I am Hollywood

Chapter 808: Chapter 809: Music Copyrights

[Chapter 809: Music Copyrights]

The call came from Kelly, who was in Los Angeles, regarding an MP3 player. The Firefly Electronics company's R&D center in San Francisco had finally developed a finished MP3 player utilizing microdisk technology for storage.

After talking with Kelly for a while, Eric said, "Well then, let's have someone send a sample over to London for me to take a look. As for the sales and promotional plan, let the electronics company work together with Yahoo to come up with a suitable proposal."

"..."

"About the music copyrights?" Eric hesitated before adding, "Sony Records definitely won't easily grant us a license. Besides their own music resources, we can focus on negotiating with Warner and Universal Records. Have Yahoo start working on this for now, and when I return to Los Angeles in November, we'll assess the situation again."

"..."

"Ah, Caroline, since she is heading back to London for a vacation, let her bring the sample with her... Okay, that settles it. Goodbye."

After hanging up, Eric stood in place, contemplating.

...

To effectively promote the MP3 player, the primary challenge remained securing music copyright resources. Sony initially invested heavily in acquiring Columbia Records and other smaller music companies to promote their Walkman, ultimately merging them into what became Sony Records.

When they lured the team from JIVE Records to Firefly Records, the label had released hugely popular teen pop artists like the Backstreet Boys over the past two years, plus they held the soundtrack distribution rights for all the movies under Firefly Group. However, compared to established music giants like Sony Records and Warner Records, Firefly Records' overall strength was still vastly inferior.

Especially in the music copyright library, while those legacy labels boasted millions of song licenses, Firefly Records' collection barely amounted to tens of thousands, which simply wasn't substantial enough to support the Yahoo Music Store initiative.

Eric intentionally separated the MP3 player from the Yahoo Music Store, with each product belonging to Firefly Electronics and Yahoo Network Corporation individually. This strategy aimed to establish Yahoo Music Store as a monopoly in online music sales. Firefly Electronics didn't have plans to tightly control the MP3 player patent. By this time, Nokia had already secured all technical licenses and set up a department for developing Nokia Music Phones. Going forward, the MP3 player would similarly be licensed out to more stakeholders affiliated with Firefly.

Eric's plan was that in the future, all companies acquiring MP3 player patents would have to purchase music albums exclusively from the Yahoo Music Store. In the end, although the MP3 player was simply a transitional product with a shorter popularity cycle, the Yahoo Music Store could sustain itself long-term. Once users became accustomed to buying music from that store, even amid rapid updates to electronic hardware, the Yahoo Music Store would continue to maintain a strong industry position, generating substantial profits over time.

...

After a brief day of adjustment to familiarize themselves with the Pinewood Studios' shooting environment, the crew resumed operations the next day.

Most of the outdoor scenes had already been filmed in the Bahamas, Czech Republic, and Italy. The filming during the final two months would mostly wrap up inside Pinewood Studios.

Pinewood Studios was also among the earliest filming locations in Europe to undergo digitization. As filming progressed, initial post-production work commenced on-site at Pinewood as well.

London was continuously cloaked in dreary weather, with fine rain drizzling outside the car window. Caroline Wilson had returned to London the previous evening and drove out to Pinewood Studios early that morning.

The Wilson family estate was located on the banks of the Thames in the western suburbs of London, only ten kilometers away from Pinewood Studios. Caroline drove carefully, making it there in under twenty minutes.

The navy blue mini car left the highway and turned onto Pinewood Road, heading north. It soon arrived at the parking lot of Pinewood Studios. Caroline picked up a small locked briefcase from the passenger seat, locked the car, opened her umbrella, hesitated momentarily, then carefully bent down to tidy her voluminous blonde hair before walking towards the studio.

Since it wasn't too far from her home, Caroline had visited Pinewood Studios multiple times before. She was familiar with the layout of the area. The iconic 007 filming stage was positioned at the northernmost part of the complex and was the largest soundstage in the studio. However, when she called the night prior, she had learned that today's shooting wasn't happening in the 007 stage but rather in the underwater filming base.

Navigating confidently to the soundstage of the underwater filming unit, a security guard at the entrance noticed the petite blonde girl approaching with a briefcase, feeling somewhat curious but finding it hard to feel any wariness. He approached and asked, "Excuse me, miss, who are you looking for?"

"Sir, my name is Caroline Wilson. I have an appointment," Caroline said politely while putting her umbrella away.

The guard was a middle-aged man in his forties, slightly balding and a bit overweight. Perhaps it had been a long while since he had heard a respectful address like "sir" from someone, and Caroline carried an air of aristocracy that automatically prompted a little more respect from him. He nodded cheerfully, "Miss, please hold on a moment; I'll check."

...

Moments later, Peter Rich emerged from the soundstage. "Caroline, it's great to see you again! Come with me."

Caroline followed Peter Rich, asking, "Is Mr. Williams in there?"

Everyone in Eric's assistant office knew about Caroline's feelings for Eric. Peter Rich noticed Caroline's deliberate change in how she addressed him and smiled, nodding, "Of course, he's in there. However, everyone is quite busy, so you might have to wait until noon. In fact, you could have come here at lunchtime."

"I... I really didn't have much to do at home, so I thought I'd come early," Caroline explained with a blush, stealing a glance at Peter Rich, a bit worried he might tease her.

Peter Rich wouldn't do that. He casually changed the topic, leading Caroline to the shooting site within the stage.

Around the central pool, approximately fifty people were bustling about. Large green screens surrounded the pool, and it was evident people were working underwater. The atmosphere was surprisingly orderly, with the occasional noise from moving props and the director's voice amplified over a megaphone breaking the stillness.

Arriving at a designated waiting area, Peter Rich gestured around and said, "We'll have to wait here."

There were a few simple chairs, several large towels, and a steaming coffee pot on a long table -- a resting area. Two middle-aged men, wrapped in towels, sipped coffee and chatted. They noticed Peter Rich arriving with a petite girl and exchanged curious glances, nodding in acknowledgment.

Caroline politely returned their gaze, scanning the area for Eric but not spotting him. She turned to Peter Rich in confusion.

Peter Rich laughed and pointed towards the water.

Caroline understood right away. Just then, several figures emerged from the water, and she instinctively raised her hand but didn't wave because Eric wasn't looking at her; he was saying something to the crew by the edge of the pool. People on the shore jumped into the water, pulling those who had just surfaced back to safety.

Peter Rich offered Caroline a cup of coffee and invited her to sit. "The shoot started just an hour ago, so it's expected to last until noon. If you're bored, you might as well stroll around the area; there's a cinema over by Goldfinger Avenue."

Caroline placed the small briefcase on her lap and accepted the coffee with a grateful smile, saying, "It's fine; I'll wait here."

Peter Rich nodded, glancing at the small briefcase on her lap. He asked, "Do you need help storing that?"

Caroline shook her head, "No, thank you."

Peter Rich knew what was in the case and didn't press. Noticing Caroline's gaze frequently wander over towards the filming site, he casually remarked, "They've been shooting this scene for three days now, and we should wrap it up today. Underwater scenes can be tricky; Mr. Williams has been diving down himself each day. The day before yesterday, we filmed a scene where a cage fell into the water, and someone almost got hurt."

Caroline's heart leaped nervously. "Is everyone okay?"

"Of course! We had lifeguards watching closely underneath the surface. However, some in the crew caught colds since the weather has been a bit chilly," Peter Rich chuckled, saying, "A few lucky fellows were sent home for the day to avoid catching anything. I heard they sneaked off to London before dawn."

"Haha," Caroline giggled softly.

"And you?" Peter Rich asked, "How long is your vacation? A month?"

"Half a month," Caroline replied, "I need to be back in Los Angeles by the 20th. If I rest too long, I might fall behind on work."

Since the release of The Matrix, many within the Firefly system felt that the staff at Eric's assistant office resembled the Agents from The Matrix. They didn't directly participate in any of the companies' operations within the Firefly group but gathered and organized major operational information to provide professional assessments directly to Eric.

Thus, they acted as Eric's eyes monitoring the Firefly economic empire.

After years of refining, Eric's assistant office had established a highly effective workflow. While many viewed the department as somewhat inconsequential, those employees were actually quite busy daily. Assistants like Peter Rich, who were able to stay close to Eric, had it easier compared to others involved in the grueling day-to-day operations.

After Caroline spoke, Peter Rich glanced back at the pool, smiling as he said, "Mr. Williams and I have discussed it, and next year, I might transition to FFM TV."

FFM TV was a cable project that would become a major partnership between Firefly, MGM, and Fox over the next few years. From what Caroline read about it, she could understand Eric's level of attention and importance he placed on the network. Hearing Peter say this meant he was getting a promotion, and Caroline naturally congratulated him.

"Congratulations, Peter!"

Having recently been at Eric's side for the last six months, Peter understood better than Caroline just how high Eric's expectations were for FFM. Moving to FFM for mid-level management was certainly a significant career leap, but Peter smiled and said, "Caroline, that's not what I meant. My point is that next year when I transfer, it's likely Mr. Williams will need a new assistant. You know, Ms. Haynes can't stay with Mr. Williams long-term; maybe you should give it a shot."

Caroline's cheeks flushed bright red as she stammered, "W-well, that's entirely up to Mr. W-williams himself, right?"

Caroline's warm, polite, and genuinely kind-hearted nature endeared her to all the employees in Eric's assistant office, treating her like a younger sister. Given her British aristocratic lineage, they also felt that if anyone deserved to be with her, it would likely be their boss.

Over the past six months around Eric, Peter Rich had gained a decent understanding of Eric's character. Though Eric was charming, he was also quite considerate of the feelings of the women around him. In other words, if Caroline were to be side by side with him, Peter felt certain that Eric's flirtations would diminish, and perhaps over time, Caroline could become the official lady of the house.

However, observing Caroline's bashful demeanor, Peter Rich merely smiled and chose not to pursue the topic further. After all, no matter how fond he was of the girl beside him, revealing his observations about their boss's character would breach workplace etiquette -- something everyone understood but no one openly confessed to.

...

In the underwater filming area, Eric noticed Caroline shortly after she arrived, though he didn't have time to greet her.

They had been filming Bond's underwater farewell scene with Vesper for four days now. The thrilling sequences involving a cage dropping into the water were completed; only a few dramatic dialogues were left to shoot. However, these final scenes were among the most pivotal turning points in the film for Eric.

Vesper's death marked Bond's transformation, returning him to his cold, ruthless form as the top agent 007, embarking on a path of vengeance.

As the splashing sounds rang out, several people emerged from the depths once more.

Eric took off his diving mask and breathing apparatus. This time, they weren't pulled out of the water immediately. Instead, he instructed the camera crew to swap the film in the underwater camera before waving to Pierce Brosnan and Cate Blanchett, who were rapidly fitted with life rings nearby. Once they were close, he said, "Pierce, next, we'll try a different effect: Bond doesn't understand why Vesper suddenly betrayed him, so your next challenge is to portray a pure but calm expression, wanting to rescue Vesper first and understand what happened."

Pierce Brosnan contemplated for a moment, questioning, "So, I don't need to show too much expression?"

He sensed that Eric's expectations had lowered considerably, explaining the simpler request.

Regarding the previous shot, Vesper, sinking with the cage, had felt sadness and reluctance when she saw Bond diving in to save her. She was a stubborn and obsessive woman who realized she had ruined everything. Not only did she fail to save her sister, but she also lost $150 million and betrayed the man who loved her desperately, resigning herself to death. Bond couldn't grasp Vesper's resolve to embrace death; he didn't yet understand the situation clearly. In his frantic attempts to break open the cage, anger and urgency pushed him to save her first before unraveling everything, but Vesper was uncooperative.

Cate had proven herself worthy of being Meryl Streep's successor, demonstrating her exceptional talent even on her first underwater shoot, achieving the performance Eric needed perfectly. Unfortunately, with Pierce Brosnan, the cameras had rolled for seven takes, and none gained satisfactory results.

Eric nodded in frustrated agreement with Pierce's observation; the debonair British actor simply didn't have the innate talent for conveying character emotion through subtle facial expressions -- especially underwater. After numerous attempts, he decided to lower his demands.

As they discussed, nearby, Cate floated on the surface, sipping from a hot coffee cup given to her by the crew. She looked at the two of them and cautiously interjected, "Eric, can I share my thoughts?"

Eric smiled, nodding in encouragement, "Of course."

He hadn't noticed the emotional difference in how he conversed with Pierce and Cate, though that likely mirrored the dynamics of school teachers' attitudes towards their best and struggling students.

Cate handed the coffee cup back to a crew member and stated, "I think, while shooting, Pierce could focus on me -- just like this."

As she spoke, Cate reset her expression, pursed her lips, and fixated her determined gaze on Eric. Perhaps caught up in the moment, she reached for a life ring in front of Eric, as though trying to forcibly pry apart a nonexistent cage door.

In an instant, Eric felt if he didn't let go of the life ring before him, Cate would rip him apart along with it. He quickly released his grip, and Cate, without hesitation, snatched away the life ring.

While Cate didn't display many subtle emotions, that simple yet firm intent in her eyes conveyed a sense of urgency, despair, and fear: "Woman, you can't die on me!"

'Oh, how I lost my train of thought.'

Brushing aside those disordered musings, Eric excitedly turned to Pierce Brosnan. "Pierce, did you see that? Just like that!"

*****

/Sayonara816.