Chapter 506: Chapter 507: Say What You Want
[Chapter 507: Say What You Want]
"Are you not planning to go to the Golden Globes again this year?" Elisabeth asked, crossing her long legs while sitting next to the dining table, a hint of glee in her voice as she looked at the analysis of the nominees in The Hollywood Reporter for the 50th Golden Globe Awards.
The Globes didn't include technical awards, and Eric's film Twister from last year had strong possibilities in sound and special effects but received no nominations.
"I'll see how I feel," Eric replied, pushing aside the newspaper he had finished reading and slowly drinking his milk.
Although Twister didn't receive any nominations, the Golden Globe Awards still sent an invitation to Eric for the ceremony. He just hadn't decided whether to attend. It was fine not to show up at these events, but once he did, he had to abide by the rules of the ceremony. Given his current level of influence, he would definitely be in front of the cameras frequently, and faking smiles for two hours at the event could be exhausting.
Elisabeth knew Eric wasn't overly enthusiastic about the Golden Globes or the Oscars. She set down The Hollywood Reporter and casually picked up another newspaper nearby, reading the headlines of the entertainment section while she asked, "So, you really won't be vying for an Oscar in the future?"
"Spielberg became a top director with Jaws in 1975, but after so many nominations, those old guys still won't give him a Best Director statue. If they're going to be so stubborn, I don't need to chase after them," Eric commented.
"Speaking of which, this time with Schindler's List, Spielberg should definitely be able to snag the statue, right?"
"Of course. His biggest competition this year is Clint Eastwood's Unforgiven, but Unforgiven is a Western while Schindler's List is a historical drama. Plus, it deals with the Holocaust. Given the Jewish influence in Hollywood, there's no way Unforgiven can compare to Schindler's List. The reason Ben-Hur set records for Oscar nominations and wins was mainly due to its tribute to Jews," Eric said, then suddenly paused. "Hey, Liz, is your family Jewish?"
Elisabeth grinned, shaking her head as she joked, "Nope! So, feel free to say whatever you want. I won't expose your racial bias."
Eric let out a sigh of relief, he had been a bit too casual when discussing race. People were sensitive about racial issues; in a private setting between two people, it was fine, but if he were in a public place or speaking to a Jewish person, some of his recent comments could easily lead to suspicion or resentment.
Americans loved self-deprecating humor, but jabs about race tended to be a volatile subject that could blow up if not handled carefully. Comparatively, the backlash against anti-Semitism tended to be more intense than that against other marginalized groups, as illustrated by Mel Gibson's unfortunate experience in Eric's timeline.
Noticing Eric's sudden quietness, Elisabeth decided to move on. After living in America for many years, she, like most Americans, seldom brought up race issues herself.
Americans typically preferred to act silently when it came to racial discrimination.
...
After finishing breakfast, Elisabeth noticed Eric wasn't in a rush to go to work and brought up another story she had seen in the newspaper. "Paramount's deal with Viacom just got declared void by a Los Angeles Superior Court. QVC has made its first bid -- $7.8 billion! That's way more than what you acquired Disney for last year. I bet this deal will wrap up soon."
"Not likely. Last year, Hollywood movies saw a global box office increase of 15%. I expect it'll maintain similar growth in the coming years. If I hadn't paid a premium for Disney last year, I wouldn't be getting $6.5 billion for it this year. Martin Davis might not be a great film executive, but he is smart enough to realize that if he can't hold on to Paramount, the longer he drags this deal out, the better it is for him."
Listening to Eric, Elisabeth's mind wandered back to events from last year. "Wasn't Martin Davis on Kaua'i when you were filming Jurassic Park? Why didn't you intervene in that? Didn't Summer Redstone give you a lot of trouble when you acquired Disney?"
"That's an interesting topic," Eric chuckled. "Let's say you're racing down a runway with a group of people. If you're already in the lead, will you stop to set up obstacles for the others, or will you keep running to put more distance between yourself and your competitors?"
"Of course, I'd keep running," Elisabeth answered without hesitation. "But I feel that's two different things. Setting obstacles for your opponents won't benefit you, but working with Paramount would be different."
"In the case of the Japanese acquisition of Columbia and Universal, Firefly partnered with them because, under those circumstances, both Columbia and Universal would offer a higher profit-sharing margin. At that time, Firefly wasn't strong enough on its own. But now, if I have good ideas, I can use Firefly's channels to absorb all the profits. There's no reason to set any obstacles just to hand a portion of the benefits over to Paramount. Moreover, the Japanese are outsiders. They aren't too familiar with Hollywood's operating mechanisms. When they see a film company's revenue boosting stock prices, they have to pay up. However, Viacom is different. Redstone started delving into Hollywood ten years ago; he knows the rules very well."
After he finished speaking, Eric noticed Elisabeth pondering and decided to change the subject. He smiled, tidied up the tableware, and asked, "I'm heading to Playa Vista in a bit. How about you?"
Elisabeth snapped back to reality and replied, "I'm headed back to Beverly Hills."
...
At Firefly's Digital Domain special effects center.
Although Jurassic Park used a lot of model effects during production, the digital effects team never ceased their development of CGI technology. After nearly a year of technical breakthroughs, the dinosaur shots required for digital effects reached a level indistinguishable from reality.
Thanks to having ample time, Eric didn't press Digital Domain to speed up. Their meticulous approach meant that post-production on Jurassic Park had only completed 70%. At least another two months were still needed before the film could be fully finished.
Eric and Stan Winston reviewed the recent work, watching the scene where a T-Rex lets out a thunderous roar several times. Stan wore an excited and proud expression. Even two years prior, he wouldn't have imagined he would have the opportunity to create such a realistic depiction of an ancient beast.
"Eric, are you really not planning to showcase Jurassic Park's trailer during the Super Bowl? I think if this colossal creature appeared on the Super Bowl live broadcast, it would shock the entire world!" Stan asked, working deftly on the computer beside Eric.
Eric was deep in discussion about some shot details with a special effects artist. Hearing Stan's question, he replied, "That's exactly why I don't want to release the trailer so early. If we show the dinosaurs' images now, the surprise element will definitely diminish when the movie officially premieres."
"Sure, but even if it's not during the Super Bowl, you still need to air trailers on TV before the film is released, right?"
Eric confidently replied, "The marketing department has already devised a corresponding plan. When the trailer is made, it will primarily feature John Hammond's narration, utilizing appropriate suspense techniques. The dinosaurs will make appearances, but never fully reveal themselves."
"That's indeed an excellent method. By the way, the post-production on Deep Impact is complete. Do you want to take a look at it first?"
"Sure," Eric agreed, and the two walked toward another workspace within Digital Domain.
After multiple revisions, the script of Deep Impact removed any scandalous elements and intensified the human dimension in moments of catastrophe. Moreover, with the powerful technical support from Digital Domain, Roland Emmerich boldly expanded the special effects scenes. This series of changes not only made the storyline tighter but also rendered the already created special effects more impressive than Eric remembered from the original version.
...
"After this summer, Hollywood will truly enter the era of special effects movies," Stan Winston exclaimed as he found a spot in the studio's break area.
If the previous year's films like Terminator 2 and Twister had only hinted at the immense potential of special effects cinema, this summer's blockbusters, Jurassic Park and Deep Impact, would surely confirm the enormous commercial prospects of special effects films if they achieved great box office success.
Sitting separately on either side, Eric and Roland Emmerich joined the conversation. Eric joked, "If that's the case, Digital Domain is definitely going to have to expand again."
"The studio just can't accommodate that anymore," Stan pointed out toward the completed Firefly Studios outside the glass window.
Roland Emmerich chimed in, "I heard that some undeveloped land nearby has been purchased by Firefly. Why not build a dedicated campus for Digital Domain?"
Originally, Firefly had bought 100 acres of land in Playa Vista, using only a third to build Firefly Studios. As the studios and the surrounding area developed, another third would be converted into a community for the thousands of staff and their families working at the studios, with the remaining third reserved for future use.
However, even with Digital Domain's expansion, Eric hesitated over whether they should specifically build a Digital Domain campus in Los Angeles. The tax rates and labor costs varied from state to state; California, being among the top economic powerhouses, had notably high tax rates and labor costs. Even though Digital Domain was currently one of the leading special effects companies in Hollywood with strong profitability, Eric had to consider the future, especially in an era where special effects companies would emerge en masse. Ten years from then, the key to survival for special effects companies would likely be moving to states or even countries with lower tax rates.
Eric shared his concerns with Stan Winston. After a moment of contemplation, Stan suggested, "If that's the case, we should plan ahead and find suitable locations in other states to establish branches, and recruit local employees to come to Los Angeles for training. This measure to create local jobs can earn us more tax incentives."
Eric pondered, "There's no need to rush. After this summer, we'll see how the two films perform and take it from there."
Roland Emmerich grinned, "Eric, do you lack confidence in your Jurassic Park? I've seen some shots, and they're simply stunning."
"Of course not! I just worry it won't meet my original expectations."
Stan Winston, intrigued, asked, "So, what do you think Jurassic Park's box office should be?"
Eric raised his hands from the table, his ten fingers indicating a number to the two of them.
"One billion dollars?" Stan instinctively lowered his voice, carefully asking, while Roland Emmerich's expression shifted to one of surprise.
Eric clarified, "Yes, but I mean the total worldwide box office."
"Even on a global scale," Stan pressed, fixated on Eric as if trying to confirm he wasn't losing his mind. "The current highest box office record hasn't surpassed eight hundred million."
"E.T. grossed $790 million," Roland Emmerich chimed in.
"If E.T. could pull in nearly $800 million globally ten years ago, then why couldn't a billion be possible ten years later?" Eric grinned at the slightly dazed expressions of his companions. "How about we place a bet?"
For reasons unknown, as soon as they heard Eric wanted to bet, Stan Winston and Roland Emmerich immediately recalled a few years earlier when that eighteen-year-old kid made headlines with Columbia Pictures over a wager about Home Alone, which ended in Columbia losing terribly and cost the then-CEO Cohen Blount control of the company.
After a moment, Stan Winston and Roland Emmerich almost simultaneously shook their heads, "No bet."
Eric burst into laughter, "Come on! I haven't made a bet in ages, and I truly don't have a hundred percent confidence this time."
*****
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