Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 627 How to direct a comedy?

   "I'm interested in one of the scripts, but maybe it's not for me..." The next day, Ronald called Eisner in CAA's office.

"You picked out the script so quickly? That's great." Eisner didn't wait for Ronald to finish, and immediately praised happily, "I knew you were a very efficient director. What did you fancy? department?"

   "It's a comedy with a villain," Ronald replied.

   "Very good, the comedy is very good, and your debut 'fast-paced' has a good comedy element..."

   "No, Mr. Eisner, that's how you believe me?" Ronald recalled his dream last night, thinking about it in his subconscious, and didn't believe he could make a good comedy.

  I believe in you, why not? You have made so many low- and medium-budget films, which ones have you experienced before? No problem, I can get Katzenberg to initiate project negotiations whenever you're ready. "

   "Why is Eisner so confident in me?" Ronald put down the phone and asked Nisita and Richard, the agents sitting across from him.

   Ronald felt very wrong, when did the dialogue about the script become like this? It turned out that it was so difficult to win a film director, but now it seems that Eisner is asking him in turn.

"Why not? Like he said, several of your films involve different genres and categories. There are youth exploitation films, sci-fi themes, musicals, action films, and the new 'Top Gun'. , I'm not good at categorizing, air combat or sports movies?

   In short, you are a director who is good at grasping the audience's psychology and knowing what they like to watch. So maybe comedies are for you? There's no reason to think you can't do comedy, although he doesn't have the same performance requirements as other genres..."

  Nisita said a lot of good things, in short, you can do it, Hollywood has confidence in you, you want to shoot Shakespeare? Well, the directors of the new era have the courage to challenge themselves to shoot the classics of this generation. Are you going to make a gangster movie? Great, the gangster movie finally waited until after Coppola, a new generation of saviours.

   "What do you think?" Ronald looked at Richard, who was still looking down at the script. He might have some enlightening advice for himself.

"I don't have an opinion. You have proven yourself many times that you can handle films of various genres and budgets. I think when your new film is released, there will be people here who will line up to send you the script. I am just a Lucky brokers, I don't have any opinions on the selection of projects. In short, as long as it is your decision, I feel good."

"If you decide to shoot this book, I still have some actors to choose from..." Nisita took out a stack of audition resumes from the drawer, "all of them are clients of my side under CAA. , it's your choice."

   "Let's just let it go, I haven't fully decided yet."

"That's good, you already have the characteristics of a calm and big director, and you won't take over the project just because you are touched by a certain script on the spur of the moment, but will consider the overall profitability of the project. In addition, Top Gun's trial in Chicago The show was also very successful, audiences in the three largest cities gave you A+ ratings, and Ned Tanin started to prepare a marketing plan, and I invite you to join us."

   It seems that the excellent reviews of the "Top Gun" test screening have also had a great impact on his manager.

  Ronald figured it out, everyone is for profit. At Eisner, probably because of the pressure of the screen fund, to please himself a little bit and start a movie as soon as possible. And the agent is to take more packaged projects, they are a little too much on their own words.

   "Come on, Rick, Richard. I've known you guys since I was a little-known screenwriter, and I know comedy isn't easy."

   "Generally speaking, comedy directors and comedians are a specialized category." Nisita saw that Ronald was still sober after receiving the project guarantee from Touchstone Pictures, and couldn't help but admire him.

  Many directors and actors can be modest and cautious when they achieve professional success, but once they are given the power to produce, they tend to overestimate their ability. Many famous directors and famous actors lost a lot of money because they were also producers, and they were slumped for many years.

  Nisita told the truth, "Comedy has special requirements for performance. If you don't specialize in comedy, it's easy for the audience to feel that it is not funny."

   "Indeed, my directing skills are the short version of my greatest directing ability right now." Ronald couldn't help but think of the embarrassing scene in his dream. I was able to shoot successful movies in succession, and thanks to the finished film in my dream, I pointed out the actors for casting and the style of performance, otherwise I would probably not be able to make consecutive movies.

   "Can you find me an acting coach? I want the best one. I'm busy right now, so it's best not to have a fixed class time. Also, don't look for the Lee Strasbourg method."

"Well, no problem," Richard wrote down Ronald's request in his notebook. "The one that best fits your requirements is probably Messner's acting training camp, which happens to be in North Hollywood this year. I'll give it to you. Go and ask on the phone."

   "Okay", Ronald is not familiar with acting coaches, so he is based on the agent's recommendation, "Also, I still want to find a script reading assistant."

   "What do you want?" Richard smiled, it seemed that reading the script was indeed a chore, otherwise, among the Hollywood executives, Frank Price of Universal would not be the only one who insisted on reading it himself.

   Ronald had lingering fears about his dream last night. Maybe it was because he had read too many scripts and put him under too much pressure. He had never done this before. He broke his fingers and said one by one his requirements for the assistant.

   "It is best to have worked as a screenwriter in the industry, and have experience in writing movie scripts. I don't require a fast speed, or the KPI of how many books you read each week. I only require a sense of responsibility and a certain ability to identify."

  Richard wrote down one by one, "This requirement is a bit high. People with such experience will not be satisfied with being an assistant who reads scripts."

"If the script I wrote is satisfactory to me, I can also consider recommending it to Touchstone, or investing in my daydreams for small productions." Ronald couldn't help but think of himself, when he was in the New World, he also gave it to Roger Coleman Start by reading the script.

   "Then there are many candidates, let me choose for you."

  …

   After leaving the office, he went to Master Miyagi's stand-in, Darryl Vidal's karate dojo practiced for a while, and the two talked about the preparations for the sequel to Longwei Kid. The sequel is likely to tell the story of Master Miyagi returning to Ryukyu, and Vidal will be required to film at that time.

   Ronald always had a bad feeling every time the editing was finished and the film was waiting for release. Life in the movies is so colorful, while real life is boring and dull. It always takes a while for him to adjust to this ordinary life syndrome.

   When many Hollywood stars are not filming, they spend their days drinking and drinking, and they may not be able to endure the boring and ordinary life.

   Remembering his fear of directing comedies and training actors' acting skills, Ronald involuntarily got on a motorcycle and went to Cameron's house to chat with him. Only Cameron, who is also a young director, can talk about this kind of mind.

"They're sexist!" Gale was furious at Cameron, seeing Ronald knocking on the door and changing his face, "Here you come, Ronnie, I'm going to order you a pizza Takeaway, and some more beer."

   "What's the matter? Gale seems upset?"

"You're here?" Cameron was happy to see an old friend coming, "Gail was targeted by Fox's boss, saying she couldn't play a real producer role, so 'Alien 2' maybe she could only play one Nominal producer."

   "Is that the one who discriminates against Shirley Lansing?" This has become a joke in the industry.

   "It's not just him, Barry Diller, the former chairman of Paramount's board of directors, doesn't believe that Gale can confront me as a director on set." Cameron pointed to his nose.

   It turns out that the crux is here, the producer must dare to fight the director on the set. Sometimes the director does not hesitate to shoot multiple times in order to get a good performance, and it is not surprising that the schedule is delayed. The producer is going to stand up and say no at this time.

  Maybe Barry Diller thinks Gail is Cameron's wife and won't get mad with her husband on set.

   "They really don't know Gail, if anyone can face you on the set, it must be Gail." Ronald had experienced Jim's "style" on the set.

   "Can you repeat this sentence in front of the Fox executives?" Gail walked in with a few cans of beer, just in time to hear Ronald's last sentence.

"Of course, I'm very willing to endorse you." Ronald knew what Gale meant. He used his influence in the industry to prove in front of Fox executives that Gale could be a qualified producer and control the card. Mellon.

   "Huh, you're still friends." Gale also opened a can of beer and clinked glasses with Ronald.

   "By the way, you said you came..." Cameron asked.

   "That's right, I saw a good script, and I thought it would have a good chance, but it's a comedy, and I'm not sure about comedy at all." Ronald expressed his distress.

   "Indeed, do you know why there are comedy directors, and comedians, but no tragic directors, and tragic actors?" Gale asked Ronald, well-informed.

   "I really don't know." Ronald thought, indeed.

   "Because comedy needs a special rhythm and special acting skills. Anyway, their acting skills are not the same as the acting requirements of ordinary actors. It turns out that in the new world, Roger never invested in pure comedy films."

   "Do you remember that Jerry Zack?" Cameron also asked.

   "Remember", Ronald still remembers that when Zach was filming High School of Rock, Zach was busy making his own movie, which gave him the opportunity to be a second-team director and join the union. "

"Roger wouldn't invest in his script, and for that reason, comedy is very unpredictable at the box office, so studios like to follow successful comedy directors or comedians. If it's really funny, comedy doesn't really cost that much. , is the dialogue of several characters, the box office is not worse than the blockbuster." Gale concluded.

   "Should I go and ask Zach and his trio?" Ronald thought.

   (end of this chapter)