[Chapter 540: Watching]
William White did not push for IMAX, at least not for the movie he directed, which was not an IMAX film.
Clearly, funding could not be a reason. For these big shots in Hollywood, investment was never a question for his films.
Some said, if your movie is a sure bet to make money, why look for investors? That was just nonsense.
Well, the truth is, there was really no such thing as a guaranteed profit. You could only say that the likelihood of profitability was high.
In Hollywood, every movie was treated like a project. If a project was big enough, it could lead to financial packages. This was a very scientific method; William White was not trying anything unconventional.
Wall Street was quite eager to invest in William White's films. Just look at the return on investment for the James Bond movie -- it was like hitting the jackpot.
However, regarding IMAX theaters, Wall Street wasn't so optimistic. In their view, there wasn't much value; it might end up like the 3D films of earlier years. A trend would come and go, leaving very little behind.
The viewpoint of Wall Street represented the opinion of the majority. At least, the big shots in Hollywood shared this view, whether they were old-timers or new-money types. Everyone kept a wait-and-see attitude towards this new trend.
In fact, William White should feel lucky; if it were someone else, they would probably be met with ridicule.
Of course, there were plenty of people waiting to see him make a fool of himself. It was hard to say why they didn't dare to speak out. After being slapped in the face repeatedly, how could anyone stand tall?
William White didn't care about others' opinions. Nicole Kidman inviting him for coffee was much more important.
Although he didn't have any weird thoughts, he did feel a slight excitement. After all, he had been incredibly busy lately, and he definitely needed to unwind.
...
Even though he entered the situation awkwardly, there were no obstacles. Cough, that was just someone thinking too much. With fresh and delicious lamb chops right in front of him, who wouldn't want to take a bite? Maintaining them in pristine condition was already quite a feat.
Well, any seasoned driver knew that this level of vehicle brought the highest level of driving pleasure. New cars couldn't be pushed to the limit; typically speaking, cars with 20,000 to 30,000 kilometers on them provided the best driving experience.
Clearly, this supercar from Australia was just that.
"My God, is that white of yours natural?"
"Hey, take it easy, you silly guy."
"Huh, you didn't call me that a minute ago. Wait a second, let me think."
The little lamb felt a bit dizzy; they'd been talking about dancing just moments ago. How did they end up in the bedroom? Damn it, why was he being so forward?
The boy had gotten a new toy, so, you know how it goes, king or not, he was going to slack off.
"Damn it, I want to go home. I've been here for three days, and I don't even need to wear clothes. Is that thing of yours electric? If it is, it's probably out of juice by now."
"Alright, alright, I apologize; it's mainly because you're just too charming. Seriously, no wonder they call you the big white sheep; you really are very white."
The little beauty was furious; this jerk had been running her ragged day and night for the last three days. Okay, even though she enjoyed it, it was just too much.
"How about we go shopping? Let's check out the sunset on Sunset Boulevard."
"Are you sure there's a sunset right now?"
"Alright, alright, my watch is broken. How about we look at the stars? Or we could go out on the water."
"Let's just stick with Sunset Boulevard; I'm worried you'll keep me locked on that boat for days again."
Her comments made William White feel a bit sheepish; okay, this jerk was exactly planning to do that.
These few days of experiences were unforgettable for Nicole. Prior to this, she hadn't thought much of it all. To her, with the help of electric gadgets, men weren't necessary.
However, she had clearly misjudged the situation. That damn guy was nothing like anyone she had dealt with before.
The pile of clothes and bags on the carpet, even though she liked them, didn't matter too much. What thrilled her was that tomorrow, yes, tomorrow, many newspapers would surely run the story.
Yes, she wanted to be famous; she wanted to become the brightest star in Hollywood. Being locked inside a room was not what she desired, even if it were a golden room.
She cared a great deal about attention and exposure. Yes, only William White could bring all that. Anywhere he appeared could turn into a media hotspot.
...
"William, I heard you've got a girlfriend now?"
"George, you know I like helping newcomers out. Just building their profiles -- I'm just going along with the hype."
"Hahaha, you're downright shameless. To say it so boldly, you nearly had me believing your nonsense. By the way, oil prices might be unstable recently. If you're planning an acquisition, you better move quickly."
"Understood. Speaking of which, I'm not going to the World Cup; I'm really busy with this film."
"Yeah, I think I'll just catch the opening ceremony. I heard it's really something. They're planning to hold a runway show in the stadium."
"Ugh, no interest. The supermodels are too skinny -- all bones. If one of them breaks a leg, it could be a big problem for the guys."
"Hahaha, you can't be that dramatic."
"Please, my boxing coach told me Tyson might not even stand a chance against me. What do you think?"
"No way!"
"If you're not scared, I'll fight you with one hand tied behind my back."
The young Bush's call informed William White that tensions were rising in the desert region. You see, consumption was no longer enough to stimulate oil prices; the only thing left to affect it was war.
William White knew that even if a war broke out, it could only impact oil prices for a short while. The economic growth in Asia was sluggish, and negative growth was already a given. Outside of Germany, which maintained high growth, the rest of Europe was in bad shape.
It was said that their situation was quite similar to Asia. There was a phase of rapid growth after the war, but the difference was that Germans had their unique understanding of finances.
They had financial institutions but preferred traditional industries. They were also disinterested in public financing. Expansion and diversification were considered foolish moves.
Such an interesting attitude had allowed them to avoid one economic crisis after another. Well, they certainly didn't escape the Americans' schemes in the end.
In a country surrounded by a bunch of tough guys, talking about welfare systems was just nonsense. No country could bear that burden.
The first rich people should find ways to help the poor. The first rich countries also need to do this. Everyone knows who said that some people should be allowed to get rich first, but the latter sentence is the key point. Why do you ignore it?
*****
https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.