America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 687 A Documentary of Justice

Burbank, Davis Studios.

Thomas entered Martin's office, pulled out a chair, sat down opposite him, and said, "I just received news that Depp, through his agent, has told several partners that if they want to work with him, Johnny Depp, they cannot work with us."

Martin didn't care about the speculation about Depp, and simply asked, "What's Disney's reaction?"

Thomas said, "Disney Studios has not given Depp any response."

Martin could roughly guess Disney's thinking: you guys do your thing, I'll run mine, and the final result will be determined by commercial performance.

If Johnny Depp's Transcendence and The Lone Ranger become huge hits, while Martin Scorsese's subsequent films perform poorly, Disney will definitely choose Depp and abandon Scorsese.

vice versa.

Martin and Davis Studio would have done the same.

Thomas asked, "Should we respond?"

"No need," Martin said directly. "We rarely work with outside production companies."

In fact, apart from Disney Studios, the companies he collaborates with have basically no connection with Depp.

Most of the films starring Martin Scorsese were financed by Davis Studios. Other films, such as Argo, and those starring Graham King, had no connection with Depp.

Now, Depp's public image has been completely ruined by these three.

Despite numerous online criticisms and attempts made by Depp's team, the results have been poor.

The main reason is that Depp has done too many things that offend people in the past two years.

Although Martin Scorsese had set a bad precedent for Annapurna Pictures, he didn't wait for Megan Ellison and Johnny Depp's film to fail. Instead, he took the initiative and did everything he could to salvage both films.

Thomas then said, "I've received some information about Christopher Nolan."

Martin asked, "About his leaving the CAA and contacting the WMA?"

"Yes, the company has been trying to poach Nolan for over a year." Thomas, now a partner at WMA, has ample knowledge of the company's dynamics: "After a long period of effort, we've finally achieved results."

He explained in detail: "Nolan's contract with the CAA expires this year, and he will not renew it. Instead, he will join the WMA."

Martin was not surprised by this. Earlier this year, when he had a private conversation with Nolan, Nolan said that he would not renew his contract with CAA after fulfilling the last year of his contract.

Martin asked, "Who did Nolan choose as his agent?"

"Ali Emmanuel." Thomas had no opinion of Nolan. Over the years, he had come to understand more and more why he had achieved his current success.

It's not that he was exceptionally capable, but rather that he was able to serve Martin wholeheartedly.

He has no intention of developing new first-tier clients in the short term, and he devotes almost all his energy and resources to Martin.

Thomas left Martin and immediately went to Warner Bros. Studios to discuss the Joker's appearance in "The Dark Knight Rises".

During the post-production editing of this film, Nolan planned to add a small number of shots from The Dark Knight that were filmed but not used to the third installment.

Regardless of the plot, this marketing guru wanted to use Martin and the Joker to further promote and hype "The Dark Knight Rises".

Martin only signed a contract for one film, The Dark Knight, which did not include a licensing agreement. If they wanted him to appear in the third film, they would naturally have to pay him a separate fee.

Thomas's talks with project producer Charles Rowan did not go smoothly, with Rowan saying that the final cut had not yet been finalized and it was too early to discuss such matters.

After Martin ended his partnership with Warner Bros., various collaborations and financial transactions inevitably became somewhat difficult.

Thomas, representing Martin, issued a formal statement declaring that any film using Martin's image without his authorization would constitute copyright infringement.

Charles Rowan isn't unwilling to talk, but the micro-management masters above are interfering, making it impossible to talk for the time being.

Not far away, in an office building dedicated to film post-production, several producers from the "Jack the Giant Slayer" crew were directing their respective editing teams to work on post-production.

Warner Bros. President Jon Berger visits every few days, and today he toured the studio and was quite satisfied to see that the editing work of several editing teams was progressing smoothly.

In one of the post-production studios, a producer from Castle Rock Pictures said, "I want the background to be dark, to have a heavy, epic feel, like an oil painting."

The colorist worked quickly and efficiently on the shots.

Looking at the edited footage, the producer said with dissatisfaction, "Let me emphasize again, I don't want any comedic scenes. Giants invading the human world is a very serious event. Even if it's a fairy tale adaptation, it needs to have a solid epic feel."

In another post-production room on the same floor, a producer representing Legendary Pictures was also reviewing the completed cuts.

He watched for a while and couldn't help but shake his head, saying, "This is a family-friendly children's movie. Don't make it so serious. There should be more jokes to make the viewing atmosphere joyful."

The editor added shots to the edited footage to serve as comedic elements, as requested by the producer.

The producer would express his opinion from time to time.

These two post-production studios are not the only ones doing similar work; several others are doing similar things as well.

Warner Bros. president Jon Berger gave them that authority, and they naturally completed their own edits according to their own understanding, preferences, and styles.

As for how the final film turns out, that's something only Jon Berger has the authority to decide.

After finishing his work supervising the editing, McDonald rushed out to see his boss.

Jon Berger asked, "Can you finish on time?"

McDonald assured, "In another two weeks at most, we will submit our respective edited versions to the company, at which time we can organize professionals to review them."

Jon Berger was quite pleased with this: "I will assemble a professional judging panel."

A professional jury will then review each edited version, identify all the outstanding clips, and use these clips as a basis to edit a film that fits the main storyline.

Knowing his boss's strategy, McDonald flattered him, saying, "Boss, you've created a completely new film production model that will surely be remembered in Hollywood history."

This made Jon Berg very happy. When he first took office as president of Warner Bros., many people questioned and criticized him, believing that he was an amateur in filmmaking compared to Alan Horn.

The commercial failure of "Pharaohs and Gods," which he co-led with Daniel, fueled even greater criticism both inside and outside the company.

Even though he shifted the blame to Ridley Scott and Christian Bale, it did nothing to diminish the criticism.

Jon Berger naturally wanted to turn things around.

After leaving the post-production office building, Jon Byrne returned to his office and contacted the company, the media, critics, and film experts in the theater industry.

We will invite them to come and watch the film, rate it, and describe in detail its strengths and weaknesses.

Jon Berger will personally oversee the editing of the final cut based on these factors.

…………

With filming of "Argo" about to begin, Martin Scorsese has been studying Tony Mendes' autobiography repeatedly these past few days and occasionally visits the film crew's studio to have face-to-face conversations with Tony Mendes.

Louise also contacted the CIA's Hollywood office.

In this film, the CIA is portrayed in a completely positive light, and Langley has responded positively, allowing the crew to directly enter CIA headquarters for filming.

The filming schedule, which included shooting in Washington, Los Angeles, and Istanbul, also made it difficult for the film to apply for a tax refund.

California, Virginia (where Langley is located), and Türkiye currently do not have corresponding tax refund policies.

Tax refunds can often save a film 10-15% of its production costs.

While Louise and others were studying the corresponding strategies, Jennifer Seabell, the wife of the Lieutenant Governor of California, came to visit Martin.

In the meeting room, Jennifer Sibel said with a smile, "I spoke with Elizabeth on the phone the other day, and she mentioned the movie tax refund. I have some news that might interest you."

Martin reacted quickly: "California is going to have a similar tax refund policy too? Back in 09, it failed in the state legislature."

Jennifer Seabell said, "Gavin is prepared to push this bill again, and if all goes well, it will most likely pass in the state legislature in November. Part of your filming and all post-production must be done in Los Angeles. For projects over $50 million, as long as most of the filming and production is done in Los Angeles, it won't be difficult to get a 10% tax refund."

Martin smiled and said, "Jenny, thank you so much for the good news."

Jennifer Sibel smiled and said, "We're friends, so there's no need to be polite."

Martin, ever the quick-witted one, asked, "It's been a long time since the last film, 'Romantic Troubles,' was completed. Any new ideas lately?"

“I have an idea,” Jennifer Seabell said in detail. “The Harvey Weinstein case hurt me deeply, and its shadow has haunted me ever since. I only found peace of mind when we came together to stop his crimes.”

Martin nodded: "Actually, I was under a lot of pressure too. You may have heard that Harvey invited me to star in his film projects several times, and after I refused, he threatened to ruin my acting career."

Jennifer Seabell, now a politician's wife who often serves her husband's political needs, said, "I plan to compile the whole story and personally direct a documentary to record Harvey Weinstein's crimes and the helplessness of the victims, using the whole incident as a wake-up call to awaken the whole society and those who follow."

Martin agreed: "That's a great idea, Jenny. You're a truly righteous and socially responsible woman!"

Without hesitation, he declared, "The production costs must be handled by Davis Studio!"

Jennifer Sibel said, "I came here today to ask you for help."

Martin said, "From funding to personnel to MeToo, none of these are problems."

Given the current socio-political environment, regardless of the social impact of this documentary, it would be a hot-selling product.

(End of this chapter)