(Here I wish you all a Happy New Year! In the Year of the Rat, you will make a fortune, your work will improve step by step, all your wishes will come true, and everything goes well.)
Wang Yaocheng looked at Xie Yi silently, speechless for a moment, and did not make a promise in a hurry.
This is a sharp knife. If you use it incorrectly, you may cut yourself.
Shay is a very capable producer who has been involved in the upper-class circles of Hollywood for decades. He has deep connections and advantages that Pan Shiyi and Huang Baiming cannot match because he is a white man of Anglo-Saxon descent.
For Shay, the doors to high society were always open.
In the original history
We can see the market potential of "The Lord of the Rings" and Shay, who has been able to produce many hit and best-selling films, is certainly very talented, but he also has a fatal flaw as a film artist, which is that he is too promiscuous.
People with extraordinary abilities also have a big temper, especially those who work in film and art.
This was especially true for Xie, who made a lot of money and became a rice farmer.
Otherwise, it would not be so wasteful that it would bring a New Line Film Company to the brink of bankruptcy, and it would have no choice but to sell out to Time Warner and continue to live in poverty without changing its habits.
In the end, he became disgusted with people and hated dogs, and his smell spread ten miles away in the wind!
Those who engage in art all have this characteristic;
When I was down and out, I couldn't even afford a bowl of instant noodles. When I was swollen, I didn't even recognize my relatives, and I was so dissipated that I had no limit to my life.
This is not a shortcoming of Shay alone, but a problem shared by most Hollywood directors and popular movie stars.
While making a lot of money, I was thinking about getting myself an Oscar statuette for fun.
From then on, he slowly went astray.
In Hollywood from the end of the last century to the beginning of this century, Spielberg was the only one who could achieve double success at the box office and Oscars, so he was the greatest director in Hollywood.
The martial arts drama "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" directed by the famous Chinese director Ang Lee won the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.
The success achieved in Hollywood greatly stimulated director Ang Lee's new ambitions, and he followed up with a commercial blockbuster "The Incredible Hulk", which almost made Universal Pictures lose money.
The famous Chinese-American director John Woo broke into Hollywood and filmed the critically acclaimed and critically acclaimed "Face/Off", "Broken Arrow" and "Mission: Impossible 2". He became very popular in Hollywood, and major production companies came to invite him to direct.
What was the result?
2002
At the invitation of MGM Pictures, director John Woo and Nicolas Cage collaborated on the blockbuster film "Windtalkers" that reflected World War II, trying to explore the profound connotations of war and peace. The result turned into a real box office tragedy, dragging down MGM Pictures.
The industry lost hundreds of millions of dollars.
Therefore a battle
John Woo completely ruined his career in Hollywood, and Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer was plunged into deep losses.
Is it because the director doesn't know how to make movies?
Of course not.
But because I have so many ideas, I want to add more heavy connotations to the film, reflecting on life, society, ethics and morality, exploring the good and evil of human nature, and world peace and so on.
All this caters to the preferences of the judges of major film awards.
The so-called professionalism, artistry and depth.
If these things are mixed into a commercial blockbuster, the main line will be unclear, and the sub-plot will interfere with the telling of the story, and in the end it will become nondescript.
If it is neither liked by movie audiences nor recognized by professional judges at major film festivals, it will naturally be rejected.
European filmmakers are keen on making art films and have developed specialized art film categories.
Most of these cold-hearted things are not recognized by the general public and can only be played in a small circle. The movie box office is so bleak that it makes people cry, and the screening halls can basically run away with mice.
All these
It's like film artists using investors' money to try and make mistakes and compete for nominations for awards at major film festivals.
This matter
Hong Kong's famous Sunglasses King is the worst at his job, and investors have lost money so much that they are about to jump off the building. However, the Sunglasses King is a frequent visitor to major European and American film awards.
a moment later
Wang Yaocheng asked;
"Mr. Shea, have you ever deeply reflected on yourself as to why New Line Cinema has reached this point?"
This question struck Shay's mind like a heavy hammer, forcing him to face the core issue he had been avoiding.
After thinking about it, Xie's eyes gradually became firm;
After encountering repeated setbacks, he finally realized his own shallowness.
The originally rebellious person finally realized it after losing all his chips and was willing to cleanse his hands and use a spoon. This change is not a big change.
Really awesome;
After the storm, the rainbow appears, and the big waves wash away the sand and find gold.
"I now understand that in terms of ability, I am an excellent producer and may have some talent, but in Hollywood there are a lot of such talents.
After all, there is only one talented director and successful film company boss, Spielberg, and more people are engaged in the fields they are good at.
Jeffrey Katzenberg, who was born in Disney, knew that he was good at animation, and he was unique in DreamWorks. He launched the popular animated feature "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" which was both well-received and well-received, becoming a strong competition for Disney's Pixar Animation.
who.
He is very skilled in the art. If he participated in the production of live-action movies, he would definitely be in trouble so that his grandma wouldn't even recognize him.
Gay David Geffen has been working on his own music label, and he has not invested even 1/5 of the energy in DreamWorks, which has allowed his dazzling talent in the pop music industry to flourish.
People must do what they are good at. This is the most profound lesson I learned from failure.
I'm good at making commercial blockbusters, but I'm not good at making niche art films. I should concentrate on what I'm good at.
after all
There is only one great director like Spielberg who has both honors and box office success.
I'm just an ordinary person with limited abilities.
The cruel reality tells me that ideals are full and reality is skinny. Pursuing illusory things without reality is a dead end.
I'm awake!
I will make commercial films in a down-to-earth manner and be an excellent producer. Everything will be based on the preferences of the general public and the commercial interests of the film company, and I will be a pure producer."
Having said what was in his heart, Shay knelt down from his seat piously.
He looked at Wang Yaocheng and said, "In the name of the Lord, I bear witness, I swear here;
From now on, all artistic pursuits will be nonsense. I, Xie Yi, vow to give up vain illusions and become a real commercial film producer. Please give me this precious opportunity."
Wang Yaocheng sat motionless, looking at Xie Yi calmly, with no expression on his cold face, no emotion or pity.
seem……
He was not moved at all, just like a god looking down on all living beings. The suffering in the world cannot inspire any sympathy.
Xie Yi's passionate hope gradually cooled down, and his heart felt like it was falling into the ice abyss...
Just then
A smile spread quietly from the corner of Wang Yaocheng's mouth, he stretched out his strong hand to hold Xie Yi, and said kindly;
"Shay, welcome to our team as senior vice president and producer of Marvel Entertainment Films. I believe Mr. Pan Shiyi and Mr. Huang Baiming will be very happy to have an experienced colleague to share the increasing burden on their shoulders."
Heavy work.”
Holding the boss's warm hand, Shay's body trembled slightly with excitement.
He finally seized this precious opportunity and stepped onto the ship. The feeling of hugging his thighs was so good!
"Your humble servant Shay will use practical actions to prove that he is worth winning over. The knights not only need shields and swords to go to war, but also need blacksmiths to shoe horses. I will do my job well."
"Haha, I highly appreciate your transformation. Please always remember that the film company is our tool to make money, and commercial interests always come first."
"I was so wrong before, but now I understand this wise saying."
Wang Yaocheng spread his hands and said, "I think it's not too late. When working in Hollywood, always remember to never give any director the final editing rights, not even Spielberg. No one knows how this cut will go.
Will hundreds of millions of dollars be wasted? The film company cannot bear such a huge risk."
Shay nodded with emotion. There are too many tragic examples of this in Hollywood.
For major film companies, controlling the final editing rights of a film is a vital lifeline, and they must not be given up to the director easily.
Just like Wang Yaocheng said;
With one cut, hundreds of millions of dollars have been wasted.
For directors and film production companies, it is normal for directors and film production companies to have sharp differences in film editing and final printing due to different concepts. Film companies must adhere to the bottom line.
Film production companies pay attention to the look and feel of movies, shocking special effects, and especially focus on the enjoyment and watchability of movie audiences, even if they are vulgar and in low taste. The ultimate goal is commercial box office.
Directors are different. While shooting commercial blockbusters, they will use their authority as director to add some emotional sub-lines;
My own things such as ethics, family and responsibility, reflection on society, etc. I hope to do my best to display works that are eye-catching.
Different locations will inevitably lead to differences in ideas, which is normal.
1980s
Director Michael Cimino, who just won the 51st Academy Award for Best Picture for the Vietnam War film "The Deer Hunter", is confidently preparing to launch an attack on the Oscar for Best Director and shoot a commercial blockbuster that reflects a profound concept.
At that time, director Michael Cimino was very popular in Hollywood, and he had only one requirement for the film he directed, that is, he must obtain the final editing rights for the film copy.
After choosing from left to right, Michael Cimino finally got the guide for the movie "Heaven's Gate" and started working on it.
but in the end
This blockbuster cost 44 million U.S. dollars, but only brought back less than 3.5 million U.S. dollars at the North American box office.
The disastrous failure of "Heaven's Gate" directly led to the disintegration of the investor United Artists, and also ruined Michael Cimino's infinitely bright director career, which turned from a popular film to a piece of shit that no one cares about.
United Artists, who was unfortunately shot, used a bloody lesson to prove the importance of the final editing rights of the film.
This film company, which came from the Golden Age of Hollywood and was established by Chaplin, Mary Pickford, and Douglas Fairbanks, could only be sold to MGM, which stopped film production and was only responsible for distribution.
Wang Yaocheng will not bet his own money on the professionalism of the director. Producers in Marvel Entertainment Film Company are the people who help the film company keep an eye on the money, and their status is very important.
During the final editing of the film, the producer, producer, and director will have fierce arguments one after another.
The director tries to retain some of his own private goods in the final copy to put a distinct personal mark on the film, while the film company will decisively cut out all unnecessary things and only retain elements that are beneficial to business and box office.
therefore
In Hollywood, there will be a difference between the final film copy and the director's cut, which is a concrete manifestation of this profound contradiction.
The film copy is more than 80 minutes long, and the director's cut may be as long as 120 minutes. For the director, the 40 minutes cut out are all his darlings.
Every time the scissors are cut, it is an unbearable weight on life.