The screening room was silent, and everyone had a thoughtful look on their faces.

Ye Wei couldn't help but be nervous in his heart, other differences can be discussed, this is not good, 100% not.

"I think William has a point. Gonzman was the first to say, "Weige, I understand your pursuit of art, but going home is more in line with mainstream values and easier for all audiences to understand." A family on the verge of collapse, after many tests, finally unites and returns home. ”

......! Ye Wei suddenly scolded secretly, Gary, you old thing, sometimes I really want to kill you.

"When you go home, you feel like the story is over. Katzenberg also took a stand, smiling not majestic, as if he was simply discussing: "The story begins with them leaving home and ends with them coming home." In this way, the audience has a sense of satisfaction with completion. Eating ice cream is indeed very warm and moving, and it is also more artistic, even if it will confuse the audience. ”

Audience confusion equals not being commercial, and now DreamWorks is commercial first for LMS. Katzenberg's courage seemed to have been thinned by successive failures, and he was afraid.

Ye Wei scolded helplessly in his heart, how to get it back in a hurry......

Of course, you can't say something like "When it comes to business, I want to talk about "Exorcism Video" and "Escape from Clone Island, hehe", that would be too unpleasant and arrogant, not to mention Katzenberg, Gozman's prestige as a producer, "The Silence of the Lambs", "The Philadelphia Story", "Band of Brothers", "My Grand Greek Wedding", ...... How to compare.

Power is not something that a young man has recently made some achievements, he understands it, and his own capital is far from being able to let the studio hand over the final cutting power. Ridley Scott is good enough, every time the director's cut version will be better than the release version, but such a big director has no final cutting rights, and he didn't cut the rotten release version of "Heavenly Dynasty".

In fact, the current situation was originally that the producer put pressure on the producer, and then the producer would get the director, but he was the director, so there was no buffer in the middle.

Thousands of thoughts flashed, Ye Wei stood up, facing everyone, his expression was calm, and said in a very sincere tone:

"Gentlemen, when it comes to business, how much do we have to do with our differences? For the average viewer, the story is over at the scene of the Richards' big fight, whether it ends with going home or eating ice cream, what difference does it make to them? They don't understand, they don't care, when they think about the movie, what it is, the family is united in a crazy way, the beauty pageant fails, but they seem to win, that's it.

What's the difference between this shot and that shot?"

"But!" Ye Wei said with two steps, pointing to the small screening screen, "If this is a film that aspires to hit the awards, it needs to have more film art and a higher level! I'm not talking about all the people who appreciate it during awards season, but the average level of appreciation is higher, and when it has a feeling that it's worth thinking about, when it's not simple, it's better. It's also business, and that makes it more valuable!"

Everyone listened a little rethinking, Peter Heller nodded in support, but Jeff Smai also nodded and said: "I agree with this point of view, the two endings are not much different from the business of ordinary audiences." ”

received unexpected support, Ye Wei was overjoyed, and hurriedly made persistent efforts, not giving Goldenberg, who was thinking about it, the slightest chance to fight back, humbly pressed his chest, and said earnestly: "Gentlemen, I understand that each of you wants "Little Sunshine Beauty" to be better, regardless of literary or commercial, it carries everyone's expectations.

And each of you has more experience in the film industry than I do, so it stands to reason that I should listen to you. It's just that I built this project one by one, and these images were all shot by me one by one, and as far as this film is concerned, my dedication and understanding of it is the highest in the world.

At this point, let me be arrogant! I and the LMS, like Einstein and E=MC?, we can't be sure it's correct, but no one knows it better than we do. All the previous efforts were aimed at leading to my end, and if not, it would have taken the wrong fork in the road.

So, please give me your trust on this issue. I, Ye Wei, I use my movie reputation to vouch for my better ending, the best. ”

Ye Wei nodded to show that he would speak.

There was silence, everyone had different thoughts, Ye Wei's words were sincere and heavy at the same time, the so-called reputation of the movie was a guarantee in other words, "I will do my best to defend my version?" If you don't agree, you will make trouble until you agree, and if the results are not good in the future, I will bear it.

VIY is young and frivolous, and they didn't know it for the first time, and with his recent achievements, it is impossible for him not to be crazy, and it is strange that he is not even more crazy.

William Goldenberg didn't argue about anything more, and just made his attitude completely clear.

"This question should also be asked to Steven and Tom what they mean. Katzenberg said decisively, smiling unabated, "Let's keep it for now." ”

Steven Spielberg, Tom Hanks.

As soon as Katzenberg decided, Gonzman, Price, and the others nodded.

Ye Wei breathed a sigh of relief, and finally won back the opportunity, but Katzenberg should still not be inclined to his ending, and he would say so if he couldn't make up his mind.

But he thinks he has a good chance of winning, because Spielberg must have understood what the ending means to the director, and on the other hand, if the "excavations" are the kind of people who like to dictate other people's films, seriously, "Get Out of Clone Island" will not be like that......

That's it, the screening will end, and overall there are not many differences, and it is not the key to shrink by 5 minutes, the key is the ending, and the shots that affect the rating.

There is also a process, Hanks and Roberts have the right to take a look first, and if they feel that which shot in it does not shoot themselves well, or about themselves, they can also ask for corrections. Because they are superstars participating in the dividends, Hanks is still the big boss.

When Ye Wei and Gozman left DreamWorks together, in the parking lot, Gozman held his glasses and said meaningfully:

"Boy, smart people don't take on so much responsibility, and now DreamWorks is going to increase the publicity fee for LMS, you know, it's seen as a super blockbuster. Preton is not so demanding, and DreamWorks has no end. This madness usually ...... Have you ever thought that you have taken all the responsibility, can you bear it?"

Ye Wei shrugged and smiled, not afraid, "Actually, it's mine whether I take it or not, no matter which ending it is, if it is messed up, all my responsibilities are met, isn't it?"

"Hahaha! ”

......

Things can only be like this for the time being, this weekend is not a date week, on Saturday night at the end of July, Ye Wei and a group of old acquaintances met at the Good Taste Country restaurant at Bard's house, and Darlum in USC them.

They had just graduated from USC, and no one was ready to continue their Ph.D. studies, they were looking for jobs, and it would be good to have jobs for Hurley King, who emphasized lighting, and Flynn Garnard, who emphasized sound effects, but for Darlum, who aspired to be a director, and Pete, who was a photographer, they could become assistants for many years from the beginning, and the length of service was not directly proportional to the opportunity.

So they had the idea of an independent film, a comedy love story. Because of the qualifications of "Dance of Angels" and "The Wedding is Coming", they have a little advantage, but they are not very big, their graduation works are filmed well, but they do not have the amazing Cheng dù, and it is not easy to raise funds.

"Of course you have to make an independent film! that's making a movie, I mean really independent!"

In a corner of the lively restaurant, nine people sat around a large round table, and Bud's father greeted him with a smile, no, and brought a pot of fruit platter.

Ye Wei said with emotion while eating fresh fruits: "You can shoot how you want, you can cut how you want, there is only a question of money, there is no problem of disagreement and fighting." Like when we were filming "Dance of Angels", that state of absolute freedom, that spirit of independence! ”

Although he didn't elaborate, everyone could hear that he was "happy troubles", and there was any disagreement in the editing.

"But who doesn't love independent filmmaking?"

"The problem of money is actually the biggest problem. ”

"No money, no disagreements. ”

Everyone laughed and said, Ye Wei also smiled and nodded, it was true, and asked, "Guys, what is your budget target?"

When it came to this, everyone couldn't help but smile, Vy was the biggest person they knew, and it would be great if he could help. Darum rubbed his freckles nose and said seriously: "One million dollars, this is the ultimate goal, we can shoot it with 300,000 yuan, borrow some from family and friends, and swipe a few credit cards, and get together to 500,000 yuan to shoot well." ”

That is to hope that I will invest 300,000. Ye Wei thought about it, they didn't know that "Yunik Kuller" was him, otherwise they might have asked for it directly, and they wouldn't have said it so tactfully.

He smiled, pricked up a piece of watermelon and put it in his mouth to taste, "I'm definitely interested in investing in you, but we know that finding money is a growth process, and it's not a good thing for me to give you directly, so how about this, when you raise 200,000, I'll give the remaining 300,000." ”

"Oh my God!" exclaimed Darum excitedly, "Really, but, are you serious?"

The others were also excited, and Darum's girlfriend and art designer Parreira was about to applaud, "Viy, I just said, you must be willing to help!"

"It's not a help, it's an investment. Ye Wei laughed.

Darum was still a little incredulous: "Are you sure? where is our script, where is the plan?" he looked around and couldn't find it, anxious, "Oh! I didn't bring it, I didn't think we would get down to business...... I should have brought it. ”

"Dude, that's not right for you, imagine what if you happened to meet Spielberg here tonight? Luckily, he went to Malta to shoot. ”

Ye Wei smiled seriously after speaking, glanced at everyone, and said from the heart: "You know that investing in movies is not as good as buying Google shares to make money, and you will lose all your money at any time, whoever wants to make a lot of money by making movies must not know how to make money." I know your ability and passion, and it's worth investing in you, for the sake of the film. ”

The young faces of the eight people, including Darum and Parreira, were full of emotion and momentum, and they all picked up the drink glasses on the table to toast, "For the movie!"

......

"Weige knows what he's doing, and he can listen to him. ”

"Steven, I'm not sure, we haven't been doing a thing right since the end of last year. I'm not blaming you, you also said you could listen to Michael Bay...... Boom! This time he blew us up. After all these years, I still think that the movie is really incomprehensible. ”

"I had high expectations for Michael, and now it seems that Bruckheimer is the right one. Michael is only suitable for popcorn films for the time being, he can't handle art well, and "Pearl Harbor" didn't make him any progress. This is a big lesson for me and for him. ”

"You're too little in charge, live-action movies aren't what I'm good at, and the company really needs your talent. ”

"I always have to make my own films. ”

"Hey, Steven, we've got enough trouble, I really don't want 'Little Sunshine Beauty' to give us a stab. ”

"That kid is different from Michael, Michael can't compare to him. Michael is still just a skilled builder, the boy, he's not skilled yet, but he's an architect, he knows how to invent, he knows how to rob tombs, he's the kind of amorous we can let him do. ”

"Looks like you appreciate him more. Katzenberg was a little surprised.

Inventor and tomb robber is Spielberg's definition of a filmmaker, and it is also a question he has hesitated for many years, is to be a pioneering, artistic, and can replace the inventor of his predecessors, but he is too high and low, or even completely incomprehensible, or to be a tomb robber who excavates the achievements of his predecessors, but can win applause, honor, and wealth?

When Jaws was released in 1975, Spielberg had already made his choice, saying, "I want people to love my films, I'm a who seduces people into theaters." ”

"After watching "Exorcism Video", I appreciate him more, he knows how to balance, he knows how to be in business Chinese, this is what I learned after studying for many years, and that kid understands. It's not that I have much faith, it's that he gives us faith. ”

"I hope you misread Michael Bay's matter, and it won't happen to Ye Wei again. ”

"I hope too. ”

......

In August, the editing dispute of "Little Sunshine Beauty" progressed quickly, and that weekend Hanks said that this matter was all handed over to the production team, and I believe in everyone's professional ability, in fact, the most important thing is the attitude of Spielberg and Katzenberg.

Ye Wei and Spielberg had an international phone call, and if it wasn't for Malta being too far away, it would have been an interview.

"Young man, you should be glad that you don't live in the old Hollywood era, and you don't make movies for those studio savages, otherwise you won't be able to fight. ”

On the phone, Spielberg laughed heartily, and it didn't look like he was affected by the situation at DreamWorks, "You may not know, George Lucas, that old ghost said that he would always be an independent producer in the future because of the issue of editing rights, oh damn, he really did it." ”

Ye Wei was basking in the morning sun in the backyard of his home, and when he heard what he thought of, he smiled with the same feeling: "We are all pigs, we are all animals used to sniff things for people, and they put leashes on us to control us." But we are gold diggers. ”

“...... That's what George said, right? haha!"

"Yes, famously, I learned it at USC. The editors who cut everything according to Hollywood are the ones who cut off the fingers of our kids. ’”

"I really miss that era when you say that, but how hard did it take us to get rid of it?"

"You and George are getting rid of it, I haven't yet, my child's hands and feet are about to be cut off. ”

"Weige, me, Jarever, we all know the fact that the director knows his film better than the people in the office, and it is very stupid to go against the director when a film is finally edited. This project, we had already made up our minds to let you do it, and it was the changes in DreamWorks that made things different. ”

Hearing this tone, Ye Wei suddenly became nervous and sat up from the sun lounger, "You can take the time to watch the video, I believe you will have a wise judgment." ”

"I'll wait for the fully finished release version to come out and watch it, I will lose a lot of surprises when I watch it now, and I don't want to waste a good movie. ”

Ye Wei frowned when he heard this, and it didn't seem like ......

Spielberg's voice continued to come from the phone: "These editing problems, no one can tell whether it is right or wrong, in that case, why not trust the director who knows better? I talked to Jerever, your ending is good, in terms of commercial and artistic value, it is undoubtedly higher, so you can continue to use it." ”

Ye Wei waved his fist excitedly, walked around the lawn, and almost yelled happily: "Thank you, Steven, thank you for your trust! The power of the two fists with ten fingers is the greatest, thank you !!"

Responsibility, pressure, come on, with this pair of iron fists, you are not afraid of anything!

"Your watch gives us confidence, you balance business and art very well in 'Exorcism Video', and it seems like you're not bothered. ”

Ye Wei scratched his head, looked at the clear blue sky, and said with a smile: "I don't know, I'm not cynical on either side, I just think that business has commercial value, art has artistic value, we need this, we also need that, we all have fun, it's good to have fun." ”

"It took me many years to understand this. ”

"Yes, it is because of you that we juniors understand faster, and you have proved that business and art can coexist. ”

"I accept that, haha. That's it, you continue to do the post-production, I still have to be busy with some copywriting, and I'm very nervous about shooting here. By the way, congratulations again on the miracle of "The Exorcism Video", you should really be glad that you don't live in the old Hollywood era, otherwise you will definitely have to apologize. ”

"Apologize, apologize for what?" Ye Wei rarely understood.

"Apologize for making a lot of money, apologize for scaring a lot of people. ”

※※

"Jaws is nothing more than a disaster movie to make money, and it's a disaster in itself. ”

-- Steven Spielberg, 28, June 28, 1975, published in the New York Post with an apology.