The day after their awards ceremony ended was a feast for the media. Many outlets were criticizing the Academy, arguing that Martin Scorsese indeed deserved an Oscar but not for The Departed. A large portion of the media condemned the Academy for trying to "balance things out."
These media outlets completely forgot that, prior to the awards, they had been saying that if Martin Scorsese didn't win Best Director, the Oscars would lose their most basic sense of fairness...
You really can't help but say, the media truly lives up to its name. No matter what happens, they always have enough reasons and always stand in the morally righteous position.
The Oscar tragedy that befell The Dark Knight wasn't something Duke cared about at all. This was the most typical treatment for superhero films at the Oscars. With Transformers' post-production not yet complete, he neither had the time nor the energy to sigh over the Oscars.
Back in the Transformers studio, supervising editing and special effects remained Duke's primary tasks. The film's score and theme song had also completed their initial versions and were sent over, awaiting his review.
The score was once again the work of Hans Zimmer. This renowned commercial composer, much like John Williams to George Lucas and Steven Spielberg, was gradually becoming Duke's go-to composer.
The film's score mainly featured rock and electronic music. The initial version Hans Zimmer submitted didn't fully satisfy Duke and would require a lot of revisions.
Then there was the theme song. The ending theme had a style opposite to the score. It echoed the film's final sunset scene, where Sam and Mikaela are being affectionate. It was a country-style pop song with a romantic theme.
To be frank, Duke didn't know much about pop music. Since The Return of the King's "Into the West," he hadn't used a vocal theme song in his films. This time, adding a song was mostly to accommodate Nancy Josephson.
To his films, having one more or one less song really didn't matter.
But letting a singer join the production could boost her market visibility.
In the studio's recording booth, Duke put down his headset and looked at the others, asking, "What do you think?"
Anna Prinz was fixing her hair messed up by the headset as she said, "I think it's good. Swift's voice is very distinctive."
"I agree," Tina Fey chimed in.
Inside the booth, Taylor Swift had already taken off her headset. Her eyes were full of anticipation, darting between Duke and the others.
"Let's go with it then," Duke nodded.
Taylor Swift let out a gentle breath and squealed with excitement inside. She had a rare self-control for her age, keeping a calm yet excited expression as she walked over to the group.
"Thank you. Thank you so much…"
She thanked Tina Fey, Anna Prinz, and Duke one by one before returning to stand beside Nancy Josephson.
Duke checked his watch. "That's it for now. Anna, let's get back to the editing room."
Seeing that Duke was about to leave, Taylor Swift quickly spoke up. "Can I take a tour of the studio?"
"Sure," Duke gestured to Nancy Josephson, "You show her around."
After speaking, he and Anna Prinz left the recording booth and returned to the editing room.
Post-production was never an easy job. For ninety-nine percent of films, post-production took more time and effort than filming itself. After nearly three hours of intense work, Duke walked into the more spacious lounge in the studio. Just as he sat across from a row of Transformers models, a crisp sound of footsteps came from behind.
"Can I sit here?"
Upon hearing the voice, Duke turned his head slightly and saw an impressively long pair of legs. Taylor Swift, dressed in jeans and a long-sleeved T-shirt, stood at the edge of the lounge table.
"I just went to the VFX studio with Nancy. As someone who's been obsessed with Transformers since childhood, I think the film's effects are insanely cool."
A girl who liked Transformers?
Duke shook his head slightly and motioned to the seat across from him with his eyes. "Suit yourself."
"Thanks." Taylor Swift sat across from him and curiously asked, "The robots in the movie look so insanely complex. Why did you choose this kind of presentation instead of something more…"
She scratched her cheek, seemingly struggling to find the right words.
"Something simpler? Like animated character designs?"
Seeing Taylor Swift nod, Duke couldn't help but laugh. "If we did that, then basically, well…"
He thought for a moment and said, "It'd be like making a version of Ghostbusters, only the Transformers would be dressed-up mushroom men. That wouldn't work."
Taylor Swift was very sharp and easily found common ground. She blinked her sapphire-blue eyes and put on a look of curiosity, asking, "Why not?"
"On a forty-foot-high screen, you've got to give the audience as much detail as possible—stuff flying all over the place, grabbing their eyes. The mechanical parts are insanely detailed, making the audience dizzy with spectacle."
This girl's fresh outfit and the innocence she occasionally showed easily left a good impression—at least on the surface. Duke, for once, continued talking. "At the start, the movie production wasn't going well. The initial robot designs were downright disgusting. So I kept working to make the visuals look more realistic and better, bit by bit."
"I get it," Taylor Swift's thoughts moved fast. She picked up from Duke's words and said, "It's hardest to fool your own heart. When you see something that's not perfect…"
She purposely made a scornful face. "Your brain instantly goes, 'Hmph, cartoon! Cheap cartoon!'"
Seeing her make such a funny expression, Duke couldn't help but think of Scarlett Johansson at that age. The tension brought on by his busy schedule slowly started to ease.
He shrugged and said, "You have a point. During the preparation phase, I rewatched the 1986 animated Transformers: The Movie, but I just couldn't find that old feeling anymore. I only watched the first five minutes and wanted to shoot myself."
Duke burst out laughing. "I just can't sit through that kind of stuff. I have to imagine for myself what this movie I'm making is supposed to look like."
Taylor Swift laughed as well. "So that makes you the target of those diehard fans?"
Duke nodded lightly. The tall blonde girl said indignantly, "And those people criticizing you—who among them has actually seen what a 3D robot looks like in the real world?"
"I've got to get back to work," Duke stood up. "You can continue your tour."
Post-production of the film kept progressing, and by April, it was nearing its final stage. Duke had also cut together the first official trailer and handed it over to Warner Bros. for promotional use.
"Over twenty years ago, a group of living robots came to our Earth from the planet Cybertron and ignited a brutal war. Now, more than twenty years later, they've returned for a new life-or-death battle. Catastrophe is coming whose side are you on? Are you with the Autobots, or the Decepticons?"
As Optimus Prime struck a fierce combat pose, the first trailer froze on the giant screen in New York's Times Square. Then, a line of bold letters lit up.
"Their war, our world!"
This was the promotional slogan for Transformers.
A large crowd of onlookers who had stopped to watch took their eyes off the screen and continued on. Not far ahead, they encountered a massive movie poster on a billboard.
It was the latest poster, composed of four connected panels.
One panel depicted Optimus Prime vs. Megatron. Megatron appeared like a black demon descending from the sky, engulfing the world in darkness; on the other side, Optimus Prime's enormous head glared with fury, completely shrouded in shadow.
The other three were character posters featuring Optimus Prime, Megatron, and Bumblebee. These Transformers posters were full of depth and metallic texture, extremely eye-catching.
"Bumblebee's body is covered in mud and scars," someone familiar with the film murmured in front of the poster. "I wonder what kind of long road this kindest Autobot has traveled."
"Check it out online," his companion reminded him. "Before the movie comes out, brush up on your Transformers knowledge."
Just like that person said, starting from April, Transformers' promotional campaign entered its final push. Besides the usual promotional methods, to help audiences who weren't fans of the original cartoon better understand the film, the Transformers studio launched several featured columns on their official website and multiple partner sites, including Transforming Robotic Life Forms The Transformers Series Chronicle and What You Must Know Before Watching Transformers, along with viral videos.
Many sponsors also launched a series of promotional activities.
For example, as Bumblebee's appearances increased, the Chevrolet Camaro sports car saw a surge in sales. General Motors launched a special campaign titled Transform the Future with Chevrolet.
Then there was Hasbro, the original toy manufacturer. They released several toys based on the film's designs, incorporating the latest "auto-morph technology." When one component "transforms," other related parts automatically transform along with it.
In the past, Hasbro rarely developed toys based on movie designs. Usually, they made the toys first and then built film and TV characters around them. But with this major commercial production directed by Duke, they were well aware of the kind of boost it could bring to the toy line.
North America was only one of the many regions where Transformers would be released simultaneously worldwide. In the film's global premiere location, due to investment from the China Film Group, the scale of promotion for this imported film was unprecedented.
...
Hi For access to additional chapters of
Director in Hollywood (40 chpaters)
Made In Hollywood (60 Chapters)
Pokemon:Bounty Hunter(30 Chapters)
Douluo Dalu: Reincarnated as Yan(40 Chapters)
Hollywood:From Razzie to Legend(40 Chapters)
The Great Ruler (30 Chapters)
Join pateron.com/Translaterappu