2067 Chapter 2067

Steven didn't expect Hugo to say such a thing at all. It's not that Hugo doesn't have this wisdom, but Hugo has never cared much about the management and operation issues. This is well known.

But if you think about it carefully, Hugo has always had unique insights into the market context, not only from the selection of works, but also from the past year, Hugo's attitude towards commercial films and art films. Find clues. Not to mention the important role played by the work "The Truman Show".

Steven realized that Hugo was definitely not aimless, but he found it incredible to let Steven think about it. Indeed, he is a businessman, and he hopes that his films will be commercially successful, but at the same time he is also an upright person, what he pursues is to win with strength, and the small actions behind it are the most disgusting.

To give the simplest example, why did Steven choose Hugo to star in "Schindler's List" because Joseph was capable? No, obviously not, but because Hugo's absolute strength won Steven's trust, so he rejected a large number of actors, and only chose Hugo who was still in the midst of the Golden Globe celebration banquet at that time.

Therefore, even though Steven felt that Hugo's words made sense, he still had a knot in his heart and was reluctant to talk about it, "Let's talk about today's business, I almost forgot what I asked you to do .”

Hugo opened his mouth and wanted to persuade Steven. If "Saving Private Ryan" still takes the high-cold route and is unwilling to lower his posture to communicate with the judges, then "Shakespeare in Love" won the Oscar for Best Picture. Such absurd and speechless history of people will repeat itself again.

But seeing the determination on Steven's face, Hugo knew that it would be useless to persuade him any further. Hugo could only sigh lightly, and then smiled again, "If you don't tell me what's important today, it's impossible for me to know, I don't have mind reading skills."

Steven was obviously satisfied with Hugo's smooth advance and retreat, and he was slightly relieved from the bottom of his heart. If he quarreled with the current Hugo, it would definitely be a lose-lose situation, and he didn't want to clean up such a mess. What's more, today is really important.

"I heard from Rick that you left two scripts, are you really planning to take over the filming?" Steven went straight to Huanglong, without any politeness, and accurately talked about the core issue.

Hugo laughed dumbfounded, then shook his head, but neither affirmed nor denied his words, "One of the works is still from your DreamWorks, why do you say that?"

"It's our DreamWorks." Steven corrected Hugo's lingo, "You mean 'Cast Away', what do you think of the project? Robert wants an investment of 100 million US dollars, and David and I feel a bit Outrageous." Hugo's current job at DreamWorks is actually to evaluate each project, give Steven, David, and Jeffery feedback, and then they will position the project.

"Is it because you want to find a suitable island for on-site shooting?" Hugo now has enough understanding of the position of a producer. He knows how costly it would be to drag a whole crew to a desert island for shooting. Violently, "Actually, I think you should not judge purely from the cost. You should ask Robert to do a project plan to see where the money will be spent, and then make an assessment yourself, and you will know that this project wants to be shot perfectly. , How much will it cost you?"

Steven pondered for a moment, but did not respond, but raised his head and said, "Have you read the script?" Hugo nodded, "Do you want to act?"

Hugo shook his head, "I think Tom is more suitable, at least more suitable than me." In fact, after reading the two scripts of "Speed ​​​​in 60 Seconds" and "Life on a Deserted Island", Hugo was not very interested.

The former is because the script is too simple and rough, there is no challenge, Robert is so seductive. confused. The powerful words are enough to make this movie attractive to the audience, but not enough to attract Hugo; the latter is because Hugo really thinks that Tom is more suitable, and family bonds are one of the most important factors for the hero to survive. Hugo has inherent advantages. So far, Hugo has never played a character whose soul is truly fettered by his family. This is his lack of life experience, and it is difficult to make up for it with acting skills.

Of course, what Hugo has to admit is that almost all of his mind is currently attached to "A Beautiful Mind", which also affects his judgment. The script of "Rest of a Deserted Island" did not make Hugo shoot the case.

Steven nodded his chin and didn't make any judgments, because he knew that as long as Hugo nodded, there would definitely be a steady stream of door-to-door works, and Hugo didn't need to be humble to refuse at all. "Then what about the project you prepared yourself? Why didn't you think of our DreamWorks?"

This is the real reason why Steven found Hugo today.

"I think we don't have enough funds and manpower to shoot a new work." Hugo said it as a matter of course, making Steven speechless.

"Hugo, you should know that now is a critical period of development for us. We need your appeal. We need to produce a work that is led by you, so that people have more confidence in DreamWorks. This is for the future. Strategy is positive. Just like my 'Saving Private Ryan', Jeffrey's 'Prince of Egypt', you have to deliver an answer as soon as possible."

Hugo was dumbfounded by Steven's words, he didn't expect that Steven really put him in such an important position. But Steven continued, "David and I looked at the list of next year's works. Several works look good, but they are still not shocking enough. We all feel that maybe next year we will release a film that you produced or This is very necessary for starring works."

Hugo had a lot of words to say in his mind, but he got stuck for a while—because he didn’t expect that his significance to DreamWorks had risen to strategic significance—this made Hugo laugh dumbfoundedly, and chuckled lightly A few times, Hugo regained his emotions and organized his thoughts again, "Steven, I know what you mean, if possible, I am also very willing to hand over this project to DreamWorks, both Alan and I I think so, but the company doesn't have enough resources at the moment, does it?"

If it weren't for DreamWorks, Hugo would be more inclined to cooperate with Sony Columbia Pictures. In fact, Sony Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros. have sufficient conditions, and they also gave Hugo enough room for power. Choosing one of the two is indeed a difficult choice, and if one is not handled well, it is very likely to offend the one that was given up, which also caused Hugo quite a headache. Choosing Sony Columbia Pictures is just an emotional preference-Mark Canton's long preparations in the past four years are obviously not in vain.

Steven also knew that Hugo was telling the truth, "That's why I asked you to come here today. Do you know that our company has signed a project called 'American Beauty (American. Beauty)'?"

Of course I know, how could I not know!

This "American Beauty" is considered to be a noir film that truly and cruelly reflects the real life of the American middle class. Analysis and interpretation, thus mocking the fragility and perversion of the so-called "good life" in the United States. From acting to photography, from editing to soundtrack, everything is remarkable!

After "American Beauty" was released, it was almost unanimously praised. It won five important trophies including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Original Screenplay at the Oscars the following year, becoming the biggest movie of the year. The winner, which directly achieved Sam Mendes (Sam. Mendes). He not only became the sixth director in Oscar history to win a statuette with his debut feature, but also became the second youngest director in Oscar history. gainer.

At the same time, it also made Kevin Spacey win the first actor statuette in his career!

It can be said that "American Beauty" is one of the most important films in Hollywood at the turn of the century. If Hugo remembers correctly, this movie was released in 1999 and became the biggest winner of the fifty-seventh Oscar.

Hugo kept his expression on the surface, shook his head, and said that he hadn't read the script for the time being, Steven then explained, "Actually, we have already approved the project, but because the subject matter is too heavy and profound, especially in 'Truman's After World', the script was under more pressure, so the preparatory process was not smooth. Terry Gilliam, Robert Zemeckis declined to direct this work, Kirsten Dunst, Nicole - Kidman rejected the position of the heroine, Tom Cruise, Jeff Daniels, Chevy. You will be the leading actor, but... we all know that the schedule will not be able to come up..."

Hugo was completely shocked by Steven's words. The "American Beauty" who was enthusiastically sought after by the entire academy was turned down by so many people. Should this mean that they have no vision, or is it fate?

"This project has been in preparation for nearly four months, but there is still no progress..." Steven paused, "So I discussed it with David, and we decided to postpone this project for the time being and put it in production next year. Making the project you are currently working on ahead of time allows resources to be reallocated. This also echoes our expectations for the company's growth plan for next year."

Hugo has been completely shocked. Is this how history returns to its track? "A Beautiful Mind" was brought forward to 1998, while "American Beauty" was delayed. But is this really okay? These are two completely different works. "A Beautiful Mind" will definitely not take the place of "American Beauty". Then, what unknown changes will take place in the film market, public opinion trends, and awards ceremony?

By accident, the track of history is actually gradually departing from the position Hugo knew well.