Exploiting Hollywood 1980 Chapter 868

  Chapter 868 Secret test

   "Kevin, hello." Early the next morning, Kevin Wade, the screenwriter of "Working Girl", came to visit Ronald at his apartment on Fifth Avenue, informed by Goldberg.

  He had an in-depth discussion about the script with another director, Mike Nichols, and it is every screenwriter's dream to have the opportunity to put his own play on the screen. But Nichols is now at an impasse in negotiations with Fox. The reality is bit by bit wearing away his enthusiasm.

   Now that another famous director is also interested in the script, Kevin Wade feels motivated again.

"Hello, Ronald, uh, I mean Mr. Li. I like your film works very much." Ronald was younger than Kevin Wade's imagination, and he was a little worried that this director was no better than Mike Wade. Nichols, known for his high-concept commercial films, wrote his own script as an exquisite drama.

"Call me Ronald, I guess, Kevin, do you have Broadway experience?" Ronald asked the other party to sit down with a smile, and then picked up the breakfast menu in the building, "I haven't eaten breakfast yet, you Eat some with me, if you don't mind? The omelette and bacon are good here."

   "Coffee is good, yes, I did write a stage play, it was released off Broadway in '81, and then it was adapted into a play in '85, of course, the box office can't compare with your movie.

   In addition, I also worked as a screenwriter for Mark Rappaport, an independent film producer in New York before, and wrote two film scripts for him. "

   Kevin Wade is over forty years old, but he is still a little nervous in front of Ronald. This time his script will definitely become a big production. What a screenwriter needs most in the industry is a movie that is familiar to the audience.

"No wonder, your script always reminds me of Broadway, with a tight plot. How did you come up with this story? I always feel that this story is written with a deep insight into the female secretaries who work on Wall Street. "Ronald still admires the screenwriter Wade.

"You may not know that I lived on Staten Island before I went to Hollywood. I took a boat to Manhattan every week. On the boat, I saw many female secretaries who worked in Manhattan and rented a house on Staten Island. They Indeed, as you wrote, I feel sorry for expensive high heels, so I wear sneakers to work and change them in the office.”

   "Aha, that's it." Kyle Wade suddenly realized, no wonder Ronald would be interested in his script. He recalled the scene at that time, and then slowly described his source of inspiration:

“Back then, I had just written a successful screenplay and I was finally avoiding the subway ticket. I was spending a lot of time riding my bike around New York... I was working as a bartender and there was an abandoned road behind the bar , I would get on the bus in the village and go down to Battery Park.

  Where I'd see the Staten Island Ferry come by, and those working girls in sneakers disembark, then stop and put on their heels...I'm like writing a story about the bottom working **** Wall Street…”

  It turns out that Kevin Wade's inspiration was also generated through the details of the secretary changing shoes. He immediately thought that the protagonist of the new script should be a young working girl who works in New York but is not familiar with the ways of the world here—she did not go to college because of her mother's illness, nor was she born in an uptown family. With the money I saved up as a secretary, I went to night school to finish my business courses.

  Wade wrote the script and pitched it in several places, but the producers all felt that it should be carried by a TV series, not a movie.

   Until this year, his script was recommended to Mike Nichols by Twentieth Century Fox.

  After chatting with Wade, Nichols prepared to undergo major surgery on the script, and then used this to request more casting rights and co-production conditions of his own company. For this reason, he and 20th Century Fox shelved the script, which now ends up in Ronald's hands.

   "To be honest, how far do you think this script is from being able to be made into a movie?" Kevin Wade actually doesn't have many other requirements. His core demands are two points:

  First, start filming as soon as possible so that he can become famous. Second, he can guarantee that he will also be the only screenwriter to sign on the script.

   "I think some details need more improvement."

   "Oh, I don't know what aspects it is." Kevin Wade was a little disappointed. These directors used the need for improvement of the script as an excuse to ask themselves or their friends to sign the script additionally. He wanted to hear what Ronald thought.

"First of all, the story of mergers and acquisitions, I think it is a bit oversimplified. We are shooting a real business war film, and we need this story of mergers and acquisitions, which has been reversed at the end, so that people who really work on Wall Street can't find obvious flaw."

"Well, this is indeed my weakness. Before I became a screenwriter, I was a bartender at a bar...I read the Wall Street Journal for a long time. Last year, the story of Sony Corporation of Japan's acquisition of Columbia Records gave me inspiration. I If American-owned Colombia wants to resist acquisitions, what can be done? At that time, there was a report in the Wall Street Journal saying that it would legislate to protect American media companies from being acquired by Japanese capitals, which gave me inspiration..."

  Wade had to admit that he really couldn't understand the annual reports of those companies, and he used his imagination by reading newspaper reports.

   "It doesn't matter. I know many investment managers on Wall Street. I can find a consultant for you. If you have professional questions, you can ask him. Of course, the specific plot is still up to you."

"Huh? I thought you would find a screenwriter who can write business wars to rewrite..." Kevin Wade did not expect that Ronald did not use a common Hollywood excuse to change his script, but hired a rare Advisor, make yourself complete the short version. Such directors are rarely seen.

  Ronald smiled and shook his head, "It's very difficult. I'm also a screenwriter myself. Your script is very tight. If you change someone else, you will lose the rhythm of the script."

   "Is there anything else that needs to be improved?" Kevin Wade took out a pen and paper and started to record. This is a director who really understands the script, and I was very lucky to meet him. His inner balance has shifted slightly from Nichols.

  Although Mike Nichols is an Oscar winner for best director, and Ronald is just a commercial film director, respect is something that screenwriters can hardly get from directors.

   "Also, I think Tess' immediate boss, the manager of the investment company, can be replaced by a woman?" Ronald put forward another opinion of his own.

   "Ding Dong... Sir, your breakfast is here."

"I'm going to open the door," Ronald stood up first to open the door, let the waiter push the dining car in, he also handed a tip of 20 dollars to the waiter, and then said to Wade, "Come on, try it." Do you really need some coffee here?"

   "Thank you" Kevin Wade took the slice of bread from Ronald, put two slices of bacon on the plate, picked up the knife and fork and began to eat.

  Wade frowned, but he still decided to speak out his thoughts truthfully, and chatted with Ronald, feeling like he was chatting with other screenwriters in a cafe about creation. Although deep in his heart, Wade knew that he was not equal to the other party, but this equal and casual attitude made him very useful.

   "I set up a male boss because I have some female power considerations..." Wade hurriedly finished his breakfast, took a sip of coffee, and organized his language.

   "You're very interesting, please continue..." Ronald gestured.

   "Women in America are always assigned the role of taking care of children at home. Although their abilities and talents are not necessarily inferior to their male colleagues.

   And Tess is a girl from the middle and lower classes. Her family cannot afford college tuition, so she has to rely on part-time jobs to go to night school.

   "So, you want Tess to be a spokesperson for class and gender? Focus the dramatic conflict on how she breaks through herself and finds her dream in America?"

   "Yes, that's what I think. The audience will like such a good girl who is motivated."

   "That's why, I think it might be a better idea to change her boss to a woman."

   Ronald stops for coffee, then talks to Kevin Wade.

"You see, apart from female secretaries like Tess, there are actually some women who have achieved high-level positions in Wall Street companies. They come from good families, have a good education, and are likely to study abroad. Those wealthy children who graduated from prestigious Ivy League schools.

   But what they are not as good as Tess is that kind of talent and continuous hard work! "

Ronald talked about his own thoughts. Although it is a movie that reflects women's struggles in the workplace, perhaps the best way is to set up a opposite of Tess, so that another woman from her family background and love life is Tess' dream , to be the boss of her secretary. In this way, the audience can immediately feel what Tess will look like when her inner dream is realized, and then she puts all her eggs in one basket and pretends to be a manager to contact Jack Trainor. The plot is more reasonable and has more dramatic conflicts.

   "What you said makes sense, but is this the whole reason?" Kevin Wade thought for a while. What Ronald said was not unreasonable. Maybe there are some things. Movies and stage plays have different requirements for scripts. Having such a mirror image female character of Tess is probably the best choice for the movie.

"I won't hide it from you, because it's convenient to set up a plot of two women competing for husbands. Tess and his boss, let's call her Catherine, are in love with Jack Trainor. Catherine also wants to catch Traynor is a blue-chip stock, and it is beneficial for him to propose to himself in the commercial film market. The target audience of our film is urban people, and they would like to see such a plot in the film.”

   "You're right," Kevin Wade covered his head and thought for a while. He felt that Ronald was right. Movies are not novels after all. A middle-aged male boss with a scheming mind is indeed not as good as two beautiful female stars who are jealous and compete with each other in career development.

   "Then we'll call him Catherine. What do you think of Tess's name? Do you need to change it?" Kevin Wade suddenly raised a question.

   "Huh?" Ronald was suspicious, and this sentence seemed to have some deep meaning. "Tess...Tess."

   Ronald picked up the coffee and took another sip as a cover. My mind turned quickly. Why did Kevin Wade give the heroine Mingming Tess? He must have implied some deep meaning, otherwise he wouldn't have given himself a small test at the most critical moment.

   Now I'm at a stage where I need Kevin Wade to vote for me, rather than hoping to bring back Mike Nichols. If he can tell his thoughts, it will undoubtedly greatly increase the weight on his side of the balance.

   Tess, this name is still very familiar. When Ronald worked as a portrait photographer in Los Angeles, he took portraits of German actress Natasha Kinski. And Natasha Kinski became a star because she starred in Polanski's famous film adaptation "Tess (Tess).

  The name Teresa is usually nicknamed Terri or Tracy, and it is rarely abbreviated as Tess. Kevin Wade named it this way, undoubtedly wanting to borrow some of the background from the "Tess of the D'Urbervilles".

Thinking of this, Ronald showed a smile, "I can't change it. If I change it, then he won't be Tess in the Promised Land. In twentieth-century New York, everyone can achieve their dreams through hard work..."

"Hahaha..." Kevin Wade laughed loudly. Ronald is indeed not the kind of director who can only shoot exploitation films. He is quite familiar with the essence of these classical literature and classical dramas, and he saw through the fact that he named the protagonist Tess deep meaning.

   "Did I pass the test?" Ronald laughed.

  "100%", Wade didn't deny his small trick, "Then did I pass your test? You just asked me how I came up with the source of inspiration for writing such a script..."

  It turns out that Ronald also hid a small hook in the previous question. He felt that the script of "Working Girl" was really good. In fact, he had already investigated Kevin Wade's background information through his agent.

   Such a person who earns money as a bartender and sticks to his dream, why does he know about Wall Street mergers and acquisitions? Ronald wondered if Wade had plagiarized a script that described Wall Street mergers and acquisitions in detail, then added some romantic elements, and rewritten it as it is now.

  If this is the case, although there is no problem with copyright registration now, after the filming and release, some people will definitely jump out and say that their film is plagiarism. The legal suits that would inevitably be brought and the damage to reputation that would follow were troublesome.

"Of course you also passed it 100%," Ronald said, "Actually, this plot can be used in the final reversal of Tess, who came up with the idea of ​​preventing mergers and acquisitions by herself, not her boss Catherine, and clarified it to the big boss of the multinational company." The answer. In the end, we relied on this to turn Tess around and defeat Catherine who stole her idea in one fell swoop."

"Shit, that's a great idea, I'm so jealous you came up with it," Kevin Wade jotted down in his notebook, "You're not going to have Jack Trainor end up on Tess' side instead of Betrayed Tess like in my script, right? You want Jack and Tess to marry? Wouldn't it be too vulgar?”

   Kevin Wade thought that if this was reversed, then Jack Trainor, a handsome guy with two women fighting, could actually stand firmly on Tess' side and have a happy ending.

   “Audiences love happy endings, Kevin, and of course you have the say in the script.”

   "Hmm... Let's do it according to your order." Kevin Wade nodded, with such respect, he was satisfied. After all, Ronald is a director of commercial films, so it is normal to pursue box office.

"That's it for now. My new film 'Moonlight' will premiere this weekend, will you come?" Ronald got up and said goodbye to Kevin Wade, and invited him to attend the premiere by the way, "Then The screenwriter for the film, John Stanley Shanley, was also on Broadway."

"I'll definitely be there." Kevin Wade accepted the invitation from Ronald. He became interested when he heard that, and wanted to see if Ronald's ability to adapt Broadway plays into movies would allow him to satisfy.

   "Hi, Teresa, long time no see." After seeing off Wade, Ronald waited for his partner in the leg warmer business, Trisha Kate. She has gained a lot of weight now, and she feels very happy. Her husband, David, loves her and their son is in kindergarten.

   "Ronald, it's a pleasure to meet you." Since the leg warmer company was sold to Jane Fonda, Tereza has only visited retail stores in Manhattan, and her life is very leisurely.

"Why did you specially invite me here? I plan to visit you at your aunt's house when you return to Staten Island." The two exchanged pleasantries, and Tereza even showed Ronald a photo of her son. Finally, he asked Ronald why he invited him here.

   “I'm going to make a movie set in your time as a secretary in Manhattan, and I'm asking you to be a consultant on the movie.”

   "Oh?...What do you want me to do?" Trisha was very happy that she still had the opportunity to participate in the film. It's still a movie based on myself.

Ronald briefly introduced the plot of the movie, "I am worried that those Hollywood actors will not be able to play the secretary of Wall Street. You are very shrewd and capable. So I want you to help actresses as a consultant. It is best to help them understand All aspects of the Wall Street secretary. I will find an opportunity for the actress who plays Tess to go to a Wall Street financial company for an internship, and you will help introduce them to some of the rules and regulations in Wall Street."

   After finishing speaking, Ronald looked at Trisha. He hoped to have an insider to increase the credibility of the movie. There was no one more suitable than Trisha.

   "So, Tess finally defeated her boss and became the manager herself, right?" Tereza didn't agree right away, but asked about Tess' ending.

   "Yes, she got that unscrupulous female boss fired in the end, became a manager herself, and even robbed her boyfriend..."

   "Okay, I promise you!" Teresa Kate was very happy, the dream that she failed to realize back then may still be realized in the movie.

   After that, Ronald called Steve Bannon, his partner who made money in Japan, and asked for help.

  Bannon heard that he wanted to send Catherine and Tess off, and the actor who played Jack Trainor went to Wall Street as an intern to learn the way financial elites speak and behave, and he agreed.

"So, you're going to make our image more positive, right?" Bannon finally complained on the phone, "That just-released 'Wall Street', Michael Douglas as the banker Gekko, can be so evil. Bud, played by Charlie Sheen, an upright young man who escaped the scandal and exposed violations, was prosecuted and sentenced.

  Even if we were really that bad, Oliver Stone wouldn't have had to do it like this? Besides, the current New York Attorney General Rudy is stern and selfless. He was about to give Milken a run for his money, and I didn't think it would be so easy to escape. "

"Don't worry, I make movies to eliminate the bad bankers, and finally let the good bankers win." Ronald laughed, Hollywood is not afraid to write people in any industry as evil, As long as the good guys stand up and defeat the bad guys, isn't it still reflecting the positive image of the industry?

   But what about Milken, isn't he the bond king who helped Minahan Golan raise 400 million? Why is he now being investigated by Rudy, the prosecutor who helped him deal with the New York Mafia back then?

   "Okay, then I'm relieved. By the way, can I play a role in the movie?" Bannon said again.

   "How about you play a side role, the boss of Tess's first company?" Ronald thought it would be nice to have an actual banker in a small role.

   "Okay, that's it, I'll find you the best banker in the industry as a crew consultant." Bannon, who got the promise, hung up the phone excitedly. His initial commitment to Hollywood was also related to his love of movies.

  The busy morning passed quickly, and it was time for lunch. The last person who came to accompany Ronald was his cousin Donna.

   "You want to make a Wall Street movie?" Donna tilted her head and looked at Ronald.

   "Yeah, I want to do it. Do you remember Theresa from the leg warmer shop? The script I want to do is based on a secretary like her."

   "Oh, really? I didn't expect that." Donna looked at Ronald, "So there are many female characters?"

"Yes, but the protagonist is not suitable for Diane. Tess will be an ordinary-looking female secretary who has not made a breakthrough at the age of thirty. If she is five years older, she may be suitable." Ronald also wanted to support Let's talk about Diane, but the gap in age and appearance may not be able to make up for it through makeup.

   Ronald had a hard time imagining Diane Lane, or Helen Slater acting ugly. They lack the experience of being frustrated by life without any future.

   "It's okay to play a supporting role, right?" Donna was not satisfied, "You have no objection to me telling her... um... right?"

   "Of course I have no objection. I also wanted to find Paula...that is, her new agent, and let her audition. If I can finally direct this movie."

   "That's more or less..." Donna raised her glass to Ronald with a smile.

   "Would you like to have dinner with me tonight? I don't have anyone to eat in New York." Ronald called the waiter to check out. Helen had already started to prepare for her movie, and there was no one to meet in New York.

  Donna stood up, wrinkling her nose. "I have a date tonight, you can find someone yourself."

   "Oh, well... your poor brother will have to find someone himself."

  Ronald thought to himself, Donna is an elite office worker after all, she is so beautiful and has a good job, she must be pursued by many young bankers, I don't know what kind of person her future husband will be.

  (end of this chapter)

Chapter end