Rebirth of America, this is my era

Chapter 269 Personnel Adjustment

"..."

"These people are all talented!"

Ethan was very convinced by Gary Kurtz's explanation.

He just couldn't understand what was going on in these people's brains? They wanted to create an atmosphere of harmony so that other groups would feel comfortable and bold in purchasing their companies and projects?

What is the difference between this behavior and committing fraud while wearing hipster clothes?
Oh no!
This is definitely a scam!

Because in June, when he announces the rating standards for Game of Destiny to the world, outsiders who know that the Hollywood rating system has collapsed will definitely find ways to lower the price of Hollywood film companies.

If Columbia Pictures is worth 200 million now, then in three months, it will definitely drop to 180 million. After all, the right to speak is the foundation of their rule in Hollywood.

Although in this situation, the Big Seven in Hollywood can still beat those small and medium-sized companies, their rule has changed when Ethan Jones became extraordinary.

So...

Creating false information and selling in advance is indeed the best way to gain profits.

But the problem is——

What does this have to do with him?

Ethan Jones was very confused.

Whether others sell high or low, he won't get a penny.

If that's the case, why should he help those people?

As for what it means to leave a way out for others so that they can meet again in the future?
Stop bullshitting!

This kind of culture is useless in the West!
Even though Ethan had already made up his mind, he was still very curious, "Is the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences related to the Big Seven? Isn't this a neutral organization?"

Although Ethan didn't know much about Hollywood, he was very familiar with the name of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, because in his previous life, this academy had a very strong presence in North American society.

For example, they are the organizers of the Oscars. Every year, the Oscars are selected by thousands of members of the Academy. It is not fair and just, but also full of shady dealings.

For example, they are the most politically incorrect place in the politically correct Hollywood. As a non-profit organization, they are the first to be accused of racial discrimination because for many years, the Oscar selection has not been diverse, and Oscars So White has become a protest slogan;
For example, this is also a hotbed for scandals. Things like vote buying and public relations are the norm. Harvey Weinstein could even write ten books on this.

But even though there are a lot of problems here, the Academy seems to be the only "pure land" in the entire Hollywood that cannot be manipulated at will by the giants, because every year you can hear news that a certain company is going to win awards for its movie, and a certain company failed to win awards again this year.

When all the giants need to gamble to win the Oscar of the year...

The giant ordered the academy to award himself?
Why does this sound so weird?

"Oh boss, this matter is actually not as complicated as you think."

Gary Kurtz explained: "On the surface, the Big Seven cannot control the Academy, because there are thousands of members in the Academy. If a film company wants to win an award, it must convince at least one-third of them to vote for it, which is impossible for those film companies. Because each company has so many projects every year, when the film companies cannot provide enough benefits, why should the members of the Academy do what they ask?"

"After all, voting is secret."

"But if you think about it the other way around, the problem is very simple. The Oscar is not only wanted by the industry, but also by the investors. So behind every game, there are the Big Seven. When every company hopes that their work can win an award, they naturally cannot influence the entire Academy, because each company has its own base."

"But if the seven major companies want to do something at the same time, the academy will definitely be affected. And now, it's not just Columbia and MGM that want to send a signal of stability to the outside world..."

Gary Kurtz winked at his boss.

Ethan Jones, who was leaning on the sofa with his legs crossed, understood.

"Are the other families having a hard time now too?" he asked with a smile.

"Yes." Gary Kurtz nodded and said, "Warner Communications' stock price has fallen very badly. From last month to now, they have fallen by nearly 20%. This has directly led to some external funds targeting them and wanting to maliciously acquire Warner Communications."

“Paramount is a little better because their parent company is strong enough.”

"Although Universal and Fox are our allies, they have also been affected. After all, Steven has not announced a contract renewal yet, and George's movie has also hurt Fox a lot."

"In fact, even if the other companies had not announced the sale, their situation was not very good at the moment. With the advent of videotapes, the copyrights of Hollywood movies gradually became valuable. Their original short-term business became a long-term investment. Therefore, many companies now want to join the game."

"It's just that they don't understand the current situation in Hollywood, let alone your attitude. And those companies in Hollywood... they don't want to be maliciously attacked when their market value is too low. For example, Fox, which I often contact now, their shareholders don't want to sell at a low price."

Gary Kurtz's words made Ethan nod.

In his memory, the big mergers in the media and entertainment sectors began in the 1980s.

When Hollywood movies changed from gambles to long-term investments, their value increased suddenly, and all the big and strong companies were eager to get a piece of the pie.

Coupled with the gradual arrival of the special effects era and Hollywood's global promotion, the fact that a movie can be used to broadcast advertisements around the world has made countless companies jealous.

For example, in Ethan's previous life, Coca-Cola acquired Columbia.

That is the hope to use Columbia's films to create a good image for their own brand.

The good guys always drink Coca-Cola, and the villains always drink Pepsi.

This behavior made Pepsi so angry that he vomited blood.

If it weren't for the fact that making movies is not something that can be done on a whim and they couldn't make any profit from it without knowing the business, Coca-Cola probably wouldn't have sold Columbia to Sony.

Sony acquired Columbia, News Corporation acquired Fox, and Panasonic acquired Universal's parent company, American Music, which was then sold to Seagram and then acquired by Vivendi...

That's all because of this reason.

And now, the prelude of the era is about to begin?
Is he Ethan Jones or one of the promoters?

Oh - this is really -

interesting.

Because in this case, Disney's stock price will definitely fall as well.

This is very helpful for his low-price shopping.

This fact made Ethan touch his chin and said with a smile: "Okay, Okay, since everyone has their own ideas, I will naturally respect and bless them."

"I welcome all future deals in Hollywood. Whether it's new friends coming in or old friends choosing to leave, I wish them all the best in the future."

"But - forget about the award."

"I won't do anything that has no benefit to me, so..."

"Please tell those people that I, Ethan Jones, don't care about the Oscars, so I won't go to Los Angeles for it, even if they give the best picture to Alien next year."

Not to mention that Ethan is not from the film industry and has no obsession with awards like the Oscars. Even if he is from the film industry, he is too lazy to accept an Oscar now.

When the American Film Association, which represents the highest rules of American films, was beaten to pieces by him, what is the meaning of awards? It can't make people excited at all, right?

When he can already discuss industry norms with the Big Seven, does he still need others’ praise?
Isn't this ridiculous?
If he has this spare time, he might as well go to the competition site and hang out! He can meet his parents more often and improve his influence in front of his fans. This way, he can earn more!
Ethan's attitude made Gary Kurtz give up.

After nodding in agreement, he left Palo Alto with his boss's decision.

As he left, Ethan picked up the phone and called Steven Spielberg. After a few pleasantries, he asked, "Steven, is Gary a reliable person?"

"We have a pleasant cooperation, what's wrong?" Spielberg was a little puzzled.

"It's like this..." Ethan told Spielberg what had just happened, and said, "For such a small matter, couldn't he just call me directly? Why did he have to make a special trip?"

"Also, he should know about what happened before, right? I asked Steve Ballmer to go to the Film Association to give notice. He should understand my attitude towards those companies, right?"

"Those people and I are enemies!"

"And now he wants to persuade me to help my enemies?"

"This……"

"Is it considered betrayal?"

Spielberg got it.

When Ethan and most of Hollywood are enemies, Gary Kurtz's best course of action is to ignore the invitation from the Academy, because Ethan is unlikely to go.

Of course, this kind of thing must be reported.

And when reporting, Gary Kurtz should be very frank and make his words clear.

There's no need to go around in circles like today.

"Uh--Ethan--Gary is just that kind of guy."

"He believes that film is sacred and that everyone should have awe for this art."

"Therefore, the Oscar, the highest award in the film industry, is his biggest dream." "That's why he ran all the way from Los Angeles to you just because of an invitation."

"Oh—" Ethan understood, "Idealist?"

"Well, you could say that," Spielberg replied on the other end of the phone.

"What about you? Do you want to win an Oscar?" Ethan asked again.

"Of course, this is also my dream." Spielberg said without hesitation: "If possible, I would naturally like to win an Oscar."

"Okay, I get it, good luck to you, thanks."

The conversation between the two was very brief.

After finding out what kind of problems the general manager of his own film company had, Ethan took the initiative to say goodbye.

While putting down the receiver, Spielberg also cast his eyes on the documents in front of him. There were two scripts, one with George Lucas' name on it and the other with his own name on it. After staring at the cover for a long time, Spielberg picked up the receiver again.

Only this time he called George Lucas.

"Hey George, Ethan just called me."

"What? Why?"

"He came because of Gary Kurtz, because Gary did something that he was not happy with... He didn't seem to like Gary's idealism."

Spielberg put things simply.

Lucas, who understood the whole story, said, "Oh—So?"

"So I think we can put my story aside for now and shoot the James Bond movie you wrote first. What do you think of this idea? Just like you said, although film is an art, making money is the root of the continuous development of this art."

"Oh - Steven! Congratulations on making the right decision!" George Lucas laughed on the other end of the phone. "So who are you going to find to invest? You know, the budget of this movie is 20 million, which is even higher than "The Empire Strikes Back"."

"Although Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind were both successful, that doesn't mean that those film studios are willing to accept a movie that asks for $20 million before it even starts shooting."

"Except Universal, of course."

"Oh, George, you actually have the answer in your heart, don't you?" Spielberg chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Wait until Alien is released. After Alien is released, I will take the script to talk to Ethan."

"If he's interested, then the film is already halfway to success. If he's very interested, then the film will definitely be the box office champion next year, right?"

“Hahahaha——” George Lucas laughed and said, “Yeah~ I believe it.”

After venting, he added: "Of course, I think he will fire Gary."

"So...wait..."

"When the time is up, we can talk to him about things."

Lucas' words made Spielberg's eyes flicker.

He did not comment on the matter.

And just as George Lucas thought, after learning that Gary Kurtz was an idealist, countless thoughts suddenly popped up in Ethan Jones' mind.

"Because his personality is not suitable for being a general manager, right?"

In the evening, when Ethan and Evelyn were walking home after dinner, Ethan told them what happened today, and Evelyn immediately smiled and said, "An idealist can't be a businessman. He can't run a company well, so it's totally fine to fire him."

Evelyn spoke out what was in Ethan's heart.

If Gary Kurtz was just a producer, there would be nothing wrong with him taking the Oscar as his sacred goal, but he is now the general manager of a film company. In this case, he must abandon his fantasies and focus on money. Only in this way can he bring huge profits to the company.

Although Ethan is a time traveler and has countless classics in his mind, he only has a general idea of ​​many things and has no idea where they originated, let alone where to copy them.

He knew Back to the Future was awesome, but where could he find the book?

He knows James Cameron is the initiator of the next era, but where is this guy now?
Most of Hollywood's projects are like "Alien", which have existed for many years, but have not been filmed due to insufficient technology or lack of popularity.

In this situation, when Ethan does not have the energy to deal with this mess, it is inevitable to let a reliable general manager go to the market to collect scripts and invest in projects.

Therefore, the general manager of Destiny Pictures cannot regard winning an Oscar as his only belief.

You must not lose your temper just because of the Oscars' favor.

This will leave him full of flaws.

"You think I'll fire him?"

Ethan, with his hands in his pockets, tilted his head and glanced at the girl.

"why not?"

Evelyn shrugged and gave Ethan a puzzled look. "I always thought of myself as a technician, but what I'm studying now is not actually my favorite thing, right?"

"When I can study some of the projects you specify for the development of the company, why should he, as a manager, show off his personality? Since he is not suitable..."

"Then we have no choice but to say goodbye to him."

Ethan was stunned by his sister's words.

The next second he laughed, "Oh Evelyn, you really look like a capitalist now."

“…” This comment made Evelin roll her eyes.

She just snorted and didn't bother to pay attention to him.

As Evelyn said, saying goodbye to Gary Kurtz is a responsible act for both parties. In this way, Gary Kurtz can pursue his dream without being disliked by his boss, and Destiny Pictures can focus on making money and make crazy profits, but...

Breaking up is never an impulse decision.

Firstly, Gary Kurtz was introduced by George Lucas, and his original purpose was to steer the Destiny Pictures Re:Zero . So firing him directly would be too inhumane.

So, even if we want to open it, we have to communicate with George Lucas first.

Secondly, if Gary Kurtz was fired directly, Destiny Pictures would be in a situation where no one was available. Therefore, Gary Kurtz would have to hold on for a while before finding a replacement.

Of course, it would be best if he could stay at home. For example, you could set up a new position for him and let him discover some movies that have the potential to win awards. This approach would not only meet his needs, but also not hurt the harmony between friends. This is simply the best win-win situation.

However, the establishment of this position will definitely weaken Gary Kurtz's current power. If he can accept it, everyone will be happy. But if he cannot accept it, new problems may arise.

When Ethan spoke out his thoughts, the girl walking side by side with him immediately curled her lips.

“Is this the daily routine of business management?”

“Why do you have to think about so many things?”

"Oh—this is just too painful."

After sighing for a few words, the girl continued, "But I think you can take your time to think about these issues, because even if we want to open Gary Kurtz, we have to wait until Alien is released, and the earliest that will happen is June. It's not even April yet, so..."

"You have plenty of time to think about this."

"And what if something unexpected happens during this period?"

"You can't use the current solution to answer future questions, right?"

There must be a way when you reach the mountain?
Ethan laughed at his sister's idea. "Okay, let's not think about it for now."

He clapped his hands and said, "So, do you have any plans for tomorrow? Going out? It's the weekend."

“Wow~ You don’t have work tomorrow?” Evelyn laughed in surprise, “I thought you would be very, very, very busy every day…”

"There is no end to the work. You still need to rest when it's time." Ethan stretched.

Evelin smiled and pursed her lips at the open-minded words. Her eyes rolled and she had a destination in mind. "Then let's go to Vancouver? We haven't been to Whistler for a long time. We used to queue up to buy tickets, but now, it's all included?"

"Sure, it's a two-hour flight, so we can leave tomorrow morning."

Ethan responded quickly, "I'll call Ballmer later and ask him to negotiate for a private screening~"

Note: ① The acquisition of Hollywood film companies by various capitals was indeed due to the rise of videotapes and the emergence of special effects films. The former made the copyright of Hollywood movies very valuable, and the latter allowed Hollywood movies to be filmed in a formulaic manner. ② The James Bond in the article refers to "Indiana Jones", and Spielberg's story is "ET". In the information I found, the former had a third version of the script in 1979, which was marked on the photocopy, and the latter had completed the story. In reality, he could shoot both scripts, but Spielberg chose the former. ③ Gary Kurtz is indeed an idealist. In reality, he criticized George Lucas for forcing "Star Wars" to be long and boring for the sake of profit, and also disclosed part of the revenue of "Star Wars". At the end of the second part, George Lucas made three times more money from "Star Wars" toys than from the movie. George Lucas did not respond to this and did not hold anyone accountable. However, when Gary Kurtz died, George Lucas published a letter of condolence, saying that there were indeed disagreements at the time, but that Gary Kurtz had helped him a lot.

PS, I have a question. My collection suddenly increased by more than a thousand today, but I didn’t receive any recommended site messages in the background. Does anyone know what’s going on?



(End of this chapter)