章 254: Crown
Levi once told Alexander that he needed technology, funds, and connections if he wanted to make the big sci-fi movie.
More than a year has passed since then.
As special effects movies suddenly became popular, film shooting technology developed explosively. And as Levi's stocks began to make a lot of money, there was no problem with funds. Now, Levi has once again proved his level, and in terms of personal connections, he has accumulated enough.
Standing at the Golden Globe Awards banquet, although Levi was complaining in his heart that he had won few awards, he felt quite satisfied with the attitude of others towards him.
At least others respect him now and hope to get his help. It is very convenient for Levi to communicate with whomever he wants to communicate with directly.
Having connections is always a good thing. Movies are not a job that can be completed by one person. It requires a team of people to complete it. Only with enough connections can one shoot better movies. Levi does not doubt this.
Now that Levi has enough contacts, it is much easier for him to help anyone make a movie. For example, just before the Golden Globe Awards banquet, Levi met Director Zhang again and discussed the shooting of his new film with him.
A year ago, Levi met Director Zhang and told him that instead of filming some martial arts stories, it would be better to film some real big-scene stories. After Levi said this, after a year of preparation, Director Zhang was also ready. And this time, of course, what he prepared was no longer the Hero in his memory but a new movie script.
After 9/11, there were suddenly more war films in the United States, and there were many excellent films among these films, such as the director Ridley Scott's Black Hawk Down, which won many Oscar nominations.
Affected by this, Director Zhang is also preparing to start filming his war blockbuster.
He still chose the same background as Hero, but his script reflects the entire battle and massacre process this time instead of focusing on promoting humanity.
Obviously, he accepted Levi's suggestion that instead of using those so-called flashes of human nature in the war to attract people, it is better to directly use the seriousness of war and deep depression of the film to win.
Therefore, he also made plans. He bought the copyright of the novel John Rabe's diary, The Good Man of Nanking, and hired several screenwriters to adapt it. Then, he relied on his own connections to attract many good actors.
It must be said that after the new century, the decline of Hong Kong movies was irreversible. Many good actors went to China, allowing him to form a good enough team to shoot their film, including actors from Hong Kong, China, and Japan. He also found an actor like Teruyuki Kagawa who was willing to reflect the events of that era truly.
However, before filming, he also needed Levi's help: he had the connections and could find actors, but he needed the funds and technology to start filming.
After all, there is no experience in making blockbuster films in China, and few people dare to invest a lot of money in such a movie. Since it is Rabe's diary, someone has to play Rabe, a German. So, he needed some connections in Hollywood and so found Levi again.
In response, Levi immediately expressed support. He immediately asked people to start calculating the expenses and expressed his willingness to allocate funds to Director Zhang to help him take this crucial step - others did not believe in China's box office, but Levi had enough confidence.
Regarding film production, Levi expressed his willingness to help Director Zhang shoot the film better.
For such a subject, it is far more meaningful to let the Chinese people shoot it than to let people from other countries shoot it. Therefore, letting Director Zhang shoot is also the best choice.
Since Saving Private Ryan, Americans' shooting standards for war movies have reached a new level. Most of today's war movies rely on that movie's legacy, not only movies but also TV series, like Band of Brothers.
Unfortunately, the characteristics of the United States determine that no matter how you shoot the war, it can only be a Band of Brothers and cannot rise above that level.
Insufficient numbers are the biggest trouble.
But when this kind of movie is shot in China, there is no such problem. Levi provided investment and technology and was also looking forward to seeing Director Zhang make this movie to a high level.
To this end, he also found Kevin Spacey to star in the movie. Kevin Spacey was also very interested in this character, who was originally a Nazi but turned into a refugee protector during the war because of seeing the massacre, and agreed to play the role.
Being able to instigate China-US cooperation to shoot such a movie, Levi is quite satisfied with what he has done. This is the role of connections. Planning such a movie is not something everyone can do.
The only regret is that when contacting the distributor, Columbia refused to produce the film - after all, they have a Japanese background, and it is difficult to accept such a subject matter.
However, this is not a big issue. Levi invested in the movie. Someone will always be willing to distribute it. When Columbia refused, Fox immediately took over Levi's film distribution rights.
There has been quite a lot of cooperation between Levi and Fox recently. The series "24" has given the Enigma Company and Fox a certain basis for collaboration. And what they hope at this time is not just the release of a war movie; they are also looking forward to the production of a second X-Men movie.
The production rights of the X-Men movie are in Levi's hands, but the distribution rights are in Fox's hands. Seeing that various special effects movies are popping up like mushrooms after a rain, and almost each one of them makes a lot of money, it is naturally difficult to endure loneliness.
The first part of X-Men was very successful. Nolan showed excellent shooting skills in that movie. Compared with other hero movies, it is more suspenseful, and the story is full of twists and turns.
It was a pity that Levi did not choose to strike while the iron was hot at that time. But now, seeing those movies making money, they are constantly urging Levi.
"Anyway, we need to wait until all the other actors and directors are free before the movie can be shot." Levi did not insist anymore.
It's just that they need to gather many people, which is not easy.
Hugh Jackman is relatively easy to talk about. Although he has been very busy recently, his new film has not yet been decided.
After Nolan left Levi, he filmed Insomnia, but due to too many constraints from the producer, he was not able to film it successfully. Now, he hopes to rely on the X-Men to turn over.
There is no problem with these two people.
But Halle Berry is now competing for an Oscar. Scarlett Johansson is also taking the time to promote, and they don't have free time.
So, they have to wait until after the Oscars.
Moreover, there is also an important actor, Kate Beckinsale, who does not have time to shoot the movie now.
Beckinsale's last year can be said to be extremely busy. She accepted Levi's invitation to film Ball Lightning in the first half of the year. After this TV series was aired, it was very popular.
Many science fiction fans are very satisfied with the reflection of the life of scientists and the emphasis on science in this TV series. Compared with space themes, this kind of TV series is closer to real life but full of whimsical ideas and is more popular among science fiction fans.
And this TV series has also caused a lot of impact, even among science fiction fans. The TV series's ending successfully predicted the United States' sudden failure in the war. Therefore, after 9/11, this TV series suddenly became popular.
Therefore, although, under Levi's forced request, the TV series did not shoot anymore and was finished after only one season, many science fiction fans felt the story was still unfinished. Due to this series' popularity, many people now remember Beckinsale's name.
Her fame has soared, and Resident Evil, filmed by Enigma Company in the second half of the year, suddenly attracted the attention of many people. It was a science fiction story featuring the actress who gained fame from the TV series, which drew attention from many people.
Therefore, even if they want her to come back to play X-Men 2 now, they have to wait until she finishes filming the movie. There were quite a lot of stunts and makeup in that movie, and the filming couldn't be done in a rush.
However, no matter how busy these people are, they don't have much objection to filming X-Men 2. After receiving a call from Levi, they all said that they would immediately start filming the movie as soon as they had some free time.
They all agreed very simply, and there weren't even many problems with the remuneration. Obviously, they know very well that Levi is not a stingy person. Now that their reputation has increased, Levi must be willing to increase their salary.
Networking needs to be established through one's own efforts. A generous reputation, excellent vision, investment ability, and film-making standards; these things have built Levi's current career tower, and around this tower, naturally, there will be vines climbing on it.
So what if he doesn't get the award? For Levi, even if there is no pearl in the crown, he already has the crown.
*****
Thanks and kudos for my patreons
Marcelo Maia
Britanna
Mandy G
Scott DePaepe
Danny York
MMMCMXCIX, or 3,999
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