[Chapter 687: An Unexpected Package]
Award season in Los Angeles was always bustling, and unless they were away on a shoot, most stars would gather in Hollywood during this time. Whether it was for award publicity or looking for opportunities, the myriad parties kept coming, and the celebrities indulged in the glitz and glamour, enjoying the various honors that came with their star status after a long year of hard work.
However, the upcoming Golden Globe Awards held no allure for Eric. He already knew the final outcomes of several awards in advance. For instance, he heard that The Lion King would win Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy. He also knew that, for the sake of Oscar publicity strategies, Kathryn would lose the Best Director nod at the Golden Globes to Mel Gibson. After all, even the Oscars, which had over 6,000 voters, were heavily influenced by public relations, let alone the Golden Globes, which had only about ninety voters.
Compared to the Golden Globes, Eric was more focused on the upcoming Super Bowl at the end of the month. This year's Super Bowl would be broadcast live by ABC, which held a certain symbolic significance for Firefly Group.
Naturally, Firefly's three major summer releases -- Jurassic Park 2, Independence Day, and Toy Story 2 -- had secured prime advertising spots for the Super Bowl broadcast. These three summer blockbusters had almost completed production. After the Super Bowl trailer, Firefly planned to conduct internal screenings for these films based on audience reactions, followed by significant global distribution and promotional efforts.
While he didn't have to rush around for publicity events like many nominees' filmmakers, Eric had been just as busy recently. At the start of the New Year, in addition to attending various important meetings, he personally needed to engage in developing Firefly's film projects for the upcoming year.
After auctioning off the traditional hand-drawn animation department and half a year of recruiting and training, the fully digital Disney Animation Department had taken shape. By the end of last year, it had completed a six-minute 3D animated short that turned out quite well. In addition to over 200 trained digital animators, Eric had coordinated with Pixar to bring a small team led by Pete Docter to Los Angeles to oversee Disney Animation's efforts. Along with Pete Docter came one of his designed projects, Monsters, Inc.
Although Toy Story was Pixar's most recognized animation during that time, Eric felt that Monsters, Inc. epitomized Pixar's imaginative peak. The concept of monsters harvesting kids' screams as energy through time doors was brilliant. What's more, the story's conclusion -- monsters turning from scaring children to bringing them joy -- aligned perfectly with Disney's core spirit of spreading happiness across the world. Therefore, this project felt tailor-made for the new digital animation department. Once Pete Docter presented the storyboard for Monsters, Inc. to Firefly's management, all present executives unanimously agreed to launch the project immediately and provided maximum support regarding the timeline and budget.
Firefly Pictures had also entered a substantial preparatory phase for its two major live-action investments: Titanic and The Matrix.
...
At the studio specially prepared for Titanic, Cameron, who had taken a break for half the year, was enthusiastically detailing his plans after Eric's continual nudges got him back to work. "I've meticulously scouted the environment in Rosarito. Firefly can build a dedicated base there for shooting Titanic. The Mexican authorities are already on board with our plans. I'm also planning to recreate the original Titanic completely, which will take about three months. However, during those three months, the crew can simultaneously shoot corresponding indoor scenes in the studio..."
Standing before a workbench covered with storyboards, Eric gazed at a meticulously crafted model of the Titanic and abruptly interrupted Cameron, stating, "Jim, you're telling me you plan to completely recreate the Titanic?"
Cameron eagerly explained, "Of course, Eric. While it's undoubtedly going to be costly, I believe that's the only way to achieve 100% authenticity. If we solely use models or green screens, the visual effects will undoubtedly suffer."
Recalling the information he had, Eric picked up the Titanic model from the workbench and gestured as he spoke, "Jim, I absolutely agree with building a real Titanic model, but there's no need to replicate it entirely. Look, this ship is almost identical on both sides; we can just build one side. This would save a significant budget, wouldn't it?"
Cameron considered the model thoughtfully, cradling it in his hand. After some hesitation, he responded, "Eric, while that would indeed save some budget, using one side for both sides means that many props, especially those with character designs, would need to be reversed during shooting. This would also increase the post-production workload and consequently extend the production timeline."
"Duplicating a set of reversed props would definitely be far less expensive than constructing a full Titanic model, right? Jim, you should know how massive this project is -- we're talking about a $150 million budget, which is unprecedented. This is also the absolute maximum Firefly can handle, so saving a bit where we can is essential."
Though Cameron still seemed reluctant, Eric's reasoning left him with little ground to argue, leading him to concede, "Alright, Eric, let's do it your way."
Just then, a staff member lightly knocked on the open door, "Mr. Williams, Mr. Cameron, Miss Weisz is ready. Would you like to see her?"
Eric nodded, "Sure, have her come in."
...
In no time, Rachel Weisz entered, surrounded by a group of staff members. Everyone in the studio immediately found their attention drawn to Rachel in her current ensemble.
The deep purple wide-brimmed hat highlighted Rachel's delicate face, yet did nothing to diminish the air of pride and determination uniquely associated with a British lady. The double-breasted jacket dress accentuated her slender figure, the white gloves and the umbrella in her hand perfectly complemented Rachel's graceful demeanor.
Despite the scrutiny from the onlookers, Rachel stood unfazed; instead, she took a few steps forward, a serene smile gracing her lips, elegantly extending her hand towards Cameron, "Hello, Mr. Director, I'm Rose DeWitt Bukater. It's a pleasure to meet you."
Her standard London accent startled Cameron back to reality. He instinctively took her hand and shook it gently, then excitedly turned to Eric, saying, "That's right, Eric, this is my Rose."
Eric teased in reply, "I told you before, Jim, my judgment in selecting female leads far exceeds yours."
"Let's hope you don't apply that same judgment to male leads," Cameron shot back with a hint of mischief, his gaze returning to Rachel. After the initial excitement wore off, he looked a bit more critical, beckoning for the costume designer. "The outfit is quite nice, but the white is a bit too plain. Do you have any other colors?"
The costume designer responded, "There's a black and white striped version, Mr. Cameron. Would you like to try that one?"
"Sure, let's give it a shot later," Cameron nodded, circling Rachel and shaking his head. "The umbrella doesn't suit; I recall seeing something in my research..."
As Cameron continued to reminisce, the costume designer interjected, "Mr. Cameron, you have a keen eye. Rachel should ideally have a wooden long-handled umbrella, but we can't find that style at the moment. We'll have to custom order it later."
"Make a note of that, don't forget," Cameron replied, stepping back while lifting his chin.
...
Eric recognized that Cameron was lost in thought and turned his attention away from Rachel Weisz. He waved towards the petite figure who had been trailing Rachel. Although most people were fixated on Rachel, some still noticed Eric's gesture. Caroline's cheeks flushed, and, feeling a bit shy, she smiled at Eric but still approached him. "Eric, good morning."
Eric stepped aside, allowing Caroline to join him at the broad workbench, smiling as he asked, "Shouldn't you be at work? Is this considered absenteeism?"
"Of course not," Caroline retorted, pulling her neck back playfully. Knowing that Eric was joking, she nonetheless glanced over at Kelly standing a little distance away and raised her chin to explain, "I took time off from Miss Haynes. Rachel just arrived in Los Angeles yesterday, and there's so much I need to help her with. But I can start work tomorrow."
Eric shook his head with a grin, "There's no rush; you two best friends haven't seen each other in ages. Why don't you spend this week with her in Los Angeles and come back to work next week?"
Caroline waved her little hand dismissively, "It won't take that long; it's only Tuesday."
Eric patted Caroline's shoulder, "No refusals. Think of it as my reward for your hard work. Kelly has been raving about how outstanding you are, and I wanted to make sure to praise you."
Caroline's face lit up, but she soon asked, unsure, "Really?"
Eric nodded assuredly, replying with a smile, "Absolutely. I've seen the Qualcomm material you collected; it's very detailed."
Caroline's cheeks turned a shade of crimson, and she instinctively lowered her head. After a moment of gathering her courage, she finally looked up and said, "Eric, Rachel mentioned that she wanted to take you out for dinner to thank you for helping her land the role."
"When is that?"
"We know you're busy lately. Just let us know when you're free."
Eric replied, "I'll notify you then. Is Rachel staying with you?"
"Well, she's temporarily staying at my place with Melanie. But Rachel's agent is looking for her a place. Rachel says... she thinks it's not suitable for her to stay with us."
Thanks to Eric's connections, Rachel's management contract got signed under ICM. Hearing the slight discontent in Caroline's tone, Eric remarked, "If you think that agent isn't doing a good job, feel free to call me anytime. I can have Kepler switch her out."
"No, it's not that," Caroline quickly shook her head. "She's doing well. I'm just a little disappointed that I can't stay with Rachel."
Eric smiled and said nothing more. Having been sheltered by family and friends throughout her life, Caroline was naturally kind-hearted but also slightly dependent on those close to her.
After Cameron had critiqued Rachel, she finally stepped forward to greet Eric before Cameron hurried her off to change. Caroline, feeling a bit reluctant to leave Eric, followed after her.
Just as Eric was about to continue discussing project preparations with Cameron, Kelly approached him and said, "Eric, it's already ten o'clock. You have a lunch meeting scheduled with Qualcomm's Irwin Jacobs and Andrew Viterbi. Chris and Emily just called -- they've already arrived at the Liberty City Manor."
Eric checked his watch; it would take an hour to get back to Malibu from Playa Vista, and he needed some time to prepare. He bid farewell to Cameron and left Firefly Studios.
...
Returning to Liberty City Manor with Kelly, the chef was already preparing lunch. The twins were bustling around in the kitchen, while the little girl and Emily sat at a corner by the glass wall, giggling and discussing something. Chris, reading a magazine on the sofa, was the first to notice Eric and Kelly's arrival and got up to wave.
Crossing through the hall to the glass wall, the little girl and Emily also rushed over.
After greeting one another, Chris didn't immediately dive into Qualcomm business but instead pulled out a thick package and handed it to Eric, saying, "Eric, my dad asked me to bring this to you."
Curious, Eric took the package, sensing it felt like there was a book inside -- heavy. He asked, "What is this?"
They all settled on the sofa. The little girl snuggled up beside Eric and, without hesitation, pulled out the items from the package. It turned out to be a hefty stack of storyboard sketches. From the first one she showed him, Eric raised an eyebrow, recognizing a person in a nutrient pod with tubes sticking all over.
As he flipped through the rest, he found familiar scenes from a certain movie within each sketch.
Noticing Eric's focused expression, Chris chuckled as he explained, "You know my dad started a film investment project to support young directors, right? His agent sends him some scripts every month to choose from. Last week when I visited Dad in Maryland, he happened to receive this package. After looking at the sketches, he asked me to bring them to you. He mentioned that these two young filmmakers clearly put a lot of effort into this. They seem to really love your novel. The Matrix is currently looking for a director, so maybe you could consider them."
With a smile, Eric continued to review the hundreds of storyboard sketches in his hands, feigning ignorance, "What are their names?"
Chris replied, "They're brothers; the elder brother is Larry Wachowski, and the younger one is Andy Wachowski. They've already written a script in Hollywood. Oh, and there's contact information in the package."
As Chris spoke, the little girl helped Eric open the package further, retrieving an envelope and handing it to him.
Eric took it, reading a letter addressed to Jeffrey. The letter expressed a sincere hope that Jeffrey would recommend them as directors for The Matrix.
Chris added, "Dad said these brothers must be worried about sending this to Firefly, thinking it might get thrown out as junk before reaching you. That's why they decided to contact through another route."
Eric neatly put the letter and sketches back into the envelope and smiled, "I'll give this matter serious consideration. But for now, let's discuss the upcoming meeting with Irwin Jacobs."
Chris knew that since the documents reached Eric's hands, given his eye for film, if those brothers were indeed capable of taking on the directing role for The Matrix, Eric would certainly not begrudge them this opportunity. So, he didn't press further and smoothly joined in on Eric's topic, saying, "On the Firefly investment side, I've bought 2.1 million shares of Qualcomm stock. However, there are only 6 million shares circulating in the market. Our recent purchases have probably been noticed. Qualcomm's stock price recently climbed to $19.60, a nearly 15% increase, and the selling volume is shrinking. It might not be easy to accumulate another 3 million shares on the open market."
Upon hearing Chris and Eric discussing the boring company data, the little girl clearly lost interest and stood up, dragging Emily and Kelly toward the kitchen.
Eric stepped aside to allow the women to leave, saying, "If we can't buy more, then we'll have to negotiate for Qualcomm to conduct a directed share increase directly for Firefly Investments."
Chris nodded, having the same idea in mind. "Additionally, I've also researched the three major carriers: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. CDMA through AT&T is likely out of the question, and a group of carriers relying on AT&T will also switch to GSM technology. Conversely, neither Verizon nor Sprint has committed to a technical standard. If we could bring either of them into the CDMA camp, our investment in Qualcomm would be worthwhile. As for segment C licenses, given the current situation and that somewhat ridiculous lawsuit, I believe these frequency licenses will ultimately be absorbed by the three major carriers. Seeking breakthroughs in this aspect for CDMA seems unrealistic."
As Chris spoke, he handed Eric some prepared materials, adding, "Bringing Verizon and Sprint into the CDMA camp is not impossible; here are the two companies' financial information for you to look over."
*****
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