[Chapter 459: Progress on Titanic]
Back in Los Angeles on his first day back at work, Linton t in his office with the producer Nacho Misi and director Jas Caron from the Titanic crew to get an update on the project's progress.
The Titanic film had been in developnt for over half a year, but all preparations were still moving slowly. They hadn't even started casting, and the shooting schedule remained uncertain.
Though Linton knew this movie had great potential for success, as both investor and lead actor, he had to regularly check in on the project given the significant investnt involved.
Jas Caron was truly aiming to make Titanic a cinematic classic. Every detail of the preparation was handled ticulously, even obsessively.
For instance, just deciding on filming locations took over two months of global scouting before they tentatively chose a natural lagoon in Malta in the central diterranean.
However, when the crew approached the Maltese governnt about filming there, they ran into unbelievable obstacles.
Normally, with Hollywood's influence, any country worldwide would welco a major Hollywood film crew with open arms. Many nations would even offer massive financial incentives to attract filming -- to boost tourism, create jobs, and highlight their locales.
For example, with the earlier film The Shallows, when Linton was just starting out, director Zack and lead Caron Diaz were still newcors, and the budget was only around $7 million.
Yet even for that small project, the Australian governnt extended enormous enthusiasm, providing tons of filming support plus a 30% tax rebate.
When The Shallows premiered and beca a hit, Australia's Lord Howe Island hugely benefited, rising to worldwide fa and becoming a popular tourist destination.
Tourism was already a key industry for Malta. So logically, having one of the world's leading directors bringing a $170 million project starring Hollywood's biggest nas should have been a dream co true for the local governnt. At the very least, they should have fully cooperated, even if they did not offer special incentives.
But the crew's interactions with the Maltese officials surprised everyone. Instead of incentives, the governnt demanded exorbitant fees -- over ten million dollars -- citing environntal concerns, or else filming wouldn't be allowed.
When Jas relayed this to Linton, he couldn't help but laugh in disbelief.
"This is clearly extortion," Linton said. "They're just trying to grease palms or squeeze the crew. Ridiculous. This isn't the only place we can shoot. If we lose out on Malta, it's not like we're stuck eating bad options."
Linton recalled that the original Titanic had been fild in a xican bay, though he didn't rember the exact spot.
But knowing the general direction was enough. He imdiately told Nacho Misi and Jas Caron to halt negotiations with Malta and consider locations near xico instead. xico had the added advantage of being closer to Los Angeles.
...
After another two weeks, Jas Caron finally selected a coastal developnt area near Rosarito, xico.
They planned to build a large soundstage from scratch there, including a giant water tank.
Negotiations with the local governnt went much smoother. Linton even had the crew promise to develop the site into a water filming base -- and after the movie, to turn it into a tourist attraction.
The local officials loved that idea. They sold the crew 100 acres at a very favorable price and offered a 20% tax rebate during filming.
This was the right kind of cooperation -- everyone won.
With that settled, the movie's preparations finally got on track.
...
By now, the huge water tank was about one-third excavated, expected to be finished in six months, after which it would be filled with seawater.
anwhile, a massive Titanic ship model was being built under the guidance of art director Charles.
Since the shoot would be long, and Linton requested the set be repurposed into a tourist spot afterwards, they decided to use steel framing for the entire ship. They aid to replicate Titanic one-to-one, based on historical data. This painstaking work would take 11 more months to complete.
To speed things up, interior set construction was underway simultaneously. Most interiors -- the dining room, luxurious grand staircase, and more -- were being built in xico City and would be disassembled and shipped to Rosarito for reassembly on the ship.
Jas Caron insisted on perfection and hired Hollywood's top prop master Peter Ramon.
Peter led his team to recreate the first-class dining room, lounge, smoking room, pronade, afternoon tea room, gym, and multiple first-class cabins -- all based on surviving photos of Titanic's interiors and her sister ship Olympic.
They were also replicating thousands of items: deck chairs, table lamps, china, suitcases, life jackets, and mariti instrunts in their authentic quantities.
In addition, Jas Caron and Peter tracked down the original carpet manufacturer that had made the carpets for Titanic's deck dining and lounges. The company was still operating and custom-made the ship's carpets using original specs, fabrics, and dyes.
Regarding the schedule that Linton cared most about, Jas Caron finally gave a concrete answer.
Pre-production would take another year, aning principal photography wouldn't begin until January next year.
Casting was still too early; including filming and post-production, the earliest completion would be in late 1997.
"Well, no wonder they say Jas Caron can only make one film every three years," Linton mused. "He's a perfectionist, way beyond . I shoot one film a year, directing and starring myself. But that said, I fully support his dedication."
---
After Jas Caron left, Nacho Misi stayed behind and vented to Linton.
"Boss, Jas is too arrogant and overbearing."
"What's going on?"
"Hollywood's always producer-centered, but Jas has flipped it around -- on Titanic, he calls all the shots. I barely have any say. Everything in prep has to go his way. You just heard him; he wants everything perfect and pristine. Stretching the schedule forever, costs spiral out of control. This isn't making art; it's just a movie. Don't you think you're giving him too much leeway?"
"Nacho, I understand how you feel, but there's no choice. Hollywood's top directors have the clout to be demanding. It's not just him; Spielberg, Lucas -- they're all like this."
"But boss, you're a top director too, and you're not nearly that pushy."
Nacho's flattery was easy to detect; Linton knew the real deal was that in his own crew, producers had even less power -- it's all about the director and no one dared complain.
"Cut the flattery. Honestly, I'm just the sa. Alright, just hold tight. Not everyone gets to work with a director like this, and I'm really optimistic about this project. Once the movie's out, you'll see how much it benefits you."
"So, should I just let him have his way completely?"
"No, regarding the movie's creative side, Jas can lead fully, but there are two things you must control."
"What are those?"
"First, the crew's expenses -- you have to sign off and audit them. You can't deny normal costs, but as long as you control the budget, Jas won't be able to run wild. Second is the tiline. The crew must provide a schedule for all tasks. You need to make sure they stick to it. If they fall behind, dig into why it happened and hold the responsible people accountable."
*****
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