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Chapter 160: The Smartest Place
🕑 Added 2024-11-23 08:18:31 +0000 UTCThirty seconds can change a lot. For a film, thirty seconds is too brief. The advertisement for *Saving Private Ryan* during the Super Bowl halftime showcased the most authentic depiction of war and the battlefield.
The Super Bowl, an annual celebration in North America, attracts even those uninterested in American football to sit in front of their televisions specifically to watch the grand halftime advertisements and performances. It's become a habit, much like how people across the Pacific watch certain shows on specific nights.
In a luxury apartment in the Upper East Side of New York, Erin Lauder was sitting with her sister, estimating the time to switch to ABC right after the Super Bowl halftime show. They were uninterested in the game itself; they were only switching channels for the halftime ads because not only was there a new advertisement from the Lauder Group, but also an ad for a new film by Erin's favorite director.
"Erin, you seem a bit too obsessed with that director's work," her sister remarked.
Hearing her sister's comment, Erin Landy shushed her. "Shan, it's about to start!"
At the forefront of all the film advertisements was the one for *Saving Private Ryan*. Erin widened her eyes and stared intently at the TV, and Shan, seemingly influenced by her sister, also focused seriously on the screen.
Landing crafts raced toward the shore, with officers instructing soldiers on what to do. Soldiers kissed their crosses, and then the doors opened, with bullets raining down. The beach turned into hell on earth, painted in blood red.
Shan instinctively covered her mouth, while Erin bit her lip tightly...
Soldiers searched for doctors with severed hands, clutched their guts spilling out, removed their helmets in disbelief at being saved by them just moments ago, and were shot again—one by one, they fell into pools of blood.
All the imagery conveyed to the audience that this was the most realistic depiction of World War II!
The camera shook silently, capturing the war from the first-person perspective of the officer played by Tom Hanks, making the horrific scenes feel as if they were happening right in front of them.
The reactions of the Lauder sisters were drastically different; Erin felt a profound emotional impact and shock, while Shan just wanted to vomit...
In just thirty seconds, the advertisement displayed the beach landing battle. Though there were still grand scenes and continuous explosions, even someone like Erin, an outsider, could tell that Duke Rosenberg's style had seemingly changed.
There were no bright, oil painting-like colors, no rapidly switching short shots, no poetic wide-angle scenes, and certainly no characters who couldn't die no matter how many explosions they faced...
Erin suddenly recalled her friend Anna's words: if Duke had a huge success with *Independence Day*, he would need to transform appropriately. Since even Anna could see this, it was evident that Duke, as a professional director, understood this well. He clearly was a very calm and rational director.
If a typical young director achieved such success as Duke had, they would likely become overconfident. They might think their style could conquer film fans worldwide.
Just as these thoughts crossed her mind, Erin shook her head; such a hypothesis was utterly impossible. Only Duke Rosenberg could achieve such incredible commercial success at such a young age.
"Erin, you're not seriously considering watching this movie, are you?" her sister's voice broke the silence.
"Why not?" Erin replied naturally. "This is a movie by Duke Rosenberg, a work by a director you can't refuse."
"Didn't expect you to have a day of idol worship," Shan teased.
"I just really like his movies," Erin smiled. "Didn't you think *Independence Day* and *The Rock* were good?"
"But this one..." Shan suppressed her earlier nausea. "The colors are dull, the visuals are cold, and it's too bloody—there's none of the beauty of the previous two films."
"This is a war film," Erin instinctively defended. "Where's the beauty in war?"
"Aren't you in the brand image department now? I remember you guys have been looking for a suitable director for next year's advertisement film?"
Still in school, Shan Landy was coming up with a bad idea. "Why not invite Duke Rosenberg? His previous films were like extended advertisements. If we invite him to shoot our ads, the publicity alone would be worth the ticket price."
"Sounds like... a good suggestion." Erin thought for a moment. "I'll mention it to my cousin."
She then asked, "I was lost in thought earlier; I didn't catch the release date for *Saving Private Ryan*."
"May 26, North America's release, the weekend before Memorial Day!"
This was the first official announcement of the release date for *Saving Private Ryan*, and the selection of this date sparked a strong reaction not only among fans but also within Hollywood.
At Universal Pictures, the distribution department held an emergency meeting immediately after the Super Bowl ended. Even CEO Ron Meyer attended the meeting personally.
"I believe it's necessary to adjust the release date for *Casper*"
As the head of distribution, Justin Felini had an unwavering look of concern on his face. "Although our preliminary promotions have been ongoing, we've never officially announced a release date. Now, with Memorial Day already packed with Mel Gibson's *Braveheart* and Duke Rosenberg's *Saving Private Ryan*, it's too crowded"
He specifically emphasized, "Mel Gibson is manageable, as he hasn't proven himself as a director, but Duke Rosenberg is the king of summer blockbusters in recent years!"
"A reminder," Deputy Supervisor Beilestan suddenly interjected. "*Casper* is rated PG, while *Saving Private Ryan*, based on the released trailer, will undoubtedly be rated R. The audiences are completely different; we don't…"
"Sony Columbia thought the same last year!" Justin Felini interrupted him sternly, his voice very serious. "*Interview with the Vampire* vs. *The Rock*, *The Shawshank Redemption* vs. *Independence Day* aren't these bloody lessons enough? We haven't yet promoted a release date; everything can still be adjusted. If we were in the same situation as Paramount Pictures with *Braveheart*, having spent significant resources and nearly six months promoting the film for the May 26 release, I wouldn't suggest delaying *Casper*"
Opponents fell silent, while others chose to remain quiet. In the past three summer seasons, especially last year, Duke Rosenberg and his films had proven the incredible power of this hot summer season. If it weren't for *Braveheart*, which was unable to change course, no one would want to confront him and his new work voluntarily.
All eyes turned to Ron Meyer, as the ultimate decision rested with him.
Sitting in his chair, Ron Meyer remained silent. As one of the five founders of CAA, he understood Martin Bob's capabilities very well. Duke Rosenberg's rapid rise despite Bob's suppression demonstrated something very important—Duke was more than just a successful director.
From his past successes, it was clear that he was a director who understood how to leverage resources and share profits.
When he was still relatively unknown during *Speed*, he relied on Lucasfilm and 20th Century Fox to take his first successful step. With *The Rock*, he used Warner to counter Fox and CAA, thus initially establishing his status in Hollywood. Then, with *Independence Day*, he set aside past grievances, brought Fox back into collaboration, and created unprecedented commercial success for science fiction films by utilizing the enormous platforms of News Corp and Time Warner!
These events showcased his intelligence and wisdom. In the past, Hollywood had young directors who achieved remarkable success, but why did those directors fade into obscurity? It was because they didn't share profits like George Lucas, Steven Spielberg, or James Cameron; instead, they were eager to establish their own paths and challenge Hollywood's existing order as soon as they had some capital!
These foolish failures ended up forgotten in the annals of history.
In contrast, Duke Rosenberg, although he established Duke Studios, was clearly using it as a shell company for tax evasion. He continuously accepted investments from large companies, creating profits for them while simultaneously utilizing their power to safeguard his growth.
If he broke away from the big companies and produced films independently, he wouldn't just risk being ostracized by Hollywood's traditional powers; even Martin Bob's influence through CAA could force him into a corner.
This should be Duke Rosenberg's smartest aspect! Ron Meyer sighed softly. Duke seemed completely devoid of the naivety of a young man at all. He was very aware of the cruelty of Hollywood competition.
"Ron..."
After hearing Justin Fellaini's reminder, Ron Meyer immediately returned to the issue being discussed. This issue was not something he had to think about at all. "Justin, Casper will be postponed and will find a suitable release date in June. For Memorial Day, we'll just watch Braveheart and Saving Private Ryan compete."
"Casper" was adapted from an animated series, so it did not require too many resources for promotion. There was no strategy of making a fuss about the release date, which made it easy for Universal Pictures to adjust. However, it was not easy to turn around "Braveheart". Not only did Paramount mobilize a large amount of resources and invest millions of funds, it also announced the release date early in the early promotion and Super Bowl ads. It is said that overseas marketing is also making plans according to this North American release date. Adjustment means that all the preliminary work will have to be overturned and started over again!
At the same time, in the meeting room of CAA in Century City, many people looked serious and nervous
