I am Hollywood

Chapter 409: Chapter 410: It's Not Like I'm Against It

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[Chapter 410: It's Not Like I'm Against It]

Stan Winston nodded and followed Eric as they walked out of the studio. Cameron, glancing back at the computer surrounded by a team of special effects artists, reluctantly followed them and caught up to Eric, throwing his arm around his shoulder. "Eric, I just had a fantastic idea about Terminator 2. You see..."

Eric could tell that Cameron was inspired by the recent special effects he had seen, and he immediately made a pained expression. "Jim, don't even think about it. The budget for this movie has already exceeded $100 million, and we're over 40% into post-production. If you want to start over, you might as well shoot me with Arnold's gun."

Cameron felt a brief embarrassment but then stubbornly responded, "Eric, it's just a minor modification. I swear to God, it won't cost much."

"Jim, it's not about the money. If it were, I would have fired you before you hit that $100 million mark. The real issue is the timeline. Firefly has already begun pre-promoting Terminator 2, and I've seen the rough cut. The movie is already fantastic, and I just hope you can deliver it on time."

Cameron kept trying to convince Eric, but when he saw Eric steadfast in his refusal, he walked away, disappointed.

"He definitely won't let this go," Stan Winston remarked, watching Cameron's retreat while speaking to Eric.

At that moment, Eric wore a more relaxed expression as he replied, "I know he won't let it go. But that guy has a habit of wanting more, so I couldn't agree right away. Just keep an eye on him for me. If he needs to tweak a few details, make an effort to accommodate him, but we absolutely can't change our stance."

Stan chuckled, "Eric, Jim always complains about you being a merchant of film who only cares about money at such a young age, lacking any ideals. If he heard what you just said, he'd probably change his mind about you."

"Let's keep it that way, then," Eric laughed too. "Otherwise, he'll just end up spending more of my money."

After a few more laughs, Stan switched to business. "Let's get serious. Although the CG issues have been resolved, I think perfectly combining CG with real scenes is no easy task."

"That's part of why I came here," Eric said. "Besides checking out the results of this special effect work, I need you to bring a team with me to Oklahoma for on-site scouting. I need professional effects artists to evaluate the feasibility of the locations."

Stan considered the recent work schedule. Since the digital division set up, the company had taken on several jobs from other studios that didn't require his direct involvement. He nodded in agreement. "Then I'll take Matt and the others. Honestly, I suddenly feel you might have been right. CG effects could very well replace practical effects in the not-so-distant future." "There's no need to get sentimental, Stan. Just like how sound replaced silent films and color replaced black and white, these things are inevitable."

Stan said, "I just feel a bit nostalgic. I never imagined I'd suddenly be replaced after doing practical effects for over ten years. Anyway, when do you plan to leave? I'll make preparations."

"We'll head out in two days. I'll have my assistant fax you the detailed itinerary. The initial scouting team has already brought back a lot of footage and images. I've picked some main shooting locations; this trip is just to assess the practical feasibility of filming. We should be back in about a week."

As noon approached, Eric declined Stan's lunch invitation and hurried out of the Digital Domain headquarters, driving toward Beverly Hills.

...

The car stopped outside a mansion in Beverly Hills. The driver got out and rang the doorbell. The security quickly opened the gate, and the car drove inside.

Stepping out, Eric looked around. The mansion was about 1,000 square meters, with a cobblestone path leading straight to the entrance flanked by perfectly manicured lawns. A crescent-shaped swimming pool lay in front of the villa.

Neither of the two women seemed inclined to greet him, but Eric didn't mind. He pushed open the villa door and stepped inside, only to hear the sound of a baby crying from a room on the left.

Walking over, he witnessed a somewhat humorous scene in the nursery. Elisabeth was shaking a rattle toy while mumbling something and making silly faces at the baby. Julia was cradling the baby in her arms with a bottle in her other hand, trying to feed her.

When the two women noticed Eric's figure in the doorway, they both lit up, but upon realizing it was him, their expressions quickly fell back, redirecting their focus to the child.

Eric approached, observing the two women's chaotic efforts, and extended his hand. "Let me take over. Babies are so delicate; you can't just hold them like that."

Julia glanced at Eric's serious expression and handed the baby over.

Taking the baby into his arms, cradling its head securely, Eric looked at the two women and asked, "Didn't you hire a nanny?"

Julia sighed, looking at the baby who continued to cry even after Eric held her. "We did, but one of them, Lina, called in sick, and Betty went to the supermarket for formula for Emma. I have no idea why she's still not back. The little one suddenly started crying; maybe she's hungry?"

Eric accepted the bottle from Julia, tested the warmth against his lips, brought it to the little girl's mouth, but the baby just sucked for a moment and then spit the nipple out, continuing to cry. Handing the bottle back to Julia, Eric leaned down and sniffed, then said, "I think it's time to change her diaper."

As he spoke, Eric placed the baby in a nearby crib, unwrapped the blanket, removed the soaked diaper, and skillfully wrapped the little one in a clean one.

Both Elisabeth and Julia watched Eric change the baby's diaper, their faces displaying a mix of confusion and surprise.

By the time Eric finished and stepped into the bathroom to wash his hands, the baby had quieted down, gazing around with wide, bright eyes.

Julia looked at Eric as he emerged from the bathroom and couldn't help but say, "I can't imagine there's anything you don't know how to do."

Eric gently patted the baby with a finger, and upon hearing Julia's remark, he laughed. "I'd like to know that too. When you figure it out, Let me know."

Elisabeth chimed in, "You're not actually planning on having kids, right?"

"If a guy pushes himself hard enough, it's not impossible," Eric shrugged. "But I'm absolutely not doing that."

*****

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