[Chapter 832: The More Developed, The Harder It is To Change]
The story of Casino Royale was quite simple: James Bond faced off against the Spectre organization over a massive $150 million in gambling stakes. The entire film could be broken down into three segments: the airport crisis, the casino showdown, and the final battle, creating a complete and smooth narrative. Even the appearance of the Angel trio didn't require much backstory, thanks to the groundwork laid by the first two Charlie's Angels movies, allowing for an explosive action sequence right from the start.
Over the years, after personally directing numerous big-budget films, Eric increasingly grasped the key factors for achieving success in commercial filmmaking. One of the most crucial elements was that a film's story needed to be straightforward and clear. This notion aligned perfectly with the high-concept film theory that emerged in the 1980s.
The simpler the core storyline, the more room the director had to exercise creativity during filming. A classic example of this was Cameron's Terminator, where the plot centered solely around the T-800 being sent by Skynet to kill Sarah Connor, without any convoluted subplots. This approach allowed Cameron to showcase his filmmaking talent lavishly, and as a result, the film was made for $6 million but grossed $80 million worldwide, catapulting Cameron into the ranks of Hollywood's top directors.
In contrast, if a film attempted to present too much content for the audience, directors often struggled to tell a complete story in just two hours. Hollywood had plenty of examples of films failing for this very reason.
...
In the screening room, MGM executives and the film's creative team were evidently pleased with the film's outcome. Traditional 007 films frequently suffered from fragmented storylines, with producers stuffing in irrelevant plot points merely to highlight Bond's charm or invincibility. This often led to glaring holes in the plots. Casino Royale managed to retain the classic 007 style while effectively flipping this drawback on its head. Bond no longer appeared randomly at a nameless villain's military base to wreak havoc, nor was he abruptly called away from some hot woman's bed by MI6 for a mission.
When the movie ended, the lights came on, and a round of applause filled the theater. Knowing that Eric was not an obstinate director, everyone began openly sharing their opinions on the film.
Eric was also satisfied with the outcome of Casino Royale, but he understood the concept of being too close to the project. Differences in personal vision could make certain scenes seem fine to him but utterly out of place to others. After over an hour of discussion, Eric had a preliminary list of modifications in mind, planning to make a second round of edits within the next week.
According to the production and release schedule for Casino Royale, the film would be completely finished by March. During this time, the movie would undergo further internal test screenings. This process resembled closed beta testing in online gaming; ordinary viewers would be selected and seated in screening rooms equipped with real-time monitoring systems. Audience members had special buttons on their armrests; if they found certain scenes boring or off-putting, they could press the button at any time. The production company would then adjust the film based on real-time feedback from viewers, before moving on to rating and promotional phases.
Of course, these processes were not inflexible and depended heavily on the balance of power among investors, producers, and the director. If a director had complete control over the film's production, the investors and producers could not interfere, allowing the director to edit the film exactly as he envisioned. Conversely, if the final cut authority lay firmly with the producers, the director might find himself completely sidelined during the final editing stage.
Eric indeed had absolute control over Casino Royale. As long as he wanted, he could edit the film exactly as he wished. However, that would clearly be unwise; even Titanic had gone through a 'closed test' phase where Cameron adjusted certain plot points based on audience feedback.
After discussing suggested changes and having lunch at Firefly Studios, everyone parted ways. ...
MGM's headquarters had moved close to Firefly Studios in Venice Beach, right near where Flower Films was located. Initially, Kirkorian sold all of MGM's soundstages as land, so most films needing to shoot on soundstages rented space at Firefly Studios.
With MGM's resurgence, the management had discussed plans to reconstruct soundstages. Drew sought Eric's opinion, but he vetoed the idea. In recent years, more and more films began to pursue practical effects, especially big-budget ones. Unless it was a special effects scene, filming often took place outside of soundstages. With tax incentive programs blossoming across various states and even overseas, fewer Hollywood films would choose to shoot in Los Angeles. Building soundstages now would only lead to wasted resources.
Eric and Drew saw off the Broccoli siblings, and as a girl exited the parking lot alongside him, Eric asked with a smile, "Don't you have to work this afternoon?"
Drew moved a couple of steps closer, playfully linking her arm with Eric's, and cheerfully replied, "I do, but it's just a casting for a film. I decided not to go at the last minute since Amy and the others are taking care of things."
"Ha," Eric chuckled, "What film is it?"
"Species, a sci-fi horror film."
Eric nodded, not showing any surprise. He remembered it was a 1995 film, but with many projects being produced earlier these days, it wasn't unusual for some films to be delayed by a year or two. It wasn't uncommon for Hollywood movies to be in the works for ten or more years.
Talking about the audition piqued her interest: "Today's audition is for the female lead! I made Natasha try out too, but unfortunately, they were both so wooden on camera; they couldn't even get a word out."
Eric glanced back at the quiet twins following along, and upon hearing Drew, the Natasha sisters blushed and instinctively bowed their heads when Eric looked over.
Since Eric enjoyed casting Ivanka as a lucky charm in his films, Drew had once suggested making the Natasha sisters his mascots at Flower Films. Unfortunately, Eric had never seen the twins appear on camera. It appeared they might not have that talent. Drew had frequently popped up in various films since her cameo in Scream.
Recalling that the original lead actress for Species was Natasha Henstridge, who happened to be part of the Victoria's Secret roster, Eric asked, "Since it's an audition at MGM headquarters, this must be the final round. Do you have any standouts in mind?"
"Amy initially wanted Paulina Porizkova to play the lead, but the director disagreed, so everyone had to start over."
Eric remembered Porizkova's likeness to Audrey Hepburn. If he had to decide, he wouldn't agree either. The female lead in Species needed to embody the cool and sultry charm that Natasha Henstridge had, while Paulina Porizkova's elegance suited roles like a Monaco princess.
Aside from previously directing the Victoria's Secret fashion show, Eric had not interacted much with Natasha Henstridge. He decided not to dwell on that and casually remarked, "If the budget allows, you could get Claudia to try out."
Claudia Schiffer would be more than adequate to replace Natasha Henstridge, as their vibes were quite similar.
Drew shook her head. "We invited her, but Claudia didn't want to take the role because there are a lot of nude scenes, and the budget isn't huge, so they plan on opting for a cheaper newcomer."
...
Walking together, they didn't return to Eric's office in the executive center but headed towards the Digital Domain office loft. Cameron had already come by that morning, but Eric had been too wrapped up in Casino Royale matters to catch much of a conversation with him during lunch, unsure if Cameron was still around.
Entering the primary Digital Domain loft, Eric asked the staff and quickly spotted Cameron in the lounge, animatedly talking with Stan Winston.
The global success of Titanic had completely relieved the pressure Cameron previously faced, making him quite buoyant lately.
Seeing Eric approach, Cameron and Stan stood up to greet him. After exchanging pleasantries, the group sat down at a long table. Eric instructed the twins to grab some coffee, but Cameron couldn't contain his excitement. "Eric, I can't believe you kept such great things hidden! How come you never told me?"
Eric laughed, "You know this place better than your own home. What could you possibly not know?"
As a tech-savvy filmmaker, whenever Cameron showed up at Firefly Studios, it was typically to explore the Digital Domain. Even without a specific job, he often checked in to explore the latest visual effects technology they had developed. The collaboration between them had been very smooth, with Digital Domain supporting Cameron's projects tirelessly. This had prevented Cameron from needing to create his own Lightstorm Entertainment studio; he mostly utilized Digital Domain's resources to bring his various ideas to life while Digital Domain benefitted immensely in return.
Seeing Eric looking puzzled, Stan explained, "Eric, it's the new IMAX and 3D screen we just installed."
Eric immediately understood. Last year in New York, after noticing IMAX, he had requested Digital Domain to establish a technology team specifically for collaborating with the Canadian IMAX company on the development of IMAX and polarized 3D technology.
These two technologies had actually been around for decades but hadn't widely penetrated filmmaking for various reasons. Now, with Digital Domain's financial backing and technological support, applications were rapidly being developed. The IMAX company was also refining the last of its protocols for transferring standard film to IMAX, which they predicted would allow standard two-hour lengths in IMAX movies the following year. Before this, IMAX films had only been 40 minutes long, and the transfer technology wasn't quite mature. The polarized 3D technology was even simpler; recently, Digital Domain had installed a 3D-IMAX-compatible big screen within the studio for various tests. This must have been what Cameron was referring to as the 'good stuff.'
In the past six months, Cameron had been busy with the production of Titanic; alongside the pressure from its budget and box office, he understandably hadn't kept track of Digital Domain's new technologies.
"This is some of my thinking from last year," he elaborated. "From silent films to talkies, and from black and white to color -- all of that took less than thirty years. Now, thirty years have passed again. The way we present films needs to change significantly as well. That's why I'm optimistic about these two technologies."
Cameron was visibly excited. "Eric, are you saying you plan to widely promote 3D and IMAX?"
Eric shook his head slightly with a smile. "That's the plan, but it needs to be done step by step. You've likely experienced the challenges of promoting these technologies firsthand. 3D is probably more feasible; switching to 3D projectors and the necessary equipment is manageable. But for IMAX, replacing the screens in most North American theaters isn't realistic."
The number of movie screens in North America had exploded over the past several years, growing from over 22,000 in the early 1990s to more than 28,000 today. However, as the film industry became more advanced, making changes grew increasingly difficult. Among the 28,000 screens across the U.S., most were built according to conventional 2D specifications, making it impossible to fit IMAX screens, which were dozens of meters wide and tall, into existing theaters. Promoting IMAX necessitated building new cinemas altogether.
Thus, Eric's first step was simply to focus on the more manageable introduction of 3D.
Cameron, a passionate filmmaker, exhibited a clearer idealism than Eric. Undeterred by Eric's points, he responded: "Eric, I believe as long as you want to do it, you will succeed. So, don't you think we could try using this technology in Spider-Man? Just imagine Peter Parker soaring through skyscrapers on that huge IMAX screen! And don't forget about the 3D -- those visuals would be breathtaking!"
*****
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