Exploiting Hollywood 1980

Cameron Crowe is slightly older than Ronald, but looks more like a high school student than Ronald. He has long hair parted in the middle, shorter than the Beatles and longer than the bob. Wearing a T-shirt on the upper body, jeans and tennis shoes on the lower body, and carrying a backpack.

He is the author of "fast times at ridgemont high."

Ronald was surprised by his outfit, he looked more like a real teenager than an author.

Agent Richard asked the author to meet with Ronald through Universal Pictures. After the two authors introduced each other, Cameron Crowe took out a book with a blank cover and handed it to Ronald.

"This is a sample book that Simon \u0026 Schuster is slated to publish early next year, and they gave me a contract two years ago, and I spent a year undercover at Claremont High School in my hometown of San Diego. And then I wrote this. Universal The film company was very satisfied with the sample book and gave me an option contract to purchase the film adaptation rights."

Ronald took the book and flipped through it. The book was less than 250 pages long. It was a youth book. He could probably read it on the plane.

"It must be difficult to go back to high school undercover, right? Do you have to be very careful about people discovering that you are an undercover writer?"

"On the contrary, I was undercover at Claremont High School for 10 months, and no one ever found out that I was an adult. During the prom, the principal even forgot who I was." Crowe chuckled.

"He interrogated me for half an hour, and finally agreed that I would be an undercover agent after he found out that I had written a biography for singer and movie star Kris Kristofferson."

Ronald was also made to laugh by Crowe. He liked Crowe's personality very much. He had stayed in Hollywood for a long time and met a writer who didn't usually act. The two had a very pleasant chat.

"Actually, I think anyone who goes back to high school can quickly integrate into being with teenagers. Of course, I take advantage of being young." Cameron Crowe continued to talk about his experience, "The memories of those teenagers are just Sealed in our memories, they will soon be inspired as long as the right situation comes."

Ronald nodded, feeling the same way. "I also think so. When I was revising the script for 'Famous,' I was with some students from an art high school, and I could quickly understand their thoughts, and the memories of high school would flow out like a floodgate."

"That's right." Cameron Crowe was delighted to have a playwright who thought the same thing.

"The really hard thing is growing up again. When I went to the prom at Claremont High School, my mom complained and said, Cameron, you used to be a very mature kid and you never had to worry about prom and driving a car. I was so excited when I drove to the dance."

"Hahaha……"

Ronald flipped through it. It contained many detailed descriptions of high school life. It begins and ends with two siblings, Brad and Stacey, from a middle-class family. Interspersed with many of their own emotional stories and stories about their friends, it is a group portrait of teenagers growing up.

He put the sample book on the table, closed the cover, and then said sincerely to Cameron Crowe:

"Cameron, I really like your beginning and end, and I think I will read it quickly. But you can adapt this yourself without my help. You are the best person to write it. The person who wrote this script.

There is no secret to the so-called script format. You can learn it by buying a few copies and reading them. But the emotions of those characters, the development of the story, and the detailed treatment, only you can do it in the world. "

Cameron Crowe scratched his head like a high school student, "Ronald, this is why I asked an experienced screenwriter to help me."

He took the book, opened the pages, pointed to each name and said to Ronald, "This Mark, nicknamed 'Mouse', is a good friend of mine. He is a nerdy geek who is very good at understanding technological products. , but I’m not very good at making girlfriends.

This was Linda, the first friend I made at Claremont High School. She is a social butterfly and knows everyone in school. The main character, Stacey, is Linda’s best friend.

This is Jeff Spicoli. He is a good surfer. Sometimes his brain is not very bright, but his surfing is professional.

…

All of these people are real people that I know, and I can't let go of any of them. The movie is only 90 minutes long and cannot contain all the characters and plots. My emotions prevent me from choosing, and my lack of experience does not allow me to analyze which plot is important.

I heard Richard say on the phone, you don't want to take the credit away from me, and I appreciate that. But I do need your help, otherwise it won't turn into a successful movie, and I'll feel sorry for my friends. I've developed a friendship for these characters and their prototypes, and I want them to be brought to life on screen. "

Ronald nodded and put it in his bag. "I understand your creative impulse. I will watch it first and then decide. What does Universal think of your adaptation?"

Cameron Crowe has written a slightly more detailed story than a synopsis and submitted it to Universal Pictures.

"They had a lot of opinions and wanted me to eliminate half of the characters in the script and focus the story on Brad and Stacey, brother and sister. But I felt they didn't understand the story, which is a teenage coming-of-age story. , it would be imperfect without anyone.

Teenagers are hopeful about the future and think more about the world than most adults. Because when they become adults, they become busy with trivial things and forget what kind of people they are. This age may be the stage when most people’s minds are most active, full of thoughts and experiences about life and the world as a whole. "

"I understand what you're thinking. You want this to be a group portrait of teenagers."

"That's it!"

Ronald also scratched his head. Like the last "Famous" he participated in the revision of, it was another loose group portrait script without a main story.

"My main focus now will be on the sequel to Universal's other movie script, 'Grease,' so I'm afraid I won't have extra energy to revise your script for the rest of this year."

"It doesn't matter. Both Simon \u0026 Schuster and Universal hope to understand the readers' feedback and opinions before finalizing the script after it goes on sale next year. The publisher's editor is very optimistic about it now, but after all, the market response cannot be predicted in advance."

Ronald understood that Universal's investment and script direction may need to be adjusted based on sales. So I agreed to Crowe and seriously considered participating in adapting this film into a screenplay.

…

After parting ways with Cameron Crowe, Ronald had a YA book in his bag and Universal's revisions to the sequel to 'Grease'.

After the intense meeting, Ronald boarded a plane back to New York. This trip was very tight and I didn’t have time to get together with old friends such as James Cameron and Gale Hurd. I called Gale and learned that she was valued by Roger Corman and had already begun to supervise the progress of some crews and started working as a producer.

Cameron got another job as a special effects model, working on Roger Corman's "Out of the Galaxy." He is also a well-known low-cost special effects expert in Hollywood.

On the plane, Ronald watched Cameron Crowe's "Fast-paced Richmond High" in one sitting.

It is indeed fast-paced, with more than 200 pages, telling the story of seven or eight high school student characters. In addition to the protagonists Stacey and Brad, there are also brother and sister Jeff, a surfer, Mark, a nerdy mouse who has a crush on Stacey, Stacey's good friend Linda, the social queen, and Mike, a kid from a poor family who knows everything...

Ronald was attracted by the storyline and unknowingly arrived in New York.

"I can't watch it anymore. I have to concentrate on the sequel of Grease now." Ronald stuffed it into his bag and called a taxi back to his aunt Karen's house.

"Ronald, America's quadrennial election is coming soon. You are 20 years old and can already vote. Can you tell your aunt which candidate you plan to vote for?" At the dinner table welcoming Ronald home, Aunt Karen asked Ronald slightly seriously.

Yes, I was not old enough for the last election. This is something that my aunt values ​​very much, and she considers it an obligation. Ronald didn't really care about this, and would have forgotten about it if Aunt Karen hadn't mentioned it.

"I haven't decided yet. I'm not very satisfied with the current president. Oil prices and the economy are not good. But the governor of California used to be an actor. I don't know if he can really change all this." Ronald decided first Wait for a moment, understand it first and then talk about it.

"That's just right. The Women's Voting Alliance will hold the second live televised candidate debate next week. Watch it together. This will help you make better choices."

"Okay, okay..." Ronald agreed vaguely.

multiple copies

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