Ch 05. There is no greater power than a mother’s love.

Hollywood: King of the Commercial Films

Ch 05. There is no greater power than a mother's love.

Despite being rejected, Duke walked out of the Warner Building full of fighting spirit. Despite hitting one wall after another throughout the day, he remained relentless in his pursuit of that tiny opportunity to succeed.

This circle prioritizes making connections, considering qualifications, and valuing successful experience.

Duke has very little experience in the Directing field when it comes to his resume.

This unfortunate situation could have been avoided if he had managed to achieve even a one million dollar box office success, as it would have prevented him from being easily ignored and discarded. The treatment he would've enjoyed would be completely different.

But he can't blame his past self, as he had no control over that.

Sadly, the hardest part is taking the first step, which is to enter the Circle. When it comes to Hollywood, opportunity can often outweigh talent.

You gotta make your own opportunity. Opportunities won't come if you don't put in the effort.

Duke spent the next ten days channeling his inner Spartan, fearlessly navigating the bustling film companies of Los Angeles like Paramount, Disney, MGM, Universal Pictures, and Sony.

Duke had left his footprints in all these first-tier companies in Colombia; Even second-tier companies such as New Line and Carlock, as well as the newly emerging Miramax Cinema in Los Angeles, have also witnessed his attempt.

In this period, Duke fearlessly distributed copies of his script, persevering through numerous rejections with unwavering determination.

After exhausting all options with the larger film companies, he decided to take a temporary break from searching for opportunities within the industry.

There was no need for him to attempt to connect with small and medium film studios.

Investing in films of this level required a level of strength and financial capacity that they simply did not possess. The type of film he was suggesting can only be produced by Studios with a guaranteed high investment of tens of millions of dollars.

In July, when everyone was going crazy over "Terminator 2", Duke tried contacting well-known producers like Jerry Bruckheimer, Catherine Kennedy, Jon Landau, Anne Spielberg, and others, but they all turned him down.

Not many film studios and producers have high hopes for his script. The script caught the attention of Paramount and Jerry Bruckheimer, who were attracted by its potential, but they rejected Duke's request to direct.

Even if Duke proposed selling them the script for a mere dollar, in return for the chance to direct, their response remained unchanged: a resolute No.

The Film Studios and Duke are completely unrelated, with no friendship or family bond between them. Duke's young age and lack of qualifications as a director made the ten-million-dollar investments too high for them to consider him.

Despite Duke's assurance that the film will succeed, the industry leads remain hesitant to invest a large sum of money in an inexperienced director.

Duke has an alternative means of seeking investment, aside from approaching producers and production companies. They should either be Banks or through some foundation for Directors. Despite the current lack of investment in Hollywood movies by banks, there will be several scenarios in the future where this will change.

In Malibu, Duke finally had the chance to meet a film fund manager who could potentially bring his movie dreams to life.

"My portfolio includes two thought-provoking experimental films, and I am a distinguished graduate of the renowned California Academy of Arts, with top-notch grades to showcase my dedication and talent."

This is Duke's few qualifications that can be procured by the other party, so he can't lie to secure the funds.

While the big Hollywood companies resort to fraudulent tactics to cheat investors, Duke lacks the means to extract large amounts of money from these blood-sucking vampires.

Duke, feeling frustrated and hitting dead ends, reluctantly decided to take the last resort - a road with higher chances - to locate his mother's closest friends, who were renowned in Hollywood and worldwide. To seek the help of the legendary 'George Lucas', renowned creator of the Star Wars franchise.

Duke wants to achieve success using his own skills, but he's not ignorant about seeking collaborating with others if it helps him. There is no shame in utilizing every advantage to seize opportunities for success.

With no other choice left, he reluctantly turned to this as his last resort.

The previous film companies and producers were not willing to allocate a significant amount of time to him. Despite Duke's preparations, there is no opportunity to showcase his remarkable Skillset.

Seeing George Lucas is a unique encounter that leaves a lasting impression. Duke has decided against visiting Lucasfilm. He has to go straight to Lucas' manor, nestled in the quiet suburbs of San Francisco.

Duke had more than just the script in mind before leaving - he wanted to film a brief video of the script as well.

This is a film where the main plot will appear on the car. Duke's filming is naturally related to the car.

With his 16mm camera in hand, he eagerly swiped his credit card to purchase a film, eager to start shooting.

In a surprising turn of events, the worker responsible for maintaining his lawn every week became the driver in his short film.

He drove on the empty beach promenade in Santa Monica several times and took several shots in the co-pilot seat and outside the car, and it took more than half a day to basically complete the task.

As Duke edited his captured video clip, he decided to incorporate a heavy metal soundtrack, effectively eliminating the silence and turning it into a satisfying short film suitable for display.

In the office of the CEO of Warner Bros, an informal meeting about his script was quietly unfolding, with hushed voices and occasional laughter.

"Kevin, I believe that the script of 'Speed' has the potential to become a good film."

Jeff Robinov, whom Duke had met earlier that day, was the one who spoke. As CEO Kevin Tsujihara settled into his oversized office chair, he listened intently to the suggestion, "Picture this - if we can truly capture the adrenaline-fueled moments from the script, showcasing an epic race against Time and speed..."

As Jeff Robinov began to speak, Kevin Tsujihara raised his hand to silence him. He glanced at his assistant, Robert, and asked, "What do you make of this, Robert?"

Robert Salomon, a heavyweight in his field, leaned back in his chair and propped his arm on the armrest, deep in thought. Eventually, he spoke slowly, "This is a tricky situation, you might want to look into Duke Rosenberg's past works. He was a signed artist of CAA, but they recently dropped him earlier this year."

"You're aware of how the CAA group operates, and they never give up on someone if they see potential in them."

"And..." He removed his hand, the lingering warmth still present as he touched the script on the desk. "It is without a doubt an unwise decision to allocate such a substantial amount of money to a script written by an unqualified individual."

When speaking of this, he made it a point to emphasize, "Don't forget, he specifically asked for the position of director!"

"A 21-year-old who has made no official films," Robert scoffed in disbelief.

"That's it for this script."

The CEO, Kevin Tsujihara, took a moment and said, "Let's shelve this script for now and put it in the script library."

Duke, who had just entered Lucas Manor, was oblivious to the fact that a game-changing opportunity for him had slipped away in the high-level talks among Warner Bros executives.

After parking the car, Duke walked towards Lucas Manor, his face lighting up as he greeted the people inside with a sense of recognition.

Despite the decline in visits in recent years, he used to come here often before starting university.

The manor was unusually quiet, possibly due to the absence of Lucas's sons and daughters who had gone on a trip. Duke walked around the fountain, mesmerized by the sound of water trickling down its tiers, before entering the spacious living room. There were no people in sight, only George Lucas sitting in a low chair, seemingly anticipating his arrival.

"Uncle George," Duke greeted George with a polite hello and casually placed his bag on the small table. As he sat down, George Lucas looked at him curiously and said, "Why aren't you calling me George?"

Smiling slightly, Duke didn't answer that question. Back in the day, he could get away with calling him "George" because he was still a kid, but now that he had entered adulthood, he knew it was important to address him more formally.

"You can still call me George, just like you did before."

The two families have been friends for over 20 years. Once the servant brought the black tea, George Lucas didn't waste any time and grabbed a cup to drink. "So, what about that script you mentioned on the phone?"

"Here it is, George."

Duke opened the bag and gave his script, which was less than 200 pages.

During his call with George yesterday, Duke mentioned the script. "Over the past month, I've been to several film companies and producers in Hollywood."

"Those from the CAA brought it up in conversation." Turning over the script, George Lucas looked at it and said,

"They said Leah Rosenberg's of Santa Feria Advertising Company, had an incompetent son who naively wants to be a director."

Duke frowned, but schooled his expression to normal.

Once their exchange ended, George Lucas chose to remain silent, immersing himself completely in the task of reading the script.

Duke has met many Producers and Film Industry heavyhitters this month, and this is the first time anyone has read his script so seriously in front of him, making his heart race with anticipation.

This person, ironically enough, only read it because of his close bond with his family.

At the same time, Duke, who has been wandering around the edge of this circle, has seen the realistic side of Hollywood. Without qualifications, connections and achievements, no one will look at him, let alone his script.

In Hollywood, they'd rather throw money at terrible movies with famous people than give newcomers a shot.

Nearly an hour passed before George Lucas finally set the script aside, lost in its pages. He picked up his teacup, feeling the warmth against his fingertips, and refilled it with the cold black tea. He took a sip, savoring the bitter taste, and then turned to Duke, asking, "Do you have anything else to show me?"

"For sure, here you go."

Duke took the carefully packed videotape out of his handbag, walked to the TV cabinet, turned on the TV and VCR, and popped in the tape. After a brief intro, the short video started playing with a drumbeat, and its soundtrack appeared on the TV screen.

The Short Video was pretty simple. By swiftly switching between the car's front wheel and the speedometer, the carefully edited shots conveyed the intense speed, with the needle consistently hovering above 50 MPH. This rapid switching heightened the tension in viewers.

Although the scenes in the video were repetitive, George Lucas took it seriously. As he watched the video, his mind instinctively connected it to the film's script, where a bomb would go off if the speed dipped below 50 miles an hour.

"Duke, come over here and take a seat," George said, motioning towards the empty chair beside him and motioned to Duke to turn off the TV,

"The video is impressive with its captivating shots and sharp editing style. It is well-done."

"Then, Uncle George,"

"Call me George." Lucas corrected.

"Well, George."

When Duke sat down, George Lucas completely changed his attitude toward business affairs.

"The script is decent, but not amazing. It's not the best, but it's an alright commercial script. In Hollywood, a brilliant concept can easily be transformed into a lackluster film."

"Any idea, no matter how dull, can become a great movie with a talented director. If this script falls into the hands of a seasoned director, there is a 50% possibility that it will be transformed into a lucrative film."

Upon hearing the above words, Duke couldn't help but smile helplessly, clearly understanding George Lucas's intention.

"Upon reviewing the estimated production cost, it is clear that we need to make some adjustments. Even with the Lighting and Editing Department handling all the special effects, the cost of the film will undoubtedly surpass tens of millions of dollars."

In an instant, Lucas transformed from a professional businessman to a caring family member. "When it involves a considerable amount of investment, even a company like Lucasfilm needs to approach it with caution. Duke, you are still young. You can develop for a few more years and accumulate experience. There will definitely be a chance in the future."

Following that, George Lucas veered away from movie-related topics and instead began discussing Duke's mother, sharing interesting anecdotes about their respective families. He made sure Duke didn't leave until dinner.

No sooner had the Duke's Chevrolet vanished from sight at the entrance of the Lucas manor, than the phone in his living room broke the silence with a sudden ring.

"George, it's me."

That was Leah Rosenberg on the phone. "Did you see Duke?"

"Yes, He just left."

"I want to talk to you about Duke," she said, her voice filled with concern. "Are you planning to visit Los Angeles, or should I make a trip to see you in San Francisco?"

"Hold on, I'll come see you soon."

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[~2400 Words]