yournovel Chapter 123, "Jaws," is scheduled for release.
Chapter 123, "Jaws," is scheduled for release.
Chapter 123, "Jaws," is scheduled for release.
"That's natural. Han's Pictures' core business is providing packaged services and doesn't particularly favor any particular studio."
As Qin Han sipped his hot tea, he spoke to the indignant Jew.
Upon hearing this, Sidney Sinberg casually tossed the unsent invitations into a drawer: "Alright, now that the red carpet thing is over, Qin, we need to get down to business."
He took out a thick project proposal, the cover of which prominently featured the title "Jaws".
"About that Jewish kid—Spikel. Although you strongly recommended him, I have to say, the kid is a bit too—idealistic."
Sidney rubbed his temples, looking quite troubled: "Regarding the location shooting we were talking about, he suggested going to the waters off Massa Vineyard! That's the real Atlantic Ocean!"
"The finance department has conducted an assessment and found that once we go to sea, the number of uncontrollable factors will increase exponentially. Weather, tides, even passing yachts—every second of delay burns through green dollars."
At this point, Sidney stared intently at Qin Han, trying to glean some other opinion from his partner: "Qin, do you think we should advise him to obediently go back to the big water tank in the studio and shoot?"
"Sidney, since Han's Films operates on a package deal model, they will be fully responsible for the project." Qin Han smiled as he took the project proposal, flipping through it as he said, "Regarding the point about filming on location at sea, even if Steven hadn't brought it up, I would have made that suggestion."
Have you ever wondered why humans are afraid of the ocean?
Sidney lit a cigar, frowned, and took a deep drag. "Because of that man-eating shark in the sea?"
"Moreover, it's the unknown that the deep sea brings. Only by filming on location at the real ocean can that sense of fear be truly conveyed."
"What we want to sell to the audience is not a tokusatsu film like 'Godzilla' where people wear suits and crush models, but a real nightmare that will suffocate them in the movie theater."
"If this authenticity were removed, Jaws would just be a third-rate monster movie, and would never have become the cash cow that Universal made a fortune from."
As a top Hollywood professional manager, Sidney certainly understands the quality of film.
However, as someone who manages money, risk control is his instinct.
"While I do support him, the current budget—" He pointed to the financial data in the project proposal: "According to Spielberg's plan, the current budget is $400 million. However, in my experience, that cost is simply unsustainable. If there's bad weather, it could even double."
Qin Han chuckled inwardly. Double it? You're making it too easy for you.
In its previous life, the filming process of this movie was one of Hollywood's most famous "disaster scenes".
The budget soared from 400 million to over 900 million, and the shooting period was extended from the planned 55 days to 159 days.
The film crew was like homeless people at sea. Sometimes, hundreds of people would sit on the ship all day for a high daily wage, just waiting for a damn cloud to drift away or for the storm to calm down.
Not to mention the private yachts that appear out of nowhere and accidentally wander into the shot; every time "cut" is called, real money is burned.
But he knew even better what that $900 million would buy—a global box office phenomenon of $4.72 million!
"Sidney, broaden your horizons. If this movie can gross a hundred million, or even two hundred million, do you still care about spending a few million more?" Qin Han began to brainwash the hesitant leader: "Since Han's Pictures is a co-producer, it will control the most crucial points, especially the script. Of course, you have to leave me enough for the box office revenue share."
Peter Benchley's novel has a very dark overall tone. The book will be completed by the middle of this year, at which time he will participate in the screenplay adaptation.
In his previous life, because a large part of the original work focused on the "love triangle" between the characters, Peter's revised script made Spielberg very dissatisfied.
He went through four or five screenwriters to perform major revisions before the final version was presented on screen.
Nobody wants to see a midlife crisis and infidelity story in a monster movie; what everyone wants to see is sharks eating people!
"I will personally get involved in the script adaptation. Once Peter finishes writing the novel, I will invite him to Los Angeles to discuss the plot with him face-to-face," Qin Han reassured him.
"Great, I'm relieved to have you overseeing the script." Sidney breathed a sigh of relief. This young man's ability as a screenwriter was evident to all, and with him in charge, the adaptation would naturally be fine.
Qin Han nodded and continued reading the project proposal, where he came across the section about the mechanical shark.
To achieve the most realistic texture, Universal Pictures brought in special effects master Bob Matt to create three full-size mechanical sharks.
In their previous lives, when they were tested in freshwater, they all looked perfect.
However, once they are in the sea, the corrosive effects of salt water and the complex ocean currents cause them to malfunction frequently, resulting in a very slow filming progress.
Qin Han watched a behind-the-scenes documentary about the filming of "Jaws"—when the mechanical shark first went into the water, it sank to the bottom of the sea like a stone, and the crew had to spend a lot of money to hire divers to retrieve it.
Finally, it was Spielberg, the genius, who came up with a solution: since we can't film sharks, let's become sharks!
The camera dives underwater, switching to a first-person perspective, allowing viewers to swim alongside the shark in the murky water, watching the pairs of fair legs treading on the surface.
Then, launch the attack!
If I could just give that genius director a little pointer early on after filming starts, and get him to come up with this idea sooner, the filming process could be greatly accelerated.
Sidney, seeing Qin Han deep in thought, assumed he was brainstorming the overall plan for the film and said, "Alright, since you have a complete plan, I'll go crazy with that Jewish kid. As long as the budget doesn't exceed—uh, not more than 1000..."
"With 10,000, I can control the board of directors."
"But Qin, there's one last problem: scheduling." He looked at the calendar. "Given the difficulty of this filming, plus post-production, it definitely won't be ready this year. The earliest we can do it is around this time next year."
"Are you planning to schedule your work for next year's Easter or Christmas?"
"No need." Qin Han shook his head, smiling as he pointed to the calendar: "Schedule it for the summer, June 1974."
"Summer?" Sidney frowned. "Qin, that's the worst time of year! Summer is when everyone goes to the beach for vacation..."
Who wants to sneak into a dark movie theater while camping?
"That's precisely why we're showing this movie in the summer—because everyone wants to go to the beach." Qin Han's eyes gleamed with slyness. "Imagine, after watching this movie, when they go swimming at the beach, the moment their feet touch the water, they'll think of that terrifying shark. That thrill will make them go crazy recommending the movie to their friends."
In 1973 Hollywood, the prime time slots were Christmas and Easter. In the summer, everyone preferred to spend time outdoors, and movie theaters were reserved for B-movies that nobody watched.
Jaws completely overturned this.
It made all Americans realize that watching blockbusters in an air-conditioned movie theater during the summer was the coolest form of entertainment, and single-handedly created the concept of "summer blockbusters" that is known to later generations.
"Summer of 1974—" Sidney muttered to himself, "Okay! Summer it is! If anyone else had said this, I would have kicked them out. But if it's you—I'm willing to take the gamble."
"It's time to talk about box office revenue sharing."
As we left the "Black Tower," the setting sun had already turned the Los Angeles sky blood red.
Qin Han sat in the car, carefully considering the progress of the two films:
As long as the script and filming strategy are well-managed, Jaws will be a hit in the summer of 1974.
But as the hype surrounding Jaws subsided and autumn began to arrive, American society, plunged into its deepest period of uncertainty and hardship due to the oil crisis and Nixon's resignation—
That was the moment for Rocky.
One provides sensory stimulation and rakes in box office revenue; the other provides spiritual comfort and wins critical acclaim and an Oscar.
These two cinematic masterpieces will be like two powerful punches, completely opening the door to Hollywood for Hans.
"After that, it will be the harvest time of the oil crisis!"
,,