From Flower Vase to Film Emperor in Hollywood

Despite Edgar having his own thoughts and plans, in the blink of an eye, he made a judgment and a choice—

Anyway, the five script projects were all the same. Since he had decided to bring them before Ansen, it meant that he could accept any choice.

"So, we should go all out to fight for it?"

Ansen keenly caught that verb, "Fight for? I thought these scripts were all invitations, and the producers or screenwriters hoped I would join?"

Sure enough, Ansen was as witty and sharp as ever.

Edgar gently exhaled, "Yes, and no. It's similar to the situation with 'Ocean's Eleven'; the producers' attitudes are slightly different."

Ansen slightly raised his chin, revealing a thoughtful expression, but he didn't interrupt Edgar. He remained patient, quietly waiting for Edgar to continue.

The matter wasn't complicated—

Although Charlie Kaufman's screenwriting works had consistently performed mediocrely at the box office, this genius screenwriter had an excellent reputation in the industry. In addition, 'Adaptation' was gaining momentum during this year's award season. Not only was it a contender for Best Original Screenplay, but it was also competitive for other awards such as Best Actor and Best Supporting Actor, further spreading Charlie Kaufman's fame.

The script for 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' was actually not yet completed. Charlie was still in the creative process, but industry colleagues had already begun discussing it. The news spread like wildfire, arousing much interest through word of mouth.

After some negotiation and competition, Focus Features stood out from the competition, defeating Sony Pictures Classics, the production company of 'Adaptation,' to obtain the production rights. They would be responsible for investment, production, and distribution.

Focus Features, formerly known as Good Machine, started by producing and distributing Ang Lee's directorial debut, 'Pushing Hands.' It has been cultivating in Hollywood for a full decade, making a name for itself by producing and distributing films, with a series of impressive performances. This year, it was acquired by Universal Pictures, evolving into its current form and becoming Universal Pictures' professional brand for opening up the independent film market.

Its predecessor had already established a foothold in Hollywood with a good reputation in the industry. After being acquired by Universal Pictures, it is currently in the early stages of exploration. No one knows whether this brand-new company can continue its previous success.

Judging from Focus Features' actions, it is still full of uncertainty.

Not long ago, Focus Features invested in Francis Ford Coppola's daughter, Sofia Coppola, to shoot 'Lost in Translation' in Japan. This investment caused controversy in Hollywood, with some agreeing and some disagreeing, but no one understood their investment strategy.

Now, Focus Features has also impressed Charlie Kaufman, joining hands to produce 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.' This is another very risky step.

From a purely screenwriter's point of view, Charlie Kaufman is indeed worthy of trust, even if the script has not been completed, it is worth taking a chance.

But the focus is not here.

Rumor has it that Charlie Kaufman stated that this work would require a large number of computer special effects, so he requested a production cost of at least twenty million US dollars.

It was this request that made Sony Pictures Classics hesitate.

'Adaptation,' a project invested and produced by Sony Pictures Classics, although it did not use computer special effects, the film starred Nicolas Cage and Meryl Streep as the main characters, and the final production cost was still as high as twenty million US dollars.

However.

As of now, 'Adaptation' has only grossed a mere $4.5 million at the North American box office, which is obviously not a satisfactory figure.

Even if 'Adaptation' is an award season work, aiming for the Oscars, box office numbers are not that important; but film companies also need to seek balance. While pursuing the award season, they are still pursuing profits.

If 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind' once again requires a production cost of twenty million US dollars, will they need to face the current predicament?

Sony Pictures Classics hesitated.

And Focus Features simply agreed.

Thus, Focus Features won Charlie Kaufman.

However, there is a question here—

Is Focus Features stupid and rich, or just generous?

Twenty million US dollars is not much, but it is not a small amount either. For an independent art film, it is not a small number; especially in the case of weak box office performance, this investment is equivalent to betting everything on the award season.

If it wins an award, then at least it can be considered a worthwhile investment; but what if it doesn't?

Moreover, Focus Features has just been acquired by Universal Pictures.

Among the seven major Hollywood film companies, Warner Bros. is the most generous, while Universal Pictures is the most thrifty, even stingy.

Accurately speaking, since Ron Meyer became president of Universal Pictures in 1995, they have completely changed their production policy, no longer aiming for large-scale productions, but turning to medium-sized productions as the main body, adhering to the attitude of leveraging small investments for big returns, and adjusting their position in Hollywood.

Over the years, the number of large-scale productions with a budget of over 100 million US dollars at Universal Pictures has been at the bottom of the seven major Hollywood film companies. It's not that there are none at all, but the number is controlled. The company's focus is still on small and medium-sized productions.

Thus.

Universal Pictures' ranking among the seven major Hollywood film companies has gradually declined; but miraculously, the streamlined and pragmatic business strategy has reduced risks and further consolidated their position at the top of the pyramid.

Now, Focus Features has been acquired by Universal Pictures. Whether the investment strategy will be affected is also one of the focuses that Hollywood is watching.

From a professional point of view, Universal Pictures and Focus Features are parent and subsidiary companies, and the management rights do not interfere with each other. Focus Features still maintains its independence, and production and distribution are separate from Universal Pictures.

But this is just a theoretical possibility.

Just look at Warner Bros. and New Line Cinema, they also say the same on the surface; but in the actual business process, New Line Cinema still needs to cooperate with Warner Bros.'s strategy, and Warner Bros. interferes with some of New Line Cinema's decisions to a certain extent.

Now, Focus Features and Universal Pictures are the same.

So, how did Focus Features agree to Charlie Kaufman's investment budget of twenty million US dollars? Does Universal Pictures know?

Moreover, Universal Pictures keenly captured the details. There is a gap and a space in front of them. Now Ansen has not increased his salary. If they can make full use of it, they may be able to reverse the situation that Charlie Kaufman's films do not make money.

Conversely, Universal Pictures can also use Charlie Kaufman's name to fool Ansen, persuading this young man to join the crew at a low price because Charlie Kaufman's name is very attractive to young actors from a vase idol background like Ansen.

Thus, a win-win situation is born.

Most importantly, Universal Pictures put forward a bold strategy:

Make full use of Ansen's youth, popularity, and enthusiasm to redefine 'Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind,' abandoning the middle-aged temperament of 'Being John Malkovich' and 'Adaptation,' and creating a brand-new love bible for the younger generation.

No matter how you think about it, it's perfect.