1666 commodity society
“oh? Really? Looks like I need to change my party planning manager. But you know me, I've never been one for innovation, have I? So, you should not have your expectations, this is a bland and boring party, the focus should be on...alcohol. I believe that my wine cellar collection should be able to meet your strict requirements. Haha, enjoy it！”
With a smile on her face and an elegant posture, Katherine Kennedy never stopped moving forward, but she was still able to maintain the rhythm of the conversation. She walked through the crowds at the party, and familiar or unfamiliar faces appeared in front of her eyes. She always Ability to find the most appropriate and accurate answer.
This year's awards season has gradually reached its climax, and the night of the Golden Globe Awards is just around the corner. There are countless parties, gatherings, previews and other occasions for the Academy's public relations, which are bustling and crowded every night for a week. No days off, Monday to Sunday, no free time to breathe.
But for Kathleen Kennedy, it has already become a habit, a habit that is deeply rooted in the bones. When January comes every year, her body and mind automatically switch to awards season mode, with full firepower and full horsepower. Only To take a breather as midnight approaches.
Turning around, the rose-red dress danced under the off-white moonlight, spinning into a blooming rose. The color and brightness flowed like running water, highlighting the perfect and elegant smile at the corner of the mouth. , impeccable; then Robert Egger with short silver-gray hair stood not far away, always with a simple and kind smile on his face, without feeling any aggression at all..
But Catherine knew that those guys who underestimated the nerd in front of her had already been severely slapped in the face..
“Hey, Bob." Catherine called the other person affectionately by his nickname, opened her arms to welcome him, and gave Robert a warm but polite hug..
Who is Katherine Kennedy?？
Simply put, she is the second highest-grossing producer in Hollywood history, second only to Steven Spielberg..
Catherine started her career behind the scenes, from TV stations to movies, from editing assistant to photography assistant, and went through various positions. Later, she was appreciated by Steven Spielberg and served as his secretary, and later , Catherine married Frank Marshall and gradually rose to the top of the Hollywood pyramid..
Frank Marshall, the same producer who co-produced the "Jurassic Park" reboot with Steven Spielberg, is also the producer of "Edge of Tomorrow." Most importantly, he is Top heavyweight producers in the industry.
Although Catherine is surrounded by many big-name producers, her own abilities are also outstanding. Her figure can be seen behind the "Back to the Future" series, the "Bourne Supremacy" series and other works. If we talk about Steven and Frank are more often "nominal" producers, then Catherine is more on the front line as an executive producer..
“The same goes for the Jurassic Park series of projects.
When Universal Pictures restarted the Dinosaurs project, Catherine was still one of the executive producers. However, early last year, Catherine was forced to withdraw from the restarted Jurassic project, not because of Thomas Tull and Ron Meyer, but because of the station. Robert Egger in front of me.
2012In 2007, George Lucas officially decided to step back from the scene, first selling Lucasfilm to Disney, and then handing over Lucasfilm to Kathleen Kennedy, appointing her as the CEO of Lucasfilm. co-founder and George's successor, literally entrusted the entire "Star Wars" franchise to Catherine.
Disney knew that Catherine had a heavy responsibility, but Robert Iger needed Catherine to focus all her attention on the restarted Star Wars series. He exerted pressure from inside and outside, forcing Catherine to withdraw from the Jurassic project and officially focus all her work. All moved to the Star Wars series.
In fact, after Disney acquired Lucasfilm, Catherine's identity changed dramatically. Naturally, her relationship with Robert Iger also underwent subtle changes..
From a top producer to the head of the Lucasfilm department, Catherine has now stood at the top of the industry. She and Robert can be regarded as a superior-subordinate relationship, but they can also be regarded as a cooperative relationship on equal footing, which is a bit subtle. There are also some checks and balances, mutual respect and restraint..
Objectively speaking, Catherine and Robert are the same type of people, bold, adventurous, tough, shrewd, cunning, and determined. The combination of Disney and Lucasfilm, the "Star Wars" series has become a new member of the Mickey Mouse family, except for George Lou In addition to Cass's decision, the real driving forces behind the scenes were Catherine and Robert. Their joint efforts created the most powerful Big Mac in the industry..
But at the same time, conservatism, tradition, decency, rules, rigor, and iron fist are also their deep-rooted characteristics, which can be used to describe their views and opinions on film art. Under their leadership, Disney works strictly abide by the Hollywood film industry. The assembly line steps and processes are like templates to create one work after another. They have achieved great success in business, but they have also killed all creative vitality in art..
“"Ant- Man" replaced director Edgar Wright because of the latter's unconstrained ideas; if this is just the tip of the iceberg, then the farce of "Solo: A Star Wars Story" is even more The whole is in miniature.
Initially, the "Solo" movie found its co-director duo Phil-Lord and Christopher-Miller to direct the film. With acclaimed and well-received works such as "Food", "The Boys" and "The Lego Movie", he can be called a Hollywood upstart.
When they took over "Solo", Phil and Christopher were eager to create this work..
At that time, everyone in the industry was optimistic about this pairing, believing that they could create a unique work that would illuminate the entire Star Wars universe with their own unique light. Judging from the roles they have handled in the past, it is not difficult to imagine what they will do. Dealing with Han Solo, the rogue smuggler; especially the two directors are very good at showing the friendship between men, which is an important addition to the huge Star Wars universe..
Phil and Christopher believe so too. They firmly believe that they were hired to make a film that can bring surprises and adventures, not just satisfy fans or create peripherals. They want this film to be new. , unique and full of emotion, able to make people shine. They thought Solo was a lone ranger, so they wanted to film a lone ranger..
These two directors are very particular about improvisation, and they deviate more and more from the established script. They often create countless sparks during the filming process; but the problem is that every time they decide to take risks, Kathleen Kennedy will firmly veto it. From the selection of actors to the setting of the plot, and even the technical aspects such as photography and sound effects, all risky attempts encountered many difficulties..
Catherine and Robert firmly believe in the same truth: they need an assembly line work that can be completed in a regular manner. This is enough, and the commercial aspect already has the foundation for success; rather than creating it like Christopher Nolan's "Batman Begins" to produce a work of art, which puts Catherine at odds with the two directors..
The ending was that Catherine directly fired the two directors, and then invited Ron Howard to overthrow the entire work and reshoot it all..
Ron Howard, a director known for his biographies, has a conservative and steady style. Especially as he grows older, he gradually becomes more moderate, and the few sharpness and auras he had in his youth have also been smoothed out. This is exactly what he is. The Director Catherine Needs — And So Does Marvel Studios.
In the end, Ron Howard re-shot 70% of the scenes of "Solo". Unfortunately, he was not able to turn the tide. Everyone in the industry believed that Howard was "unsafe". This is the most outstanding part of the finished product. It all came from parts that Phil and Christopher had finished ahead of time, and the part where Howard had to override the reshoots was a complete disaster..
The most frightening thing is that the male protagonist Alden-Ehrenreich can hardly act, has no expression and no charm. Standing in front of the camera is a complete disaster..
“Solo's global box office loss cost Disney more than $100 million.
From "Ant-Man" to "Solo", this can all be seen in Disney's overall strategy, and this is even more true in the move to make works such as "Beauty and the Beast" and "Mulan" into real-life forms. In addition, Disney's The works have always avoided using minority directors, including women, blacks, gays, Asians, etc., all in order to ensure Disney's corporate philosophy of "family fun".
Even though Catherine herself is a woman, the leadership she chose is still the most traditional and conservative way. To a certain extent, this is one of the reasons why she has been able to reach the top in Hollywood..
Objectively speaking, such a move gradually turns the movie into a pure commodity and loses its artistic attributes..
2018In 2016, Disney officially acquired the film division of 20th Century Fox. Why was there a wailing in the film industry? Part of the reason is because Disney is the dominant company, and the living space of other film companies is further squeezed. The larger part of the reason is because Disney’s artistic concepts are strangling the living space of other film creators, which is heavy for the future of the entire film industry. blow.
However, the reality is that Robert is becoming the wisest and most powerful leader in Disney history. This is also the epitome of the characteristics of an era where interests are paramount. In all of the above, Kathleen Kennedy and Robert Iger have played an important role..
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