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Chapter 96: The Protagonist and the Side Hustle
🕑 Added 2024-10-25 19:07:05 +0000 UTCIn addition to focusing on post-production, Gilbert was also paying close attention to the film’s score.
The composer, Mike, did an excellent job, using heavy metal rock as the foundation for the robot boxing scenes.
For the scenes between Charlie and his son Max, and for the vast Midwestern landscapes, he used a lot of country music, each adding a distinct style.
But the biggest surprise came from a few songs by the band AC/DC and a song specifically created for the movie by rapper Dr. Dre.
Following Gilbert’s request, Dr. Dre toned down the explicit content typical of West Coast rap, instead crafting a song filled with the fiery energy of boxing.
Although Gilbert hadn’t always appreciated hip-hop, he found himself impressed with the lyrics.
Sophia Coppola, intrigued, listened and said, “Not bad—it’s catchy, makes you want to move along with it.”
Seeing that it resonated well, Gilbert was satisfied.
Gilbert wasn’t very familiar with Western pop music; he knew some songs but rarely the artists. Besides legends like Michael Jackson and Whitney Houston, whose fame transcended borders, he knew little about the Western music scene of the 90s.
However, his appreciation for good music was unaffected by his limited knowledge.
After receiving the final score and songs, Gilbert began editing the existing footage, integrating effects and live-action shots—a challenging task for Gilbert, who didn’t have much experience in this area.
While he had the original film as a reference, the initial editing process was rough.
“Mehdi, we need to trim some of Charlie’s scenes to give more screen time to the robot boxing,” Gilbert said.
Editor Mehdi Thompson was taken aback. “Gilbert, won’t that reduce Charlie’s scenes quite a bit? Is that wise?”
“That’s exactly what I want. The main attraction here is the robot boxing,” Gilbert affirmed.
“You mean…Charlie’s a secondary character, even playing a supporting role to the robots?” Mehdi scratched his head, confused.
“In a way, yes.”
Mehdi was doubtful. “Will the market accept a popular actor taking a backseat to robots?”
It wasn’t that Mehdi doubted Gilbert’s approach; it was just that no one had ever done it this way before.
Even in Terminator, the robot was human-shaped and played by an actor, adding a certain realism.
In Real Steel, however, the robots were purely digital creations, making it harder for audiences to connect with them.
But the final editing rights rested with Gilbert, so Mehdi had no choice but to edit according to Gilbert’s wishes. He reported his concerns to the Disney and Warner producers.
Kane Waxman and Charles Roven, upon hearing this, also felt uncertain about the approach and decided to meet with Gilbert.
They arrived while Gilbert was discussing sound design with the effects team.
“Chris, I don’t need too many electronic noises from the machines. I just want the pure clashing of metal, something even more intense than a boxing match.”
Chris, somewhat uncertain, tried a few versions of the sound, which sounded powerful and fitting.
When the producers approached, Gilbert acknowledged them with a nod but continued his conversation with the sound team.
“The metallic impacts, the crowd’s roar, and some rough language should all be in there. If you’re unsure, watch some boxing matches or sports games to feel the atmosphere.”
Only after finishing his conversation did Gilbert turn to the producers.
“Is something up?” he asked.
Kane and Charles exchanged a glance, with Charles eventually saying, “Gilbert, Mehdi told us you’re drastically cutting Bruce’s scenes.”
“That’s right,” Gilbert confirmed, explaining, “From the start, I made it clear the robots are the stars.”
The two producers looked at each other, remembering that Gilbert had indeed said that, though at the time, no one had realized it would mean cutting down the lead actor’s screen time.
Seeing their doubts, Gilbert continued, “If we take out the robot boxing scenes, then what’s left to watch in the movie?”
In a drama, perhaps the father-son relationship could serve as a focal point, but for a summer blockbuster, that wasn’t enough.
They had to admit, Gilbert’s point made sense.
If the robot scenes were reduced, why not just make a film about a father-son boxing duo? They could have Bruce Willis fight in the ring.
However, with Rocky setting the standard, any film about real boxing would be overshadowed by it.
Unless young Max was in the ring, the story wouldn’t stand out—and that would be even more far-fetched than Real Steel.
After further discussion, Kane and Charles had to acknowledge Gilbert’s perspective.
However, Charles asked Gilbert to keep as much of Bruce’s footage as possible.
Gilbert agreed. Of course, he wouldn’t cut too much.
Bruce Willis’s pay was substantial, and reducing his scenes would be a disservice to him. Also, actors generally prefer not to have their scenes cut, as it diminishes their contribution.
For many Hollywood stars, it’s not just about the paycheck; it’s about the fame and career boost that come with a good role.
Some actors even have conditions when choosing roles, such as a minimum screen time or avoiding certain negative traits.
Tom Cruise, for instance, carefully maintains his image, which is why his roles tend to be similar.
Bruce Willis wasn’t as particular; as long as his scenes weren’t heavily cut, he’d be fine.
If it were Tom Cruise, however, he likely wouldn’t be thrilled about supporting a robot.
Time moved forward to December 1993, and Real Steel's post-production continued steadily.
The media frenzy sparked in August and September still lingered, keeping fans’ interest high. Disney and Warner kept up the momentum by regularly releasing tidbits about the film in newspapers.
Reports on Bruce Willis’s great performance, the young actor Ryan Gosling’s charm, and rumors of Gilbert’s alleged love triangle with Naomi Watts and Cameron Diaz—and even Charlize Theron—kept audiences buzzing with excitement.
Gilbert also released a few rough sketches and carefully selected stills through journalist Sarah, his trusted media contact.
Interestingly, Sarah, once a rookie reporter for the Los Angeles Business Journal, had risen to lead entertainment coverage. She’d even received offers from major papers, though she chose to stay for the flexibility and freedom, along with her close connection to Gilbert.
One still, showing the black robot Black Lightning tearing apart another robot, stirred up fan theories. Was this a movie about robot battles?
While a quick read of the original novel might give hints, it wasn’t widely known, so fans were left guessing.
While working with Sarah, Gilbert realized the limitations of traditional media.
He wondered, if there were a platform like Twitter or Weibo, would it be easier to share teasers with fans?
With such a platform, he could regularly update fans with movie stills and news, keeping their excitement alive.
The idea grew. Though not technically inclined, Gilbert knew he could hire skilled people. With his funding and vision, he could get this off the ground.
He gave himself a playful slap, startling Sophia Coppola.
“What’s with the sudden slap?” she asked.
“Just realized how dumb I was before. I’ll make a call,” Gilbert replied, dialing his investment manager, David.
Sophia rolled her eyes. “So, you finally figured out you’re a bit slow, huh?”
“David, I need you to find some internet-savvy tech experts,” Gilbert instructed.
David, used to his boss’s unique mindset, took it in stride. Gilbert’s talent in filmmaking balanced out his unconventional ideas.
He smartly didn’t ask Gilbert about the job’s purpose—if Gilbert wanted to explain, he would.
David was recruiting under the name of Gilbert’s investment company, but many university students saw it as a small operation and assumed it wouldn’t be anything promising. Even when David mentioned that the employer was the famous Hollywood director Gilbert, few were genuinely interested.
They couldn’t understand what the internet had to do with the film industry. Sure, there was IMDb, founded in 1990, but it was still a non-profit website. In fact, only in November this year had IMDb connected to the internet, becoming a remotely accessible site on the World Wide Web. And beyond that, the closest connection between the two fields was probably the role computers played in creating special effects.
They assumed Gilbert wanted to start his own special effects studio. After all, George Lucas had done something similar by founding Industrial Light & Magic for Star Wars. But looking at the job requirements, it didn’t seem directly tied to computer graphics.
After some hesitation, two young individuals decided to attend the interview and ended up being selected.
One was a German named Honey Mars, and the other a Frenchman named Elisha Lyon.
Both had studied computer science, and designing a webpage or program was no difficult task for them. But they couldn’t help wondering—what exactly did this famous director want from them?
Their question was soon answered. After David informed Gilbert about the hires, Gilbert invited them to Los Angeles to discuss matters.
Since it was a private discussion, Gilbert arranged to meet them at his father’s house after sending the elder away on vacation.
“Please, have a seat,” Gilbert said, serving them a cup of Longjing tea from China.
The two took a sip, but they found it not as appealing as coffee.
Of course, Gilbert hadn’t brought them there for tea; he was there to discuss business.
After some brief small talk, Gilbert got straight to the point: “What are your thoughts on the internet?”
Honey Mars spoke up first. “I think the internet brings the world closer together, creating a lively platform where people from around the globe can easily communicate.”
“And you, Lyon?” Gilbert turned to the other.
Elisha Lyon answered with a distinct French flair, “I think, sir, the internet can be a massive database. In the past, people had to go to libraries to look up information, and they might not even find what they needed. But all of that can be achieved through the internet.”
“How would that be possible?” Gilbert asked.
Elisha Lyon explained, “At our university library, we can already use computers to search for books. What if this computerized search system were expanded?”
Although Gilbert didn’t understand the internet, his experiences and knowledge from his previous life helped him see the possibilities. Isn’t this like Baidu? he thought. Of course, internationally, it might be like Yahoo or Google, which Gilbert wasn’t familiar with.
But the reality was that Google didn’t even exist yet, let alone Baidu.
Gilbert realized they were on the brink of creating a tech giant, and he couldn’t help but feel excited.
He turned to Elisha Lyon and said, “Write up a proposal for us to review. If it’s feasible, I’ll invest in it.”
Elisha’s face lit up. He hadn’t expected Gilbert to take such interest in an idea he’d only had in his spare time. It was a big deal; Gilbert had the money, and Elisha had the vision.
Watching Elisha leave, buzzing with excitement, Honey Mars looked on enviously and turned to Gilbert, hopeful.
Gilbert didn’t disappoint Honey Mars either. He shared his idea of creating a social network where people could share photos.
While Honey Mars didn’t have extraordinary imagination, his German diligence and meticulousness shone through.
Gilbert quickly clarified his vision of what the website should be, and Honey Mars understood.
He planned to return to school and start a company with Gilbert’s funds. Starting on campus, he would work to bring Gilbert’s concept to life.
Since the advent of the World Wide Web, internet users in North America had grown at a rapid, almost viral, rate.
Gilbert might not fully grasp the internet, but he knew the next few years would be crucial for its expansion.
Though there was something about an internet bubble, he didn’t quite understand it; he’d have to take things one step at a time.
Honey Mars believed that internet users would continue to explode in the coming years, and with this momentum, a new company had the potential for significant growth.
“What should we name the website?” Honey Mars asked.
Gilbert thought for a moment. “How about ‘Facebook’?”
