Chatty Hollywood

"The Pirates franchise would have been a good commercial franchise without Charlotte Booth."

“But it’s Charlotte Booth’s involvement that makes this strange pirate story so classic and outstanding.”

"-A great director who made an otherwise typical commercial film series no longer typical."

In the Chicago Tribune, Roger Ebert once again reviewed Charlotte's film.

In a sense, his views are consistent with those of Robert Egger and others.

——That is, without Charlotte Booth, the "Pirates" series will drop down a level as a whole.

"Looking carefully at the entire "Pirates" series, we will find that this commercial series is full of countless non-commercial elements——"

"Multiple lines of narrative, color matching, and unconventional use of film language are hidden under the grand special effects scenes of the "Pirates" series. They are exactly these techniques that ordinary businesses often do not like to use."

"Why are these techniques not common in business? Many producers actually have the same view - because these techniques can easily cause movies to fail at the box office."

"Simply put, they require the audience to spend more time and energy to understand and think."

"-They don't make money!"

Roger Ebert commented in a rather aria-like tone,

"In my decades as a film critic, I have tried to convince Hollywood producers that this view is wrong."

"However, the fact is that after so many years, I have almost been convinced——"

"The difference between commercial and art films since the Star Wars era,

It becomes more and more obvious. "

"——Many techniques that are very subtle in art films will always look extremely clumsy when used in business. Even great directors with very deep artistic accomplishments are still powerless to solve these problems."

"So, gradually, I began to think that commercial and artistic films, even ordinary story films, are completely different and need to follow different rules."

"Not until my Charlotte Booth movies, especially the Pirates series."

"He proved to me that many film techniques are not impossible to use in business, and -"

"It's not that big commercial productions can't tell a complex story well."

"The key is that as a film creator, you must tell it with your heart——"

"Of course, the various narrative techniques used by Charlotte Booth in the "Pirates" series also made me realize that in large-scale commercial productions, many film languages ​​​​and narrative techniques are different, especially how to organically Combining special effects technology with narrative will be a problem that commercial film directors must face."

"Fortunately, Director Charlotte has set a good example for them!"

After reading this rare long speech by Roger Ebert, Charlize looked at her husband with her emerald green eyes,

"It seems that Thumb Man thinks highly of you!"

"This is normal."

Charlotte leaned slumped on the sofa and said disapprovingly,

"It's just the butt that determines the head."

"How to say?"

"Although they can essentially be said to be scavengers and parasites in the film industry, film critics have always hoped that their comments can guide the development of the film industry from a high position."

"That's true. Film critics often give people a feeling of being superior."

Thinking of the criticisms she had encountered from some film critics before, Charlize couldn't help but nodded.

"However, at least in the field of literary and artistic films, their influence is indeed not small."

"To a greater extent, it's just because the age and experience of most film critics today are very close to the audience for artistic films."

Charlotte waved her hand,

"Old, slow-paced, and think I have a thorough understanding of the world."

"The last description is a bit vicious!"

Charlize smiled and glanced sideways at Charlotte, but Charlotte didn't take it seriously.

"That's the way it is - who can really see through the world? Even if there is, it's definitely not in Hollywood."

"That's true."

"Of course, but this will not affect people shouting slogans - such people can be defenders, congressmen, or film critics."

""

"Anyway, a lot of the time, that's what happens."

Charlotte shrugged.

"Critics want the film industry to develop in their vision, just like the U.S. government wants everyone to believe in the American Dream."

"The problem is that even though it's not that way, we can't deny it - just like we know that the odds of success in the American Dream are about the same as winning the lottery, but we still have to make movies to promote it."

"Because that's true to a certain extent!"

Charlize pointed out the problem sharply, and Charlotte nodded.

"Yes, that's right!"

"As for this thing, it must be combined with corresponding and effective means in many cases, so that it will not be empty talk, but it is difficult for people to deny it."

"Because it's a legitimate argument!"

Charlize smiled and said,

"Legacy is something that is difficult to refute. However, if there is no evidence of real-life examples for a long time, the faces of those who hold the truth will always be on fire."

"That's why Roger Ebert admires the "Pirates" series that I transformed so much!"

Charlotte finally brought the subject back to the topic that had gone so far away.

"Hollywood's commercial films, in particular, have gone against what critics expect for a long time, and now that "Pirates" is an example that can support their point of view, they naturally have to hype it up and quote it - although I made "Pirates" "Pirates" was not intentional."

"Isn't it?"

Charlize was stunned for a moment;

"I thought before that you wanted to pursue better artistic achievements after reaching great success in the business field?"

"Sally, based on your understanding, am I that artistic?"

"No, you prefer technology."

Charlize answered immediately, but the charming sideways look that accompanied her answer made Charlotte feel that there was something in her words.

"In short, I will use many techniques in the "Pirates" series that are not commonly used in regular business. Most of them are actually forced by the plot."

"Although it is not too complicated, compared with ordinary commercial movies, the "Pirates" series, especially 2 and 3, does not have a very typical story structure. In this case, how to tell the story well becomes a It’s crucial.”

"So you used a lot of new techniques to strengthen the narrative of the movie?"

"Yes."

Charlotte nodded,

"Of course, compared to ordinary film directors, I have a special advantage - magic."

“Can spells also help you explore lens language and film narrative?”

Charlize was a little puzzled by her husband's statement, and the latter explained with a smile,

"Don't forget, although I still dare not go deep into the abyss of true meaning, I have made great progress in exploring dreams in the past year -"

"What does this have to do with dreams?"

Charlize still didn’t quite understand, so Charlotte had to shake her head and said,

"To put it simply, I can find a group of typical audiences as test samples and let them watch various test versions of "Pirates 3" that I edited over and over again in their dreams."

"What!?"

Charlotte's statement stunned Charlize.

The South African girl, who had seen her husband's miraculous abilities many times, had no doubts. On the contrary, she, who has a deep understanding of the film industry, immediately realized the value of Charlotte's new ability.

"The reason why the film industry is a high-risk industry is essentially because the cost of trial and error is too high——"

"A typical commercial film generally takes about two years from initiation to release, and requires a large amount of capital and manpower - this is even more troublesome than building a skyscraper."

"In this case, the success or failure of a movie may affect the life or death of a company, and it will also affect the careers of all movie participants."

Having said this, Charlize looked at Charlotte;

"That's why Hollywood's commercial productions are so samey and conservative, and directors like you who have successfully proven themselves many times are so popular."

"Yes."

Charlotte nodded,

"Because of this high cost of trial and error, the flash of inspiration from a talented director is very important, and those routines that have been proven effective by the market are even more important. However -"

Charlotte pointed to her nose,

"For me, who can "organize" movie previews in people's dreams and make repeated revisions in advance based on the results, that's not the case."

"In this way, you actually know the audience's feedback on the movie in advance, and then you can make targeted modifications in advance, right?"

Charlize expressed his understanding,

"Actually, you have been on this path since a long time ago when you obtained the human skin book, which can automatically generate simple movie animations based on the script. Now you can find an audience in advance for a test screening in your dream. It’s just a matter of course.”

"Yes."

Charlotte smiled a little shyly;

"For me, good movies are really made from adaptations - Sally, I'm sorry to disappoint you because I'm not a really talented director."

"How could that happen, fool!"

Charlize stretched out her slender fingers and gently pinched Charlotte's face.

"What I like is not a genius, but a liar who dare not drink. Besides, no matter what method is used, the "Pirates" series was shot by you after all, isn't it? In comparison, I would rather Do you know, how many preview screenings did you hold in your dream before you revised "Pirates 3" to the point it is now?"

"168 games."

"so much!?"

Charlize was taken aback;

"No wonder the narrative and camera language of "Pirates 3" are so mature, and there are almost no flaws - it turns out that you secretly tried and modified it so many times!"

"That's why I say that good movies are made through modifications!"

Charlotte shrugged.

"Only you can say that."

Charlize complained a little feebly, and then she thought of a key question——

"If you bring many viewers into the dream world and organize movie previews, won't they remember the content of the movie after they wake up?"

"of course not."

Charlotte smiled and said,

"This is the same as most people who wake up from a dream and will not remember the content of the dream. What's more, I will also clear the audience's dream memories after the dream preview - this ability, I have I already had it when I created the "Lord God Space"."

"That's true."

Charlize breathed a sigh of relief;

"So, the movies you make in the future will be revised and refined through dreams like this?"

"That's not true."

Charlotte shook her head;

"I will only do this for movies that are particularly interesting and make me feel special - as for ordinary movies such as "Blackjack" or "Now You See Me", I will only revise them a few times. ”

"What about this Gravity movie?"

Charlize asked.

"Of course it's carefully crafted!"

Charlotte said without hesitation.

——He is still very alert and has a strong desire to survive.

"Sally, "Gravity" is not only a full 3D movie, but also a movie I specially prepared for you. How could it be so meticulously crafted?"

"Who knows whether what you, a liar, said is true or false?"

Charlize rolled her eyes at Charlotte, but her happy and angry expression betrayed the girl's inner thoughts.

During this time, Charlotte has completely completed the post-production of "Now You See Me" and "Blackjack" and has begun the preparatory work for "Gravity" with Charlize and the newly formed crew members. ——

"With the help of NASA, we are fully prepared in terms of the scientific setting of the story and the space station decoration."

Alexis, as the leader of the technical special effects department, reported to Charlotte,

"Whether it's using real-life models or computer special effects, our special effects department can handle it. However, how to embody the feeling of weightlessness in space, I haven't yet developed a solution that is more in line with your expectations."

"The problem of weightlessness"

Miss Valkyrie's report did not exceed Charlotte's expectations. In fact, even Charlize, the heroine, is very aware that showing the effect of weightlessness is a long-standing problem when shooting space movies——

“In previous movies about space, the easiest way to capture weightlessness was to shoot underwater.”

Alexis continued to explain,

"After all, with the buoyancy and resistance of water, if the underwater scenes are well processed, it does feel a bit weightless in space. But first of all, underwater shooting cannot truly express the expressions of the actors - the expressions of holding their breath and trying to open their eyes are obviously It’s completely different from performing in a space environment.”

"Secondly, the complex reflection and refraction effects of light and shadow underwater also make it impossible to simulate space operations underwater while wearing a spacesuit."

Having said this, Alexis spread her hands,

"And according to the script, this is exactly what we need for filming here."