Upon entering Disney Studios, Matthew, accompanied by Brown Williams and another bodyguard, made his way toward the post-production room where the "Fast & Furious 4" crew was working. He paused midway to take a longer look at the studio housing "John Carter"—after all, that film was the center of attention in all of Hollywood.
To say nothing of anything else, the production budget of over $250 million alone was sure to draw a considerable audience.
Moreover, the film was directed by Andrew Stanton, known as one of the five pillars of Pixar, and its lead actors were the famous Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman.
The entrance to the studio was unusually quiet, with two security guards standing beside the gate.
Matthew knew that filming for "John Carter" had already begun. Even though it was a day off, the tight security at the gate suggested that shooting was likely underway.
He wondered if the presence of Brad Pitt and Natalie Portman would change the film's fate.
Thanks to his close collaboration with Disney Studios, Matthew had seen the final script. He couldn't recall the details, but the general plot seed similar to the movie he rembered seeing once before.
"Let's hope this film isn't too successful," Matthew muttered to himself, not bothering to hide the thought.
If the film failed, Disney Studios could afford it; after all, they had only contributed $50 million in financing. But Brad Pitt...
Although the rest of the film's budget was over $200 million, Brad Pitt had covered much of it by securing financing and absorbing investnts from comrcial film funds, but over $100 million had co from Plan B and his own pocket.
It was said that besides ordinary bank loans, he had taken out loans against so of his primary assets.
After lingering for about half a minute, Matthew moved on and headed toward the post-production studio.
Brown and the other bodyguard followed him closely.
Matthew wasn't as worried about security anymore. It had been nearly half a year since the car threat, and the police and FBI had conducted several operations against the drug traffickers in Tijuana. Although none of the culprits had been caught, the dealers had quieted down.
The FBI speculated that the person behind the attack was almost certainly no longer in Tijuana; he had likely fled to Colombia.
The fact that there had been no real threats for so long spoke volus.
As for the fan he had encountered during the filming of "G.I. Joe: The Rise of Cobra," Matthew had specifically looked into it upon his return. It turned out the man, like Brian Lister, was one of his earliest fans.
As ti passed with no further incidents, and considering the news from the FBI, even soone as security-conscious as Matthew gradually began to relax.
It was impossible to keep that string of tension pulled taut forever.
Arriving at the post-production studio, Matthew was led by a staff mber into the screening room, where producer Jack Beard and director Justin Lin were already waiting for him.
Jas Wan, who had been invited by Justin Lin, was also there.
Justin Lin had given Matthew a heads-up, so he didn't mind—it was just an internal screening of an unfinished version.
After the n exchanged greetings, Matthew pulled out a chair and sat down. He nodded to Justin Lin, who waved a hand behind him and announced, "Let's begin!"
The screening room plunged into darkness, and light flared to life on the small screen before them.
Justin Lin had finished his work on "Fast & Furious 4," and the entire crew, including Jack Beard, had invited Matthew to see the first cut of the completed film.
This was, of course, not the version that would ultimately be released in theaters.
Matthew focused his thoughts and watched the images on the small screen. He intended to turn the "Fast & Furious" franchise into a comrcial powerhouse, better than it had ever been, and "Fast & Furious 4" was the key.
If "Fast & Furious 4" failed, there would definitely be no more sequels.
The version they were watching now was only about 80% complete: most of the special effects hadn't been added, the wires and blue screens hadn't been erased, and there was no soundtrack yet, among other things.
Nevertheless, Matthew studied the sowhat rough test version from the perspective of an outside observer.
He didn't say a word during the screening, nor did anyone else; all their attention was fixed on the film.
Only when the screening ended and the lights ca up did the sound of voices fill the room.
"Matthew," Justin Lin spoke first. "What do you think?"
Jack Beard, Jas Wan, and a few other crew mbers all turned to look at him in unison.
Matthew glanced at his watch and said, "I'll share a few of my impressions."
He wasn't a man of high artistic culture; he didn't analyze philosophical subtext or ruminate on the humanistic anings in film. He didn't understand the techniques that made a cara shot not only tell a story but also feel grand and powerful.
Therefore, when watching a film, he put himself in the shoes of an ordinary viewer.
"Justin, I was watching the ti." Matthew didn't hold back, saying directly, "The film is over 130 minutes long. That's too much for a movie like this."
Jack Beard chid in, "Justin and I noticed that too. We'll be doing a more thorough edit."
Matthew nodded and said, "It would be better if the runti didn't exceed 110 minutes."
Justin Lin jotted it down in his notebook, thought for a mont, and said, "That should work."
"Alright, then I have another point." Matthew raised his voice slightly and stressed, "The film's pacing is a bit slow, and since we're going to shorten the runti, Justin, you should get rid of the filler shots of landscapes and cityscapes."
A comrcial film like this didn't need filler shots at all.
Matthew continued, "The cuts between shots need to be faster, especially for the action sequences. With the exception of wide shots, the cuts for other short shots shouldn't last more than two seconds."
Justin Lin continued to take notes in his notebook.
"Next—the action scenes. There's too much of a lull between them." Matthew spoke with clarity, "The film needs a small climax every ten minutes."
He emphasized, "As long as it doesn't sacrifice narrative clarity, there should be more action scenes."
"I'll take care of it," Justin Lin said.
Matthew added, "It's still crucial to ensure the narrative logic cos first. Everything I've ntioned should be done to enhance that."
Justin Lin nodded. "I understand."
"There's one last point," Matthew said slowly.
"Change the ending. Make it open-ended. The end of this installnt should be the beginning of 'Fast & Furious 5'."
Jack Beard hesitated and asked, "Matthew, wouldn't that be too radical?"
Matthew frowned, thought for a few seconds, but still said, "In the future, Hollywood film series will increasingly move beyond the traditional trilogy format. We'll leave the ending ambiguous, and if 'Fast & Furious 4' does well, it will be very advantageous for promoting 'Fast & Furious 5'."
To a certain extent, the success of "Twilight" had emboldened him.
Besides, he could afford to lose money now.
Jack Beard thought for a mont and said, "Alright."
Justin Lin nodded. "That would make promoting the fifth installnt a bit easier."
Matthew stood up and added, "That's all for now." He looked at Justin Lin and Jack Beard. "Everything I've said are just suggestions. You guys are still in control of what actually happens during the editing process."
It was one thing for him to make suggestions, but getting personally involved in such highly specialized work was not his area of expertise.
Just then, Jack Beard's assistant ca over and whispered sothing to him. He looked at Matthew and said, "I have a eting with the soundtrack composer. I have to go."
"Alright." Matthew made a phone-call gesture. "Stay in touch."
Jack Beard nodded and left the room.
Justin Lin suddenly said, "Matthew, why don't we go to the lounge and chat?" He then looked at Jas Wan. "Jas, join us."
Matthew understood that it was likely Jas Wan who wanted to see him about sothing.
"Of course." Since he already had an idea about Jas Wan, he replied imdiately, "I don't have anything else scheduled this afternoon."
Leaving the room, they started chatting as they headed to the lounge.
"Is Christopher Nolan's new film starting production soon?" Justin Lin asked curiously. "I heard his new movie is complex and has sothing to do with dreams? Matthew, you must have done a lot of preparation, right?"
Matthew felt a bit of a headache. "Nolan gave
a couple of books by Freud that I still haven't finished." He shrugged slightly. "The role is a bit complex, but I can handle it."
He was confident that, aside from a range of abnormal roles like psychopaths and schizophrenics—which the Academy considered the best way to showcase acting skills—these normal roles wouldn't be difficult for him to perform.
Cobb was indeed the most complex role he had encountered in his entire career, but it didn't pose a challenge for him.
Justin Lin walked in front, with Matthew and Jas Wan behind him. Together, they entered the post-production studio's lounge, which had not only tables and chairs for relaxing but also a small beverage area that served coffee and other drinks to the busy crew mbers.
Matthew asked for a cup of green tea, while Justin Lin and Jas Wan got coffee. The three of them found a free spot, sat down, and chatted a bit more about Christopher Nolan's films, especially "The Dark Knight" and the Joker.
Although the Oscar nominations hadn't been announced yet, everyone knew that the overwhelming majority of votes for Best Supporting Actor would go to Heath Ledger.
After they finished their drinks, Justin Lin changed the subject and then took the initiative to say his goodbyes, explaining that Jas Wan wanted to talk to Matthew about a new project.
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