Unlike the notoriously hot-tempered truck driver James Cameron, Steven Spielberg was known in Hollywood for his mild demeanor.
For example, when Julia "Big Mouth" Roberts was high and argued with Spielberg, if it had been the "truck driver," he would have undoubtedly replaced her without hesitation.
But Spielberg was able to tolerate it, setting aside past grievances to continue working with Julia Roberts, which speaks volumes about his good nature.
Of course, this was a one-time thing. After this, Julia Roberts would never receive another invitation from Spielberg, not even an audition.
Facing Gilbert, who had misled his goddaughter, Spielberg felt he shouldn't give him a pleasant expression.
However, seeing Gilbert enter and respectfully greet him, Spielberg's stern facade instantly softened.
"Come, sit down," Spielberg gestured for Gilbert to sit, then turned to his assistant, "Pour a cup of coffee."
"Water is fine," Gilbert said.
The assistant looked at Spielberg, who nodded, and the assistant went to get water.
Once the water was in Gilbert's hand, Spielberg asked, "Gilbert, the script Little Gwen gave me, did you write it?"
Although the concept wasn't his, he certainly wrote it, and Gilbert admitted without hesitation, "Yes, I wrote the entire script."
"Oh? How did you come up with this story? I've quickly read through the script, and I found that besides the shark, your script has nothing to do with my 'Jaws'," Spielberg was curious about this.
At this point, Gilbert had to employ his persuasive tactics: "Director..."
"You can just call me uncle."
"Okay, Uncle Steven, I've always been a loyal fan of yours. When I was five, my father took me to the cinema to watch 'Jaws.'
From then on, I've wanted to create my own shark story. This idea gradually took shape as I grew older and became involved in the film industry, eventually evolving into this script."
Gilbert's reason was compelling, and Spielberg couldn't find any fault with it.
Spielberg then asked, "Did you write this script and have Little Gwen show it to me with the intention of having me attach my name to this film?"
"I never thought that way at all," Gilbert stood up, not minding if the water in his cup spilled. "When I first wrote the script, I never imagined I'd get your recommendation.
It's just that Gwyneth was very eager to help, so I just went with the flow."
"I see, Little Gwen told me as well." Spielberg motioned for Gilbert not to get too excited and to sit back down.
Then, Spielberg and Gilbert discussed the script, or rather, the creative ideas for the film, including shooting concepts and so on.
Throughout this process, Spielberg was observing Gilbert's state, trying to understand his psychological mindset.
If Gilbert had been the type to boast, be unrealistic, or self-aggrandize about how well he would do, Spielberg would absolutely not have helped.
But unexpectedly, Gilbert was very practical; he had thought through every step from planning to execution.
Practicality and imagination, two somewhat contradictory words, were both evident in Gilbert.
It should be said that in Hollywood, every successful film director is essentially a combination of these two qualities.
It seemed Gilbert had inherited his father Old Gilbert's cinematic talent, but not Old Gilbert's volatile personality, which was a significant improvement.
After discussing the general ideas for the film, Spielberg's basic assessment of Gilbert was complete.
"One last question," Spielberg asked, "if Little Gwen must be the female lead, would you agree?"
Gilbert thought for a moment before answering, "If she meets the requirements during the audition, I will definitely agree."
Spielberg was even more satisfied. He had boundaries and considered the film's best interest. At the same time, he was flexible in his dealings, willing to give due consideration and respect.
"Alright, that's all for our chat today. I'll take this script with me, do you have any objections?" Spielberg smiled.
"Of course not, Uncle Steven," Gilbert smiled back.
Spielberg taking the script essentially confirmed that he would recommend it to film companies. However, there was an uncertain factor: whether Gilbert could direct, which was crucial.
Don't overestimate the conscience or confidence of film companies. When they see a shark movie recommended by Spielberg, they'll certainly be interested, given the successful precedent of "Jaws."
But if they learn the director is a young man in his twenties, they will definitely strongly demand a more experienced director.
There's a saying, "a beardless mouth can't handle affairs well."
Hollywood executives might not understand , but they understand the same principle.
Therefore, opportunities for young people to gain trust are rare, as millions, even tens of millions, in investment are at stake.
Of course, Gilbert could also invest his own money.
Unfortunately, the Landrini family only had their name left with any value; everything else was gone.
Gilbert still had university loans to pay off; he simply didn't have the money to invest in a film.
In fact, Gilbert had initially considered making a film like "The Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity."
After all, both were classic examples of low-budget horror films that achieved high box office success, and they weren't technically difficult to shoot.
But after some deliberation, Gilbert dismissed both films.
There were two reasons: first, the environmental context. 1991 was not 1999 or 2009.
The explosion in popularity of "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity" was inseparable from the development of the internet.
When these films emerged, internet development in North America had reached a peak, with the number of internet users and online traffic being the highest in the world.
But what year is it now? It's 1991. Just last year, the world's first publicly accessible webpage and web browser were born.
Microsoft had also recently released Windows 3.0, thereby establishing its dominance in PC operating systems.
Also last year, the world's first internet service provider was just established.
And according to data statistics, in 1991, there were only about 4.2 million internet users across the entire U.S.
While still the global leader, it was too few, the base wasn't large enough.
When "The Blair Witch Project" was released in 1999, the number of internet users in the U.S. had already exceeded 110 million.
4.2 million versus 110 million—that's an easy calculation.
With such a vast difference in internet reach, a crucial promotional platform, the tactics used by "The Blair Witch Project" wouldn't work well in 1991.
Why was internet promotion so important for "The Blair Witch Project" and "Paranormal Activity"? Besides the internet's infectiousness and spread, one reason was cost-saving.
In those days, film promotion was done through newspaper media, television media, and setting up offline advertisements.
These all cost money, and none of it was cheap.
For a film with a budget of tens of thousands, asking a film company to then fork out tens of millions for publicity?
Without a God's-eye view, film executives would most likely think you were crazy.
So, for a debut film by a new director, smaller investment isn't always better; it's about appropriate investment.
The second reason was Gilbert himself.
He certainly knew that "The Blair Witch Project" or "Paranormal Activity" were simple to shoot and didn't have much technical difficulty.
But as a film director, Gilbert found things without a challenge to be not interesting enough.
Gilbert liked challenges; only by daring to challenge could he face bigger waves.
Now, it's up to Spielberg to deliver, to see if he can convince the film company executives to give Gilbert an opportunity to challenge himself.