Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 329 Buy, buy, buy

Jude Law was somewhat skeptical of Cao Yang's statement.

He combined Cao Yang's explanation with his own understanding of the character, and despite his hard work, he still couldn't get into character quickly enough to perform the role better.

What's more, if you only read Cao Yang's explanations without combining them with your own understanding?

After returning home, Jude Law put aside his frustration at being sidelined and analyzed the situation carefully, realizing that it wasn't really his fault.

He has been an actor for many years, starting as a stage actor, and his acting skills have always been praised. He used to be quite confident in his acting skills.

He knew very well that the current situation was likely caused by others getting into character much earlier than him.

This is actually a very strange thing.

He has acted in so many movies and met all kinds of actors, but very few can get into character from the first or second day of filming.

As is usually the case, as filming progresses, the cast and crew work together better and develop a better rapport, making it easier for them to perform and get into character.

As for films like "Pirates of the Caribbean," it can only be said that those three actors are geniuses, and my own acting skills are made to seem more like a normal person in comparison.

But that won't work.

When several actors who have scenes together are all deeply immersed in their roles and perform exceptionally well, it makes one appear incompetent.

With so many people watching on set, by comparing the two, they probably wouldn't say how talented those actors were, but would only spread rumors: Jude Law is a fraud, his acting is terrible, everyone was fooled by him...

Even after figuring out what was going on, Jude Law was still under immense pressure.

So, if there's no other way, let's give it a try.

Jude Law only watched Cao Yang's explanations this time, without looking at his own analysis. He watched until after 2 a.m., watching it over and over again, and finally drifted off to sleep.

Then, he "woke up".

His name was Will Turner. As a child, he was rescued by the governor's daughter, the kind Elizabeth Swann, and sent to a blacksmith's shop to learn skills from an old blacksmith who was an alcoholic.

Not only that, he also learned excellent swordsmanship and secretly harbored feelings for Elizabeth Swann, who had saved him…

Jude Law sat up in bed, staring blankly ahead for what seemed like several seconds before blinking and letting out a long sigh.

As he got out of bed, he instinctively reached for his sword, then suddenly jolted awake, a string in his mind snapping into focus.

Where is my sword?
Where is my huge sword?

He immediately assumed a defensive stance and began to cautiously look around.

Wait, is this a hotel?
Jude Law slowly lowered his defensive stance, frowned, shook his head vigorously, and muttered to himself, "I am Jude Law, not a little blacksmith..."

He ran to the bathroom in two quick steps, looked at the handsome man in the mirror, and breathed a sigh of relief.

Jude Law felt incredibly relaxed during today's shoot. He didn't need any special preparation; as long as he stood in front of the camera, no matter who he was acting opposite, it was as if he had already experienced it before, and he rarely made mistakes.

For example, his scenes with Eva Green.

Yesterday, I was clearly overwhelmed by Eva Green's presence, which caused my performance to be a mess.

Today, Jude Law discovered that no matter how aggressive Eva Green was, no matter how arrogant and domineering she was, he seemed to have a set of ways to deal with her, as if he had been with her for countless years.

It was handled very easily.

During the day, Jude Law didn't have time to think about these changes. After a relaxed day of filming, he returned to his hotel and began to ponder these fundamental changes.

From day one, Depp acted according to director Cao Yang's instructions, and he seemed to be doing it very easily.

Thinking about it carefully, Depp seemed more relaxed and at ease today, acting with complete freedom, portraying an unconventional pirate so well that it didn't even feel like acting; it was as if he really was Captain Jack Sparrow.

In summary, Depp was the most obedient one. He acted exactly as director Cao Yang told him to, and he was also the first to get into character. There was no need for any adjustment period; he brought Captain Jack Sparrow to life on the very first day.

Duan Yihong is a very talented actor, a fact that Jude Law is well aware of.

He was able to play the role very well on the first day, and on the second day... he was completely immersed in the role, even performing better than Depp.

Jude Law could tell from Duan Yihong's various actions that he greatly respected Cao Yang and would definitely follow Cao Yang's arrangements. Therefore, although he got into character a day later than Depp, he was able to perform better.

Eva Green...

Jude Law felt a headache coming on just thinking about this French woman. She had performed the worst on the first day.

However, Jude Law discovered on the first day of filming that the woman had gone to director Cao Yang for advice on how to play the role well.

Then, starting the next day, the French woman began to explode, to the point that even Depp, who had gotten into character earlier, couldn't keep up and had to do several takes.

Therefore, it is certain that after Eva Green consulted with director Cao Yang, she received special training from him, which is why she was able to have such a great performance the next day.

Finally, Jude Law thought of himself.

Why do I suddenly feel so relaxed today?
The answer seems very simple: I listened to Director Cao Yang's words completely yesterday, watching his explanations over and over again, without looking at my own analysis.

Jude Law suddenly had a moment of realization. No wonder everyone says that director Cao Yang is good at directing actors, and no wonder he has produced so many Best Actress and Best Actor winners. It turns out that director Cao Yang's analysis of the characters is his greatest strength!
Of course, there is a premise here, which is that you must listen carefully to Director Cao Yang's words and not make your own presumptuous analysis!
Combining character analysis with other directors might be more suitable, but without a doubt, when you encounter director Cao Yang, you only need to close your eyes and listen.

This is where the problem lies!
Having verified it yesterday, he is now absolutely convinced of this.

At this moment, Jude Law felt a sense of transcendence, and his admiration for Cao Yang reached its peak.

Cao Yang used the remaining three immersive experiences he had redeemed to add one each for Depp, Jude Law, and Casey Affleck.

Both only require one to succeed.

This also shows that the main actors in this production all have excellent acting skills.

The subsequent filming proceeded quickly, including the pantomime performances under the green screen, which everyone performed very well.

The events on "Death Island" are crucial to the entire film, serving as its climax.

Jack and Barbossa engaged in a fierce duel around the treasure cave until Jack pierced Barbossa, who then drew his sword and pierced Jack.

However, as soon as Jack stepped into the moonlight, he turned into a skeleton, claiming that he was also cursed because he had secretly stolen an Aztec gold coin.

For the skeleton's transformation and the special effects throughout the film, Disney used Industrial Light & Magic.

The special effects in the film are not simple computer-generated effects. Industrial Light & Magic tailored them to each actor's physical parameters, and the final special effects for each actor perfectly matched their appearance and physical characteristics.

Industrial Light & Magic and Disney have been partners for a long time.

Many of Disney's live-action films used Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), so much so that in 12, Disney simply paid to acquire Lucasfilm, including its subsidiary ILM.

In this respect, Disney has fully demonstrated what it means to "buy, buy, buy".

However, Disney's CEO Robert Iger is still very capable and has a great strategic vision. His several major acquisitions and investments after taking office have proven to be very successful.

The acquisition of Pixar Animation in 06 gave Disney a near-monopoly in the animated film industry, leaving it with no significant competitors.

Disney acquired Marvel in 09. Just look at how much money the Marvel series, which includes the Avengers series and other superhero movies, has made for Disney.

In 12, they acquired Lucasfilm, which has the super IP "Star Wars" series and also owns Industrial Light & Magic, a top-tier visual effects company in the industry.

The success of Marvel's superhero movie series is inseparable from the special effects support of Industrial Light & Magic, which it acquired.

In addition, there is something that may not have been noticed by everyone.

Pixar Animation was an asset of Apple founder Steve Jobs. Because Disney acquired Pixar Animation through a cross-share swap, two interesting things happened.

Steve Jobs thus became Disney's largest individual shareholder.

As a result, Disney became a shareholder of Apple before its rise to prominence, and Disney's CEO, Robert Iger, represented Disney on Apple's board of directors.

Therefore, Robert Iger's several major acquisitions made Disney the number one film company among the six major Hollywood studios, and by a significant margin over the second-place one.

During his tenure as CEO of Disney from 2005 to 2020, Disney's stock price rose from $23.80 to $128, an increase of more than five times.

Disney's market capitalization has also grown from over $400 billion to around $2600 billion.

This is quite a miracle for a company like Disney that has always maintained stability, or even for a major Hollywood film studio.

However, the fivefold growth over fifteen years was not enough to entice Cao Yang to invest in Disney, because there are many companies in China that are in the spotlight and have returns on investment of hundreds or thousands of times.

Cao Yang rarely makes large-scale investments. He has mostly cash on hand, measured in hundreds of millions and US dollars. This is his net worth, which is completely different from the estimated assets of so-called wealthy people.

He only took a small portion of his money and invested it in the stock market, such as buying Tencent, Gree, Moutai, Yunnan Baiyao, Yili, Hengrui, Wanhua and Wuliangye, etc. The growth of these stocks alone would be enough for him to live on for several lifetimes.

So what if he runs a company? Even if you remove his official status, with his influence and cash flow, what difference would it make if he were an internet company entering the film and television industry?
(End of this chapter)