America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 301 I'm Always the One Who Gets Hurt

In the screening room, a preview of Brad Pitt's new film "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" was underway, and Warner Bros. executives, including Daniel Radcliffe, Alan Horn, and Charles Roven, all wore expressionless faces.

On screen, Brad Pitt, dressed in denim, looks quite imposing, exuding a unique dandyish charm.

But these Warner members almost simultaneously thought of Coca-Cola's latest GG.

The cowboy, who was originally like a dapper gentleman, was so awkward.

Some even felt that this person should be trampled underfoot and made to weep and repent.

It would have been fine if Pitt had used a different look in the film, but the sharpshooter James he plays is a typical cowboy.

It wasn't just Warner Bros. people who had this idea; even Pitt's side couldn't escape it.

Including Maggie Dakshire.

She felt that the film might not go well.

After the preview screening ended, before Pitt, the producer and lead actor, could speak, the Warner Bros. executives and film experts, who had exchanged glances, reached a tacit understanding.

"Brad," Alan Horn said, "we need to have a small internal meeting. Please wait a moment."

Pete laughed: "Please, do as you please."

Warner executives and film experts went into the office next door.

Alan Horn asked directly, "Isn't this film a little weird?"

Several film critics have reached a consensus, with one saying, "It's not that the film is weird, it's that Pitt looks weird. His cowboy look is too reminiscent of Coca-Cola's latest GG."

Daniel chimed in, "That's true."

Charles Rowan gave a helpless smile: "When I saw Pitt in a cowboy outfit appear on screen, Coca-Cola just popped into my head."

Seeing everyone else nodding, Alan Horn asked, "If the audience sees this, won't it break the immersion?"

"Some might not," the film expert said, "but some will definitely associate it with that version of GG."

Daniel suggested, "I remember the company signed a distribution contract with the production team?"

Alan Horn said, "When this project was first launched, a distribution contract was signed, but Pitt was very confident at the time and refused to let us participate in the production investment. Apart from today's screening, we did not make any other upfront investments; the investment was basically zero."

Charles Rowan chimed in, "Now that we've signed the distribution contract, let's hold off for a while and release it once Coca-Cola's influence has subsided."

Alan Horn is unlikely to abandon this film; the chances of losing money are very small from a purely distribution perspective.

He made a decision: "Let's go with this."

The internal discussion ended quickly, lasting only a few minutes. Alan Horn had someone bring Pete over to formally inform him of the decision.

"Delayed release?" Since marrying Aniston, Pitt had never enjoyed this kind of second-tier treatment, and he was somewhat dissatisfied: "Alan, this film is already finished, time is money..."

Alan Horn raised his hand to interrupt him: "Warner Bros.' schedule is packed, and they can't find a suitable time slot right now. They can't let a film like this face off against those big-budget blockbusters, can they?"

For a star of Pitt's caliber, and a major shareholder of Plan B, he spoke rather politely: "Give Warner some time. Once a suitable schedule becomes available, I will have someone contact you."

The six major publishers are at the very top of the industry chain, so it's normal for them to have tight schedules. Pete urged them a couple of times and then left Alan Horn's office.

When he went downstairs to meet the others, he happened to run into Banks, a Warner Bros. moviegoer who was also attending the screening.

"Hey Brad, let's chat for a bit." Banks, struggling to make it at Warner Bros., couldn't help but have other ideas.

Pete asked, "What's wrong?"

Banks said, "Regarding the release of 'The Assassination of the Sniper'..."

He quickly recounted Warner Bros.' concerns.

At first, Pete didn't think much of it, but the more he listened, the darker his face became, and he couldn't help but think of Coca-Cola's GG.

"That's about it." Banks finished selling and quickly left, saying, "I have something to do, I'll be going now."

Pitt put his hands in his pockets, still trying his best to maintain his composure, and took the elevator downstairs.

Upon entering the spacious lobby of the Warner Building, I saw a new promotional poster on the Coca-Cola vending machine. The poster featured Martin in a cowboy outfit, using Coca-Cola as a blessing to reform another bully cowboy who looked very similar to him.

Pete went to the rest area and sat down, wanting to be alone for a while.

As he calmed down and regained his composure, it became clear that Warner Bros.' decision was sound. If "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" had been released in theaters during the period when this version of GG had the greatest impact, it might have caused serious problems.

It's fine to wait.

Once he understood this, Pete's anger flared up again: Why am I the one who got hurt?

…………

At the Warner Bros. Studios' ice cream parlor.

Martin went to the counter and ordered a cup of tea.

Part-time actress Mia cheerfully collected the money and gave her change: "Same as before, black tea, no milk or sugar?"

"Yes!" Martin walked over. He was fairly familiar with Mia, and seeing how happy she was, he asked, "You got an important role?"

Mia nodded emphatically: "Yes, there are almost ten lines of dialogue."

Martin gave her a thumbs up: "A big step forward."

A satisfied smile spread across Mia's freckled face: "Of the five of us who shared the apartment, I was the first to get my lines."

Martin took the black tea she offered and suggested, "Have your agent do more outreach. The more he does, the more job opportunities you'll have."

Mia said, "He doesn't really value me."

"Let's take it one step at a time." Martin brought his tea to an empty table and sat down, waiting for Thomas to bring his men over.

Marcus has finished dealing with the aftermath of Daisy and John's two dogs, and several black men have been formally arrested. He will soon be able to free up his time to begin work on his memoirs.

Thomas selected a suitable person from among WMA's contracted writers and screenwriters to act as a ghostwriter to assist Marcus in completing his memoir.

Today, Martin is going to meet that playwright.

There were no other customers in the ice cream shop at the moment, so Mia picked up a pen and started writing in her notebook.

Her records consisted entirely of her observations and insights from her time on the film set.

Mia has been working here for over a year and is still a minor actress, but in addition to acting, she also tries her hand at writing.

It wasn't voluntary; it was out of desperation. It's just too difficult for a simple actor to make it big.

Thomas then entered the store with a man in a gray shirt.

The man was in his thirties, slightly overweight, and had a thick beard.

Thomas explained, "This is Robinson, a screenwriter signed by the company, who has worked on many film projects."

Martin shook his hand, told him to make himself at home, and had Mia bring over two cups of coffee before asking directly, "You've been involved in quite a few film projects?"

Robinson, not a newcomer to Hollywood, knows the importance of a resume, saying, "I was previously a member of Mark Bauer's writing team."

Martin had never heard of this person before and was slightly puzzled.

Robinson explained in detail: "Mark Bauer was the screenwriter of Black Hawk Down, and I was a member of the team that participated in the scriptwriting for that project."

Martin knew that many Hollywood scriptwriting processes followed an assembly-line model of division of labor, and that many well-known screenwriters often had a team behind them.

These screenwriters naturally cannot be credited on the film. Hollywood only allows a maximum of three screenwriters to be credited for each film, and crediting means various online and offline revenue sharing rules stipulated by the Writers Guild.

Robinson emphasized projects related to war: "My most recent work was in Paul Haggis's 'The Battle of Elah Valley.' Like other projects, I was involved as a team member and did not receive any credit."

Martin asked, "Have you ever worked on a script or project with me?"

Robinson pulled out a printed copy and handed it to Martin: "This is the part of 'Black Hawk Down' that I was responsible for writing. 'The Battle of Elah' has just finished filming but hasn't been released yet, so the script can't be released to the public."

Martin nodded and began to read carefully.

In terms of English writing, Martin is a complete slacker, absolutely the worst of the worst. However, his reading comprehension is normal, and having read many scripts, he also has a certain ability to discern quality.

Black Hawk Down is no ordinary movie; he watched it recently when he was doing film analysis.

Martin looked at the script for over ten minutes before putting it down and asking, "Why did you leave Mark Bauer's team?"

Robinson hesitated for a moment before deciding to tell the truth: "I've worked in his team for five years and still don't have any credit. I feel like if I work for another five years, I'll still be in the same situation. Although he, as my boss, has made me all sorts of promises, I think the chances of them being fulfilled are very low."

He smiled helplessly: "I also want to put my name on the scripts I write and to be credited on the films. Although I don't have any copyright to Marcus's memoir, I can still be credited on it."

Martin nodded slightly: "In addition to the payment, there is indeed the right to be credited, but the ghostwriter's name will be listed after Marcus's."

Robinson said, "No problem."

"So, I'll arrange for Marcus to meet me." Martin wanted to test him in a more practical way: "You listen to Marcus's story, and then write it down."

Robinson readily agreed.

Martin called Marcus and arranged to meet at Davis Film Studio.

Less than half an hour later, the two sides met in Martin's office.

Marcus's situation is somewhat similar to Martin's; he has no problem speaking, but when it comes to written expression, he's completely lost.

Oral and written expression are completely different.

Marcus was very excited to see that Martin had found a suitable playwright so quickly. He spoke and gestured with his hands as he described his experience when he first joined the Seals.

Robinson first wrote it down in draft form, and after Marcus finished speaking, he went into the adjacent conference room alone to start organizing and writing.

He didn't leave the meeting room until almost the end of the workday, and handed the passage he had written to Martin.

Martin glanced at it quickly and handed it to Marcus.

The latter read it once and said, "Yes, that's exactly it!"

Martin had Thomas review it again, and after confirming there were no problems, he decided to hire Robinson.

(End of this chapter)