Chapter 53

Perhaps Chen Tiandu's recent frequent actions have caught the attention of DreamWorks.

"Shengdan, I heard you've acquired another film company? Congratulations, do you have any new film plans?" Jeffrey called to inquire.

"Mr. Katzenberg, I was just about to tell you. Yes, I have a new film plan, it's called 'The Matrix.' The script has already been submitted to DreamWorks' production department. Haven't you seen it?"

"I've seen the script. It seems to be a sci-fi film? I don't quite understand. If you have time, come to DreamWorks, we'd like to hear your explanation of the story."

This year, the two most profitable films for DreamWorks were both written by Chen Tiandu. Especially 'The Sixth Sense' made DreamWorks a huge fortune, and the entire Hollywood envied them.

Now that Chen Tiandu has a new script, DreamWorks can't help but take it seriously.

Chen Tiandu was already very familiar with the entrance to DreamWorks. However, his mood this time was completely different from the last time he stepped in here. He was representing Matrix Studio to discuss cooperation, not coming as an individual. Although there was a significant difference, at least it was a form of equal status.

Kong Yiji came with him, just as he had previously raised funds domestically, but the audience was different this time.

In the meeting room, two of the three major figures from DreamWorks were present, only David Geffen was absent. A circle of senior executives was seated, and even Steven Spielberg was there in person. It's worth noting that Spielberg was famous for never personally attending any of DreamWorks' financial meetings. He once said, "I hope any meeting I attend can end within two minutes." The reason was simple: Spielberg preferred being a director rather than a businessman.

This time, even he came in person, showing sufficient importance to Chen Tiandu's new film.

Kong Yiji, who could talk confidently to Chen Tiandu at Matrix Company last time, was a bit intimidated by this scene.

In such a situation, it had to be Chen Tiandu himself who took the lead.

He was calm and composed, speaking without any pressure, "In the film 'The Truman Show,' directed by David Fincher this year, a private and virtual world is depicted, very classic. He puts the real world into a box similar to a TV. Now, I propose a hypothesis: 'When you wake up every morning, is the sleepy person in the mirror really you? Do you feel a vague sense of emptiness? Is what you know real? Everything will be gradually revealed...'

"In 1860, the imaginative pen of British writer Lewis Carroll led the curious Alice to fall into a wonderful and magical dream world while chasing a rabbit. In 'The Matrix,' Neo, who suspects something is wrong with the world, follows a sexy woman with a white rabbit tattoo to an underground rave party, and from there, he can't stop, entering the real desert."

As he introduced the story, the audience recalled some scenes from the script, the opening scene being "the mysterious hacker guiding Neo to follow the white rabbit."

"My story begins here. Neo, a young hacker living in the Matrix, discovers that the seemingly normal real world is actually controlled by some force. Neo investigates this online. Meanwhile, Morpheus, the captain of the human resistance organization in the real world, has been searching for the legendary savior in the Matrix. Thus, under the guidance of Trinity, a member of the human resistance, the two meet."

"Under Morpheus' guidance, Neo returns to the real world, escaping the Matrix. He then learns that he has been living in a virtual world all along. The true history is that in 20XX, humans invented AI, and then the machines rebelled, leading to a war with humans. As humans were pushed back, they were forced to cover the entire sky with clouds to cut off the machines' energy source (solar power). However, the machines developed a new energy source—biological energy—using genetic engineering to create humans and connect them to the Matrix, allowing them to live in a virtual world to obtain excess energy. Neo is one of them."

"After learning this, Neo joins the human resistance and, under Morpheus' training, gradually becomes a skilled 'hacker.' He also begins to show differences from other hackers, making Morpheus more convinced that he is the savior..."

As he told the story, he used a slide projector to show the audience the storyboard drawings of various scenes.

"This is a hacker film, but it's not just about sitting in front of a computer and typing. The transition between the Matrix world and the real spaceship will be the main setting, and the action design will be the main highlight, one of the most prominent features of my film."

He then handed over two pictures, "Please take a look at the character designs, which I created."

The audience took a look and couldn't help but smile. One was the cover photo of 'Vanity Fair' featuring Chen Tiandu, and the other was his hand-drawn design of Keanu Reeves in a black leather outfit.

"You've already found the lead actors. If I'm not mistaken, this is the cover of 'Vanity Fair,' right?" Spielberg laughed.

Chen Tiandu shrugged, "Even 'Vanity Fair' doesn't know that the cool cover is the look for my next film. I think it will be very interesting when the film is released."

"Everyone is still discussing the script, but you're already talking about the film's release. Are you that confident that DreamWorks will definitely invest in this film?" someone interjected, but received little response.

Well, the possibility of DreamWorks investing is over 90%, even if it's just for the high returns from 'The Sixth Sense.'

"But you previously directed a horror film, and this is a sci-fi film. The gap between a horror director and a sci-fi director is too large, which makes us very worried," said the head of the production department, Manny.

Chen Tiandu said, "Yes, ten months ago, I was a rookie who had never directed any film."

Manny: "..."

Is that an answer?

Katzenberg said, "Your script is very creative. Seeing that you've acquired a special effects company and even designed the lead actress's costume, it's clear you've done a lot of preparation. So, what do you think the budget for this film should be?"

Chen Tiandu raised an eyebrow and slowly announced a number, "Ninety million dollars."

"!!!"

The meeting room immediately became restless. "The budget has tripled from 'The Sixth Sense.' Does this film really need that much money?" "Even with mechanical special effects, it doesn't seem to require that much." "Yes, it's too much, not very realistic. We can calculate a more accurate budget after a professional assessment." "Guys, isn't it too early to discuss this? We haven't done a risk analysis and can't determine whether to invest in this film." ...

Katzenberg and Spielberg didn't speak. Those who knew Chen Tiandu's filming style knew that the budget he proposed was usually large, and the final amount used would definitely be less, which certainly included substantial marketing costs. However, the issue was that Chen Tiandu wasn't an easy person to persuade.

Faced with various doubts, Chen Tiandu spread his hands and said, "Gentlemen and ladies, this film will make everyone a lot of money, I guarantee it."

The audience fell silent, and Manny raised a stronger objection, "What makes you so confident that the film will make money? In Hollywood, no one dares to say their film will definitely make money."

Is that true? Chen Tiandu was about to list a few examples but was interrupted by Kong Yiji, "Because if he can't get funding, he will invest all the money he earned from the previous film. I think this reason is enough."

"..."

Everyone knew that Chen Tiandu had earned fifty million from 'The Sixth Sense' alone. The money hadn't even cooled in his pocket before he reinvested it all? God, is this Chinese man crazy?

Chen Tiandu secretly gave Kong Yiji a thumbs up. This rebuttal was concise and powerful.

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