Chapter 331: A New Scheme?
[Chapter 331: A New Scheme?]
"Cut!"
On the set at Cancun Beach in Mexico, Link stood behind the monitor, furrowing his brow as he reviewed the footage just shot. He removed his headphones and waved over to Sandra Bullock and Matt Damon, signaling them to come over.
...
"Link, is there a problem?" Sandra Bullock asked, stepping away from the filming area.
She wore a simple white tank top paired with denim shorts and sandals. The sea breeze tousled her long, loose hair, giving her a casual yet sexy vibe.
"Sandra, Angela is a bit of a computer geek. She hasn't had much contact with the outside world, so when she finds herself in a new environment, she'll be very curious and ask a lot of questions. But she'll also be cautious and insecure. You need to keep that in mind while acting. Don't portray the character too perfectly," Link stated seriously.
Although Sandra was his girlfriend and they were open with each other, on set they were colleagues. Link spoke his mind when it came to directing her, ensuring that personal feelings wouldn't interfere with the filmmaking process.
Sandra tilted her head slightly, thinking it over. "I get it. It's my fault for not diving deep enough into Angela's character. Maybe I should talk to someone similar to her for better insight."
"You don't need to do that," Link reassured her. "I designed Angela's character with some aspects of your personality in mind -- like being genuine, straightforward, and not overly dramatic. Just pay attention to a few details, and it won't be difficult for you to nail this role."
Sandra blinked and smiled slightly, "So, I'm that type of woman in your mind? Well, that sounds nice."
"Go get ready, and if you have questions later tonight, feel free to ask me."
"Okay!"
She tiptoed and planted a quick kiss on his cheek before heading over to the nearby umbrella, stretching out her long legs, flipping through the script in detail as she tried to get into character.
...
Link's gaze shifted to Matt Damon, who stood nearby.
Matt wore a black t-shirt and casual pants, tall and with a hint of eagerness on his face.
"Matt, you're doing well, but the character still needs to be more fleshed out. There's a lot of room for improvement. Make it a point to discuss things with Mr. Matthews; you'll learn a lot from him. I believe you can do better," Link advised.
Matt nodded in understanding.
...
After offering guidance to the two actors, Link waved his hand to the crew members, calling out, "All departments, keep preparing the set! We'll start filming the extras' scenes first!"
The set quickly buzzed with activity. The lighting crew adjusted the reflectors, the props team rearranged the scenery, and the cinematographer checked the equipment.
The atmosphere was busy yet organized, with everyone focused on prepping for the upcoming shoot. This exemplified Link's commanding presence as a director.
Standing behind the monitor, Link scanned every corner of the set, ensuring everyone was ready before he gestured to the stage manager.
Click!
The stage manager clapped the slate in front of the camera.
The crew of The Net operated like a finely-tuned machine, smoothly running under Link's deft direction.
...
A thousand miles away lay Hollywood, the entertainment capital of North America, where the competition for the summer blockbuster season remained fierce.
The Butterfly Effect, now in its fourth week, raked in $18.12 million, accumulating a total of $99.93 million and ranking third at the box office.
The number one movie was Universal Pictures' fantasy flick, Casper, directed by Brad Silberling and produced by Spielberg, featuring a weekend opening of $25.51 million.
In second place was Die Hard with a Vengeance, pulling in $20.71 million and a cumulative total of $53.63 million.
Fourth place went to Apollo 13 with $11.40 million, while fifth place was Braveheart, garnering $9.15 million.
In sixth was To Die For, with $6.52 million and a cumulative total of $15.91 million, expected to reach $40 million.
While many dubbed 1994 the golden year for films, the summer of 1995 ushered in a rich selection of movies, including Apollo 13, The Butterfly Effect, Braveheart, and others like The Bridges of Madison County, The Shawshank Redemption, Pocahontas, and Waterworld, showcasing exceptional storytelling.
With so many quality films competing, the summer box office faced increasing intensity as it progressed.
During the initial weeks of summer, the major studios still had the bandwidth to collaborate against The Butterfly Effect. However, by June, the competition heated up as the studios fought fiercely for ticket sales. The aggressive marketing campaigns for Guess and the other major studios eclipsed the releases from independent filmmakers.
Films like New Line Cinema's My Family and Friday, Miramax's Picture Bride, Gordy, The Englishman Who Went up a Hill but Came down a Mountain, and Samuel Goldwyn's The Perez Family, failing to cross the $10 million mark, with some barely scraping together a few tens of thousands. After weeks in limited screenings, many were abruptly pulled from theaters.
...
Total Film reported that "the summer box office was dominated by the major studios, significantly impacting the independent films released, leading to a dire outlook for more than five medium-sized indie companies post-summer, with dozens of smaller companies facing impending closure."
...
As a result, Samuel Goldwyn Jr. blasted the seven major studios and Guess Pictures on a CNN program, claiming their monopolistic approach mirrored tactics from half a century ago. If measures weren't taken to intervene, he warned that Hollywood could soon be reduced to just eight major companies, with independent filmmakers disappearing alongside their unique films, jeopardizing the diversity of cinema.
...
Following this broadcast, Samuel Goldwyn Jr.'s comments received support from many independent filmmakers, including Quentin Tarantino, Robert Redford, the Coen brothers, Harvey Weinstein, Rob Reiner, and other notable figures, who publicly voiced their support for indie films and against industry monopolization.
These high-profile endorsements turned the situation into a larger issue.
With poor media influence, mainstream publications soon began to churn out negative articles targeting Link.
...
On June 11, The Los Angeles Times published an article featuring an interview with former Castle Rock president Rob Reiner.
The article claimed that the fierce competition during the summer box office stemmed primarily from Link and Guess Pictures.
Link, initially an indie filmmaker who had garnered support from independent film enthusiasts, had risen to become an influential Hollywood director. Yet now that he held such power, he was accused of not reciprocating the help he received and actively sabotaging the paths of other indie filmmakers.
Once a hero, he had transformed into a villain.
...
The New York Post, Chicago Tribune, and Washington News also regurgitated the article.
Filmmakers like Andrew Reiner and Sean Soph began openly criticizing Link, arguing that he had once relied on the support of many indie filmmakers to rise through the ranks.
As a prominent figure in the industry with access to vast power and resources, he should have played a proactive role in uplifting indie films rather than solely chasing box office success, as those who make movies solely for profit stuck to the fringes of real artistry.
Producer Andrew Reiner urged fans to boycott Link's films to show him that he was nothing without their support.
...
Reactive to these negative reports, The Butterfly Effect saw a slight drop in box office revenue, falling from over $2 million a day to just above $1 million.
"Haha, Harvey, your idea was brilliant! If we'd used this tactic sooner, The Butterfly Effect would have made several million less at the box office," Michael Ovitz excitedly patted the back of Harvey, the mastermind behind the scheme.
Harvey flashed a weak smile, acknowledging that it was indeed his idea for the indie filmmakers to publicly rebuke Link.
Originally, he had hoped to deploy this strategy after The Butterfly Effect's run to undermine the films from Guess Pictures.
However, Michael disregarded his caution and impatiently rushed to implement it.
Now, with The Butterfly Effect's box office decline, Miramax would also take a hit.
However, knowing Guess Pictures would suffer even more lightened Harvey's mood considerably.
"Michael, don't underestimate this. While the negative news isn't too aggressive, it'll still impact Link. Once Guess starts their PR work in a bit, The Butterfly Effect's box office should bounce back quickly," Harvey advised.
"I know; as long as this issue gets under Link's skin and bothers him, that's all I care about," Michael said with a smirk.
Harvey studied his expression, a look of confusion crossing his face. "Michael, CAA and the major studios teamed up and hold significant resources. Isn't there a better way to tackle Link?"
Michael, registering Harvey's expression, felt challenged. After a pause, he shrugged.
"There isn't! Link does an amazing job making movies; nearly all of them are huge hits. He's a billionaire with substantial resources and a talented team that manages his company. Plus, he often travels with bodyguards, so finding someone to mess him up isn't easy."
Harvey frowned, feeling disappointed.
He had heard stories claiming that Michael Ovitz was extremely powerful, but after a few encounters, he realized it wasn't the case.
This guy controlled the giant CAA and had the major studios backing him, yet couldn't seem to overcome the solo threat of Link. Now, he was resorting to petty tricks to combat him.
That was a display of incompetence.
Had it been Harvey as CAA president with all those resources, a simple flick of his finger could have brought Link's reputation crashing down.
Michael noticed Harvey's disappointment. Not wanting to appear diminished, he took a puff from his cigar and said, "Of course, we have other methods to deal with Link, and those would be successful, but they aren't easy to implement. They'll yield results next year, and you'll see just how brilliant my plan is."
He referred to The Rock, a project that Guess Pictures had already greenlit, pending a hefty budget of over $70 million.
Once this movie flopped at the box office, everyone would understand the cleverness of his plan.
Harvey was skeptically inclined toward Michael's claims.
Yet, out of respect for him, he refrained from questioning his assertions right then and there.
Shifting the topic, Harvey proposed discussing his project at CAA, titled Beautiful Girls, suggesting collaboration with Cameron Diaz, although the response was her unavailability due to being too busy.
Harvey hoped Michael could help rework that situation.
"Cameron Diaz? Why her? CAA has so many actors; you can always choose someone else," Michael Ovitz remarked, recalling Link's prior jibe and thanking him for sending an alluring actress his way, as well as Cameron Diaz's confession about her infatuation with Link -- she preferred staying with him even at the risk of being blacklisted by CAA.
In anger, Michael had ordered her to be blacklisted from taking roles.
"What's wrong with Cameron?" he asked.
"She's Link's girl. This bitch jumped into bed with him and had the gall to disregard my words, so I had her blacklisted."
"The rumors are true? She's Link's girl?"
Harvey furrowed his brow. While he attempted to avoid conflicts with Link by not using his girlfriends for roles, he had finally found a stunning actress only to learn she was another of Link's conquests.
Hollywood seemed exhausted of attractive women by this stage.
Harvey scratched at the waistband of his pants, feeling increased hostility toward Link.
"Forget about that for now. Continue finding people from the indie film world to speak out against Link cutting off opportunities for others. This time, even if we can't tarnish Link's box office returns, we need to make sure his reputation takes a hit."
Michael gave Harvey a reassuring pat on the shoulder.
Harvey silently nodded in agreement.
*****
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