Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 159 The Fight of the Little People
"Oh George...Steven...Ethan..."

"That's what happened..."

"Ronald is a traitor! He betrayed me!"

Two hours later, in the office of the founder of Industrial Light & Magic.

Xiao Si and Xiao Yi were like two generals, standing on Xiao Lu's left and right.

The three of them gathered behind the desk with their eyes wide open. In front of them sat a middle-aged man with brown glasses on his nose and a beard like Santa Claus. At this moment, this guy was looking at the three of them with blazing eyes and an angry face. The shock was so real that it could even blow the roof off.

As for the identity of this middle-aged man in his thirties...

It is Dan O'Bannon, another screenwriter of "Alien".

In fact, when Spielberg found out that he had already read the script that Ethan brought, he hurriedly took Ethan to Danes, where Industrial Light & Magic was. After briefly explaining the matter to Lucas, the guy who had nothing to do and was about to get off work immediately called Dan O'Bannon to ask about the details. As Dan O'Bannon told them, the three of them finally understood why the script of the visual effects director of "Star Wars" bypassed all the insiders and appeared in front of Ethan, an outsider.

If I have to sum it up, it’s just two words - dream come true.

Dan O'Bannon was born in St. Louis, Missouri. He has loved science fiction and horror stories since he was a child. What he wanted to do most was to become a film director. But unfortunately, it is not so easy to be a film director. Spielberg is the only one in Hollywood who was picked by a big studio and kept for seven years while he was a student. So even if he entered the University of Southern California and successfully obtained a bachelor's degree in film, it does not mean that he can take charge of the director's baton. In order to successfully enter the film industry, he cooperated with his friend John Carpenter and applied for a film production fund from the university. At a cost of 60,000 US dollars, he made a movie called "Dark Star".

Since the movie "Dark Star" was their first feature film, the results were a little immature, but they did not become unknown because of this. Instead, Lucas saw the bright spot, because in "Dark Star", they designed an unprecedented animation effect, that is, the interstellar jump of the spacecraft. In the future, all the scenes of spacecraft interstellar crossing in all movies and games, that is, the scenes where the spacecraft remains motionless and the background stars in space become light strips, are copied from him. And this scene also shocked Lucas, who directly pulled the original designer Dan O'Bannon to Industrial Light and Magic and asked him to create special effects for "Star Wars".

Although Dan O'Bannon showed great talent in special effects, he didn't like them. He made special effects just to bring the images in his mind to the screen. What he wanted to do most was to make movies. So after the success of "Star Wars", he saw that science fiction movies had a future and continued to sell his scripts to other studios. Unfortunately, no studio could accept his conditions, that is, to invest money in him and let him be a director.

As for the reason...

it's actually really easy.

"His directing skills are not enough for a long story."

After briefly comforting Dan O'Bannon and letting him leave, Lucas closed the office door and said directly: "With his skills, it would be no problem to shoot a short film within half an hour. But if it is a 90-minute movie, it will definitely be a disaster."

“I don’t know if he’ll change in the future, but right now… he doesn’t tell stories with the camera.”

‘Fuck! ’

Ethan was shocked by Xiao Lu's comment.

The director in Hollywood who is recognized as the worst storyteller actually dares to say that others can’t tell stories?
How bad are Dan O'Bannon's camera skills!

And Xiao Si nodded in agreement, and said to Ethan: "His visual effects ability is top-notch, his imagination ability is also top-notch, but his narrative ability..."

"That's really worse than George!"

"At most... half his level..."

"Okay!"

'Has George Lucas become the unit of measurement for directors?'

Although what Xiao Si said was a bit unpleasant, Xiao Lu didn't care, because no matter whether "Star Wars" was successful or not, he would call his brother's directing level the best in the world.

As expected, after Spielberg nodded in agreement, Lucas, who had received support, turned his attention to Ethan and said, "So, what's happening now is that Dan O'Bannon wants to write and direct the film himself, but he didn't get the studio's approval, so he wants to seek opportunities, and Ronald Shusett, who is working with him on the script, wants the script of Star Monsters to be made into a movie as soon as possible, so he found you without permission, hoping that you would be interested in this story and give the script to us."

Lucas' words were a bit confusing, and the meaning he expressed might seem logically wrong to outsiders, because they had read the script several years ago. Ronald Shusett went to great lengths to go around in circles, and it seemed like he was doing something useless, but after the communication just now, Ethan was able to get what he meant.

Because Dan O'Bannon became famous, but Ronald Shusett did not.

It's that simple.

After the success of Star Wars, Dan O'Bannon, the visual effects director of the film, rode a rocket directly into the vision of Hollywood studios. Although the studio executives at that time were still unclear about what a visual effects director of a film could do, he had already become famous and had opportunities that ordinary people could not reach, so he could wait with the script, wait for others' investment, and wait for the hard-won opportunity to direct.

But Ronald Shusett, who co-wrote the script with him, couldn't wait.

In Ronald Shusett's eyes, Dan O'Bannon should accept the olive branch thrown by major studios at this moment, and take advantage of the popularity of "Star Wars" to bring the script of "Star Monsters" to the screen, because only in this way can Ronald Shusett, who has no works to his name, quickly enter the vision of major studios. If the movie is successful, he will get more opportunities in the future as the one who provides the creativity for the movie, and even if it fails, it doesn't matter, because a movie with a million-level investment can already add a strong and colorful stroke to his resume. In the future, when he submits the script to other studios, the recognition he has received can help him go further.

That's why Ronald Shusett came to Ethan.

Because now the whole of Hollywood knows that those studios want to replicate the success of "Star Wars"! In this case, whoever gets the approval of Ethan Jones will get endless green lights from major Hollywood studios! When major studios can't wait to work with Ethan Jones... What if Dan O'Bannon still wants to wait? Still want to continue directing?

Oh--

Even if Ronald Shusett agrees, the big Hollywood studios will not agree!
They want to make money and have countless ways to make Dan O'Bannon give up his stubbornness and accept reality!
“So this is Hollywood?”

Ethan Jones, who had figured out everything, laughed. "Is this how you compete in Hollywood? Two people who collaborate on a script can fight over the advancement of a project?"

Although Ethan had heard in his previous life that the competition in Hollywood was quite fierce, that intensity only happened on the red sofa, and at most there were some fierce fights like the one between Matt Damon and Ben Affleck over a project.

Like today's fight between screenwriters...

It was indeed the first time he had heard of it.

"Hmm." Lucas spread his hands and shrugged, saying, "You are not in our business, so you think their fight is exaggerated, but what I want to say is... there are even more exaggerated ones."

“Yeah~ Because screenwriters can also win Oscars~”

Spielberg smiled and nodded, then continued, "In Hollywood, the simplest way to sign a movie script can be divided into three types: Story by, Screenplay by, and Written by. The former is the source of inspiration for the entire movie and the person who provides the core foundation for the existence of the movie. The middle one is the person who turns the inspiration into the final script, and the author is the person who does both things at the same time."

"There are actually very few real authors in Hollywood. The birth of a script often goes through the hands of many screenwriters. In order to distinguish their work, the corresponding signatures will be different."

"Also, the Screenwriters Guild stipulates that a script can be signed by no more than three screenwriters, so screenwriters often fight over the issue of credit."

“Because no one likes to be unknown, right?” Ethan asked with a smile.

"Of course!" Spielberg and Lucas nodded with a smile.

"Who would want to be a ghostwriter when they can be a gold medal screenwriter?" they asked in return.

Although Ronald Shusett was a little clever in advancing "Alien", and his actions could even be said to be putting Dan O'Bannon on the spot, Ethan didn't care.

Because what these people do is in line with America's core value of the survival of the fittest, right?

When win-win means winning twice in the dictionary of Americans, it is natural to work hard for one's own interests.

So, no matter how Dan O'Bannon and Ronald Shusett fight, Ethan doesn't care. The only thing he really cares about is the script of "Alien".

"If I want to get this script now, what should I do?" he asked.

This question made the two people who were sighing endlessly stop smiling.

“Do you want to make movies?” George Lucas asked. “Or do you want to make movies?”

"Is there any difference between these two questions?" Ethan was puzzled.

"Of course."

Spielberg said, "Ethan, if you simply think this script is great and want to make it into a movie, then my personal suggestion is that you just buy the script and then cooperate with other production studios. The production studios will invest in the filming, promotion and release of the film, and you can enjoy the box office dividends of the film without having to worry about anything."

"If that's the case, then I don't own all the copyright to the movie, right?"

Ethan is not stupid.

"Yeah~"

Spielberg nodded and continued, "If you do this, according to industry practice, you only enjoy the copyright of the story. In other words, the story of "Star Trek: Impossible" is yours, but the movie made from it belongs to the studio. The studio has the right to decide when it will be released. If the performance is good, the studio also has the right to decide whether to re-screen it, whether to shoot a sequel, and whether to release a videotape. The derivative products generated by the movie have nothing to do with you. You only enjoy the dividends of the movie "Star Trek: Impossible", and then... at most the box office dividends of all subsequent sequels."

“But if it’s a movie…”

George Lucas took over.

"Then you need to build your own film company, just like I built Lucasfilm. Invest your own money, shoot your own films, and at most find a big studio to distribute the films. The former, which is what Steven said, is actually just for fun. The latter, like us, is to enter Hollywood."

Having said this, the two stopped.

They stared at Ethan without hesitation, wanting to get an answer. The stare between the two made Ethan laugh.

He asked back, “Oh – do you think I would come all the way here just to make a movie?”

"No." Xiao Si and Xiao Lu shook their heads.

The next second, Xiao Si became even more excited, "So, do you have any inspiration?"

This question made Ethan laugh out loud, "Guess?"

"hiss--"

The two gasped.

Because they understand what it means.

"Oh! Sxxt! Ethan, what's wrong with your brain?"

exclaimed George Lucas.

"I can spend two or three years thinking about a script!"

“But you can come up with two games in half a year?”

"Oh - even if you got the inspiration after watching the movie, isn't that too exaggerated?"

Spielberg's reaction was even more excited. "What game? MFxxk - I haven't finished writing the guide for Star Wars yet! You're going to release another game?"

"Oh - you're going to drive all the players crazy at this speed!"

"No! It will drive my colleagues crazy! It will drive those spectators who want to enter the venue crazy!"

"Hahahaha—" Ethan liked their reactions.

Because finally someone treats him as a genius instead of questioning whether he is an alien in disguise~
It feels so good to be admired by others~
After laughing, Ethan also asked about the business.

“So, is it difficult to take this script and make it into a movie?”

"I know nothing about the film industry, so if you say no..."

"Then I'll forget it."

"Anyway, my inspiration can be changed. It doesn't have to be science fiction. Other themes are also very suitable."

"Of course it's not difficult!" Before Ethan finished speaking, George Lucas shouted, "Is there anyone in the world who understands movies better than us?"

"no!"

"If you want to invest in a film, we can be your producer!"

"We have been in this business for more than ten years, and no one can fool us! No one!"

Ethan likes Xiao Lu's attitude.

Or maybe he came here just for this.

When a person wants to cross-border business, the best choice is to find an industry leader and hold his thigh, because in this way, many detours can be avoided.

Although the current George Lucas and Steven Spielberg are not the capital tycoons in the future Hollywood circle, but are just world-famous directors who have just reached the top, in Ethan's opinion, the latter's identity is actually more valuable than the former, because the latter means that they can bring benefits to other companies. Even if there are conflicts with the studios, those Hollywood giants who are eager for profits will still lick their faces to coax them back. The former, as chess players, are frantically using chess pieces to grab profits, and many times the conflicts are really irreconcilable.

As Xiao Lu accepted the job, he rubbed his hands and said, "Ethan, I can be your project producer, but there is one thing I must declare in advance, that is..."

"Don't worry, just follow the normal cooperation process and you will take whatever the producer deserves."

Ethan knew what he meant, and he didn't care about the money in this regard.

In his opinion, a movie like "Alien" is just a big advertisement.

When the audience is frightened by the terrifying alien creatures in the cinema, they just need to buy the game and then go home to beat up those strange creatures, which perfectly realizes a virtuous circle...

hiss--

its not right--

How despicable does this kind of thing sound?

"Oh Ethan, I have no problem with what you said." Lucas snapped his fingers, then picked up the script and walked out, "Give me ten minutes, I'll go and help you negotiate the script now!"

Ethan smiled and shook his head at the hurried movements.

When the bang sounded, Spielberg sighed and said, "George is just like that. Outsiders may think he is noisy, but we know that he is full of passion."

After explaining, he added, "Ethan, although I support you just like George and am willing to serve as the producer of this film, there is one thing I want to communicate with you in advance."

"Now, all the companies in Hollywood are watching you. They are eager to cooperate with you and get the games you make. In this case, you reject them and decide to make your own movie. In their eyes, your behavior must be an invasion."

"You conveyed to them that you wanted to keep all the profits for yourself."

"From movies, to peripherals, to games..."

"You want them all."

Spielberg looked at Ethan with a straight gaze and said, "Do you understand what I mean?"

"Of course!" Ethan nodded with a smile, "Oh Steven - of course I know what you mean!"

"But so what?" He spread his hands.

“I found a project, I think it’s good, and I want to make it. Is that wrong?”

“When I am willing to devote my energy to this project…”

“Why should I share the profits with others?”

"They think I'm invading? Then let them think so!"

Ethan raised his voice and asked, "Are they my sons?"

"I have to put them on my belt to make money?"

"I, Ethan Jones, have never been afraid of trouble! If anyone is dissatisfied, just come over here!"

"I want to see who is harder, their words or my fists!"

Ethan waved his fist in the air.

The whirring sound made Spielberg stunned.

After finishing speaking, Ethan also left Lucas' office.

As the bang sounded, Spielberg came back to his senses.

He turned his head to look at the closed office door and laughed.

"Smash Liu Da's head?"

"Wow——Cool——"

He was a little excited and even more envious.

Note: ① In real life, Dan O'Bannon had conflicts with people around him because he wanted to direct a movie but failed. It was not until 1985 that he made his first movie, Return of the Living Dead. ② After Star Wars became a hit, Steven Spielberg and George Lucas discussed buying Hollywood Studios because they didn't want to work for the Big Six. So whether it was Amblin Entertainment or DreamWorks, it was the result of Spielberg's struggle, but unfortunately, if Hollywood companies did not do global distribution before the s, they would never be able to do it again. The pie is so big, and after the Big Six established themselves, they would not allow others to get on the table.

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(End of this chapter)