Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

"Welcome to the preview screening of Dances with Wolves and thank you all for your kindness to Aboriginal communities..."

  Kevin Costner's wife Cindy became the host of the preview. Screenings were held in four cities, New York, Los Angeles, Phoenix, Arizona, and Seattle, Washington, because these places were once home to indigenous tribes.

  This is a propaganda method thought up by Ronald's public relations consultant, Michael Gray. Not only did I do a media preview of "Dances with Wolves" to give major film critics some fame, I could also see the real audience reaction, and then make final adjustments to the film based on the feedback.

  In addition, ticket sales from several test screenings can be donated to the Smithsonian Institution's Museum of Native Americans, in exchange for some free page exposure in major print media.

  Kevin Costner was sitting in the back half of the movie theater where the New York premiere was taking place, biting his fingernails nervously. This movie was his big gamble, and if it made money, he could continue making the movies he loved. If he loses money, then he has to go back to making commercial films to make money.

  The opening scene of the leg sawing attracted the audience immediately, and they were completely immersed in the plot without any further whispering. When Lieutenant Dunbar, played by Kevin Costner, went to the most remote outpost, the officer who signed the document for him committed suicide, and the coachman who sent him there was killed. No one in civilized society knew where he was going. Coupled with various hints that the Indians are nearby, viewers who have watched Western movies suddenly began to worry about the single-handed Lieutenant Dunbar.

  Ronald was also watching from behind. The audience was still very immersed and no one was distracted. This was a good sign.

  But the second act that is about to enter is the big test of the movie.

  First of all, the Indian tribe is not a bad person. They did not attack Lieutenant Dunbar, but made a deal with him. Later they became good friends and gave him the Indian name "Dances with Wolves".

  Secondly, from here on, the movie uses a lot of Sioux language. Except for Lieutenant Dunbar's voice-over narration, the rest of the language can only be understood by reading subtitles.

  This is a huge challenge for American audiences who have not watched foreign language movies with subtitles for more than ten years.

  After being ordered by Ronald to cut the film to length, Costner sat in the editing room with calluses on his butt. This hard work is also very effective. At this critical moment, he added a lot of shots showing the grand beauty of nature.

  Kevin Costner has a good aesthetic. Those shots are very fresh and in line with the aesthetics of classic photography. The audience does not consume too much energy by the subtitles. The magnificent world scene after scene leaves them wide open. vision.

  These scenes all have scores composed by John Barry and Peter Buffy, which complement each other and give the audience a great sense of satisfaction.

  Although it was a ranch for Indians back then, now the people on Manhattan Island are all urbanites. Where have I seen such a magnificent scenery?

  In particular, Lieutenant Dunbar also tamed a wolf to keep him company and named him "Two Socks". Later, he rescued an Indian woman, "Stand Up" played by Mary McDonald. This was a white woman who was adopted by the Indians as a child and whose family was exterminated by the Pawnee people.

  The audience was not stumped by the small language barrier, but instead added some interest to the plot. The wise man in the Sioux tribe, the family who stood upright with clenched fists, kicked the bird. Because Dunbar always lived with a wolf, he gave him an Indian name, Dances with Wolves.

  Because of his clenched fists, Lieutenant Dunbar's relationship with the Sioux became better and better. He also understood that some of the terrifying legends about the Sioux that were spread by white people were all false. He was invited to participate in the annual buffalo hunt.

  Later, Dunbar helped the tribe repel the Pawnee invasion. Kicking Bird approved his marriage to Clenched Fist. Just when the audience was intoxicated in this lifestyle in harmony with nature, the white man appeared again.

  They hunted bison, but only took the valuable fur and discarded the meat. As a result, the Sioux had less and less food, and the tribe had to migrate. On his way to the outpost to inquire for information, Dunbar was captured by the army. They did not believe him and regarded him as a traitor to the white people.

  The mood of the audience took a turn for the worse. Ronald saw that the audience around him began to frown. Are the protagonists who were so warm and happy in front of them going to end in tragedy?
  Finally, Dunbar and Fist Stand decided to leave the tribe to prevent the white army from causing trouble to the tribe because of him and Fist Stand. The two of them rode horses and left slowly in the wilderness covered with white snow. A line of subtitles came up...

  Thirteen years later, their homeland was destroyed and the buffalo disappeared—the last free Sioux tribe surrendered to white authorities at Fort Robinson, Nebraska. The great bison culture of the prairies was gone, and the American frontier was about to become a thing of the past.

  "Wow wow wow..."

  The lights came on, and the audience began to applaud desperately. In order for the director to spare the lives of the male and female protagonists in the end, they did not directly film their tragic endings. The audience, who were moved by their love and the family-like affection between Dunbar and the Sioux tribe, finally breathed a sigh of relief...

  Although it seems from the ending and subtitles that their ending will not be too happy, it was not directly filmed. The audience can also rely on their own imagination to convince themselves that dancing with wolves and standing upright with fists in the end will lead to happiness and contentment, with children and grandchildren everywhere. The Ten Bear Tribe is also the last aboriginal group to be preserved, and it has been passed down to this day...

  "Thank you everyone, thank you to Daydream Pictures for bringing us such a magnificent image. Now if you have any questions, you can ask the director and star of the film, my husband, Mr. Kevin Costner."

  Cindy Costner began the post-screening Q&A session. An audience member stood up and asked if the director intended to leave Dances with Wolves and Standing Tall at the end, giving the audience a hopeful and bright ending. Seeing how he was talking so much about theories, Ronald knew he was a film critic.

  Kevin Costner smiled and was about to answer. What is intentional about design? What a thing. I actually want to make a film with a tragic ending, but I have no money, and no theater chain is willing to show a four-hour movie, otherwise I will definitely finish it...

  Seeing this, Ronald knew that this guy was inexperienced and was afraid that he would go astray. He quickly took the microphone and said, "Although Kevin is a first-time director, he is definitely a genius with a deep understanding of movies. This ending is his What he came up with is so perfect, I can't think of a better way to express it than him..."

  "Ah, yes... Actually, I asked Ronald for advice, and he said that such an ending shocked the audience the most. The previous plot of this movie has already revealed a kind of aboriginal tribe. I think it’s best to let him maintain a heroic lifestyle with such a long-lasting ending..."

  Costner reacted quickly and immediately changed his tune. The interview was published in the newspapers the next day, "Ronald Lee said he couldn't think of a better ending than the version directed by Kevin Costner..."

  "a ha ha ha……"

  Kevin Costner was about to take a flight to other places for promotion. When he saw this report, he and Ronald who came to see him off couldn't stop laughing. In any case, the free publicity has worked. Costner, who was originally worried that Daydream's marketing budget would be insufficient, was now completely relieved. "Is there some improvement in our distribution? Some of the movie theaters in those small towns are very dilapidated." Kevin Costner heard a little bit of the news. Ronald seemed to be contacting the distributor. I wonder if there are any big producers. Is the factory willing to take over midway?
  The box-office momentum of Ronald's "The End of the World" is really too strong. Now the studios have woken up to the fact that the most critical factor in whether romantic films are becoming popular again or when female stars are beginning to gain box office appeal is Ronald.

  The reason why romantic films were not available before was probably because a genius of his level was not interested in making them. Genre films are created by great directors, not the other way around.

  "Don't look down on these markets..." Ronald explained with a smile, "This is a forgotten market. Do you remember when we were students, we drove a shabby car and took beautiful women to drive-in theaters? ?”

  "Isn't it...hehe..." Kevin Costner smiled and nodded. Back then, drive-in theaters were indeed an affordable date venue for children from poor families. There is a shabby second-hand car bought by my father, so I can make an appointment with a female classmate, buy two tickets, and bring some food and drink with me, and then I can watch two movies. The small enclosed space in the car is better for young people than in a movie theater. See, it's easier to fall into a passionate kiss.

  "Today's new cinemas are all multiplexes in shopping malls. Ticket prices are also expensive, and you have to buy food in the mall. You also have to buy two large boxes of popcorn and Coke to enter the cinema. A movie actually costs a lot of money. of."

  Ronald explained the current situation. Today's movie theaters are not the ones that were close to home. You have to drive to a new shopping mall that is far away, and the prices inside are not cheap. It is not an easy expense for students.

  The old movie theaters in these small towns have old equipment and inconvenient movie arranging in the lobby. Now they can only watch second- or third-run movies. Just like Ronald on Staten Island, what he saw were last year's movies. Or a thousand-year-old movie.

  This time Daydream adopted the method of self-distribution and contacted the operators of these old-fashioned theaters. They were still very excited to see the new blockbuster produced by Ronald. They all expressed that they wanted to give "Dances with Wolves" the best possible filming time... In fact, they had no other films to show.

  "That's true, but..." Costner still recognizes the hard work of his colleagues at Ronald Company. However, if a big distributor can take over and release it simultaneously in theaters with advanced equipment... After all, this is Only then can you be in the news, in the columns of film critics, and in the selection of various awards, right?
  "Don't worry, we can also have first-class theaters on the east and west coasts to show it..." Ronald was talking about the Palm Tree Cinemas opened by Middle Eastern investors, plus he has maintained good relations with them for many years. Chinatown theater chain.

  "As for joint distribution, I'm still negotiating. Maybe there will be good news after you finish the test screening."

  The audience ratings and opinions after the New York preview screening of "Dances with Wolves" were compiled into tables and documents and sent to Ronald.

  Because the producer had some procedural issues and was not sure with the distributor, the factory logo was not marked during the test screening. Or should the seven-star logo of Orion be placed in the title sequence? Is there a new distributor to take over and add the title title? All are still undecided.

  The length of the entire film is still several minutes shorter than the final copy. But a movie that is close to three hours is still much longer than an ordinary two-hour movie. This is a very uncomfortable length for theaters.

  Whether it is a multiplex or an old-fashioned cinema, only four shows can be shown a day, instead of six (one hundred and twenty minutes) or more (ninety minutes) for a normal length film.

  Ronald's "The End of the World" and his production of "Pretty Woman" still gave major blockbusters a shock this year. One part may be luck, two parts indicate strength. If there is still... then Ronald must have been kissed by the muse.

  Therefore, they all took the initiative to contact Ronald to see if they could open hundreds of theaters at the end of the year and do some joint distribution with Daydream. Anyway, during important periods every year, there are movies that do not perform as well as expected at the box office. At that time, it is also a good remedy to significantly compress those movies and then use Ronald's "Dances with Wolves".

  However, the enthusiasm of the major film producers was so great that they all backed down after seeing the length of the screening. A three-hour blockbuster, a bit too scary. According to research results from the University of Southern California, when emotionally aroused and hormones are secreted in large quantities, an adult male can only hold back for up to two hours without going to the bathroom.

  A three-hour movie, no matter how good-looking it is, who has such a powerful bladder? As we all know, when the audience goes to the restroom, it will interrupt the plot and cause drama. Moreover, according to research, the proportion of audiences who go to the restroom to recommend movies to their friends will be much lower.

  However, it is not that no one is interested.

  Disney, which has no more schedules next year and has been directly transferred to Ronald, has shown greater interest in "Dances with Wolves" scheduled for the New Year.

  "What's going on? The test screening results of the three Christmas movies this year were all B-?"

  Jeffrey Katzenberg was furious in the office. With such results, should he have to bear Eisner's anger? It is said that since the success of "Pretty Woman", Eisner has become more and more forceful and authoritative in the company. On the one hand, the movie box office is good, on the other hand, the screen fund is almost at his disposal...

  Peter Weir, who made "Dead Poets Society", paired with Chinese star Depardieu, plus Andie MacDowell, who became famous in "Sex, Lies, Videotape", and also found an expensive actor "Green Card," filmed by composer Hans Zimmer, received negative reviews in previews. Especially male protagonists with big noses were generally given low marks.

  This new film from Touchstone Pictures has completely failed to find the taste of American audiences.

  There is also "Mr. Destiny", also produced by Touchstone, starring comedy star John Belushi, female Linda Hamilton, supporting actor Michael Caine and others, and the audience score is even worse.

  As for the other label supported by Eisner, Hollywood Pictures, its production capabilities are even weaker. They also found John Belushi and invested more in "Little Thief Gaosheng" than Touchstone's works. In the audience's evaluation The worst score is already C+. I don’t know that there were so many fewer stars than Mr. Destiny, and I didn’t see any exciting scenes. I don’t know where the extra three million spent went.

  The factions that Eisner intends to support are probably not competing on the quality of the movies, but on their ability to make money, right?

  In short, Eisner is safe, no one challenges him. But when the movie fails at the box office, your KPI will be damaged. Looking at the entire Christmas season, there is only one sequel to "Three Dads and a Baby" directed by Emil Adolino and directed by Ronald. The audience score is not bad, reaching B+.

  However, the three male protagonists in the original work all asked for super remuneration. If next year's review shows that the profit situation is not good...

  We still have to find Ronald, as he has the background of his movie. Anyway, if it fails, it’s not my responsibility to produce it. If it succeeds, it will be my credit.

  "Please pick up Mr. Eisner's assistant for me..." Katzenberg cautiously called his immediate boss.