"Undoubtedly, there will be differences since ’The Lord of the Rings’ trilogy has thousands of pages, and a movie is at most 180 minutes. It’s impossible for to show everything in complete detail. Of course, I did consider the demands of the book fans, retaining those most classic passages, even though so plot elents contradict the original, it did not affect the overall viewing experience," said Adrian as he spoke to the reporter on the red carpet, quite expectedly.
This was necessary. As a director and producer, when making a blockbuster, it wouldn’t really matter if he didn’t join the promotional crew, but isn’t it always appropriate to boast a bit to the reporter when walking the red carpet at the premiere?
"Do you an to say that you believe your modifications to the original are perfect?" soone asked, setting a trap.
"I seldom use the word perfect," Adrian replied with a sly smile. "You see, it’s not about using grandiose language more; if every movie I made were called perfect, that word would beco far too cheap. But I always put forth my greatest effort, as we always advocate, the process is always more important than the result."
At that mont, a roar of cheers and screams ca from the entrance of the red carpet, so loud that the reporters nearby couldn’t help but turn their heads to look, and Adrian did the sa.
Three won, each with distinct styles, appeared before everyone. The one on the far right had golden long hair and wore a beige long dress, looking very elegant. The one in the middle sported golden big waves, and a black strapless long gown that accentuated her untouchable deanor. The one on the far left had black straight hair with a white sleeveless sheath dress, making her look as charming and adorable as a maiden. Being very beautiful won, their simultaneous appearance made the male attendees’ heads spin, which explained the loud cheering. What was interesting was the sequence from right to left—blue-eyed blonde, blonde with blue eyes, blue eyes with black hair—it gave an unusual feeling.
"Look who’s here, the Queen Celeborn, Princess Arwen, and Lady Eowyn," Adrian called out playfully as the three won nodded and greeted those around them while gracefully walking down the carpet.
Although Gwyneth’s character wouldn’t appear in the first movie, her role as Eowyn had already been well-known through the movie’s promotions, so her attending the premiere in a starring role was no issue at all.
"Hi, Ed, so glad to see you," Blanchett was the first to step forward and gave Adrian a light embrace in front of the reporters, her figure had recovered quite impressively.
Gwyneth, though slightly raising her eyebrow in an almost imperceptible manner, did not allow others to see this gesture and embraced Adrian like Blanchett. Liv, unconcerned and carefree, happily followed suit and gave him a joyful embrace.
Reporters nearby excitedly snapped photos continuously, the click of caras non-stop. Such images, even without text, were enough to catch the public’s eye. All being Miracle Girls, and both nominated for the Best Actress at the 71st Oscars for two movies that Adrian produced and directed in the United Kingdom simultaneously, it seed they got along very well, often spotted shopping together, leading many to speculate maliciously in private whether they often slept with the Miracle Director.
Then, Adrian made an even more shocking move; in front of so many reporters, he extended his arms and wrapped them around the waists of Gwyneth and Blanchett. Alright, many directors embraced their leading ladies for photo ops, but the rumors between Miracle Director and the Miracle Girls were well known, it was only due to his influence that it did not cause more of an uproar. Under such circumstances, to publicly display such intimacy, coupled with the rumors of a threeso with Blanchett and Gwyneth, ant there was either nothing between them or he simply had no concerns.
Naturally, everyone knew the likelihood of the forr was virtually negligible. Adrian’s reputation as a Playboy was not unfounded. But what did that have to do with them? As entertainnt reporters, wasn’t this exactly what they wanted? The surrounding people began furiously snapping photos even more intensely. Both Blanchett and Gwyneth cooperated imnsely, leaning their upper bodies back, and though they didn’t place their hands on Adrian’s shoulders, their posture suggested as much, very intimate and suggestive, causing the flashes to go off even faster.
But this wasn’t the limit. Soon, Blanchett moved away from Adrian’s arm, and Liv stepped in. After a series of clicks, Gwyneth left and Blanchett returned. The reporters took a deep breath; it seed even the sweet and lovely Liv Tyler hadn’t escaped the Playboy’s grasp, and looking at their intimate posture, it was even possible...
The crowd began to get restless, and Adrian laughed and waved his hand, leading the three ladies into the theater. The photographers, who had been continuously snapping pictures, realized they had forgotten to ask questions, but by the ti they wanted to make up for it, the group was already far away. Out of frustration and regret, they could only pick up their caras and start snapping photos furiously again.
"It’s really surprising that you all ca together," Adrian said with a smile to the three ladies beside him as they entered the foyer.
"Rember what I told you, he likes doing things like this," Blanchett tilted her chin towards the other two won and then glanced at Adrian, humming softly.
"But it’s quite fun," Gwyneth added with a smile.
"Absolutely, absolutely," Liv nodded eagerly, her eyes curving as if she was very happy.
"Since that’s the case, why don’t we continue exploring the story between Sauron, Celeborn, Eowyn, and Arwen tonight?" Adrian suggested, raising his eyebrows.
The three beautiful ladies simultaneously rolled their eyes at him and then scattered in different directions. Hmm, Gwyneth left a bit later because—
"Will you co next week?" she asked, looking into his eyes.
"Of course, how could I possibly miss it?" Adrian knew what she was thinking. "Don’t worry, I won’t say those things that would upset your dad."
Old Paltrow had never been fond of Adrian, especially since he and his wife were both in the entertainnt industry and understood certain things more clearly. However, the issue was that Gwyneth did not heed his advice and was determined to stay by Adrian’s side. If it were anyone else, with his connections, he could still show them so color, but Adrian was too significant a figure to offend, and over the years, Gwyneth’s achievents had almost equaled the combined total of her father and mother’s past, so they had reluctantly accepted it.
Although reluctantly accepted, every ti Old Paltrow saw Adrian, he couldn’t help but make so uncomfortable remarks. However, Adrian, who understood him, always responded with a smile and without arguing. Gwyneth knew this, but she still hoped that Adrian would get along well with her father, and with the premiere of "A Beautiful Mind" approaching next week—a film in which his daughter aid for an Oscar—Old Paltrow would attend, so Gwyneth could not help but softly plead with Adrian, who naturally reassured her continuously.
Leaving that aside for now, the number of guests attending "The Lord of the Rings" premiere was not much less than those at the "X-n" premiere, including Peter Jackson and his friends, the two elder brothers of Silver Phoenix, the voice actor Hans Zimr, and others.
Indeed, "The Lord of the Rings" had its score composed by Hans Zimr, a well-known composer who had yet to be recognized by the Oscars. Long before the production of "The Rock," Adrian had preemptively grabbed him to serve as Bossworth’s music director, not giving DreamWorks a chance. After acquiring Universal and integrating, he naturally beca the music director of Universal.
Despite having watched countless movies and heard nurous scores in his previous life—from John Williams to Jas Horner and Ennio Morricone—Adrian had a special liking for Hans Zimr, possibly because his music was widely celebrated. Thus, Adrian had brought him over early and let him score "The Lord of the Rings," hoping to help him achieve his dream of an Oscar.
Of course, he spent a lot of effort discussing this, and the key points of the "The Lord of the Rings" score were often debated with Zimr. The original’s ethereal style was indeed fitting, so Adrian hoped Zimr would consider this during composition. However, Zimr had his own ideas; while the score should et the director’s or producer’s requirents, without genuine inspiration from within, the music would feel hollow. Hence, every ti Adrian visited his studio to discuss the score, they couldn’t stop talking for hours.
"In the end, so many people ca to with their problems that I had no choice but to schedule all the negotiations after work hours," Zimr sighed, eliciting laughter from everyone around. Anyone who had worked with Adrian knew this was typical; Adrian always managed to keep argunts within bounds, making discussions with him a pleasant affair.
"Anyway, the score is beautiful, you did a terrific job, Hans," Adrian said, patting him on the shoulder with a smile.
Zimr wasn’t one to be obstinate either. He tried to adapt to Adrian’s requests as much as possible while maintaining his own style. Since Adrian often humd so nice tunes for reference, the final score turned out to be grand, light, and passionate, surpassing the original by quite a margin. Zimr was truly a master musician.
"Well, I’ll be waiting tonight to hear what’s so spectacular about Hans’s score and whether it really surpasses Jas," Jas Caron said sowhat discontentedly after everyone else had left.
"Co on, Jim, Jas is a fine composer, but I think Zimr is more suited for ’The Lord of the Rings’," Adrian laughed, using the nickna "Jim" only when there was a need to distinguish between the two Jas.
Caron was referring to his old pal, Jas Horner, whom he had collaborated with several tis. Since the effects for ’The Lord of the Rings’ were produced by Digital Domain, the keen-eyed Caron had recomnded Jas Horner to Adrian, hoping his old friend could step it up. However, Adrian had given the job to Hans Zimr instead.
"Never mind that, Jim. Let’s talk about your project. Is the docuntary ready?" Adrian changed the subject.
"Oh, don’t rush it, Ed," Caron waved his hand, "There’s still so post-production left, but don’t worry, it’ll definitely be done before next year’s Oscars."
"Really? That’s great. Maybe I should persuade the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to move this year’s Oscars up to the end of February," Adrian suggested, raising an eyebrow.
"No problem, Ed," Caron laughed, "If the Film Academy actually changes the date, I’ll make sure to finish ahead of schedule."
"Okay," Adrian glared at him, "Let’s not talk about that for now. About Digital Domain, I have so thoughts."
Caron’s expression turned serious as he gestured invitingly, always respecting Adrian’s authority in matters of digital domain. In his view, Adrian had saved Digital Domain.
The special effects company was founded in ’93 by Scott Ross, the forr general manager of Industrial Light & Magic. Caron and his friend and collaborative partner, Stan Winston, joined soon after, forming the original triumvirate. As the company grew and required more and more funds, Ross secured investnt from Lehman Brothers in ’96.
If nothing had changed, Lehman Brothers’ investnt would have sparked the interest of another investnt firm, Kex Group, leading to their acquisition of a 33% stake in the company, effectively ending the reign of the original trio. Caron and Winston would then have clashed with Ross under Kex Group’s direction due to ’Titanic’, eventually leaving the Digital Domain board, and Digital Domain would have taken a different path, declining due to its inflexibility.
Adrian was sowhat aware of this situation, even though he didn’t know the specifics. But in this life, he had many ways to investigate, so when Ross sought investnt in ’96, although AC dia was just starting to scale and had many financial needs, he still managed to get ahead of Kex Group and secured that 33% stake.
With this developnt, AC dia held absolute power in discourse, and with their support, Caron and Winston found themselves thriving more than ever. Despite producing "Titanic," CEO Ross had conflicts with Caron and Winston, which at tis escalated beyond control, even leading Ross to threaten resignation. In the end, it was Adrian who stepped in to diate their differences.
"Do you rember what I promised Scott?" Adrian said with a smile, "After analyzing the situation and conducting specific investigations, I’ve decided to set up an overseas studio."
"Overseas studio?" Caron squinted his eyes.
"Exactly, a significant portion of ’The Lord of the Rings’ special effects were handled by talents Peter Jackson brought in from New Zealand. You admitted yourself that the guy has so unique ideas about movie effects," Adrian said with a smile, "It costs relatively less, so setting up an overseas studio is quite beneficial."
At the end of the day, the disagreent between Ross, Caron, and Winston revolved around the high costs of the special effects for "Titanic." Being the CEO, Ross had to consider the broader picture. Adrian’s promise to Ross was that he could solve this issue, albeit needing so ti, and thus their conflict was eventually eased. With no control from Kex Group from behind, the trio’s collaboration foundation remained solid. Although their argunts had been fierce, they did not damage their relationships, so in Caron’s eyes, Adrian saved the digital domain.
"But..." Caron hesitated.
"Don’t worry, I’ve done my research. Do you rember what I told you while we were in New Zealand? I ntioned planning to have Chinese people produce the effects, and I was serious. We have collaborations with mainland China, and they have many CG talents who are just as skilled as Arican effects artists, cost-effective, and highly capable. Why not?"
In the past, after the year 2000, special effects companies generally chose this path, by setting up nurous inexpensive overseas studios. The digital domain also faced delays in responding, coupled with fears of their technology being appropriated, which eventually led to bankruptcy while still carrying the title of a top global special effects company. Adrian wasn’t concerned about technology appropriation. For films, CG is always a decorative addition; a good story is always more crucial, a fact thoroughly proven by both past Chinese and Arican films. If it weren’t for certain reasons, he would have started this step earlier, but after 9/11, China and the United States entered another honeymoon phase, which was why he raised the topic now.
Adrian’s initial investnt in the digital domain wasn’t solely about helping Caron; with the evolving film industry, increasingly cheap CG effects beca more crucial. Eventually, even the activities of people in the windows behind street conversations were digitally added, especially in a slew of superhero movies which were almost entirely crafted from CG. Having a special effects company was therefore essential.
Consequently, the digital domain beca the best choice, at least in the early 21st century, their capabilities were strong indeed, nearly on par with Industrial Light Magic. With Adrian around, any issues could undoubtedly be avoided, further enticing Caron to comfortably develop his idea of a 3D cara, although it would still take about seven to eight years before 3D movies beca mainstream. But Adrian was already used to preparing for the future.
"The cost of producing CG is getting cheaper, but labor costs remain high, so even if we don’t proceed, many other effects studios will," Adrian continued.
"Okay, I’ll notify Scott, and we can discuss this in detail when you’re available," Caron said after a mont of thought.
"And your thoughts?" Adrian asked.
"Directing films and producing effects is my job," Caron said seriously, shrugging his shoulders, and Adrian burst into laughter.
He is a smart man, having detailed everything so clearly, how could he not know how to choose? (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welco to vote for it and send monthly tickets at qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
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