The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1432: Making a name for yourself
There was a smile in Lucas' eyes. Anson's self-deprecating manner always added some lightness and joy to serious work discussions.

"So, you think the company's second production should be a... cult classic that doesn't include you?"

Cult. Anson liked Lucas's word choice, and his smile completely spread. "Yes, I do think so."

"Luca, because of 'Walk with the Song', Forest Pictures has been tied to me. The whole of Hollywood knows that Forest Pictures is Anson's brother's company."

"I know you're not going to hide this. It's not a secret..." Anson noticed the sharpness in Lucas' eyes and was startled. "I'm not going to deny it, but this is not conducive to the development of business."

"We need to make a statement before Hollywood completely ties Forest Pictures to me."

“Yes, it is true that Forest Pictures is willing to participate in the production of more of my works; but at the same time, Forest Pictures is also willing to open its arms to welcome more possibilities, screenwriters, producers, actors, and artists who have been expelled and ignored by Hollywood, whose development possibilities are constrained by stereotypes, and who are trapped by Hollywood narrative templates.

Hey, don't hang yourself on one tree, there are still vast forests out there."

"I believe 'Sin City' is that opportunity."

Lucas was very serious, immersed in Anson's words, and showed a little surprise.

Jungle Pictures was originally a company established by Lucas to support Anson, and everything revolved around Anson; but now it has been given a new meaning by Anson, and the company's purpose and philosophy have quietly changed.

However, this feeling... doesn't seem bad.

Thinking of this, Lucas pulled his thoughts back and re-examined the project in front of him.

"Sin City" is so rebellious, so special, so flamboyant, and so strong. Lucas knows nothing about the artistic creation and marketing of movies, but he knows about investment.

Measure the risks, calculate the rewards, and look to the future.

So, is this movie worth it?
If this was Anson's work, such as "Walking with the Song", Lucas naturally wouldn't need to consider these things, and Anson would be the priority.

But if this weren't Anson's work, things would be completely different.

Lucas lowered his head and flipped through the script, his vision gradually becoming focused.

This is a script, not a project plan, so it naturally does not contain details such as creative intent, target audience, creative team, investment budget, etc. This is not good news for Lucas.

Lucas flipped through the script, but those lines and dialogues made no sense to him.

After thinking for a while, Lucas looked at Anson and said, "I can discuss it with the producer. Robert Rodriguez and Frank Miller are the producers, right?"

Anson, "It's mainly Robert Frank who knows nothing about filmmaking."

Lucas nodded slightly, "Then we should start with Frank. Frank doesn't understand film production anyway. As long as we tell him that we will follow the script and their filming philosophy, Frank will be impressed soon."

"Then he will believe that everything is fine and be willing to be our breakthrough point, or even help us convince others. Anyway, I have fulfilled his greatest wish, right?"

Frank, on the contrary, may become a breakthrough.

"The point is, what's the budget? Can it be profitable?"

"Such a challenging work not only challenges Hollywood's production formula, but also challenges the market's acceptance."

"Sorry, Anson, I need to consider more possibilities from a numerical perspective."

Anson smiled, "I understand. I totally understand. CEO mode. Oh, professional Luca is really different."

Lucas looked at Anson helplessly. Anson smiled even more happily, "I understand your point of view."

"In my opinion, this work needs to be profitable, 100 percent. For a company that is just starting out, profitability is undoubtedly the key."

“But at the same time, back to the point just now.”

“I think this work is closer to a declaration, a debut, a marketing and publicity, announcing our existence in a way that subverts stereotypes.

It’s different from other film companies.”

“This publicity is necessary.”

"Then, back to the work itself, it is indeed a provocation to the mainstream market, but think about it, remakes like 'Dawn of the Dead' still have a large number of fans and followers, and the reality proves that this part of the audience cannot be ignored."

"It is precisely because Hollywood's traditional narratives ignore this part of the audience that they are more hungry and more loyal. Even if it is a mediocre work, they are willing to cheer and pursue it. So what if a classic really appears?"

"So, I'm not worried about the market potential. The real key lies in, first, the quality of the work, and second, the promotion strategy."

Lucas pondered for a moment, "Do you believe this..." He looked down at the director's name, "Robert Rodriguez and Quentin Tarantino?"

Anson, "I believe Robert Rodriguez can convince Frank Miller to give the nod and do what other Hollywood producers and directors cannot accomplish."

"Of course, cost control is a problem. These two directors are lawless. If they are given enough budget, they will squander it all without hesitation. But at the same time, they come from shooting B-level movies, so they can still do an excellent job within a limited budget."

Lucas, “Gaming is the key point.”

Anson, "Yes, it depends on whether the producer can control the two wild horses."

"Moreover, 'Sin City' is indeed special. It requires a lot of computer special effects support and a series of special shooting techniques. The cost is estimated to be not too low. It is also true that the game between the producer and the director may be full of traps."

Lucas looked at Anson. "What do you think the budget of this film needs to be so that we have a chance of making a profit at the box office?"

Anson just laughed, "Wow, that's a difficult question."

"In my opinion, $30 to $35 million is the upper limit. After all, we need to take the cost of publicity and promotion into consideration."

Lucas raised his eyebrows slightly and fell into deep thought.

In the past, "Sin City" did not find a large film company to cooperate with. Even with Robert, Quentin, and Frank, it still didn't work. Mainstream Hollywood film companies were worried that such a work might flop.

It might even anger some viewers like "The Passion of the Christ" did.

Things are extremely tricky.

No one in Hollywood is willing to offend the entire market easily for a project. Even if the project is a huge success, the result may not outweigh the gains.

If it weren't for the special case of Forest Pictures, the caution of other companies and producers would be completely understandable.

In the end, the film was produced by Robert Rodriguez's own production company, Troublemaker, which had just been established less than three years ago.

However, Troublemaker Studios was seriously short of funds relying solely on itself.

So, Quentin used his name to raise funds among Hollywood bigwigs, and finally found... the Weinstein brothers.

(End of this chapter)