Hollywood Production - Chapter 28: Must Succeed

Duke didn’t know the Spielberg family well. All he knew was that they had two siblings: Steven Spielberg and Anne Spielberg. Neither of them knew him.

At his mother’s introduction, Duke walked over to the left and right neighbors’ tables a bit further away and said hello, waiting quietly for the banquet to start. This was a decent, proper dinner party—nothing like the Hollywood private parties with all sorts of messy stuff. If he was rude, it would be his mother’s face that he would lose.

“Hi, Leah.”

A middle-aged woman suddenly came from the front row. You could tell she was Jewish from her appearance. Duke knew her. He had delivered the script to her not long ago. She was none other than the famous Steven Spielberg’s sister, Anne Spielberg, also a well-known screenwriter and producer.

“Hi, Annie.” Leah nodded at her.

It seems that Anne Spielberg is very enthusiastic, sitting directly on the side of this table. She suddenly turned her head and looked over here. “You… are Duke? I’m sorry, I didn’t recognize you last time.”

“It’s ok.”

Duke’s words were polite and even-tempered. He was not a fool. He could tell that Anne Spielberg’s words were laced with some other meaning, which was definitely not the tone of a warm host entertaining guests.

“Leah, your generosity is really surprising.”

Anne turned her head again. “I heard from Amanda that you invested ten million dollars in Duke’s film; oh, what a great mother!”

Amanda is George Lucas’ eldest daughter, and while Duke knows this, what 10 million dollars?

He turned his head and looked at his mother, who said calmly, “It’s just a small matter.”

“Really?” Anne Spielberg stood up, the mockery in her smile even a child could see. “It looks like you’re confident you’ll get your investment back; maybe you really can. Who knows, maybe Duke’s first movie will be a miracle. I hope your movie can make 100 million dollars at the box office, hahaha…”

“You …” Duke was about to say something, but was pulled down by his mother, so he had to watch Anne Spielberg walk away proudly, and then heard a faint voice in his ear say, “Language is the weakest and most powerless way to fight back.”

“I understand, Mom.” Duke asked seriously, “What she said …”

“That’s right,” his mom said with a nod, “I invested 10 million dollars in ‘Speed.'”

Duke suddenly realized many things when he heard his mother’s confirmation. Why George Lucas first rejected him and then supported him; why the production company agreed to convert his salary into investment; why he could get some powers that other new directors dreamed of; why Robin secretly suppressed some experienced seniors in the industry…

Because his mother is the largest investor in the film and occupies two-thirds of the investment, she naturally has great influence.

Why is his mother investing in the extremely high-risk film industry? The answer is only one: to create opportunities for himself, even though she actually has little confidence in him!

“Mom …” Duke didn’t know what to say.

“I’ve had a deep conflict with Anne since we were young.”

After saying this, I don’t know if it’s for Duke’s sake. Leah looked over and asked, “Will you make me proud?”

“Yes, Mom.” Duke said seriously, “I will definitely make you proud!”

After saying this, Duke gradually relieved the pressure of shooting and returned to himself. He had another reason to succeed. If he failed, not only would his mother suffer huge economic losses, but she would also become the laughing stock of people like Anne Spielberg.

He won’t allow such a situation to occur; he won’t let it happen!

At the same time, Duke also learned how realistic Hollywood is. His mother took out a one-year bank loan in the form of a mortgage, investing not only 10 million US dollars but also signing a bottom-line share agreement with Lucasfilm. No matter whether the movie can be completed or not, she will have to pay Lucasfilm 2 million US dollars to ensure that the other party will not suffer any losses in this project. Once the movie is released, Lucasfilm will enjoy 10% of the box office in North America.

In the event that the gross is less than the minimum specified, Lucasfilm shall have the right to choose a higher percentage.

Yes, Hollywood is so unfair. Lucasfilm didn’t invest a single dollar in the movie—the rest of the investment came from various film funds—but was able to enjoy its success.

But this is Hollywood, and Lucasfilm’s contacts and channels are worth the money.

Because of Anne Speersberg’s relationship, it became an unpleasant night, and the words were indeed powerless. I wanted to make Anne Speersberg embarrassed. Every time she saw my mother in the future, she wouldn’t dare raise her head. A successful movie is the most powerful weapon.

The three-day Christmas break was over in a flash, and after a short rest, Duke put all his energy into the post-production of “Speed.” After New Year’s, the first cut was declared complete, and the sample was also preliminary recognized by George Lucas.

This is only the first step in the long post-production process, with subsequent fine-tuning, actor dubbing, and music selection requiring just as much time and effort. To make a quality film instead of a rough mess, shortcuts and time-saving methods simply cannot be used in post-production.

Duke plunged into the “Speed” studio and didn’t care about anything else. Even the credit card bill sent by the bank was thrown behind him. From mid-December to mid-February, it took two months for the post-production of the film to be completed.