Marvel Salted Fish Kryptonian

As the CEO of Stark Films, Henry should have been the star of the party, but as a senior employee, he certainly wasn't as dazzling as Tony Stark.

It was a rare sight today, as Master Stark was always surrounded by beauties. The female celebrities who were invited could only stand on the periphery and sigh in regret.

The young master did not get impatient and want to leave just because he was surrounded by a bunch of old men. Instead, he enjoyed himself and enjoyed the flattery from everyone.

The woman accompanying Henry was Charlize Theron, who was not qualified to attend a banquet of this level.

The female celebrities who are invited to attend are all popular stars of this era or rising stars that are attracting much attention.

Such as Nicole Kidman, Sandra Bullock, Julia Roberts, Demi Moore, Michelle Pfeiffer, Uma Thurman, Jodie Foster and Meg Ryan, etc.

It can be said that as long as Stark Films sends out an invitation, everyone will come. After all, it has Tony Stark's signature.

The same situation applies to male celebrities, and the number is even greater. Some have already flown abroad for vacation and flew back to the United States specifically to attend the banquet.

Besides these stars, well-known directors, producers, and agents were all present. Charlize Theron was able to attend thanks to Henry.

But these big stars and directors attending the meeting are not qualified to get close to Tony Stark yet.

Because around that young master were the CEOs, presidents, and even directors of the parent companies of the eight major Hollywood film studios. They were the real top figures in this circle.

With Tony present, Henry wasn't even a backup option. It was like everyone was forming concentric circles around Tony Stark, waiting for the moment to strike up a conversation.

Henry, who had become invisible, was content to stay on the edge of the party, while Charlize went out for a walk with her manager, JJ Harris, and came back to catch her breath.

Pointing to the center of the banquet, Henry asked, "My dear, does that look like a child proudly showing off to the adults? And the people around him are just timid and submissive."

Charlize was a little embarrassed. "Well, is it necessary to say that?"

"I found it amusing. The real money guys didn't show up, so Tony could only show off his presence in front of this bunch of second-rate people. How childish, tsk tsk tsk."

Hollywood's top figures are butlers and servants to the wealthy. For example, the eight major film studios usually have parent companies or conglomerates behind them.

The person who should be competing with these people is Henry Brown, the CEO of Stark Films. Tony Stark's appearance is what is called a dimensionality reduction attack.

So Henry was not surprised at all that he, who had no connections in the top circle, was marginalized.

But he didn't mind such things, because he could take a look at the ecology of this top circle, which was a pleasure.

Tony Stark, on the other hand, openly displayed his frivolous and complacent side, even rejecting other people's attempts to get in touch with him in a rather rude manner.

It is with this attitude that Tony Stark creates weaknesses in the eyes of others and protects himself.

...Or is this actually his true appearance? Because in Henry's eyes, this guy doesn't seem to be acting.

Is this completely letting go of yourself?

But Charlize Theron wasn't as relaxed as Henry. Before she could catch her breath, her conscientious agent, JJ Harris, was ready to drag her back to the party to meet some important people.

"Ah, Henry, you are free too, that's great. Come with me." JJ Harris pulled the young man unceremoniously.

Henry pointed at himself unexpectedly and asked, "Me too? Are you sure?"

JJ Harris said: "You can control Stark Films' investment projects. Then for those big directors, you are the one they want to curry favor with.

"Come on, this is a girl who is helping you. You don't expect me to be like an old nanny, helping you two handle everything while you don't have to worry about anything."

Having said that, how could Henry not know his place? "Okay, okay, coming."

But before Henry could catch up, someone from Stark Films approached and said, "Mr. Brown, we have to prepare for the presentation first."

"Is it this time yet?" Henry said in surprise, glancing at his watch.

Charlize Theron gave her agent a pleading look. JJ Harris, who couldn't help but understand what she meant, said, "Get on with it, Mr. Brown. Business is more important. I'll take care of your girl."

Henry didn't have the attitude of throwing the trouble to others. Instead, he said cautiously, "I'll leave everything to you, ma'am." Then he left with the employees of Stark Films.

When Henry appeared at the hotel banquet again, he was accompanied by a large group of engineers from Stark Pictures.

These people set up a projector and a large screen in the open space of the banquet hall, and brought in a computer about the size of a small refrigerator and connected it to the projector.

Aside from the curtain, everything else wasn't commercially available. It was an experimental model assembled by Stark Films engineers, mostly from components provided by Stark Industries.

Henry supervised everyone's actions to avoid any mistakes. When all the equipment was set up, a black and white film appeared on the projection screen.

A Bill of Divorcement is a 32 film starring John Barrymore and Katharine Hepburn.

This was also Katharine Hepburn's first film with Stark Films. The film's success prompted Stark Films to sign a long-term contract with Ms. Hepburn, and also began her ill-fated relationship with Howard Stark.

Actors in that era did not have free contracts like today, but were like employees of a film company, obeying the company's arrangements.

As the so-called insiders watch the doorway, the outsiders watch the excitement.

Most people here are certainly familiar with the film, and Henry showed a clip featuring Katharine Hepburn. Even those who haven't seen the film will at least recognize the actress.

At first glance, this seems to be just a masterpiece that Stark Films took out from its copyright library and displayed at this banquet.

But the group of people who care most about film technology, namely directors, producers, etc., immediately noticed that something was wrong.

Chapter 397 Digital Repair

The fact that the projector can display normal colors under normal indoor lighting is not mentioned for now because it has little to do with movies.

However, although the projected image is not placed on a large screen of the cinema level, it is still much larger than the screen of a commercially available TV.

Even with this level of zoom, the film doesn't lose much detail. Eyebrows, corners of eyes, fingertips—the subtle expressions and body movements that are so crucial to cinema—are all clearly visible. Not to mention the meticulous detail of the set.

You have to know that most of the people present were not old enough to go to the cinema to watch this movie, so they rented videotapes or watched it on the movie channel on TV.

The missing parts of the TV screen are now fully displayed. Familiar with the language of the camera, they can get more information from the same picture, which is amazing for the directors.

What concerned them even more was that the projector used for the projection was not a movie theater projector. In other words, this was not the result of film projection!

In order to match the way the film is rolled, the light bulb of the projector in the cinema actually flashes at a certain frequency and is not continuously lit.

That is, when the film is rolled to a certain frame facing the light bulb, the light bulb will light up and project this frame onto the movie screen. During the rolling process, the light bulb is turned off and the picture is not projected.

It's just that this process is very fast, 24 frames per second, which is the frame rate that the human eye can perceive smoothly. That's why the projector light appears to be continuous and uninterrupted.

But there's a difference between a flickering light and a continuously lit one. While laymen might not recognize the difference, experts certainly understand it. This is also why great directors are so certain that the source of the film they're watching isn't film.

Since it's not film, and with the technology recently developed by Stark Films, how could anyone not know what the film in front of them is?

Some directors who were very interested in film technology, such as Steven Spielberg and James Cameron, gathered around Henry and asked about various technical specifications and the situation of the film.

Henry did not hide anything and started a serious conversation with these filmmakers.

Suddenly a voice came from behind. "How old was Catherine when this movie was made?"

Logically speaking, this was a very rude thing to do, but no one dared to question the lady who interrupted, and they all stepped back.

Even if someone didn't recognize them, others standing nearby would quietly remind them. Given the average level of intelligence among the people present, they all stepped back and waited to see what was happening.

Henry turned around and saw an elderly couple he had only met once unexpectedly. "Mr. Mellon, Mrs. Lambert, long time no see."

Although only the last name was mentioned, this hint had already allowed everyone present to recognize the two people. They were members of the top old money family in the United States, Paul Mellon and his wife, Rachel Lambert Mellon.

Henry, as Ms. Audrey Hepburn's representative, met with her once at Mr. Givenchy's recommendation. He also borrowed a private jet to take Ms. Hepburn back to Switzerland for recuperation after her surgery.

Mr. Paul Mellon extended his right hand first and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Brown, on your achievement today. I hope you don't mind my husband and I coming here uninvited."

Henry quickly shook hands and returned the greeting, saying, "It's an honor for Stark Films that you two have taken the time to come. We can't even begin to welcome you, so how could we possibly mind?"

As long as it is not an extremely closed private party where no one can enter without an invitation, some people in the United States can pass through by scanning their faces.

The gatekeepers at the banquet company that hosted this event were quite good; at least they didn't block a VIP of this level from entering. This wasn't a military camp; no one could enter without permission.

However, he failed to inform the host of the banquet, which was a failure. This allowed Henry to be caught off guard.

At this moment, another counter-argument was heard. Tony Stark approached and said, "Humanity's most precious treasure is wisdom. It would be a waste to keep someone like that around like a bulletproof vest."

"It's like throwing people like Einstein and Oppenheimer onto the front lines of a battlefield as soldiers. Oh, maybe Hemingway could do it. After all, as long as the old man gets some alcohol, his breath seems to be able to destroy an entire division single-handedly."

Paul Mellon's response was soft but firm. "The typical approach to startups is to invest money and see how they develop. Only when they find value will they merge into our portfolio companies."

"Simply handing over a mature company to someone else is against normal business practices. Betting on someone who can't prove himself is as risky as just looking for a piece of land and expecting to drill for oil."

Tony Stark didn't back down. He said, "It's the same old-fashioned theory of judging by performance. I'm young after all. It's normal for me to do things a little crazy. If I had done everything according to the rules, I would have been broken up by now."

Seeing the spark about to ignite the fuse, Henry quickly changed the subject and tried to smooth things over. "Mrs. Lambert, you just asked about this movie. It was released by Stark Films in 32.

"Katherine Hepburn was 24 years old during filming. It was Hepburn's first film after she had just emerged from the theater as a star and entered Hollywood.

"Our team of engineers used the latest computer technology to digitally restore the old film. Not only did they overcome problems such as insect damage and moisture, but they also successfully preserved all the details of the 35mm film."

Rachel Lambert politely took Henry's arm and took a few steps closer to the screen without blocking the projector's light. "Sometimes I really envy them for being able to preserve their best years for the world to remember."

Henry smiled and said, "Ma'am, I still remember the efforts and contributions you and Mr. Mellon made in preserving culture. From Leonardo da Vinci, Van Gogh, Monet, Cézanne to Mark Rothko, these people have undoubtedly become a mark of history and culture.

“But without preservers and sponsors like you, they would eventually become the dust of history, forgotten in some unknown corner. The same is true for film art.

"If these films were simply stored in a warehouse, they would decay over time. The so-called classics would become nothing more than memories of the times, with no one else ever seeing their true appearance.

"The same technology can be used on photographs and negatives, and it can do much more. For example, like this—" Henry snapped his fingers, "—engineers, this is the second color-corrected film."

Immediately, someone started tinkering with the computer, and those directors and producers who were interested in technology noticed that an interface similar to that of Windows 95, which had just been released that year, appeared on the screen.

This confirmed that the thing connected to the projector was indeed a computer, and not a film projector hidden somewhere.

The second video Henry mentioned was the same clip as the previous black-and-white film, but in color. Everyone moved vividly, making everyone's eyes light up.

These film clips, in particular, are Katharine Hepburn's shining moments. She seems to be the center of everything, her face gleaming on the big screen, wantonly displaying the beauty of the best era.

Chapter 398: Follow-up to the Past

Rachel Lambert was born in 1910. She is three years younger than Katharine Hepburn. They can be considered to be from the same generation.

But now, someone she can call sister has returned to the enviable state of being 20 years old. How can she not be jealous! Even though that is only on the screen, not in reality.

Rachel covered her mouth in disbelief and said, "Is it possible to do such a thing?"

Henry said honestly, "The development of computer technology is limited by imagination and hardware capabilities. Whether it's because the photo has aged, causing color loss, or it was originally black and white.

"Subtle differences in grayscale correspond to different colors. We only need to analyze this part and restore the original color.

"However, the amount of analysis required is enormous, far beyond the computational power of today's commercially available home computers. This achievement was only possible thanks to the support of Stark Industries' supercomputers."

Actually, any ordinary computer can run it, and it would take several days to process a single photo, so it's possible to calculate it by hard work. However, there's no need for a too-deep explanation. This lady isn't an engineer or technician, so she doesn't need to hear that.

"Oh, is that so?" Rachel Lambert showed a look of obvious disappointment.

Sensing this sentiment, Henry said, "If you have any old photos or videos you'd like restored, we can help you with this on a project basis."

"Is it really possible?" Rachel Lambert, feeling happy for a moment, then asked cautiously, "What if there's only one photo left and no negatives? Is this okay?"

Henry said, "These seem to be precious memories. If Madam is worried, you can bring the originals to Stark Films. If there aren't many, scanning and saving them will only take a day."

"The originals can be brought back then and don't need to be kept with us. However, the completion date for the subsequent digital restoration will depend on your requirements and quantity. Is that okay?"

Henry was busy trying to curry favor, and Tony Stark was getting upset. "Hey, I built the supercomputer. You have to ask me before you use it. You're treating me like a clock, and you can only call me on the hour."

"No way?" Ms. Rachel Lambert showed an aggrieved expression.

Facing the old lady's watery eyes, Tony Stark, no matter how much of a jerk he was, restrained his usual sharp tongue. "Okay, okay, don't look at me like that. Go find that guy who claims to be a friend of women. He can solve everything."

Henry, who had inexplicably gained an extra title, laughed awkwardly twice.

Paul Mellon didn't just sit there and watch. He asked, "Mr. Brown, how much does the supercomputer you're talking about cost?"

Henry didn't think much about it and replied, "The supercomputer used by Stark Films is made by Stark Industries. Many of the parts are custom-made, so it's difficult to calculate the price.

"But based on my current understanding, supercomputers that meet the requirements for image processing are probably in the 10 million-ton range, no more than 30 million-ton. Since we don't need to compete in supercomputer rankings, there's no need to deliberately pursue the best or fastest."

"Thirty million isn't expensive, actually." Paul Mellon looked at his wife and said something very Versailles. "How about we build one ourselves?"

Even Tony Stark was stunned. He wasn't yet the world's richest man. He was just a young man who had just inherited his father's estate, finally figured things out, and was gloating over bullying Sony.

Henry had no choice but to intervene. "Mr. Mellon, if this is just a small matter, let us do it. The subsequent maintenance costs of the supercomputer and the salaries of the team using it are not cheap."

"If you're concerned, we can sign a formal contract. We'll clearly stipulate all the necessary details to avoid future disputes."

"Well, that's fine." Paul Mellon seemed not to feel Tony Stark's somewhat confrontational mood, and handled everything calmly.

All I can say is that after one round of confrontation, the winner was immediately determined. The fledgling future Iron Man still failed to overwhelm these traditional blue-blooded Americans.

Seeing that the atmosphere was getting a little tense, Rachel Lambert jumped in and changed the subject. "Henry, we came here specifically to see you."

"Oh, is there anything I can do for you two?" Henry didn't think someone like him would come over to him for tea and a chat, as their relationship wasn't very good. So he asked directly.

"Do you remember that you once told me at my house that the painting 'Lady with an Ermine' might be an authentic work?"

"Yes, I still remember it. But that was three years ago. Looking back, I feel that I was a bit presumptuous at the time. If I was wrong, please forgive me for my youth and ignorance."

Rachel Lambert patted Henry's hand and said soothingly, "Don't worry, it's just as you said. After you reminded us that day, we tried to gather those who claimed to own the original painting and prepare to authenticate it.