guild and resist any scabs who try to break the strike. She also brought a message that the Television Screen Actors Guild has Hot drinks were provided to the directors who were on strike for more than two hours.”

"Shxt!" Ronald cursed. Hollywood directors still lacked discipline. The TV directors and advertising directors in New York had already gone on strike for more than two hours in front of the NBC building in New York early in the morning.

"Producers Guild President Nicholas Conte III and Directors Guild leader Gilbert Gates said negotiations are progressing well and they are confident that a new three-year agreement can be reached in a short period of time to prevent TV viewers from being without new content in the New Year. Watch movies and TV shows.”

"I don't understand," Little Bud turned around from the driver's seat and asked Ronald, "Why does the Directors Guild seem to be so easy to talk about this strike? The last writers' strike almost shut down Hollywood? Are you directors not very united? "

"Hahaha", Ronald laughed when he heard Little Bud ask this, "No, no, it's because we directors are so united."

"Huh? Too united?"

"Yes, our Directors Guild and Producers Guild are too united."

Ronald was still looking at the opposite team while explaining to Little Bud.

In fact, among the more than 200 member companies of the Producers Guild, a large number of companies are actually production companies established by the directors themselves. In the 8,500-member Directors Guild, those who are able to get the remaining dividends from the TV broadcasts are actually the backbone of the directors of movies, TV series, and talk shows.

So in these two groups, there are many people like Ronald who straddle both sides.

As for the so-called re-signing of the dividend agreement, the biggest resistance does not come from the Producers Alliance, but from public television stations such as NBC and ABC. This is why the main force of the strike is not in Los Angeles, but in front of the TV station headquarters in New York.

The biggest effect of those clauses that lower the threshold for remaining dividends is to take away meat from the TV stations. Movies that did not participate in dividends will now have to pay for them if they are broadcast on local TV stations.

However, TV programs that could be broadcast at will in the past are now required to pay the director as long as they last more than one hour.

Time passed slowly and the sky slowly became brighter. After talking all night long, union and alliance representatives finally reached a preliminary agreement at 9 a.m. Eastern time and 6 a.m. Western time.

Gilbert Gates, interim president of the Directors Guild, and Nicholas Conte III of the Producers Union jointly walked from the NBC building where the negotiations were held to the strike site, where they were about to hold a joint press conference.

"Beep beep..." The car phone started to ring.

"Hello?" Ronald pressed the red call button.

"The deal is done, let's hold a live press conference immediately." Richard's voice floated through the speaker in the car.

"Shxt! So fast, damn, hurry up..." Ronald quickly threw away the sandwich he was eating, opened the car door and ran out.

Several cars nearby saw Ronald running out first and turned on their car lights. The directors inside, some fat, some thin, some old, some young, all followed Ronald. Behind him, he rushed toward the large iron gate of Columbia Studios across the road.

"We want dividends!"

"We want fairness!"

In an instant, dozens of Hollywood directors were added to the group, and the strike team expanded to the point where television cameras could scan it and appear to be a large number of people.

The staff of the live radio and television stations also lazily turned on their equipment and started broadcasting.

"Hurry up, hurry up, the news from New York is that the two sides have reached an agreement. We can only capture a few minutes of the strike here." The host on the TV station heard the shocking news from the earphones and hurriedly urged the cameraman Power on.

"My friends, my friends, this is live reporting from New York. Ken Orsati, national executive secretary of the Television Screen Actors Guild, said she has not yet learned the terms of the parties. She hopes directors will act like her union Just like supporting a director's strike, he is willing to support the next strike action of his union.

A spokeswoman for the Writers Guild told CNN that her union declined to comment on the newly struck contract until it became more familiar with the details. "

The Directors Guild and Producers Alliance held a short joint press conference to announce an agreement and then persuaded NBC to agree to a new deal, leaving ABC to negotiate further.

The host at the scene had to interview other union leaders who came to help.

"Okay, thank you to the host for the instant interview."

The NBC studio host was unwilling to show the female comedian Joan Rivers who had been banned by them. When she saw her coming forward to speak, she cut her off.

"Okay, let's take a look at the strike in Los Angeles."

"Ah, hello, this is the strike site in Burbank, Los Angeles. The news that the two parties in New York have reached an agreement has reached here. The directors have stopped the demonstration. They said they are very happy that the two parties have reached an agreement..."

The camera turned around and Ronald and some other well-established directors had put away their signs and ran away. Only some new directors were left on the scene to comment on the TV station.

"Okay, that's it, thank you Los Angeles..."

"Huh..." The staff working on location in Los Angeles all let out a sigh of relief. They finally managed to fool the location. These directors were too uncooperative. I just ran out and shouted twice, so I cooperated in taking some long shots, and then I stopped accepting the interview and ran to enjoy myself in the luxury car across the street.

"These directors only went on strike for three minutes. Is this the shortest strike in history?"