Exploiting Hollywood 1980

【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

"Woo..." The noise of the projector penetrated through the small opening in the screening room and penetrated into the seats in the screening room in front of it. It circled several times, and together with the dust floating up and down in the white light of the projector, it penetrated into the twentieth century. Fox CEO Goldberg's ears.

"Kala..." The film reel came to an end, and the editing symbol with white text on a black background appeared on the screen. Goldberg dug his fingers into his ears. The other side of the screening room was an undecorated area because of "Die Hard", so it was very dusty every day.

"Is this the Melanie Griffith you like? Her acting skills are indeed much better than when she was a child star." Goldberg looked at Griffith's sexy appearance on the screen, but something came to his mind. It looks like the blonde Melanie Griffiths' mother Tippi Hedren in Hitchcock's "The Birds."

Ronald stood up first and raised his hand to signal the projectionist to turn on the lights. After returning to Los Angeles, Ronald spent a lot of effort to convince Goldberg, the busy president of 20th Century Fox, to take time to watch Griffith's performance in "Shot" .

"Look at her performance in the three scenes before and after. She dressed like a street girl at the beginning, was dignified as a typical beauty in a southern town when attending the high school alumni meeting, and finally looked like she was gaslighted after being kidnapped by her ex-boyfriend. Geri Bergman stars in a movie whose title refers to a housewife who psychologically controls others. Our movie needs an actress who can switch between different roles and psychological states."

Ronald quickly seized the opportunity to put in a good word for Melanie Griffiths. She has not had any good works published for many years. "Scattered Lulu" did not cause a big response in the industry due to marketing reasons. If Ronald hadn't picked up the copy, Goldberg wouldn't have known there was such an Oscar-winning performance.

Goldberg waved his hand to stop Ronald from further promoting, "I know she is a good actress, and I knew it as soon as I saw her performance. I was thinking about other issues."

Although Goldberg started in television and then moved to Fox's film department, he can still tell the difference between good and bad acting skills after many years of work.

"Are you worried about stars? In fact, Sigourney Weaver's impression among the audience is pretty good." Ronald took a document from Richard who was following him and handed it to Goldberg. . The above is a survey commissioned by ema.

Although there is still a big gap in the popularity of stars like Sigourney Weaver and Cher, Cameron's "Alien 2" still made a high proportion of viewers fall in love with this star. Many people who know her , all expressed that they would go to the cinema to watch her new film.

"Ronald, this is a big production worth 20 million US dollars. I have to be responsible to the chairman and the shareholders." Goldberg took off his glasses and wiped them. Sure enough, he was worried that there was only one star Wei Wei. Without Fernando in the lead, the film's marketing would be problematic.

20th Century Fox likes to bet on those high-budget blockbusters. In addition to "Working Girl", it also has "Die Hard" and "Grown Up" starring Diane to be released next year. As the CEO and president of a listed company, Goldberg has only one idea, and that is to do everything possible to reduce project uncertainty.

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【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

Hollywood executives are like this. They talk clearly and logically, but in fact, few of them really understand why a movie is a hit. Don't look at them and the main creators. When facing the media, they can give a lot of reasons. When it comes to making a decision, in the end, it comes back to a hard indicator: How many stars does your movie have?

As Fox's three major productions next year, Goldberg is actually the most confident in Ronald's "Working Girl".

But Fox still couldn't get away from Wall Street's bridge loans and channel financing to raise funds for the company's filming and distribution.

Those bankers, when they evaluate film works, don't understand the suitability of film directors and casting. Even though you don’t understand, you have to find a way to mass-produce box office winning movies. Wall Street analysts, many graduates of prestigious universities, have done a lot of analysis behind closed doors in front of whiteboards in their offices. The only two things they are certain of are:

First, for large investments, it is best to look for plot models that have been proven by the market. For example, if E.T. is a hit, let's make some family-friendly movies that younger children will like. For example, if "Ghostbusters" is good to watch, then continue to invest in this type of horror-comedy film.

The second is to find big stars who have been proven by the market, especially male stars to star. Various industry surveys show that the biggest reason why today's audiences go to theaters is to see a certain star.

These two major reasons have become the gold standard for Jewish capital on Wall Street to measure the return on film investment, and have also become the investment model of the seven major studios that are also controlled by Jews.

It occupies two major reasons, and it is also a favorite movie format of investors and producers. Needless to say, it is the sequel to a successful box office blockbuster. That's why there are "First Blood" and "Rocky Series" that have been filmed one after another.

"But when we change the cast on the spot, the stars don't even have time to prepare for the schedule, right?" Ronald began to find reasons. He wanted to convince Goldberg that replacing Melanie Griffith would not affect the film's box office potential.

"You don't object to me changing the male lead? Find a more famous star?" Goldberg turned his head and looked into Ronald's eyes, as if to confirm whether this was Ronald's true thoughts.

"If you can find a big-name male star to play the leading role, such as Harrison Ford or Warren Beatty, to play the role of Jack Traynor, of course I would not object. In fact, their star images are quite suitable for the characteristics. Reiner’s temperament.”

Ronald began to make excuses for himself. He and Julia Taylor were interested in Alec Baldwin. Her acting skills are up to standard, and her appearance is actually the type with a strong male hormone and a wide and powerful chin.

In this kind of highly dramatic movie, the first scene where the character appears in the audience should firmly give the audience a hint that this is a larger than life male protagonist that is common in Hollywood. Baldwin had no flaws other than not being famous.

"Funny, you think so of Harrison Ford..." Goldberg chuckled.

"What? Can you invite Harrison Ford?" Ronald was shocked. Don't such big stars arrange their project schedule for the next year a year in advance?

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【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

"Harrison wants to transform. His previous screen image was limited to an action star with a sense of humor. He wants to try a romantic comedy. Michael Ovitz of CAA called me last week to express Harrison's desire. Meaning, so I recommended this script to him.

Moreover, Harrison himself is also very interested in cooperating with you..."

Goldberg smiled broadly. Ronald himself came over and proposed changing the heroine, so it was logical that he, as the producer, proposed changing the male lead. With a production cost of more than 20 million, there must be a super male star to play the role, or two female stars can barely do it.

If Demi Moore hadn't had an "accident", I don't know how much money it would have cost to convince Ronald to change roles. One of the biggest pet peeves of directors is forcing them to change roles.

"Are you kidding me?" Ronald had an expression on his face.

"I'm not kidding. Isn't this a coincidence? Harrison had a good impression of you before. The Witness, which he collaborated with Kelly McGillis, did well at the box office, but the reviews were negative for both him and McGillis. The chemistry of the couple scenes was criticized.

And you in "Top Gun" inspired a new standard of aesthetics among the audience. McGillis has become a new sex idol among high school boys. Her love scene with Tom Cruise also made Female audiences buy it very much..."

"I..." Ronald glanced at Richard. Is there something written by his boss Ovitz? Richard shrugged, saying that Ovitz's grasp of the CAA information was accurate and comprehensive.

"Okay, I'll arrange an audition for Harrison." Ronald touched his chin. In fact, when screenwriter Kevin Wade wrote the script, Jack Traynor was also based on Harrison Ford and Warren Beatty. A few Hollywood top male stars wrote it as a template, maybe it really works?

"Hahaha, Ronald. Harrison didn't audition..." Goldberg laughed, "Harrison either plays or he doesn't. Harrison doesn't audition and competes with other people for a role."

Ronald glanced at Richard and received a nod of approval. He had to say to Goldberg, "What I mean is, invite him to read the script and talk about his ideas for the characters."

Goldberg raised his chin and motioned to Richard.

"I will communicate with Mr. Ovitz." Richard closed the notebook and kept smiling.

"What's the budget for the movie?" Ronald asked Goldberg.

Harrison Ford's salary is now slightly higher than that of other first-line stars among male stars in Hollywood. Big names such as Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson, since Cannon broke the unspoken rules of film remuneration, have proposed to be like Stallone, so their remuneration is six million US dollars.

As for Harrison Ford, since the 1980s, he has produced two Indiana Jones series, the last Star Wars, and three films with a box office of over 100 million in North America. He also has a well-received and popular genre film like "Witness", and his salary is It has risen to 7.5 million.

"Twentieth Century Fox will increase the budget accordingly. After excluding the film remuneration, the original production costs will basically remain unchanged." Goldberg is very generous. Anyway, with Harrison Ford joining, he is not worried about no one investing.

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【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

"I need more, big stars' studio scenes, these have to be paid for by the crew." Ronald was reluctant, and the production budget used for filming could not be kept unchanged.

A big star like Harrison Ford needs to stay in the best hotels, have a separate RV, several assistants, masseurs, bodyguards, exclusive hairstylists, makeup artists, costumers, and also bring his own publicity staff and stills. photography.

In addition to these, some celebrities also request special food from the chef. Some even bring pets, with pet nannies and veterinarians.

The money was ultimately disbursed from the crew's shooting account. That adds up to a lot of money, and if the production budget remains the same, there will be less money spent on filming.

Goldberg whispered to the assistant next to him, and then promised, "An additional $1 million in the crew budget will be used to meet Harrison Ford's requirements. There is also a reserve fund. If it doesn't work, we can still add more."

"That's 28 million to 30 million?" Ronald and Richard looked at each other in approval.

…

"How much involvement did Ovitz have in this matter?" After leaving Goldberg's office, Ronald and his agent Richard didn't say a word. They took the elevator downstairs and got in the car. start speaking.

"I will go to the side of the company to find out more," Richard pushed up his glasses, "but from what I know about Ovitz, it is most likely him who pushed this matter."

"Well..." Ronald was a little angry and leaned back and stopped talking.

Ovitz is a businessman in nature. He signed some screenwriters and directors, but in fact the real purpose was to package up star actors and add them to the director's client's crew.

Relatively speaking, the salary of stars is much higher than that of directors, and the commission that CAA can get is also much higher. Therefore, the director's artistic preferences, complete film narrative, and appropriate casting must all be pushed aside to make way for the client who brings the most money, the male star.

As the boss who occupies more than half of caa's shares, Ovitz is required to report all broker client movements to him. This is not like the last time when it was revealed that Ronald was interested in becoming a "working girl", it was a "spy". This is obviously in line with the agency's system.

Although compromises in all aspects are common in film projects, Ronald was still very unhappy. After all, film directors are control freaks who try to control everything on the crew, including laughter.

Once a superstar like Harrison Ford joins the cast, who may have the final say on a lot of things.

…

"Harrison Ford is interested in playing Jack Traynor?" Casting director Julia Taylor frowned after hearing the news relayed by Ronald.

There are many aspects of the role of Jack Traynor that require delicate acting skills. For example, in the end, he weighs the pros and cons among the three parties of Tess, Catherine, and important clients, and finally chooses to betray Tess. Those are all psychological activities. It's a great test of acting skills.

This kind of inner activity cannot all be reflected through lines. For the audience to understand, it all depends on the actor's body movements, expressions and other small movements in front of the camera. Harrison Ford... He looks cool with a crooked smile...

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【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

"Stop complaining, at least it's a step forward, isn't it? Fox agreed to Melanie Griffiths as the heroine."

"The third leading actress..." Julia Taylor smiled but said nothing. In this movie, Harrison Ford is definitely number one, Sigourney Weaver is number two, and Melanie Griffiths, the protagonist who plays the most roles, is actually number three and is ranked second on the poster. Row, below the names of the two stars.

"She won't mind..." Ronald thought to himself. It would be great if Griffiths had this opportunity. How could he care about this?

"But it's a pity Alec Baldwin, do you go and say it or should I?" Julia Taylor thought of the actor Baldwin who was originally scheduled to play Jack Traynor. This actor's acting skills are very suitable for Traynor, but with the arrival of the star, it is also You have to give way obediently.

When it comes to casting for movie projects, it is very common for actors to change roles before filming starts, and sometimes even after filming starts, and those who are replaced can only consider themselves unlucky.

"What do you think, let him play Tess's ex-boyfriend, Mick Dugan?" Ronald suddenly thought, and he also liked Baldwin's acting skills.

"Let me talk to him. Of course Alec's acting skills are qualified, but he was suddenly demoted from the leading actor to a supporting actor..." Julia Taylor didn't know what Alec Baldwin would think.

"Invite him to come, and we will explain it to him together." Ronald felt that at this time, he should show his importance and sincerity. No matter what Baldwin thought, he should not misunderstand him and let him think that he had changed his mind.

…

"Melanie, I have some good news for you. Working Girl will be looking for Harrison Ford to play opposite Harrison Ford." Phyllis Carlisle, Griffith's manager, after getting the news, came to tell Griffith Thinking of good news.

"Phyllis, I'm so troubled. Look..." Melanie Griffith took out a document and handed it to her manager who cared about her very much and was also her friend Phyllis.

"What?" Phyllis took the document and opened it. It was a contract document sent by another crew that Melanie auditioned for earlier.

"The atal tourist? Is director Lawrence Kasdan confirmed?" Phyllis Carlisle unexpectedly took the document. She had no hope for this audition.

"Yeah, Director Kasdan just called me." Melanie Griffith bit her lip. "Shotshot Lulu" not only conquered Ronald, but also conquered another famous director Lawrence ·Kasdan.

Coincidentally, Lawrence Kasdan is also the main screenwriter of Harrison Ford's two blockbuster movies, "The Empire Strikes Back" and "Raiders of the Lost Ark." This time, his "Accidental Visitor" brought back many stars he had worked with, and it was considered his personal show.

For example, William Hurt, who plays the male lead, and Kathryn Turner, who plays the female lead, once starred in the movie "Body Heat" directed by him. And he chose Melanie Griffiths as the second female lead Muriel, who had a lot of roles and was on par with Katherine Turner - the woman who ended up getting together with the male protagonist Macon.

"What should I do? The two movies were shot at about the same time, both are famous directors, and both have main female roles. It would be great if the two movies were made one after the other..." Melanie Griffiths is about to Cried. In the past five or six years, I couldn't get any good scripts, but this time I got two at once.

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【Exploiting Hollywood 1980】 【】

"What do you think?" Phyllis Carlisle thought for a while, then asked Melanie what she thought first.

"I...I don't know. I called my mother (Tibby Hedlund) and I asked my ex-husband (Don Johnson), one said Kasdan, the other said Ronald... …”

Melanie Griffiths held two scripts in her hands. She looked at this one and that one. They were both scripts and roles that were very suitable for her. She loves acting and felt that each one was very enjoyable to perform. It was really fun. I want to keep them all as my own.

Phyllis Carlisle knows this client very well. She is an actress who is very interested in acting. In fact, it is superfluous to talk about salary and remuneration. Moreover, both roles are challenging. If she takes the role, she will be good. promising.

"Look at me, Melanie," Phyllis Carlisle grabbed Griffiths with both hands, staring at her, and said seriously, "Whoever plays Muriel in 'The Accidental Visitor' can Win an Academy Award. Whoever plays Tess in 'Working Girl' becomes a star. Tell me, Melanie, who do you want to be?"

Melanie Griffiths took both scripts in her hands, "I'll go up and think about it carefully," then went upstairs and shut herself in the bedroom.

"Ding-deng-deng..."

About an hour later, Melanie Griffiths came down and said, "I've made my decision."

Phyllis Carlyle said, "Who?"

"I wanted to try my hand at Tess in 'Working Girl'. I felt like that role was very similar to my experience and was the right one for me at this stage. The Accidental Visitor, well, I wasn't ready for the role of Muriel. "

"So, that's the final decision."