Reborn Action Star: Starting in Hollywood

"I didn't expect you not to blame me, and even gave me such great authority. Lin Yuan, you really make me ashamed," Director Nolan said with emotion.

"Why didn't I blame you?" Lin Yuan said with a smile.

A gentle tap is enough; you don't need a heavy blow when talking to smart people. The key is to observe their behavior.

Director Nolan nodded: "I won't let you down. Thank you for giving me this platform!"

Lin Yuan shook his head: "This is also an inevitable choice for Lin Yuan Film Industry to develop to where it is today. I'm using you as a testing ground. If the results are good, we'll roll it out on a large scale."

Lin Yuan Film Industry is now the world's most valuable company, which is actually very unreasonable and abnormal.

Normally, the companies with the highest market capitalization in the 20th century were mostly asset-heavy manufacturing enterprises, while in the 21st century they have all become high-tech enterprises with strong growth potential.

Cultural enterprises like film companies have never had very high market capitalizations, let alone become number one in the world.

Lin Yuan Film Industry has gained such recognition in the capital market, partly due to the star effect brought by Lin Yuan's personal image, and partly due to the company's high profits and high growth expectations.

However, this also means that Linyuan Pictures' high valuation is not reliable.

Let alone high growth, maintaining current profits is actually a very difficult task.

In 2004, Lin Yuan Film Studio's performance was supported by three films: "The Road to Legend", "King of Spies 2", and "King of the Jungle".

Even if the performance in 2005 were to be on par with that of 2004, it would be an extremely difficult task.

This is also why Lin Yuan had to film "Mad Max: Fury Road" and "The King of Spies 3". If he relaxed even slightly, the company's performance would decline instead of improve.

If this happens, the consequences will be extremely dire.

First, Lin Yuan Pictures' stock price will plummet, and it's very likely to be halved.

However, the collapse of Lin Yuan Film Industry's stock price is not the most serious issue; rather, it will cause major problems for the entire Lin Yuan Industrial Group's financial situation.

Currently, whether it's the numerous projects being carried out in mainland China, including the high-end manufacturing collaboration with Samsung, or the overall development and construction projects being promoted in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the substantial funds required are all raised and operated through Lin Yuan Film Industry as a platform.

If Linyuan Pictures runs into problems, then Linyuan's overall strategy will face the risk of a broken capital chain.

Banks withdrawing loans and repurchase agreements will bring a host of troubles, keeping Lin Yuan busy.

This tightrope walking situation is indeed extremely risky, but it is also the root cause of Lin Yuan's ability to rise to prominence and acquire so much wealth in a short period of time.

Without taking the risk of leverage, he would at most be a wealthy man with some spare cash, and he would never have achieved his current status.

But the high-risk situation cannot continue indefinitely; he will eventually have to come down from the tightrope and return to the ground.

To achieve this goal, Lin Yuan Film Industry's profits need to come more from people other than Lin Yuan.

Therefore, turning the production team into a studio has become the core goal of Lin Yuan's new phase of reform.

Only by providing the necessary platform for those who can create value and making them also owners of the company can he retain truly talented individuals.

Lin Yuan patted Director Nolan on the shoulder: "I've always had high hopes for you, so I'm entrusting you with the important task of the first studio. Make sure it's a resounding success!"

Director Nolan was deeply moved, but Lin Yuan didn't give this opportunity to director Eastwood, who had more experience and connections, but instead gave it to himself.

If he can seize this opportunity and overcome this insurmountable barrier, he can become a big shot at the film industry table and sit on equal footing with the bosses of those film companies in the future.

Such an opportunity is so rare that most people will never have one in their lifetime. How could director Nolan not be excited?
So he grasped Lin Yuan's hand and solemnly said, "Believe me, even if I have to risk my life on set, I will prove with my performance that you didn't misjudge me!"

Upon hearing Director Nolan's reply, Lin Yuan chuckled and said, "It's not that bad, really not. Just do your best, and I'll provide you with ample support. You don't need to really risk your life on set."

For the usually calm and reserved director Nolan to say something like that, it's clear he's incredibly enthusiastic.

After finishing his work with director Nolan, Lin Yuan turned to look at director Miller.

"I'll let this matter go this time. Don't let Director Nolan down."

"Yes, Mr. Lin, thank you so much," Director Miller said, standing up from his chair.

Strictly speaking, director Miller is not yet Lin Yuan's subordinate; their relationship is based on their collaboration on Mad Max: Fury Road.

However, during the filming process, director Miller was completely captivated by Lin Yuan.

He sincerely longed to become a member of Lin Yuan Film Industry.

Now that Lin Yuan has approved him and his team to join Nolan's studio, it's equivalent to accepting him as a subordinate.

Director Miller switched to a subordinate's posture without any psychological barrier whatsoever.

Lin Yuan smiled and shook his head: "No need to thank me, this is a win-win situation for us."

The company needs to expand its film product line and desperately needs a director with your specialized skills.

The post-apocalyptic genre is an excellent subject for commercial films, and I believe you can definitely achieve success with it.

"I will do my best!" Director Miller said sincerely.

“Let’s make a deal. This Mad Max: Fury Road doesn’t count. Once your subsequent films gross over $2 billion, I’ll also give you the right to set up your own independent studio,” Lin Yuan said.

"Really... really?" Director Miller asked incredulously.

He certainly knew how valuable Lin Yuan Film Studio's independent studio was; otherwise, Director Nolan wouldn't be acting like he'd die for someone who understands him.

But... can someone like me, a complete newcomer with no experience, really have such an opportunity?
Director Miller was completely impressed by Lin Yuan's vision. Such a boss, who always takes the lead and is not stingy with sharing profits with his subordinates, is truly hard to find even with a lantern.

“Of course it’s true. The $20 billion standard will become an official company policy. Don’t worry, this isn’t a special treatment for you; it’s an incentive program for everyone,” Lin Yuan said.

"That's good, that's good, otherwise I would really be feeling guilty," director Miller remarked.

"By the way, is the movie edited yet?" Lin Yuan asked.

With Mad Max: Fury Road's release just around the corner, Lin Yuan was naturally concerned about it.

"Yes! It's all been edited already!" Director Miller said, "It's just... it seems like we're still missing the movie's theme song."

"Don't worry about that, I've already prepared. Give me a copy of the master tape first, I need to show it to the production team so they can get a feel for it."

"Okay! Understood!"

After the discussion was over, directors Nolan and Miller left without lingering.

Only after the two directors left did GAKKI-chan sit down in Lin Yuan's lap with a smile: "Are you tired? Thinking about these trivial things all day long?"

The assistant knew Lin Yuan's preferences well; he'd be happier if they talked while cuddled together in private. Lin Yuan lifted her up and adjusted her position, choosing a comfortable spot, before speaking:

"If I complain about being tired, then I'm being too dramatic. So many people envy me, so it's only right that I'm a little tired."

"Since you put it that way, then I won't give you any rest time. Let's get ready to start the next part of the trip," GAKKI said with a sly smile.

"Huh? So fast? I was just being polite, and you're already exploiting me?" Lin Yuan complained.

GAKKI-chan shifted a few times and stood up at Lin Yuan's gentle call: "If you want to rest, you can rest in the car for a while."

Lin Yuan asked with a smile, "Can I rest however I want?"

"I don't know how you want to rest. But I'm not feeling well today."

"What's wrong?"

"I feel uncomfortable all over. I have mouth ulcers, I sprained my ankle, I got food poisoning, and then my period started. Last night, I overdid it at the gym and my arms are so sore I can't even lift them..."

Lin Yuan: (Benefit)
Goodness, this is an absolute defense with no blind spots?
The next moment, GAKKI-chan smiled and said, "I'm not feeling well, but those two girls on the private jet coming from Seoul later should be very willing to help you with your problem, right?"

Lin Yuan: "Really? How come I didn't know?"

Seeing Lin Yuan pretending to be clueless, GAKKI-chan didn't say anything more. She just smiled and pulled Lin Yuan up from the chair: "It's time to leave, or we'll be late."

Lin Yuan took her hand and went downstairs with her. They got into a Lincoln limousine and, escorted by a security team, headed to JFK International Airport.

After getting into the car, GAKKI-chan continued to sit in Lin Yuan's arms.

Lin Yuan knew that what she had just said was just a joke, but he was not in a hurry to do anything because he had important matters to attend to at the moment.

So Lin Yuan asked, "Has Taylor Swift provided an adaptation plan?"

GAKKI immediately took out a prepared document from her backpack and handed it to Lin Yuan: "Well, Taylor Swift has been busy with her tour concerts lately, and this plan was made by her squeezing in time to stay up for two nights in a row."

Lin Yuan took it curiously; he was genuinely curious about how Taylor Swift planned to change it.

The proposal in my hand is to re-arrange and re-score Girls' Generation's debut song "Into the New World" into a heavy metal rock version.

To be honest, Lin Yuan was really worried that it would be difficult to adapt.

The reason for choosing this song to create a second version for Mad Max: Fury Road as the theme song was twofold: firstly, the core of the song was indeed very fitting; and secondly, Lin Yuan wanted to use his film to promote the first girl group he had painstakingly created.

Being able to get his film endorsement would bring immeasurable gains in terms of status and fame.

Girls' Generation will probably reach the pinnacle of all idol groups as soon as they debut.

But all of this has one prerequisite: the heavy metal rock version of "Into the New World" must be exceptionally brilliant.

Although Lin Yuan had never doubted Taylor Swift's talent, he was still a little worried about giving her such a demanding task.

Lin Yuan began to read the plan, and after only a few lines, his eyes were filled with surprise.

Lin Yuan really didn't expect that Taylor Swift could actually do something like dancing in shackles.
Although he didn't know much about music production, Taylor Swift's proposal was written in a very simple and easy-to-understand way, and he could roughly see that it was completely feasible.

They want to adapt Girls' Generation's "Into the New World" into the theme song for "Mad Max: Fury Road".

First, you need to understand the stylistic differences between the two sides.

The original song has a sweet and hopeful K-pop feel, while the movie has a post-apocalyptic style, with a strong sense of the apocalypse, wildness, and industrialism.

Therefore, the underlying meaning is compatible, but the musical style is incompatible, so the arrangement needs to be adjusted.

Taylor Swift's proposed solution mainly retains the two core elements of the original song.

The melodic framework retains the original song's signature ascending melody line, symbolizing "the ascent of hope."

The lyrics' imagery of "unity in resistance" resonates strongly with the film's narrative of Furiosa leading women on their escape.

These two points were retained as the core, but Taylor Swift made significant changes to other aspects.

She even changed her appearance so much that Lin Yuan wouldn't recognize her.

First, there's the rhythm, shifting from the upbeat electronic beats of K-pop to the heavy, repetitive beats of industrial rock.

Secondly, there's the tone, replacing sweet synthesizer tones with distorted guitar, mechanical noise, and glitches.

Finally, the vocals were processed, with the lead singer's clear, girlish voice changed to a hoarse, roaring one, combined with a chorus-style chanting to enhance the sense of tragedy.

The specific steps to change this are to use ambient sounds such as wind, metal friction, and engine roar in the intro to build up the atmosphere.

Then, industrial percussion instruments are used to simulate the operation of mechanical gears, laying the rhythmic foundation.

Taylor Swift also made a special note about this part; you can refer to Nine Inch Nails' "Ghosts I-IV".

The intro melody is played by a distorted banjo, which echoes the broken rural feeling in the film.

It's fair to say that a true expert's skill is immediately apparent upon seeing their work.

Even someone as musically illiterate as Lin Yuan could see that Taylor Swift's plan was very reliable.

Next is the treatment of the verses.

Taylor Swift specifically noted that the theme should reflect the struggle against oppression.

Therefore, in the vocal processing section, the lead singer was changed to a low-pitched, hoarse singing style. Taylor Swift once again made a detailed note here, similar to Chelsea Wolf's dark folk style.

The background can include a war cry-style chorus.

For the instrument part, a bass is needed to amplify the distortion and imitate the low-frequency vibrations of an internal combustion engine.

At the same time, it is used with slide guitar to create dissonant overtones, simulating the fiery feeling of a metal desert.

When the song gradually builds from the verses to the chorus, it needs to express the burst of hope amidst the apocalypse.

Therefore, instruments with explosive rhythms were added, the drum kit was changed to a double bass drum, and oil drum percussion was added to enhance the battle rhythm.

At the same time, add the Glitch sound effect, which sounds like a short circuit, a sound effect often used in cyberpunk movies, such as the famous Blade Runner.

If it were just this, Lin Yuan would already consider it incredibly impressive, but Taylor Swift's genius in composing music could push it even further! (End of Chapter)