Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

"Hollywood practitioners usually like to talk about themselves very much. But for 42-year-old Michael S. Ovitz, it is an exception.

As president of the hugely successful Creative Artists Agency (CAA), he never gives interviews.Only a handful of people in the industry are willing to talk about him, and very few are willing to disclose their identities.Those who staunchly declined to comment included some of the most powerful and respected figures in the film industry. "

On Sunday morning, a report titled "Ovitz-Hollywood's Most Mysterious Agent" appeared on the important pages of the New York Times.

The photo on the title picture is accompanied by the only copyright that Ovitz did not buy. When he was thanked by actor Dustin Hoffman for breaking the rules at the Oscars ceremony, he was full of complacency smile photo.

Ovitz, who usually practices aikido every morning, saw himself enjoying breakfast in the Japanese garden after a morning lesson with his former bodyguard, aikido master Steven Seagal Photo.

The relaxed and happy smile after practicing aikido quickly disappeared from Ovitz's face. Because this photo has been widely disseminated on public television, it has already achieved public dissemination, so it naturally loses some important terms of portrait rights .

For example, if a news outlet wants to use this photo to identify the subject of the report, it does not need to obtain Ovitz's consent in advance.

"Daxmn it!" Ovitz scolded. At that time, Dustin Hoffman didn't know what was wrong, so he insisted on thanking himself...

"We called veteran producer Ray Stark's office and were informed that Mr. Stark would discuss Michael Ovitz only after the CAA office approved the interview," said a spokesman for former NBC chairman Grant Tinkle. , Mr. Tinkel would not comment, in line with a spokesman for The Walt Disney Company Chairman and Chief Executive Michael D. Eisner.

Eisner was a longtime friend of Ovitz's, yet he devised a strategy of casting his films with actors whose careers had temporarily slumped, effectively breaking CAA's grip on production costs. "

After reading it again, Ovitz couldn't help but start swearing again, Eisner, a bastard, said he didn't comment, so what is the latter sentence?
Fortunately, these marginal comments are unlikely to shake my foundation. After a while, I will have to find trouble with the New York Times reporter.Ovitz glanced at the author's name under the headline. He did not sign it as a New York Times reporter, presumably a so-called special commentator.

Further down the line, Ovitz's can't stay calm...

"In 1985, Frank Price, then chairman of the MCA. Film Group (Universal's parent company), decided to make a comedy with production director Ivan Reitman in development. The film project was later named For French Open Condor, the script was written by Jim Cash and Jack Epps II, who are also CAA clients. Price plans to invest about $2500 million on the film. Dustin After Hoffman withdrew, CAA client Robert Redford played the male lead.

CAA took over the entire production team and recommended Debra Wenger as the heroine.Lead actor Redford got $500 million; lead actress Wenger $250 million; director Wrightman roughly $250 million; and the writing team $75, according to Price.

In the end, French Open Condor, which is believed to have cost $3200 million in the end, underperformed at the box office. (When all the creators are from one agency, you are asked to make a lot of compromises)

But Ovitz and his agency made huge commissions from the film.Debra Winger also left Ovitz because she felt hurt by being treated like a commodity rather than an artist.

In today's Hollywood, if you want your career to thrive, don't take Michael Ovitz off guard.One agent said: "I've never seen such an atmosphere of fear in this city. "

With a bang, Ovitz jumped up from the chair. He wiped his glasses and read the title of this article again... Yes, it was indeed a report about himself. The biggest one on the title occupied the The entire line of words is capitalized OVITZ.

Who is going to mess with me?Even the most secret internal figures have been revealed, Frank Price, you bastard, how dare you release this kind of information to the media?Didn't I just do you a favor for your Jewish rivals, do you want everyone to die together?
"Judy, Judy... ho ho..." Ovitz called his wife loudly.

"My dear, what's the matter with you?" Judy came over and saw Ovitz holding on to the chair at the breakfast table, panting heavily, as if he was having difficulty breathing, and suddenly panicked. "I'm going to call 911..."

"Don't move... ho... ho..." Ovitz grabbed his wife's hand with amazing strength, "don't call, get my tie and coat, and drive me to the office... Very important……"

The content of Frank Price's interview can be said to have completely torn down the ruthless and domineering approach of Ovitz's CAA in the Hollywood business.Regardless of whether it was the producers in the industry who dared not speak up or the stars, after getting this news, problems would arise.

Again, knowing that everyone was exploited by Ovitz is not the same as knowing that everyone knows about it.

Originally, Ovitz did not go to the office on Sunday morning, so the driver did not wait at home. When Judy drove over and Ovitz sat in the car and continued to read this report, the phone began to ring from all directions. coming.

Those who called were all subordinates of CAA Ovitz's direct line, and they were so panicked that they reported everything that happened in the now chaotic office building.

The first type of people who call or come to the scene are those screenwriters, directors, and actors.Originally, the salary of these people should be kept secret from each other, but this report directly exposed the salary ratio of "French Open Condor".

The leading star, Robert Redford, received a salary of 500 million yuan, which belongs to the market price that everyone knows, and no one disputes it.But Debra Wenger's $250 million breaks the rules.You know, Jodie Foster, last year's actress, only had a salary of less than 100 million.

When will a female star get half of the salary of a male actor?Moreover, Debra Winger is not the only heroine in the French Open Condor. It is Daryl Hannah who performed "Wall Street" who really turned upside down with Robert Redford.

Director Wrightman's 250 million salary is also too exaggerated.It is hard for a Czech director who only acts as a director and does not get involved in the production business to get a salary comparable to that of second-tier male stars.

What made Ovitz feel even more frightened was the second batch of callers, Wall Street bankers.

Most of the big studios in Hollywood have long lost the ability to invest in movies with their own box office. All big productions need Wall Street funds.

And these investors have no better understanding of Hollywood than fans who buy "Hollywood Report" on the street.

CAA's strategy of packing celebrities is very attractive to investors who only know the names of a few celebrities.

Do you want to invest in a movie starring Tom Cruise, Paul Newman?As long as you invest in our CAA, what is there to talk about with the studio?Without us, no one can get the schedule of these stars.

But these beliefs of bankers and investors, which are also the basis for CAA's ability to push their package deals, are ruthlessly questioned by this report today.

The more Ovitz read the newspaper in the backseat of the car, the more he felt that the report was directed at him.

"The French Open Condor is not the first time that Ovitz-led CAA has exerted pressure on a film, or even an entire studio. During David Putnam's brief tenure as head of Columbia Pictures, Ovitz successfully ruled out Any involvement of the determined British producer (of Chariots of Fire) with Ghostbusters II. And the rights to the sequel are actually a great asset for Columbia."

This paragraph has vividly portrayed Ovitz's face of coercing the CEO of a major studio like Columbia through his monopoly on stars.

If the Hollywood Reporter had written Ovitz this way, he wouldn't have thought it a big deal.Many ignorant readers and moviegoers, listening to this report, think that Ovitz is the greatest man in Hollywood, the most powerful man.This urban legend is actually a good thing for Ovitz's business.

But this report was published in a serious media such as the "New York Times".This is no medium to ignore.Wall Street bankers all have their own information channels, as long as they check, they will know how much money was exploited by CAA in the middle.

You know, it was an iron rule in Hollywood before CAA that movies were not packaged, because this would seriously interfere with the casting and shooting of movies, and reduce the quality of the movie and make it a box office hit.It's just that I use poor information to bully these newcomers, and I don't know the old rules of Hollywood.

When he arrived at the office, Ovitz was already surrounded by a large group of "young Turks". He looked around and found that these young agents had taken advantage of their inexperience, drive and ambition, and lacked a platform other than CAA. Only then can they be trained to become a sales force that can conquer cities and pull out strongholds.

But today, when their eyes looked into their own, it seemed that there was a lot less respect and fear, and a lot more eagerness to settle accounts with themselves.

"What are you still doing here? Hurry up and call your customers, go chat with them, use your ability to lie, and absolutely don't let them have the idea of ​​changing jobs..." Ovitz waved his hand violently and roared, Let these young people maintain good customer relationships no matter what.

"Come on, Ron." Ovitz entered the office with only his partner, Ron Mayer, to discuss.

"What's going on, Ron? How did this report come about? How did you monitor the media?" Ovitz yelled at Mayer as soon as he entered the door, regardless of his demeanor.

"This is your own negligence, Michael. This reporter once called you to check before publishing, and you rejected him yourself." Ron Meyer threw a record on Ovitz's desk , "Here are the phone records. You clearly told the secretary to ignore him—we still had a chance to speak up, so we wouldn't be so passive."

As he spoke, Mayer picked up the New York Times report and pointed to the lines he had marked with a highlighter:

"Ovitz's close involvement was not necessary for a film to be profitable. For example, Steven Spielberg, George Lucas, and some commercially successful directors such as Ronald Lee. Indiana Jones III Part [-], which does use some CA clients, but not many. And "Top Gun" has more clients of the other two major agencies besides Tom Cruise. Doing business in Hollywood Not touching Michael Ovitz is possible, but difficult."

"Hey..." Ovitz was so angry that he was almost speechless again.This is to draw the bottom from the bottom!
The goal of this article is extremely precise, and the language is interesting. Reading it is like reading a detective novel by Sherlock Holmes. It is analyzed in detail, and the secret of CAA's previous success is slowly revealed to Wall Street's financial backers.

The point of the article is clear, Ovitz is a villain who can be a big hit, but not necessarily a box office hit.These advantages are all because he took advantage of the weakness of the studio in the past ten years, used the star contracts in his hands to coerce and lure, and forced the CEOs of the studio who wanted to have good financial statements to sign unequal treaties.

However, the success rate of CAA is not necessarily higher than that of directors and producers who are on the pulse of the market. They are the core key figures in this industry who bring money.

Instead of investing in CAA's projects and letting them exploit a high salary, plus a rigid 5% package fee called the "Ovitz tax", it is better to directly invest in those productions. The filmmaker and director are fine.

In the end, the core secret of why CAA was able to sign so many stars was also casually revealed by the article.

Since the 80s, the Hollywood market has not grown, and the overall box office has a downward trend.Many celebrities let lawyers handle their contracts.In this way, what they lack the most is a script that depends on the level.

Ovitz relied on signing screenwriters, and then brought in directors and stars.The brokerage industry relies on some core industry cognition and a close relationship with stars and producers.

This article promotes Ovitz's domineering side to everyone in the United States, so that whether it is a star or a producer, everyone knows that everyone is also resenting this Hollywood bully king.In this way, two large brokerage firms, William Morris and ICM, will soon use this report to poach people.

"Did you read that report? Come to us, we will tailor the script for you, not for them to make money, package you into an inappropriate script, you don't see after the Internet Condor, Deb Hasn't La Winger been invited to make a film?"

"If you want to be famous in Hollywood, you should leave CAA. Unless you are one of the stars who joined CAA very early, CAA will not care about your life. What they pay attention to is only the 5% package tax. Although we don't have the ability to bully the CEO of a major studio like him, we will consider your long-term interests..."

"Michael, it's time for you to reconsider..." Ron Meyer, wearing a light-colored Hawaiian outfit today, whispered in Ovitz's ear.

"What do you want to do?" Ovitz's eyes flashed sharply. This is what he said when he drove away the other co-founders of CAA.He used to have the habit of going to the synagogue for half a day on Sunday, because those people couldn't go to nine to nine endlessly every week.Or they are unwilling to use all means to coerce customers or studios like Ovitz to achieve their goals.

He used these two reasons to declare that these companions who defected from William Morris were not suitable for CAA's corporate culture, and he said the exact words when he forced them to leave and take their shares.

"Don't forget you're in Las Vegas and those slutty parties Elle McGraw throws for you!"

Ovitz had a fierce look on his face. As the last founding partner of CAA, he could tolerate that he was still in the company. Except that Meyer was more obedient, it was impossible for him not to grasp the huge gambling debt he owed in Las Vegas. handle.

"I mean, it's time to reconcile with your enemy, Michael. No matter how uncomfortable the result is, don't forget the desire to dance on the table in order to make it into a project." Mayer Fu He adjusted his glasses, as if he didn't care about Ovitz's threat to him.

"Do you know who concocted this article?" Ovitz was terrified.

"Isn't this obvious? Look at the names of the three people in this paragraph, Spielberg is not a client of CAA, and George Lucas doesn't need our CAA to help his star clients participate in the performance." Meyer's fingers were in Luo On Nader's name, he knocked heavily a few times.

"Him? Impossible. He is only 30 years old this year. Where did he get this kind of means? And where did he get the power to influence the three major media. Did you call Disney's Eisner, and Universal, Fox They? I think they are supporting Ronald behind the scenes and causing trouble for me."

"Are you sure you want me to call them now? The most important thing now is to eliminate the influence, not to find out who is behind the opponent." Meyer pointed out the window.

Ovitz rolled open the shutters, followed Meyer's gestures and saw that dozens of "young Turks" began to call their clients non-stop, begging, intimidating, threatening, or kneeling down to let them Do not be influenced by the comments brought up by this article.

But in the eyes of these young people, there is no enthusiasm and confidence like before. Instead, there is more fatigue, regret, and resentment... Resentment is the most terrible thing. When Ovitz saw a few eyes shot at him, he quickly put The shutters are closed again.

If it is delayed for another hour now, the solid foundation of CAA will start to crumble for another hour. At this time, some decisive measures must be taken to stabilize the situation first.

Ovitz regained his composure, and first asked Mayer to contact the New York Times reporter to come up with a response article as soon as possible.

Then the two quickly discussed the bottom line of some concessions, which studios should propose better conditions, and which ones can be left alone.Which stars should be wooed with better conditions, and which ones can be kicked away...

In the end, Ovitz asked Mayer to go out first, and he had to swallow the worst bitter pill by himself, and surrender to a young man like Ronald.

"Hey, Nisita, is there any misunderstanding between Ronald and me this time? Why did he concoct this article to attack his agency? Well, is it him? He was involved, right?"

Ovitz was still a little unconvinced, but his illusion was shattered by Nisita's quick answer.

"He's waiting for your call, Michael. If you don't hurry, he's going to be on the plane."

"I'll call right away..."

"Beep...beep..."

The phone was connected, "I'm Ronald." The confident and young voice came from the other side of the phone receiver.

"Ronald, I'm Ovitz, what do you want?" Ovitz couldn't help but feel a sense of discomfort and humiliation, which he rarely experienced ten years ago.

"Who is begging for mercy now, Mr. Ovitz? If you want me to stop, you need to think about your offer..." Ronald answered the phone on the business jet with a smile on his face, Ovitz It is not the best choice for Witts to keep his distance from the media. A better choice is to influence the content of their reports.Of course, this kind of boss who owns newspapers, TV stations, and film studios like Rupert is the best to play.

"And your attitude, Ovitz, I'm flying to Los Angeles, I think you'll have a better offer after I land."

Ronald hung up the phone with a smile, and then stopped answering.Now it is Ovitz who needs to stop the second round of attacks by himself, and it is best to let him make the price himself.If he spoke by himself, who knows what he would be willing to pay in exchange?
"Ronnie!"

The business jet landed at Burbank Airport. As soon as Ronald got off the plane, Diane rushed forward and leaned into his arms, holding Ronald tightly with both hands, unwilling to let go.

"What's the matter, Diane?" Ronald felt that Diane's love for him had deepened.

"I know, Ovitz and SJP that bitch said bad things about me, why don't you avenge me. I'm so happy..." Diane rubbed her head in Ronald's arms, "If it wasn't for Ovitz Witz called me and apologized, I didn't even know you cared so much about me..."