Lan Li and Rooney each sat cross-legged in two corners of the dining room, their ears surrounded by languid and cozy jazz music, and stacks of thick script projects piled up around them, intently entering the world woven by the screenwriter, looking like two nerds were preparing for exams, immersed in a sea of books and knowledge.

But the way the two people read the script was very different.

Rooney likes to flip through a page of the script and then peruse the lines and dialogues, and if she can't get an idea or collide with the inspiration, then she will put the script down, while Lan Li is used to flipping through the first and last pages of the script to see the story structure of the beginning and end, so as to explore the whole idea and intention of the screenwriter.

Of course, the reading purposes of the two people are also completely different, which also determines the difference in reading speed and method - Rooney is really reading the script, while Lan Li is digging into the project, it can be clearly noticed that Lan Li's reading speed is very fast, and the script that can make him quiet down and savor it is really rare.

It's not that Lan Li doesn't respect the hard work of the screenwriters enough, but the number of scripts is too large -

According to a rough estimate, there are at least 500 projects in front of him, which does not rule out the possibility that Andy will continue to add them in the future, and it does not rule out that some script projects may only have a few pages of frame statements, which also means that the actual number may be more. If Lan Li wants to get the job done quickly, he has to increase his speed.

At the beginning, Lan Li would read it carefully, and it took an average of three to five minutes for a script, but after half an hour, he found that the "consumption" speed of the script at hand was really too slow, and then looked up at the hill above the dining table...... Lan Li decided to speed things up.

Although it is said to be an acceleration, the growth is really limited: because this time it is a project for Sisyphus Pictures, not a blue gift, and it is also a project for independent films, and there are many bizarre projects in front of you, and the speed of flipping through them involuntarily slows down - some of them are famous, others unheard of, but it is certain that these are all the brainchild of the art creators, showing the remnants of the artistic cells behind the supremacy of Hollywood's interests.

There are many amazing works among them.

For example, "Swiss Army Knife Man".

This work tells a somewhat bizarre story: a man is stranded on a desert island, and when he is about to despair, he finds a corpse, and then takes the corpse as his friend and names him, and later, the man discovers that the corpse can actually speak - although it is his illusion, the corpse is like a Swiss army knife, has a variety of functions, and can even use farts as a driving force to drive on the water, which becomes his best hope of escaping the desert island.

It is no exaggeration to say that this is a brain-opening story that is a little neurotic, not to mention the quality and effectiveness of the work, at least the screenwriter's whimsy is still worthy of recognition.

Another example is "party pick-up tips".

The story takes place in a small English town in the 70s when punks were just on the rise, and a group of secondary school teenagers wandered around all day, pretending to be the coolest group of people in the world, but in fact they were a group of adolescent boys/virgins/boys. One day, they learn that they think the punk spirit leader is about to throw a party, and they decide to infiltrate it to see if they can find a date, only to break into an alien party instead, and then start a 48-hour pick-up battle.

It seems to be an ordinary and cliché alien story, but it is also full of strange ideas. If Lan Li is not mistaken, the script is adapted from the original author Neil-Gaiman, and the representative works are "The Sandman", "American Gods" and "Stardust".

Through these bizarre ideas, we can get a glimpse of the current state of the American film production industry.

In fact, the activity of artistic creation still exists, independent filmmakers still have many special ideas, but subject to the shackles of two tights, in the trend of the times of profit first and entertainment to death, the ideas of film production companies are becoming more and more limited, either actively or passively, they all refuse to make these unique works, and then David Fincher, Coen brothers and other directors with unique styles have become more and more passive, and those creative inspirations have gradually faded and faded in the passage of time.

Sisyphus Pictures is not a charity, even if Lan Li has a heart, he can't achieve it on his own, he has never been a savior and does not want to be a savior.

It would be great if we could establish a streaming media platform and find a small living space for these works through an online film library, so that they can continue to breathe freely, find like-minded friends, and preserve the inspiration of artistic creation like a spark.

In the past, when Lan Li and André mentioned these ideas, they were just divergent thoughts, and they said it when they thought of it, and there was not much strong motivation in their hearts, but now, Lan Li is really interested in the streaming platform, and can leave a paradise for Don Quixote within the scope of his ability, why not?

Realizing this, the process of reading scripts and selecting projects evolved from a job to a pleasure, and the mood and state became more and more positive, so that the act of flipping through the pages slowed down again.

"Hey, look at this script. Lan Li looked up and said in a voice in Rooney's direction, "I think you'll like it very much." ”

"Oh?" Rooney put the script in her hand on her lap and looked up at Lan Li.

Lan Li immediately began to recite, "She stood at the counter, busy with her work, unconsciously raised her head, and saw the woman at a glance in the vast sea of people, with short blond hair, fur coat, and graceful and luxurious. The woman's gaze also inadvertently shifted, and the eyes of the two people touched, and then she also stopped......

Lan Li's elegant and deep voice was slowly flowing, like a faint rosemary fluttering in the warm milky halo of the room, and the golden notes of the jazz melody sounded in the ears, and the world was quiet, as if in the midst of the crowd but easily captured the sight, time and space slowly froze.

Lan Li stopped reading and looked up at Rooney.

Rooney didn't come back to her senses, still savoring the rhythm between the lines, and after a while, she came back to her senses and showed a shallow smile, "The last time I read the script, I didn't have the charm you recited. ”

Lan Li raised her eyebrows, "Oh?

"Yes, I got the script when I finished filming 'The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo'. Rooney nodded slightly, "However, after filming that film, I was exhausted and needed to rest for a while, so I refused, and then gave myself a vacation." ”

Her expression showed a thoughtful look again, as if she was carefully recalling the feeling of reading the script at the beginning, and then shook her head helplessly, "I only remember that some parts of the script are very retro in the 50s and 60s, but other specific content has been lost." I was physically and mentally exhausted at that time, and I didn't have any idea of committing to a new job. ”

"But I'm sure the quality of the script isn't as glamorous as you make it out. Rooney looked at Lan Li again and quipped with a smile.

Lan Li raised his right hand and put it on his left shoulder, and made a gesture of thanks, "How about it, are you still interested in getting to know more about it now?" I think that the temperament of this character is very suitable for you, some cold and some alienated, but only a few people can capture the tenderness and delicacy in the depths of the eyes. ”

An ambiguous atmosphere slowly surged in the air.

Rooney tilted her head, her muscles relaxed, "Hasn't the script been put into production yet......? It's been almost two years, and if my memory is correct, I thought it would have been done. As I recall, Mia seems to have been decided to play the lead role. As she spoke, Rooney held out her right hand.

Lan Li handed over the script, "I don't have any clue. But one thing is certain, it will not be easy for such a project to find the right investors. I looked at the director column, and it was vacant now, and I don't know if I haven't found it yet, or if it's been replaced. ”

"Oh, the previous director was...... Well, it's the director who worked with Andrew Garfield on that boy's work, and what is his name, suddenly his memory is broken. Rooney still maintained her right hand outstretched, holding the script, but she fell into the trap of her own thinking.

“…… John-Crowley?" Lan Li also thought seriously for a moment, and gave an uncertain answer.

"Yes, yes, yes, it's John Crowley. Rooney immediately nodded repeatedly, "I thought he had already decided to direct." Wow, now it seems that this project has changed a different way. ”

"John Crowley, uh, he's now taking on another project, which I just saw, 'Brooklyn,' but hasn't found sponsorship yet. Lan Li then recalled, looking for it by his side, "Hey, I just saw this project, and I don't know where to put it." ”

"Haha. Rooney laughed happily, Lan Li looked up in confusion, Rooney's eyes completed two crescents, and said with a smile, "'Brooklyn' project, my agent wants me to be able to star, I have met with the producer several times, I also think the script and the role are very interesting, and I may meet again the day after tomorrow to confirm my performance ideas." ”

Lan Li raised her jaw slightly: Hollywood is like this, it can be big or small, and many projects go around and around between familiar actors. On the one hand, the agency has most of the resources, and on the other hand, the script has always gathered in the hands of a group of actors who have been in the limelight in recent times.