1771 Massive projects
Renly knew that selecting suitable projects from a huge mountain of scripts was not an easy task, but the actual operation process was even more difficult than imagined - to be precise, selecting potential projects for film production companies, Things to consider are obviously different to individual circumstances.
If Renly chooses works for himself, personal preference first is the only criterion. Putting aside the awards season and box office, just choose the works you like, such as "Crazy Love", "Transcendence", "Drunken Country Ballad" and other works. In this way, the box office explosions including "Edge of Tomorrow" and "Gravity" can be said to be unexpected..
But now it’s time to pick the projects for Sisyphus Films：
If you choose an Oscar-based film, Sisyphus Pictures will be more and more tied to Sony Classics, and it will have to face the encirclement and suppression of Weinstein Pictures. Even aside from these, whether the fledgling Sisyphus Pictures can He has the ability to join the academy public relations game - after all, his opponents are all veterans. If he is not careful, even the works that won the nomination in the previous life may be eliminated due to the operation of supplementary schedules..
If you choose box office works, then investment cost will be a key issue. With Sisyphus Films’ current capabilities, investing in a $100 million film is the limit. It is not a matter of capital flow, but a matter of subsequent risk bearing. Even if Renly can ensure that the project script and cast are on the right track, there are thousands of possibilities for the filming process to go in the wrong direction, and this is not the part he can guarantee..
If you choose works from the art department, obviously the ratio of investment to income will become a big problem for Sisyphus Films. They cannot expect the Sundance Film Festival to accept all works, nor can they expect streaming media that has no shadow yet. platform, it is bound to be difficult in the early operation process..
In fact, the core reason is that ambition and ability cannot match.
When Brad Pitt, George Clooney and others established film production companies, they basically started around themselves, starring in or directing one or two films, slowly and methodically producing them, and then seeking cooperation. So no matter what type and style the work is, they don’t have to worry. With their reputation and resources, they can find channels for subsequent releases and promotions..
“This is true of the productions of "Crackling Drummer" and "Nightcrawler".
But now Sisyphus Films needs to go one step further, so things have become tricky. There are gradually more things to consider, measure, and plan..
However, in the end, Renly found a relatively simple way to temporarily select those works with "potential", and then conduct the second and third rounds of screening to select those suitable for Sisyphus Films to put into production at this stage. Works, awards season, streaming media, etc. are all put aside. Even Sundance is not included in the consideration. It is purely considered from the standpoint of Sisyphus Films..
At the end of the day, Sisyphus Films was founded to produce great work, and that was the original intention.
No wonder everyone says that Vanity Fair is easy to get lost in.
Even though Renly had gone through countless storms and waves, he still couldn't help but be dazzled when he stood at the top of the pyramid. His ambitions gradually expanded unknowingly, and he forgot his original purpose without knowing it. It’s all about things like “profits, awards, success, box office, honors, fame, popularity, pursuit of brilliance”, and then I lost myself like this..
When he first read the script, Renly was a little uncontrollably impetuous. Because he thought too much and worried too much, he lost the original intention of appreciating the script; but he went to Berlin and immersed himself in the atmosphere of the film festival. Although the cooperation was not frank, Renly gradually sobered up and calmed down..
This can be regarded as an unexpected gain beyond regret..
After calming down, the action of screening scripts gradually became clearer, and the speed and efficiency of making lists also improved significantly. Only then did Andre have the list in his hands..
Undoubtedly, it is the easiest to choose Oscar-related works, not because Renly has set his sights on Oscars, but because the works that won Oscar nominations and even awards in his previous life are always more impressive, so he browsed It’s inevitable to pay more attention when writing a script.
But even Oscar-related works can be divided into two types. One is works tailor-made for Oscars such as "The King's Speech" and "The Artist", as are many biographical films; the other is artistic value orientation. Works that are more suitable for mainstream ideas, such as equal rights for minority groups, including women and races, etc., such as justice and inspirational life.
In addition, in addition to these two types, there is another type that cannot be regarded as a type, that is, the unintentional type. "Detachment", "Drunk Country Folk", "Crazy in Love", "Exploding Drummer" and so on are all In this way, they are not typical of the academy style, but they unexpectedly won praise after their release, and then, thanks to effective academy public relations operations, they made it all the way to the awards season..
However, the reason why they are said to be "types that are not considered genres" is because such works are rare but hard to come by. It is difficult to find a stable pattern or template for them. They cannot be produced in batches, let alone on an assembly line. This also makes them difficult to find. Major studios are showing signs of waning interest and unwillingness to take risks.
For Sisyphus Films, works outside the third genre are opportunities..
Whether it is the first or the second type, most of the scripts have been controlled by mainstream film production companies. In addition to the six major Hollywood companies, Weinstein Pictures, Lionsgate Pictures, Roadside View Pictures, etc. Wait, they have already formed their own mature production system, and every year they must mass-produce some types of works for the sake of Oscars. These script projects cannot escape the scope of biography, equality, inspiration, etc., and occasionally go eccentric. Try, but ultimately it’s limited.
But the third type of script, just like "Drunken Country Folk" and "Explosive Drummer", has been handled more or less by all major labels, but in the end they still lack the courage to invest in production, and now it has become Opportunities for Sisyphus Films.
In addition to "Carol" and "Brooklyn" mentioned by Renly and Rooney, he also selected eight works.
“"Nocturnal Animals", directed by Tom Ford, starring Jake Gyllenhaal and Amy Adams, nominated for an Oscar for Best Supporting Actor.
“"Sicario", directed by Denis Villeneuve, starring Emily Blunt, three technical Oscar nominations.
“Manchester By the Sea, starring Casey Affleck, was nominated for six Oscars and won Best Actor.
“"Spotlight," directed by Tom McCarthy, was nominated for six Oscars and won Best Picture.
“Room," starring Brie-Larson, was nominated for four Oscars and won Best Actress.
“"The Big Short", directed by Adam McKay, starring Christian Bale, Brad Pitt, Ryan Gosling, etc., nominated for five Oscars.
“"The Revenant", directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, was nominated for twelve Oscars and won Best Director and Best Actor.
“45"Anniversary," directed by Andrew Haigh, nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.
The eight works mentioned above all have one thing in common: they are not typical academic works, but they are also in line with the overall trend of the academy's value orientation. They relied on excellent reputation and strong public relations and finally succeeded in winning a place at the Oscars. , cutting its way out of the awards season.
Together with "Carol" and "Brooklyn", there are ten works in total.
Sisyphus Pictures should not be greedy. They only need to produce two to three of these works, up to four, which will be enough for them to quickly establish a foothold in the next two years. Putting aside the statuette, at least they will You can build your own reputation, just like Renly, and win a place in the industry with a sophisticated and high-quality brand image..
In fact, among the ten projects, there was still a little surprise.
“"The Big Short" is a Paramount project, adapted from the non-fiction work of Michael Lewis, whose previous works "Weakness" and "Moneyball" have both been nominated for Oscars after being adapted into movies. Stage, can be said to be a hot awards season project, which can be seen from the strong cast.——
According to the trajectory of the previous life, this work was produced by Brad Pitt, and the production company Plan B he owned participated in the production; but currently Paramount still has not approved the filming, and even came to Sisyphus Films In the hands of a professional, this is quite interesting..
Renly's confusion found the answer in Andy: Paramount believed that this work was too risky, revealing the truth about the 2008 U.S. subprime financial crisis in a playful and ironic way, which may sting the pride of Wall Street. In the end, the work failed miserably, so they refused to let go easily and required director Adam McKay to agree to shoot a sequel to "Anchorman" before they were willing to green light it..
Adam McKay, who has a background in comedy, is trying to complete the transformation through "The Big Short", but now he is once again forced by Paramount to return to his usual routine. To be honest, he is not very happy; and "Ace Announcer" The previous work was made ten years ago, and now restarting the sequel sounds like a bad idea.——
Paramount, like Universal Pictures, has been in the doldrums in recent years, and the constraints of the capital chain have formed a vicious circle. This has caused their market share to decline all the way, and they can only helplessly dig out new movies from their previous works. many possibilities.
Now, Adam McKay and Paramount are in a stalemate. At the same time, the "Big Short" project has begun to change hands among other film companies, and no company has stepped forward to take over it yet..
In addition, the emergence of the two projects "Spotlight" and "The Revenant" is also a surprise.
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