Chapter 149 Guide to Little Gilbert
One movie a year, Little Gilbert doesn’t seem to know what fatigue is, nor does he know what creative bottleneck is.
As fast as Spielberg, it seems that he cannot achieve the high-intensity creation of Little Gilbert. Making a movie also requires a period of rest.
Of course, Spielberg also shot "Jurassic Park" and "Schindler's List" within one year. The quality of the movies was high and fast, and he was worthy of being a Hollywood fast shooter of the previous generation.
The reason why I am talking about the previous generation of fast shooters is because the current generation of fast shooters has become Little Gilbert.
After the film was announced as a project, the crew hired active-duty Marine Corps officers to train the actors.
Although some difficult scenes require the use of stuntmen, many action scenes require frontal shots and need to be completed by the actors themselves.
There is no such thing as AI face-changing technology these days, so the idea of letting a stuntman do it and then inserting Tom Hanks' face into it is unrealistic.
On Michael Ovitz's part, after he volunteered to take over the task of actor negotiation, he immediately started contact with Tom Hanks' agent Eno Martin.
"Michael, I heard that you are doing well at Disney. Congratulations." This was the first sentence Eno Martin said when he met Michael Ovitz.
Facing the former CAA controller, Enoch Martin did not respect him as much as before, and had a completely business-like attitude.
Michael Ovitz was still thinking about building a friendship, and recalled with Eno Martin how they started from a small office.
To be precise, Michael Ovitz, Martin Bob, Eno Martin, and two other agents who have left CAA, these five people were the original partners of CAA.
Pat Kinlisi joined later and belongs to the younger generation.
"Eno, do you remember? What our original office looked like?" Michael Ovitz asked"
“Of course I remember,” Enoch Martin also recalled: “At that time, we didn’t need a salary, so we rented a small office, and the phone and printer were borrowed.
Use $200 to buy all the office furniture from the flea market.
In order to find a way for the company, we once stood at the entrance of Warner for three hours and tap danced for the executives. "
Michael Ovitz couldn't help but feel happy when he mentioned this.
He recalled fondly: "At that time, I was really focused on my career, just to have my own place in Hollywood.
We have brought CAA to that level and created an era of Hollywood management, with many superstars and well-known directors under our control.
We were really high-spirited at that time.
But now, times are different. "
After sighing with Enoch Martin, recalling the glorious past, and connecting with each other, Michael Ovitz changed the subject.
"Ino, for so many years I have always felt that you are more capable than Martin. What you lack is just an opportunity. I am here to give you such an opportunity."
"Opportunity?" How could Enoch Martin be moved by the emotional card after being around for so many years? He knew Michael Ovitz too well.
This person is very scheming, plotting against you secretly, and smiling on the surface to make you relax your vigilance.
I heard that Michael Ovitz liked reading "The Art of War" very much, saying that he could read the principles of life and doing things from it.
When the CAA headquarters was completed, Michael Ovitz went to Chinatown and hired a Feng Shui master to take a look, but it didn't seem to be very useful.
After Sony acquired Columbia Cinemas and Panasonic acquired Universal Pictures, Michael Ovitz met Little Gilbert.
Michael Ovitz was repeatedly frustrated by this incredibly young director, and eventually resigned due to the animal rights war incident.
But who would have thought that there would be a turn of events, and Michael Ovitz would suddenly become the president of Disney, even more prosperous than before.
"Michael, the opportunity you are talking about is not to promote package services to little Gilbert, is it? Or can you poach little Gilbert from Sheena Boone." Enoch Martin began to have a distrustful attitude .
Everyone in Hollywood knows that little Gilbert hates packaging services and doesn't really like CAA or some people in CAA.
Michael Ovitz was eventually fired because he wanted to forcefully promote package services to Little Gilbert.
Tom Hanks also warned Eno Martin before that he must not have other unnecessary ideas that would affect the cooperation between him and Gilbert Jr.
Michael Ovitz shook his head and said: "No, no, no, I am representing Director Gilbert Jr., and of course it is based on his ideas.
The opportunity I'm talking about is in Little Gilbert's new project.
I’ve read the script, and you must have read it too. The quality is quite high.
With Gilbert Jr.'s level, such a movie will definitely be full of attractions, and it will not be a problem to achieve great sales in the summer. "
"Whatever you want to say, just say it." Enoch Martin said.
"If you want to make a good movie, you need to have enough of yourself. The total budget of the movie is 80 million US dollars..." Michael Ovitz didn't say anything else, but Eno Martin already understood what he meant.
It's nothing more than wanting Tom Hanks to reduce his salary, but Eno Martin represents his client, how could he be brainwashed by Michael Ovitz into reducing his salary?
Michael Ovitz doesn’t have the halo of intelligence, and Eno Martin doesn’t do that either.
"Michael, a salary of 20 million US dollars, plus a 20% share of the global box office." Eno Martin said directly.
Michael Ovitz directly refused: "Eno, this is impossible, eight million US dollars, plus 10% of the North American net box office."
"Hey! Michael," Enoch Martin was a little dissatisfied: "Do you know Tom Hanks's achievements in recent years? The two-time Oscar winner has also proven his commercial value. Your offer is an insult."
"But your offer is unrealistic. Even if Tom Cruise and Arnold Schwarzenegger are combined, they will not get a share of the global box office." Michael Ovitz said.
"Then let's take a step back," Enoch Martin said very confidently: "The salary of 20 million U.S. dollars, plus a 20% share of the total North American box office, is already a big concession."
"Ten million U.S. dollars in salary, plus 10% of the total North American box office..."
The two sides began to gradually test the bottom line. In fact, it stands to reason that negotiating with actors' agents should not be done by Michael Ovitz.
The crew has a full-time producer, and to put it mildly, Michael Ovitz is said to have exceeded his authority.
But there are two reasons why Michael Ovitz still does this.
The first one is to send a signal to little Gilbert. You see, when I was at CAA, some unpleasant things happened to everyone, but that just shows that I am a very professional person.
Now that we are in the same company, I absolutely support you, and please don’t be hostile. We all have a happy cooperation.
The focus of the power struggle between Michael Ovitz and Michael Eisner is little Gilbert.
If he can get the support of Gilbert Jr., he has a great chance of retaining the chairmanship of Disney.
Unknowingly, little Gilbert can even become a big figure influencing the president of the film company.
This is also caused by special circumstances. The signature of Disney's live-action film business is Little Gilbert. If Michael Ovitz can make Gilbert Jr. completely belong to Disney, then the board of directors will definitely support Michael Ovitz. But this is very difficult for Michael Ovitz to do.
The second point is the reason for taking credit.
After all, I boasted that I was in charge of the "Saving Private Ryan" project, but ended up being the mascot on the set. How could I prove my contribution to the board of directors?
So Michael Ovitz had to do something to prove that he really contributed to this movie project.
But it is a pity that after Michael Ovitz quit CAA, his influence on CAA was no longer what it used to be. Enoch Martin didn't buy it at all, and he had a completely business-like attitude.
The tug-of-war between the two sides came to no result, and Michael Ovitz used the last resort: "Eno, don't forget, there are many people who want to star in Gilbert Jr.'s new work.
If you don't give in, Director Gilbert Jr. will have to change actors. "
Eno Martin seemed confident: "Don't forget, Little Gilbert personally invited Tom Hanks by name. If you ruin his choice, what do you think he will think?"
For such a strong first-line director as Gilbert Jr., the producer only has an assisting position and cannot interfere with Gilbert's control over the crew at all, let alone Michael Ovitz as the mascot.
Ino Martin said this, also hoping to cause Michael Ovitz to worry.
If Little Gilbert knew that he had messed up his collaboration with Tom Hanks, with Little Gilbert's temper, he probably wouldn't give Michael Ovitz a good look.
But who knew that Michael Ovitz was not afraid at all. He gave an example: "Gilbert Jr. once invited Stallone to star in "Iron Fist", but due to CAA's excessive requirements, he directly replaced him with Bruce Willis.
To this day, Stallone still regrets why he listened to his agent and turned down the film.
Let's look at "The Island" again. Sean Connery originally had an unparalleled advantage, but he wanted to bring money to join the team, but was rejected again.
I heard that he broke his leg and is living in a wheelchair.
On the other hand, Roger Moore ushered in a wave of career development and successfully became famous again.
My yesterday is your tomorrow. No one in Hollywood is irreplaceable. But little Gilbert’s film projects don’t come up every day. "
Ino Martin was startled, it seemed that this was indeed the case! .
Little Gilbert's actions are unpredictable. Who knows whether he will be dissatisfied with Michael Ovitz and at the same time replace Tom Hanks.
Little Gilbert would never compromise with actors who did not suit his temperament or actors who made excessive demands.
Tom Cruise eagerly waited to collaborate with Little Gilbert, and he felt resentful while waiting.
If Tom Hanks is replaced because of Eno Martin, then Tom Hanks will never give up.
There has always been a rumor in Hollywood that agents control everything about star actors. Those powerful agents can even make A-list stars obey orders.
This kind of rumor is false at first glance and cannot be true at all.
To put it simply, the top level of Hollywood’s ecological chain is undoubtedly the Hollywood giants who are backed by large media groups.
For the giants, the most noteworthy resources in Hollywood are undoubtedly the star actors and great directors.
To put it bluntly, an agent is a kind of person who is attached to the existence of star directors, and is the bridge between star directors and film companies.
If agents are important, doesn't it mean that film companies should give up on star directors and choose a bridge?
The bridge itself is just a medium. The important thing is that through the bridge, you can reach the other side and access these scarce resources in Hollywood.
Even if there is no bridge, the film company can row over, and the star directors can also row over, it's just a little more troublesome.
Therefore, the rumor that agents can control first-tier stars or first-tier directors is simply a joke and cannot be taken seriously.
Of course, for those fledgling actors and small directors, these agents are still very powerful.
After all, before you become famous, you need an agent to go to the film company to get you a chance.
Based on this, for Tom Hanks, Eno Martin is just a server. If he is not satisfied, he can always change it.
Therefore, Eno Martin can't make the decision at all and needs to discuss with Tom Hanks and know Tom Hanks' bottom line.
The negotiation broke up unhappily. Eno Martin soon met Tom Hanks and told Tom Hanks about Michael Ovitz's difficulties.
"It now appears that Michael Ovitz will suggest that Gilbert Jr. be replaced in the lead role if some concessions are not made.
Little Gilbert is also difficult to persist, which is good for the crew after all. ” said Enoch Martin.
Tom Hanks shook his head speechlessly: "After all these years, Michael Ovitz still has this strong style, and it hasn't changed at Disney."
After thinking about it, Tom Hanks added: "Ten million US dollars and 15% of the North American box office share. This is the bottom line and cannot be compromised."
"I understand," Ino Martin suggested again: "Why don't you call little Gilbert and hear his thoughts?"
Tom Hanks was moved for a while, but after thinking about it, he decided to forget it.
"It's not suitable. I can't discuss it directly with the director. If we can't reach an agreement, it will be difficult to cooperate in the future." Tom Hanks said.
Enoch Martin expressed his understanding and soon started negotiations with Michael Ovitz. The two sides almost had a tug-of-war based on percentages. Finally, under the urging of Gilbert Jr., they quickly reached a contract.
The basic salary of US$10 million, plus a 15% box office share of the total North American box office, has reached Tom Hanks's bottom line and cannot be lowered.
To be honest, this price is a bit low for Tom Hanks, mainly because the 5% box office share is gone. Tom Hanks is completely worth the price.
But Tom Hanks really liked the script, and with Gilbert's name in mind, he thought he could make up for it elsewhere in the future, so he asked his agent to agree.
Unconsciously, little Gilbert seemed to have the aura of being able to make stars lower their pay.
And Michael Ovitz is quite proud, because he negotiated the contract, so he naturally has a share of the credit.
Judging from how little Gilbert looked like, he was very satisfied with the contract negotiations. After Tom Hanks signed his name, he rarely had a good word to say.
"Mr. Ovitz, you did a good job..."
Michael Ovitz looked eager, as if he was the most trustworthy person for little Gilbert: "Little Gilbert, just concentrate on filming, and you can leave everything else to me."
He said this very grandly, but he didn't notice the slight frown on little Gilbert's face and the unfriendly eyes of Warner Pictures producer Charles Rowan.
Tom Hanks' contract can only be regarded as a small episode. Although after some twists and turns, Tom Hanks finally got what he wanted and cooperated with Gilbert Jr.
Except for the two actors Tom Hanks and Leonardo DiCaprio, as well as the guest-starring Gilbert Sr., and Christopher Lee, the other actors were basically selected through auditions.
(End of chapter)