Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Chapter 862

  Chapter 862 Director who always exceeds expectations

   "This is Bonnie (Bedelia) who plays the heroine", Joel Silver introduced the heroine of the movie to Ronald in a conference room in Fox's new office building.

   "Hello, Bonnie!" Ronald stood up to shake her hand.

  This actor personally recommended by Bruce Willis surprised Ronald with his personal appearance and temperament. Bonnie, who was born in 1948, is already 39 years old, but the whole person feels that she is only in her early 30s.

  She looks in real life, not much different from the audition photos. The wrinkles on the face are very restrained and just right, without the feeling of plastic surgery.

  Standing there, in addition to the self-confidence of a strong woman, there is also a little introversion of Japanese women, which makes her valued by the president, Mr. Takagi, and the story of her extraordinary promotion to the deputy general manager fits perfectly.

   "Bedelia is also a New Yorker...", Joel Silver introduced the background of Bonnie Bedelia to Ronald. This candidate needs Ronald's approval. Although Ronald generally would not deny the actor recommendation, director John McTiernan approved the candidate.

  Speaking of it, Bonnie Bedelia's life experience is similar to Ronald's. Her real name is Culkin and Bedelia is her middle name. Bonnie is a native of Manhattan. Her mother died unfortunately when she was 14 years old, and her father died of illness soon after. She lives in the apartment with her two younger brothers and a younger sister, without an adult guardian.

  Bonnie previously studied at the ballet school on the George Blanchine Scholarship of the New York City Ballet.

"I'm sorry, I was busy with other things in New York before, and now I have the opportunity to meet you. If there is anything we need to provide, you can tell me directly." Ronald looked at Bonnie, her experience made her People thought of losing their parents in their teens, and combined their experience of losing their parents with their ex-girlfriend Antonia to get a ballet scholarship from a poor family and working hard to become a ballet dancer.

  Ronald is full of admiration for such a hard-working and struggling woman. Of course, he didn't ask any questions about Bonnie playing this role, but to see what she needs.

"Oh?", Bonnie Bedelia was also taken aback. Ronald is a bit different from the rumors in Hollywood. Didn't everyone say that he is very strict about casting, and if the actor and the character are in harmony, he will be picky in every possible way ?

"If I can...I have a small request." Bonnie became independent very early and knew countless people. Of course, she could see that Ronald's words were sincere, "My two sons Yuri and Jonah, their My dad and I are divorced and are now taking care of them in New York, I miss them very much, if possible, can I have a weekend every two weeks for me to reunite with them."

   "Oh, they have inherited many of your advantages." Ronald took a look at the photo that Bonnie handed over. On it, she and her two sons seemed to be in an amusement park, with a very bright smile.

"They're in New York?" Ronald thought for a while, "Or should I have someone pick them up and come here to meet you. I'll take care of the air tickets and hotel rooms. During the Christmas holiday, the crew will be on vacation, so you're here Have fun with them."

   "Haha..." Bonnie really laughed out. She didn't expect that there would be an upgrade, so she quickly thanked her.

   "I didn't know she was the type you like", Joel Silver teased Ronald after sending off Bonnie, even when he was nearly forty years old, the mother of two children wanted to have sex.

"It's purely for the sake of the movie." Ronald didn't want to share his personal experience with Silver, so he found a reason, "Don't you think that Bonnie's own situation is very similar to the character in the movie? Mother is more important than father. Her career was better, she brought her kids from New York to Los Angeles for Christmas, and ended up divorcing her father. It helped her manage her emotions when she was performing."

   "Yes, yes, it helps the performance..." Joel Silver had an expression of what you say.

  Ronald smiled and didn't explain, but speaking of it, in his subconscious, he seemed to think that if Bonnie Bedelia was younger, she might be his ideal girlfriend.

   Or to put it another way, if his girlfriend can have such a temperament and character at this age, Ronald will definitely be very happy.

   "So what, during the rehearsal, what was the chemical reaction between Alan Rickman and Bruce Willis?" Ronald changed the subject.

   "Rickman's performance is admirable. Director John McTiernan believes that such a smart and personable villain will make the audience feel very fresh..."

   "Zi...Zi...Zi..."

  Silver's words were interrupted by the sound of an electric drill drilling holes. The annoying noise made Ronald also feel very irritable. Silver's mouth opened and closed, but the sound could not be heard.

   "What are you talking about?" Ronald yelled too.

   "Ah..." Halfway through the call, the sound of the electric drill suddenly disappeared, and Ronald was halfway through, only to realize that Silver was also yelling at himself. The voices of the two people seemed very scary in the empty conference room.

   "What's going on?" Ronald asked.

   "The interior decoration of the Fox Building is intermittent. People from the legal department have already moved in, but the upper two floors are still being renovated."

   "What's the matter with them? No money?" Ronald felt that even this kind of small money was not allocated in place, and there was something wrong with 20th Century Fox.

   "Actually, it's okay, but the old problem of 20th Century Fox is showing up. They want to bet big. Anything else..."

   "Zi..."

  The sound of the electric drill sounded again, Ronald couldn't bear it anymore, and hurriedly escaped from the conference room of the Legal Department of the Fox Building.

   "Let's go up and take a look? Fox promised to lend us this building to shoot, simulating the tall wooden buildings in the movie." Joel Silver opened the fire door, and the two walked up the stairs.

"Be careful, there are a lot of decoration materials here." Joel Silver turned on the flashlight, and the two walked up the corridor to a floor where there were still a lot of building materials piled up. office building, to write some plots. The subsequent decoration can only be carried out after we finish filming."

  The two continue to walk up, the upstairs is the top floor, there is a road at the door, leading directly to a special corner, behind the corner is another small door, after opening it is the rooftop.

   "The most exciting jumping scene will be filmed here." Joel Silver led Ronald around on the rooftop. The two of them peeled off the railing on this side and looked down, and they could see the glass curtain wall below.

   "We have found the best stunt team in Hollywood, and will lay out the largest air cushion to provide the stuntmen with a safe landing."

   "This is the fire hydrant. At that time, the stuntman will wrap the water hose and climb over the railing to descend quickly."

   "When are these stunt scenes going to be filmed?" Ronald asked.

   "Shoot it at the beginning, and then Fox can decorate during the day. Our main scenes are at night."

   "Crazy, crazy," Ronald murmured. Ronald, who had gambled on "Dirty Dancing", felt that Twentieth Century Fox's behavior was too crazy. This is their style. In order to achieve the best results, they even have to decorate their own office building.

Moreover, the legal department has already moved in, and while the film is being filmed, the two-story office upstairs is being renovated. For a while, Ronald is not sure who is the company that makes the exploitation film, whether it is his daydream or one of the seven Twentieth Century Fox.

   "Mr. Leonard Goldberg, thank you for your generous loan of Fox's new building to film this film."

   Ronald and Silver fled the renovation site, went to Fox's old office, found President Leonard Goldberg, and confirmed the shooting schedule with him. In the end, the Japanese CEO in the movie hid in Goldberg's new president's office, and was finally picked out by the villain with a high IQ.

"It's okay, just try not to bother me during the filming." Leonard Goldberg laughed, "Now the legal department is already complaining about the noise every day, and the administrative department is complaining about not being able to work in the advanced office. Try to shoot according to the schedule, so that I will be less scolded by them."

   "Hahaha, thank you, let's say goodbye first." Ronald felt that Goldberg was very capable, and the venue resources needed for the film were settled.

   "Wait a minute, I still have something to ask you." Leonard Goldberg took out a bottle of high-quality brandy, "I heard you like to drink some of this? I specially prepared some."

   "I have to see Bruce Willis to coordinate the shooting time with the Blue Moonlight crew." Joel Silver resigned voluntarily, knowing that Goldberg had something to say to Ronald.

   "I heard you have a good relationship with Cameron?" Goldberg poured Ronald a glass of wine, picked up the glass himself, and asked slowly.

   "Yes, we have been good friends for a long time." Ronald waited to hear the following.

   "According to your understanding, is he a director who can master big productions?" Goldberg said.

   "You mean the 'Abyss'?" Ronald laughed, "I heard him say it."

"Yeah, it's better if you've heard it. I'm in a dilemma right now. Some of us on the management team, love the movie, think it's going to be a visual breakthrough, something that audiences in America haven't seen before. image.

  But other managers feel that our special effects technology has not yet developed to this point, and the risk of investing huge sums of money is too great.

   I'm not afraid to take risks, which is the Fox tradition. My concern is whether Cameron has the ability to manage such a large project. According to the report I read, this movie includes traditional special effects methods as well as the latest computer graphics. These two methods should cooperate well... "

   Ronald took a sip of wine and remained silent.

   This is an excellent opportunity for friend Jim Cameron to realize his childhood dream. If he can find enough convincing reasons, then the balance will lean towards Cameron.

   But if this is done, Gail Hurd will undoubtedly be very dissatisfied with himself. In front of Ronald, she unreservedly showed her dissatisfaction with Cameron's operation of the project.

   Both of them are my friends, and the conflict is not about their personal relationship, but a difference in career planning.

  Now the core of this conflict has been transferred to Ronald. If I say something casually, will the relationship between the two continue to deteriorate?

   "I want to hear your real thoughts, Ronald, this is very important to Fox." Seeing that Ronald was silent, Goldberg continued to ask.

   "I don't know much about special effects. In fact, when I was filming Top Gun, Cameron helped me with many model special effects."

   "Oh?" Goldberg became interested.

"As for computer-generated images, I don't know much about them, and I can't give you any professional advice. However, if anyone in Hollywood can use the full budget to shoot the kind of high-level effects that the budget can't reach, it must be Cameron. His movies are the best example. I can't answer you for the rest, Mr. Goldberg."

   Ronald still decided to tell the truth, or part of the truth. Anyway, it is impossible for me to deny Cameron's ability, I can only pick what I can say.

   "That's the sentence" Goldberg laughed.

Ronald reminded him that Cameron's two successful directing experiences, "Terminator" and "Alien 2", were both films beyond his ability at the time, and in the end not only were they both completed well, but also in the At the box office, it obviously exceeded the passing line that the budget should achieve.

  A person like this, no matter whether he has a mature plan or not, he must work hard to make a movie.

   Cameron had only one failed experience of "Piranha 2" before filming "Terminator", and before filming "Alien 2", he had never worked on a project with a cost of more than 10 million US dollars.

  This kind of film is slightly beyond his ability, he can perform super-level, this person has no problem in challenging himself and personal motivation.

  Anyway, Goldberg doesn't know how to make movies. Instead of considering the technical route and difficulty, which are evaluation criteria that he doesn't feel, it's better to go back to the job he was best at when he was on TV, and watch people come up.

   Cameron is worth the investment and the risk.

   "Thanks, Ronald."

   "I hope you don't mention me to Cameron, this is what he deserves for his talent and hard work."

   "Of course, but you gave me a little inspiration, I will remember."

   "You are too polite, I just said some facts." Ronald raised his glass.

   "Hahaha, your agent is canvassing votes for you everywhere, and I will pass on the word here. Some resources of directors and film critics will work hard for your nomination."

   "Then it's my turn to say thank you." Ronald toasted quickly, the promise of Fox's president is worth a few tickets... maybe.

"I won't keep you here. There are too many things going on recently, a new building, two new movies, and more projects to be prepared. When your new movie starts, will you be there? If so, I will Just go and attend." Goldberg pressed the intercom and asked the secretary to come in, and he had more people to see.

   "I'll be there when the film starts, and that day will be the hardest stunt shot in the entire film."

"Okay, Linda, please remember, I will go to the new building on the day of the start-up, and don't forget to remind the production department to bring some delicious food as a comfort." Goldberg told the secretary, "Next, I will Who are you seeing?"

   "Then I will take my leave first," Ronald stood up to leave.

   "It's time for the director, Mr. Michael Nichols. He hasn't arrived yet."

   "Well, I'll wait for him. He's busy getting married recently and doesn't have enough time."

   Ronald closed the door, thinking:

   "Michael Nichols, isn't that famous movie in 1967 that made Shorty Dustin Hoffman famous? And won an Oscar."

   I don't know what film he will make again.

   "Is Nichols here?" After ten minutes, Goldberg hadn't waited for the guests. He was a little displeased and called his secretary Linda.

"He hasn't come yet. I called his agent, and he said he didn't know. Recently, he spent most of his time shopping for the wedding. It seems that he just finished filming the movie 'Genius Soldiers'. Even After the test screening, the final revisions were not completed.

"Hey, who made him the director who can always exceed expectations." Goldberg is also a little helpless. Michael Nichols's two recent works are both cooperating with the female star Meryl Streep .

  The "Skowwood Incident" in 1983, both Streep and the supporting role Cher were nominated. "Heartfire" in 1986, although the leading actors Michael Jackson and Streep were not nominated, but the box office is indeed their relatively few successful works in recent years.

   In addition, Nichols is a Jew who immigrated from Germany. He is Einstein's distant cousin and is a well-known figure among German Jews.

  Goldberg also values ​​Nichols very much, and hopes that he can direct this movie. But he was good at everything, except that he didn't pay much attention to Jewish identity. Not only did none of the three ex-wives be Jewish, they were all white with blond hair and blue eyes.

  And the three children born of the three marriages were not brought up according to the traditional Jewish customs.

  The fourth fiancée this time is Diane Sawyer, the famous host of the ABC morning news program. It seems that she will continue to be Jewish in name, but in fact it is the mainstream white lifestyle.

   "Actually..." Secretary Linda said half a sentence, then closed her mouth again.

   "Actually what? Who do you think of?"

   "Just now..." Linda pointed to the door of the office. Although Ronald just now described Cameron as always exceeding expectations, he is also such a person himself.

   "Him? He is a good director and very humble. But this is a middle-aged love movie, and he is too young."

"But isn't his new film 'Moonlight' a love story for middle-aged people?" The secretary's affection for Ronald is more than that of Michael Nicole, who has sparse eyebrows and uses a female eyebrow pencil to draw his eyebrows s.

   "Hiss...you reminded me. I'll see how the movie works." Goldberg put down the pen and squeezed the space between his eyebrows. Could it be that Ronald is seeking an Oscar nomination this time, and his agent is not messing around? But is it really a good director? It seems to pay attention to the evaluation of that movie after its premiere.

  (end of this chapter)

Chapter end