American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 30 Two Methods, One Path
“Oh, Keisha, I think this opening needs to be revised.”

"Which part needs to be changed?"

"In our setup, Mom is a housewife who hates this boring life. Then, Dad loses his job. I think there will be a conflict here, since the family has lost its source of income, so..."

“Okay, I think I understand what you mean. You want Mom to have a meltdown?”

"Yeah~ that's exactly what I mean."

"But if we want Mom to explode... we'll have to adjust the order of the characters' appearances, because Director Chris said that when writing a script, the emotional surge and explosion are the best cuts."

“No problem, Keisha. We can just treat Mom and Dad’s argument as a cut after introducing the family members.”

"For example, after the two yell at each other, the world goes quiet, and then the protagonist appears to introduce a new story. By doing this, the story can begin from the father's perspective. For instance, the father has just come home from get off work, still immersed in his own world. After discovering the noise at home, he smiles and tries to mediate the conflict. When he's earning money, the mother can tolerate his nagging, but when he receives a call from his boss and learns he's been fired, his attempt to maintain peace seems jarring..."

"Back then, could Mom even cook? She slammed the pot down on the table with a bang, silencing Dad and making him look like a loser. Then the scene flashes, the protagonist's room shakes, and the protagonist looks up?"

"I think this scene could be the shaking of windows in an old house, with the protagonist's face reflected in them?"

Since Isabella knows that true success comes from doing the projects at hand well, all the showing off is just a joke. It's fine to have some fun and play around, but when it comes to real work, she has to be serious.

So that very evening, Isabella went to Columbus for a lesson.

However, she didn't go alone; she took her sister Catherine with her.

The reason is simple.

At present, Isabella's most important task is to make "The Chamber of Secrets" a success; Hermione Granger is her true calling.

Therefore, once the basic framework of "Little Miss Sunshine," or rather "The Voice of the World," was finalized, the task of expanding the script could be handed over to someone else, such as Catherine, who usually had nothing to do.

Columbus actually supported this idea.

Everything has its priorities and urgency.

You can't just throw Hermione Granger away because you have a good inspiration, right?

Not to mention, no one would think that the idea for "The Voice of the World" could be better than HP.

Catherine had no objections.

In her opinion, her younger sister had already sacrificed enough for the family.

Her current food, clothing, and daily necessities are all earned by her younger sister, so isn't it only natural for her to help her sister expand on the script?
Moreover, she wasn't worried about ruining her sister's inspiration, because Columbus would cover for her.

However, even though everyone thought Isabella's idea was normal, when Catherine repeatedly discovered that her younger sister's "helping to write" seemed to mean having her expand on the entire plot all by herself...

Catherine felt that something was slightly off about the matter.

"Isa?"

"Ok?"

"Do you have time now?"

"Uh... what's wrong..."

"If you have time, why don't you write a script? Don't you really like this project?"

"Oh, you mean this? I was just trying to ensure consistency in our creative process. You've already written so much; if I just add my own ideas, what if we end up having the same ideas?"

"Do you really think so?"

"Of course!"

"But why do I feel like you're using me as a human typing machine?"

Beside the desk, a figure bent over writing looked doubtful.

His narrowed eyes gleamed coldly under the lamplight.

"Uh……"

"I'm going to take a shower..."

"I have filming all day tomorrow, so I need to get some rest early..."

"Oh dear, it's getting late. You should go back and rest too. There's no rush for the scriptwriting..."

Isabella, who was casually surfing the internet with one hand on her cheek, jumped up, grabbed her change of clothes, and rushed into the bathroom.

Catherine's eyes twitched slightly at the swift escape, while Isabella, hiding in the bathroom, carefully listened to the sounds outside.

She breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that her older sister hadn't come to arrest her.

Yes, that's right. The main reason she asked her sister to write the script was because she was too lazy to write it herself.

Even though Columbus had told her that the so-called script expansion was just about using templates: scene titles, scene descriptions, character names, dialogue, auxiliary descriptions, transitions... you just had to stuff the outline into this process piece by piece. Furthermore, scriptwriting didn't require high literary skills; you only needed to use concise language to describe the scenes and content.

For example, in *The Chamber of Secrets*, Hermione and Harry's first encounter at the start of the new school term was like this:
Hermione stood at the entrance of Flourish and Blotts and ran toward Harry on the road to her right.

If it involves supplementary description, that is, parentthetical description, then simply indicate it after the name:
If you want to express 'happiness', then write 'excitedly'.

Over.

Although it was simple, this was Isabella's first time writing a script. Even with an outline, there were still many problems in filling in the details. She thought this was good today and that was great tomorrow, so she had to revise it again and again.
That night, while writing the sound design, she went from writing over 3,000 words to at least 30,000 words after revisions!

If she hadn't been so excited, she would have been clutching her wrist and wailing!

Then, during the expansion process, a hundred or so pages of content might require a thousand or even ten thousand pages of revisions to achieve the desired result?
Wouldn't that hand just be cut off?
So……

Why not just find someone to write it for you and be lazy?
What? Someone asked why I don't use a computer to type?
Typing is tiring!
Eh~~~
It's possible to have the desire to study and the desire to slack off simultaneously, right?
"Hmm? Keisha? You haven't gone back to rest yet?"

Isabella took a bath, which took an hour.

When she returned to her room, she found her older sister still sitting at her desk, writing.

This made her feel a little guilty.

Catherine replied sarcastically, "How can I rest if you don't come back?"

"After all, in your eyes, I'm just a heartless typing machine."

"..."

Isabella was bewildered. "Oh dear—Keisha—what are you saying—"

Catherine ignored her, put the pen cap back on, and stood up.

This situation alarmed Isabella. "Where are you going?"

Didn't you tell me to go back to my room and rest?

"……You're angry?"

"No."

"I'll treat you to dinner this week while I'm off!"

"Ah--"

Catherine ignored her, rolled her eyes, and then walked back towards the bedroom.

Seeing that her older sister was really angry, Isabella decisively stepped forward, grabbed her arm, and started escalating the situation—

I'll treat you to dinner next week too!

"..."

"Please come again the week after next!"

"..."

"The week after next... never mind, I was originally planning to use that painting you drew before in the movie, but since you hate me so much, I won't use it. I'll find someone to draw a new one..."

"..."

Catherine paused.

He glanced at his younger sister.

He made a nasal sound and hummed forcefully.

With a powerful swing of his arm, he flung the guy dressed as a sloth away.

Then, fuming, she went back to her bedroom.

But when she closed the door, perhaps she knew her mother was already resting? Anyway, she closed it very quietly.

This situation brought a triumphant smile to Isabella's face. After eavesdropping for a while and finding nothing amiss, she scurried back to her room like a proud rooster and happily lay down on her bed.

The next day...

Artificial intelligence is still online as usual~~~
As soon as Isabella returned to her dorm after filming, she found Catherine huddled at her desk writing in her notebook. At this sight, a sweet voice rang out, "Catherine! What do you want to eat? I'll get you food today!"

"..."

When Isabella really wanted to do the "Little Miss Sunshine" project, in addition to revising the script, there was another serious problem that had to be solved: the project's initiator and leader had to be clearly identified.

Previously, Columbus said that Warner Bros. would not allow her to film for the Revolutionary Army when the script was in Endeavour's hands and Endeavour wanted to lead the project. Therefore, if they wanted to make "The Voice" a success, they had to remove Endeavour from the creative team.

This was actually quite difficult for Isabella.

She's certainly famous now, but that fame is just superficial. While her influence relies entirely on Hermione, she doesn't have the power to negotiate with large corporations on her own. Therefore, to solve this problem…

Isabella went to Columbus's place again to act cute.

"Director, there's an old saying in this great Eastern country: 'Those who know the times are pragmatic... oops, it's more like 'A good person will see things through to the end.'"

"Therefore, you see..."

Isabella tilted her head slightly and blinked her big, sparkling eyes.

Today, the crew is filming a scene of Professor Sprout's herbalism class.

Here, everyone is wearing brown robes that have a working-class feel.

The story is about children repotting mandrake, a herb that takes the form of a human and emits a piercing, mournful cry the moment it is pulled from the soil; even its young form can cause people to faint.

So, in terms of makeup and styling, everyone also had to wear earmuffs.

When Isabella appeared in this outfit, her head-shaking and swaying movements during the questioning made the earmuffs on her head turn into two fluffy little ears that were shaking and incredibly cute.

After staring at it for a moment, Columbus shook his head and smiled, saying, "There are two solutions to this problem."

"two?"

"Correct."

Columbus nodded. "First, you give the revised script to Endeavour. If they think it's okay, then let them find investors. According to the traditional process, as long as the Big Six are willing to invest, then the project belongs to the Big Six. Endeavour is just providing a package service and acting as a middleman to make a profit."

"..."

Isabella thought about it and decided that this plan wouldn't work.

Not to mention their current efforts to establish their own school of thought.

Even if they aren't that keen on leading the project, once Fenjin gets her revised script or her promise to participate, they'll still use her name to demand exorbitant prices and then settle for less.

At that time, Fenjin will be able to reap the benefits of her fame, and she will become the sucker.

"So what's the second option?"

"The second method is more brutal, which is to buy the copyright."

"Buy the copyright?" Isabella frowned.

She thought Columbus was joking. "Isn't the script copyright in Fenjin's hands? When they want to develop this project and I'm willing to act in it, why would they sell the rights?"

Striving isn't like being a fool!

“Oh—Isa—this is indeed difficult for others to do, but…it’s easy for me…”

Columbus raised an eyebrow at the bewildered little girl.

"If you're sure you want to use the second method, then all you have to do is let me become the producer."

Isabella was a little confused.

She didn't understand the logic in Columbus's words.

But after the other party mentioned 'Spielberg'...

Isabella immediately understood.

Chris Columbus is backed by Steven Spielberg.

This person is someone who genuinely wants to revolutionize the six major entertainment industries in Europe and America.

And he is also the most promising one.

He's in cahoots with George Lucas, and they have a ton of intellectual property.

When DreamWorks, which challenges the Big Six, is standing there, and its people come to you to buy your script, do you sell it or not?
If they're not selling, that proves one thing—

Your "Striving" program has no real intention of challenging the top six. Your so-called revolution is just a way to deceive artists in the industry and get their management contracts. Otherwise, why don't you hand over the project to the challenger in the industry who is most likely to succeed?

But if it's sold...

Okay, goal achieved.

When Endeavour wanted to treat the Big Six as cash cows, they couldn't very well say no to Spielberg, who had already been treating the Big Six as cash cows. If Endeavour offended both sides, wouldn't that be like being stuck in two places at once?
So……

"Oh, director, I choose option two!"

Isabella thought the second option was excellent.

When they have control of the script, don't they just change it however they want and film it however they want?

Having Columbus as producer was an absolutely brilliant idea. Isabella was just looking for someone to rely on!
"Okay, then you treat me."

Columbus knew the little girl would choose option two, so it wasn't surprising.

He smiled, straightened his posture, and gestured for Isabella to come and beg him.

This appearance puzzled Isabella greatly. "Director, what are you talking about?"

"Didn't you want me to be the producer of your next film and help you get the script?"

"correct."

"So you're asking me for help, what's the problem with that?"

Isabella curled her lips.

After staring for a few moments at the guy who seemed to be possessed by someone and was playing with abstract concepts, Isabella said in a serious tone, "Director, have you forgotten something? At the beginning of this year, you said that if there was an opportunity, we could work together in the future."

"Didn't you extend the invitation to me first?"

"So isn't it only natural for you to help me now?"

Isabella frowned slightly, a look of confusion on her face—

Justified and confident.jpg
Columbus, however, made a somewhat inappropriate remark.

He remembered that at the beginning of the year, when he was comforting Isabella and telling her not to worry about outside gossip, he had indeed mentioned the collaboration.

Can……

"So I'm leaving this to you."

Isabella issued the task in a condescending manner.

Before Columbus could say anything, she skipped away.

The brown figure bounced up like a little potato, its adorable appearance making Columbus shake his head, both amused and exasperated.

"Go and contact Fenjin."

As he watched the departing figure, he gave instructions to his assistant beside him.

The assistant knew what to do, but hesitated before proceeding. "Chris, Isa is Joe's (Lowling's) woman."

Columbus understood what his assistant was trying to say. Since Isabella's debut was due to Rowling's favor, no matter how her future development was, no matter what her relationship with Rowling would be like, she would always be marked by the HP label.

but--

"I know, but that's not important, is it?"

“Joanne chose Isha because she liked her. When liking someone outweighs choice, she won't care about such trivial matters. As for me… I don't really care about these things either…”

"If you lose to John Hughes, you lose to John Hughes; if you lose to J.K. Rowling, you lose to J.K. Rowling."

"It's no big deal."

"and……"

"To be honest, I quite like Isa also."

"She's lovely, hardworking, talented, and most importantly..."

"She never thought of giving up on herself when she encountered difficulties, did she?"

Chris Columbus was born into a working-class family.

I've loved writing stories since I was little and longed to make movies when I grew up.

Because of his genuine talent, he was admitted to the Tisch School of the Arts at New York University after graduating from high school and received a scholarship.

This was an extremely difficult task. The university was full of geniuses, but because he came from a small city and was unfamiliar with the university's operating rules, and because news traveled very slowly back then, he missed the opportunity to apply for the scholarship after the announcement.

He did gain fame, but he didn't receive any money.

Then it exploded.

The tuition at Teishi is very expensive; working-class families in small cities can only afford it for a year at most.

Furthermore, students in art-related majors generally cannot obtain student loans because most art students do not earn enough money to repay their loans in their actual jobs. Capitalists are not philanthropists; they would not do something so foolish.

So he had no choice but to work in a factory to earn his tuition fees.

When his teacher learned about this, he felt that it was a waste of his talent to work in a factory and fix screws. So he took the scripts that his teacher had written and found him an agent. The agency that recognized his talent helped him pay for his tuition and living expenses.

This help enabled him to successfully complete his university studies and film a short film called "I Think I'll Like It Here".

At that time, Martin Scorsese was teaching at a school. After seeing the short film and thinking it was good, he circulated it among his circle. Then, Steven Spielberg saw his work.

Then Spielberg wanted to know what he was doing.

Then Spielberg learned that Columbus was desperate and had to film an 18+ movie.

Yes, it's the 18+ one.

Since Columbus's tuition and living expenses were paid by his agency, after graduation, the agency wanted to extract value from him. They took his script and tried to sell it to others. In this process, some companies did take a liking to it, but they wanted to make his script into an 18+ film, which made him feel extremely insulted, but there was nothing he could do about it.

He couldn't buy back his notebook.

Columbus vowed then and there that he would write a book that would amaze the world and that he would take the lead in his project!
then……

"Gremlins" met Spielberg.

To be honest, without Spielberg's appreciation, without Spielberg providing him with a writing position at Amblin, and without Spielberg formally introducing him to the industry as an Amblin employee, several of his books would probably have been made into 18+ films.

This experience taught him that opportunities are hard-won, and it made him realize that moving forward after success is even more difficult.

Since Columbus had already made his decision, the assistant stopped trying to persuade him.

After waiting for his assistant to send the offer to buy the script to Fenjin...

California.

Beverly Hills.

Fenjin Headquarters.

Ali Emmanuel and Patrick Whitesell sat facing each other.

"Pat, is this the result you wanted?"

Ali Emmanuel stared at Patrick with a grim expression.

"When you showed the script to Chris Columbus, did you ever imagine this day would come?"

"When Chris Columbus wanted our project, we couldn't refuse!! So—"

"Is your original intention to sell our project???"

Emmanuel slammed his fist on the table, and the veins on his neck bulged instantly.

"No, no, no, that was certainly not my intention."

Faced with Emmanuel's roar, Patrick laughed, raised his hands slightly, and pressed them down repeatedly to signal calm.

“Brother, my only intention was to invite Isabella Haywood to star in our project.”

"It was just an accident that Chris Columbus found out."

"Since the accident has already happened, we can only accept reality, right?"

"Sell the script to Chris Columbus, and then... ask for a few acting roles?"

Patrick winked at Emmanuel.

After a pause, seeing that Emmanuel did not reply, Patrick raised his eyebrows, stood up, and left his office.

With a loud thud, Emmanuel slammed his fist on the armrest of the seat.

The filth of 'Shit' 'Shit' also gushed out.

He understood what Patrick meant.

Although everyone shares the same goal, Patrick only joined Fenjin this year, making him a newcomer here.

Anyone who has worked in the workplace knows that the first thing to do after changing jobs is to establish yourself in the new place.

In the talent agency industry, the only way to gain a foothold is to acquire projects and artists.

To secure projects for artists who followed him to switch companies;

Develop your own team on new territory.

Right now, the best way to make a splash is to slip the script into the HP production team.

No one can secure a management contract for the HP trio right now!
If I can collaborate with just one of them, it proves that I am better than all my peers!

The challenge of the six great powers is certainly the reason why everyone is working together, but when Isabella knows that Hermione Granger is her root, how many of these people with assets ranging from tens of millions to hundreds of millions are willing to accept the class decline if they fail the challenge?

Right?

So, while taking on the challenge, it's also good to have a backup plan.

This situation made Emmanuel close his eyes and sigh...

Then, on December 5, 2001, Isabella received news from Columbus that she had obtained the script.

"Endeavour's offer is $25, plus two lead roles, and they require the project to start filming within two years, otherwise they have the right to buy back the script at par. I don't want the script because of Michael Arndt, so you can have your mom find a lawyer to sign it. You can buy it under whose name, of course, the contract still needs to be reviewed."

"Okay, thanks."

Isabella nodded.

This price...

Anyway, she didn't think it was expensive.

$250,000 for a script that could gross over $100 million and win an Oscar?

This is a win-win situation no matter how you look at it.

As for the lead role?
"What kind of leading role do they want?"

"Of course, it's two of the five main characters besides you, namely, two of Grandpa, Dad, Mom, Uncle, and Brother. Oh, you changed Brother to Sister, uh... Anyway, no matter how you change it, they need two."

"Is that so? That makes sense, but I want the British."

"what?"

"British stories can only be told by British people, can't they?"

Isabella remained composed, but a cunning glint flashed in her eyes.

Columbus paused for two seconds, then smiled and replied, "Whatever," before letting the matter drop.

He understood what Isabella meant; she was making her stance clear.

Isabella's success today is thanks to Rowling, and she will never forget her roots, no matter who she collaborates with.

This……

"Oh~~~Isa~~~"

Just as the two finished their conversation, Rowling's call came from the side.

Yes, Rowling is on set today.

We still have to film a scene later.

She will have a cameo role in "The Chamber of Secrets" as the witch Harry brushes past when he emerges from the crossroads.

Looking in the direction of the sound, Rowling was waving at her.

He ran over, hugged her, and patted her head.

The affectionate gesture made Isabella laugh.

"Oh, Aunt Anne, please don't mess up my hair, or I'll have to redo it."

"Then let's redo it."

"Oh? But the stylist will have objections."

"Really? One of our stylists has a problem with the original author, producer, or director?"

"..."

Okay, okay, Isabella fell silent.

She understood Rowling's meaning from the beginning and stood there smiling, letting the other person rub her head.

Rowling, while hugging the porcelain doll, looked towards Columbus.

The director, who was waiting for the lights to be changed, witnessed this scene and shook his head with a helpless smile.

Rowling was saying that he seemed to have lost rather badly.

And this...

Okay, he admits it.

　Thank you Chen Lingyi for the donation.

　　Thank you for your votes.

　　thank you very much
　　Notes: ① The Columbus film that was made into an 18+ movie is called *Reckless*. The film's performance was mediocre, with a $300 million budget and $830 million at the box office. However, the actors were quite famous. The male lead was Aidan Quinn, the one in the three faces in *Legends of the Fall*, and the female lead was Daryl Hannah, yes, Priscilla Chandler from *Blade Runner*, the female lead in *The Mermaid* (starring Hanks), and the one-eyed Mountain Snake from *Kill Bill*. Because of the actors' fame, Columbus has never been able to avoid this issue. ② After Patrick Whitesell joined Endeavour, a large-scale internal power struggle occurred. Ari Emanuel suffered a 'betrayal' from within the company, being sued by Endeavour insiders for disrespecting women, secretly filming women, and operating an 18+ website. Literally, he secretly filmed and posted the videos online, and he even ran the website himself. The case was eventually settled out of court for $225 million, after which Patrick took control of the company.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)