Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

"What's the matter?"

There was a sense of weariness in Ronald's words, and since Daydream got into the business of producing and distributing, the company has been sued frequently.Most of them come to touch magnets after the movie hits the blockbuster.Some said that the script was plagiarized, some said it was someone's real experience of infringement, and so on.

For the vast majority of cases, he asked Mitch Kanter to handle them, and he generally didn't ask him.Only in cases where there is substantial damage, Attorney Kanter will call him to discuss countermeasures.

"The stunt personnel who participated in the third part of Longwei Boy submitted a formal complaint to the stunt union because of the harsh working environment in Xiangjiang. Tsui Hark went to court together."

"That's fresh."

Most of the lawsuits follow the money. Daydream has box office and video distribution income, and ordinary plaintiffs will sue the company for damages.But like this time, it is relatively rare to sue a specific person in addition to the company.

"Haha, great spirit." Mitch Kanter laughed too, and Ronald still had a sense of humor.He also relaxed on the phone.

To say that this lawsuit is really outrageous. When Tsui Hark was in Hollywood, he generally abided by the work rules of the labor union, but when he went to Xiangjiang to film the martial arts part of the main scene, he returned to the Xiangjiang style of work he was used to.

All Hollywood films registered with the MPAA must use more than half of the Hollywood union members to shoot, and other people must follow the principle of ability, that is, under the same ability, Hollywood union members should be hired first.

The stunt workers union is the most grouped among the many unions in Hollywood, because their work is highly risky.So it is strictly enforced.

Xiangjiang's martial arts are very suitable for this, because Hollywood stuntmen don't know how to shoot those high-level moves.But the union stipulated that Ronald was still responsible for those union stuntmen, and provided them with travel subsidies, as well as regular travel expenses, board and lodging in accordance with the regulations.

Originally simple jobs were done by Hollywood people, and martial arts movements were done by Xiangjiang martial artists.But the director Tsui Hark returned to Xiangjiang and began to practice his unique working methods.

When Tsui Hark was filming, he had almost no rest every day. He chatted with Wu Xing and the screenwriter 24 hours a day. After chatting, he decided on all kinds of wonderful martial arts action designs, plots and art designs.

It made Hollywood stuntmen literally pass out.Even overtime pay can't soothe their broken hearts.

In addition, Xiangjiang's stuntmen generally hold multiple positions concurrently.If the director gives an order, the action director will let everyone who can participate in the battle work together.

For example, the work of pulling wires for actors, whether it is martial arts, stand-in actors, or stunt design, must be filmed in a row to pull wires, follow the instructions of the action director, and let the actors above make various beautiful flying movements , without spinning and winding in the air, this can already be regarded as a profound skill.

Work in Hollywood is divided among individuals, and if you work across industries, you will be scolded.These stuntmen were also conscientious, secretly using Sony home video recorders to record all the violations, and finally provided them to the major trade unions for complaint materials.

No, when the third part of Longwei Boys is released, the stunt workers union will start suing on time.

Ronald can't help it. The evidence in this case is solid and difficult to fight.He entrusted Mitch Kanter to communicate with the other party's lawyer to try to reach an out-of-court settlement.Otherwise, once this case is exposed, it will also have a negative impact on the movie's box office.

Because Tsui Hark himself was involved here, Ronald invited him in again and asked him in detail about the shooting situation at that time.

"Luo Sheng, you old beauties are too domineering, you have to worry about how I shoot in Xiangjiang?" Tsui Hark came to the daydream office with a look of discomfort on his face.He has long been used to this shooting process, if you want him to follow the Hollywood process, he will not be able to perform.

"Yeah, don't you know? We Americans have always been governed by the long arm. No matter where you shoot, as long as there are American crew members who violate the laws of America, you must follow our rules. Still going to court."

Ronald frightened Tsui Hark, and then asked him to sign the document drafted by the lawyer, writing a formal statement to express regret to those stunt people who had been hurt mentally.

It's a pity that Ronald originally wanted to take advantage of this opportunity to let Tsui Hark stay in Hollywood to develop.Now it seems that the talents in Xiangjiang may be more suitable for using actors, action directors, martial arts doubles, etc., rather than introducing a director.

Xiangjiang's market is too small, and every employee has to specialize in multiple skills, and a small team can handle the affairs of the entire crew.This manual workshop-style shooting method is incompatible with Hollywood's professional division of labor and the industrialization of each performing its own duties.

"The Hollywood Directors' Union has decided to give you a warning, but it will still accept you as a member. However, if you make Hollywood movies in the future, you can't be so blatantly violating the rules." Ronald shook his head, just joined the Directors' Union, Even being disciplined, this is considered a broken record.

"Luo Sheng, I surrender. I can't make Hollywood movies." Tsui Hark gave up with a full face of regret. He couldn't work if he didn't chat with his crew members slowly.

"Okay then, if you go back to Xiangjiang to make a movie, just give me a call if you have any financing or distribution issues." Ronald felt that talents are rare, but the film cultures of the two places are too different, and there is no way to force it.

Tsui Hark pointed out that although he can't be a director in Hollywood, he still wants to learn more from Ronald, especially the new computer special effects, which he is very interested in.

Ronald readily agreed and asked him to go to the crew of "Die Hard 2" again to observe real industrial film shooting on the spot.

……

"Honey, Director Penny Marshall recommended her brother Gary to me..."

Back at the hotel, Diane came up to update him on her progress as an associate producer on Disney's "3000" project.

Diane felt that she was pregnant, which delayed the filming of the film and the personal plan of director Penny Marshall.Probably because of her pregnancy, Diane suddenly lost interest in acting as a street girl.

According to her own words, she can't imagine her own children in the future, seeing her mother play that role on video tape.So she rejected Disney's proposal to postpone the project for her, and wait until her production resumed before filming. Instead, she assumed a nominal position, an associate producer, to facilitate the film's shooting as scheduled.

"Gary Marshall, what movies has he been in?"

"I heard he's a director of romance films." Diane hadn't seen Garry Marshall's movies either. He mainly shot some TV dramas and TV movies before.In the industry, he has a reputation as an expert in making romantic movies.

……

"Yes, I think this movie should be greatly revised to add some love scenes between the hero and heroine."

The next day, Garry Marshall, who came for an interview, told Ronald about his own views on the film.His sister Penny told him the main plot and plans.

Gary has a different opinion on this. The social reality elements of the original film are too strong. If there are no good-looking love elements to neutralize it, this will be an out-and-out movie that makes the audience depressed.

In the end, that character didn't please either.Actor Edward Lewis went bankrupt in the stock market crash.The heroine, Vivian Ward, continues to slide towards the original life track.

"Well..., you convinced me. I think you can also convince Mr. Katzenberg of Disney." Ronald was born to like this kind of director who always considers market acceptance first. This Gary Marshall mainly makes TV movies, so he naturally has this tendency to please the audience.

"However, how do you plan to arrange the ending of Lewis, the crocodile in the financial market, and Vivian, the street girl?" Ronald agreed, but still raised a logical question.

Edward Lewis is a cold-blooded financial tycoon, and Vivian Ward is a southern girl who didn't graduate from high school. If these two people want to have a real love, they will never be together in the end.Audiences won't like a movie like this unless they think of a logical past.

In the 1940 love blockbuster "Blue Bridge", the British officer Roy played by Robert Taylor, just like the ballerina Mara played by Vivien Leigh, is also a love between a man from the upper class and a beautiful woman from the bottom story.

But people at that time could not accept that Mara, who was reduced to a street girl at a train station, had a happy ending with the war hero Roy. They arranged for Mara to commit suicide, and Roy was saddened by the tragic ending of true love that he would never forget for the rest of his life. .

What's more, the current audience has much higher requirements for the authenticity and logic of the plot than before.

"I plan to let Edward Lewis go bankrupt in the stock market crash, so that he and Vivian are right." Garry Marshall has obviously considered this issue, and his thinking is very interesting. , let Edward Lewis go low.A bankrupt former tycoon who can only do manual work like a driver and cook, don't dislike Vivian.

"Hey, you are... a genius." Ronald didn't expect to be able to play like this, turning the traditional Disney love story upside down.

"You also think it's feasible? So what do you have for the male and female protagonists..." Garry Marshall was in a good mood, and the chat with an expert like Ronald was smooth, and he would not ask the senior executives of the studio those mentally retarded questions.

"Choose according to your own vision. Of course, in the end, Mr. Katzenberg and I must agree..."Ronald said with a smile, "Just tell Katzenberg what you think, and I'll call him."

……

"Honey, Olympia and they came to see me..."

Ronald, who went back to the hotel to accompany Diane in the first half of the shift, found that there were a few more people in the room. They were all actresses who got along happily when Diane was filming "Steel Magnolia".

Except for Dolly Parton, who has a concert schedule.Olympia Dukakis, Shirley Maclean, Sally Field, and Julia Roberts all visited Diane Lane.

When they were filming "Steel Magnolia" in the south, they got along very well.Ronald and Diane got married in a hurry, and these friends were not invited to participate. This time they came to congratulate Diane on her marriage.

Hearing the news of Diane's pregnancy, several older actresses were very happy for her, chatting about things to pay attention to during pregnancy.

seeing is believing.Several actresses heard that Diane said that Ronald was very kind to her, but seeing a great director go home at three o'clock in the afternoon to accompany his wife, their affection for Ronald was almost overwhelmed.

"Ronnie, I knew you two were so sweet when I was on the set. Every morning, you are so loud that you make people in the house next to us sleepless. It's really enviable."

Shirley Maclean is still a big mouth, and she can't avoid meat and vegetables when she jokes.

"God, it's so annoying..." Diane covered her face and secretly laughed.When she was on the set, she also fantasized about brother Ronnie's marriage proposal, but she didn't expect it to come true so soon.

"You should be jealous, Shirley." Ronald put his arms around Diane and kissed him lightly.

"Hahaha...", the other two middle-aged actresses burst into laughter. In the crew of "Steel Mulan", the director was domineering, which made the actors become good friends.They had a good impression of Ronald, the director who came to put pressure on the director and brought them a convenient mobile toilet.

"I'm really happy for you." Julia Roberts beside her opened her eyes wide, trying to suppress the jealousy in her heart.

She just broke up with Dylan McDermott, her "Steel Magnolias" husband, and is looking for a new boyfriend.Dylan McDermott is very handsome, but he is not very ambitious and has no connections in the circle.

"Honey, do you think it's possible for the new film Julia..." Diane turned around and asked Ronald.

Diane didn't play this kind of role anyway, and it didn't matter who played it. Looking at Julia Roberts' eyes, he recommended it to Ronald.

"Katenberg will decide whether to let Gary direct tomorrow, and then ask your agent to hand over the audition photos..." Ronald didn't care, this is a small production, it doesn't matter if you recommend it, it depends on whether the director likes it on.

"Richard, remember to remind me to call Katzenberg and Garry Marshall tomorrow." Ronald ordered to the inseparable agent.

"OK...", Richard wrote down Ronald's arrangement.Daydream's personal assistant Fatty Lake, after all, is a little girl who has just grown up, so it's inconvenient to follow her every day.

"By the way, Lundgren and Jean-Claude Van Damme agreed to star in your two B-level films..." Richard took the time to report the progress.The economic contracts of these people were all signed under the trio of him and Nisita.Lundgren was very happy. Jean-Claude Van Damme wanted to try a more A-level production, but Ronald had just helped him deal with a big problem, and this film was regarded as making money and paying back favors.

"Is there another one? Who did the black belt elite find?" Ronald asked.

"I haven't found a suitable candidate yet. This is a person who got up after falling down. He was originally a taekwondo master. Because he was injured in a competition, he had to do a blue-collar job. In order to realize his dream, he got his wife's understanding and resumed training. Won an important game in the final."

"Eh..." Julia hesitated to speak next to her.

"What's the matter?" Ronald caught Julia Roberts' truncated words.

"I don't know if it's the right thing to do, but my brother Eric is a black belt in taekwondo."

"I remember that your relationship with him is not very good?" Ronald recalled the past of the brother and sister.

"What can I say? After he separated from his ex-girlfriend, I let his children live with me for a while. Eric told me that the reason that bitch broke up with him was because she didn't agree to be at home. Build a cat sanctuary and provide a sanctuary for a hundred cats.

Can you imagine?There are such unloving people who refuse to rescue cats at home. "

"Of course I can imagine..." Ronald didn't speak out.It seems that some actresses' mental state is also not normal.How can a normal person want to raise a hundred cats at home?

"Okay, let him try... see what we can do..." Ronald is now more adept at dealing with other people's requests for help with such words that sound positive but are actually ambiguous.

Eric Roberts was also affected by drugs in the last car accident. This time he also has to pass the test and be able to perform normally.