That evening, MGM posted a one-minute video featuring Bumblebee on their official website, including a ten-second transformation clip.
Although the video was still somewhat raw and hadn't reached a perfect level, it only needed a bit more polishing.
Creating this character and its movements, from MGM's initial sketches to the initial stage completed by Weta Digital, took over a month. This timeframe was quite short, considering that Eric personally supervised the process and made on-the-spot changes.
Otherwise, completing it within a month would have been impossible – it would have taken at least three months.
In Park City, at The Chateaux Deer Valley, Eric rented another large villa.
Besides good drinks and food, of course, there were beautiful women. By spending money, he quickly arranged a visit from high-class call girls, allowing Serge to finally let off some steam.
Now, both were sitting in a hot spring, and this old fellow finally stopped grumbling.
"You look much better," Eric noted.
Serge, as if immersed in meditation, took a deep breath, still recalling recent events.
"These girls you found are really good. You folks in showbiz certainly know your stuff."
"Uh, you don't get it, buddy. These are just high-end girls, $2000 per visit. Since it's Sundance, they raised their prices."
"This time we have little time, but if you want to try a real star, next time I'll arrange it."
Serge asked with interest:
"Can you get Kate Winslet? I really like her."
"Kate Winslet?" Eric was surprised.
"Titanic?"
This thirty-year-old man suddenly blushed:
"Yeah, her, Rose from Titanic. She's a dream for many men."
Eric couldn't believe his ears.
"Buddy, you're almost forty, and you still believe in those pure romantic dreams?"
Seeing Eric's astonished look, Serge hastily explained:
"Actually, my family life isn't very happy. Rachel, my wife, and I have been living apart for a long time. In essence, we each live our own lives."
"We were never in love. It started back in high school. One night, and I hit the 'jackpot.' That's how our tangled married life began."
"Serge, with your status and position, what does that 'jackpot' mean? Couldn't you have just given her money and parted ways? Why did you decide to get married? That's too high a price," Eric asked, astonished.
Serge shook his head sadly:
"You don't understand. Even though my last name is also Hassenfeld, I'm just a distant relative."
"At that time, I was as young as you, if not younger. I didn't know the wealth and fame of the family, I was just a poor guy. State laws prohibited abortions, and I had no choice but to get married."
"Over time, working at Hasbro, I gradually rose to my current position."
Eric gave a thumbs-up:
"In that case, you're really something, achieving everything on your own."
Serge fell silent for a moment, then smiled bitterly:
"To outsiders, it seems that way, doesn't it? But actually, it's not."
"The reason I became Hasbro's CEO is that both of Allen's sons died in an accident, and he had no heirs."
"And I was the one who obediently followed all orders, so this position ultimately fell to me, that's all," Serge sighed.
"Then..."
Suddenly, Serge seemed to open up, either suppressing it for too long, and started talking non-stop about his life.
Eric began to feel a certain melancholy, realizing that this man, seemingly brilliant on the surface, actually lived quite differently. Instead of being a CEO, he was more like a puppet controlled by his distant relative, uncle Alan Hassenfeld.
Eric learned that his plans for Hasbro had once again turned Serge into a punching bag for Alan's anger. He said he felt like a dog constantly circling at the master's feet.
His only joy was sex; only that way could he regain some self-respect.
Eric sighed and took a bottle of strong vodka from the cabinet.
"Have a drink, at least tonight you can forget about your problems."
Serge unhesitatingly drank the vodka, over 60% proof, and his face instantly turned red from the burning.
"Don't overdo it," Eric warned.
He got up and left, and soon two tall and beautiful girls entered the hot spring.
Meanwhile, online, the video from MGM garnered a lot of attention. The one-minute clip quickly spread across various forums.
MGM also placed an ad on Yahoo's homepage, and everyone who visited the site saw the impressive transformation of Bumblebee first thing.
Many people, initially not interested in Transformers, were inadvertently attracted. While some die-hard fans criticized the differences from the animated version, most still supported the new approach.
After all, who watches Transformers for ordinary people? Everyone is waiting for the spectacle of Autobots and Decepticons. The main thing is to make them well, and the movie is already half-successful. MGM's video proved this 100%.
The next day, when Eric and Serge met again, they tacitly agreed not to mention the events of the previous night. Serge once again looked like a confident CEO.
At 9:30 AM, with the market opening, Hasbro's stock indeed began to rise rapidly.
"Hahaha! It worked! The stock is going up! Eric, you're a real genius!" Serge exclaimed.
"Look at these people, they're all captivated by this video. Is that Bumblebee?"
"Yes, we agreed with General Motors, in the movie he'll be a Chevrolet," Eric replied with a smile.
Serge, watching the transformation, exclaimed in admiration:
"This is simply incredible! A completely different emotion compared to the animation. I have a feeling that when the movie comes out, these Transformers will sell like hotcakes."
A thought flickered in his mind about the bet: "Fourfold sales growth... is that possible?"
But he quickly dismissed his doubts:
"Eric, now that everything is settled, I need to return to New York to Alan. I hope MGM won't make any more hasty decisions."
Eric, smiling, extended his hand:
"Be confident, good luck on your way, and I hope our future cooperation will be fruitful!"
"Fruitful cooperation!"
They hugged, and Serge got into the car.
Some of the people accompanying him were puzzled: how did it happen that yesterday they almost fought, and today their relationship became so good? It was really strange!
Watching the car drive away, Eric thought about yesterday's conversation. Maybe Serge would become a good ally for him.
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