Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Text Volume Chapter 23 After the two bodyguards ended their three-minute strike, Ronald ran back to the hotel to rest for a few hours, and then waited for Daydream's general manager Eddie to come over and report the situation.

"The Television Actors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild, the two major actors' unions in the film and television industry, have begun a new round of agreement negotiations with the Producers Union. They are very encouraged by this condition of the Directors Union. I estimate that they will Propose the same remaining dividend conditions." Eddie began to talk about the news from the Producers Alliance.

"This is a good thing anyway. Their conditions will eventually cut off a piece of meat from the three major wireless television networks and the small cable television networks. Presumably there will be no major problems in the negotiations. The actors' strike in 1980 It won’t happen again,” Ronald replied.

Ronald knew that this negotiation was about the unions uniting to get more benefits from the TV station and making the cake bigger. The new media channels have made good profits, and everyone happily talked about it, and the minimum wage increase will be over. This is unlike the last round of negotiations, where the unions united to demand benefits from the producers, so the negotiations were difficult and triggered a long strike.

Just like the residual dividends insisted on by the Directors Guild this time, internal data from the union said that the total dividends received from TV stations this year exceeded 50 million U.S. dollars, and it is expected to exceed 100 million U.S. dollars under the new contract next year. With such a big pie, it will be easier for lower-level directors to raise the minimum wage.

"What about the other unions?" Ronald asked. The Producers Union is different from a single-type union. It has to negotiate labor contracts with all unions. If one of them is missing, work cannot start.

"There are no problems with various unions for technical staff behind the scenes. They do not enjoy dividends, and the increase in the minimum wage is expected to be acceptable. There is also a Screenwriters Guild for online positions in the arts. Negotiations can also start in January next year. It is expected to be the same as the Screen Actors Guild. The proportion of dividends is through salary increases.”

"Great, the production business is not easy now." Ronald breathed a sigh of relief. The aftermath of the stock market crash has not yet passed. This drop was comparable to the stock market crash of the Great Depression, which left a very bad impression on the public. There are calls for a strict investigation into the illegal activities of Wall Street giants. Various loose financial market regulations are probably coming to an end.

The financing capabilities of various studios on Wall Street have also gradually been restricted. For many studios that have taken on heavy debt, if their ability to borrow new debt is affected, their ability to repay old debt will be problematic. If this situation continues, it will one day affect the entire industry.

But the problem with daydreams is that they are different from those companies that have borrowed heavily. They mainly do not have good scripts worth investing in.

My time in the industry was relatively short, and all I got in Daydream were scripts for small-production exploitation films. When Eddie came this time, he also wanted to urge Ronald to use his connections in the industry to get more scripts for his company to produce.

"Hey, this requires time and money. Our Daydream is not an old brand like Qida, nor is it an upstart like Cannon, so we'd better take our time." Ronald scratched his head, this matter is not that easy.

In fact, many of the scripts being sent unsolicited now are aimed at Ronald himself. If he doesn't agree to direct or produce, many screenwriters won't sign on to Daydream and instead seek support from other studios.

The two chatted about the company's business for a while, and finally ordered takeout pizza for a quick lunch.

Eddie turned on the TV and watched the midday news while eating. "Your acting skills are really good," he joked, pointing to Ronald's performance at the strike site in the morning.

"Hahaha..." Ronald also ate pizza and drank Coke.

"The China Securities Regulatory Commission is beginning a series of investigations into Cannon Pictures to see if there are any violations."

"Huh?" Both of them were attracted by the next news, and Eddie went over to turn up the volume.

"As of today,

In my opinion, the company can no longer make normal profits. "A female accountant in charge of auditing was giving an interview to the TV station to express her views.

“Cannon’s movies are unsatisfactory at the box office, and their accounts have an incomprehensible amount of expenses in the category of ‘sales and administrative expenses’. The US$400 million they previously raised through junk bonds on Wall Street has continued to generate high interest rates. "

"Cannon is in financial crisis?" Ronald was surprised when he heard the interview on the news. Will Minahan, an old cunning guy, go bankrupt just because several big-budget movies like Superman IV and Over the Top didn't do well at the box office?

"It's unlikely. Cannon still has many production plans in the industry. I saw Minahan when I went to the Producers Alliance, and he didn't look like there was a big problem."

"But it's all on the TV news, so there must be some problem." Ronald thought about the script shortage Daydream encountered, "I'll make some phone calls..."

The first call was to accountant Ed Bastian.

"Ed, I'd like to ask you to do an audit, right...it's not my daydream, it's Cannon Pictures. I need an evaluation. How much is theirs worth?"

"Do you want to acquire them? Very ambitious move, but I have to remind you that financing on Wall Street is very expensive nowadays, unless you have additional financial resources..." Ed Bastian is satisfied with the aggressiveness of his customers. , as long as the source of funds is solved...

"No, no, no, Ed, I don't want to acquire Cannon just yet. I want to settle the account and be as clear as possible. Cannon is a listed company, and I just want to understand the situation through public financial statements. You know Generally, if a Hollywood company goes bankrupt and is sold, it will bundle its assets into different packages, and I wanted to see if there were any opportunities for bargain hunting."

"That's simple, but because of the delay in financial disclosure, you're not going to get a very accurate assessment."

"It's okay, I just want a rough idea, and you can send me the bill..."

Then Ronald dialed Minahan's number.

"Hello, I'm looking for your chairman, Mr. Minahan Golan."

"Hi, Ronald, I'm Minahan, why did you call me today?"

Ronald frowned, why didn't Minahan's secretary answer the call first?

"I saw on the news that you cannons..."

"Those are all tricks of the bankers. They just want to make some noise to reduce the amount of further financing we need. They are all actions that are not on the table. I am preparing a new big production here. If you don't believe it, you can come here Look... quack quack..."

Minahan's laughter was as hearty as ever.

"Why not? We haven't seen each other for a long time. You know my movies are doing well at the box office. Should I go over and talk to you? Maybe we can jointly produce a few movies."

"Quack, quack, then I'll be waiting for your arrival. When will you come over..."

Soon, Ronald arrived at the Cannon's office not far from the CAA. Opposite was the new building built by Minahan. After it is completed, it will become the Cannon's office.

"It seems it's almost finished? When will you move there?" Ronald hugged Minahan and said hello to Minahan who came out to greet him. When he arrived at his office, he pointed to the new building opposite and asked.

"About next spring, we will be at about the same progress as Fox and others..." Minahan puffed on a cigar in his office.

"That's great. Don't forget to invite me to attend the inauguration ceremony." To be honest, Ronald was quite envious of companies like this that had the money to build their own buildings.

"Then I must not forget you..." Minahan took out a new cigar and handed it to Ronald.

"Hmm..." Ronald lit it and took a sip. It was not as good as the ones in the offices of the seven CEOs.

"I'm just curious, who wants to get in trouble with your cannon?"

"Aren't they just those jackals who are trying to attack us in the capital market... I will leave these matters to Yoram. He will be interviewed by reporters soon and make a statement. Now I only care about next year's film project."

"What big production do you have in mind?" Ronald saw that Minahan didn't want to talk about the financial issues in the news, so he took advantage of the situation and asked about Minahan's film projects.

"I'm going to continue to open a sequel to a movie with a budget of 30 million US dollars." Minahan heard Ronald ask about the movie and immediately became energetic again, "Do you remember that comic book 'He-Man' adapted into the movie Unicron? I We will make a prequel or sequel, this time in cooperation with the copyright owner Mattel, and the tentative name is 'He-Man'."

"Sounds interesting, who will star?" Ronald remembered the box office hit "He-Man - Unicron", starring Swedish actor Dolph Lundgren, who played the villain of Rocky IV. His acting skills are so bad that I wonder if Minahan will continue to use them.

"I'm thinking about Stallone or Chuck Norris. What, who do you have in mind?" Mina rarely saw Ronald asking such a detailed question and showing interest, so he thought, "Do you want to play the role yourself? No. The problem...you are tall enough, just right for He-Man."

"No..." Ronald quickly clarified, "I just watched He-Man's cartoons and wanted to know who would play the live-action version." He-Man is a muscular man shirtless and wearing underwear, and he doesn't want to play the role.

"Stallone is a little short, but he is a star and can help a lot in distribution."

The two of them were chatting blindly when the door to the office was pushed open with a click.

"Mr. Golan, you promised me to make me a movie star. Why haven't you given me a chance yet?"

A blond man rushed in, "Let me show you my ability, uncle..."

The person jumped, his feet flew into the air, then he crossed his legs, his right foot brushed against Minahan's nose, and he launched a mid-air back kick..."

"Jean Claude, how many times have I told you, don't use this trick in front of me..."

Minahan didn't have time to react, and was startled by a sweeping kick in the air. This actor's action skills are good, and his fighting looks much better than Stallone, but he always likes to scare himself.

He was very familiar with this move and would not hit him, but no one could bear to be scared by him like this.

"I just want you to see my level and prevent you from forgetting me, Mr. Golan." The blond man chuckled, obviously this was not the first time he had done this.

"Jean Claude...do you remember me?"

Ronald next to him was also startled by the mid-air kick, but he knew who it was when he saw the person's appearance.

This is the Jean-Claude Van Damme who stole the spotlight with a backflip at the beach hip-hop scene during "Break Dancing". He also used this mid-air kick on himself back then. We haven't seen each other for a few years. He used it. Becoming more proficient...

"Ah...Ronald...No, Mr. Li, hello, hello." When Jean Claude saw it was Ronald, he immediately came up to shake hands and say hello, "I'll show you..."

"Jean Claude, don't bother Ronald. I will definitely give you what I promised you. But you have to be patient now, be patient..." Minahan continued to fool the action actor.

"Mr. Golan, but I have to survive in Hollywood. Acting coaches are also very expensive. I have to make movies to survive. Otherwise, I have to participate in karate competitions and make money as a coach."

"Are you making a movie now?" Ronald asked Jean Claude suddenly.

"Not now, I'm looking for an opportunity, Mr. Li..."

"Just call me Ronald. If you are not busy, you can work for me for a while. Minahan is very optimistic about you and will definitely let you play the leading role if there is a chance."

"What, you want Claude to star in your new movie?" Minahan seemed to have an old toy that was suddenly noticed by other children. They found that this toy was really fun and immediately asked Ronald.

"No, no, it's not a movie. I have some other temporary jobs here, and I want to hire Jean Claude..." Ronald thought of the former bodyguard who was five and six people at the premiere of "Moonlight" Siegel.

I want to go to the filming site of his new movie to learn about the new trends in action movies. Sigel will definitely challenge me at the scene. Although I am not afraid of him, it would be disrespectful to fight with him. This Jean Claude Van Dan has good skills, karate is a martial art with practical combat capabilities, and he can act as his bodyguard.

"What kind of job is it?" Jean Claude was overjoyed. It was a rare opportunity to work for Ronald.

"I want to ask you to be my bodyguard." Ronald told him about the conflict with Siegel.

"No problem. I have been a bodyguard for big shots before. I know Aikido. I can fight very well against ordinary people... against real martial arts, such as karate..."

"Very good. You go and help Ronald first. When I have a new movie ready, you can play the leading role for me." Minahan Golan suddenly became more and more attracted to Jean Claude Van Dam. Having been Ronald's bodyguard and then starring in a movie is a gimmick.

"Who do you want to give the leading role to? Mr. Golan, you promised me first..."

While talking, another blond man walked in. He heard Minahan's last conversation with Jean-Claude Van Damme, both of whom were actors of the same type, and immediately stepped forward to question him anxiously.

"Duff? Don't worry, I'm talking about another movie. Your Unicron didn't do well at the box office, so it's normal for President Yoram to have doubts about the choice of the sequel. I'm on your side. You just need to Improve your acting skills a little bit..."

When Ronald took a look, it turned out to be Dolph Lundgren, the star of He-Man's adaptation of "Unicron".

"I have worked very hard to improve my acting skills, Mr. Golan, but acting coaches in Hollywood are too expensive. I have to find a job first. Can you give me some work as a stand-in or supporting actor?"

"Hehehe..." Ronald and Jean Claude both laughed.

"What are you laughing at? What's so funny about this? Oh, Ronald, no...Director Li." Longgere recognized Ronald and immediately stepped forward to apologize, "I'm sorry, I just hope to be better soon." Wu can gain a foothold, I hope you don’t mind.”

"What do you study?" Ronald didn't know him well.

"I studied chemical engineering and completed my master's degree in New York." Longer replied.

"No, I'm asking you what kind of martial arts you learn..."

"I learned karate, Goju-ryu karate. I also know a little bit of judo."

"Goju-ryu", Ronald thought to himself, isn't it the style of Miyagi-sensei in "Ryuwei Boy"? Definitely can fight.

"I recently need some temporary bodyguards who can fight. Can you work for me?" Ronald invited him.

"No problem. I came to America to be a bodyguard for Gracie Jones. I'm very familiar with this business." Longger also knew that being a bodyguard for a big shot like Ronald was a good opportunity. Anyway, it’s my old profession and I can still make money.

"Welcome..." Jean Claude and Longgren shook hands, and the two naturally retreated behind Ronald. One to the left and one to the right, the two blond men immediately began to enter the role and play the role. Ronald's bodyguard.