It might sound a little incongruent—sohow I ended up talking to Madonna about how much the investnt helped the movie and how it ca at just the right ti; that if it hadn't been for him, none of this would have happened... In an instant, ti shifted, and now the seconds seed frozen in a long conversation about funding. It was clear Madonna was an artist, preferring indie films, though she was married to music.
–Well, I think it wouldn’t have been possible without you – Madonna replied with a final gesture.
–How improper. Without , you would’ve made it happen anyway. It was only ten million dollars – Billy replied with a gracious gesture, watching Monica spin joyfully with Winona. They were having the kind of essential fun that now felt impossible to interrupt before dawn.
Madonna noticed his attention was slipping. The boy wasn’t paying her any mind… and yet she longed for soone who thought ten million was no big deal—a price hard to top, almost halved, almost trapped by the rush of the party.
–Cinema is fun when you sohow get to beco soone else. Will you keep acting? – Billy asked, looking at the blonde.
Her golden locks cascaded down the edge of her profile, her black dress standing out against her poised form. Lola Leon, Madonna’s daughter, had only recently stepped aside from them, wholly imrsed in the shoot that had brought this and many other issues to life.
–Of course, I’ll try to reattach myself—it’s part of the challenge. But I think as an artist, I have to keep moving forward, even if I won’t deny how much I enjoy continuing to succeed – the blonde replied.
–You didn’t do so badly – the singer chid in. –You have that sad look, as if you’ve lost your soul, but I have no doubt you put on an incredible performance. Many say you’ve played so many great roles, and there's a whisper in the air that you can do no wrong, almost as if you were the prodigy child who woke up to lead Arica in a new direction.–
–I just wrote a good series.–
–And you make so much money that by the ti you’re thirty, you’ll have bought Alaska and own half of Arica.–
–Hahahahaha.–
–You all get such ideas—buying Arica isn’t easy, especially with so many brilliant entrepreneurs. The competition is fierce, and in the coming months, one bad deal and you're no longer the golden boy. Congrats on your daughter, by the way – Billy added.
Just as he was about to say goodbye to the star, sothing sudden and fleeting struck the woman. She spoke out loud, her only chance to get out of the dilemma.
–I’d like you to help gain control of Maverick Records, the company I founded. As a full-fledged artist, I’ve done everything to avoid the trap of the labels, but here I am, caught in what we call a power struggle. They’ve started leveraging my profits for market capitalization – Madonna said. The short version is that in 1992, she founded the company with her manager and an executive producer, and now Freddy DeMann wants to use their differences to seize financial control.
–You want my money? – Billy asked, his smile sharp like a wolf’s, locking eyes with the blonde for the first ti. He never looked away.
–What are you willing to give, and why? – Billy asked, stepping closer. –Answer that, and in the next ten minutes, we’ll start working together.–
Starting his record label had never crossed his mind, but if he could buy one—and now that his company was exploding—maybe he could pick up a few labels. Though music was the most dangerous factor when it ca to dia events, excess, and illegality. Musicians constantly lived on a knife’s edge between morality and madness, like a roller coaster in Disneyland. It was nearly certain that in the coming months, he'd take bold action against the Hollywood studios.
–I...–
–Not now. I see you don’t even know what to do. Call later – Billy said, watching Monica twirl as her pointed heels lifted the yellow of her dress, her black hair wrapped in red layers.
–Count on it – Madonna whispered, holding the card in her hand. Being rich cos with a heavy price.
***
From Santa Monica to San Jose, it’s just a two-hour drive, but that didn’t matter. The vibrant atmosphere led Billy to Pixar, where everyone looked rested, their permanent eye bags gone and tired postures forgotten—thanks to one simple thing: giving themselves the space they needed.
–The prodigal son returns ho to deliver what we call the eternal mont of new blockbuster productions – John Lasseter said, his cheeks puffed, eyes warm, adjusting his glasses as he saw the ultimate boss—now injecting projects they'd never even considered.
–I ca to check on Star Wars: Clone Wars. We're planning to launch the series in November, Billy said. –And of course, I want to see how my shots turned out. Doing the Scottish accent was quite the revelation.–
–It was good, but you’ll have to make a few last-minute tweaks – Lasseter noted with a wince. The release of Shrek had moved from February 5 to February 25 because of issues like these. anwhile, a huge effort was underway to dub the film into French, Italian, Spanish, Mandarin, Japanese, Arabic, and German, with top-tier casts.
–No problem. Adjustnts are always necessary with these kinds of events – Billy replied, having already paid a lump sum for three films to most of the actors, with bonuses for sequels. The budget was $80 million—the biggest Pixar had ever seen—using a rougher, more appropriate model for fairy tales.
For parts two and three, they estimated $70 to $80 million each, released over three-year intervals. Kids loved Pixar, so many were happy to join even if the pay felt low. The exposure and ease of production made it a pri opportunity for stars and up-and-cors alike.
–So this is the team that’s made a milestone happen faster than we ever imagined – Lasseter said, stepping closer. –They figured out the smartest way to create a 3D series, with moving character templates using the Finvz system—Programd Motion 2.–
–John, Mr. Carson – said Michael Graham, Pixar's senior animator and project lead. Producing 25 episodes cost $14 million; they were now on episode 31, and might hit 50 by year’s end—and another 50 by late 1998 or early 1999, just as a favor.
–Good to see you all – said Ian Tomasi, one of Pixar's most famous background animators.
–I’ve heard a lot about you, Mr. Ian – Billy said, appreciating his talent.
–It’s all thanks to Mr. Lucas’s screenwriter. Using the scripts you gave us with the storyboards, these guys doubled the content, milking every Jedi master to the point where it wasn’t even pretty – said Graham, stunned by how ambitious the project was. They had nearly 180 episodes of Clone Wars, three prequel films, and two live-action series: one about General Grievous’s origin, and another about Anakin versus Asajj Ventress—both 10-episode miniseries.
The Clone Wars series explained the other characters’ arcs, their reasons for being there, laid the groundwork for the many factions, and explained how it all ca to be.
Each series explored their beginnings, what led them to darkness, and how Anakin Skywalker beca the galaxy’s center.
Add to that another animated/live-action series about the unknown end of Episode III—the rise of Darth Vader—and what happened next. This ti, the excuse was that many high-ranking Jedi had survived. Jedi knights and padawans went into hiding, and the Empire hunted them down. The rebellion rose. A decade of conflict drove Vader deeper into the dark side—until Luke Skywalker showed up, just as the Empire consolidated. There was another series about the Rebellion’s founding, in a darker tone—50 episodes—and Star Wars Rebels, a 40-episode series.
So: 180 episodes of Clone Wars, 12 episodes on Grievous, 12 on Asajj Ventress, 12 on Vader, 30 more animated episodes, Rebels, a young Han Solo film, Rogue One, three Pixar films about Luke post-Episode VI and his love for a Sith, Ahsoka Tano, The Mandalorian Seasons 1 and 2, a 30-episode Revan animated series, and another spin-off: three films about the Sith era, leading to three live-action films set 20 years after Luke’s ti.
–Then I expect nothing less – Billy said, eyeing the most ambitious project on his shoulders. With the recent acquisition of Lucasfilm, there was no choice but to keep buying up Lucas’s shares until he was ready.
–Well then, this is what you should see – Michael said, showing each episode. His eyes sparkled. The quality was first-class—nothing to envy from the 2005 series, almost ten years early and well ahead of the market.
–I think it’s fantastic, but if you can improve the video quality, that would be even better – Billy said, showing a trace of dissatisfaction. The sweaty Star Wars team froze. Lasseter was about to call it “great,” but stayed silent.
Billy’s critique weighed on them all. –But we can’t delay production. For now, it’s acceptable—but ‘acceptable’ isn’t good enough for the next episodes. That’s sothing Pixar must always rember: we do what no one expects.–
–We’ll speak to the software developnt team. I think we need to make the battles feel more intense – Michael said.
–Fra rate. You can create more artistic motion with fewer fras, to give a sense of extra speed – Billy replied.
Michael took notes on everything—from lighting to posture to how the characters lost visual presence, how their unattainable image clashed with the production’s vision.
...
User Comments
0 comments from readers