Chapter 3: Chance
Before Levi could say yes, Adam thought his son wanted to reject him. In the past, when he spoke by himself, his son contradicted him every time, making him believe that he should say a few more words to show his son the way. "You know there's no harm listening to me. What's the point of going to places like Sundance all the time? Independent production is for people with no connections, patience, or future. Is it necessary for you to do that kind of thing? You are my son, and the capital I have accumulated all my life is yours. Young man, we praise a person for his ability and good use of his contacts, which is an aspect of ability." Adam began to speak. He did not tell Levi about the benefits of filming T.V. dramas but what he should pay attention to.
"Film shooting is a very mature and complete system. In this system, a lot of people are needed. How many people are there in a crew? One person cannot do T.V. drama shooting. It would be best if you had a lot of people to help you. It requires the collective efforts of all parties to achieve success. This is not a simple matter. Filming requires a lot of staffing and material resources; you will have these things with accumulation. What is the use of contacts? It is to let people know that a good movie has been made. With connections, you can have helpers, financial resources, material resources, and sales channels—without connections; you are nothing. How to accumulate connections? This is a genuine problem. In the accumulation process, some people have to gamble on their future because they have no choice, and no one will take the blame for them. But you are different. You can use better methods to experience and ask others to pay you to exercise—because you are my son, and I am your biggest connection. There is nothing wrong with filming T.V. dramas. Do you know John Aniston's daughter? She used to be a mess in film, and now she's doing T.V., and she's successful and famous, isn't it great?"
John Aniston's daughter? Levi wondered who it was, maybe Jennifer Aniston. Calculating the time, Friends should be on the air now, and she is indeed famous. But has she ever acted in a movie before? I don't know much about it. From the looks of it, her movie career hit the street. But there is nothing wrong with this statement. There are indeed many second-generation performers who switched to the T.V. industry after their film career was down. Levi knows many such examples, and he will not refute them.
"Film directing is your pursuit, but there is no need to cling to it. How many people can become famous and embark on a smooth road? This road is challenging. Tim Burton filmed cartoons, short feature films, and T.V. dramas in his early years. David Fincher shot commercials and M.V.s; Michael Bay made videos and commercials in the early days. He didn't shoot movies until two years ago. Spielberg, needless to say, also started filming the T.V. series, Colombo. Movies are not so easy to shoot. To make movies, you must accumulate enough experience and contacts before shooting good enough things."
Levin nodded. He didn't know whether little Levi would understand these reasons, but he understood.
Since he discovered that he had time-traveled and was still a person in the show business circle, Levi was thinking about how he should get along in this circle. He was still thinking about whether he should consider how to make a small-budget movie to start his career, but now, Adam's words gave him more choices, and it was an inspiring choice.
It is a better way to take advantage of the capital rise of this cheap daddy. Although Levi doesn't think he needs any exercise, he is sure he can take a shortcut to success. However, even if he doesn't need practice, he still needs to accumulate—not to increase his ability but to accumulate capital, get enough funds, and prepare himself for future filming. Gathering funds in the field of T.V. dramas is a better choice than getting funds in the field of movies.
There are all kinds of rumors in the film industry, and some even make people feel a little unbelievable. For example, according to rumors, Quentin spent $50,000 to film Reservoir Dogs, and Nolan found a few friends to film his first film, Follow. These myths are all urging people to make progress.
However, such myths are, after all, rare. Moreover, it is rarely mentioned that Quentin spent 50,000 US dollars to prepare to make a movie, but before the filming started, he got the help of producer Lawrence Bender. Not only did he have 1.3 million U.S. dollars, but also excellent actors joined. And it is true that Nolan only spent 5,000 U.S. dollars to shoot the movie, but because he could only use his rest days to find friends to shoot, and the shooting time is only ten minutes a week, he spent a whole year on a short film.
You need money to talk about making good movies, and Levi knows that very well. The capital is generally relatively small for independent films, especially for movies played by unknown directors. At Sundance, it is rare to see a film with an investment of millions. What good things can be shot with an investment of less than one million? In the eyes of some people, this is a lot of money. But among these movies, only a few can be praised. It costs money to make a movie. With money, a good set can be set up and have a good enough scene to shoot a film. If you don't have money, you can only shoot on-site. If you don't have a layout, you can only find your way based on the sense of the lens; If you can't afford to rent a frame, you naturally have no way to play location; if you have money, you can buy a good enough script adaptation, if you don't have money, you can only write the script yourself; If you don't have money, then you can only use amateur actors who are billed by the hour.
In recent years, independent films have become closer and closer to cult films. Isn't it because they can't shoot mainstream things? The language of the camera is monotonous, the shooting techniques are crude, and the problems of the script, actors, and practitioners fundamentally determine the limitations of independent film production. The method of expression, the script's depth, and the actors' ability could be better, so naturally, they can only draw attention with their swords. Because of this, the independent film industry is becoming more and more unacceptable to the mainstream. After all, it is because of money.
Trying to make a film without money is like dancing in shackles. But now, what Adam offers Levi is another way out: why do you have to start from scratch? Isn't it better to use the opportunity of filming a T.V. series to accumulate funds and prepare a movie than to start from scratch?
"You know, ABC was just acquired by Disney last year. ABC has been doing poorly for the past few years and is now trying to find better programs to boost ratings for their T.V. station. This is an opportunity for you. It would be best if you gave it a try. If you can help Disney run ABC well, Disney will definitely remember your name."
Of course, Levi knows this. He knows more than that. He also knows that in the future, Disney will acquire more and more things. Disney just acquired ABC TV station in 1995. Marvel, Lucas Corporation, and Pixar will also become Disney's acquisition targets. In memory, the development of Disney is eye-catching. Such a big company also feels that it is worth relying on. Levi vaguely remembers that in the 1990s, NBC was the dominant American T.V. network, and the other three T.V. networks, ABC, CBS, and FOX, could not compete with them. Other T.V. networks reversed this situation in the new century, and many stories about the competition exist. Now that Levi is here, he can do something in the process.
"I will consider your suggestion."
After thinking for a long time, Levi raised his head and agreed to Adam's suggestion.
In the past, little Levi would hit the street when making movies, but he would be 100% successful when making movies by himself. Although, in Levi's view, as a time traveler, there are countless possibilities for success. I need to learn more about this world. I still need to know some things, and I have no reason to refuse the opportunities others offer. Since Adam is his father, he certainly has no reason to harm himself, so what's the problem with accepting his kindness?
As a person who has been in the entertainment industry all year round, Levi knows very well how important it is to maintain a network in the entertainment industry. Moreover, his father ran to his ward to help him. There is no need for him to refuse.
Seeing that little Levi agreed to his suggestion, Adam nodded in satisfaction. "Your choice is wise. There may be a big difference between the actors in T.V. dramas and movies, but there is not much difference for the behind-the-scenes workers. The behind-the-scenes work of T.V. dramas and movies is very fluid and dormant in the T.V. drama industry., It will be of great benefit to your future." Adam continued to teach him, "What is a director? The highest power controller of a movie! Only those who have obtained the final editing rights are the real directors. What does a director need? Talent, authority, and experience. You have talent, but you have no experience. Without experience, you have no authority. You cannot make movies well if you have neither experience nor authority. Go to the T.V. drama industry and practice a little bit. It's of great benefit to your future."
Levi doesn't care much about it. The old Adam said that the three must have both—he doesn't necessarily have talent, but as a time traveler, there are always ways, although it may not be too glorious. Little Levi didn't have experience, but he didn't lack it. I am not a child who knows nothing. I have been in this industry for a long time. Are you still afraid of not having authority? I may not have anything else to say, but when it comes to grasping the direction of future film development and guiding the development of the film in which direction, who else is more authoritative than myself?
He already had these things—how could Levi, who had aspired to be a director in his previous life, not have these abilities?
What he thought more about was the opportunity that Adam provided him: in his previous life, if he wanted to make a movie, he had to work hard to plan, recruit people, find investment, hire actors, let others get stuck on the script, and fund the film. The aspect is always not in place, the big names in the actors, it is difficult for me to direct the action, if I want to shoot a movie or T.V. series, it will be so tricky!
But now, Adam just said a few words casually, giving himself a chance. The opportunity he had been seeking for many years finally came, and he had to grab it no matter what. Now you have the chance to film a T.V. series? Unexpectedly, my dream was fulfilled in such a weird way through time travel. However, this way doesn't matter. The goal is around the corner, and what I think about now is how to realize the dream, not other things.
*****
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