America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 878 Open Fire, Don't Stop

Time flew by and it was now 2015. After the New Year holiday, Martin returned to the Shallows set and got busy with the final editing.

Under the direction of Louise and Joel Negroon, the film underwent a major edit, resulting in a 91-minute version presented to Martin without preamble or end credits.

Martin watched the film several times and felt that some scenes still needed simplification.

A few days later, the final cut of The Shallows was released, followed by the addition of preamble and end credits, bringing the total length of the film to only 88 minutes.

"Isn't it a bit short?" Louise adjusted her black-rimmed glasses. She was always very serious when she was working. "Movies with a main feature of only a little over 80 minutes are rare these days."

Martin turned off the projector, turned on the light, and said, "Shorter has its advantages; at least it allows for more screenings."

Louise nodded: "I'll have someone edit the final trailer right away. There's less than a month until the release, so don't run around anymore. Cooperate with the crew for promotion."

Martin replied, "No problem."

This is his directorial debut. He's hired so many industry experts as assistants and is making it with a lot of money. If he messes it up, it will definitely become a laughing stock in the industry.

The film had a limited budget, and the main focus of the publicity was on him and Blake Lively.

In addition, given the current social situation, the female protagonist fighting the evil shark is also an excellent publicity stunt.

In the following days, Martin spent all his time with the film crew on promotional tours, traveling from the West Coast to the East Coast to participate in various media events.

The production team released the final trailer.

Various promotional and advertising efforts are also intensifying.

The film's production cost was ultimately $2500 million, with $2500 million also spent on marketing and distribution.

News, recommendations, and advertisements for The Shallows are ubiquitous in major and medium-sized cities across North America.

Martin Scorsese's directorial debut, *The Shallows*, is about to be released!

"Blake Lively outwits and outmaneuvers the great white shark!"

"Directed by Martin Davis and starring Blake Lively, *The Shallows* is coming soon!"

"Queen S tears apart a great white shark!"

Besides regular media promotion, Blake Lively's social media became the most important promotional platform from the start of filming, attracting a large number of fans to the Gossip Queen's new film.

The same applies to Martin. He also has a large following on social media, but the way top Hollywood stars and internet celebrities operate is different; they don't rely on social media.

Even so, with numerous promotional materials being released on social media, the comment sections for the two were almost overwhelmed.

"Finally, Martin Scorsese's directorial debut is here. I wonder what the film will be like."

"The trailer looks pretty good; Blake Lively in a bikini the whole time is worth the ticket price."

"Martin's movies are indeed very good, but can his directorial works be as good as his starring roles?"

Many people lack confidence in Martin Scorsese's directorial debut. After all, acting and directing are completely different. While Hollywood has many examples of A-list actors successfully directing films, the number of failures is far greater.

Since "The Shallows" has not yet had a test screening, media opinions on it are mixed.

Todd McCarthy, a film critic for The Hollywood Reporter, was not optimistic, writing in his column: "From what I understand, Martin spends his free time messing around with Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson, or chasing women, and hasn't studied directing much. His first film is a project with an investment of over $1000 million, and I doubt he'll be able to handle it."

There are also supporters of Martin. For example, Variety published an interview about The Shallows, mentioning that the crew consisted entirely of experienced professionals from Hollywood.

"Martin may be a newcomer, but the film is overseen by the top producer Louise Lane, and all the assistants are among the best in the industry! Another point that cannot be ignored is that Martin Davis, a billionaire worth billions of dollars, is not only a Hollywood superstar but also the owner of a production company. The resources he can mobilize are far beyond what a typical new director can achieve."

Having just interviewed Martin Scorsese for Variety about Split, I can say that he undoubtedly saw the most crucial point in Scorsese's filming and production of The Shallows.

That's the power of money.

Most things in this world, especially those related to movies, can basically be solved with money.

…………

Burbank, Warner Building.

After the group's routine meeting, Kevin Tsujihara kept Hamada, the co-chairman of DC, behind for a private chat.

DC's Justice League project has extraordinary significance for Warner Bros.

The two discussed matters related to "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice," and the conversation inevitably turned to the only DC superhero movie currently outside the Justice League universe.

Kevin Tsujihara asked, "How far along is 'Joker' in development?"

Hamada hadn't paid much attention, but he had a basic understanding: "Martin found a screenwriter and is currently writing the script according to his ideas. He originally planned to invite Nolan and David Fincher to direct the project, but both of them declined."

Kevin Tsujihara tapped lightly on the sofa armrest, thinking of the recent reports about "The Shallows," and asked, "He wouldn't be thinking of directing this project himself, would he?"

This reminded Hamada, who wasn't getting enough attention: "I think it's possible."

"That's overconfident," Kevin Tsujihara commented. "Admittedly, Martin is a good actor and a Hollywood superstar with huge market appeal, but that has nothing to do with his directing skills. He will completely ruin the Joker."

Hamada chimed in, "I watched the trailer for The Shallows, and it's not hard to see from the different trailers that it's a movie with an exceptionally simple setting, characters, and story. Martin Scorsese is just using opportunistic methods to make it."

He paused, then asked, "Although the project has been licensed to Warner Bros., we still have the power to intervene. Should we remind them that Martin can't write, direct, and star in it himself?"

Kevin Tsujihara also expressed skepticism about Martin's directing abilities. After a brief moment of consideration, he decided to take a more practical approach: "Let's wait and see. 'The Shallows' will be released soon. We'll see how it fares at the box office and in terms of reviews. The market is the ultimate judge of a film's success or failure."

Hamada said, "I will continue to follow The Shallows."

There was something he kept to himself: he hoped Martin Davis would take a hard fall this time.

…………

In the garden of a luxury mansion in the North Side of Sunset Boulevard.

The Oscar ballots mailed by the Academy before the New Year were scattered on a wooden table, with only a few blanks filled in. For example, the first nominee for Best Actor was Martin Davis.

Nicholson ran back and forth in the storeroom several times, bringing back a bunch of targets made of metal sheets. He said to Lorraine, "Disorganize them and have the servants hang them on the iron racks on the west side."

Lorraine glanced at her elderly father, then at his two goofy brothers, and asked, "What are you two up to now?"

Martin carried a box out of the storage room and said, "Ensure fairness and impartiality in Oscar."

Lorraine didn't believe a single word of these words: "You?"

Leonardo DiCaprio, carrying a homemade iron pipe with a handle, said, "When you see it in a moment, you'll be amazed at how fair and impartial we are in choosing the Oscars, regardless of public relations, art, or film quality..."

Lorraine flipped open a round target with the movie's name, along with the names of the director, screenwriter, and actors written on it.

She handed it over to the family's experienced driver, who carried the ladder to hang the target.

There were supports erected there, like bare trees, with a hook on each branch.

The driver hung a large number of signs on the hook.

Martin opened the box, took out the special ammunition ordered by Nicholson, and asked, "Jack, shall we use the usual method?"

Nicholson walked over, picked up a round firework shell, and said, "It's different. This one won't explode when you fire it, and if it hits a target, it will leave a colored mark on it."

Martin picked up a few, stuffed them into his pocket, and asked, "Who goes first?"

Leonardo grabbed a helmet, put it on his head, patted his homemade launcher, and said, "Of course, I'll go first!"

The target was quickly hung up over there, and someone shouted something to this side.

Leonard stretched his arms and legs, then went to the circular launch area marked out by Nicholson, picked up his homemade launcher, and aimed it at one of the iron frames.

The trio of bastards are experienced in launching these kinds of fireworks; they even sent a generous fireworks gift to Johnny Depp and Amber Heard for their wedding years ago.

Leonardo was ready and shouted, "Martin, be my loader!"

Martin lit a firework shell with his windproof lighter, stuffed it into the cannon barrel, slapped Leonardo's helmet, and yelled, "Fire!"

Leonardo adjusted his aim slightly, waited a few seconds, and with a muffled thud, the firework shot out.

Although the firework projectiles flew in a parabolic trajectory, the three of them were already quite skilled at using them, and they hit the target on the first shot.

With a loud crash, a cloud of colorful smoke exploded from the metal frame.

Nicholson picked up a pair of binoculars and took a brief look. He noticed a distinct red bullet impact point on a certain metal target.

He recognized the name on the list and exclaimed, "Best Picture nominee, *The Theory of Everything*!"

Martin, now the loader, said to Lorraine, "Hurry up, write this film's name in the Best Picture nomination section of our Oscar ballot."

Lorraine had already figured out what those three bastards were doing. Now that she was the only one free, she quickly picked up a pen and started writing down the movie title.

She had just finished writing when she heard another muffled thud.

But this time, Leonardo missed.

Martin continued loading, shouting, "Don't stop, keep going!"

The third shot was followed by another clanging sound.

Observer Nicholson raised his binoculars and announced, "Best Actress nominee, Reese Witherspoon!"

Lorraine filled in Reese Witherspoon's name in the first line of the Best Actress nominations.

Seeing Martin about to load his weapon again, she couldn't help but mutter to herself: This selection of nominees is truly fair and just.

Regardless of who the actor is, what the role is like, what the movie is like, or which company they come from, the main principle is to treat everyone equally.

After selecting seven nominees, Martin was chosen as the shooter, and Leonardo became the loader.

The muffled thuds of explosions continued to resound.

Martin's shooting accuracy is much higher than Leonardo's.

The latter can probably get one Oscar nomination every two or three attempts.

Martin's shooting percentage is as high as 90%.

Lorraine thought to herself, if she filmed how those three bastards chose their Oscar nominations and sold it as a sensational news story, she could make a lot of money.

But she only thought about it.

It's worth noting that her father, Nicholson, is now a benchmark of Hollywood acting, a model established by the Academy, and a mascot of the Oscars.

Martin Scorsese and Leonardo DiCaprio are also Oscar activists.

If these facts are released now, the authority of the Oscars will certainly plummet.

After Martin finished his game, Nicholson came on as a substitute.

The old bastard's accuracy was much worse; it took the three of them until sunset to finally get the Oscar nomination votes sorted out.

To ensure fairness and impartiality, Martin instructed Lorraine to seal the ballots and mail them out that evening.

Nicholson stretched and said, "The annual carnival is over again."

Leonardo said, "Next year, we'll try something even more fun."

Martin asked, "Do you have a better idea?"

Leonardo, that old lecher, quickly came up with a terrible idea: "We'll each hire a team of female models, hide the Morse code representing the candidates inside their clothes, and then we'll randomly choose one and have her take off her pants..."

Nicholson waved his hand, saying, "I'm too old to play these games anymore."

He pulled up a chair, sat down, and said, "I'm also ready to let go of Jennifer Lawrence."

Martin understood what he meant: "Really? You're not good enough now?"

"A real man doesn't say no!" Leonardo added insult to injury, patting Nicholson on the shoulder. "So you're the weakest one among us!"

Nicholson said frankly, "I'm seventy-seven years old, and I can still do it at least once a week." He gave Leonardo a disdainful look: "You weakling who only lasts thirty seconds, you won't be able to do it when you're sixty."

Martin shook his head: "Jack, you're wrong."

Leonardo put his arm around Martin's shoulder: "You've finally told the truth for once."

The blow came next, and Martin added, "It would be good if Leo could hold on until he's fifty."

Leonardo released his grip and shoved Martin away, yelling, "You're a complete bastard!"

The three of them exchanged some sarcastic remarks. Seeing that it was getting dark, Martin said, "Let's go have dinner. We can wash our faces afterward. It's on me today."

Nicholson and Leonardo decide to go out for an expensive meal and empty Martin's wallet.

With the Oscar vote secured, Martin focused his energy on promoting "The Shallows," continuing to travel with the film crew for promotional events.

Before mid-January, Disney held three special screenings for "The Shallows": a media screening, a fan screening, and a theater manager screening, which received fairly good feedback.

It's certainly not as good as Martin Scorsese's previous films, but it's not a bad movie either.

Disney subsequently lifted the embargo on film reviews.

The Rotten Tomatoes score is over 80%, and it also has an initial rating of 8.2 on IMDb.

This at least indicates that the film will not be a box office disaster.

(End of this chapter)