Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1091 Budget Black Hole
The computer software version of the painting interface has achieved a small-scale trial production success. A one-second shot was produced by the Knoll brothers of Industrial Light and Magic and the painter Shangshan.Satisfied, Ronald and Joel Silver wrote another check for the special effects team to continue experimenting.

"Honey, this kind of shooting won't cost a lot of money to set up the scene in the future?" Diane looked at the one-second shot that Ronald played repeatedly, and said while leaning on Ronald's shoulder.

She was deeply impressed by the "waste" of the film industry. When filming "Streets of Rage", director Walter Hill did not go to the Chicago subway to shoot scenes, but built a subway station from scratch in the studio, which took a few days. One million U.S. dollars.Because of the light leaking from the roof of the studio during the daytime shooting at night, a big tent was built outside the studio
There is also the last song sung by Diane. Due to copyright issues, the concert set that was just dismantled was rebuilt, and another 100 million was wasted.It's no wonder that after the poor box office of "Streets of Rage", he hasn't been able to get the chance to direct for several years.

In fact, there is no way for a fool to survive in Hollywood.Experienced producers will not fail to see whether the budget has been spent properly, as long as they watch the samples, they will know where the money was spent.

If you waste money and make a good box office, you can live with it. If the box office is not good, then it is obvious that the latter will get a few extra opportunities than those directors who are more honest on the budget and also failed at the box office.

"Maybe, I hope so, but the current technology can't handle it very well. I think it will take several years to develop." Ronald thought for a while, and waited until this kind of scene-setting technology matured, in the future, various The act of embezzling filming funds for setting and setting will also be suppressed by new technologies.

"Honey, I auditioned with Richard Gere today, and the director Penny Marshall said that our chemistry is good..." Diane turned the topic to the casting of "3000".

"Oh? It's him?" Ronald remembered this handsome guy. Before Diane was in the "Cotton Club" directed by Coppola, Richard Gere played a couple.

Ronald looked up at Diane, his eyes full of anticipation that he would affirm her acting skills.The new wife still cares a lot about what she thinks of her career.

"I remember that Director Coppola liked your performance very much. He told me that your performance is outstanding. But in that play, your appearance was not good-looking, and you were a little fat." Ronald touched Diane's baby Belly, at that time, she made everyone fatter in order to perform the plump figure of female stars in the 20s.

"Well, you still said that back then you said that I was fat as if I was pregnant..." Diane recalled the past, and lightly hit Ronald a few times.

"Well", Ronald is actually quite useful, but how about a good chemistry with Richard Gere?I don't like it very much.

"Are you jealous? Hahaha, I actually didn't get along with him very well on the set, but we both seem to have a good relationship in the camera." Diane smiled at Ronald.

The camera is a very magical machine. Some on-screen couples have many contradictions and cannot get along with each other. In the camera, they are indeed a perfect match. The audience loves them to death.Some de facto couples have no feeling on the screen, looking like a pair of passers-by.

For example, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh, the leading actors of "Gone with the Wind", who fascinated a generation of audiences, had many conflicts during filming. Gable even chewed garlic to tease each other before filming the kiss scene.

"I'm really jealous. I should have listened to Coppola and gave up being a director to become an actor, so that I can play a couple with you on the screen." Ronald began to tease Diane.

"Mr. Li, Mrs. Li, your dinner." The Chinese chef recommended by Ronald's personal accountant brought roast goose, barbecued pork and fried vegetables.This young chef was the chef of the original Chinatown Cantonese restaurant in Los Angeles. He agreed to apply for Ronald's chef because he wanted to earn more money to open his own restaurant.

Another Italian chef, recommended by him and Richard, made delicious meals, which were very suitable for the newlyweds. , It also takes care of the actress's dietary needs, and it is not easy to gain weight.Ronald, who couldn't make a choice, simply hired them together. Now he prepares meals and brings them to the hotel every day. After the new house is completed, they will have their own housing and kitchen in the big house.

……

"Honey, I packed your luggage for you. Come back early..." Early the next morning, Diane, who had flushed cheeks, had already packed Ronald's clothes, and a suitcase was lying on the sofa.

"Thanks, honey." Ronald smiled and kissed Diane, and Diane kissed him back on the cheek.This kind of American traditional family warmth is very useful for both of them.Especially Diane, whose parents divorced within a few weeks of birth, she and Ronald are actually similar, longing for a peaceful family life.

Today, Diane is going to the crew to continue auditioning, Ronald is going to South Dakota, and the filming of "Dances with Wolves" has problems again.Veteran producer Polly Platt also called for help.

The filming of some hunting scenes encountered protests from animal protection organizations, and the local police received reports from time to time, saying that the film crew abused animals.They seemed to know that Ronald was the producer, so they refused to reconcile, insisting that Ronald come forward to interview them, as if they wanted to use this project to make their organization famous.

In any case, Ronald had to go, otherwise the shooting would be delayed and the wasted production cost would be astronomical.

Bud Jr. and bodyguard Dan were already waiting outside the door. Looking at the lipstick mark on Ronald's face, they couldn't hold back their laughter.In the end, Bud handed him a tissue and wiped the small mirror on the back seat.

"Yes, this is Ronald's phone number, may I have your name?" The car arrived at the airport, and Richard was already waiting in the waiting room.Just as everyone was about to board the plane, they received a call from a woman.

"It's Cindy Crawford... She has something to do with you." Richard whispered in Ronald's ear.

"Doesn't she know that I'm just married?" Ronald glanced at Richard. Later, when several private parties were held, Crawford declined Ronald's invitation. Only another model, Christie Turing, Ton comes every time.Why are you delivering it to your door again now?
"I think it's not what you think. She said she wanted to talk to you about your new project."

"Oh," Ronald didn't expect to overestimate his charm, and answered the phone, "It's me, Ronald."

"Congratulations on your newlyweds, Ronald." Cindy Crawford stammered congratulations to Ronald first on the phone.

"Thank you, you are looking for me..."

"I want to confirm with you, is your new wife going to act in a romantic movie with Richard Gere?"

"Yeah..." Ronald thought to himself, do you still want to compete for the leading actress or what?It's a pity it's too late...

"I have a request, can... can it be better not to choose Li Cha as the leading actor? If it is really necessary for him, can you allow me to visit the crew often at my convenience?"

"No, why did you come? Could it be you and Richard?"

"Yes, he is my boyfriend. We have been dating secretly for a while..." Cindy Crawford puffed out her chest on the other end of the phone, her charm was very reliable, in order to win over Richard Key Her real girlfriend status, she beat out actress Kim Basinger, singer Elvis Presley's daughter Priscilla Presley, veteran actress Barbra Streisand, Colombian executive Dawn Steele , Zhou Tianna, who is also a model, Laura Bailey...and countless unknown beauties.

But a male star like Richard Gere is like a bull in heat in Hollywood and the modeling industry. She still has to deal with actresses and female models who pounce on the smell every day, and Richard Gere It's a headache that their special relationship hasn't been made public yet.

"Oh, come on, as long as it doesn't interfere with the shooting. I said, you really care about your boyfriend, don't you?"

"You don't know Richard, every time he shoots a film, he will have a fake scene with an actress...you know what I mean, I have to go to the set to watch him..." Cindy Crawford thought to herself, isn't it You, a good asset, have no intention of developing a special relationship with myself, so I have to fall in love with male stars, and I have to keep fighting with those women.

"Damn, does this guy Richard Gere get into heat every time he is on the set?" Ronald put down the phone and remembered that Diane was going to act with him, feeling uncomfortable for a while, "Why does my girlfriend always call? Come to me."

"In fact, he may not be the best candidate for the leading actor..." Richard crossed Richard Gere's name in his heart, and he could exert some influence on the crew.Some things that Ronald is inconvenient to say and do, as an agent, he has to help...

……

Arriving at the filming location of "Dances with Wolves" in South Dakota, Ronald first consulted with Polly Pratt and watched the samples by the way.

"Kevin (Costner) lacks experience, but he is indeed a director who wants to make a good movie. You can see his hard work and speed of improvement when you look at these shots." Polly is quite fond of Costner Good impression.

She explained to Ronald, pointing to a scene at the beginning of Kevin Costner's film.It was a play that explained the background of Lieutenant Dunbar (the protagonist who was later named Dances with Wolves by the Indian Dakota).

In the decisive battle of the Civil War, Lieutenant Dunbar thought he would die, let go of his chest, closed his eyes and rode towards the enemy's position.The opponent's line infantry focused their fire, but none of them hit him who was galloping on horseback.

Inspired by this miracle, the northern army charged behind, defeated the southern army and won the victory.

In order to express such death-like attitude and Lieutenant Dunbar's personality, Kevin Costner actually closed his eyes on the horse, and then let the horse lead him to gallop.Although the horse is very tame, the danger of shooting in this way is still very high.

Ronald saw the end, and the props crew yelled at Costner to keep the horses from charging into the fence in the Confederate set.

"Be careful..." Ronald knew that the actors who shoot Western films are often good at equestrianism, and they can usually control the horses in this situation, but he still has to warn them.

"What's going on with the Animal Protection Organization?" Ronald still asked the most critical question.

"It seems that someone informed, so people from these animal protection organizations came to South Dakota to stare at our crew from the very beginning." Pratt also frowned when he talked about this. Generally, when filming in this kind of rural place, the union If you don't come here very often, where will you provoke these people?
"I'll find someone to investigate..." Ronald frowned. He didn't find any problems with the leak last time, so he was targeted again this time.The private detectives really can't find any problems with conventional methods. Is it really necessary to upgrade some unconventional methods?
"What is their appeal?" Ronald asked again, willing to talk to someone, which shows that the appeal is still within the range that can be resolved with money.

……

"This is our association's protest letter, which contains our main demands..." People from the Animal Protection Association handed over the copied text when they met with Ronald, Costner, Platt and others.

"Protect wild wolves..." Ronald saw that the first line was to protect wolves.The title of Dances with Wolves actually refers to the Dakota name of Lieutenant Dunbar played by Costner, because he was seen by the Sioux often with a gray wolf with two white front legs (Dunbar named it called two socks) together.

"There are actually two wolves we photographed, one named Buck and one named Teddy, and we took good care of them." Costner sighed, these people really came to trouble each other every day, Pulling banners, yelling and protesting the filming.There were problems with live radio.

Moreover, their appeal to protect animals is very popular with women and children. Most people dare not deal with them forcefully, otherwise politicians will support them for the sake of votes. If it is on the national TV news, it will be even more difficult to shoot.

"But when you take good care of them when filming, you are actually destroying the nature of their wolves. After the filming is over, these wolves that are familiar with human feeding are not suitable for returning to the wild. This is inhumane to animals..."

"Shouldn't it be called beast way?" Ronald complained in his heart. He didn't dare to confront him head-on. He protested that he would have to stop working when it was on TV. At that time, the money would be wasted. "What do you suggest?"

"We suggest that after shooting, let them live in a safe ecological environment built by humans, so that they can maintain their ability to survive in the wild without being hunted by malicious people..."

"Is there such a place?" Ronald asked Richard.

"There is actually a wild animal park in California that can take care of this strange animal." Richard quickly added that he had already done his homework.

"Is this okay?" Ronald received the other party's approval, "The next topic..."

"Horses are filming, there can't be any abuse and casualties... I noticed that you have a lot of riding performances, which is a kind of harm to the horses..."

The so-called Zou riding means riding a barebacked horse without a saddle.This is the way the Dakota Sioux used to ride.The Indians in classic westerns, especially those bad Indians, such as the appearance of the Apache family, often use the performance method to highlight their ferocity!
"But this is a cultural heritage of the Dakota Sioux... We are trying to show the real way of life of the Indians. They are not born bad guys like in traditional Hollywood movies, but have their own way of life, their own way of life. Aboriginal civilizations with unique cultures..."

Ronald also has a way to deal with them. In "Dances with Wolves", many real descendants of Dakota Sioux Indians are employed. In the name of protecting their own culture, these people have friendly conversations with people from animal protection organizations. up.

"Okay, we can keep the footage of the horse riding, but the daily filming amount must be limited. Leaving the saddle on is a kind of destruction to the horse. We must have representatives stationed in the film crew to prevent the occurrence of animal cruelty."

In the end, the two sides stopped scolding and discussed a solution.Ronald agreed with a sigh of relief.It's nothing more than taking fewer shots every day, and Costner's progress is not fast anyway.Fortunately, Pratt had experience, so he called the current deputy chief of the Sioux to argue with them.

"Finally, we forbid you to film bison hunts..."

The last request is the most difficult to handle. The group of animal protection organizations proposed that real bison hunting scenes cannot be filmed.

"Although American bison is a legally protected animal, our bison provider is a rich man who breeds bison to restore the population. He has a legal slaughter quota every year. We all follow the law."

Ronald thought to himself that there was no room for retreat. In the script, Lieutenant Dunbar was finally accepted by the Indian tribe, and it really became "Dancing with Wolves", because he notified the tribe that the buffalo herd was coming, and together they killed countless Bison, as winter food.

It was one of the most important shots in the narrative, and it was impossible not to shoot it.This claim cannot be backed down.

"Killing quotas is a barbaric way to take the power to take the lives of animals. This is an evil law that we are working hard to overthrow..."

"But now he's still legal, isn't he?"

Ronald thought to himself that America is a society ruled by law, and it is not illegal if you say it is broken.

"However, the quota states that these bison are killed humanely, not in the unnecessary inhumane way you are doing. Chasing them savagely and killing them alive when they are too exhausted to escape , while the bison were still alive, they cut off their livers and ate them raw..."

"Sorry, this is the traditional culture of our Sioux..."

"It's barbaric...I think a lot of TV viewers will be disappointed by this kind of filming."

"Is there nothing to talk about?" Ronald was furious.How did the people from these animal protection organizations know the details of the script?This is because there is a ghost in the crew, or?
Costner also joined the fray, debating with those who advocate for animals.But it doesn't help at all, they just insist that this kind of shooting method is too cruel, you can use some fake beef instead of real bison.

However, the most important thing about this shot is that it is done in one go, and through a natural perspective, it reflects the grand hunting scenes of the Sioux people and the way women made food reserves for the winter.The Sioux people are not used to shape the scalping villains like the Apache people, but they are also a civilized race with cultural traditions, family love, and caring for the elderly and children, just like the American people.

Ronald calmed down during the "enthusiastic" discussion and thought about what was really important.

He left for the time being, went to another room and called Cameron.

"Yes, a mechanical device like a bison can be controlled by electronic circuits, allowing the bison's limbs and head to rotate naturally...

Yes yes, different equipment for close-up and medium shot... um, ok, thanks, how much do you estimate?How long can it be delivered? "

"Stop arguing, shut up..." Ronald came back and yelled, "I decided not to shoot this scene with a real bison, I will order a fake mechanical bison from Hollywood, and then use this model to Filming the scene of falling dead..."

"But, Ronald," Costner worried that it wouldn't look real as soon as he heard that he was going to use a model.

"Don't be noisy, I'm looking for the best special effects modeling expert, he can make the same mechanical device as a human arm in the Terminator a few years ago."

"In addition, we must shoot the scene of the bison running..."

"But, Mr. Li, this is also a kind of persecution of wild animals..."

"Shut up, too. The buffalo are raised to let them run, otherwise the buffalo will get sick due to lack of exercise... This is my biggest bottom line, don't stop...OK?"

Finally, the two parties reached an agreement on animal protection. The association sent two observers to the film crew, and the film crew had to provide them with food and access permits, because there was really no place to eat in this country ghost place except the film crew.

"Thanks to you, Ronald..." Kevin Costner was finally able to shoot as he wanted.

"I'll tell you the truth, Kevin. This mechanical model will cost me another 30 dollars to build, and then it will cost tens of thousands of dollars to ship it to someone to debug and operate it on site, plus this bunch of shit animal protection organizations, The running of the bison, and the shooting of the horse riding, have to leave enough rest time for the animals. This movie is like a fucking budget black hole. Every time I think it is almost enough, there will be various problems that make me pay.

Better not put me through this again and my wallet is not a bottomless pit. "

Costner nodded vigorously, tears in his eyes for Ronald's support, "This will definitely be an epic movie"

"It's better to be a blockbuster epic movie, the kind that doesn't lose money..." Ronald also called God bless.

(End of this chapter)