Time flew by, like a stream rushing to the sea.
In the blink of an eye, two months had passed.
At the filming set of "300."
"Cut!"
Director Zack Snyder called a stop to the performance, immediately stood up, and announced loudly: "I now declare that all filming for the movie '300' has concluded, and it is officially wrapped!"
Clap! Clap! Clap!!!
As his words fell, the entire crew, from top to bottom—whether it was producer Kyle, director Zack Snyder, or the actors and ordinary staff—all erupted in enthusiastic applause and cheers.
"That's great!"
"'300' was greenlit at the end of December last year, actor selection began in early March, followed by 100 days of physical training for the actors, and then a filming period of four months. Now, all filming stages have finally concluded."
"Yeah, it really wasn't easy!"
"Guys, it's not entirely over yet. After all, the post-production work for '300,' including the special effects, will definitely take three to four months to complete."
"Hey, hey, hey, I say, guys, let's not worry about that now. The wrap party must happen!"
The crew members on set discussed animatedly, some happy, some sighing, some reluctant... a mix of emotions.
Kyle, who was usually stingy, didn't spoil everyone's mood this time and immediately announced that a large wrap party would be arranged for that evening.
"Long live the boss!"
"Thank you, Mr. Kyle!"
Kyle absolutely accepted the cheers from the crowd without reservation.
That's how awesome he was!
After all, wrap parties, whether in America or in the other countries, were an unwritten rule in the entertainment industry, having become a customary practice, and Kyle had no intention of breaking it.
That evening.
The "300" wrap party was held at a five-star hotel in the Burbank area.
This was a wrap party for the crew, so Kyle did not invite outsiders. Of course, Mr. Bill, president of Page Pictures, and Kevin Feige, vice president, attended the wrap party.
At the dinner table.
Kevin Feige said: "Boss, we've pretty much finalized the post-production special effects team for '300' and will be collaborating with Industrial Light & Magic. However, their fees are not cheap."
"Is it Lucas's company?" Kyle asked.
"Yes, boss."
Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) is one of Hollywood's most renowned film special effects companies, founded by George Lucas, the famous director of the "Star Wars" series.
Since its establishment, it has won 9 Academy Awards for Best Visual Effects!
In 1991, ILM created the T-1000 for "Terminator 2: Judgment Day," which became the first computer-generated main character in film history.
In 1994, it was commissioned by the "Jurassic Park" crew, and as a result, for the first time in film history, digitally created characters with realistic skin, muscles, and movement textures that could breathe appeared.
Subsequently, ILM's technology became increasingly advanced, its imagination broader, creating countless firsts in film history, with three-dimensional cartoon characters and talking real-life characters also appearing in live-action films.
In the future, after entering the 21st century, it became Hollywood's most representative film special effects production company.
"Star Wars," "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Transformers," "Harry Potter," "Bruce Almighty," "Iron Man"... Since 1975, it has produced film special effects for countless film companies.
It has undertaken special effects production for as many as hundreds of Hollywood's top-tier, big-budget productions exceeding 100 million dollars.
It is no exaggeration to say that Industrial Light & Magic played a creative and subversive role in the development of Hollywood!
In the great era of Hollywood special effects, Industrial Light & Magic's contributions are absolutely indispensable!
However... while it was excellent, its fees were expensive!
Compared to other special effects production companies in the same industry, it was quite a bit more expensive.
"Kevin, what's Industrial Light & Magic's quote?" Kyle asked.
"15 million US dollars, with a four-month production time," Kevin replied.
Kyle frowned.
To be honest, this price was a bit high!
After all, throughout the entire "300" film, the special effects portions were not extensive.
It was only because Industrial Light & Magic's special effects level was superb; otherwise, Kyle would definitely be cursing, it was too damn extortionate!
"Kevin, talk to them again and try to get the price down to under 10 million US dollars. Of course, you're not without bargaining chips; don't forget, we haven't finalized the special effects company for our 140 million US dollar production, 'Spider-Man,' yet."
As Kyle's words fell, Kevin Feige's eyes immediately lit up.
A major special effects order for "Spider-Man" worth over 40 million US dollars—he didn't believe Industrial Light & Magic wouldn't be tempted!
In fact, that was the case.
In early and late September, Kyle personally received multiple calls from George Lucas, the owner of Industrial Light & Magic.
The content of their conversations was nothing but the major special effects order for "Spider-Man"!
As for special effects productions like "300," priced around ten million US dollars, Industrial Light & Magic undertook countless such projects every year; they weren't particularly concerned, as most of Hollywood's A-list major productions, even from the Big Six, were entrusted to them for special effects.
Well, Industrial Light & Magic had that kind of confidence!
At least before Peter Jackson's Weta Digital, Cameron's Digital Domain, and Sony Pictures Imageworks truly rose to prominence, Industrial Light & Magic was the world's best film special effects production company.
"Oh, right."
Kyle suddenly asked, "I remember 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' has also finished filming and entered the post-production phase, right?"
"Yes, boss."
Kevin Feige nodded: "Post-production for 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' is already more than halfway complete, and the finished film is expected to be ready by early November. Of course, it's a romantic comedy, and Bill and I plan to release it on Valentine's Day next February."
Kyle understood.
It's a romantic comedy film, so how else could it maximize its box office earnings if not released on Valentine's Day?!
Kyle pondered for a moment and said, "While 'My Big Fat Greek Wedding' is being released in North America, talk to the Carlos Foundation, Mountain Capital, and a few other companies to see if they can help us get this film released overseas simultaneously."
Kevin tentatively asked, "Are you planning to test the waters and see our current overseas distribution capabilities?"
"Exactly!"
Kyle stated bluntly: "Not only our overseas distribution capabilities, but also to see how far these major companies can go for us. Just one 'Spider-Man' isn't enough sincerity."
His shrewd businessman nature was fully exposed.
Kyle would absolutely not miss an opportunity to gain an advantage!
...The next day.
Kyle woke up very early that day, as it was bound to be a busy one.
He needed to inquire about the recent development of Golden Dawn Entertainment Group, as well as its television group, publishing group, music company, animation company, and so on.
Similarly, Kyle also needed to pay attention to companies like Under Armour Sports Goods, LinkedIn, Manchester City Football Club, Great Wind Capital, and California Standard Bank.
Laissez-faire, overly trusting the integrity of professional managers, was not Kyle's usual style.
Vigilance!
More vigilance!
The workplace allows no slack!
"The life of a rich person is also damn hard!" Kyle couldn't help but curl his lips slightly.