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Chapter 320: Hanging By a Thread #

“Although model effects are still the mainstream technology used in special effects films, I am sure that within 10 to 20 years, CG effects will definitely replace model effects and become the mainstream of special effects films. About 10 years ago, Industrial Light & Magic created fully CG scenes in films, and last year James’s film “The Abyss” even had fully CG characters. These are the most direct manifestations of this development trend,” Eric said confidently as he chatted with Stan Winston and James Cameron at the Clair Restaurant.

Although both of the men opposite him were special effects artists, Eric, as a time traveler, had a clearer understanding of the development trends in film special effects. So after finding the right topic, he easily took the initiative in the conversation.

“Eric, I don’t agree with you. Although CG effects can achieve more diversified scenes, it is still too expensive. Model effects are much cheaper in comparison. You must know James’s film “The Terminator,” which only cost $6.5 million to make. If CG effects were used, maybe that $6.5 million would not even be enough to cover the cost of special effects,” Stan Winston retorted.

“Of course, I’m just saying that CG effects are the main development trend of film special effects. However, model effects will always play their own role. Speaking of which…” Eric suddenly turned to James Cameron as if nothing had happened, “James, have you ever thought about making a sequel to “The Terminator”? I remember you said in an interview that there were many regrets in the first film that were not realized.”

Upon hearing this question, James Cameron and Stan Winston looked at each other involuntarily. They had been talking for over half an hour, and lunch was almost over. Originally, James Cameron didn’t know how to bring up this topic. Unexpectedly, Eric took the initiative to ask.

“Eric, actually, I have already written the script for the second film. However, I am currently looking for investors,” James Cameron pretended to be reserved. Although he was known as a tyrant on the set, James Cameron did not have a hot temper in normal times. When it came to attracting investment for his films, he had a lot of tricks up his sleeve. Otherwise, he would not have gone over budget so many times and still managed to secure funding.

Eric, of course, understood James Cameron’s thoughts. As a time traveler, he also had a clear understanding of Cameron’s current situation. Although Cameron had not yet evolved into the future “God of Film,” as a time traveler, Eric was definitely paying close attention to this name. He also maintained the habit of reading newspapers and magazines every day, and was well-informed about many Hollywood news. Therefore, when he saw news about James Cameron in the newspapers, Eric would instinctively read it and remember it.

James Cameron’s “The Abyss,” which was produced last year, cost up to $70 million, which is twice the investment of Warner Bros.’ global hit “Batman” from last year. Although it received a series of good reviews and Oscar nominations, it had a very dismal box office performance, earning only over $50 million in North America and only $30 million overseas. With poor box office performance, the corresponding peripheral products are definitely not outstanding, so this film brought Fox a loss of over $30 million.

This is the only movie in Eric’s memory that James Cameron made that caused investors to lose money.

After being badly burned, Fox could not invest in Cameron’s new movie again, especially not in what seemed like a larger investment in “Terminator 2”. Although the first film did well at the box office, it was not enough for Fox to take the risk of investing again, and the other six major film companies that had little cooperation with Cameron were even less likely to easily invest.

In Eric’s memory, “Terminator 2” was shot with a budget of $100 million by a independent film company called Carolco, and eventually grossed over $500 million worldwide. Although the investment was a bit high for this film that was destined to sell well, Eric was definitely not going to let it go, and he didn’t even plan to let Cameron go.

After calculating, Eric continued to ask, “James, if possible, can you briefly describe the plot of ‘Terminator 2’?”

James Cameron saw Eric’s interest in this movie, and a glimmer of hope ignited in his heart: “Of course, but please keep it confidential and don’t reveal it.”

“That’s for sure,” Eric nodded and then turned to Jennifer Connelly, who was dutifully acting as a vase next to him, “Jenny…”

The girl smiled knowingly, showing her two small tiger teeth: “Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone.”

“Well, the story is like this…” James Cameron briefly described the outline of the story he created, and when Jennifer Connelly heard about the liquid metal robot concept that Cameron had come up with, she widened her eyes in an incredible look of surprise.

Eric already had a complete memory of the movie, plus James Cameron wasn’t particularly talented in storytelling with words, so he didn’t show any unusual expression. He just listened attentively to Cameron’s narration and occasionally noticed some differences between the story outline that Cameron was telling and the finished film, such as the fact that Sarah Connor, played by Linda Hamilton, was not sent to a mental hospital in Cameron’s story outline.

Of course, these were just some insignificant details. Throughout the entire narrative, Cameron and Stan Winston had been quietly observing Eric’s expression. They noticed that Eric’s expression didn’t change much, and Cameron suddenly felt that something was not right. If a story couldn’t pique the interest of investors, the chances of getting funding were slim to none.

“James, according to your plan, the cost of this film must be high. Have you done a preliminary budget?” Eric asked after Cameron finished speaking.

“I have. Although the concept of liquid metal robots may be more expensive, I only need $60 million to make this film. We don’t necessarily need to use computer-generated imagery for all of the liquid metal robot scenes. We can use relatively cheaper models for some scenes. I discussed this with Stan,” Cameron said, inadvertently selling his idea to Eric. He threw his pretended reserve out of the window. After all, among the people he knew, Eric was the most likely to come up with the money. The several films released by Firefly before and after last year’s Christmas season had already begun to bring in capital, and with the addition of peripheral products like video tapes, they could bring in at least $400 million for Firefly.

Stan Winston quickly chimed in, “Yes, Eric. We can use mercury or models to replace some scenes. $60 million is enough investment.”

“$60 million? That’s almost ten times the investment for the last film! Firefly has never operated with such a large investment,” Eric thought to himself, his expression turning serious. “Eric, believe me, this film will not disappoint you,” Cameron continued to speak, but he was interrupted by Eric. Since James Cameron hadn’t found an investor yet, it was necessary to pique Eric’s interest. If it was too easy to get funding, Cameron would become even more unrestrained. Eric had even briefly considered having Jeffrey be the producer for Terminator 2, but he quickly gave up on the idea. Jeffrey was thrifty, while Cameron was profligate. It would be strange if they didn’t fight when they got together.

“Sorry, James, I need to consider this carefully. $60 million is not a small amount. Let’s talk about the matter at hand. Stan, I think you have already guessed something. I plan to establish a film special effects company and invite you and your team to join. In the future, this film company will be responsible for most of Firefly’s film special effects work.”

Stan Winston wasn’t angry that Cameron had been rejected. Eric’s cautious response to Terminator 2 was almost a foregone conclusion. It would have been strange if he had agreed immediately. “Eric, why me? I mean, there are many excellent special effects teams in Hollywood,” Stan asked.

Eric remembered a sentence that Stan Winston had said in his previous life, and he smiled and replied, “Because they are only doing special effects, but you are using special effects to perform.”

Stan Winston was moved by this sentence. It happened to touch the most sensitive nerve in his heart. At one time, Stan Winston’s dream was to become a movie actor. However, the reality was far from his ideal. After graduating from university, he worked as a makeup apprentice at Disney for three years, and then he started his own studio. Later, he realized that he had not completely abandoned his dream. Actors use themselves to perform, while he uses special effects to perform. Therefore, over the years, Stan Winston has maintained his initial passion for movie special effects, and he is often described as “crazy”.

This consistent enthusiasm for movie special effects is the main factor behind Stan Winston’s success. To be honest, without Stan Winston, James Cameron would not have been able to shoot the classic “Terminator” with only $6.5 million.

You see, due to a severe lack of funds, the Terminator robot in the first movie was just a simple metal model with no mechanical power. Therefore, the special effects shots of the robot’s movement in the movie were almost filmed frame by frame using a technique similar to stop-motion animation. A movie has 24 frames per second and 1440 frames per minute. The workload of a few minutes of footage is so daunting that no one can persevere without enough faith and passion.