[Chapter 651: Painful Film School]
Christmas -- besides providing comfort to the employees who still had to work, a hefty bonus was also a must.
"Sir, the box office for JFK has come in. On its opening weekend, it only made two and a half million. This means the cut for next week's screenings will be reduced a bit." Lisa was happy; she had no qualms about the misfortune of someone opposing her boss.
"Lisa, it's Christmas. You should be with your family." William White chose to ignore the news from his young assistant. The gap between them was too vast; there was no way for an upset to happen.
"I'm already grown up; they don't really care about me anymore. After I turned eighteen, I stopped celebrating holidays at home."
Seeing the young assistant looking a little down, William White decided not to pursue the topic further. The notion that once you turn eighteen you have to fend for yourself is really a trap. If you truly believed that, how could a kid compete with those from rich families?
"Lisa, the cuts won't be that severe; Warner still has some clout. It's not the summer blockbuster season, so it's not that tight."
William White's judgment was much more accurate than his assistant's. Generally, no theater chain wants to upset the Hollywood giants.
No matter how exaggerated your movie is, five thousand screens is the absolute maximum. Besides E.T. and Jurassic Park, no film ever approached that number.
If you can manage three thousand screens, it's a mega-hit. How many screens are in North America, you ask? More than fifteen thousand.
For big-budget films with an investment exceeding forty million dollars, the current treatment is quite grim. If the numbers drop further, that would be a deliberate slap in the face.
The film market in America is really a buyer's market. Theater chains only dare to bully smaller companies; if you offend a giant, you won't get any favors in the future.
"Lisa, keep an eye on the Oscar updates. I bet those old geezers are having a real headache now. Haha, there just aren't enough awards to go around."
"Got it, sir. Do we need to talk to PR? I heard that The Silence of the Lambs has thrown a million into promotion."
"Eh, forget it. Competing with a bankrupt company? Your boss isn't that bored. Besides, they did make a great film."
The young assistant rolled his eyes, wondering if the boss was interested in that actress. But it seemed like Judy Foster didn't get an audition with him.
William White had no idea what the assistant was thinking. If he did, he'd definitely ridicule it. It's just a can of worms; pointless trouble for small pleasures. Besides, this girl seems to like girls. God forbid if that changed the atmosphere here -- I really wouldn't have any tears left to cry.
What? You say straighten up?
Cough, cough; that really has nothing to do with it. In fact, the lunatic who tried to assassinate Reagan really messed things up for that girl.
And that damned judge -- what kind of romantic declaration is that? If you faced something like this yourself, wouldn't you be just as ridiculous?
...
William White's assumption was correct, the film academy was indeed in a bind. To be fair, the quality of the five films wasn't bad at all.
Jurassic Park is bound to sweep up all sorts of awards in the visual effects category. As for The Lion King, it's already got the music awards in hand. Add to that one The Departed, the awards just won't be enough to distribute.
Counting down the remaining awards, a group of big shots was shocked to discover something. The two most important awards, Best Actor and Best Actress, held no interest for William White at all.
So the question arose: the three films from White Films don't have any significant awards.
Best Director?
Ha, they won't give that to a commercial director. And as for Best Picture, cough cough, that's really a headache.
What? You say they're chosen fairly, that it's impossible to line everyone up for fruit desserts?
Haha, do you think that fat bastard Harvey is out there just swooping in on the best parts?
The so-called suspense is complete nonsense. So what if there are a lot of members? The total votes can still be roughly calculated.
Of course, there's bound to be some chaos. Didn't that soldier film get burned? Wasn't The Shawshank Redemption also blackballed?
Naturally, blackballing these two films came with a hefty price. Just think, two highly-rated films just got tossed aside -- what a huge blow to the Oscars' credibility.
The Oscars following that major event is just a joke. Besides all of Leonardo DiCaprio's tragic performances, there isn't much to say. Alright, there's that crazy fat guy too.
Damn, are these awards really achieved through sleeping your way to the top?
For this year's Oscars, the academy was in a state of indecision. Even if they didn't like William White, they still didn't dare make any moves.
This was an institution that wouldn't take a loss. A little deviation here and there was no big deal; if you dared to play harshly, they'd slap you right onto the shame pole.
...
Oliver Stone was also in a dilemma; this film was a flop. If he could win an award, at least the rental for tape sales might make up some losses. If the Oscars also flopped, then that would be real trouble.
"Kevin, don't worry; you actually have a good chance for your award this time. The Best Actor award won't go to Jurassic Park or The Departed."
Kevin Costner shook his head and smiled bitterly; he didn't want to win at all. This time, he had truly bombed.
"Oliver, you've been under a lot of pressure lately, haven't you?"
"Hmph, I'm not making up stories here. If those guys weren't guilty, why would they attack me?"
Kevin Costner was speechless; come on, next year is an election year. Even if you don't care about these things, you should at least pay a bit of attention. In his view, the film was best shot next year. It would not only miss White's movie but would likely avoid any crossover with the Oscars as well.
William White was someone who genuinely liked commercial films. What he pursued was completely different from people like them who chased after art.
"Oliver, the media under William White haven't torn you apart."
Hearing this, the old-timer was even angrier.
What the hell is this?
Ignoring him?
He considered them rivals, but they treated him like nothing. That was quite humiliating.
Generally speaking, capable people tend to be obsessive. Look, they ignore him, yet he still holds a grudge. If that's the case, wouldn't the film academy that has been sullied by William White be dying of rage now?
...
Everyone was scratching their heads over the Oscars, and William White was no exception. Damn, is this going to be one-on-three?
Knowing that William White was going to make a personal appearance, his women went wild.
You said you are going to be Oscar winners, and a crew walked the red carpet together, what kind of a shit arrangement is that? Isn't it better for you to be together as a company?
This is a disaster; my reputation is already bad enough. If it's a three-pair situation, damn, he is going to be infamous.
Otherwise, how about asking Spielberg to merge the two casts? That way, it wouldn't seem too out of place.
Besides, how do you position people? Having one on each side is fine, but where's the third? Do you need Nastassja to help hold onto the tails of his tuxedo?
Tsk, tsk, this battleground; why don't I just skip it altogether?
Forget it; damn it, whoever cares, I'm all in.
Honestly, William White was overthinking things. The common folk really don't care about the messy matters of the wealthy elite.
As for reputation, heh, that's something he's long since stopped worrying about.
*****
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