What Rachel McAdams didn't expect was that not only would she not be able to get her face back, but she and Amy Acker would also be kicked out of the office very quickly.
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Well, not really an eviction, of course.
Someone also specifically explained that they wanted to discuss how to help them brew their emotions during the filming process, so it was not suitable to listen in, otherwise it would be ineffective. At the same time, they also ensured that the measures taken would not be dangerous.
Although "Blair Witch" looked rough, the production team still put a lot of thought into the filming process, such as the actors' performances. In order to let the actors truly enter an emotional state of collapse, the team directly left several leading actors in the jungle for several days and nights to perform on their own. In the end, the film was at least up to standard in terms of performance, and even the final heroine A classic shot of monologue to the camera.
It is conceivable that if the actors in "Blair Witch" were as exaggerated as the silicone-breasted female vases in many inferior B-movies, the film would not be an accidental hit.
For the new version of "Blair Witch", Simon's requirements are definitely higher.
However, the methods to stimulate actors' emotions are actually nothing more than creating isolation, lashing out, and even deliberately promoting confrontation between rival actors, and so on.
Let's talk about the new version of "Blair Witch". The atmosphere at the beginning of the story is very relaxed, which is not a problem for young actors and actresses who have a solid acting foundation from majors.
The key is the second half.
The further you go, the more actors are required to walk on the edge of collapse, or even truly collapse. After all, the protagonists are young. Even if they have good talents, it is difficult to achieve the emotions they create by themselves, so the production team needs to use some unconventional methods.
After some discussion, the method determined is not new.
During the filming process, especially in the second half, contact with the actors was minimized to make the actors feel isolated and helpless. They had to live alone in a tent every day for rest, keep distance, and absolutely not give any items that might be used to kill time at night. , can only be boring and stiff.
In addition, the actors' sleep time must be reduced, horror movies must be watched, and even food and water must not be provided too much to create a real state of dilemma and anxiety.
Do all this and the film won't be too bad.
Then again, a big reason why many actors have various mental problems is because of this. Just like Heath Ledger, who died young, he really worked hard to play the clown well. Pushing myself to the edge of near-crazy collapse. Of course, except for some people who have good talents but later only frown or growl or growl, there will be no other negative effects except that they often grin and make their faces become squarer.
The last issue is publicity.
The new version of "Blair Witch" is expected to start shooting in early November, wrap up in mid-December, participate in the Sundance Film Festival in mid-January, and be released in early February, just in time for the subsequent Valentine's Day schedule. Calculated, from the start of filming to the release, it only takes three months time, so it needs to be produced and distributed at the same time.
The plan is actually ready-made.
Viral marketing.
After a little discussion, the plan was quickly finalized.
In mid-December, when the film is finished and entering post-production, the official website of "Blair Witch" will be launched and will be promoted with the help of the network resources of the Westeros system.
The website will be very realistic, including missing persons notices for five missing college students, various legends about the Blair Witch, and even a small number of 'leaked' video clips, and so on. Then guide public opinion appropriately and quickly spread the topic.
Later, when the hype started, unlike before, many people thought it was a real incident until the movie was released. This time Daenerys Entertainment will promptly clarify that the entire incident is just a marketing plan for a movie, so as to eliminate some potential lawsuits in advance. Risk, and officially announced Daenerys' second mockumentary film project after "The Haunting of Hell".
Coupled with the subsequent Sundance premiere and a complete marketing package, there are probably not many people who don't know about this movie.
Then, it will be released in February. In addition to the popularity accumulated in the early stage and some luck, the quality will speak more.
The meeting lasted for more than two hours, and by the time it ended, it was already past 11 o'clock.
Simon had no intention of leaving anyone to dine.
Everyone stood up to say goodbye, and others went out first. Lena Kane slowed down and waited until everyone left, then she jumped into Simon's arms like a bird returning to its nest, kissed and hugged him, hugged the man's waist and looked up in anticipation. Said: "Simon, can I stay today?"
Simon held Lina's slender waist, shook his head and said, "Not this time."
Lena immediately added: "We can also add Rachel and Amy, the three of us."
Simon raised his hand and slapped the naughty little agent on the buttocks, and said with a smile: "Go back and complete the project to please me. Just like this time, the screenwriter you found is very good."
Lina blinked again: "Then, we can also add Annika, four."
Then he got another blow.
Lina knew that there was no chance this time, so she sounded a little more serious and explained: "Annika is my alumnus at the University of Southern California, one year above me. We were good friends before. She used to work at Warner. Last time I just asked her to try writing it, but I didn’t expect you, Simon, to like it.”
Simon smiled: "I can imagine that your friends are not too bad."
Or people are divided into groups.
After lingering and talking for a while, Lina reluctantly said goodbye.
Simon could tell whether this ambitious little goblin was more intentional about his coquettishness, but he would not expose it. He went out with Lina, and everyone was still waiting. When the group first arrived in the morning, they did not show up because they did not get up. Ullyana Meretskova also appeared at this time to see off guests with Simon.
Before Lena Kane came, she thought she could stay today. After all, she brought two vases and even an Annika. The four girls together could always make someone's heart flutter, right
This is a man's preference.
However, when she first arrived in the morning and saw Maria, Lina felt that her thoughts were a little uncertain. When she left, she saw Ulyanna, who was even more stunning in appearance, figure, makeup and temperament, and she had no thoughts at all.
If Maria's appearance and temperament are the kind that people can't help but get close to, Ulyanna, with her flawless Eastern European woman's face and perfect plump figure, coupled with the graceful aura cultivated by her family background, is definitely the kind that makes most people A woman feels ashamed of herself just by looking at him.
Even though Lina didn't feel that she could occupy a place next to a man based on her appearance and body, seeing two stunning women in a row still made her feel a little inferior. Everyone said their final goodbyes and got in the car until they left the manor. , she barely came up with a small thought to comfort herself.
I am young!
On the way back to the city, the person sitting next to Lena was not Rachel McAdams or Amy Acker, but the light-haired "Blair Witch" screenwriter Annika Settle.
It is true that people are divided into groups.
Although they were in different majors and grades, the two met not long after Lina entered the school. They were both outstanding and ambitious, and they quickly became good friends.
Annika graduated from the University of Southern California a year earlier and was directly admitted to Warner Bros., where she became a staff member in the script purchasing department of Warner Bros.
The reason why Daenerys, who is hot in Hollywood, was not chosen is not because Annika is not strong enough, but because the girl deliberately chose it. The main reason is that the competition within Daenerys is too fierce, and Warner, which is firmly ranked second in Hollywood, has continued to decline over the years. Turmoil can actually give newcomers a chance to succeed.
Annika's judgment was indeed correct.
After only two years in Warner Bros.'s script buying department, Annika got a promotion after helping to select a low-budget blockbuster film, and received further attention from Warner Bros. executives, who had already talked to her and planned to transfer her. to the more core production department.
Around the same time, her good friend Lena Kane came to her and told her that there was a script for a low-budget horror film project that she could try out, and the idea came from Simon Westeros.
Annika made her choice without hesitation.
Even if she was confident enough in her abilities, under normal circumstances, Annika knew that she would have to work for at least another five years before she could have the opportunity to contact senior executives of Time Warner or even higher-level parent company General Electric.
Now, with the opportunity to directly connect to Simon Westeros, only a fool would pass up.
Annika worked during the day and stayed up for three consecutive nights after get off work. She quickly came up with a script sample. She graduated from the University of Southern California with a writing major and never let go of her skills. The script sample was sent to New World Pictures by Lina. There, he was quickly hired and was confirmed as the screenwriter of "Blair Witch", assisting Paul Greengrass in writing the script.
Annika immediately resigned from Warner Bros. to focus on this project.
A few days ago, in order to enjoy the scenery, Annika and Paul Greengrass took a small team of just a few people and traveled non-stop throughout several southern states. It can be said that Annika also contributed a lot to the smooth progress of the project.
This is also the reason why I was allowed to come to see Simon today.
inside the carriage.
When the car left the manor, Annika breathed a long sigh of relief and looked at Lina next to her: "How did I behave this morning?"
Lina was lowering her head and re-reading the morning meeting minutes. She would also participate in the entire production as an agent. These are not her job, but for future plans, even if there is no additional salary, it will become an important qualification and at the same time accumulate real work experience.
Suddenly hearing Annika's question, Lina raised her head and glanced at her, then lowered her head again and said with a smile: "When Simon is working, he usually doesn't care what a woman looks like."
Annika also smiled: "I'm just asking how my work performance is. Where did you think of it?"
"If you didn't perform well enough, you wouldn't be here today," Lina confirmed, and then said: "I was just wondering, the specific ages of those two women?"
Annika relaxed a little after hearing Lina's confirmation, and then started gossiping: "I guess..." After speaking, she reacted, glanced at the two Wei family attendants who were following Lina in the row in front of her, lowered her voice, and came closer. In Lena's ear: "I guess their daughters are old enough to crawl into bed in Westeros."
Lina tilted her head and pushed away Annika's leaning head. She was not as cautious as her friend. She continued to flip through the information in front of her and said, "Simon has not concealed this. Why are you so careful?"
Annika still didn't say much, but instead said with some hope: "It would be great if I could still maintain the same level of care as those two women when I reach the age of 40."
Even though Annika is a career-oriented woman, it is impossible not to care about her appearance and figure.
Lina glanced sideways at her and couldn't help but joke: "I'm afraid it won't be easy. You women of Nordic descent are more likely to age."
Annika immediately pretended to be dissatisfied: "Hey, are you being racist?"
Annika's light hair and light blue eyes, coupled with her too fair complexion, and even her name, are obviously Nordic style.
Lina smiled and said: "How dare I, a little Latin mixed race, discriminate against you white aristocratic ladies."
"It seems like this," Annika flipped her hair coquettishly and raised her head slightly: "Westeros likes girls with fairer skin. You can't compare to me in this."
Lina heard that Annika was so beautiful and rolled her eyes: "People's preferences will change, not to mention, Simon prefers girls like us with soft faces. Your face is too three-dimensional and your mouth is not small enough. Simon will definitely not like it. "
"Hey, who said something about people's preferences changing?" General Annika said, gossiping again, and leaned into Lina's ear again: "Why does he like women with small mouths? Isn't it..."
Lina smiled and pushed a certain female gangster away: "You can see for yourself when you have a chance in the future."
"Then call me next time."
"I wanted to call you this time, but Simon rejected me just now."
"Then you are really stupid. Just looking at those two women, you know that the time is not right." Annika looked very disappointed, and then it was obvious that she had not forgotten what just happened, and it was not a big deal to open herself slightly. With a big mouth, he said vaguely: "Is this... enough?"
Lina smiled and glared over again: "If you want a man, go to the bar and find one tonight."
"I don't want to be a man. My boyfriend hasn't changed the battery for a long time."
Lina was stunned for a moment before she realized what she was doing. She smiled and hit Annika: "If you continue to be a gangster, I will kick you out of the car."
Annika and Lina went back and forth with each other a few times. After the jokes, they finally became a little more serious and said, "Have you noticed that Hollywood is now developing into a matriarchal society?"
This twist was a bit big, and Lina was curious: "What do you mean?"
"Let's count them," Annika said: "The top seven in Hollywood, Daenerys' Amy Pascal, plus MGM's Shirley Lansing, although they are only two, they are actually equivalent to Most of Hollywood. Oh, and Nancy Brill, and many female executives who have emerged in recent years, including the two of us. By the way, there is also one of the three major agencies in Hollywood, Nancy Joseph of ICM Sen, do you think there is such a trend?"
Lina understood, but shook her head: "You are too optimistic, Annie, Hollywood is still a man's world, or in other words, Hollywood is almost just a man's world, and we are just his vassals."
"I know," Annika said: "But Westeros has begun to retreat more and more behind the scenes. Maybe one day he will completely lose interest in Hollywood and let it go completely. By then, Hollywood will be our women. What about the world? You have to know that some trends, once formed, are difficult to reverse."
Lena thought for a moment and had no way to refute, so she asked with a smile: "Even so, what do you want to do then, launch a women's rights movement and drive more men out of Hollywood?"
"Well, I haven't thought that far yet."
"Then don't think too much. The filming of "Blair Witch" will start in a week. It's better to think more about how to get this project done."
Annika did not object. She and Lina sorted out the morning meeting. After a moment, she said: "I recently quietly studied the case of "The Ghost Story". It can only be said to be a miracle. Lena, what did you say about "Blair Witch"? "How big will the box office be next?"
"Since it is still the idea provided by Simon himself, 50 million U.S. dollars in box office is the bottom line that Daenerys can accept. I don't think the problem is big. Any lower will be our failure. And if it can exceed 100 million, I will That’s where you’ll be able to gain a foothold.”
Annika looked disappointed: "So you haven't stood firm yet?"
"Yes, if you think you can please Simon with just one face, you are too naive."
Annika raised a slender hand to make some gestures, and smiled a little evilly: "Actually, I want to ask, can you sit still?"
Lina: "..."
Annika was traveling too fast, and Lina was thrown into a ditch by a big curve before she could react. Then she threw away the folder in her hand, pressed Annika onto the seat, and dealt with it harshly.
Lena's physical fitness through daily exercise was obviously better than that of Annika. In the end, Annika had to beg for mercy before she was let go.
Everyone's time is valuable.
Since she failed to stay overnight with a man and returned to downtown Boston, Lena boarded the plane with others and flew back to Los Angeles to prepare for the final start of filming of "Blair Witch."
Back in Los Angeles, the team immediately began to make final revisions to the script according to the results discussed at the meeting, and to find a suitable photographer. In fact, Paul Greengrass had already identified it in advance, but for the project of "Blair Witch" Although it was a bit expensive, the team officially signed a contract with Simon after getting Simon's permission.
Simon had no objection to this either.
Because the photographer's name is Oliver Wood.
This photographer and Paul Greengrass are both British. They are both middle-aged. They have known each other for a long time and had some cooperation in the early years.
In the 1980s, Oliver Wood took the lead in developing his career in Hollywood and successfully became a first-line photographer. He has photographed films such as "Die Hard 2" and his latest major production is John Wu's "Face/Off". However, although he is on the front line, because he has been filming TV series or commercial films for more than 20 years since his debut, Oliver Wood has not received an Oscar nomination so far.
This also kept the other party's price within the acceptable range of the budget of "Blair Witch".
Moreover, there is another reason why Simon has no opinion.
Oliver Wood was the original cinematographer for the "Bourne" trilogy in the original time and space.
Now it seems that this is obviously because Wood and Greengrass have known each other for a long time, and it also proves that the two are a perfect pair.
Therefore, Simon understands that he does not need to push anything further. This time "Blair Witch" will be used as a run-in. The subsequent "Public Enemy" will be directed by Paul Greengrass, and the position of cinematographer will naturally fall into the hands of Oliver Wood. Just right.
Simon spent the weekend in Boston to entertain guests and flew back to Los Angeles on Monday morning.
The recent Daenerys Entertainment is not only the new annual financial report that has just been released, but also due to the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy, "The Matrix", "Public Enemy", "Blair Witch", "High School Musical", "Celebrity 100" A series of film projects, large and small, such as "State" and "Elizabeth" are being intensively promoted, and people from all walks of life in the industry are also making frequent moves.
Simon returned to Hollywood after a week away and immediately became the center of attention.
Malibu, Daenerys Studios.
It’s October 17th, a Monday afternoon on the West Coast.
An audition was going on in an office building in the administrative area of the movie theater for the heroine of "High School Musical". The long corridor and the vacated waiting room were filled with young teenagers and girls.
The two original female leads, Christina Aguilera, have signed on, while Britney Spears has been replaced.
It's not just "High School Musical". A certain girl's father was involved in a very bad case of raping a 13-year-old girl. The evidence was conclusive. He was caught by the police on the spot. He was also charged with assaulting a police officer. For the sake of the reputation of the project, even if The matter has nothing to do with the girl, and Daenerys Entertainment can no longer cultivate the other party. Therefore, Daenerys Records has also terminated the contract with the girl, and there will be no more singles or records.
Lynne Spears, who had been on tenterhooks for a long time because her husband insisted on doing something, could easily guess what was going on. The poor woman was called to the police station that night and watched the scene in silence. The deep bite marks on the arms of the rescued underage girl and the black policeman made the tense nerves relax after a night.
Like some kind of relief.
The day after the incident, George Norman came to the door. He didn't mention anything about the previous night and just signed a secret agreement with the Spears family.
There is definitely not 200 million, but a compensation worth 2 million US dollars is still given here, which will be paid in 30 years in the form of a secret trust. The beneficiary is Lynne Spears, and she can receive it every month. US$5,000 is enough for a family to live a good life.
Then, the Spears family needs to commit to leaving Los Angeles, moving anywhere else, and pretending like nothing ever happened. George Norman also directly showed Lynn Spears the original recording evidence he had here, saying that it would be okay for the other party to continue making trouble. Not only would it be impossible to get anything, but she would also go to jail for blackmail.
Lynne Spears signed the agreement without any struggle.
Then, a stranger came to the door and delivered another divorce agreement. Lynne Spears continued to sign it, and was reminded by the other party that she had never remembered Jamie Spears. As for Jamie Spears' other relatives, we will be responsible for informing them.
The stranger also helped the Spears family to change their identity and surname. Lynne Spears picked it on a map of the United States. Three days later, the family of six moved to a small town in northern Florida. Lynne Spears Spears also got a job as a music teacher at a local school.
Then there was no more.
The other children were fine, but Britney obviously couldn't accept the sudden change. She cried and cried. The little girl even guessed some of the inside story and had a big quarrel with her mother, but it didn't help. Even if she comes out of that small town in the future, there will be no room for her in the North American entertainment circle.
Throughout the whole matter, Simon listened to Neil Bennett's verbal report and a few follow-up words. He just said that he understood it and ignored it.
I just think about it occasionally.
In the past, Britney Spears was imprisoned by her father as a mental patient for more than ten years. This time, she may not be famous, but at least she will have a different life than before.
Of course, Simon didn't mean to excuse himself by thinking this way.
Good people need psychological comfort.
Even if the final outcome of a little girl in the new timeline would be even worse, he would not care about it anymore. From where Simon stood at this time, the whole thing was just a very inconspicuous small ripple in his life.
As for the fact that there is a Britney missing from the history of North American music, it is also irrelevant.
There is no problem in this world without anyone.
Another follow-up to the matter is an anonymous gossip in the circle. Someone wanted to blackmail a certain Hollywood boss about his daughter. As a result, not only did he end up miserable, but his daughter was also completely expelled from Hollywood. There is no longer any A chance to turn around.
The matter was not widely spread and was vague, but for those involved, it was easy to pick up the pieces, so some unknown vigilance and introspection were unavoidable.
The bustling audition scene.
Linda Vargas, Simon's queen of casting, personally watched here for an hour and then had to leave. She didn't have that much time to follow up the whole process. She had to make some project reports to her boss later.
The reason why he appeared here was because of Simon's order.
According to Simon's request, Linda Vargas must be personally responsible for future projects involving similar themes, including the final decision on the role.
The main purpose is to avoid situations that are too bad to deal with as much as possible.
Apart from the occasional nurturance, Simon is really not interested in little girls who want nothing, and he is even less interested in little boys. But in the Hollywood circle, there are not a few people who have certain special hobbies. Or, because of certain deep-rooted concepts, this is a common phenomenon in the entire Western society. Simon prides himself on not being able to prevent it, so he can only reduce it as much as possible.