Exploiting Hollywood 1980.

Chapter 1619: Awards Season Preliminary Battle
While the whole country was still reminiscing about the Christmas holidays, more than a dozen multimedia entertainment player manufacturers, five major IT companies, and many Hollywood studios jointly held a press conference to announce the birth of DVD, the standard for the second-generation digital storage device.

The format was eventually determined to be ISO-13346, with a diameter of 12 cm (the same as a CD), a single-layer capacity of 4.7 GB (up to 8.5 GB for a double-layer), and MPEG-2 video compression technology, providing higher image quality than VHS and VCD.

In addition, DVD also supports multi-region coding (Region Code) to prevent piracy and cross-regional distribution conflicts. There are a total of six regions, each with its own unique format code that cannot be interchanged.

This solution can make it difficult for piracy to become widespread, and it can also prevent DVDs from being mixed with other products in different regions, which would affect profits.

In addition, DVD also supports interactive menus, multiple audio tracks and subtitles, which are suitable for movie playback, as well as some movie shooting highlights and peripherals, and even audio tracks with different voices, so you can watch whichever one you want.

……

"Well, we need to start experimenting, especially with the Criterion Collection (CC) series. If possible, we should prioritize Orson Welles's films. His daughter has a lot of material that can be put in. We should experiment with the production methods of DVDs. If feasible, we can launch classic old films that United Artists and CC Collection already have copyrights for next year..."

Ronald stayed in New York for a few days, ostensibly to attend the New York Film Critics Association's awards ceremony this year, but actually to spend some time with Helen and their daughter. He called his colleagues in Los Angeles to arrange work, while going to a famous restaurant with Helen.

The major battles leading up to the Oscars have officially begun. The first to be announced are the awards of the film critics associations in various places. This year, the New York Film Critics Circle is the first.

The Film Critics Awards are not so formal. This year it was held in a restaurant and everyone was dressed in casual clothes, just like a party.

This year's nominations are in line with the tastes of New Yorkers, with independent films that have a unique temperament. The final winner of the Best Picture is "Leaving Las Vegas", which cost more than 3 million dollars to produce.

Nicolas Cage also won the Best Actor award. His performance as a drunk Hollywood screenwriter in the movie really delighted the New York film critics.

Elizabeth Shue didn't win the Best Actress award, which was given to another actress discovered by Ronald, Jennifer Jason Leigh. In the movie "Georgia", she played a girl with a strong sense of insecurity. Such a role is really the base camp of the Method School and the favorite of New Yorkers.

The Best Director award was a surprise, with Ang Lee winning for his film "Sense and Sensibility." The New York film critics really liked his unique approach and his mockery of the British classic.

The Best Cinematography award also brought a surprise, with Lyu Le, the cinematographer of "Raise the Rock, Raise the Rock" directed by Yimou Zhang from China, winning the award.

The producer of the film is Director Wu, who helped Yimou a lot during the filming and distribution. As the producer of Daydream Pictures, he made this art film earn more than 300 million at the box office in America, becoming another Chinese-language film that broke even and made a profit in America after Hang the Red Lantern.

The Best Supporting Actress award went to Joan Allen, who played the role of First Lady Patty in Oliver Stone's biographical film "Nixon." Her performance was both skillful and emotionally expressive, and she was visibly superior to the other nominees.

The Best Screenplay went to Emma Thompson, and the Best Supporting Actor went to Kevin Spacey for Seven Deadly Sins.

Coincidentally, these people all had some connection with Ronald. After the awards ceremony, Ronald invited them to dinner. This was considered as a semi-publicization of his relationship with Helen among his friends in the circle. If Helen wanted to make a movie in the future, she could also have some favors and get some help - she definitely needed...

The big winner today is undoubtedly Leaving Las Vegas, but Nicolas Cage is a typical Californian. However, many New York filmmakers present here think that he belongs to New York filmmakers.

Cage's hobby is really strange. He is passionate about German Expressionist films in the early 20th century. Perhaps only in New York can he meet people with the same hobbies and have a pleasant chat with them.

On the other hand, Ang Lee seemed to have a good chat with the Best Supporting Actress winner, Joan Allen. With his English communication ability, he actually had a good chat with Joan Allen. Maybe they are the type of people who have a chemical reaction between director and actor.

The whole dinner was like a big party for the New York film and theater circles. Helen was extremely happy in her role as the hostess. This kind of salon-style gathering was exactly the role she dreamed of playing.

"Ronnie, they all want to know what you think of the future of Hollywood..."

When the conversation was in full swing, Helen came over to Ronald and begged him to tell her some of her predictions about the future of the film industry. As the most capable boss in the industry in recent years, his words would become the most talked about topic in the New York film circle in the next few months.

"Ah, DVD is very important..." Ronald was chatting about the past with a group of old friends and blurted out when asked.

"Is there any difference between this thing and the current videotapes?" someone quickly followed up.

"It's a super upgraded version, just like upgrading from vinyl records to CDs. You know, if you want to watch a certain time on a videotape, you have to fast forward to that point like a tape, but with a DVD you can directly select a certain clip.

We are currently experimenting with putting some of the movie's behind-the-scenes footage and background information onto DVDs. Movie fans will definitely prefer DVDs, after all, the clarity is much higher than that of videotapes.

I think if you can include the dividends from DVD New Media in the contracts when you take on projects in the future, you will definitely make a lot more money.”

Everyone laughed, no one expected Ronald to raise a technical question. They all thought that maybe Ronald would talk about some artistic trends or production preferences, which would be a good opportunity for speculation.

Apart from a few people like Ang Lee and Cage who took the film just because they liked it, no one really took Ronald's DVD seriously.

Ronald looked at their expressions and knew that his words were ignored. In fact, with the advent of videotapes, there was an extra channel for the distribution of small and medium-budget movies. Newcomers and actors who were still at a lower level had more opportunities.

With upgraded videotapes like DVD, not only newcomers but even former stars will have no shortage of roles to play in the future.

……

Back in Los Angeles, Ronald also accompanied Diane to attend the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards. This year's Oscars prelude, the first two important awards, the winners list overlapped a lot.

The Best Picture award was still "Leaving Las Vegas" and the Best Actor award was still Nicolas Cage.

The difference is that the Best Director award went to Mike Figgis, the director of "Leaving Las Vegas", and the Best Actress winner went to Elisabeth Shue.

This is a big surprise. Unlike the New York Film Critics Awards, which focus on art films, the Los Angeles Film Critics Awards pay more attention to the author. It is usually a director-led award.

In other words, as long as the director's level satisfies the judges, they will continue to give awards to a movie. "Leaving Las Vegas" fits the bill. Director Mike Figgis's experience and the fact that he had to use 16mm film may have impressed the judges in Hollywood...

Which film critic in Los Angeles has not thought about making a movie himself? However, Hollywood is not a paradise for independent films, and these film critics will undoubtedly encounter various setbacks and fail to attract investment.

Perhaps it was the experience of director Mike Figgis that reminded them of themselves, and they gave several of the most important awards to "Leaving Las Vegas."

Chinese photographer Lu Le won the Best Cinematography award, Joan Allen won the Best Supporting Actress award, and Emma Thompson won the Best Screenplay award.

The more overlaps there are in these awards, the greater the chances of the winners winning the Oscars, because the judges of these outpost awards will also vote at the Oscars.

Ronald is comparing the winners lists of the two awards and is considering whether to continue increasing the film's public relations budget.

This niche art film seems to have exceeded Ronald's expectations, showing the potential to be nominated for multiple Oscars.

Although he didn't quite understand what was going on, Ronald still wrote down his ideas on a piece of paper and put it in a folder. He would ask Yang Yanzi to take it to Lianyi and pass it to the heads of various departments, asking them to do some research and, if appropriate, approve it for implementation at the regular meeting.

"Is it about winning awards again?" Diane came over and looked at what Ronald wrote curiously.

"Ah, yes, I didn't expect Cage to be so popular. It seems that my expectations for this movie were not optimistic enough."

"I wish my film project could be so popular..." Diane was also envious.

"Of course you can. After all, we have you and director Cameron Crowe, who are the types that critics and academy judges love the most..." Ronald quickly flattered her.

After the holidays, Tom Cruise basically finished his work on "Mission Impossible" and his focus shifted to "Jerry Jane" led by Diane.

"And Tom, you forgot Tom..." Diane was very happy when she heard Ronald praising her as a darling of the critics.

"Him? The Tom that the academy and critics like is Tom Hanks..." Ronald shook his head.

"Why, do you think he's not a good actor?" Diane asked curiously. She had thought Tom Cruise was one of her husband's best friends in the industry.

"I'm not saying Tom Cruise's acting is bad, I'm saying his chances of winning an Oscar are very slim."

After years of experience in applying for awards, Ronald has a more accurate judgment on what kind of nominees will be favored by the judges.

Tom Hanks is a humble star, and everyone who has worked with him has praised his character. More importantly, he does not make a lot of money. Hanks' acting style is not the kind of big star who can bring in box office, so his income is not the highest on the star rankings.

In addition, his two award-winning roles, one is a sick minority, and the other is a fool with below-average IQ. No actor would find such roles easy to play, and not many people would want to try.

But Tom Cruise is completely different.

First of all, he is so handsome, and his current wife is a top-notch beauty in Hollywood. Second, he makes a lot of money, with a salary of over 20 million yuan, plus he has his own production company, and he can also get a lot of dividends. He is one of the richest people in Hollywood.

Finally, his role doesn't seem that difficult to play. Although Tom Cruise is a good person, his co-workers are not dissatisfied with his professionalism.

But this kind of person has indeed obtained all the advantages that a Hollywood actor can obtain. In addition, he also believes in a strange belief... When people talk about him, they always have the idea that they just can't get his role, and if they do, they can play it, and maybe even better than him.

"Oh, Tom just said he would like you to take a look at the rough cut of Mission: Impossible. Please give me some advice..." Diane nodded and relayed Cruise's invitation.

"Can I not go?" Ronald shook his head.

"Of course not. If you give him some affirmation sooner, he will be able to join my project wholeheartedly sooner."

"Hahaha," Ronald laughed. Diane had been waiting for this project to start for a long time.

We have a video call tonight, so I’m sorry that the content is a little missing.