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Helming Hollywood

Levin, who had experienced ups and downs in the entertainment industry in his previous life came to Hollywood in 1996 from 2014. It's a slow-paced novel. Unofficial translation of the novel by heracross. Raw version can be found at https://www.uukanshu.com/b/24330/. You can read advanced chapters on my Patreon account: https://www.patreon.com/Sayonara816.

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Production Work

Levi is very clear that the trust of the entertainment company, to put it bluntly, is because he has shot three movies, and he has an excellent reputation in movie screens and shooting methods, and he has written outstanding scripts and shot movies with special effects.

He has filmed films with complex scenes and has his own experience in these aspects: Levi is both the director and producer of these three films. Although the investment is small, the accumulation of contacts and experience is also enough.

And since the entertainment company trusts him, he has to repay this trust worth 70 million. For the director Nolan, selected by Levi, this is the first time to shoot a big movie, and he often needs help. Therefore, Levi also needs to pay more attention to his work.

Levi also knows that if a big movie puts all the affairs on the shoulders of one person at once, and he can shoot whatever he wants, then he will be in a hurry in all likelihood. With so many affairs, one person, even if he is a genius and the filming is successful, the hardships involved are unimaginable.

However, the modern film industry is a modern industry with a clear division of labor. With the division of labor and cooperation, each person is responsible for his own affairs, which is different.

If Levi and others take on other things, and the director's only task is to shoot, then he can do well: other complicated tasks are done for him, and he only needs to use his genius side of filming. That's it. He can only be sorry for his talent if the filming is not good.

And when he was doing these things, what Levi needed to do was to help him remove obstacles and, at the same time, to see what kind of help he needed and to imagine how he would make movies in the future.

The greater the investment in the film, the more things are involved. Big movies can only be shot after discussions with multiple parties. And this is also why Levi dares not directly shoot blockbuster films but must try to learn first: he needs to know how to make this kind of multi-party coordination better, and the learning experience is very important to him.

That's another reason Levi is so keen on producing the X-Men right now: He wants to understand the co-production model and believes that as long as he understands how to make it, he can play with this mode.

There is a company behind him, and when he wants to make a big movie, he can definitely ask the company behind him to give him enough support.

Such things are not uncommon: in Levi's memory, after Nolan became famous in the future, he always liked to let his younger brother be the screenwriter and his wife be one of the producers.

This kind of request is not for profit but for the convenience of filming.

If Levi wants to shoot blockbuster movies in the future, he must ask his own people to help him, but before that, he also wanted to gain experience by making this movie first.

And now he has indeed learned a lot. For example, Stan Lee, with Writers Guild consultants, is now arguing with Nolan's younger brother and members of the Screenwriters Guild to produce a script.

The Writers Guild requires the utmost protection of the image of the original work to ensure the interests of the original author, while the Screenwriters Guild demands to ensure Screenwriting interests and filming. At the same time, Stan Lee wants to maintain his comics.

All of them want to make a better movie, but their wrangling is very troublesome.

And Levi also realized when they kept wrangling: he didn't need to wait for them to produce the script before shooting and could make other preparations in advance.

On the one hand, he asked people to design the costumes of the X-Men: Compared with the ugly clothes in the comics, he prefers the clothes of the movie version in his memory, and if he wants these clothes, he has to contact someone in the fashion industry to design them.

On the other hand, he also asked the special effects company to start preparing special effects: No matter how the movie is shot, the special effects of Magneto, Storm, Cyclops, and others are complicated compared to special effects such as mind control and immortality. These special effects with full photoelectric effects are more interesting.

But how to make it so that the special effects of these superpowers can have a shocking impact? This requires imagination.

Moreover, he also recruited martial arts instructors at the same time and designed fighting routines: most of the fighting in American movies is too straightforward. How can the combination of fist and flesh fighting produce enough beauty? These aspects also need to be prepared in advance.

These things are all the job of the producer.

In fact, Levi didn't know much about these aspects. But it doesn't matter if he doesn't understand; it is enough as long as he can find someone to do these things.

With the 70 million-dollar investment, why worry that no one can use it?

And of course, the most important thing is that while doing these things, Levi also started to discuss with Nolan and find actors to act.

"Regardless of the details of the script, Wolverine, Professor X, and Magneto have to show up. These actors are all crucial roles and can be found in advance."

Levi's suggestion, Nolan also agreed.

Looking for characters in advance can indeed give you more buffer time: if someone else has a filming appointment, you can adjust the time, and if the actor's body shape does not meet the requirements, you can also prepare in advance: comics, especially American comics are quite characteristic, this will not work without preparation.

"Then, I would also like to make a few suggestions: I hope that the actor of Wolverine will be played by Hugh Jackman."

On the issue of film candidates, the producer has a higher level of decision-making power than the director. But in order to make the movie better, Levi also decided to discuss it with Nolan. And the first candidate he recommended was naturally Hugh Jackman. Levi believes it was perfect for him to play this role.

And Hugh Jackman was also very happy about Levi's invitation: Although the protagonist of a comic movie has too many requirements, it is difficult to shine, but after all, it is good to play the leading role in a big production.

Nolan didn't hesitate much about Levi's suggestion that Hugh Jackman would play Wolverine. He just put Hugh Jackman in a costume, put on makeup, and tried it out before agreeing: Hugh Jackman looks really handsome, with a beard and muscles; it's perfect for Wolverine.

Moreover, Hugh Jackman became famous in advance because of Levi's intervention in recent years, and he also participated in the performance of 'Saving Private Ryan.' He is also a somewhat famous actor. His acting skills and strength can also afford him a starring job in a blockbuster movie.

As for the two roles of Professor X and Magneto, the candidates in Levi's mind are naturally Patrick Stewart and Ian McKellen, the two movie actors in the original version whom Levi admires very much. And his proposal, Nolan also agreed - these two people are long-established British actors, and their age and image are also very suitable. Even if Levi doesn't say it, they are also the key people Nolan considers.

Of course, in Levi's film production, he also wanted to mention their youth, so he also contacted James McAvoy and Michael Fassbender, who had a flash in the first film. It's ok, but you don't need to act too much.

And another character who quickly reached an agreement was the actor of Storm. This character is a black woman in the original comics, and this is absolutely unacceptable to change by Marvel. There are not many blacks in the comic heroes, and of course, they cannot be altered to whites at will.

American comics have always been criticized for having too many whites and too few blacks. They may accept their white characters becoming other colors but certainly cannot tolerate black characters becoming white.

Although there are many Hollywood actors, there are not many black female actors who can do it. Considering age and appearance, Halle Berry is the best choice.

These few characters are easy to settle down with, but there are some concerns for the remaining few characters.

After the first few people settled down, Nolan soon put forward his own request, "I will choose the actors for the two roles of Rogue and Mystique. Their roles are relatively important. I hope I can use more familiar actors."

Levi agreed but didn't have a particular view of these actors.

In his memory, Anna Paquin got the role of Rogue, but she had almost worn out her talent after getting nominated for Oscar at 11 years old. She didn't perform very well in this play, and Levi was not satisfied.

The role of Mystique was played by a model in the original version: anyway, in the original trilogy, she only showed one side. However, Levi's long-term plan has dramatically increased the role of Mystique in this series. Moreover, it is not suitable for models to act. Nolan wants to find someone else to act, and Levi has no objection.

And Nolan's candidate was quickly selected.

For the role of Mystique, Nolan also put forward his own request, "I hope that the British actor Kate Beckinsale can play this role... She can fit this role no matter in terms of figure, appearance, or acting skills. "

Beckinsale? On the one hand, Levi muttered in his heart that Nolan really chose the British; on the other hand, he was a little surprised at Nolan's excellent vision; he really had the vision of a big-name director.

Beckinsale is really good: her acting skills are not a problem in commercial films, and her body and appearance are decent. As far as Levi remembers, she can also play in combat. The only trouble is whether she can adjust her body shape in time to participate in this movie after she just gave birth.

"I think she can do it." To this, Nolan immediately replied, "She should know what a rare opportunity it is to act in Hollywood.".

"I hope Scarlett Johansson, who played in 'The Horse Whisperer' last year, will play the role of Rogue." Nolan also expressed his opinion, "This character needs to express her ideas and also needs some acting skills. That actor is appropriate. It's just... This little actor only likes to act in literary films, not commercial films, so I still have to contact Mr. Levi. If you promise to use her as the protagonist in your movies in the future, I believe she will readily agree."

Because I am the director of a literary film? Levi raised his eyebrows: I can still use my fame like this.

*****

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