King of Hollywood
Chapter 322 - Chapter 322 Chapter 49 Truly Worthy of the Miracle Director

Chapter 322: Chapter 49: Truly Worthy of the Miracle Director Chapter 322: Chapter 49: Truly Worthy of the Miracle Director “Rumors,” Claude said over the phone, not with annoyance or complaint but with admiration, “Eisner really is an old fox. Such a simple little trick, yet it made us suffer a significant loss.”

Rumors are the simplest and most common tactic in finance. To exaggerate a bit, the randomness of finance is only a bit higher than that of quantum states. Speaking of stocks, perhaps one second they are surging dramatically, but the next they could be plummeting. Even Buffett wouldn’t dare guarantee he could catch those fleeting opportunities every time, let alone anyone else.

It is because of this characteristic that financial matters are easily influenced by external factors, and rumors are the easiest way to have an effect. If there are talks that a company’s executives have met with bankers, that a major investor is planning to pull out of a company, internal discord within a company, etc., such news will certainly cause the company’s stock to fluctuate.

However, the reason rumors are the most commonly used tactic is that the results they typically achieve aren’t significant–rumors are just rumors, after all. They either exaggerate negative matters or are completely fabricated, with no essential difference from tabloid gossip–if it’s the truth, then it’s not a rumor but a scandal. Thus, as long as the company reacts quickly and denies the rumors promptly, the turmoil that rumors can provoke is inversely proportional to the company’s reputation.

Yet, even such ordinary tactics can reap a rich harvest if used well. For instance, spreading a few rumors at a critical moment when competing with a company or group. Once the other party begins to waver, even the smallest crack can lead to their complete defeat. The most famous case known to the public is when the Rothschild family bet on the outcome of the Battle of Waterloo and created the false news of the Duke of Wellington’s defeat to take control of the Bank of England.

Of course, Eisner couldn’t compare to the Rothschilds of a century ago, and nowadays, channels for acquiring information are much more accessible, with correspondingly more varied tactics. Achieving such a grand result again would require skill, vision, capability, and opportunity–none could be lacking. But the old fox is still an old fox, and although Claude was also outstanding, he lacked a bit in experience. Despite considering all factors, he had still let the other side take advantage of a loophole and suffered a loss.

“The situation going forward might be difficult since they have taken the initiative,” Claude said over the phone.

“It’s okay, I’ve left everything in your hands; you handle it all,” Adrian was unconcerned. He only reminded, “But, Claude, don’t forget this year’s goal isn’t just ABC.”

“I know, Marvel Comics,” Claude laughed. “Don’t worry, I’ll handle it.”

Adrian had always delegated these matters to Claude. Being a man of two lives, Adrian had enough self-awareness not to change his thoughts over such a small issue. Actually, Disney making such a big fuss was something he had anticipated; just thinking about how they preferred to incur losses for a decade rather than sell showed ABC’s importance.

So even if he put in all effort and still failed, it would be okay–regrettable but not a disaster. There was still a backup plan, and plenty of opportunities awaited in the future. Thus, Adrian quickly turned his attention back to filmmaking.

The current scene being filmed portrayed Wallace clashing with Edward Longshanks’ army in an open area. Lacking cavalry and with rudimentary equipment, the Rebel Army used sharpened large wooden sticks as makeshift pikes to break the enemy’s charge and achieve victory. The crew had mobilized nearly a hundred horses to shoot this part of the film, and despite Adrian’s coordinating skills honed through previous film production, he was still incredibly busy.

Even with a horse trainer to help, creating the image of a thousand cavalry charging with nearly a hundred horses was not easy. Plus, there were shots of war horses pierced by spears and falling to the ground with their entrails exposed. Of course, real horses couldn’t be used for this, as there were people from the animal protection association on set, so props had to be made, and then edited with montage techniques in post-production, which was quite troublesome.

“All right, guys, let’s do it again, remember what I just said,” Adrian called out loudly, waving his hand. Although they had already done these few shots dozens of times, his face showed no signs of stress.

Since he had chosen this film from the beginning, he was mentally prepared to face difficulties. Moreover, coordinating large-scale scenes had always been one of Adrian’s weaknesses, and this was an excellent opportunity for him to practice.

“Please wait, Mr. Adrian, maybe we should talk about that issue again.” A middle-aged man, who looked to be almost fifty, approached politely, dressed in a formal suit and always wearing a wide-brimmed hat, giving off a stodgy impression.

“Oh, Mr. Wood, do you have any advice?” Adrian inwardly sighed but still put on a serious expression on his face. This man had been the only one to give him a headache during this period, and ironically, he was the one Adrian had sought out.

This Mr. Wood Brody was a liaison officer from the animal protection association, responsible for checking whether the crew mistreated the horses during filming. The animal protection association would not know if a movie crew had been mistreating animals during filming unless someone reported it. Adrian remembered that the original “Braveheart” had provoked protests from the animal protection association when it was released because the war scenes were so realistic and gruesome that they thought the horses were actually killed during filming in that manner. It wasn’t until the crew showed the post-production footage that they were convinced that the “dead” were just props.

Thus, to prevent such a situation, Adrian had contacted the animal protection association early on and invited them to follow the entire process to prove that no horses were mistreated. Who would have thought that they would send someone as rigid and stern as this fellow, who usually stood silently in the crowd with a sullen face, aloof and not very sociable, like a block of wood, but quite fitting with his name. However, as soon as he found something that might even slightly harm the horses, he would criticize endlessly until Adrian agreed to his satisfaction, or else he would not stop.

“Since Mr. Adrian has invited us to supervise the whole process, naturally, he doesn’t want anything to happen to the horses, so I also have to fulfill my duty,” Brody had said very seriously, so even if Adrian was dissatisfied, he couldn’t lash out in front of him and always had to go along with him affirmatively.

“Okay, I got it, I’ll have them pay attention,” Adrian quickly said after Brody finished his harangue, and then he made a gesture to the assistant director beside him. The assistant director blinked and then quickly understood, motioning for the others to prepare to start.

Actually, Brody was often looking for faults which was quite normal. Many people love animals more than their own kind and do many unthinkable things because of this, which is also something only humans would do.

However, Brody wasn’t entirely such a person. Adrian usually let his comments go in one ear and out the other and instructed the staff to make minor changes before continuing the shoot. Brody was also aware of this, but he would only ever deliver his lecture once, then continue to play the part of the wooden figure, showing that he wasn’t an inflexible person.

“Scene 113, take 78, ready!” With the call from the clapper loader, the clapperboard snapped down.

While these scenes would look incredibly impactful on the silver screen, they seemed loose and slack during actual filming. This is the skill of montage; this is the magic of cinema. Soon, the UK media was abuzz with news of the “Miracle Director Adrian creating a new movie based on Britain’s Middle Ages warfare,” accompanied by a few blurry photos.

Although the protective measures on the set were already very well implemented, it was difficult to ensure perfection in such a large-scale scene, and there were noticeably more reporters stationed nearby than before since the 67th Oscar nominations had been announced.

Unsurprisingly, “Forrest Gump” received 13 nominations, identical to Adrian’s memory, with Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Supporting Actor being the most significant. For a moment, Tom Hanks was the center of attention. Given the acclaim and praise won by this film, he was highly likely to retain the Oscar statuette for Best Actor!

Although Spencer Tracy had previously won consecutive Best Actor awards, the Oscars in the 1930s weren’t as fair in their selection processes as they are today. Despite Tracy also being a talented actor, back then the Oscar statuette had at least half the value it has today. Under the current standards of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, it was almost impossible to win an award consecutively, yet Hanks had a considerable chance to set a record. The character Forrest Gump aligned perfectly with mainstream values, so the attention he would receive was predictable.

But within the industry circles, the focus wasn’t on Hanks. Everyone well-informed knew who had boosted Hanks to this position. If “Philadelphia Story” and “Forrest Gump” had swapped release dates, there would have been no chance for Hanks to win consecutively. Hanks was well aware of this as well, so as soon as the nominations were announced, he made an international phone call to thank Adrian, forgetting the time difference in his excitement. Fortunately, Adrian wasn’t asleep yet.

In any case, industry insiders, particularly actors, were all eyeing Adrian. Although talk of Hanks possibly retaining his award had been circulating after the unprecedented acclaim for “Forrest Gump,” the announcement of the nominations still caused people to sigh in admiration: the Miracle Director truly deserved his title.

Just consider what he had done in the past few years, not to mention being the youngest recipient of the Palme d’Or. This year, his chances of becoming the youngest Oscar winner for Best Director were almost as good as those of Hanks retaining Best Actor, and the hit movies from the previous year were enough to make actors fight tooth and nail for his approval, not to mention the coveted honors.

The thoughts of film company executives were even more complicated. Since Adrian entered the industry, Bossworth Film had produced too many outstanding movies. The eight films from the previous year had earned Bossworth money that other companies of the same level couldn’t make in two years. Even compared to the Seven Major Film Companies, solely in terms of revenue from movies, they couldn’t keep up.

If it had been any other company, it might have already been tripped up, swallowed, or divided by others, but Adrian knew how to share. All the major film companies had benefited greatly from him, with Universal, Fox, and himself having the best relationship. Moreover, Bossworth had grown rapidly under his leadership, and once it became a subsidiary of AC Media, which had also acquired TBS, any such attempts would have to be carefully weighed.

“Making money and winning awards, he has dominated both, and such brilliant concepts flow from him in abundance. God has truly favored him,” remarked Robert Kana, the CEO of Warner Bros. Pictures, half-sighing, half-jokingly to his subordinate during a break.

Michael Eisner also sighed; if only he had been more perceptive at the beginning and had pulled him into Disney–perhaps even by offering shares–none of the current problems would exist, and instead, he would have added significant profits to Disney.

Conversely, the Three Giants at DreamWorks quite enjoyed this situation. They were challengers to the existing order and essentially allies with Adrian. Spielberg too called immediately to offer congratulations.

As for their other two companies, they were, of course, overjoyed, especially Miramax. Although having a strong boss was not always pleasant, considering Adrian’s consistent behavior, as long as his demands were met in film production, he tended not to interfere with other aspects, and the Weinstein brothers were thus reassured. Robert Shaye had more to consider since he still controlled most of New Line’s rights, but this didn’t mean he would reject the ideas offered by Adrian.

While that was the sentiment within the industry, in the mainstream media, Hanks received more attention than Adrian. Even though Adrian frequently appeared in newspapers and was continuously mentioned as a potential youngest-ever Best Director winner at the Oscars, with journalists repeatedly bringing up his past achievements, directors in the public eye still ranked below actors. Moreover, there was the possibility of Hanks winning Best Actor consecutively.

Adrian was completely unconcerned; this was precisely the situation he had wanted to see. He had said before that having one foot in the limelight and one behind the scenes was the best state to be in. As long as the actors were clear about that in their minds, it was fine. Bossworth Film did not just have “Forrest Gump” with its 13 nominations to its name.

“Little Women” had earned three nominations, aside from Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design, Winona had barely managed to secure a Best Actress nomination, but it stopped there. Advancing further was nearly impossible. Age was her greatest shackle, after all, a nomination was more about strength, whereas winning depended much more on luck.

“Interview with the Vampire” also received three nominations, including Best Art Direction and Best Original Score, and Kirsten had gotten her wish with a Best Supporting Actress nomination. When Adrian called to congratulate her right away, the “little fairy” sounded particularly excited and thrilled, of course, she didn’t miss the chance to tempt him with her words.

“Oh, I really miss you, Ed, especially… your fingers. That intoxicating feeling as if in heaven is just unforgettable. I wonder when I can taste it again.” The little fairy moved to a secluded spot to say this so blatantly, her coquettish tone dripping with sweetness, absolutely alluring.

By comparison, Tom Cruise was undoubtedly much more miserable. He had intended to compete for an Oscar again with the character Lester, but he didn’t even get a nomination. Rumor had it that he was very angry about this. But that didn’t matter; even if he had been nominated, he wouldn’t have been a match for Hanks. Both named Tom, yet worlds apart in this regard.

Anyway, the announcement of the Oscar nominations had once again put him in the public eye. How could the keen-nosed British tabloids let this opportunity slip by? As for the possibility of being sued for sneaking photos on set, the tabloids would love for someone to sue them, plus the photos were blurry and didn’t harm the movie company’s interests too much.

As for the major newspapers, their eagerness to reprint these stories showed why they looked down on tabloids yet turned a blind eye to such behavior. At worst, they’d remove the photos after receiving a notice, considering they had already attracted attention.

Oscar nominations, coupled with a few blurry photos, had the British buzzing about the Miracle Director’s new movie. Having learned from the experience with “Howards End”, they dared not mock him as before, but malicious comments were nonetheless inevitable.

“When the Oscar nominations were released, the Miracle Director was filming his new movie in the Scottish Highlands. One wonders if he believes he’s already assured of victory or doesn’t care to pay attention. After all, he’s making a medieval war film, and he has almost never failed.” A film critic wrote this in his column, a segment interlaced with comments about this year’s Oscars, the intention clear, not to mention the implications woven throughout.

After this news was picked up by the American media, the reaction from the United States was relatively more muted. For one, Adrian had already done many surprising things, and with “Howards End” as a precedent, there was no need to doubt the quality of his work; secondly, the Oscar nominations had just been announced, and they were a hot topic. Nevertheless, American media still sent quite a few reporters to Scotland, as the new film from the Oscar-nominated Miracle Director with a great chance of winning again was indeed very newsworthy.

As a result, the pressure on the crew increased again. Adrian wasn’t angry about the previous photo incident, but he made it clear he didn’t want to see something like that happen again. Luckily, he was considerate enough to announce that they would shoot indoor scenes first after wrapping up the most intense battle scene, postponing the other fight scenes.

This move effectively curbed the reporters, who couldn’t help but protest, but the crew, through a spokesperson, said the plot needed to remain secret, so they weren’t accepting interviews for the time being. With no other choice, they turned their attention to Adrian. You had to rest at some point, right? We’ll just wait here; surely we can’t miss catching your whereabouts?!

Unfortunately, their tactics were mostly seen through by Adrian. Plus, it wasn’t ten years later yet, so things remained as they were–what needed to be done, got done, like–(To be continued. If you enjoy this work, welcome to come to NovelFire.net to cast your recommendation votes, monthly votes. Your support is my greatest motivation.)