"Okay, that's it. If they still don't give in tomorrow, then I will take legal action and send them a lawyer's letter."
After discussing on the phone with attorney Lindsay Dole for more than an hour, Alan Parker's behavior was legally impeccable. The regulations of industrial unions are respected by the law, and revisions of less than one-third can be made without signature.
Of course, Ronald could argue that he wrote the more important plot, but that would require the Writers Guild to intervene in arbitration.
This goes back to the old Catch-22 problem: If you are not a member of the Writers Guild, you cannot apply to arbitrate the authorship dispute. To join the Writers Guild, you also need to have the signature of a screenwriter on a released film.
The two decided to pursue legal action next. Attorney Lindsay Dole explains the preparation, evidence and witnesses required for prosecution.
The lawyer said there was little hope of winning, and Ronald's most realistic goal was to force MGM to settle out of court.
This kind of script-stealing scandal will be picked up by the gossip media when the movie is released. If the audience has a strong negative perception of it, it may force the studio to settle the matter.
For example, Michael Cimino, the director of Fat Boy, had a falling out with Dalek Washburn, the screenwriter of "The Deer Hunter". Fatty said that screenwriter Dalek's first draft was so bad that he completely rewrote it. The screenwriter Dalek said that Fat Boy only changed a few dialogues and wanted to take the script as his own.
The controversy broke out when "The Deer Hunter" was released. Distributor Universal quickly reached an understanding with the Writers Guild and arbitrated the screenwriting credit to Dalek.
Ronald and the lawyer lady also pinned their last hopes on a similar situation.
But the side effects of doing this were also huge, and Ronald was a little hesitant. Totally offended the director, not the producer. MGM will also add itself to the blacklist, and other major studios will also know about its "glorious deeds."
It's better to send a lawyer's letter first and see the other party's reaction.
If it can be resolved, it's better not to go to court.
"Ring ring ring ring..." The phone rang.
"Hello, I'm Ronald."
"Ronnie? I'm Roger Coleman. Gale told me about you, how did it happen?"
While Ronald was thinking, he received a call from Roger Coleman.
I told Roger Corman the whole story of the whole thing, how I tried to challenge the producer, how I almost succeeded but was counterattacked by the director, and what legal action I was going to take next.
"Are you really going to take legal action?"
"I am still undecided. Both my lawyer and the other party's lawyer told me that the chance of winning the case is slim. I want to place my hope in the studio's negative public opinion when the movie is released and make them give in."
"Then what? Are you going to take that script with your signature and be kicked out of the film industry forever? Put the script in a bookcase at home and lock it up? When you are old, tell your grandson that grandpa also had the opportunity to be a movie star. The director makes the movie?”
"I admire your business acumen for discovering midnight movies in New York. But your plan to pursue legal action disappoints me a little, Ronnie. I thought you could find a better way."
"What should I do, Mr. Coleman?" Ronald asked the other party immediately.
"Let me tell you something about lawyers, Ronnie."
"Lawyers make money not by winning or losing, but by litigating. As long as you go to court, they make money. So under the same circumstances, they always tend to let you use legal means to solve the problem."
"Businessmen don't think like this, you know? In the ten years after World War II, I made films for American International Film Distribution Company. I never signed a contract with them. The two parties just shook hands. Even if it was agreed, we would abide by the promise afterwards. ,Do you know why?"
"Because the people were simple and honest at that time?"
"Hahaha, of course not. Because those who negotiated contracts at that time were self-made bosses, unlike now who are professional managers."
"Business cooperation is based on mutual benefit between both parties. The role of lawyers is only to formalize this mutually beneficial cooperation in legal form. As long as there is mutual benefit between both parties, why should we change the original commitment? In that slow-paced era, there were There is no contract, there is no big difference."
"You are a business-minded person, and the idea of Midnight Cinema is great. When you encounter things in the future, don't just look at it from one angle."
"I understand, Mr. Coleman, thank you." Ronald felt that his perspective was indeed somewhat restricted.
“Confucius, the wise man from the East, once said that when looking at a problem, we must grasp the main contradiction.”
"In order to make Gone with the Wind in Hollywood, several rival studios even joined forces to contribute their own movie stars and cooperate to complete this masterpiece. The key is that everyone realizes that this movie will be a big hit once it is made. earn."
"As long as there is an expectation of increased profits, the conflicting parties will also bridge their differences. As long as there are common interests, there is no fear of non-cooperation between the two parties."
"Of course legal means are also important, but they are mainly used to deal with untrustworthy scoundrels, or to reduce losses afterwards."
After hanging up the phone with Roger Corman, Ronald began to re-examine the issue of the script's signature.
The reason why the producer and director are unwilling to change the contract and sign their names. There are only two reasons:
1. The value of your own script is not high enough to enhance the final box office and artistic achievement of the movie.
2 Since he does not have the backing of a union, he will have less trouble dealing with himself than he would with the original screenwriter, union member Christopher Gore.
Miss Attorney Lindsay Dole's strategy has solved the second problem. The main thing holding him back now is director Alan Parker. As long as he feels that his script can solve his artistic achievement problem and help him make a classic...
Ronald took out the script again and read it carefully.
The problem still lies in Doris' scene. Director Alan Parker seemed to subconsciously sense the contradictions of this character, so he constantly urged himself to make revisions.
A shy singer who cannot sing well will not be able to pass the entrance interview. An actor can be admitted based on his looks and body.
Ronald loaded the letter paper on the typewriter and started writing again. He changed the setting for Doris. It was no longer the singer Barbra Streisand, but the undebuted actress Jane Fong. Da.
During the entrance interview, Doris couldn't perform the planned script, but her shy and anxious look was very real, and her appearance and voice were very good. The interview teacher gave her a pending decision, and she was lucky enough to enter the Performing Arts College.
While attending the midnight show of "The Rocky Horror Picture Show" with Latin boy Ralph Garcia, Doris was infected by the audience's enthusiasm for the performance and rushed to the stage to join the performance. Her desire to perform finally broke through her shyness. obstacles, a real actor is born...
All major scenes of Doris, including interviews, love affairs, transformations, etc., have been revised. Ronald realized it was already 4 o'clock in the morning. When I enter the state, I really can't remember the passage of time.
After working for most of the night, Ronald had revised far more than one-third of the total scenes, almost half. This is mainly because Doris, like CoCo, is a linking character that connects multiple main characters.
Several protagonists in the acting department are all driven by her plot. He fell in love with the Latino boy Ralph, and was also a good friend with Key's student Montgomery.
Ralph performed stand-up comedy on stage for the first time, and Doris invited many students to come and support him. It was also because of Doris's encouragement that the character Montgomery came out as gay in an acting class.
Ronald poured himself another small glass of whiskey and honey to soothe his tired nerves.
With this bomb, I'm not afraid that director Allen won't appreciate it. In that case, he will support himself, right?
However, I cannot directly show the script to the director.
Allen played a trick today. He took out his script and rewrote two pages to replace it. If you show it to him without finalizing the signature issue, then he will definitely do the same thing again, take his own creativity, change some details, and treat it as his own creation.
Ronald put down his wine glass and started rubbing his forehead again. Overloading his brain for a long time made his head feel a little swollen.
You can't let him see it in advance, but you have to let him recognize the value of his creation, so that his film can reach a higher level in terms of art. How to do it?
Unless you find an intermediary who also recognizes the director's artistic vision, there will be no real conflict of interest with both parties.
Ronald took out his address book and business card book and started flipping through them one by one.
I still know too few people in the industry.
Roger Corman was far away in Los Angeles, and Alan Parker didn't necessarily approve of his exploitation film mogul's artistic vision.
Erin from the Stella Adler Center is just an acting coach, and her opinions are not authoritative.
If only I knew an Oscar-winning director.
Michael Cimino's fat boy's face pops out.
Forget it, Ronald waved his hand and drove away the image of the fat boy. Ask Julia Taylor at the casting studio tomorrow.
Unlike Margery, she no longer works for the "Hot Lunch" crew. And she is much senior than Margaery, so maybe the director will trust her vision.
By the way, speaking of hot lunch, do you still have that snapshot of the adult movie poster? Ronald found the snapshot taken by Antonia, which could also be used as a weapon.
This adult movie with the same name will definitely drag down the box office of the movie. If the producer is told, he should change the name of the movie to increase the box office.
It’s still the middleman problem. If you say it directly, the card will be invalid, but if you don’t say it, the producer won’t believe it.
Where to find a middleman that both parties can trust?
Ronald fell asleep thinking.
