[Shout out to Joles!]
Hollywood What If Chapter 199
Fremont Smith lost weight. He was usually a positive guy who had a strong passion for movies.
Right now, Fremont lost his happy mood and was very serious. He was still passionate about his dream of becoming a director. Now that he had become one, he realized that it was not easy at all.
He had worked under Director Grey's crew and gained considerable knowledge. But standing in that position and taking responsibility for the possible failure of the movie was very stifling.
Now he realized that Director Grey, his mentor, was a monster for doing his job so well.
Because of the pressure, there was a time when Fremont would explode and lash out at the newbies. He found an outlet. A natural reaction to such a situation.
Fortunately, he didn't have much strong intention to say hurtful words... He just said some wild things, even calling the new crew members the N-word.
Fremont was amazed that Kazir never got to the point of acting crazy on the set. Fremont felt that his behavior was not enough.
Actually, a lot of directors in Hollywood were arrogant and had a shitty attitude. That was their way of adapting.
As the director of a movie, he should be assertive and never show any weakness. Otherwise, the crew and cast won't take him seriously.
As for lashing out at the crew and cast, so many directors have done that, almost endlessly if you list them. The beef between actors and directors were never ending.
The small screening of Taken 2 was held in the private theater of Paramount Pictures.
Fremont saw many people from Paramount, most of them related to production and publicity management. Even the higher-ups attended the little screening.
Brad Grey and the others were watching Taken 2. Kazir Grey was sitting next to the CEO, taking the movie seriously.
So far, everything was going well.
Perhaps working with Kazir Grey for a few years had an effect on Fremont Smith's filmography. He used a fast cutting style so often.
Fast cutting is an editing technique that refers to several consecutive shots of short duration, about 3 seconds or less.
Taken 2 used the editing style a lot and made the tension build up.
Fremont was nervous because the current movie they were watching was edited by him and his editor team.
If this version was liked by Grey Pictures and Paramount Pictures, then this version would be the official film.
If not, then Grey Pictures would hire new editors and make another version based on their image.
Fremont Smith cared so much about this project because it would affect his future.
If the movie was successful with his version, then he would have more influence on his next movie. He would have more freedom to explore. He could fight for editing rights, something few directors could do.
Frankly, Fremont Smith was grateful that Director Grey gave him the chance to direct a big project. Remember, Taken was the second highest grossing movie two years ago and it had a huge impact on society. Of course, Fremont didn't want the movie to flop.
With his hands clenched tightly, the movie ended and the conversation in the small theater continued.
The higher-ups at Paramount nodded and began to talk about their plan. How to do the promotion and what to do with it. Trailers, advertising, anything that could help Taken 2 make more money.
Fremont looked around, a little confused and nervous. He didn't know if their reaction was good or bad.
Suddenly, both Brad Grey and Kazir Grey stood up and shook hands.
Kazir looked at Fremont and motioned for him to speak to them.
"Brad, this is Fremont. He is the director of Taken 2."
"Nice to meet you." Brad Grey shook his hand before he left. People like Brad Grey were always busy.
"Um, Director Grey, the result... Should we edit the movie?" Fremont muttered weakly, very nervous.
Kazir chuckled and patted him on the shoulder.
"Fremont, can't you see that everyone around you has started taking notes? Even the critics are thinking about the articles they will write based on the movie. Don't worry, I haven't seen a single person who had a negative reaction to the movie. You did a good job. We don't need to edit the movie. So you are responsible for making the trailer. Congratulations."
"Y- Yes! Director!" Fremont Smith smiled sincerely. God knows how many sleepless nights he spent just to edit the movie.
Unlike Kazir, who had 'references' to follow, Fremont relied on his knowledge and experience to make a proper cut.
"Fremont, we are both directors now. Just call me Kazir."
"You are my mentor in this industry and I have learned so much from you."
"Well, calling me director is better than teacher or mentor... On second thought, I think it should be better to call me director."
Kazir was not used to being called teacher or mentor. First of all, he knew that he was not a good director.
Even though this would be the last time Paramount would distribute their film since their contract ended, the company put a lot of importance on Taken 2.
After seeing Taken 2, they believed that the box office would not be bad.
"Congratulations again," Kazir said.
He decided to keep Fremont's cut because it was close to his expectations. Fremont's version was close to the original Taken 2, which Kazir Grey watched in the past.
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After the extensive promotion that Paramount and the cast of Taken 2 did, the first week of November arrived and Taken 2 would set sail at the box office.
In that month, the toughest opponents that Taken 2 would face would be Toy Story 2 and 007: The World Is Not Enough.
As for horror movies, there were a lot of them, and moviegoers were divided on which horror movie to see.
The highest grossing horror movie in November was Sleepy Hollow, starring Johnny Depp and Christina Ricci and directed by none other than Tim Burton.