America: Starting with the acquisition of MGM...

Chapter 89. Frozen Begins

In China, the Oscars are over, but the discussion about "Hero" has only just begun.

People in China's entertainment industry expressed their condolences for "Hero".

Lu Chuan: "Actually, whether or not you win an award doesn't matter much. Awards are related to the behind-the-scenes operations, especially commercial awards like the Oscars. The media may have been too optimistic before, thinking that the peace theme of 'Hero' was in line with current events, and thus had high hopes for it, but the same goes for the German film 'Capernaum'."

Zhou Xiaowen: "Winning an award is a matter of luck, especially for foreign awards, where there is a lot of chance involved. I once participated as a judge at a film festival in Spain. Shortly after the film started playing, the judge to my left began to snore softly, while the selection chairman was snoring loudly. As a result, this Spanish film actually won a major award."

"Of course, the Oscars are much better, since the judges are members of the Academy. But all in all, winning an award for a film is a matter of luck. If you win, it's not a big deal, and if you don't, you don't need to worry too much."

Wang Xingdong: "Marching towards the Oscars is like conquering a mountain. Although only one flag can be captured in the end, it is already a success if we can reach the foot of the mountain."

"There are so many movies in the world. It's already quite good that 'Hero' was nominated for an Oscar. There are very few Chinese movies that can go global. I admire Director Zhang very much for being able to showcase Chinese culture and language to the world through a film. Whether or not it won an award, Zhang Yimou is already a hero."

In stark contrast to those in the industry, the general public almost unanimously criticized the film's confusing plot, saying it deserved not to win any awards.

Moreover, it's obvious to everyone that Zhang Yimou desperately craves an Oscar; besides, what kind of hero doesn't win one?

In 2003, the Chinese public was far less awakened than they would be 20 years later, and the obsession with winning and winning gold medals was still the mainstream.

Especially after Ang Lee won an award for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" on the island, everyone had high hopes for Zhang Yimou. The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment, and the more harsh the criticism.

Unlike the uniform barrage of insults in China, Hollywood was much more lively, with the entertainment section almost entirely dominated by the Oscars.

Adrien Brody won the championship and passionately kissed Halle Berry.

"The Pianist" emerged as the biggest winner, taking home Best Actor, Best Director, and Best Picture.

Nicole Kidman finally won Best Actress and made anti-war remarks.

Eric Cooper played the hero on the red carpet, rescuing Nicole Kidman and posing for a photo with her at a high-profile event. The handsome man and beautiful woman looked just like Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman back in the day.

The reporter also interviewed Tom Cruise, who congratulated his ex-wife on her award and thanked Eric for his actions.

The Lord of the Rings garnered technical awards and a host of nominations, and Peter Jackson made a raunchy joke during an interview.

"Chicago" was a disappointment, winning four technical awards and a Best Supporting Actress award, but losing the Best Picture award.

Before the Oscars ceremony, there were only two strong contenders for Best Picture: Chicago and The Pianist.

Strangely, the long-dormant Polanski sexual assault case was brought back into the spotlight, with numerous media outlets reporting on his misdeeds. Even though the victim from back then said she would not pursue the matter further, and that art should be separated from character, it was to no avail.

The source of this dirty water-throwing tactic is self-evident; anyone in the industry knows it's Harvey Weinstein, because this scene is so similar to the situation faced in "Saving Private Ryan."

At the 71st Academy Awards, "Saving Private Ryan" was a strong contender for the award. Shortly before the Oscars, the media released a lot of negative news, such as veterans criticizing the war scenes for being too fake and the film for ignoring the soldiers who sacrificed their lives.

The result was a major upset for "Shakespeare in Love," and Gwyneth Paltrow was crowned Best Actress.

This time, the method failed, and the media provided analysis of the reasons and insider reports.

First, the Iraq War had a huge impact, and the whole world was paying attention to it. The anti-war theme of "The Pianist" ultimately triumphed over the public relations efforts behind "Chicago".

Secondly, "Chicago" was targeted by a snipe. Analysts had predicted that "Chicago" would gross at least $3 million and remain in theaters until at least after the Oscars.

However, the sudden entry of Shark and Saw caused Chicago's box office to be halved.

The original screening time was forced to be brought forward by more than a month, and even Miramax's repeated negotiations with the theaters and the Weinstein brothers' personal persuasion were to no avail.

Theaters need to consider profits. When profits are too low, not only the Weinstein brothers, but even Disney's reputation won't help.

The early removal from theaters naturally led to a further decrease in influence. The Oscar committee has more than 6000 members, and they are located all over the world. Not all of them buy into Harvey Weinstein's ideas.

How do the jury members who can't see the film make their choice? Of course, "The Pianist" has the advantage.

In any case, the failure of "Chicago" added another layer to the feud between MGM and the Weinstein brothers.

In Beverly Hills, a black car was parked on the side of the road, and Charles got out of the car with his intern, Tony.

Both men were carrying filming equipment, their professions self-evident: they were reporters from the Los Angeles Times, there specifically to stake out Nicole Kidman.

As an experienced entertainment reporter, Charles looked around and pointed directly to a spot, saying, "Go there, it's a good location. Everything that happens at the gate won't escape our eyes."

Tony, the younger brother, obediently carried the equipment over, only to discover a camera hidden behind the tree when they got closer.

"Hey kid! What are you doing? That's my spot!"

Not far away, West, who was also an entertainment reporter, ran over while eating a hamburger.

Tony, the underling, glanced back, and Charles immediately stepped forward to negotiate: "Brother, I'm Charles Wesson from the Los Angeles Times. If you're in this business, you should have heard of me. Nicole Kidman is a regular client of mine, and this is my usual spot. You've crossed the line!"

West finished his hamburger in a few bites and stood firmly in front of the machine: "Don't give me that. I don't know anything about Charles Wesson. I only know that I got this spot first. If you wanted it, you should have come earlier."

"Young man, I don't like your tone. It seems you're new to this industry and don't know the rules. But if you want your career to develop, you'd better take my advice."

"What! Are you threatening me? Nicole Kidman's photos are worth over $300 right now. Give me the money if you want them, or get out of my territory!"

"Hey kid, wanna fight?"

"Old man, you're the one asking for trouble. If you try to fight, I'll beat you senseless!"

The two exchanged insults for several minutes, their tempers flaring as they waited for the other to make the first move so they could extort a large sum of money.

But which journalist isn't smart? You can insult someone, but you absolutely cannot start a fight.

Just then, Tony, the henchman, pointed to the door and shouted, "They're coming out! They're coming out!"

The two instantly got into the zone, grabbing their cameras and snapping away.

"Tony, drive fast, catch up with her!"

"Okay, but didn't you say Nicole Kidman drives a Rolls-Royce? Why is it a Lamborghini that came out?"

"Never mind that, all these big stars have a bunch of luxury cars."

"That's true."

Seeing Charles chasing after the Lamborghini and getting further and further away, West, who was alone and lagging behind, couldn't help but feel annoyed. He was still too young. This was a job that he really couldn't do alone. Unfortunately, it was too late to catch up now.

He sighed, pondering whether to stay here or go stalk other celebrities, when he saw a Rolls-Royce drive out the gate.

West paused for a moment, then looked in the direction the Lamborghini had left, and his heart suddenly filled with ecstasy.

"Hahaha. I'm going to make a fortune! I'm going to make a fortune! This message is worth at least $2000."

With a turn of the steering wheel and a full throttle, West quickly caught up with the Rolls-Royce.

After talking with Spielberg that night, things were basically settled.

Subsequently, relevant departments of MGM and DreamWorks began to work together to draft the specific details of the contract, which was then reviewed by the legal department to ensure that there would be no traps that would be detrimental to both parties.

Thursday morning, Eric received a call from Spielberg, informing him that the three DreamWorks executives would be coming to MGM that morning to complete the final step of the process.

At 9:30 a.m., a Buick minivan pulled up in front of the MGM Grand building.

Steven Spielberg, Jeffrey Katzenberg, and David Geffen got out of the car.

The three of them had different roles at DreamWorks; for example, Spielberg was best at live-action films.

Jeffrey Katzenberg served as executive director at Disney, specializing in animated films. He was hailed as an animation genius and spearheaded the production of well-known works such as "The Little Mermaid," "Beauty and the Beast," and "Aladdin."

David Geffen, on the other hand, focuses on music. The rapid rise of well-known bands or musicians such as the Eagles, Bob Dylan, Tom Weitz, and Guns N' Roses is inseparable from his influence.

In 2003, DreamWorks' full English name was Dreamworks SKG, where S stands for Spielberg, K for Katzenberg, and G for Geffen.

Upon seeing the three, the hostess and Volvo, who had been waiting in front of the building, came out to greet them and led them into the conference room.

To show respect, both Cooper and his son attended today's signing ceremony, and the two sides met and shook hands upon the arrival of the Big Three.

Just like a state visit, the matter had already been agreed upon privately, and signing was just a formality.

In just half an hour, as the names of the individuals were written down one by one, the law took effect in black and white, and MGM and DreamWorks Animation officially formed a strategic partnership.

The two parties signed a contract to produce five animated feature films, with DreamWorks allocating a 10% share of the funding for each film.

If DreamWorks doesn't participate in the investment, then it will be wholly owned by MGM, with DreamWorks only playing a production role.

This partnership doesn't mean DreamWorks is selling its animation division to MGM. Rather, it means DreamWorks will prioritize MGM projects while still taking on other projects, provided they don't negatively impact MGM's projects.

"Jeffrey, regarding the Frozen project, the character designs are basically complete, but the script and set designs still need some time. You can proceed with pre-production, and MGM will provide a more complete script later, making it easier for DreamWorks to get started."

Katzenberg nodded slightly, then suggested, "Steven has already told me about this movie. It's an adaptation of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale 'The Snow Queen,' and it's being produced in full 3D. That's no problem; DreamWorks can handle it."

"But I also have a suggestion, which is that I hope DreamWorks can participate in the scriptwriting process. I don't mean anything by it, after all, we will also invest 10%, and we all hope to make our first film a success."

Katzenberg phrased it rather tactfully, but Eric understood what the other person was worried about.

He said with a smile, "Jeffrey, you don't need to do that. I prefer to speak frankly; that way, we can communicate better."

"I understand what you mean. You're worried that MGM will end up like Disney, unable to break free from its old habits and patterns, right?"

"Yes, of all the animated films MGM has made in recent years, only The Pink Panther is truly outstanding, but it also imitated the style of Tom and Jerry and Droopy."

"However, I can tell you very clearly that this is no longer the era of Kerkorian. Young people will use their youthful thinking to tell a story from the past. Frozen will only follow the trend, not go backwards."

Why did Eric say that? Because Disney's actions in the animation field in recent years have provided the entire industry with a living example of what not to do.

Since the rise of DreamWorks and Pixar, especially after the birth of Toy Story, the first 3D animated feature film, the entire industry has undergone a major reshuffle, officially moving from the 2D era to the 3D era.

But how did Disney do it?

That's right, it goes against the tide, not only refusing to use 3D, but also saying that animated characters made with computer effects are pitiful.

At the same time, Disney is still using the same old storytelling methods from decades ago, but the audience is no longer the same group of people.

The new generation of viewers simply doesn't buy into the old-fashioned tropes of princes and princesses and everyday family dramas. It's not about using a few new jokes or saying a few trendy phrases to be considered fashionable.

As a result, "Cinderella 2" flopped badly, and "Treasure Planet" also flopped badly. Disney is like an old man, trying hard to learn new tropes from young people.

He thinks it's very fashionable, but young people think it's a hodgepodge. If you don't fail, who will?

DreamWorks is naturally worried that MGM will also fail to change its approach, and that the film's release would be tantamount to dragging them down with it.

The two talked until noon, and then had lunch in the MGM cafeteria. If it weren't for the fact that the big and small bosses were there, they would definitely have rushed up to Spielberg for autographs and photos.

"Steven, try this, you'll love it," Eric said, pointing to the sweet and sour pork.

Since he transmigrated here, he has specially sent someone to Chinatown to hire a chef in his fifties, offering him a high salary of $20,000 to specialize in Chinese cuisine.

Moreover, it's not the American version of Chinese cuisine. Having gotten used to the taste from the other side of the strait, he really couldn't bring himself to like the American version.

When the head chef first arrived, the MGM employees saw that the boss liked to eat, so they were naturally eager to try it too. However, they were used to the American version and were not used to authentic Chinese cuisine.

But as time went on, a few months later, the head chef became more and more popular, successfully winning back everyone's tastes.

Now he serves two or even three times more meals than when he first arrived, but the high salary of $2 still makes this middle-aged man grin from ear to ear.

After lunch, the Coopers saw the DreamWorks trio off.

As soon as they stepped out the door, they were surrounded by a large number of reporters who rushed out from the corners, flower bushes, behind trees, and next to trash cans.

Just when everyone thought the reporter was going to ask about the collaboration between MGM and DreamWorks, and take the opportunity to downplay the success of "Frozen",

The paparazzi had already shoved microphones into Eric's face, practically shoving them into his mouth.

"Mr. Cooper, are you dating Nicole Kidman?"

My colleague's wife was diagnosed with cancer, so he's on leave. Now I'm the only one managing the office, which is much busier than before, but I'll still update as usual. Generally, I'll update once on weekdays and twice on weekends, with extra updates depending on the situation.

(End of this chapter)