At this year's Sundance Film Festival, although Simon came across many filmmakers who would become famous in the future, he limited his interactions. Aside from attending a few premieres and briefly chatting with the Wachowski brothers at a party, he didn't spend much time with others, like Christopher Nolan or Doug Liman.
After all, they were still novices.
Rushing their growth could lead to negative consequences.
Take Jon Favreau, for example. One of the reasons this self-made filmmaker from Hollywood's lower ranks became a key figure in the Marvel Cinematic Universe is because he spent more than a decade honing his skills in the industry. His experience allowed him to excel as a director, actor, writer, and producer.
It wasn't just Jon Favreau. The same could be said for many at this year's Sundance—people like Christopher Nolan, Doug Liman, Ben Affleck, and Matt Damon. They all climbed up step by step, learning every aspect of filmmaking along the way. This solid foundation is what allows them to have long-lasting careers in the industry.
The Wachowski brothers, on the other hand, were a counterexample.
In the original timeline, after making their debut with Bound, their second film, The Matrix, became a huge hit. There's no denying the brilliance of The Matrix, but the significant drop in quality in the two sequels is equally undeniable. One major reason for this decline was that after the success of the first film, the Wachowskis gained more control over the project, but their filmmaking abilities didn't improve as quickly.
After the Matrix trilogy, the two brothers relied heavily on their past success and failed to innovate.
This time, Danelys Entertainment acquired the distribution rights for Bound and also purchased the completed script for The Matrix from the Wachowskis.
However, Simon had no plans to launch the project in the near future, nor was he considering handing it over to someone else.
At the evening party, Simon personally discussed their future plans with the Wachowskis. While promising them the opportunity to direct The Matrix trilogy with a substantial budget, Simon made it clear that they first had to direct another low-budget film to gain more experience. He also planned to have them serve as assistant directors on the upcoming Independence Day project to familiarize them with the production of blockbuster films.
By completing another film and participating in a major project, two or three years would pass.
If they put in the effort, this time would be enough for the Wachowskis to grow further. Especially by participating in Independence Day, they would not only become familiar with large-scale film production but also learn different cinematic styles by observing other filmmakers.
Only after this would be the right time to launch The Matrix trilogy.
Moreover, after the Matrix series concluded, with the experience they had gained, the Wachowskis might not end up relying solely on their past successes.
Apart from the Wachowskis, Simon made arrangements for the others as well.
After expressing approval for the short film Ants, Highgate Pictures offered Christopher Nolan the opportunity to make a feature film. Simon personally arranged for a team from Provisional Pictures, the same group responsible for Four Weddings and a Funeral and other films, to oversee the project. Nolan even presented the script for his new project, Following.
It was already a typical Nolan-style, tightly woven suspense story.
The plot revolves around Bill, a writer who follows people to find inspiration. He encounters Cobb, a burglar, and out of curiosity, Bill starts working with Cobb to break into strangers' homes and uncover their secrets. During this process, Bill meets and falls in love with a woman who claims to be the mistress of a mob boss. She wants to escape his control but reveals that the mob boss has incriminating photos of her.
Driven by love, Bill uses the burglary techniques taught by Cobb to break into the mob boss's home.
He finds nothing.
Bill soon realizes he's been duped. The woman lured him into breaking into the mob boss's house to frame him as a scapegoat for another burglary.
When Bill goes to the police to confess, the story doesn't end.
The police investigation reveals that the woman has been murdered, and Cobb has disappeared, leaving Bill as the prime suspect for the murder.
In reality, it was all orchestrated by the mob boss. It wasn't the mob boss who held the woman's secrets, but rather the other way around. The mob boss sent Cobb to deceive his mistress, and the two of them set up Bill to take the fall for a robbery Cobb committed.
After getting away with the plan, Cobb kills the woman, leaving Bill as the scapegoat, allowing the mob boss to walk away scot-free.
This is the basic storyline that Simon pieced together from Nolan's script for Following. Despite being a newcomer, Nolan not only designed this intricate story but also intended to use nonlinear narration with flashbacks and multiple timelines.
Simon, however, wasn't inclined to rush Nolan's development. He gave Nolan a modest budget of $3 million and requested some script revisions.
Simon loved the tightly woven plot, but he wanted to do away with the unnecessary use of nonlinear storytelling techniques. These are often tricks that inexperienced filmmakers rely on when they have limited resources. Simon's requirement was that the suspense of the story should remain intact, but without the convoluted structure. The goal was to achieve a plot that could amaze audiences without relying on such gimmicks.
This would truly test Nolan's storytelling skills.
Additionally, Simon insisted on tweaking the plot.
Nolan's original idea was to produce Following as a super-low-budget experimental film with help from friends, so the script didn't give much thought to the moral implications, with the villain winning in the end.
Now that Nolan had secured funding, this couldn't be the case.
While Simon didn't demand that the good guys always triumph, he certainly didn't want the protagonist, with whom the audience identifies, to end up as a pathetic scapegoat.
In addition to Nolan, Doug Liman and Jon Favreau also secured new film contracts with Danelys Entertainment. The budgets for their projects weren't high, but they were given considerable creative freedom.
After a full day of work, Simon returned to the mountaintop villa southeast of Park City. It was already past 10 p.m.
There was no party tonight, but the villa was still brightly lit.
The women who had stayed overnight were still there, none of them having gone to bed. They were scattered around the villa in groups of two or three, clearly waiting for Simon.
The favorite living room on the villa's east side was still occupied by the four supermodels, who were chatting and watching TV, looking very relaxed.
Dressed casually, Simon entered the room and gestured for Cindy Crawford and the others to stay seated as they tried to stand and greet him. He sat down next to Carla Bruni and Cindy on the large sofa.
As soon as he settled in, a female assistant entered the room, handed Simon a document, poured him a cup of coffee, and quietly left.
The document contained information about the results of the Golden Globe Awards, which had just concluded in Los Angeles.
As Simon opened the file, Carla Bruni leaned in closer, her fragrance filling the air. Glancing at her, Simon asked with a smile, "Isn't your career focused in Europe? What brings you to the U.S.?"
Carla crossed her right leg over her left and leaned even closer, her body now touching Simon's. She smiled as she replied, "I'm here to curry favor with Grace. Otherwise, it'll be hard to get work in the future. Of course, I also have to cozy up to you, the big boss behind the scenes."
Her words were half in jest, half serious.
Last year, after taking over Elite, Grace had been consolidating power within the modeling agency giant, dismissing many of John Casablancas' old executives. The results were remarkable. By the end of the year, VOGUE had already dubbed her the "new queen of modeling," a title even more prestigious than Casablancas' former title of "modeling godfather."
Now, Grace truly deserved the title.
With the support of the Westeros system, Grace had not only secured top clients like Cindy Crawford, Linda Evangelista, and Claudia Schiffer but had also successfully restructured Elite. Even those unfamiliar with the modeling industry knew how difficult it was to reform a company as entrenched as Elite.
Yet, Grace had succeeded.
Today, Elite operated more like a Hollywood talent agency, similar to CAA.
This was largely thanks to Simon's push.
To aid Grace in her reforms, Simon introduced her to Michael Ovitz. Thanks to Simon's influence, Ovitz gave Grace invaluable advice, and the two companies even established some collaborative ties.
As a result of these efforts, all of Elite's contracts were now managed by the company itself, rather than individual agents. This meant that no one, not even Grace, could take clients with them if they left the company.
It seemed like a decentralization of power, but in reality, it ensured that as long as Grace didn't leave Elite, she would remain its undisputed queen.
As Elite's president, Grace had absolute power, including the authority to hire or fire any agent or model. Other agents would need Grace's approval to make such decisions, which was much more secure than when she had initially consolidated power by holding contracts directly under her control. It also avoided triggering a backlash from the company's agents.
The new contracts included many restrictive clauses, significantly increasing the penalties for breach of contract, making it much harder for models to switch agencies.
With the restructuring complete, Grace now held a position in the modeling industry similar to that of Michael Ovitz, who had dominated Hollywood's power rankings for years.
Unfortunately, Ovitz had made the mistake of trying to advance further, only
to lose everything and find himself unable to challenge CAA upon his return to the industry. He eventually faded into obscurity.
Even two years ago, Grace could never have imagined having what she has today. She knew full well why she had been able to achieve all this. Without Simon's strong support, reforming Elite would have been impossible. Her feelings for Simon also played a role, which is why she had no desire to follow in Ovitz's footsteps. She was content to stay at Elite, managing the company carefully for Simon.
Thanks to Elite's transformation, the European branch, which had once been almost independent, was now firmly under Grace's control.
The information age made this kind of remote management much easier.
With Elite's new structure, any model hoping for more opportunities knew they had to stay on good terms with Grace.
On the other hand, the only person who could check Grace's power was Simon himself, as even the Apollo Management Company, which nominally held Elite's shares, had no such authority.
So Carla Bruni wasn't wrong when she said she needed to cozy up to Simon.
With his support, the opportunities available to her would extend far beyond Elite's platform.
Simon didn't respond to Carla's words, his eyes still on the document in his hands. He said, "Actually, you should understand that Elite's professional reforms benefit all of you. It's like Hollywood's CAA. One reason star salaries skyrocketed in the 1980s was that CAA, as a unified agency, had more bargaining power with the studios."
Carla Bruni's foot lightly grazed Simon's leg, and she unknowingly moved even closer. "We know that. But, Simon, Elite's target clients include many of the companies within the Westeros system. Aren't you worried our salaries might get too high?"
As she spoke, she rested her arm on Simon's shoulder, her breath warm against his cheek.
The other three women in the living room, seeing Carla's boldness, weren't about to sit idly by. Eva Herzigova chimed in, "Carla, do you think Simon cares about the little money we make?"
Daniela Pestova added, "Exactly. Recently, a magazine reported that Simon's net worth might reach $1 trillion this year. A trillion! It's hard to even imagine."
The two women's playful banter immediately shifted the attention away from Carla.
Not wanting to miss her chance, Cindy Crawford, who was sitting next to Carla, leaned forward, brushing against Carla's back, and brought up another topic. "Simon, is this the Golden Globe results? We were just watching earlier. It's such a shame Batman v Superman wasn't nominated. Do you think it has a chance at the Oscars?"
Simon shook his head. "It's possible, but we'll know soon enough."
Today was January 21st.
The Academy Awards were set to announce their nominations on January 29th.
Carla Bruni added, "Actually, it's not so bad. Sense and Sensibility just won the Golden Globe for Best Drama, and that's probably the most prestigious award. I've even read Jane Austen's novel. Maybe I should watch the film sometime."
At the recently concluded Golden Globe Awards, Sense and Sensibility, directed by Ang Lee and produced by Highgate Pictures, was one of the big winners, taking home both Best Drama and Best Screenplay.
The 3D animated film Beauty and the Beast lost in the musical and comedy categories.
In addition, Danelys Entertainment's other nominated films won five more awards, including Best Director and Best Actress in a Drama. It was a major victory. While Simon wasn't present, there was likely a celebration party happening in Los Angeles, with Ella Deutschman having returned earlier in the day for that very reason.
Back in the villa.
Cindy Crawford, hearing Carla Bruni's comment, narrowed her eyes slightly and suddenly suggested, "Simon, I noticed the villa has a great screening room, and there are so many movie copies available. Why don't we watch a movie?"
Compared to the brightly lit living room, the villa's private screening room, once the lights were dimmed, offered far more opportunities for... other activities.
Simon had already mentioned that he would be leaving the next day, so if they didn't seize this chance tonight, their trip to Park City would have been in vain. Carla Bruni's earlier comment about currying favor with Simon wasn't just talk. Any model with a bit of sense at Elite knew that directly pleasing Simon Westeros was ten times more effective than cozying up to Grace Spolet.
However, most of Elite's clients simply didn't have the chance to meet Simon Westeros.
With Cindy's suggestion, the other women quickly expressed their agreement.
Simon didn't object. After skimming through the rest of the document, he stood up, pulling Carla Bruni, who had been snuggling up to him, along as they headed to the villa's private screening room.
Of course, watching a movie was always more fun with a bigger group, so Simon invited the other women in the villa to join them as well.
Thus began a dreamy night at Sundance.
Inside the mountaintop villa southeast of Park City, the night was full of charm and romance.
_________________________
[Check out my Patreon for +200 additional chapters in all my fanfics! $5 for all!!]
[w w w . p a t r e o n .com / INNIT]
[+50 PowerStones = +1 Chapter] [+5 Reviews = +1 Chapter]