Seven hundred and sixteen – Queen Galadriel

American filmmaking initially started in the eastern cities of New York, Chicago, and Philadelphia. Later, when producers were looking for locations, they discovered the warm sunshine and rich landforms of Southern California, which were ideal for year-round filming.

At the same time, in order to avoid the patent company that produces the film, some independent filmmakers have begun to move to Hollywood, settling in Hollywood, a suburban town of Los Angeles.

Soon, many production companies gathered here, and around 1910, the production center of American films shifted from New York to Los Angeles, and Hollywood became synonymous with North American films.

At that time, Hollywood quickly gathered more than 600 film and TV studios in a short period of time, coupled with the developed suburban agriculture, which was rich in vegetables, citrus fruits, milk, eggs, meat and other livestock products. The commercial, financial and insurance industries make up 29% of the employees in the metropolitan area. Banks, savings and credit institutions, and insurance companies spread throughout the city.

The small Hollywood town is getting more and more developed, so the movie has also been transferred, and finally the regional name of Hollywood has become a symbol of North American movies.

However, with the end of the era of big studios, major Hollywood studios began to flee this place one after another. In particular, the large Hollywood film companies have gradually become part of the media group and become the content producer of the media group. Today, only Paramount is the only large film company that continues to stick to Hollywood.

It is not only the Hollywood film companies that have fled, but more importantly, the filming locations of Hollywood film projects. Since the 1990s, more and more Hollywood film project filming locations have begun to be placed in overseas regions such as Australia and Canada. Companies have also opened their own studios overseas.

There are many reasons for the relocation of Hollywood projects, the most important of which is taxation. As we all know, although California is the home base of Hollywood movies, the tax rate in California is not low, and the preferential taxation of movies is even more inconspicuous.

In comparison, Australia, Canada, and even Germany will not only provide a lot of filming facilities for Hollywood crews, but also give a very high amount of tax rebates.

The purpose of filming by Hollywood film companies is to make profits, which is a purely commercial activity. Therefore, the relocation of more and more project shooting locations has become an inevitable phenomenon.

That is to say, under this background, not many major Hollywood film companies still have studios in Los Angeles, and even large-scale studios that can guarantee normal operation and have a perfect production mechanism, only Warner Bros. This family.

To this day, Warner Studios remains one of the most important divisions of Warner Bros. The studio is located in Burbank. It consists of two main and auxiliary factories, one big and one small. The most commonly mentioned Warner Studios actually refers to the main factory.

The main factory area of ​​Warner Bros. Studio covers an area of ​​about 110 acres (about 4,047 square meters per acre). There are more than 30 studios in the factory, as well as an uncountable number of location attractions. For example, the streets of New York commonly used in Hollywood movies, the street scenes of various famous small towns in North America, and the main characteristic street scenes of Europe, etc.

Not to mention that the era of big studios has come to an end for many years, and all major Hollywood film companies have also built their own shooting bases overseas. But when it comes to the most advanced and complete studios in the world, we still have to mention these in Warner Studios, and even after the second decade of the 21st century, this phenomenon has not changed.

For example, the most famous studio in the studio is the No. 16 studio, which is the highest studio in the world, no one. Projects such as Steven Spielberg’s “Jurassic Park”, as well as the more famous “The Voice of America” ​​in the later period, as long as the scenes that require huge venues to shoot, are basically shot here.

Not just the studio, if you want to make a movie, and the requirements are not so demanding, almost everything can be done here, without having to step out of the studio.

There are the world’s top professional studios, film projection studios, editing departments and editing rooms, recording departments and recording studios, huge makeup departments, props departments, costume departments and other professional departments.

The studio also has its own security team, with a huge studio catering department, fire brigade, and transport fleet. If there is a shortage of props and costumes required for filming, the movie store in the studio also accepts customized services. If you are willing to pay enough You can even borrow the props you need for filming from the Warner Bros. Museum in the studio.

No matter how the times change, Warner Bros. has always stubbornly maintained its own production base, which may be the biggest difference between this company and other large film companies.

From a business point of view, this is somewhat unreasonable, because the cost of maintaining a huge studio is completely insignificant compared to the profit it creates. This is also the reason why other film companies have closed and downsized their own studios.

Regardless of whether it is because of so-called tradition or stubbornness, Warner Bros. not only maintains this studio in Los Angeles, but also has a giant studio of about the same size in Riverston, near London, England. The area is much larger than that of Hollywood.

This studio, located near London, is relatively famous for its films, such as a whole series of Little Wizards, “Sherlock Holmes”, “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory”, etc., all from this studio.

But over time, Warner Bros.’ gigantic studios have become Disney theme park-like facilities, mainly used to receive tourists from all over the world. That is to say, not only did Warner Bros. not shut down these studios in the later period, but they kept building new ones all over the world. Of course, it can also be called a film and television city in another way.

The popularity of the Internet era has brought about the era of information explosion. More tourists are willing to walk into the iconic scenes in the movie, and even experience the magical world in the movie for themselves.

But that was more than ten or twenty years later, and now Warner Studios is still keeping its cool. But since this time, the studio has become more lively again. The agents of major Hollywood brokerage companies have jumped up and down with their clients, constantly going in and out of Warner Studios.

In the beginning, it was the audition for the much-anticipated “The Lord of the Rings”. Compared with other projects, “The Lord of the Rings” required a lot of main actors, and there were too many small supporting roles. The pomp of batches of actors lining up to gather.

“Is my hair all right? Damn it, this poor-quality crown always gets stuck on my forehead.”

In the dressing room of the Warners Studios studio, Cate Blanchett, dressed in a snow-white dress, sits in front of the mirror and carefully examines her makeup. Especially the long pale blonde hair, which was permed into neat waves at this time.

Although she was complaining, the smile on her face betrayed her true feelings. After putting the elf crown on her head, she got up and turned around in front of the mirror. Then he turned his head and looked at his agent. “Wendice, is there any problem?”

“no problem.”

The agent checked it up and down, left and right, and nodded with satisfaction. “Kate, you are now the queen of elves. You are so beautiful that you can’t breathe. It is this noble and unique temperament. Believe me, no man can resist.”

No one doesn’t like to hear a good word, and the same is true for Cate Blanchett, who tried her best to maintain the expression on her face and checked her outfit again in the mirror.

That’s right, she knows better than anyone else that she can’t compare to those beautiful girls in Hollywood. Her figure is not hot enough, and she doesn’t have the kind of front and back of the American big girl. But she knows how to use her strengths very well, such as her uncommon snow-white long legs and her unique temperament.

“Fortunately, I caught up and didn’t miss this opportunity.” Cate Blanchett muttered softly, sitting in the makeup chair waiting for the final audition.

The agent Wendys stood behind her, heard the emotion of her client, shrugged and said: “Ms. Nina Klein, since she is willing to show you Wayne Greenberg’s manuscript, why do you Don’t want to help, say hi to Peter Jackson. Otherwise, we won’t have to audition over and over again.”

Cate Blanchett shook her head slightly and explained with a smile: “Being able to enter the final round of auditions smoothly means that Peter Jackson and the producer have virtually given Wayne Greenberg face.”

Speaking of this, she squinted her eyes, looked at her agent in the mirror, lowered her voice even more, and explained, “Who is Nina Klein? Just show me the manuscript Wayne herself drew? I’m not stupid, do you think she’ll look me in the eye if the person behind her doesn’t nod?”

“What?!” When the agent heard this, he was stunned for a while, and then he remembered some rumors about Nina Klein in the circle.

No one doubts that this woman, who is average in appearance and figure, and has thick eyes, will have some dirty stories with her clients. Wayne Greenberg looks at the tastes of women, let alone this circle, even if he asks a movie fan on the street, he can sum it up.

But as time went by, more and more attention inevitably turned to Nina. There are even rumors in the circle that this plain-looking female assistant is Wayne’s brain and holds all of Wayne’s wealth.

Rumors are destined to spread more and more outrageous, there were many tabloids, in-depth analysis of Nina’s position around Wayne. In fact, most people are more willing to believe that Nina’s position by Wayne’s side is more similar to Pat Kingsley’s position by Tom Cruise’s side. The conclusion is that this woman is not easy to provoke, and neither can ordinary people.

“Don’t worry about that woman, the reason why she showed you the original manuscript of the Elf Queen means…” The agent shook his head vigorously, bent down to approach his client, and asked in a low voice, “Wei En-Greenberg intended to give you the role.”

“Hard to say.”

Cate Blanchett shrugged and said bluntly: “Even if he thinks I’m suitable for this role, I’m afraid it will have to look at the final audition and make-up, Wendis, this is a big investment of more than 300 million dollars. project!”

It can only be said that anyone who succeeds in Hollywood is by no means a fool, and a clear head is a necessary attribute.

In fact, Cate Blanchett knew better than anyone that the reason why she could see the manuscript of the Elf Queen in advance was because she had sacrificed her life to please the other man when she was facing that man, and there was absolutely no other reason.

Even in the first few rounds of auditions, Peter Jackson, the director of the film, and even the powerful producer, maintained a slight respect for himself, all because of his relationship with that man. What they respect is not themselves, but the big man behind them.

But she didn’t feel disappointed at all, she tried her best to please Wayne Greenberg, isn’t she just for these invisible care?

Another point she saw very clearly. The “Lord of the Rings” trilogy claimed that the production cost was more than 300 million US dollars. For such a project with sky-high production costs, every link must be guaranteed not to make mistakes, not to mention It’s an audition for the main actor.

“The Lord of the Rings” is not “Shakespeare in Love”. The two are not comparable in terms of production cost or influence.

As long as she is an actress who has set foot in Los Angeles, who would be willing to work in the field of niche literary films? In the face of the media, saying that it sounds good is to polish acting skills with good intentions. To say it badly, there is no actress who does not want to go beyond the so-called training of acting skills and directly become the darling of Hollywood commercial films.

Don’t look at “Shakespeare in Love” in the hands of Harvey Weinstein, who is preparing to enter the Oscar stage ambitiously, but Cate Blanchett is even more envious of her “best friend”. In her opinion, the path that Naomi Watts took is the most correct and suitable path for actresses.

To become famous as soon as possible, this sentence can’t be more appropriate to describe Hollywood actresses. As we all know, the shelf life of European and American surnames is much shorter than that of men. If you can’t become a “well-known movie star” at the best age, when you are over 30 years old, it will be difficult to even play a supporting role in a movie.

What about the Oscar winner? How about getting the prize softly? You don’t have to be a big star to win an award. Cate Blanchett is very clear, Meryl Streep is outstanding, but when the studio chooses a heroine, Naomi Watts must be ranked far ahead of her.

“Trust me, Kate.”

Raised his wrist and glanced at the time, the manager made his final instructions. “You’re the real elf queen. No man can refuse you now, not even Wayne Greenberg. Perform well and get this **** role, you have a huge advantage.”

Nodding silently, Cate Blanchett let out a sigh of relief. Yes, her advantage is the greatest, and she must make good use of this. Just then, there was a knock on the dressing room door, and an assistant told Cate Blanchett to go to the audition room.

Finally, she and her manager looked at each other and nodded slightly to each other. With the help of the crew assistant, she carried her skirt out of the dressing room and walked towards the audition room.

Along the way, Cate Blanchett didn’t seem to see the surprised eyes of a large number of actors, especially in the eyes of some actresses, the jealousy of Chi Luoluo was released, and she left them all behind. She couldn’t believe that she was so well prepared that she could still lose to these unprepared opponents.

“After the audition ends today, notify Elijah Wood’s agent.”

In the audition room, Wayne supported his chin with one hand, tilted his head to look at a resume on the table, and whispered: “John, start contract negotiations with Elijah Wood’s agent as soon as possible, and try to reduce his salary.” The budget of The Lord of the Rings is not generous at all, and if he can’t negotiate with his agent, immediately give up Elijah Wood and use alternative actors.”

“OK, I see.”

John Gray, who was sitting next to Wayne, nodded and said in a low voice, “Ilya Wood has a great height advantage and performed well in the previous audition. I hope nothing goes wrong.”

For Frodo’s actor, being less than 1.7 meters tall was an advantage at this time. As John Gray said, Wayne also took a fancy to Elijah Wood’s height advantage, which is almost infinitely close to the Hobbit in people’s impressions.

But here is Hollywood after all, and no one is irreplaceable. Even if this actor performed well in “The Lord of the Rings” in his memory, it is still not the only choice.

“continue.”

Wayne looked at Peter Jackson and waved. At the same time, he nodded to the assistant director who was standing in front of the audition room door, motioning for the audition to continue and informing the next actor to come in.

The door of the audition room opened, and in an instant, all the staff in the room were stunned when they saw the woman who walked in naturally. Even John Gray, who was sitting at the back, was stunned when he saw the woman’s dress.

Only Wayne smiled and looked at Kate Brecht who walked in in amazement. Even the moment he saw this woman, he knew that the character belonged to the other party.

“Perfect and careful preparation, isn’t it?”

John Gray slowed down, glanced at Wayne beside him, and joked in a low voice: “Boss, I suspect that your drawing manuscript has been leaked, ha, this dress and makeup are almost the same as your original composition. Damn, even the hairstyle is so vivid…”

Peter Jackson shrugged, seeing that Wayne’s face was not angry, he also said with a trace of weirdness: “John, if I were you, I would definitely not know what to do, but I have to say, it is exactly the same as the manuscript. Damn, we seem to know too much, won’t we be silenced?”

“Shit.”

He laughed and burst into foul language. Wayne was indeed not angry at all to be exposed. Instead, he stretched out a hand and tapped lightly on the table twice, interrupting the assistant director’s audition command.

He tilted his head and took a closer look at the effect in the camera. He stood up directly, folded his arms over his chest, approached Cate Blanchett, who was a little overwhelmed, and turned around the Australian woman who looked like an elf queen. Two laps, carefully observed it again.

All the staff in the audition room watched Wayne’s abnormal movements until he nodded with satisfaction, resting his chin in one hand, and walked back to the back of the camera.

“Okay, there’s no need to continue this audition, Kate, go back and wait for the notice.”

After sitting back at the table, he picked up the cigarette on the table and his voice spread throughout the audition room at the same time.

Hearing Wayne’s order, Peter Jackson looked at producer John Gray, who happened to be looking over too, with a little understanding in their eyes.

Although this project was jointly invested by Warner Bros. and Greenberg Studios, John Gray was not stupid enough to raise objections. Even if he was the producer of Warner Bros., he just nodded silently and acquiesced. A joking audition.

Peter Jackson looked at the actress in front and said, “Ms. Cate Blanchett, thank you for taking the time to participate in this audition. For specific information, the crew will notify your agent within three days after the audition ends.”

“OK, thanks.”

Trying to suppress the ecstasy in her heart, Cate Blanchett nodded politely in thanks, and finally glanced at the man sitting in the middle, turned and left the audition room. The whole process was much smoother than she imagined.

Like a real elf queen, she raised her head proudly and walked towards the anxiously waiting agent. Under the inquiring gaze of the other party, he raised his hand without hesitation and made an ok gesture.

During the audition, several assistant directors cast strange glances at Wayne from time to time, and finally their eyes were hidden.

There is nothing wrong with the seemingly joking audition process, especially in Wayne. First of all, there is no problem with Cate Blanchett’s acting skills, followed by personal image and temperament, which amazes everyone, so he chooses to save time and ignore those routine processes.

Another important point is that from a business perspective, he is more inclined to sign Cate Blanchett now. Others may underestimate “Shakespeare in Love”, but he will not underestimate this film. The point is Harvey Weinstein, the big fat man, was very well prepared this time.

In this way, when the filming of “The Lord of the Rings” starts, there is a high probability that an Oscar-winning actress will join. Moreover, the Oscar-winning actress’s asking price is still low.

Thinking of this, he looked at the producer and asked in a low voice. “Sign up with Cate Blanchett’s agent as soon as possible~www.readmtl.com~John, pay principle unchanged.”

“I see.”

Spreading his arms, he stretched his waist vigorously. With a cigarette in his mouth, Wayne glanced at the time, thought for a while, and said, “Peter, tell everyone to rest, we will continue after lunch.”

“Ok.”

At this time, in the studio outside the audition time, there were still many actors and agents waiting, including some famous actors, but all of them were patiently waiting for the staff to inform them.

In the small dressing room not far from the audition room, the door was pushed open. An agent in a suit entered the room, and then closed the door. “Liv, just received a notification from the crew assistant that our audition has been pushed to after lunch.”

Frowning slightly, Liv Tyler turned to look at the agent. “Isn’t it time for lunch?”

“Who knows.” The agent wiped the sweat from his face, and his voice was also full of helplessness. But then he put away all his dissatisfaction, deliberately lowered his voice and said: “I inquired about one thing, Liv, our main competitor, most likely Charlize Theron! And I also saw Uma- Thurman!”

“Shouldn’t she be promoting “The Matrix” overseas?” Liv Tyler was stunned for a moment and asked in confusion, ignoring Uma Thurman directly.

“At least until now, I haven’t seen her in the studio.” The agent pricked up his ears and listened to the movement outside the door for two seconds, and lowered his voice even more. “This is our chance, no, it’s your chance. Judging from the current situation, Charlize Theron should not have arrived.”

“You mean…” Liv Tyler asked thoughtfully, looking at herself in the mirror.