novellhall The two most useful pieces of information in Chapter 356
The two most useful pieces of information in Chapter 356
The two most useful pieces of information in Chapter 355
Late at night in Atlanta.
In the crew's apartment, only a small desk lamp was lit.
Chen Xun had just finished a day of filming, removed his makeup, and taken a shower.
Christine wasn't at the apartment; she went to shoot a magazine.
He looked at the storyboard for the second day of Spider-Man's filming on his tablet, but his gaze unconsciously drifted to the time in the lower right corner.
There are only three minutes left until midnight on Monday.
He's almost lost all hope for the "Global Film and Television Industry Weekly Accurate Intelligence Network".
For six consecutive weeks, the weekly updates consisted entirely of bland and uninteresting Hollywood industry news.
Which studio has greenlit a new B-movie, which actor has secured a supporting role in a comic book adaptation, and Disney and Universal are arguing over summer movie scheduling—all of this is irrelevant and useless information that has nothing to do with his core projects.
Over time, he would just glance at the intelligence panel every week and then close it, no longer holding any expectations.
[It's midnight Monday, and the [Global Film and Television Industry Weekly Accurate Intelligence Network] has automatically updated.]
[The latest information has been synchronized to the system panel, and the host can view it at any time.]
The words appeared before my eyes.
Chen Xun put down the tablet, silently said "open intelligence panel" in his mind, and scanned it without much expectation.
As in previous weeks, the dashboard was filled with dozens of Hollywood industry news items.
From the PR updates of the awards season prelude to project changes at the six major studios, most of the content is trivial.
His finger slid down quickly, and just as he was about to close the panel, two pieces of information marked with yellow emphasis suddenly caught his eye.
Chen Xun's gaze froze instantly as he read on, word by word.
The first piece of intelligence pinpointed precisely to his current filming of "Spider-Man: Homecoming":
[A key milestone in the creation of the soundtrack for *Spider-Man: Homecoming*: Composer Michael Giacchino has completed the first draft of Spider-Man's solo theme song. However, the core melody has been officially rejected by Sony Music, which deemed it too heavy and unsuitable for the lighthearted tone of a teen film. Giacchino himself highly approves of the melody, believing it perfectly captures Peter Parker's core message of "a young man shouldering the responsibility of a hero." He is currently struggling with the creative dilemma and will likely abandon this core melody and rewrite it to pass the review.]
Chen Xun's brows furrowed instantly.
Who is Michael Giacchino?
Hollywood's top film score composer.
He composed the scores for "Up," "Star Trek," and the "Mission: Impossible" series.
The classic soundtrack from the previous film, "Spider-Man: Homecoming," is considered a god-tier soundtrack by countless Marvel fans.
The Spider-Man theme song, in particular, perfectly blends youthful energy with the weight of heroism, making it the highlight of the entire film.
He never expected this.
This classic melody was almost rejected by Sony's music department at this point in time.
Without this information, by the time Giacchino compromised and changed the melody, and by the time post-production was almost complete, it would have been too late to make changes, which would have been a major regret for the entire film.
Chen Xun continued reading.
The second piece of information is about "Joker".
[Warning: The cinematographer for the film *Joker*, Lawrence Sher, is reportedly considering resigning due to a serious scheduling conflict with post-production reshoots for another Warner Bros. A-list production, *Kong: Skull Island*. Phillips has not yet informed Warner Bros. and is privately searching for alternative cinematographers. However, the visual styles of the current candidates are poorly aligned with the film's intended dark and documentary aesthetic, which could significantly impact the final cinematography and artistic expression.]
Upon seeing this, Chen Xun's heart skipped a beat.
Lawrence Sher!
The reason why the previous version of "Joker" was able to sweep the Oscars was not only due to Joaquin Phoenix's god-like performance, but also to its highly impactful cinematography and lighting design.
Lawrence Sher used minimalist yet powerful shots to capture Arthur Fleck's madness and despair, even earning an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography.
If a different cinematographer with an incompatible style were chosen due to scheduling conflicts, the final product of "Joker" would definitely be greatly diminished.
This is not a simple personnel change; it is a critical hidden danger that directly relates to the artistic limits of the film.
The system's intelligence had brought these two potential threats to his attention in advance.
This must be resolved.
Although nothing changed in the previous life.
But now that he exists in this world, who knows what changes might occur.
A light instantly ignited in Chen Xun's eyes, sweeping away the slackness brought on by the ineffective intelligence of the previous weeks.
These two pieces of intelligence may seem insignificant, and they don't involve any life-or-death crises for the projects, but they accurately pinpoint the most crucial details of the two projects. The gains they can bring are far more substantial than those earth-shattering pieces of intelligence.
He immediately picked up his phone, found Kevin Feige's contact information, and dialed the number.
It was still daytime in Los Angeles, and Kevin Feige answered the phone almost instantly, laughing as he said, "Chen? Why are you calling at this hour? It's already past midnight in Atlanta, isn't it? What went wrong with filming?"
"The filming is fine, it's the music that's the problem."
Chen Xun cut to the chase: "Was Michael Giacchino in charge of the score for 'Spider-Man'? Is he having some problems right now?"
Kevin Feige on the other end of the phone was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting him to know about this: "How did you know? It was just mentioned in a small meeting in the music department yesterday, and it hasn't reached the production team yet. Giacino did mention it to Jon, saying that the music department asked him to change the melody, and he's been upset about it."
"I want to get Mr. Giacchino's contact information so I can talk to him about this melody."
"I've heard his first draft. The core melody is very well written and perfectly fits the core of Peter Parker's character. It's not as heavy as the music department said. Peter Parker has never been a simple high school student. His story has always carried the weight of responsibility. This melody captures that point perfectly. Changing it would have lost the soul of Spider-Man."
Kevin Feige himself had great faith in Giacchino's professional abilities.
However, Sony Music has its own review standards, so he can't interfere too much.
Now that Chen Xun had brought it up himself, and with such a clear attitude, he immediately agreed: "No problem, I'll send you his private phone number right away."
"Giacino was reluctant to make any changes in the first place. You're the lead actor and a Golden Globe winner. Your understanding of the character is much more reliable than those office workers in the music department. If you can reach an agreement with him, we will definitely give you our full support. I'll handle the communication with Sony."
Less than a minute after hanging up the phone, Kevin Feige sent over Michael Giacchino's contact information.
Without hesitation, Chen Xun immediately dialed the number.
The phone rang several times before being answered. A slightly tired male voice came from the other end; it was Michael Giacchino: "Hello?"
"Hello, Mr. Giacchino, I am Chen Xun, the actor who plays Peter Parker in Spider-Man: Homecoming."
Chen Xun spoke politely: "I apologize for bothering you, but I wanted to talk to you about the Spider-Man theme song."
Giacchino was visibly taken aback, clearly not expecting the male lead to call him suddenly. His tone was slightly surprised: "Mr. Chen Xun, hello, hello. Is this about the theme song? I thought only the music department and the production team knew about it."
"I just learned that the core theme you wrote was rejected by the music department, and they asked you to revise it."
Chen Xun cut to the chase: "What I want to tell you is, please don't change it. The melody you wrote is too precise."
He paused, then, starting from the core of the character, said word by word: "Many people think that Peter in 'Homecoming' is a sixteen-year-old high school student, so the soundtrack should be all upbeat and youthful."
"But actually, no. From the moment he received the suit and understood the saying 'With great power comes great responsibility,' his life was no longer the same as that of an ordinary high school student."
"His youthful spirit hides a steadfast commitment to responsibility and a determination to charge forward even when afraid. Your melody perfectly captures the profound sense of weight hidden behind his youthful spirit, which is the soul of Spider-Man."
There was an instant silence on the other end of the phone.
Then came Giacchino's excited voice, his fatigue almost completely gone: "Yes! This is exactly what I had in mind when I wrote this melody. The people in the music department just thought it wasn't lively enough, they didn't understand the significance of this melody for the character at all! I've been struggling with this for the past few days, I can't bear to change it, but if I don't change it, it won't pass the review. I didn't expect you to understand it completely!"
One is a master composer who has been working on soundtracks for many years, and the other is an actor who has etched the character into his very being. Their understanding of the character perfectly matched at this moment.
Chen Xun added with a smile: "Don't worry, just stick to your own creation. Kevin Feige will communicate with the music department, and as the male lead, I will also make it clear to the production company and Sony that I highly approve of your creation and hope to preserve it in the film."
"Thank you so much, Mr. Chen Xun."
Giacchino's voice was full of gratitude: "I was prepared to compromise, but I didn't expect you to call me specifically. Just because of your understanding of the character, I will definitely write the entire soul of Peter Parker in the later score!"
The two chatted for another ten minutes or so, from the details of the theme song to the musical styles of different scenes, and they got along better and better.
Giacchino even chatted with Chen Xun on the spot about several new creative ideas. The frustration brought by the rejected melody was swept away, and he was full of creative enthusiasm.
After hanging up the phone, Chen Xun breathed a sigh of relief.
Not only did it preserve this classic theme, but it also allowed the composer to gain a deeper understanding of the characters, ensuring that subsequent music compositions will be even more fitting to the film.
This was definitely a pleasant surprise.