Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1555 Re-evaluating Ang Lee's Directing Level

In the end, as a result of everyone's argument (and fighting for credit), Scorsese taught Ronald to use the camera to express the character's emotions, just like in Taxi Driver, using the most awkward camera movements to express the protagonist Travis' inner loneliness.

Coppola taught Ronald how to use colors and tones to stylize film narratives, allowing the audience to immerse themselves in the environment and era where the film's story takes place at a glance.

Spielberg taught Ronald how to balance commercial and artistic needs. He personally demonstrated how to gain the trust of producers and investors through effective communication so as to achieve the film effects he wanted, and conversely, how to constrain the director to balance the budget when you are a producer.

Walter Murch taught Ronald how to do secondary creation in the editing room, how to connect the films on the set to tell a smooth story that seemed to have existed originally.

Cameron taught Ronald how to do model special effects and computer special effects, especially how to combine the two seamlessly to make the audience marvel and be amazed at the spectacular effects that cannot be seen in TV dramas.

Only Roger Corman...

He wanted to teach Ronald that movies were not a necessity in life and that he should not shoot a movie that cost more than $10 million. He also wanted to teach Ronald how to tear up the pages of the script and not shoot the scenes that could not be completed within the budget framework.

However, in the tide of commercial films, his film business philosophy still failed. Ronald still embraced the business philosophy of Hollywood and grew into a man who not only had the ability to guarantee box office but also had artistic ability, and could occasionally shoot a work that resonated with the great era.

Of course, Coleman was not a complete failure. At least Ronald learned how to observe whether the director was qualified on the first day and how to save budget through various tricks.

Most importantly, he learned that in filming, all budgets should be shown on the screen for the audience to see, and that you should not make a movie with a budget of hundreds of millions of dollars where only a few stars walk around and talk.

While everyone was in a good mood, Ronald agreed with them to continue to fight for Roger Corman to receive an honorary Oscar next year, which could be awarded by the Executive Committee. This touched the usually carefree Roger Corman.

After escorting the distinguished guests to the main gate one by one and letting them get into the luxury car to leave, Ronald waved his hand and invited Ang Lee to go in and have a chat with him.

Ang Lee's Eat Drink Man Woman was recognized by the Oscars and nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film, which was also a pleasant surprise for him. With this nomination, Ang Lee, like Jennifer Tilly, received many active directing invitations, and he was no longer in the situation where he could only take the script and ask for investment everywhere.

The first to take action was Sidney Pollack's Phantom Productions. They raised funds in the UK to remake Jane Austen's masterpiece "Sense and Sensibility". For some reason, they took a fancy to Ang Lee, thinking that he could capture the spirit of Jane Austen's original work, so they extended an invitation to his agent.

But Ang Lee was hesitant. He and his partner James Schamus both had a favorite work they wanted to shoot, which was Rick Moody's novel "The Ice Storm" last year. In addition, Sense and Sensibility, a completely commercial film production model, made him hesitant.

The owner of the production company, the famous director Sidney Pollack, knew that Ronald had been kind to Ang Lee and was optimistic about his directing ability, so he called Ronald and asked him to help persuade him.

Of course, Ronald checked with someone and found out that the film had indeed received financing, because Four Weddings and a Funeral was a big hit and Hugh Grant was considered to have a strong appeal in America.

Emma Thompson not only plays the role of the eldest sister Eleanor, but is also the author of the adapted script. Lindsay Dolan, who was formerly the vice president of Paramount and had worked with Ronald and had a good impression of him, has now become the production director of this film.

Old acquaintances were all optimistic about Ang Lee because the director they had originally chosen turned down the film and now that filming was about to start, they had no choice but to look for another candidate.

Ronald understood that the Oscar nomination was an endorsement of the director's ability, and Eat Drink Man Woman was a story similar to Sense and Sensibility. Both told stories about men and women in a conservative and oppressive social atmosphere. The three sisters each had completely different views on love, and even the lines were similar.

At this stage, if we want to find a safe director, Ang Lee is of course the best candidate. If he doesn't agree, we can only give up the project temporarily.

"I don't understand. Isn't this a good opportunity to enter the mainstream Hollywood market? If you want to make a movie you like, you have to pass this test and make a profitable mainstream English movie..."

Ronald said that he had received a call from the producer, so he came to ask Ang Lee what he thought. He was afraid that Ang Lee had too many ideas and wanted to make an art film directly without passing the Hollywood test first.

The three films Ang Lee had previously made were all profitable, but they were all Chinese-language films, which were just small-time hits in the American market. He had never really made an English-language film.

"I have certainly thought about this, but I still don't have much confidence in it..."

Fortunately, Ang Lee’s concerns are not what everyone is worried about, but rather a common shortcoming of traditional Chinese people: lack of self-confidence.

Ang Lee hesitated mainly for two reasons. First, his English was not good, and he was unsure about working with a group of Hollywood stars, especially Hugh Grant, who had won numerous awards and nominations, and Oscar winner Emma Thompson.

The second was Jane Austen, a pure British classic novel, but he was not sure he could grasp the essence of it, so he was noncommittal about the invitation from Phantom Films, neither refusing nor accepting it.

"You never have to worry about that," Ronald smiled. "If this movie was made in Hollywood, I would think your concerns would make sense, but this is a purely British movie. No matter how big the problems of the actors there are, there is one thing they can do, and that is to respect the director."

Ronald understood that Hollywood had many stars, and they always lacked respect for directors who were not famous enough. Sometimes they would still bully famous directors.

For example, in Brian De Palma's "The Bonfire of the Vanities", Bruce Willis, one of the leading actors, directly denied De Palma's orders on the set. After the scenes he wanted were repeatedly not shot, Bruce Willis skipped the director and directly instructed the lighting and photography to rearrange the lighting according to his wishes.

But unlike Hollywood stars, British stars have one good thing: they still respect the director and will not embarrass the director directly. At most, they will use some British humor to tease the director and make some indirect complaints, but they will still obey the orders issued by the director.

This difference is related to the relatively small film market in Britain, the lack of power of stars, and the profound theatrical tradition in Britain. No matter how big an actor is, he or she will not disobey the director's orders, and this custom has also been transferred to film shooting.

After hearing what Ronald said, Ang Lee's hesitation was mostly gone. But he still lacked confidence in himself, which was in contrast to some American directors who were overconfident.

Perhaps Ang Lee’s current abilities and control over the set are not enough to make a perfect Jane Austen movie, but if he tries his best, he can actually reach higher heights.

However, this lack of language skills and the lack of confidence in directing an English film are not completely unreasonable. Ronald had to find a way to dispel his concerns.

"Have you seen the new movie by Nora Ephron?" Ronald asked. Nora Ephron followed up her success with Sleepless in Seattle with Mixed Nuts.

This movie is also a romantic comedy starring Steve Martin, Rita Wilson, Adam Sandler, etc. Ephron wrote and directed it.

The movie was released at the end of last year, but it was a failure during the Christmas season. This movie, with a budget of 20 million US dollars and Nora Ephron's golden screenwriter, was a big box office failure, with a total box office of only over 6 million, and has been withdrawn from the market.

Nora Ephron complained a lot about herself, and according to her agent, she had been crying for quite a while at home.

But she also couldn't figure out why she failed at the box office. When Harry Met Sally, which she had written in the past, and Sleepless in Seattle, which she had directed, were both huge successes. Why did this Mixed Nuts, which was shot with the same formula, fail so badly?
But Nora Ephron was a New Yorker after all, and she quickly adjusted herself, sent a copy to Ronald's home, and begged Ronald to watch it once to help her find the problem. After all, all her success in the film industry was due to Ronald's participation, and perhaps this man really knew much more about movies than she did.

Ronald hadn't had a chance to see this failed film, and he actually didn't really want to see it. The copy had been sitting at home for several weeks. Ang Lee just needed a little encouragement, so Ronald had an idea and invited him to watch it together.

"Ahem... Boss, there's a phone call for you..."

About ten minutes after the movie started, Yang Yanzi, the well-behaved assistant, came to find Ronald.

"I'm sorry, I have some important business to attend to. Can you help me finish watching it and then tell me what you think? Nora is quite upset about the failure of this movie. She wants to know some experts' opinions. Please help me watch it first and then tell me what you think is wrong."

"certainly……"

Ang Lee didn't know it was a trick and continued watching the movie in the screening room.

"Hey, Kirk? You figured it out?"

Someone actually called Ronald, the Las Vegas tycoon Kirk Kerkorian. Ronald showed him a way, and after careful consideration and evaluation, he decided to follow Ronald's method and buy back MGM Pictures.

"Yes, prepare the money, and Lianyi can be yours..."

"OK..." Ronald put down the phone with a smile, and held a conference call with Ed Bastian and others to discuss the acquisition of United Artists assets.

Kerkorian has decided to buy back MGM at a premium, so that Ronald's acquisition of United Artists can be seen as a very normal acquisition, a financing move that will allow Kerkorian to have enough cash to acquire MGM.

However, several Hollywood bosses have a keen sense of smell. DDH acquired the film library of United Artists, which gave it a little competitive capital. It is capable of going a step further and acquiring other companies to become a comprehensive media group, competing head-on with existing media complexes such as Viacom, Disney, or Fox.

In Hollywood, if you run a small studio business, no one will bother you. But if you add distribution business, the eyes of the seven major studios will be on you. For example, Harvey Weinstein's Miramax Films still wants to retain its own distribution business within Disney, so Eisner's tolerance for him is not so reliable.

If you want to expand your influence and establish global distribution channels, such as DreamWorks established by Spielberg and Katzenberg, then the Big Seven will keep a close eye on you to prevent you from really extending your hands into an area where you shouldn't - a national television media.

Fortunately, Spielberg and his colleagues are not entrepreneurs like Ronald after all, and the money they got from Allen, one of the founders of Microsoft, is not enough to acquire a large television media.

Or if you already own a national television station and want to get involved in the film industry, like Ted Turner, then you will become the public enemy of Hollywood and no one will want to do business with you, even if your new wife is a two-time Oscar-winning actress.

As for Ronald, he should keep a low profile and not do anything that would touch the sensitive nerves of the big players.

In fact, people like Eisner viewed Ronald's business strategy, or the business strategy of Ed Bastian, the CEO he hired at a high salary, with a mocking or even contemptuous attitude.

In their view, in this era when media are trying to unite and go national or even global, acquiring local TV stations is an incredibly stupid business strategy. Doing so just for the sake of a little profit means missing the golden time for mergers and acquisitions.

Once most of the media groups have completed their mergers and acquisitions of major television media, a very high monopoly barrier will be formed, and it may cost ten times more to get another ticket to the market.

Ronald also knew that this idea actually had some truth to it, but he got rich too late, and it was beyond his ability to come up with nearly 100 billion to acquire a national television network. If he used a leveraged buyout, he might fail to acquire the network and lose control of DDH.

Although the current monopoly barriers seem high, the media market is undergoing some profound changes. Who knows what the next decade will look like? The film libraries of these media and the irreplaceable things of local media are out-of-print assets that can never be reproduced.

Now, major electronic consumer product manufacturers are discussing new home entertainment media carriers. When the time comes to cooperate with the new wide-screen televisions, the current videotape market may be about to undergo a reshuffle.

The existence of a nationwide online video rental store seems to be a huge monopoly barrier, but although channel innovation is not as rapid as technological changes, it is also updated in units of five to ten years.

However, the copyrights of movies used to record videotapes or new media can never be copied... The trade-offs are also everyone's judgment of the future. Ronald will always remember the memory of watching movies on the computer in his dream. Finding opportunities to catch as many Hollywood classics as possible may be the way to success in the future.

After the conference call, I also finished watching Ang Lee's movie.

"So, Lee, what's the problem with the shoot?"

"Casting, wrong casting. Steve Martin shouldn't be cast in a romantic comedy, and his comedy performance is too exaggerated. Nora should hold on to Tom Hanks..."

After watching the movie, it is obvious that Ang Lee's confidence has increased a lot, which is no wonder. Nora Ephron's directing level is actually so-so, and her strength lies in concocting love stories that are close to reality. The reason why the previous movies were popular was largely related to the personal charm of Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan as movie stars.

A director like this was able to get a budget of 20 million and produce a film of such quality. Ang Lee has obviously made a big adjustment in the rating of his own directing skills.

"So you agreed to direct Sense and Sensibility?"

"Yes, I have figured it out. I will do it even if I have to grit my teeth."