Chapter 14

"Hey, quite a few people have come. Now you know how to show respect."

Chen Tiandu felt a surge of satisfaction. He pondered whether he should maintain his composure or go along with the flow. But he quickly dismissed these thoughts, approaching with the enthusiasm of a fan meeting an idol. He rushed over, shook hands warmly with the newcomer, and said, "Director Spielberg, it's actually you who came in person. I'm your super fan; I've studied all your movies in detail. I'm really... honored."

Upon hearing about the events of the day, Steven had initially thought this young Asian man was a rebellious type. But he was pleasantly surprised to see that his presence had resolved the issue to a large extent. A smile appeared on his face, "Christmas, can I call you that? We've known each other online for a long time, and I'm glad to meet you in person."

"It's my honor, Director."

Steven Spielberg then introduced the others, even bringing along the lawyer, Donny. Besides Robert Rodat, Toby Hawkins was also there, along with another producer, Ian Bryce, and a new Writers Guild staff member, Carter. The intention was clear.

"Christmas, I heard about what happened today, and I feel very sorry. You might not be familiar with how Hollywood works. Before a movie starts shooting, the script needs to be carefully polished and revised to perfection. I was too eager to start filming, and since you weren't in the U.S. at the time, I asked Mr. Robert Rodat to be the script doctor. He had an idea to write a story about Normandy and was actually very impressed by your script. However, his temper isn't the best, and that led to a conflict. I'm very sorry."

"No, no, it's fine, no need to apologize. In fact, I was too extreme. Mr. Rodat, let me introduce myself again. I'm Christmas Chen from the Central Academy of Drama and Film in China. It's a pleasure to meet you." He smiled kindly and extended his hand to Robert. Regardless of whether this was a test arranged by the Jews, he treated it as if he didn't know.

Robert Rodat managed a forced smile, and they shook hands, putting their differences behind them.

"Alright, that's how men should handle things. Why don't we all sit down and discuss the real business?"

Signing the contract was a no-brainer. DreamWorks was willing to pay $1 million for the script, and Chen Tiandu signed without haggling. While $1 million seems like a lot, it's only 1.4% of the $70 million budget for the film. He knew this script was Oscar-worthy, and any of the Big Six Hollywood studios would snatch it up if they had any sense. For major studios, $1 million is the minimum price for a blockbuster script.

The agreement was finally signed, and everyone's smiles grew wider. "Still a sensible Chinese, who said he was rebellious?"

Ian Bryce raised his glass, "To a pleasant collaboration, I propose a toast."

"For the movie to be a box office hit, for a bountiful Oscar season, and for Director Spielberg to win Best Director, cheers!" Chen Tiandu, looking like a naive young man, shouted the toast and downed his drink in one go. He thought, "You guys are too childish; in our place, we'd drink three in a row."

Everyone was taken aback by his bold words, and Steven's impression of him improved even more, "Thank you in advance, Christmas, if we really win."

Chen Tiandu smiled humbly, "I believe in the director's ability and the quality of this script. Have I mentioned that I'm a film directing student?"

"Yes, you did. Your school is the most famous film school in China, and it has produced several great directors who have won European film awards, like Zhang Yimou and Jiang Wen."

"Thank you, Director, for remembering. Our country's film industry is still developing, and everyone envies Hollywood's production model. As you know, I'm graduating this year, and my directing experience is limited to planning and shooting three commercials. Could I make a small request to join the crew and learn? I can work without any salary."

The American film industry has many "tyrannical clauses."

Writers have little say and are at the mercy of producers and directors. Scripts are revised to meet the investors' standards. Although writers are the most familiar with the script, they have no say in casting and must follow the director's choices. Once the script is finalized, it cannot be changed, and writers do not need to work on set. In the Korean market, writers are paid much more, about 20 to 30 times what Chinese writers earn, and their status is higher than directors. Directors cannot change the script without the writer's permission, and actors changing lines is considered disrespectful to the writer... It's a unique country.

The Americans were clearly puzzled by Chen Tiandu's enthusiasm, "These days, there are still people willing to work for free?"

Steven was slightly taken aback but readily agreed, "Of course, that's great, we'd be delighted."

The young Chinese man was clearly overenthusiastic, "Director, could you please watch the three commercials I directed?"

"Now?" Steven was confused. To everyone, Chen Tiandu seemed like a rash and overly excited young man, perhaps even a bit overreacting to meeting his idol.

"Sure, it's very convenient. Please wait a moment."

Chen Tiandu shrugged, took out his phone, and pointed it at a TV in the front of the restaurant that was playing music. Everyone was puzzled by what he was doing, but his phone looked quite modern. Chen Tiandu fiddled with it a bit, selected a video file, and threw it to the large TV.

"Static~~" The music on the TV disappeared, replaced by a Chinese commercial.

The first one was a phone commercial. Everyone was startled. What kind of technology was this? A hacker? Or had Chinese phones advanced to this level? But in America, it's very taboo to pry into someone's privacy. Despite their doubts, they kept quiet. They guessed Chen Tiandu must be the son of some tech company executive or at least from a wealthy family.

The TV news suddenly stopped, and Chinese commercials started playing. The waiters were puzzled, thinking the TV was broken.

"Hey, guys, move a bit, don't block my signal," Chen Tiandu shouted. The waiters, knowing the table was occupied by important people, smiled and moved aside.

The beautiful music quickly drew everyone's attention to the TV. The one-minute commercial was good. The next toothpaste commercial was also one minute, and it was decent. When the Canon music played, a four-minute commercial, everyone's faces lit up.

"Very nice commercials, very creative," Steven smiled.

"Thank you."

Chen Tiandu "blushed" and said, "Just commercials, that's all."

Robert Rodat, seeing how quickly this young man had won everyone over with his act, felt a surge of anger and asked, "Christmas, can I ask you some questions about the script?"

"Of course, this time you can ask one by one."

"Alright. Why did you write a World War II story? Why not a Chinese World War II story?"

Chen Tiandu smiled, "I did. In fact, my first script was a Chinese World War II story about a pianist's love during the war. Unfortunately, it wasn't good enough, and no one has been willing to invest in it. Later, I wrote an American World War II story."

"Saving Private Ryan is very American. Does your story have a real-life basis?"

Chen Tiandu continued to smile, "I think it does, but I haven't verified it. My grandmother was a French doctor who came to China to help during World War II. It was probably a U.S. 101st Airborne Division soldier named Fritz Niland, though I'm not sure. He learned that his brother in the 82nd Airborne Division had been killed in action, and his other brother in the infantry had also died on Utah Beach. Soon after, his third brother was reported missing and presumed dead after being shot down over the China-Burma-India border, as he was part of a bomber crew. On the same day, Mrs. Niland received three telegrams informing her of her sons' deaths. Fritz was the only surviving son, so the Army ordered him to be sent back to the U.S. first."

"If you're interested, you can verify it. Of course, the script has many fictional elements, like the members of the rescue team and the final town battle." During this explanation, he only mentioned his grandmother without saying she told him the story, but everyone subconsciously believed he learned it from his French grandmother.

His explanation was so detailed that everyone's expressions relaxed even more.