Dominating Hollywood: Starting with Scarlett

Chapter 221 Digital Realm
After talking about the movie, Tang De and Leonardo talked about the environmental documentary.

"How do you plan to shoot?" Tang De asked.

"I'm going to interview some experts and scientists, as well as CIA investigators, and some politicians who are committed to environmental protection." After all, Leonardo is a well-known star in the United States and has a lot of face. Looking at his face, he will probably There are many people willing to be interviewed.

"Okay, that sounds professional."

"Of course!" Leonardo crossed his legs: "The entire documentary is very professional. I plan to interview some well-known figures, such as Hawking."

"Hawking?" Tang De twitched his lips, never expecting that one day he would be related to this well-known scientist who suffers from systemic ALS but still maintains male physiological functions.

Seeing Tang De's silence, Leonardo asked, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing, just a little surprised."

"Haha, what's so surprising? There are more scientists waiting to be interviewed!"

Afterwards, the two came to the shooting range in the manor and played with firearms for a while.

Now Tang De already has a gun license, and his marksmanship has been greatly improved under Tom's guidance. Coupled with his sharp vision, it cannot be said that he will hit 100% of the time, but there is no problem with 95 hits.

Leonardo nodded after seeing Tang De's shooting skills: "It's really amazing. Maybe we can ask you to come over when we hold events in the future."

"What activity?" Tang De frowned.

"Hunting activities." Leonardo explained: "There are always some creatures that are overrun in various places, which affects the local biological chain, so we will hold hunting activities together to help local residents. Of course, by the way, Bibi marksmanship."

"That's it." Tang De nodded: "Remember to call me next time for such interesting things."

"rest assured."

That night, after coming out of Leonardo's manor, Donde returned to the apartment near the "Juno" set.

Anne Hathaway is reading a magazine in bed.

Seeing Tang De come back, she stepped forward to help him hang up the clothes: "How is it? Is Leonardo sure?"

"It's confirmed, he has agreed to star."

"That's great, so now who's missing?"

"Every other actor is easy to talk about, but the most important one is Heath Ledger." Tang De loosened his tie: "He is currently filming "Candy" in Australia, and he said he can't get away."

"What should we do? Choose another actor?"

"I also asked Joseph Gordon-Levitt, but he will also be filming a new movie "Be Careful" in the second half of the year."

"So what are you going to do?"

"Go to Australia and persuade Heath Ledger to come back." Tang De paused for a moment, then said: "Maybe there is a way."
-
The filming of "Juno" has been proceeding steadily. Half a month after finishing the conversation with Leonardo, Tang De shot the entire film.

Even he himself didn't expect that the movie would progress so quickly.

But that's mostly down to Ellen Page.

She has a good grasp of the heroine's character and it's so easy to perform.

In addition, their budget photos are a bit higher than the original ones, and they don't have to be so strict about the use of scenes, so the shooting speed is naturally much faster.

After finishing "Juno", Tang De flew to Australia with Carl.

Outside the set of Candy, they met Heath Ledger.

"Hello, Don." Heath Ledger is a young man with a bright appearance. Although his hairline seems a bit high, he is very approachable.

"Hello, Ledger." Tang De greeted him and sat on the bench next to the filming location. The two of them talked like friends.

Karl was sitting in the car, reading the newly bought newspaper boredly.

"I didn't expect you to come to me in person." Heath Ledger was a little surprised. He thought that nothing would happen after he rejected "Inception", but Tang De actually came from the United States to find him.

I have to say that this persistence moved Heath Ledger quite a bit.

"Of course, you are one of the important roles I have scheduled." Tang De smiled and then said, "Can you tell me what your concerns are?"

"Well... mainly because of the schedule." Heath Ledger explained: "My movie will be shot until the summer, and then I have another movie "I'm Not There". My schedule will not be free until the end of the year. It’s really a pity to come out.”

"Really? It sounds really busy." Tang De took out a script and handed it to him: "But you can take a look at the characters and the outline of the story. Maybe you will change your mind."

Heath Ledger knew that these simple reasons could not make Tang De leave, so he could only nod, pick up the script and read it.

And this look lasted twenty minutes.

"A very interesting story." When Heath Ledger put down the script, his first sentence was praise: "I think this story is very creative. It's really cool to steal secrets from dreams."

"Yes, it is very cool and very different." Tang De said with a smile: "And this film will be a rare science fiction theme in recent years, and 70% of the special effects scenes will be shot in real locations. There is no need for actors to stand on a green screen and act in front of the camera, but to simulate special effects in a real environment.”

"That's great." Heath Ledger laughed: "My biggest headache is the special effects scenes, which is why I generally don't take on this kind of film."

"So are you interested?"

Heath Ledger was silent for a moment: "To be honest, Don, I'm very interested...it's just the schedule."

"Don't worry about the schedule. My movie will start shooting at least at the end of the year, so you don't have to worry about your schedule." Tang De has only recently found a suitable props team. According to his requirements, he wants to complete the construction of those large-scale scene props. , it will take several months.

"Okay." Heath Ledger was still hesitant.

"And the cost of this movie is very high. It is initially estimated to be around 1.5 million." Tang De offered another temptation: "If you star in it, then believe me, the salary will definitely be higher than in these movies like yours."

The cost is high, but Tang De will definitely not pay for it himself.

He will rope in MGM and several other investment companies to shoulder the costs, and the film can attract a lot of sponsorship.

After all, in this kind of commercial blockbuster, the cars and clothing are greatly exposed, and I believe those brands are willing to pay for it.

Heath Ledger nodded when he heard the paycheck. His desire for money still exists. Of course, the desire to play a good role is more important than money.

But there was still some slight hesitation in his brows. After being caught by Tang De, he immediately said: "But I think the most rewarding part of starring in this movie is not these. Do you know what it is?" "What?" Heath Lay Jay asked curiously.

"It's about understanding and soothing yourself." Tang De spread his hands: "I will invite some scientists and psychologists who study dreams. If you have mental troubles, such as often being unable to get out of the research role, or being under psychological pressure, So you can probably get some answers from their mouths.”

"Really?" This is indeed a problem for Heath Ledger. He has been taking psychiatric drugs recently and has been unable to relieve his illness well.

"of course."

"Then... it's a pleasure to work together." Heath Ledger shook hands with Tang De and smiled.

After Heath Ledger returned to the set, Donde also sat back in the car.

"This kid is really ink." Karl shrugged and expressed some of his opinions.

"You're right." Tang De looked at Heath Ledger's back and said, "He is a little indecisive. Maybe this is one of the reasons for his delicate acting skills, but it must have caused him a lot of trouble."

"So now that's settled, where do we go now?"

"Now? Of course we need to find a holiday estate and have a good rest."

Tang De came to Australia this time not just for Heath Ledger. He had taken several women around many countries before, but some of them did not enjoy this kind of treatment.

So while Kaiden and Cindy were resting, he called them to Australia to spend a pleasant weekend here.
-
A week later, Tang De showed up at the Los Angeles Digital Field office.

"Here..." Scott Ross, the founder of Digital Realm, took him on a tour of the entire building.

"Look here, everyone here is a talent in the field of special effects. They are good at different special effects directions and can ensure that the special effects of the movie are perfectly presented. "The Day After Tomorrow" is their masterpiece, and those realistic scenes were created by these people themselves. ”

Scott Ross boasted to Tang De about the advantages of his company while scanning the huge 300-square-meter office in front of him.

Tang De looked at the special effects artists working inside and noticed that they were not very fast and in a relaxed state. It seemed that they were not very busy at work.

"So what movie special effects are you in charge of now?"

"My Super Ex-Girlfriend," "Concentration Camp," "Flags of Our Fathers" and so on." Scott Ross mentioned several films, none of which are well-known special effects blockbusters. They are similar to Weta Digital and Industrial Light. The demons are far different from each other.

Tang De nodded and had a basic understanding of the company's operating conditions.

Then several people walked into the office, and Scott Ross poured a glass of water for Tang De and his accompanying secretary.

"How do you feel after looking at the entire company?" Scott Ross eagerly asked Tang De for his opinion. He was already worried about the company's situation and was already considering finding someone else to take over.

However, the accumulation of equipment and personnel in the digital field is a heavy burden, and there are not many people in Hollywood who are interested in doing special effects.

Those film companies are also more keen to cooperate with mature special effects teams, so Scott Ross can't find a good candidate for a while.

After all, this is a company he founded with his own hands, and he doesn't want to hand it over to an unreliable person.

And Donde Norton is a good choice because he is young and very interested in special effects.

And now that he is successful and famous, with the profits from "Fifty Shades of Grey", it is not difficult to acquire the digital field.

Scott Ross feels that if he takes over the company, he might also shoot a few special effects blockbusters and save his reputation in the digital field.

Therefore, his attitude towards Tang De was very good, and he just had the words "acquire me" written all over his face.

However, Tang De has a lot to say about his perception of the digital field. He bluntly said: "I think this is a company with very poor potential."

"Why?" Scott Ross frowned and retorted: "We have a very deep technical accumulation in the industry, and few companies can reach our level."

"But a special effects company is not a movie company, isn't it?" Tang De spread his hands: "Movie companies are blooming, and many companies can live happily by focusing on niche movies. But what about special effects companies? There is only one way, and that is to work for movies , TV series and film and television special effects, especially those commercial blockbusters.”

"But how many commercial blockbusters are there in a year? How many times can there be a business scale that can support hundreds of people in a year?" Tang De shook his head: "There are very few, so the special effects market is winner-take-all. If the digital field just sticks to Past experience and qualifications will soon be eliminated by the entire market.”

Scott Ross had nothing to say, and he knew deep down that he was just committing suicide slowly if he continued like this.

Every year, the number of special effects movies they are responsible for in the digital field is shrinking. This year they have only received three orders so far. To be honest, they can only stay debt-free at best and cannot make a profit at all.

If it takes another two years, I might need a loan to pay my salary.

This is why Scott Ross wants to quit.

"Then what do you think we should do?" Scott Ross' expression calmed down a lot, and he took the initiative to ask Tang De for his opinion.

"I think if we want to change this situation, the first thing is to change the current direction of special effects research." Tang De knocked on his knees: "I have investigated and found that the direction of special effects in the digital field was still where it was three years ago. The so-called accumulation of technology and breakthroughs Only in the field of particles. But this is not true, because the future development trend of movies is destined that this kind of special effects will gradually become a supporting role.”

"What's the protagonist of the special effects?" Scott Ross asked curiously.

Tang De did not answer directly, but just smiled: "Then I can't tell you until I actually take over the company, right?"

"Okay." Scott Ross knew that this was the reason for Tang De's acquisition, and he would definitely not let himself know directly.

But he also confirmed that Tang De was indeed determined to turn around the company's operating conditions, and it was not a random acquisition.

That's what matters most to him.

Therefore, Scott Ross soon officially talked to Tang De about the share acquisition.

A week later, Norton Eye announced that it had acquired 32% of the shares in the digital field for US$50 million, becoming the largest shareholder.

At the same time, Tang De will lead the transformation of the entire company as the new president of the digital field, and hand over the responsibility of Norton Eyes' latest movie, "Inception", to the digital field.

"Inception"?
After the Hollywood media reported it, everyone was confused about what kind of movie it was because it was completely different from the type of movie Tang De had made before.

Moreover, it is a science fiction movie. Can Tang De, who has no similar experience at all, grasp the scale of special effects?

But when everyone was confused and even questioning, news suddenly came out.

Leonardo DiCaprio will star in "Inception."

Heath Ledger will also play an important supporting role in "Inception."

These two pieces of news immediately took everyone by surprise.

(End of this chapter)