Exploiting Hollywood 1980

   Chapter 675 Chapter 305 Give you a commission for the videotape

  Don Simpson and Jerry Bruckheimer have always been very optimistic about the potential of the video tape market.

   The "Lightning Dance" produced by the two of them took the risk of releasing VHS and Beta videotapes simultaneously when the film was only released for a few weeks.

Unexpectedly, because of the hot sale of the videotape, it attracted many audiences into the theater, and then went to the big screen to watch the **** hot dance scene again. "Lightning Dance" was shown for a few weeks, and when the box office fell, it was given another shot of cardiotonic. Returning to the top of the box office.

   At the time, they sold the video tapes, which normally cost $99, down to $69, and they made a lot of money. Armed with this experience, the two producers plan to play another big game in Top Gun.

This time they want to convince Paramount president Ned Tanin to set the price of the video straight at $49 and drop it below $50 for the first time to see if it can be like Jane Fonda's $29 aerobics video , and sold a sales volume that no one could have imagined.

   "If it's $29, it's definitely going to outsell Jane Fonda's aerobics." Ronald is clear about Jane Fonda's success.

   At that time, VCRs had just entered America. When people bought VCRs, they all wanted to buy a few VCRs and keep them at home so that they could show them to friends when they came. Compared with the 99 and 89 movies, this Jane Fonda's aerobic aerobics only sells for 29, and it is not rude to show Jane Fonda's video whether the guest is a man or a woman.

   "Top Gun" is a movie. If it can be won at the same price, it is definitely a more face-to-face hospitality behavior than watching Jane Fonda dance in high-waisted fitness pants.

Even with his own children, he will be a good person everyone in the social circle at school wants to make friends with. After all, if you go to his house, you can watch Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis in "Top Gun" kissing, and even beyond that. There are also air battles to watch.

   "29? Well, 49 is good, but 29 is 29 after all!"

   Bruckheimer was well aware that in the marketplace it was impossible for viewers to know how much a videotape should be worth. If you can sell the same price as aerobics that knows how exciting the content is, then the audience will definitely know which movie to choose, right?

   "Is there a possibility? We can ask others to make the difference?" Sid Ganis said the plan that was negotiated with Don Simpson and others.

"other people?"

"Yes, the movie is very popular right now, and our low price has passed the approval of Paramount executives. I have talked to many big companies and advertising agencies, and they all feel that they can market their products through videotapes. , so they don't have to buy expensive commercial spots on the TV station, so the money saved is subsidized to the viewers who buy the videotape."

   "Oh, that's it."

   Ronald thought the idea was brilliant. Inserting advertisements in video tapes is not a common practice now. If "Top Gun" can have a very good box office performance, those Fortune 500 multinational companies definitely have the ability and ideas to use their budgets to subsidize the distribution of videotapes.

   In this way, the audience sold the videotape at a lower price. Studios sold more videotapes without losing revenue, and corporations aired more commercials with lower budgets than TV stations.

   Isn't this the legendary WinWinWin, a three-win?

   "That's great? What business did you find? What can I do?" Ronald looked at Don Simpson.

   "We found PepsiCo. They invest a lot in marketing every year, and they are willing to give a part to try the effect of videotape marketing. As for you, we want you to work on PepsiCo's advertising."

   "You don't have to ask me to direct, right?"

"First of all, this matter is good for you. In addition to the regular fees, we have agreed with Paramount that we are willing to give you a share of the profit from the videotape. Second, Pepsi appointed you to be the director, and they wanted a film related to the TopGun plot. Sexual commercials so that viewers don’t fast-forward and skip while watching the tape.

   Finally, they once asked you to shoot a co-branded commercial with Burger King, and the effect was the top three of all their commercials. So they still want to find you to shoot, but your agent doesn't take many advertisements. This time, they took the initiative. If it wasn't for you, we could only change to another company, and there would be no such good conditions.

   They are willing to subsidize an additional $5 in addition to the price difference for each videotape. "

  Don Simpson's last words were in Ronald's ear.

   "How much can I get?" Ronald also asked softly in Simpson's ear.

   "You get 50 cents per video. Plus $300,000."

   "$1.50 commission."

   "It's too greedy. Our money is also squeezed out from the middle of the subsidies given by both sides. 70 cents." Don Simpson intends to use his hands to extract the most money from the budgets of both sides.

   "$1, after all, Pepsi named me the director."

"make a deal!"

  Very good, the next two producers and Ronald himself are also WinWin.

   Ronald asked New York agent Eddie, lawyer Lindsay Dole, accountant Lawrence and others to sign the contract, not to mention.

In the next few days, he also went to the cinema to watch "Top Gun" over and over again, and by the way, he took notes wherever he felt bad and performed well, so that when he went to New York to visit Pauline Carr, he would share with her debate.

  While Ronald was in a movie theater, he took out a small tape recorder and recorded his thoughts while watching, when Richard, the agent, crept over and came in. Ronald was found with the help of the conductor's flashlight.

   "Bastard, stop using the flashlight." The male audience in the back row scolded in dissatisfaction, just in time to see McGillis' **** figure in a silk white shirt, interrupted by the flashlight.

"That's right, pretending to watch a movie and wearing sunglasses, is a fool." The girlfriend next to him happened to see Tom Cruise's sturdy upper body, and was very impressed with Ronald and Richard interrupting him. dissatisfied.

   "What's the matter?" Ronald asked his agent after walking outside the theater.

   "The Admiralty sent two investigators who offered to investigate your filming."

   "WTF, what did you say?" Ronald was stunned.

"This is a special investigator from the Pentagon, and this is an investigator from the Department of the Navy." The next morning, in Paramount's office, Navy Liaison Officer Matthew brought Ronald two An officer in a navy uniform.

"Hello," Ronald shook hands with them, "I heard that you are investigating the shooting of the 'Top Gun' crew? Did something happen? The plane accident was a civilian stunt plane, and You should be fine, right? We also bought insurance for him."

   "No, the Pentagon has a lot of questions about the shooting part of the film. We want to question you." The Pentagon investigator was not very friendly, chewing gum and looking at Ronald with a business-like face.

   "Can I have a lawyer present?" Ronald looked uncomfortable at him. I have hosted your Secretary of the Navy to watch a private dance. How could you treat me like this?

"Don't get me wrong, Mr. Li. Before coming here, Mr. Lehman, the Minister, made a special call to tell you that you are a friend of the Navy. We just follow the procedure and want to have a routine interview with you." The investigator from the Office of the Navy Department Staff, older, attitude is much better.

   "Okay, what's the problem? I heard from the agent, but I don't quite understand it."

   "Can we find a place to chat slowly?"

   In a separate conference room, the older investigator took out a snapshot of "Top Gun" from his briefcase and spread it out on the table for Ronald to see.

"Here are a few pictures we took. Throughout the film, the Sidewinder air-to-air missile was fired four times, one missed, and three hits. But the Minister, Mr. Lyman, only approved the two-shot quota. We want to know, who is it? Two extra rounds were approved for you in the Navy." The young investigator in the Pentagon took the photo, put it on the table, and chewed the gum faster and faster.

   "Hehehe, this kind of thing can be made clear as long as you give me a phone call. We only shot the launch shots of the two missiles, and we made the rest of the explosion shots with special effects."

   "A stunt? But the missile was fired four times? I've looked at the photos carefully." The young man didn't give up. He found all the launch shots on the photo and pushed it to Ronald to see.

"If you really look at it carefully, it's easy to find that the four shots of the launch are all edited from one shot and reused." Ronald smiled, pointing to the white trail after the launch on the photo to the other party Look, the smoke above is clearly the same.

  "This?" The young investigator obviously did not expect such a result, "You mean, every shot is a real shot, and then the explosion shot that hits the enemy plane is made with a model?"

"Yes."

   "Aren't you liars?"

   "This is Hollywood."

The Admiralty investigator stopped the young man, "Director Ronald, thank you for pointing out the problem. Could you show us another copy of the film and then give us some video footage so we can Write the report and explain it to the stubborn generals in the Pentagon."

   "Yes, but you need to ask the vice president of Paramount for instructions. These copies are strictly protected. Now that the movie is popular, pirated copies are what we are most afraid of." Ronald stabbed the young man calmly.

   Apparently he didn't chew gum anymore. As a child of a naval family, this time it was a downfall.

   "Ronald, welcome. Why are you free to come to my office today?" Ned Tanin embraced Ronald with open arms. The movie "Top Gun" looks like a thick and big cash cow, and even the director Ronald is in his eyes, faintly giving off a golden light.

   "These two are investigators from the Navy. Because the special effects of the Sidewinder air-to-air missile are too realistic, I want to take a look at the copy and do an investigation that we have not misused the missile."

   "Hahaha, welcome. I'll write you a note." Ned Tanin's eyes shone brightly. He didn't expect Ronald's special effects in the movie to be so realistic that even the navy were deceived? It's really time to think about launching a sequel right now.

   "Thank you, everything is clear. Thank you."

In the Paramount screening room, Ronald explained the basics of film editing to the two naval officers, and then asked the editing assistant to record several scenes of air-to-air missiles in the air battle into a videotape, and let them take away.

   "It's okay, it's a different kind of compliment for my directorial work." Ronald took a good impression of the older officer and shook his hand.

   "I'm very happy to see your vice president, it seems that the box office is very good?"

   "Yes, it was number one at the box office last week."

   "I really want to see this movie, I haven't seen it yet. The last time someone made the Navy a positive character was the Golden Age (The Best Years of Our Live) I watched when I was a kid."

"There will be more movies about the Navy." Ronald also sighed with emotion. The Golden Age was a movie that reflected the life of veterans after World War II. At that time, veterans were respected, but they didn't want to be portrayed as a group of perverts in Vietnam War movies. .

   Ronald turned around from the staff, took a dozen movie ticket vouchers, and handed them to the two investigators.

"This is Paramount's redemption voucher. You can exchange for a movie ticket in any theater in the country that shows 'Top Gun'. If you have a few more, you can take your children to watch it when you go back. There are many people watching this movie. It’s all watched by father and son.”

   "Thank you, but my two sons don't like to go to the cinema with me. This time I finally have a chance. The three of us like to watch movies."

  The two investigators walked out of Paramount and went to the nearby Paramount Cinema first.

   "Let's see it again? I haven't seen it yet?"

   "Okay, let's go and see."

   The two of them took the vouchers and exchanged them for tickets to the best theater.

   "It's really exciting. I didn't expect the Navy to be so handsome. I think it will be easier for those pilots to pick up girls later." The young people liked it very much after watching it.

   "Haha, you are so handsome, it's no problem to pretend to be a pilot. My two boys will definitely like it."

  The two walked out of the screening room, just in time to meet a group of teenagers who watched Top Gun. They are clamoring to go to the box office to buy another ticket and watch the movie again.

   "I said, the navy is really handsome, and I'm going to fly the Tomcat after I graduate from high school."

   "Come on, you don't look like a pilot like that."

   "I heard that pilots need a college degree, and many have PhDs." A high school student wearing glasses said, but no one paid any attention to him.

   "I don't know where the Navy recruits are. My eyesight is good enough to be a pilot."

   "Yeah, their life is so cool, driving Tomcats, beating up MiGs, beauties, beaches, motorcycles, I want to live like this too."

   The two investigators looked at each other, quickly caught up with several high school students, and asked, "I'm sorry, we are from the Navy, is it true that you want to join the Navy?"

   "Yeah, you're from the Navy? Where can we sign up for the military?"

   (end of this chapter)