RPAGF Chapter 106 A Vacation in Hawaii
Chapter 106 A Vacation in Hawaii
Chapter 106 A Vacation in Hawaii
Upon hearing Qin Han's words, Sidney gave a meaningful smile: "I've heard about that too."
"I also heard that Fred even went to Ashley's door in the middle of the night because of this."
"Qin, you can't do business like this. Before you left for Hong Kong, you confidently promised to have a 'deep collaboration' with Universal."
"Is this what you call cooperation? Feeding Warner the best meat and then coming to my office for coffee?"
Faced with the questioning from the prospective head of Global, Qin Han helplessly cursed in his heart the spies that had been planted between the various companies.
Indeed, there are no secrets among the big Hollywood studios.
Fred's expression last night, as if he'd struck gold, has probably already spread throughout all the major film studios.
"Sidney, don't rush me. Isn't that why I came here today?"
He took a thick document out of his briefcase, weighed it in his hand, and said, "The script for Warner is an inspirational film about a boxer. The one I'm preparing for Universal is a special summer cocktail."
"It can make audiences across America feel a bone-chilling cold in the hottest season."
Sidney took the folder; the cover had no fancy decorations, only a simple word printed on it: "Jaws".
"Sharks?" Sidney frowned. "This is the big gift you were talking about? A movie about—fishing?"
"No, it's about fear."
"Humans have an instinctive fear of the deep sea and the unknown darkness. Imagine a sunny beach in New England, with bikini-clad beauties playing in the water."
But beneath the surface, a colossal beast weighing several tons is silently approaching. There's no background music, only the sound of a heartbeat. And then—
'
Qin Han clapped his hands sharply: "Bang! Blood stained the sea red."
As Sidney imagined the scene, he opened the manuscript of Peter Benchley's novel.
Five minutes, ten minutes —
His reading speed increased, and the light in his eyes grew brighter.
Although he had only read the first few chapters, he had already keenly grasped the enormous commercial value behind the story.
This is not just a story about a monster eating people; it has strong social metaphors, satire of government bureaucracy, and a suffocating sense of horror.
"Phew—" He closed the manuscript and let out a long breath.
The pretentious questioning had long since vanished, replaced by the excitement of a hunter spotting his prey.
"Qin, you always manage to surprise me. Do you own the film and television rights to this novel?"
"Yes." Qin Han crossed his legs and said leisurely, "Before I went to Hong Kong, I had already bought out the global film and television adaptation rights from Peter Benchley."
"Name your price," Sidney said decisively. "Universal wants this film. We can co-produce it."
"I'll have the legal department draft the contract right now; this film must be produced by Universal."
Monster movies of this scale require special effects technology and underwater filming resources that only a major studio like Universal can handle.
Given Universal's unprecedented success with this film in his previous life, Qin Han naturally sent over the script as a favor.
"Now that I've brought it here, it naturally belongs to Universal. However, Sidney, I have one request regarding the production of this film."
"What are your demands? Make your demands." At this moment, Sidney felt that as long as Qin Han didn't take this piece of meat away, he could negotiate any conditions.
"I want to appoint a director."
"Designated director?" Sidney laughed. "What kind of request is that? If you want Ridley Scott to direct, I have no objection. I heard his performance in 'Enter the Dragon' was amazing."
"No, not Ridley." Qin Han shook his head: "This film needs someone more commercially savvy, someone who can better engage the audience's emotions."
"Who is that? Francis Coppola? Or William Friedkin?"
"None of them." Qin Han uttered a name: "Steven Spielberg."
"Who? You mean—the kid I just signed?" Sidney's expression turned strange. "Qin, you're not kidding, are you? How old is that kid? Twenty-six? Twenty-seven?"
"Aside from directing a few TV movies for television stations, he has absolutely no experience directing A-list productions like this. How can you expect a greenhorn like him to handle such a big-budget production?"
In 1973, Spielberg was still a long way from being the influential "golden boy of movies." In Sidney's eyes, he was at best a hardworking television director with a little talent, and not worth mentioning at all.
"Sidney, you've seen his film 'Duel,' right?" Qin Han asked in return.
"That TV movie?" Sidney nodded.
"Yes. A truck, a car, no dialogue, not even the villain's driver's face is shown. But he managed to create such a suffocating sense of oppression during the chase through camera movement and editing alone."
"A person who can make a beat-up truck look like a monster can make a shark look like a nightmare."
"Believe me, this young man was born for the big screen. He's the perfect choice for 'Jaws'."
Looking at Qin Han's determined gaze, Sidney hesitated.
"Okay—" He pressed the intercom on the table: "Lola, check if Steven Spielberg is on set today."
If he's there, have him come to my office immediately.
Fifteen minutes later.
There was a knock on the office door, and a young man with black-rimmed glasses, a thick beard, and a somewhat reserved appearance walked in.
Spielberg was wearing a plaid shirt and his jeans were covered in dust, a typical Hollywood tech geek look.
"Mr. Sinberg, you wanted to see me?"
"Steven, have a seat." Sidney gestured to the chair next to Qin Han. "This is Mr. Qin Han from Han's Film Company. You've met him before."
"Hello, Mr. Qin!" Spielberg's eyes lit up. "I still have your business card!"
Qin Han smiled and shook hands with him: "It's a pleasure to meet you, Steven. I really enjoyed your 'Duel'."
"Really? Thank you!" Spielberg seemed very excited to receive the approval.
"Steven, I called you here because Mr. Qin strongly recommended you to me." Sidney pushed the proof of the novel on the table towards me: "Take a look at this."
Spielberg took the manuscript with a puzzled look and turned to the first page.
After reading just a few lines, his intuition was triggered, and he immediately transformed the text into storyboard images in his mind.
The sea under the moonlight — a lone swimmer — an underwater subjective perspective — a sudden bite —
"Oh my god————"
Spielberg jerked his head up, his eyes behind his glasses burning with a fanatical flame: "This isn't just a monster movie! It's unseen terror! It's a nightmare where the water's drained!"
He stood up excitedly and began pacing back and forth in the office, gesturing wildly with his hands: "We can use a completely new filming technique! Put the camera in the water, right at the same level as the surface!"
"To make the audience feel like they're in the water, right on the edge of that giant mouth!"
"And that shark! We have to build a mechanical shark! It has to be real! It has to be hydraulically powered! It has to be able to crush ship planks!"
Sidney and Qin Han exchanged a glance as they watched the young director descend into a frenzy.
Qin Han spread his hands, the meaning of which was clear: See, I told you he was the most suitable.
Sidney was also infected by this passion; he could almost see millions of viewers screaming in the movie theater.
"Alright, Steven, calm down." Sidney tapped the table. "So, you're willing to take this job?"
"Of course! It has to be me!" Spielberg clutched the manuscript tightly, as if afraid someone would snatch it away. "Mr. Sinberg, Mr. Qin, please give it to me! I've already seen it on the screen!"
"very good."
Qin Han stood up and straightened his suit: "Now that the director has been chosen, the rest is easy."
"Sidney, we'll discuss the specific contract details later. As the producer, I have only one request: give Steven a sufficient budget to build that damn mechanical shark."
"No problem!" Sidney was in high spirits. "As long as it scares the audience to death, it's worth any amount of money!"
Stepping out of the "Black Tower" building, Qin Han felt exceptionally cheerful: the two money-printing machines, "Rocky" and "Jaws," had officially started operating.
With Universal and Warner Bros. backing it up, and with my own control behind the scenes, these two films are sure to replicate the glory of their predecessors!
I glanced at my watch; it was four in the afternoon.
"The timing is perfect." He then drove to Lorna's broadcasting studio.
"Cut! Filming for this episode is finished!"
A command came from the control room, and the red light in the studio went out.
Lorna took off her headset and rubbed her neck wearily.
Although her fame soared after the Vietnam War, it was followed by an even more demanding workload.
She felt a little tired of having to dig up juicy gossip about the private lives of those celebrities every day.
"Miss Lorna, someone is looking for you." The assistant pushed open the dressing room door and said mysteriously, "He says he's an old friend of yours, and he just returned from Hong Kong."
Rona's hand, which was removing her makeup in front of the mirror, froze in mid-air.
She turned around abruptly and saw that familiar figure leaning against the doorway, holding a bouquet of champagne roses she had just bought on the roadside, with that wicked smile on her face that she both hated and loved.
"Looks like our gossip queen has been having a very fulfilling time lately."
"Qin!"
-
Luo Na exclaimed in surprise, ignoring her still-applied makeup, and rushed over to give Qin Han a tight hug.
Before Qin Han could even react, two fiery red lips were already pressed against his.
As the door to the dressing room slammed shut, the air inside instantly heated up.
A reunion between adults doesn't need many words.
After half an hour.
Luo Na leaned lazily against the sofa in front of the dressing table, a slender cigarette between her fingers, Qin Han's suit jacket draped over her shoulders, and a satisfied blush on her face.
Qin Han was helping her arrange the slightly crushed bouquet of roses and put them in a vase.
"You bastard, you've been gone for a month." Lorna exhaled a smoke ring and glared at him reproachfully. "You only made two phone calls. I thought you didn't want to come back from Hong Kong."
"How could that be? Hollywood is my battlefield, and you—" Qin Han turned around, walked up to her, and reached out to lift her chin: "You will always be my most reliable ally on this battlefield."
"Don't give me that." Rona slapped his hand away, but the smile in her eyes betrayed her.
Qin Han smiled, took an envelope from his inner pocket, and gently placed it on the dressing table in front of Luo Na.
"What is this? A love letter?"
"More touching than a love letter."
Lorna picked up the envelope with a puzzled look, opened it, and found a check inside.
When she saw the numbers on it, even she, who had seen a lot in the world, couldn't help but hold her breath for a moment.
Forty-six thousand US dollars!
"This is your share from the first profit-sharing of 'The Big Boss'," Qin Han explained. "According to the previous agreement, this is what you are entitled to."
Lorna held the check and laughed, "Looks like this money is indeed enough for me to buy a few Cadillacs. In that case, the car is yours!"
"Qin—" She looked up, her eyes filled with excitement: "I can't believe it, we really did it."
"This is just the beginning." Qin Han leaned down and gently kissed her forehead. "From now on, there will be more and more zeros on this check."
"And remember, besides this check, I also have another gift for you."
"There's a gift too? What is it?"
"A holiday."
Qin Han pulled two plane tickets out of his pocket and waved them in front of her: "Hawaii, Honolulu."
"Departing the day after tomorrow, sunshine, beaches, waves, and ————"
"An old friend of ours."
Lorna looked at the destination on the plane ticket: "Elvis Presley?"
Qin Han smiled and nodded: "After Colonel Parker's downfall, our king is on vacation in Hawaii. I think it's time to go see him."
"After all, we helped him get rid of that vampire, so it's not too much to ask that he have a drink with us, is it?"
Looking into Qin Han's deep eyes, Luo Na's woman's intuition told her that this was definitely not just a simple vacation.
But what does it matter?
She has money, a beach, a charming man by her side, and an exclusive interview with Elvis Presley.
"Okay!" Lorna stuffed the check into her pocket, wrapped her arms around Qin Han's neck, and breathed softly into his ear: "Then I need to go buy a few new bikinis—the kind that only you can understand."