Chapter 6 You Are the Director
Are you sure you want to do this, Leah?
Putting down the coffee cup, George Lucas broke the quiet atmosphere of the cafe with his surprised words, and he quickly lowered his voice, This is too risky!
I'm Duke's mother.
Slowly sipping coffee, Leah Rosenberg's voice remained flat, I know how realistic Hollywood is, if I don't help him, who else in the world will help him?
She raised her eyes and looked at George Lucas, her black eyes were as calm as water, I'm just doing something within the power of a mother.
After you called me last night, I carefully studied the script.
Seeing his friend's resolute attitude, George Lucas quickly regained his composure and said the most basic facts, If a movie wants to produce the effect of the script, it will definitely require an investment of tens of millions of dollars. I watched Duke For a video shot, he really has a lot of ideas, and the fast and sharp editing is also very characteristic, but he is inexperienced!
George, give me an exact number. Leah Rosenberg directly ignored George Lucas' last words, How much money Duke needs by your estimate?
After watching his friend carefully for a while, George Lucas stroked his iconic beard and said slowly, If it is produced by Lucasfilm, the special effects are completely handed over to Industrial Light and Magic, and it is estimated that it will be about 12 million US dollars. It can be done, but Duke is a rookie and the number is bound to increase, at least $15 million.
I'm going to mortgage two properties in Santa Monica and San Francisco as soon as possible. Leah had this idea when she first saw the script, and after weeks of deliberation, she made up her mind. At this time, she seemed to Talking about trivial matters, With some of my savings, I have no problem getting together $10 million, and I'll figure out what to do with the rest.
Leah, you're taking a big gamble! George Lucas reminded her.
George, push it forward twenty years... Leah's calm eyes finally revealed all the light, When we started our business, when did we decide not to gamble? Do you remember the situation when shooting Star Wars? Ninety percent of people in Hollywood say you are a fool, and all the film critics in North America are calling you trash, so what happened?
Hearing his best friend mention his favorite thing, George Lucas couldn't help but smile, took a sip of coffee, You have so much confidence in Duke?
no confidence.
Leah Rosenberg's words almost made George Lucas spit out the coffee, But as a mother, I am willing to create a chance for him to succeed, even if he fails, it will just lose two properties and some money, I can bear this loss.
Seeing George Lucas nodded slowly, her voice gradually slowed down, George, we have known each other for 30 years, and I have never asked you to help me with anything, the production and distribution of the film...
These are all handed over to Lucasfilm.
Now that Leah decided to take on most of the investment, and said such solemn words, George Lucas no longer persuaded him, he thought for a while, If I am interested in this script, those film funds will definitely be willing to pay for the rest. The investment pays the bill.”
This kind of thing that borrows chickens to lay eggs and sells human feelings is easy for Hollywood bigwigs to do.
After reaching an agreement on the general direction, the two discussed some specific aspects. It was not until half a day later that they left the cafe separately.
Duke didn't know anything about his mother's decision. Although he never gave up hope, he also clearly realized that the opportunity would not appear in a short time, and he had to find a suitable job to support himself.
He is contacting an assistant director of the Captain Hook crew. After Spielberg's crew experienced a financial crisis that led to the shutdown, they finally got the investment and started shooting again in the Universal Studios studio. Duke wanted to return to the crew to work. , Even if it's just a temporary worker doing chores, it is a rare learning opportunity to be able to watch the shooting of Hollywood's fastest shooter.
Most importantly, he must have a certain source of income, slowly waiting and looking for opportunities.
It's not that Duke didn't think about asking his mother to invest, but he just thought about it.
There is no mother who owes her children in this world, he can't ask for more, and Mrs. Leah has also expressed that she is not optimistic about the script.
Stepping back 10,000 steps, even if the mother is willing to invest, without the support of the film company, it doesn't really matter much.
Not to mention the complexity of forming a huge crew without the support of the film company, even if the film is made, the distribution and release is a huge problem.
In this huge industry, the distribution company is always at the top of the food chain. Duke would not be naive to think that as long as he can personally sign a contract with the distributor, the other party will spend millions of huge funds for the film. Make announcements, and then share one-third or even half of the profits with him, a nobody, are the top executives of the publishing company all idiots?
Don't forget, he's a complete rookie, and no distribution company would invest such a large amount of money in a work of a rookie director who doesn't own the copyright, and they're not in the philanthropic business!
Unless the copyright of the film is completely sold to the distributor, but still the question, who will charge a high price for the debut of a new director?
Therefore, he needs the support of the production company or well-known producers. If the producer of the film is a large production company like Lucasfilm, some problems will be solved easily.
A Duke solo production is a completely different concept than a Lucasfilm production or a Warners kind of production, and the perks you get with the publishers will be vastly different.
Why are the directors who have just debuted all the way of producers or film companies? In fact, this is a no-brainer choice.
Because he had previously worked as a temporary worker on the crew of Captain Hook, Duke got the job after just two phone calls, and from the beginning of the new week, he entered the studio of Universal Studios.
Temporary workers like them don't have fixed positions, they are where the crew needs to go, and they do dirty and tiring work.
Like the vast majority of Hollywood production crews, the atmosphere of this production crew is definitely not harmonious, and there are endless battles between the open and the secret. This is an extremely competitive circle. If you want to get ahead, you must use all means to climb up, especially for For those aspiring.
Of course, the king here is called Spielberg, but even a successful director like him will be troubled by funding problems, and even shut down the crew for a while in search of investment.
Likewise, there will be challenges to his authority, such as heroine Julia Roberts.
Before the production was suspended, Duke once witnessed that after taking drugs, Big Mouth quarreled with Spielberg over a trivial matter, and even pushed Spielberg once. Hit the shot.
Probably due to funding issues and the fact that Big Mouth has already filmed a lot of scenes, Spielberg didn't replace her, but it's hard to say that Julia Roberts' sex from the early 90s to the mid 90s has nothing to do with this event. relation.
At the end of the day's work, Duke found a random corner, changed out of his overalls, put on his jacket, walked out of the studio, and walked slowly towards the parking lot along the narrow road among the many buildings.
It is impossible for a temporary worker with no status like him to enjoy the special treatment of battery car.
Despite the tiring work, Duke's back is straight and his tall frame is as strong as a palm tree by the side of the road.
The sound of braking suddenly sounded from behind, and a white six-seat battery car stopped steadily beside him.
Duke Rosenberg?
A somewhat familiar voice came, and Duke turned to see that Rick Solomon was sitting in the driver's seat of the battery car.
With a slight nod to the other side, Duke turned to leave.
Hi Duke!
Rick Solomon first honked the horn of the battery car, and when Duke's eyes turned back, he said loudly, I heard that you wrote a script and are still investing in various Hollywood companies, how about it? Great director, When will your movie start?
His tone was full of sarcasm, Could it be that your film has already started filming at Universal Studios? This is big news...
Without waiting for Duke to react, he pointed to the badge hanging around his neck, Did you see it? A pass for the Alien 3 crew to Universal Studios! I'm the supporting actor in it!
David Fincher's maiden work? Duke said lightly with the corners of his mouth curved, Congratulations.
Seeing that Duke was still in his usual appearance, without showing any envy or jealousy, Rick Solomon said condescendingly, By the way, Duke, I heard from my father the other day that Warner Bros once held a meeting to discuss your situation. script……
Duke raised his eyebrows, and Rick Solomon put on a smile, It's a pity that your Speed of Life was rejected by Warner!
He tapped the steering wheel lightly, Duke Rosenberg, give up your heart to be a director! Let's continue the promising career as a temporary worker on the crew!
Suddenly, the whistle of the battery car came from behind, and it was obvious that one of them and one car blocked each other's way.
Duke took the initiative to give way to the side of the road, but the battery car behind did not leave, but stopped.
Duke?
A girl in her twenties jumped out of the battery car. She was wearing a short-sleeved shirt with a striped pattern and blue jeans. She had a slender body and a contoured face, with a hooked nose, dark eyes, and lips. Protruding and full, with a smile, the mouth is upturned, revealing the white teeth.
Hi, Sophia.
Duke waved to the girl who came over. Although he was not very familiar, he had met many times at George Lucas's house. Her father was the famous Francis Coppola, Why are you here? ?
I worked on Alien 3, she said with a faint nasal voice. As a temporary assistant for David Fincher.
Hello, Sophia.
I don't know when, Rick Solomon also jumped out of the battery car and came over to say hello.
Hello.
Sofia Coppola tapped her chin lightly, ignoring the warm smile sent by the other party, and patted Duke's arm hard, Congratulations yet!
Congratulations? Duke didn't understand.
I went to see Uncle Lucas in San Francisco yesterday. Probably a personal habit, she always spoke in a monotone nasal voice, He mentioned you and said that your script was about to be approved by Lucasfilm, and you...
There was a hint of envy in her tone, You are the finalized director candidate.
Is this true? Duke's first reaction was in disbelief.
Can I still lie to you? Sophia crossed her arms, looked at him and said, It is estimated that Lucasfilm will inform you soon.
Okay, let's not talk about that. She pointed to the battery car, Get in the car, I'll take you to the parking lot.
The two got on the battery car, and Rick Solomon over there responded, Hey, Sophia, are you kidding?
However, the only answer to him was the wind from the battery car.
After standing for a while, Rick Solomon got into the driver's seat. He looked at the sun that was about to sink below the horizon, and frowned tightly, This... how is this possible?