Chapter 203

A considerable distance away, Duke saw the lights shining in the sky, passing through a canyon in the Santa Monica Mountains, and parked the black Bentley in the parking lot in front of the luxurious clubhouse, under Duke. The car walked toward the clubhouse. When he appeared at the door of the clubhouse, someone immediately came over and led him to the outdoor garden where the party was held.

This is an anniversary party held by the Directors Guild. As a member of Hollywood's top commercial directors, Duke was naturally invited, and this is also part of the director's agreement he wants to fulfill.

The party will be held at the end of October, which is infinitely close to the awards season. Directors, well-known actors and senior producers will be present. Some of them are core members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, especially Levy, the current rotating chairman of the Academy. Roussman, a veteran of the Directors Guild, those actors, directors and production companies who want to make a difference during the awards season, almost every year turn the annual party of the Directors Guild into a public relations party.

The Directors Guild arranges the party for this time period, and it is not that one would like to fight and the other would suffer.

"Look at who this is."

Just walked outside the party, Townsend Roseman, who was waiting for him here, said to Robert Iger, "Our two billion directors are here!"

︾, "Two billion directors?" Duke looked at the two in confusion.

"Have you counted your cumulative box office?" Robert Iger roughly calculated for Duke. "The Speed ​​of Life" is more than $340 million, and "Risk to Death Island" is close to $410 million. "Sunday" is more than 900 million US dollars, and "Saving Private Ryan" has passed 600 million US dollars, and your box office has accumulated more than 2 billion US dollars!"

"It won't take long for you to surpass me!"

A voice rang from the side, "Duke. Leah should be proud of you."

Duke hurriedly turned around and proactively extended his hand, "You are too rewarding, Mr. Spielberg."

Although the mother and Anne Spielberg had conflicts when they were young, they did not conflict with Steven Spielberg because of George Lucas. There is still some friendship between mother and Spielberg.

"Just call me Steven." Spielberg didn't hold Duke's hand, but slapped his arm hard. "I know how hard you work, otherwise I won't agree to let you in. The crew of "Captain Hook", I originally thought you were going to practice for a few more years like our group of people, but I didn't expect to rise so fast, which is amazing."

Although Spielberg was extremely affectionate, Duke would be a fool if he took it all seriously. He said modestly, "Speaking of which, you can count as my teacher. I have always been amazed by your shooting speed, but I can't learn it."

"You are all famous fast shooters in Hollywood, aren't you?" Tom Rothman said timely.

One movie a year is definitely the top directing speed in Hollywood. There may be many directors faster than Spielberg, but none of them can complete it with quality and quantity. Can also get very good box office results.

"It's more appropriate to say that I am a Hollywood assembly line machine." Duke said quite self-deprecatingly, "Many media ridicule me for not creating art. I just use the assembly line model to produce movies."

"Don't care about those voices." Spielberg was also deeply touched by this. He helped his glasses and said, "Some people will always be jealous of people who continue to succeed. Even if you cater to them, they will still mock you! "

Talking. He turned his gaze slightly, then quickly retracted it.

Others didn't pay attention, but Duke caught it. He also looked over there. It was a group of people who had mocked Spielberg's production model. The most eye-catching among them is a fat short man with glasses. Anyone who pays a little attention to the film industry basically knows him, the famous Roger Albert.

How could a party with too much academy award-related content like this lose the group of professional film critics.

Withdrawing his gaze, Duke didn't look at it any more. He knew that the other party didn't want to see him, so why bother with them.

"Duke, what are your plans after "Chicago"?"

While Townsend Rothman and Robert Iger were socializing with others, Spielberg lowered his voice and said, "I heard people say that you have filed a script for a science fiction film. Are you interested in cooperating with DreamWorks? DreamWorks can invest Your film is also the distributor of the Duke's Studio."

Spielberg, who put down the camera, is a standard businessman, "DreamWorks can reduce the distribution cost to seven percent."

Compared with Warner Bros.'s 10%, this is indeed a very attractive condition, but Duke has no interest in Spielberg's proposal. Standing with DreamWorks means faintly standing in the Big Six. The opposite of the company, the distribution and peripheral sales of movies in the future will be suppressed by the six major companies and even the group companies behind them, severely reducing the potential for profit.

DreamWorks released his movie, and then the big six companies watched the big sales and did nothing? This is Hollywood!

Even with the same subject matter and investment, a film released by DreamWorks must be hundreds of theaters less than the six major releases, and some of the methods he used in conjunction with Warner and Fox in the past will inevitably fall on him and him. Of the movie.

He doesn't believe that Warner, Fox, and Disney will treat him as a special case based on the so-called partnership in the past.

There is no special case for capital in the face of profit.

With polite words like'there will be a chance to cooperate in the future', he tactfully rejected Spielberg. Under the introduction of Townsend Rothman and Robert Iger, Duke kept greeted the people at the party and greeted him for example. Important people like Spielberg will stand together and chat.

Of course, they deliberately bypassed the group of professional film critics, and there is no need to conflict with each other on this occasion, right?

Although he is not very interested in Oscar's public relations, Duke enjoys the share of income from the film, and naturally has to fulfill some of the obligations stipulated in the director's contract. He is not the kind of rebellious youth who only knows how to act, and he also understands the importance of the network. Think of this as work like making a movie.

Relations, friendship, a few words of flattery, remind those who have voting rights to watch their own movies, this is the limit that Duke can do, and other work will be done by professional public relations personnel.

Fox is doing public relations for his films, and Paramount Pictures is no exception.

After spinning around the small garden where the party was held, Duke inevitably encountered some people who didn't deal with him very much.

"Hi Martin."

As if seeing an old friend, Duke walked towards Martin Bob and Mel Gibson with a smile, and offered his hand, "It's been a long time."

"Yeah, it's been a long time, Duke."

Even if he wanted to tear the other person in his heart, Martin? Bob still showed the most enthusiastic smile on this occasion, "Congratulations, another movie is a big hit!"

"Unfortunately, high box office often loses Oscars."

Mel Gibson, who is next to him, doesn't have such a good self-cultivation. The facial features on his unruly face are almost crowded together, "You will lose the awards season!"

"That's not necessarily." Duke put a smile back, and shot back unceremoniously. "Think of last year's Forrest Gump and Shawshank's Redemption. Mel, if I remember correctly, "The Brave "Heart" is also a commercial film, but its low box office can easily give people the illusion of a literary film."

Mel Gibson stared at this side before squeezing out a word, "You can't get the best director!"

"Indeed, your age has an advantage over me." Duke leaned forward slightly and said in a voice that only the two of them could hear. "But don't forget, I am a Jewish descent! I don't have to pay a lot, some things It will naturally belong to me."

After taking a step back, Du Kejing waited for the opposite reaction. Mel Gibson's face was ugly, but he didn't say anything, and he refused to jump into the trap set.

"let's go."

Mel Gibson left here first.

Seeing that things did not develop according to the script he set, Duke could only sigh in his heart, and then he wanted to understand that Mel Gibson seemed to have not drunk, lacking the stimulation of alcohol...

After spending more than an hour socializing, Duke was finally able to take a break. He took a cup of soda and walked towards the outside of the party, found a seat next to the palm tree, and sat down and looked around quietly. , This kind of party is a rare opportunity to socialize, most people get together, not many people in the rest area.

After drinking a big sip of soda, his gaze suddenly stopped. Duke looked at a table more than fifty feet away with interest. There were people he was interested in sitting there, and more importantly, The side faces of Mel Gibson and Tom Cruise facing this side are extremely ugly. It is not difficult to conclude from their expressions and physical movements that they have serious differences or are arguing.

The two obviously remembered what the situation is now, and the quarrel was controlled within a very small range. Duke could not hear what they were saying, only to see that both of them were a little excited. If they changed the situation, they would be used to appearing on the screen. The two superstars of the tough guy heroes might fight.

Vulgar savages against medieval vampires? It should be a good live fight.

Of course, things will not develop as boringly as Duke imagined. I don't know what Mel Gibson said. Tom Cruise's face is even more ugly. He coldly dropped a few words, stood up and left the table. , Came over diagonally.

When Tom Cruise walked more than ten feet away, Duke beckoned over there, "Tom, this way!"

Cruise turned his head to see Duke, hesitated a little, turned and walked over here.

"Please sit down, Tom."

He gestured to the opposite chair and waited for Tom Cruise to sit down. Duke pointed to Mel Gibson's position behind him and asked curiously, "Is that savage doing vulgar things again?" "

He put himself on the side of Tom Cruise, "I was provoked by him just now." (To be continued...)