"Although model special effects are still the mainstream technology used in special effects movies, I am sure that cg special effects will definitely replace model special effects and become the mainstream technology of special effects movies in ten years at least, and twenty years at most. About ten years ago, industrial light Mo made all-CG scenes in the movie, and last year Jim's "The Abyss" even appeared full-CG characters, these are the most intuitive manifestations of this development trend," said the inside of the Krall restaurant , Eric was talking with Stan Winston and James Cameron on the opposite side.
Although the two people on the opposite side are both special effects artists, in terms of professional special effects technology, of course, Eric can't do everything in his favor. However, Eric's status as a time traveler makes him more aware of the development trend of movie special effects than the two people opposite him. Therefore, after identifying the topic, he can easily win the initiative of the conversation.
"Eric, I don't agree with you. Although cg special effects can achieve more diverse scenes, it is still too expensive after all. In comparison, model special effects are much cheaper. You must know that Jim's " Terminator, that movie only cost 6.5 million US dollars, if CG special effects were used, maybe the 6.5 million US dollars would not even be enough for the production of special effects," Stan Winston retorted.
"Of course, I just said that cg special effects are the main development trend of film and television special effects, but model special effects will always play their due role. Speaking of it..." Eric suddenly turned to James Cameron as if nothing had happened : "Jim, have you ever thought about making a sequel to "Terminator"? I remember you said in an interview that you had a lot of regrets in the first "Terminator" that didn't come true."
Hearing this question, James Cameron and Stan Winston looked at each other in unison. Several people have been chatting for more than half an hour. Lunch is almost over. Originally, James Cameron didn't know how to bring up this topic, but Eric did not expect to ask it out.
"Eric, actually, I've already written the script for the second part, but I'm still looking for an investor," James Cameron said pretending to be reserved, even though he is called a studio tyrant. James Cameron doesn't usually have a fiery temper. When it comes to attracting investment in movies, he doesn't lack any tricks. Otherwise, in his previous life, he wouldn't have been able to overspend and get investment again and again.
Of course Eric also understands James Cameron's careful thinking, and he is also clear about James Cameron's current situation. Although Cameron has not yet evolved into a card god of later generations, as a time traveler Or, Eric must pay special attention to this name. He also maintains the good habit of reading newspapers and magazines every day, and is well aware of many dynamics in Hollywood. Therefore, news of James Cameron occasionally appeared in the newspaper, and Eric would subconsciously read it twice and keep it in his heart.
James Cameron's production of "The Abyss" cost as much as 70 million U.S. dollars last year, just twice the investment of Warner's global hit "Batman" last year. But it was very miserable. The North American box office only got more than 50 million, while the overseas box office was only 30 million US dollars. dollar loss.
This is the only James Cameron movie that made investors lose money in Eric's memory.
And after being cheated hard, it is of course impossible for Fox to invest in Cameron's new movie, let alone "Terminator 2", which seems to have a larger investment. Although the first box office of this movie was good, but This is not enough for Fox to risk paying for it again, and the other six major film companies that have not had much cooperation with Cameron are even less likely to pay easily.
In my memory, "Terminator 2" was filmed by an independent film company called Karoka, who spent 100 million U.S. dollars and finally earned more than 500 million at the global box office. For this movie that is destined to be a big hit, Although the investment is a bit higher, Eric definitely doesn't intend to let it go, and he doesn't even plan to let Cameron himself go.
After thinking about it, Eric continued to ask: "Jim, if possible, can you briefly talk about the plot of "Terminator 2"?"
Seeing that Eric was interested in this movie, James Cameron suddenly had a glimmer of hope in his heart: "Of course, but please keep it secret and don't reveal it."
"That's for sure," Eric nodded, and said to Jennifer Connelly, who was dutifully making a vase next to him, "Jenny..."
The girl smiled knowingly, showing two small canine teeth: "Don't worry, I won't do it either."
"Then, the story probably goes like this..." James Cameron briefly talked about the first draft of his creation, and Jennifer Connelly, who heard James Cameron's conception of liquid metal robots, widened his eyes slightly, An unbelievably surprised look.
Eric already has a complete movie in his memory, and James Cameron has no talent in telling stories in words, so he didn't show any strange look, just listened intently to Cameron's narration , Occasionally, some differences between Cameron's story outline and the finished film are found. For example, in Cameron's story outline, Sarah Connor played by Linda Hamilton was not imprisoned in a mental hospital.
Of course, these are just some trivial details, and during the whole process of telling, Cameron and Stan Winston have been silently paying attention to Eric's expression, and found that Eric's expression did not change much, Cameron thought Immediately felt a little bad. If a story doesn't interest investors, the chances of getting funding must be slim.
"Jim, according to your idea, the cost of this movie must be quite high, right? Have you made a preliminary budget?" Eric asked after Cameron finished speaking.
"I've done it. Although the idea of liquid metal robots may cost more, I only need seven... no, sixty million. I only need sixty million dollars to make this movie. Liquid metal robots It is not necessary to use computer CG for all the scenes, and some scenes can still use relatively cheap models. I discussed this with Stan," Cameron said. Finally, he unknowingly took the initiative to sell to Eric. The pretense of reserve was also forgotten, after all, among the contacts he knew, Eric was the most likely to get the money. Firefly’s funds for several films released around Christmas last year have already begun to come back. Coupled with video tapes and other peripherals, it can bring at least 400 million US dollars to Firefly.
Stan Winston quickly echoed: "Yes, Eric, we can replace some scenes with mercury or models. The investment of 60 million US dollars is enough."
60 million, you can only see the hell if you can shoot it!
Eric slandered in his heart, and his face became serious: "60 million, almost ten times the investment of the previous film, Firefly has never operated a film with such a large investment."
"Eric, trust me, this movie won't let you down..."
Cameron wanted to continue to say something, but was interrupted by Eric. Since James Cameron has not yet found an investor, it is still necessary to whet the appetite of Kashen. It is too easy to get investment. Mellon is even more reckless when he spends money. Eric even proposed to let Jeffrey be the producer of "Terminator 2" just now, but he quickly gave up. It's an extreme, it's strange if they get together and don't fight.
"Sorry, Jim, I need to think carefully, $60 million investment is not a small amount. Let's talk about today's business, Stan, I think you must have guessed some, I plan to set up a special effects company for movies, and I want to invite With you and your team joining, in the future this film company will be responsible for the special effects work for most of Firefly's films."
Stan Winston was not angry because Cameron was rejected. Eric's cautious reaction to "Terminator 2" was almost doomed. It would be abnormal if he agreed immediately: "Eric, why is And I, I mean, there are still a lot of good special effects teams in Hollywood?"
Eric remembered a sentence that Stan Winston said in his previous life, and replied with a smile: "Because what they do is only special effects, but you are performing with special effects."
Stan Winston was a little moved. These words just touched the most sensitive nerve in Stan Winston's heart. Once upon a time, Stan Winston's ideal was to be a movie actor, but the ideal and reality were always far apart. Big, after graduating from college, Stan Winston opened his own Winston studio after three years of makeup apprenticeship at Disney, and then he discovered that he didn't seem to completely abandon his ideals, actor He is performing with himself, but he is performing with special effects. Therefore, over the years, Stan Winston has always maintained his original passion for special effects in movies, and is often described as 'crazy'.
This consistent enthusiasm for movie special effects is the most important factor in the success of Stan Winston. To be honest, without Stan Winston, James Cameron would not have been able to use the mere 650 million dollars to shoot the classic "Terminator".
You know, because of the serious lack of funds, the Terminator robot in the first movie is just a simple metal model without any mechanical kinetic energy device. Therefore, the special effects shots of the robot's movement in the movie are almost frame by frame with a frame similar to freeze frame. The film is shot by means of animation. The movie has 24 frames per second and 1440 frames per minute. It is conceivable how complicated the workload is for a few minutes of frames. If you don’t have enough faith and enthusiasm in your heart, It is impossible for anyone to persist. (To be continued..)