I am Hollywood

[Chapter 1031: The Observer]

Words had an amiable way of bridging relationships. Sherry Lansing sensed a certain tension between Terry Russo and Ted Elliott. Although she wasn't privy to the details, she refrained from applying further pressure. She elegantly sipped her coffee, set the cup down, and dove into the main topic. "Terry, Ted, if possible, I hope you can keep that pirate movie script at Paramount. What do you think would be an appropriate price?"

Terry Russo's lips moved, but he looked to his friend for guidance.

Ted Elliott hesitated but pressed on. "Ms. Lansing, we really want to work with our company. However, as you know, the other companies approached us first, so it wouldn't be appropriate to ignore them entirely."

Sherry Lansing nodded, her expression betraying no displeasure. "In that case, let me share what we can offer. Paramount can put up $2 million and a percentage of the profits. I hope you'll consider it carefully. The company happens to be on the lookout for suitable special effects projects, and collaborating with our internal team could provide this film with more resources down the line."

Two million dollars was twenty times what Firefly had offered, and on top of that, there were profit shares. Terry Russo and Ted Elliott felt their hearts race. Both had surpassed their thirties, and after years in Hollywood, they had never seen income figures like a million dollars, let alone this kind of offer.

However, a guilty conscience restrained them from agreement. The more they obtained now, the worse their fate would be if the truth came to light.

...

As they left Sherry Lansing's office, the two soon found a payphone and hastily dialed their agent, Matt Gilson. Ted Elliott, holding the receiver, couldn't wait to ask, "Matt, has there been any reaction from Firefly?"

On the other end, Matt Gilson's tone was filled with excitement as he rapidly spewed out figures.

Listening to the numbers he'd once only dreamed of, Ted Elliott calmed himself and interrupted, "Matt, I don't want to know how much Sony Pictures has offered or what Warner Bros. is willing to pay. I only want to know, what's Firefly's response?"

After a moment of silence, he hung up the phone and looked at his friend, shaking his head with a wry smile. "The situation is worse than I imagined. It seems everyone is convinced this is the script that Eric Williams has taken a personal interest in."

Terry Russo voiced his urgency, "Didn't we agree it was just a possibility? Why has it escalated to this?"

Ted Elliott took out a cigarette, glanced around, then put it back, leaning dismally against the phone booth door. "It's probably because of the strong impression Cutthroat Island left on Hollywood. Everyone thinks no one outside Eric Williams would be interested in a pirate film. Of course, it's also possible that Matt used some misleading terms when talking to these companies. You know how he is."

"I think," Terry Russo hesitated, "this script is very likely the one Eric Williams is interested in. Just think about it -- within less than a day, the rumors have spread this far. If this script had nothing to do with Eric Williams, Firefly likely would have publicly refuted the rumors instead of keeping their distance."

"Let's hope it's not the case," Ted Elliott remarked. "When Cutthroat Island was first released, there were rumors that Eric Williams deliberately set a trap for Michael Eisner, right? The seven major studios are fundamentally competitors, and now everyone's rushing to get this pirate script. If this has nothing to do with Eric Williams, do you think Firefly would turn it into an opportunity to take someone else down? Hollywood is full of sharks. The bigger this project gets, the worse our fallout will be if it fails."

Terry Russo looked conflicted for a moment and suggested, "How about we let Matt sell the script to whichever company offers the highest bid? They would be willing participants. If we can each score a million..."

Before Terry could finish, Ted Elliott shook his head. "Terry, I can't do that. I have a family to support. And look at you -- Bonnie is a stay-at-home mom with no income. If we each made a million and got kicked out of Hollywood, we'd never land decent jobs again. You think that's enough to support us for the rest of our lives? Plus, Claire and Danny are already in high school, both excelling in their studies and likely heading for an Ivy League. Do you see any Ivy League school with tuition under $40,000 a year?"

After hearing Ted's words, Terry Russo lost some of his resolve but still felt a bit resentful. "Things may not be as dire as you think. As long as we put our hearts into the script, even if it has nothing to do with Eric Williams, it shouldn't flop too badly. Special effects movies have been selling well in recent years."

"The key isn't about that. The problem is, unless this project performs exceptionally well at the box office, if a big company realizes they were fooled, we'll be in serious trouble. Hollywood has plenty of crazies, but not too many fools, and nothing here stays secret for long. We shouldn't be naive," Ted Elliott countered, turning back to the phone, flipping a coin into the slot. "We should really talk to Matt face-to-face. We can't end up like Pierce Brosnan, getting burned by our own agent."

Terry's flickering ideas were doused by his friend's cold water. Watching Ted dial again, he asked, "Ted, if this script is actually something Eric Williams is looking at and Firefly reaches out again afterward, what should we do?"

Ted Elliott understood that the possibility of Terry's scenario occurring was quite low. As he listened to the dial tone, he mused, "If that's the case, we should be thankful to have gotten this far."

...

For those in the industry, Hollywood indeed had no secrets, and many messages spread like wildfire. Early that morning, nearly everyone involved in Gravity was privy to the situation surrounding the Pirates of the Caribbean script. Yet, due to potential leaks of sensitive business information, no one dared to broach the subject in front of Eric.

Thus, the atmosphere in the studio buzzed with curiosity, creating an oddly charged environment.

Eric was now aware of more details, realizing that the leak didn't come from within Firefly Group. Instead, it was just speculation from the script's owners designed to generate buzz with an obvious purpose.

Katzenberg's advice was to abandon the script entirely; otherwise, such situations would continue to crop up. Eric knew, logically, that Katzenberg's advice was sound. But while the other scripts could be set aside, this was about the Piratesof the Caribbean.

Although Eric's involvement carried many uncertainties, considering that average gross of the five films in the Pirates of the Caribbean series was over a 900 million globally was enough to make him overlook potential risks.

Since the matter had already gained widespread attention, it was unlikely to settle down quickly. Therefore, Eric decided to remain an observer for the time being.

...

In the Gravity studio, the team continued to work on the shot of the female lead, Ryan, curling up in the fetal position.

After trying various adjustments with the harness, Eric resolutely began to explore other options.

In front of the space capsule model, everyone gathered and shared their opinions. Visual effects supervisor Robert Byer spoke up. "The issue now is we need a support system that allows Judy to complete her movements without compromising the perfect zero-gravity illusion on camera."

"What if we add a fixed mechanical arm support to my waist? I'm saying, if post-production doesn't have a problem," Judy suggested, raising her hands to gesture at her waist. She caught a glimpse of Eric's waist and thought back to yesterday's antics, finding it amusing, though at least he didn't seem to be in pain today.

Noting the smirk Judy shot his way, Eric shot her a helpless glare but replied earnestly, "Post-production will be fine; we'll just erase the equipment. But your idea won't work. For this shot to be perfect, every part of your body needs to be entirely relaxed. Binding your waist won't allow your legs to bend naturally. It's not possible to be loose and graceful that way."

"You said I should completely forget about my sense of direction, right?" Judy countered. "In that case, I don't have to elevate my legs; we could dangle equipment from the ceiling to hoist me horizontally."

Eric remarked directly, "But that's exactly how you were positioned with the harness just now."

"I mean with fixed equipment. The harness feels too airy; I can't use it as leverage."

After thinking for a moment, Eric was about to test this when Robert Byer interjected, "Judy, that won't work either. To meet Eric's requirements, the fixed equipment can't be too extensive. It should only secure your waist like a belt. Supported horizontally, your body weight would rely solely on that one point, causing both sections of your body to sag, which would make the movements more difficult."

"Why don't you all consider other methods? If not, I might try something different later," Judy said, still relaxed despite her plans being rejected repeatedly. Leaning against the model, her long, smooth legs naturally crossed, her feet only clad in temporary slippers for the performance, she lightly tapped her toes against the ground.

Eric fortuitously stood across from Judy and suddenly thought, if she swapped her footwear for a pair of chunky red platform heels, donned a wide-brimmed white hat, and added a rebellious expression to her face, she would instantly transform back into the character from Taxi Driver who captivated a certain someone enough to attempt an assassination.

Of course, that wasn't the point.

The crucial part was that seeing Judy in this position sparked an idea in Eric's mind. He snapped his fingers and gestured to Judy, then turned to Robert Byer and the others, saying, "Look, I found the support point."

Everyone turned their attention, with Judy looking bewildered in her previous stance. Most others wore similarly confused expressions, and Nicole quipped, "If only the costume were appropriate; we could film a space version of Taxi Driver today."

Eric gestured for Judy to rotate to a side position. "Judy, use your right leg as support and try out the position we need."

Upon hearing this, Judy confidently planted one leg down, bent her body, and curled her arms and left leg. After attempting this, she realized it was much easier than her previous suggestion. However, after a brief demonstration, Judy felt unstable since her right leg wasn't secured, so she kicked off her slippers, climbed onto the half-height model behind her, scanned the area, and looked at Eric. "Come help me secure this."

Eric laughed as he approached and tried securing her leg with his arm, holding her lower leg tightly. "All set! Try it again."

Judy cheerfully lifted one leg and wiggled it, feeling much steadier. She glanced at the man beside her and, rather playfully, tapped her toes against Eric's side, saying, "Holding on this tight, you're not trying to take advantage of me, are you?"

"Of course, I am. With such a legitimate reason, why wouldn't I?" Eric replied with a smile. "Come on, strike your pose; I'm worried my hands might wander."

Judy immediately shot Eric a look. "You dare!"

Around them, the rest of the crew sighed dramatically, thinking, "Come on, we're all adults here."

Judy soon realized her previous words were inappropriate and, feeling embarrassed, stuck her tongue out before starting her moves, while Nicole grabbed a nearby camcorder and dashed to the opposite side.

After some time, everyone gathered near the computer to review the footage Nicole had filmed. Robert Byer said, "This method is workable, but we'll need to create a prosthetic leg for Judy. Simulated CG limbs are going to be a real challenge."

"Let's make sure it's well done. After this, we'll surely have opportunities to use this tech again," Eric noted. "For now, this is the best feasible method we've come up with. If you all think of a better way, feel free to let me know."

*****

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