Made in Hollywood

The plane rushed onto the runway and landed slowly in Wellington. After Duke and his party left Australia, they flew directly to New Zealand.

They stayed in Australia for a total of four days. Duke mainly went to see the Fox Studios in the suburbs of Sydney, and made a few laps around Sydney to see the location suitable for "The Matrix". On the last day , and also talked to the Australian official once, and the other party promised that if all the films were filmed in Australia, they would give the current largest tax rebate of up to 14.5%, and that the Sydney municipality would fully cooperate with the crew.

Of course, one of the conditions is that the crew employs as many Australians as possible, and the various custom-made appliances must also give priority to Australian companies.

The preferential treatment of the Australian government and the cultural environment that is almost similar to that of North America are important reasons why Australia can become a major overseas filming area for Hollywood.

If "The Matrix" was filmed in Australia, the tax rebates and relatively low labor costs alone would be enough to save the crew at least $5 million in expenses.

Coupled with the geographical advantage of Duke's frequent trips to New Zealand in the next two years, when he actually left Sydney, he was completely sure that "The Matrix" would be filmed in Sydney.

After leaving the airport and taking a short rest at the hotel, Duke and Charles Rowan took the car provided by the hotel to the first destination of the trip - Weta Digital Studio.

This company specializing in film and television visual effects was founded in 1993 by Richard Taylor, Jimmy Selkirk and New Zealand director Peter Jackson. Unlike the three famous Hollywood special effects companies in the future, the current Weta Digital studios don't have any creditable works, so it's more appropriate to say high-level special effects workshops than studios.

Duke found them. It is for Tolkien's masterpiece, the movie version of the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy.

Initially, his idea was to use Lucasfilm's Industrial Light and Magic, and he briefly consulted them on this matter. There is no doubt that it is at this stage. From technology to talent to equipment, Industrial Light and Magic easily killed Weta Studios, but one thing cannot be ignored, that is, the high labor costs in Northern California will pile up the cost of special effects to a very terrifying figure.

The biggest advantage of using Weta Studio is that the cost is relatively much lower.

After all, he is not a pure director like James Cameron. In a sense, he is still a businessman. Even if the cost of the trilogy will be higher than it once was, cost control must also be considered.

Moreover, the Weta studio is located in Wellington, and the communication between the two parties is also simple and convenient.

"Hello, Director Rosenberg."

In Weta's studio, it was a parlor that was even simpler than the Duke's studio. As the president, Richard Taylor held Duke's hand tightly, as if holding the hope of the future, "I am very honored to meet you, the legendary director of Hollywood."

legend? Only people like Tolkien who have hung up can use this word to describe it, right?

A slander. Duke also shook his hand firmly, "You are too polite. Just call me Duke."

He turned around and introduced, "This is Charles Rowan, the producer I've been working with."

The two sides greeted each other and sat down. Duke got straight to the point.

"Richard, Charles and I came here mainly to see Weta Studios, the studio in Wellington, and the location in New Zealand. I've seen the special effects you've made for a few films, and you have a lot of potential. ."

"Weta Workshop has a group of employees full of dreams!" Richard Taylor said timely.

"That's why..." Duke smiled, "I have the intention to outsource the special effects of the trilogy to you. You are one of my focus."

Although he was very surprised that the young director in front of him wanted to make the magic trilogy into a movie, Richard Taylor remained calm, and in the early contact between the two parties, Weta Studios also signed a non-disclosure agreement, the news is only in the company It was circulated among several high-level and senior designers.

Richard Taylor knew very well that this was the opportunity for Weta Studios to enter Hollywood. Sitting in front of him was one of the top directors in Hollywood.

Next, Richard Taylor not only took the Duke and the two to visit the Weta studio, but also spent nearly a week accompanying them all the way around many places in New Zealand's South Island and North Island, while also getting in touch with them. the New Zealand government.

When the New Zealand government heard that a total of more than 300 million US dollars of film production might be settled in New Zealand, it did not take too long to think about it, and promised to give the greatest preferential policies within its authority.

In fact, regardless of the industry or outside, many people understand the truth that a movie is not just a movie.

Let's talk about the former fat Peter, why did you choose to shoot in New Zealand? It's true that New Zealand retains a lot of pristine landscapes, but is it really irreplaceable?

The answer must be no, and the factor that prompted Fatty Peter to choose New Zealand must have a certain weight in his motherland. The facts after the film's release also proved that the "Lord of the Rings" trilogy has brought countless benefits to New Zealand.

Mainstream movies can never be separated from the influence of political, cultural and even geographical elements.

Just like Duke, he knew that this series would bring huge benefits to the filming location, and he also had the idea of ​​shooting in a certain country in his heart, but is this possible?

Therefore, he still chose New Zealand. First, it was his favorite movie. He had read too much from the original book to the shooting footage and various materials. If he didn't choose the related New Zealand, he was just stunned. The crew has to stay here for too long, and it is also an English-speaking five-base friend zone, which will reduce the difficulties encountered by the crew in their lives.

Another point is that the New Zealand government has greater tax incentives and full support than the Australian government.

Because the price in Hong Kong has not been negotiated, Duke is not in a hurry to leave New Zealand, and with Charles Rowan and the team who arrived later, they will discuss the preliminary preparation plan while combining on-the-spot inspections.

This is an extremely complex and huge project, and Charles Rowan's team will have a lot of preliminary preparation work in the future.

For example, it is necessary to negotiate with the New Zealand government to turn their verbally promised tax benefits into a real agreement. After all, all politicians' guarantees are no different from farts.

For example, to find a suitable location to build Hobbiton; to find a valley suitable for shooting the battle of Helm's Deep, to determine which ski resort can shoot the snow mountain march...

For example, if you want to find a hand-made weapon maker and prepare to make different versions of weapons for each race in the future, according to Duke's rough calculation, you will need at least 1,000 sets of armor and 5,000 sets of weapons in the future!

For example, it is necessary to contact the manufacturer of household appliances, not only to prepare for the crew's future life in New Zealand, but also to prepare for the manufacture of appliances of various ethnic groups during the filming.

Such as importing a large amount of hair and yak hair, preparing to make wigs and hair on orcs in the future.

For example, it is necessary to find a suitable jewelry manufacturer, and after the design is completed, make accessories such as rings and necklaces worn by each character.

For example, it takes a lot of time to contact a professional horse farm in New Zealand and tame a war horse suitable for shooting...

In short, from now until the middle of 1999, more than two years will be the preparatory period for the film. Without careful preparation, trying to shoot a successful epic masterpiece is nothing short of a dream!

Except for Charles Rowan, quite a few members of Duke's original team, such as art director Hannah Serena and others, would not participate in "The Matrix", and later transferred to New Zealand.

As for himself, he will come to New Zealand every fortnight or even every week in the future, and the director cannot escape the preliminary preparations.

During the period, news about the Oscars came. "The English Patient" unsurprisingly became the big winner of the 69th Academy Awards. "Chicago" only won a few technical awards. Even Naomi Watts and Tom ? Cruise's acting award, as expected, went elsewhere.

Duke doesn't care either. This is the most normal situation. After all, the public relations expenses invested by Duke's studio are really limited, and it is also aimed at the original Oscar nomination.

By April 1997, Duke had been in New Zealand for 15 days before he gradually worked out the work plan with Charles Rowan and others. After a few talks with the founder, a special effects outsourcing agreement was also initialed with the other party.

Of course, he also saw Peter Jackson, who made a special trip back to New Zealand from Hollywood. This fat man is a crazy Lord of the Rings fan. He even tentatively asked Duke if he could transfer this project to him to direct. He could get the cheapest price. Director's remuneration.

Duke rejected him, but Tentatively invited him to join the crew, and Peter Jackson also refused. The current fat Peter is not a few years ago, not only has a certain reputation in Hollywood, but also full of ambition, starting from last year , while negotiating with Universal Pictures to reshoot "King Kong", it is not difficult to choose whether to be a director or an assistant to others.

Because he used to be a crazy "Lord of the Rings" fan, Duke also knew that after Peter Jackson's initial preparation for "The Lord of the Rings" was blocked, he went to Universal. The "King Kong" project was almost approved in the 1990s, but later "The Lord of the Rings" The copyright dispute was resolved, and "King Kong" was postponed to the new century.

At the same time, there is good news from North America. Duke Studios has reached an agreement with Warner Bros.'s newly established video and VCD distribution division to sell the film's North American disc and video rights for the next eight years for $8 million. Warner Bros., and has a 5 percent cut of sales and rental income.

Even if overseas income can be received in the future, "Chicago" has created a large amount of profits for Duke and Duke studios in North America alone.

By mid-April, Duke had left New Zealand for a trip to Hong Kong. (To be continued ~^~)