Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1240 New Advertisement for Dances with Wolves

The two owners of Ivar's Seafood Restaurant flew to New York specially to meet Ronald. When they arrived in Manhattan, they learned that Ronald had gone to Staten Island for Christmas. The two of them had to rush to the island overnight to plead for mercy. However, the ferries between Staten Island and Manhattan were also suspended on Christmas Day, so they had no choice but to go to the island for Christmas. Instead of spending a difficult night in the hotel, I took the first ferry to Staten Island early the next day after the holiday.

"Does this look like the house in the Godfather movie?"

"That's the building. My God, he is worthy of being a great director in Hollywood. If he had known it, if he had known how good we would beg him, Ovitz, that liar, can only say some nice big words."

"Hey, who says it's not the case? The third part of The Godfather was filmed here, right?"

They knocked on the door, and under the leadership of the housekeeper, they found the house where the godfather received outsiders in the movie and waited.

The butler came out and walked around a few times before finding Ronald and telling him the news of the guest's arrival. He was temporarily invited by Douglas Jr. from his own home to prepare the house, so he was not familiar with the structure of the house. However, being able to serve as a temporary housekeeper for the godfather for a few days is also something that can be discussed with the children in the future.

"Well, the box office of Dances with Wolves is still the same, neither rising nor falling. The audience for this kind of movie is still relatively fixed."

Ronald was chatting with Richard about the film's box office success, which had been lukewarm since its massive release. After ranking third in the box office list for four consecutive weeks, the Christmas attendance rate has increased a bit, with the single-box box office reaching close to 5,000.

But competitors are also on the rise, and Dances with Wolves' box office ranking will undoubtedly fall outside the top five.

In front of him are the new film "Edward Scissorhands" starring the quirky actress Winona Ryder, Coppola's money-making blockbuster, the third part of the Godfather series, and Ronald's old acquaintance Amy ·The sequel to the children's drama "Look Who's Talking 2" filmed by Heckerling.

What is more surprising is that this is also a sequel to a children's film, although it still found the original cast, John Travolta, Christy Ehle, and gold medal supporting actor Olympia Dukakis.

Even the male baby is voiced by the original star Bruce Willis, while the new girl is voiced by Roseanne Barr, who is known for her sharp tongue.

The same recipe, the same chef, but the meal tastes unwelcome. The Christmas box office did not rise but fell, falling by more than 30%.

Of course, this has something to do with the fact that the first two movies targeted the same customer base and were both of higher quality than this sequel.

Second place went to Schwarzenegger's "Kindergarten Cop," in which he plays an undercover detective who becomes good friends with the ex-wife and children of a drug dealer who works in a kindergarten.

From this point of view, Schwarzenegger's sense of smell and judgment far exceed that of his biggest competitor Stallone. A few years ago, he switched to action and comedy genre films, such as Red Square, Dragon Brothers and Rat Brothers. He is much more comfortable walking on two legs than Stallone, who only relies on action movies.

The first place is of course "Home Alone" which has topped the box office for six consecutive years. This movie was such a hit that children all over the country were clamoring to see it. Within six weeks, the total box office performance had caught up with the cumulative box office of "The Last Days" in ten weeks.

Ronald felt that this was not a crime of war. The box office for Christmas and New Year is limited. Any movie that encounters this monster will only be defeated in the battle for film scheduling. It is really not something that can be saved by human power.

Ronald specifically called Amy Heckerling to tell her that the film was not a bad one on her part and that he would support her if she continued to make films.

"Mr. Li..." The two restaurant owners were brought in and apologized sincerely to Luo Jian'e. They said that Ovitz's advertising manager proposed the idea to them, and then won them over with a relatively cheap production cost. of orders.

"Then you can't just shoot this kind of commercial just because it's cheap..." Ronald sat behind the desk and said to them with a smile.

"Isn't it? We have never filmed an advertisement with this kind of movie quality, and we were deceived by him. We all wanted to make a small profit, but in the end, Ovitz forced us to pay a huge creative fee. Did he have any in the beginning? Just tell me how much it costs, and if it works, the lion will start talking loudly. I’ve finally been deceived by these Jews.”

"Pfft..." The person taking notes for Ronald next to him was Claudia Wells from the marketing department. Looking at the expression of Richard, the Jewish agent next to me, I couldn't help but laugh.

"Don't say such racially charged words, I think you have learned your lesson." Ronald could only tell them to shut up.

In fact, he doesn't have much dislike for this Ivar Seafood Restaurant. Since Dances with Wolves counterattacked, it has gained a lot of free publicity space. Now that the other party has surrendered, there is no chance for it to appear in newspapers or on TV.

"Actually, if you want to shoot an advertisement that pays tribute to Dances with Wolves, why don't you come to us directly? You can get official authorization and then shoot an advertisement that does not conflict with the values ​​​​of the movie. I don't think the effect will be better than Your version of advertising is bad.”

Michelle Cannold pushed up her glasses and suddenly interjected.

"A good idea, please think about it. During the day, we clearly mark our prices. We will not lure you with free offers and then quote high prices. All prices are clearly listed on the surface, and there are no hidden charges." Rona De smiled and answered, that's right. Now that the movie has been released for five weeks, there has not been much movement. If the other party is willing to change its ways, another advertisement will definitely become the news that the media is chasing.

"Ah...is it really okay?" The two bosses didn't expect a surprise.

"You can communicate with Michelle, the vice president of our company, but don't take up too much of his time. In theory, he is still on vacation. Hahaha."

Ronald smiled and settled the matter, and the two restaurant owners happily thanked and left. Ronald took Michelle Cannold's hand and told him to give him a super low price. Even if the commercial was shot at a loss, the marketing expenses for Dances with Wolves will be saved.

"You don't have to worry, our production costs are not high." Michelle Cannold came to the side to interview the two bosses. "As long as you get back half of the creative fee paid to the other party, you can cover the new advertisement. of filming costs.”

"Here, can we get the creative fee back?"

"Hey, it seems that you really don't understand. There is a principle of integrity in this industry. If the other party deliberately makes malicious ideas and causes the advertisement to have counter-effects, the advertising company can be held accountable. You can file a complaint with the National Advertising Association understand situation."

The two bosses immediately found the best lawyers in the industry (under the cue of Daydreaming) and obtained the agency contract. The lawyers quickly sent a legal letter to Ovitz's advertising company.

Two actors of Indian descent from "Dances with Wolves" agreed to shoot a new version of the commercial for Ivar Seafood Restaurant.

Daydream quickly came up with ideas and rewrote a version of the Dances With Wolves licensed commercial. Two Indians dressed in traditional Sioux clothing eat segregated food at a seafood restaurant. They discussed in Sioux language how delicious the seafood was.

And they found that this restaurant only serves fresh clams, which fully conforms to the Sioux Indian philosophy of not hunting too much, just enough to eat.

At Ronald's instigation, the restaurant owner happily signed the contract and returned to Seattle to prepare a lawsuit against Michael Ovitz, asking him to return the huge advertising fee. The lawyer told them that Ovitz's company was not an advertising agency and that many of his practices did not comply with the regulations of the advertising industry association.

"What, a lawsuit? What can they sue for? If they don't pay the balance, I will still sue them. I will sue their butts..."

Ovitz, who was practicing Aikido at home, suddenly forgot that his coach Steve Siegel taught him that only by being calm can you win. All of a sudden, he yelled and cursed on the phone angrily.

"Calm down..." Steve Siegel, who was very tall, quickly comforted Ovitz.

"Calm down..." Ovitz was really angry. This lawyer's letter came at the wrong time. Originally, Ovitz was a very strong businessman, and no one could take advantage of him. But now is the critical moment for him to win Coca-Cola’s sky-high advertising orders. He has also gathered a number of emerging Jewish directors to shoot advertisements for Coca-Cola. For example, the Coen brothers, who filmed "Raising Arizona," and David Fincher, who recently filmed many music videos for pop singers.

If this lawsuit is really submitted to the court, then the news media will definitely come out to expose it. Even if the news media is not interested, someone will instigate it behind the scenes to make them interested.

"We'd better agree to their request. In the current situation, don't settle the small accounts, settle the big accounts." Ovitz's lawyer also understood that his new ambition was to become an advertising company, so what if such a small amount of money was returned? Woolen cloth?

"Then you can't return everything. What are the regulations of the National Advertising Association? Don't suffer a loss."

Ovitz was furious and wanted to return only the minimum percentage of creative fees in accordance with the association's regulations.

The lawyer and the restaurant went back and forth for several rounds, and finally settled on returning 50% of the creative fee. This money was used for the production cost of the new version of the advertisement, which was filmed on an expedited basis between the end of Christmas and the New Year. .

After the New Year's holiday, the "Other People's Money" crew returned to New York to begin filming the remaining content.

"Action!"

The camera slowly pans in behind Garfield, played by Tom Hanks, sitting on a leather couch in the mansion.

Tom Hanks was wearing a red sweater and glasses and was reading a newspaper. This is the "New York Daily News" owned by Ronald. The advertising price is much cheaper than that of the New York Times. It is a full-page advertisement. Several New England cable factory workers, together with their children and wives, are advertising him. Make gestures begging for mercy.

Below is a row of large-character headlines, "Please don't take the New England Cable Factory away from us!"

"Hey……"

Tom Hanks sighed. Although the character Garfield is a very sane banker, he is not a cold-blooded animal after all. A successful man who came out of the slums of the Bronx, after all, still knows that the poor people have lost their jobs. What a miserable situation it would be.

Tom Hanks stood up and walked to the window. Outside the window was a sea of ​​lights. He called the home number of Kate Sullivan, played by Diane, but no one answered.

"Arthur, Arthur, prepare the car." Garfield was too lonely alone and decided to go see Sullivan. Talk to her about business and personal matters.

The next shot was shot in the concierge of this rented apartment in an old-fashioned house. This is the house where Kate Sullivan lives in the plot.

"Action!"

The first assistant director took Ronald's place and called the start.

Garfield asked Arthur, the butler, to keep calling the Sullivans' phone number at the concierge, but no one answered. Tom Hanks was walking back and forth in the foyer, very anxious. At this time, the old-fashioned elevator rang, and Kate, played by Diane, walked out in surprise.

Diane wore a green low-cut skirt with a black fur cover. It was obvious that she had been carefully prepared. She also held a small black bag in her hand, and diamond earrings showed that she was also successful in her career.

Tom Hanks' eyes immediately lit up, but he immediately began to feel depressed, because walking out of the elevator with her was a tall, handsome guy with dark blond hair. He was wearing a black Armani formal suit and a He was wearing a bow tie and a windbreaker made by a London tailor. His arm was held by Kate, who was obviously her boyfriend.

"Uh, sorry Bart, this is one of my clients." Kate, played by Diane, was stunned. She didn't expect Garfield to come to her home to find her at an important time.

"Who is this guy named Bart?" Hanks forgot all official matters and grabbed Kate's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Diane's eyes were complicated, and she realized that Kate was actually very fond of Garfield, but due to the fact that her client was hostile to him and she had a fixed boyfriend, she did not dare to take a step forward. The emotions are played very well.

"I have something urgent to do with you..."

"You should call first, I have something to do too."

"Ah..." Kate, played by Diane, was pulled forward by Tom Hanks, so she had to turn back and give the Bart actor a helpless expression.

"You look stunning tonight, and who is this guy?" Tom Hanks plays an overconfident banker who doesn't care what Kate thinks and says what he wants to say. Then ask Bart about his true identity.

The camera showed Bart, standing gracefully, giving Kate some time to deal with the relationship with the customer. But after hearing the tone in which Garfield mentioned himself twice, I felt very strange and couldn't help but frown.

"Cut!"

"Bah bang bang..." The shooting effect was good. All the staff applauded warmly and gave appreciative applause to Bart.

"How was my performance?" Bart walked up to Diane and Hanks.

"My dear, you did a great job... I feel like you are a jealous boyfriend, hahahaha..." Diane laughed happily, holding the hand of Ronald, who played Bart, and couldn't stop laughing.

"Whatever you say, I think I performed well." Ronald felt that this kind of true performance should not be a problem. If I devote a year of concentration, I might even be able to get an Oscar nomination for Best Supporting Actor.

"Um, director, you didn't stand at the correct position just now. Fortunately, the director of photography was quick and you didn't get out of the viewfinder."

Sandra Bullock, the assistant on the set, rushed over to remind Ronald.

"Huh?" Ronald looked back and saw a cross mark taped to the ground. He seemed to have been standing a little off just now. If the director of photography hadn't been very experienced, he would have gone out of frame and almost made a stupid mistake.

"Every line is like a mountain... Hmm..." Ronald thought to himself. It seems that his dream of winning an Oscar will have to be postponed...

During the break between shooting, Ronald did not have to be busy with the next shot like a director for the first time. He rarely sat on a chair with his name to rest. Then I saw Richard running over in a hurry.

"The new advertisement was on the TV station and the effect was very good. Many people noticed this advertisement that promotes the healthy and harmonious lifestyle of the Sioux Indians. The two Indian actors once again had the opportunity to be interviewed."

(End of this chapter)