Made In Hollywood

Before the Titanic project was officially initiated, no one knew how long James Cameron had thought about it in his mind, but by late October this year, three and a half years after the project had been launched, the film was finally completed. Not counting the ongoing promotional costs, the production cost alone had reached a staggering 200 million dollars!

Even fifteen years later, this was an incredibly high production cost.

The film had been delayed multiple times, with the tyrant of the set constantly pushing back the release. The production companies that had invested heavily in it were eager to recoup their costs, and you could imagine how urgent their desire was.

Most importantly, both within the industry and outside of it, everyone was mocking this Titanic, believing it would surely sink. Especially film critics, who, upon hearing that it included 50 million dollars from Duke, continually ridiculed it, even going so far as to describe him and James Cameron as the biggest fools in Hollywood history.

Even on Roger Ebert and Gene Siskel At the Movies, in their recent episodes, they routinely mocked the two and referred to the film as "the doomed Titanic"!

Although the senior executives of Paramount and 20th Century Fox were undoubtedly capable, as evidenced by their rise to such high positions, people are always influenced by the external environment, and it's not hard to imagine that they too had doubts about the film's potential. According to news Duke received, 20th Century Fox had already prepared to file for bankruptcy protection in case the film failed.

After Titanic was completed, Duke specifically flew back to Los Angeles to attend the internal preview screenings held by Fox and Paramount, and he was finally at ease.

Titanic had some differences from what he had originally envisioned, mainly in the details, but this was normal, since a director's shooting and editing would always change from day to day. But the quality of the film remained unchanged, and Duke believed that even if the promotion was as ineffective as it had been in the past, the potential for this film's success was still limitless!

And with his 50 million dollar investment, Duke certainly wouldn't let the promotion go down the same path as before.

In fact, as in the previous life, the media and critics ridiculed it, coupled with the huge 200 million dollar investment, the film's popularity was not in question. The key to its success was how quickly positive audience feedback could be spread after its release or preview.

Titanic had already proven that audience reviews could easily overturn critics' biases.

Another important factor was the theater distribution issue. Duke met with Shelly Lansing and Tom Rothman, urging them to secure as many theaters as possible. Although he claimed to be confident in the film's potential, which had made the senior executives take notice, mere words were not enough to convince them. Duke boldly declared that he would bear the promotional costs according to his investment ratio!

In the past few years, Duke had proven his market acumen when it came to commercial films. Combined with his proactive attitude towards promotion, this boosted the confidence of both Paramount and Fox, and they of course wanted the film to succeed. They then strengthened their ties with the North American theater alliance to secure the maximum number of theaters.

Next was the preview screening. In the past, Titanic hadn't held any. Duke suggested that before the film's release, two to three preview screenings should be held, targeting the media, ordinary movie fans, and theater representatives, and using all available means to get real audience feedback.

The final key was the premiere. Because Japan was willing to provide sponsorship, and James Cameron was a fan of Japanese culture, both Paramount and Fox wanted to hold the film's global premiere in Tokyo.

"We must have the premiere in North America!"

When facing Shelly Lansing and Tom Rothman, Duke sounded more like the film's director. At this point, James Cameron's influence had been severely diminished, and he himself could not speak up much. The fate of the film was no longer in his hands. "We must invite as many stars as possible to attend the premiere, don't forget, this is the premiere of an unprecedented big-budget film!"

Although the North American distribution rights were held by Paramount, Shelly Lansing still discussed it with Tom Rothman. When Duke returned to Sydney, he received their call—the premiere would be held in Los Angeles! Moreover, the film would simultaneously release in both the UK and the US!

What Duke suggested were merely the most standard promotional tactics, and Titanic didn't need any quirky or unconventional promotional methods. But the senior executives at Paramount and Fox, eager to recoup their investment, had an imbalanced mindset. Duke was merely reminding them to regain composure and stay calm. If we're talking about actual promotional operations, he was far more professional than the marketing personnel of both film companies.

While Duke was in Sydney, continuing filming at Fox's studio, a series of good news came through from both film companies. Paramount and 20th Century Fox were no longer independent production companies; they were supported by large media groups. As long as they received enough attention and applied rational thinking, they could easily mobilize vast resources.

By early November, after holding three preview screenings, the media's opinion of the film suddenly changed. A lot of positive feedback from the audience was revealed, with many praising the film as "unprecedentedly super exciting!"

Representatives from the theaters, of course, were a key part of the preview screenings. The North American Theater Alliance then reached an agreement with Paramount, and Titanic would land in North America with an enormous release across 3,100 theaters.

Due to the massive investment in the film, Duke also stood out to support it and specifically gave an interview to Fox TV's Family Channel.

"Yes, I've already seen the film, and I can't describe it. I believe that putting all the praise-related words I know onto it would not be too much! I know some people ridicule it because of their biases, but the truth will show how ignorant their mockery is! After the film is released, everyone will realize that a new era has arrived! Film history will be divided into the time before Titanic and the time after Titanic!"

Now, everything was ready, all that was left was the release. Unless the world ended, no force could stop that Titanic from cutting through the waves!

However, before witnessing Titanic's glory, Duke first had to complete the last part of The Matrix.

By mid-November, after seventy days of shooting, only the most technically difficult scene—bullet time—remained.

How was bullet time shot? Duke had watched a lot of materials on it in the past, but each source had different explanations. He wasn't the type to follow blindly, nor would he rashly use unverified methods from the internet. That was why he took the lead in suggesting and working with John Schwartzman and the professionals from Industrial Light & Magic to design a plan. Through experimentation, they found the most suitable approach.

"Duke, someone's here to visit you."

After finishing a busy session, Duke heard his assistant's voice and turned to see a short, slim girl with a brown ponytail, who had gotten a bit darker than when he saw her over a month ago.

"Hi, Duke," she greeted with a smile.

"Hello, Nat."

He handed his coffee cup to the assistant and curiously asked, "How did you get so dark?"

"The crew went to shoot on location in a desert area." Natalie gently touched her face. "The sun is intense there, but don't you think it makes me look healthier?"

She looked around at the busy set behind Duke, feeling a bit embarrassed, and asked, "Did I interrupt you?"

"No problem," Duke shook his head, taking the coffee that the assistant had just brought and handing one cup to Natalie as he led her to the temporary resting area. "I just finished a bit of work and was taking a break."

The two sat down at a table, and Natalie's curious eyes kept scanning the set. "I heard this is your last scene? Why are there so many cameras and photography equipment?"

"We're filming a special scene." Duke briefly explained the concept of bullet time, then said, "The special effects team at Industrial Light & Magic first designs the action, then we use regular cameras to shoot it. The footage is scanned into a computer, and using a specially designed laser-guided tracking system, we establish the camera movements for the final scene."

Duke pointed to the setup in the shooting area. "Then, we place many cameras along the action path. Each camera captures just a single still photo. These photos are scanned into a computer, which will use that information to generate continuous movement between the frames, eventually creating a full shot with either slow or fast motion through computer-generated effects."

"It sounds really complicated and magical," Natalie shook her head. "I still don't understand."

"Just watch carefully here."

After finishing his coffee, Duke stood up. "It won't seem magical when you see it filmed."

There was nothing magical about the shooting itself, since they had already done enough testing. With Keanu Reeves wearing a wig, he stood in front of the camera and completed a move similar to the Iron Bridge. To the naked eye, there was nothing particularly special, but having gone through numerous blue-screen shoots for Star Wars, Natalie knew that with advancing post-production techniques, what was once impossible could now become possible.

To be on the safe side, Duke made sure to shoot the scene multiple times to gather enough material. By the time shooting ended, even though Keanu Reeves was wearing wires, he was so exhausted from doing the Iron Bridge move repeatedly that he had trouble straightening his back.

"I declare!"

Standing in the center of the camera setup surrounded by green screens, Duke said loudly, "Filming of The Matrix is officially over!"

As usual, a smattering of applause followed, and Duke added, "I've rented a private island in Fiji. Our wrap party will be held there!"

With that, he left the set and returned to the rest area, where he noticed Natalie staring off in a daze. He tentatively invited, "Nat, would you like to join us for the party? I've invited several Star Wars crew members."

....

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