From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Clearly, Forest Shadow Pictures has no interest in becoming the "second DreamWorks"—

If this conversation were overheard by others in Hollywood, it would likely be met with ridicule.

After all, in 2004, DreamWorks truly stood at the pinnacle of Hollywood, serving as the benchmark for independent film companies.

After a decade of accumulation and growth, and following the enormous success of "Shrek," DreamWorks underwent a transformation, officially joining the ranks of top film companies led by Warner Bros. and Disney. Now, when people talk about the pinnacle of Hollywood, they often mention the "Big Seven" film companies, which includes DreamWorks.

For any film company or new player in Hollywood, DreamWorks is their ultimate goal: not relying on Wall Street capital, not relying on stock listings, but remaining a private company from beginning to end, relying entirely on the passion of its three core creators to pursue their dreams, yet breaking through capital barriers to reach the industry's summit.

This is, without a doubt, a dream.

And Forest Shadow Pictures actually doesn't want to become the "second DreamWorks"?

Heh.

Of course, truly insightful industry professionals can see that, facing capital, DreamWorks, after a decade of rapid development, ultimately faces the predicament of tight cash flow. Dreams frequently encounter setbacks under the heavy pressure of reality, and in the end, it inevitably heads down the path of disintegration.

Although not now, the end of DreamWorks being split and swallowed by Wall Street is not too far away.

Ansen understands this because of his memories from his previous life; Lucas understands this because of his expertise.

Therefore, Lucas refuses to become the second DreamWorks.

Later, when analyzing the reasons behind DreamWorks' success and failure, professionals had differing opinions, because it's not a simple issue. The reasons behind it are very complex, but without a doubt, capital is a core reason that cannot be bypassed.

On one hand, DreamWorks lacks sufficient distribution capabilities. Although they have their own distribution channels in North America, they often need to cooperate. Paramount has been the company they've cooperated with the most over the past decade, which means they need to share some of their profits.

On the other hand, DreamWorks' philosophy is to allow directors to complete filming according to their own style, based on their vision, breaking free from the constraints of excessive producer intervention in Hollywood's major film companies, "bravely pursuing dreams." This is also the origin of the DreamWorks brand name—

The advantage is that DreamWorks has indeed become a paradise for directors, allowing them to unleash their imagination and break free from constraints, which is how unconventional and subversive works like "Shrek" were born.

The disadvantage is that they believe in dreams too much, to the point of neglecting reality. Although DreamWorks has launched countless classic masterpieces, there are even more flops that cause losses, ultimately leading to them not being able to make ends meet. The revenue from successful works is not enough to cover the expenses of failed works, causing DreamWorks' cash flow to have problems.

And DreamWorks' refusal to accept Wall Street's control has led to the funding gap they face becoming larger and larger, eventually losing control.

In essence, whether it's DreamWorks or other large film companies at the top of Hollywood's pyramid, how to find a balance between art and the market and continuously achieve profitability is an eternal topic.

In other words, if DreamWorks could produce more successful works, the company wouldn't have ended up in the dead end of being split and declining; at the same time, if DreamWorks could create more excellent works, then the space for allowing directors to experiment with independent, artistic, and even failed works would be broader, and more excellent filmmakers and works might be born in the future.

Everyone understands the principle.

However, the problem is, who can guarantee that all works will be successful?

No one.

Precisely because of this, major film companies tirelessly seek out brilliant and wise helmsmen to make more correct decisions with foresight; at the same time, excellent producers, directors, and top superstars have also become objects that film companies flock to, eager to use their influence to ensure success.

The matter is that simple.

Forest Shadow Pictures is the same.

If Forest Shadow Pictures wants to become the second DreamWorks, standing at the top of Hollywood's pyramid; or rather, if Forest Shadow Pictures doesn't want to become the second DreamWorks, and they hope to go a step further on the foundation of DreamWorks, truly becoming a top player in Hollywood, then ensuring the success rate of their works is key.

It's simple to say, but full of challenges to execute.

It is precisely because of this that Ansen's role immediately stands out. He is equivalent to Steven Spielberg's position in DreamWorks' film department—

The helmsman.

At DreamWorks, Steven's vision and judgment determined the development direction of the film department; while at Forest Shadow Pictures, Ansen is the quality guarantee for the company's released works.

Regarding this, Ansen also has his own ideas.

"We can't just revolve our work around me, just like DreamWorks can't just revolve its project work around Steven Spielberg."

"Besides me, Forest Shadow Pictures still needs to film other projects. I can serve as a producer but not act, so I won't be overwhelmed, and the company's operation and development won't be tied to me alone."

"As you said before, the greater the company's influence, the greater my influence, the more our say in Hollywood can be fundamentally improved, and finally become a high-level player, instead of a pawn to be manipulated."

"Of course, the key is, we can't just casually pick projects. The success of one work can be completely offset by the failure of three works. We need to ensure that every move Forest Shadow Pictures makes can achieve success, just the difference between big success and small success."

"After three or five consecutive successful works, not only will Forest Shadow Pictures' fault tolerance rate increase, but also Forest Shadow Pictures' appeal and status in the industry will be different."

"So, to some extent, the work of selecting projects for the company is as important as the work of selecting projects for me."

A hint of a smile flashed in Lucas's eyes, but it quickly disappeared, "Producer? As you said, this is also work. Mom said you need to rest."

Ansen's smile froze on the corner of his mouth and immediately collapsed.

Lucas pursed his lips slightly. This time, he didn't continue joking and pushed the thick stack of projects in front of him towards Ansen.

Even if Ansen didn't say anything, Ansen would still need to look at this matter in the end.

Lucas is proficient in everything about movies except for the most important thing. Without Ansen's nod, he wouldn't know how to proceed with the subsequent matters.

"Some of these projects were sent over by Edgar, and Noah compiled them into a book. I'm just reading them in advance now."

"Some of them I've collected in the name of Forest Shadow Pictures, looking for more possibilities for cooperation."