American Entertainment: Starting with playing the role of Little Beaver

Chapter 66 Reviewing the Script and Assembling the Crew

The surprise Columbus had foreseen soon arrived. On January 10, 2003, Isabella received the script for "Azkaban" in Akureyri, Iceland's northern capital and a port city known for its year-round ice-free environment.

Yes, the surprise Columbus mentioned was that the script for "Azkaban" was finished.

When Warner Bros. headquarters personnel flew from California to Iceland to deliver the Harry Potter script to Isabella in person, the young woman was truly astonished. She waited for them to explain that it was actually the idea of ​​both Columbus and Rowling. Columbus didn't want to confront Rowling directly, and Rowling didn't want to have an accident while eight months pregnant—because she didn't know how Columbus and his team would adapt Azkaban—so both sides needed a middleman.

And so, the two of them brought out the adorable little beaver—oops, I mean, the peace ambassador symbolizing friendship.

This fact made the little beaver twitch its ears.

Looking at the person who delivered the script with a puzzled expression, he asked, "Does this count as overtime? Am I entitled to overtime pay?"

"Huh?" The Warner people were stunned.

"Oh, I understand~" The girl smiled at the Warner people, "You can stay here first, I'll take a look right away."

With the other person nodding, she closed the door to the presidential suite.

And in his heart, he solemnly made a note of Columbus and Rowling.

These two are clearly using her as free labor!

hum~
Okay, okay, enough joking. Now that the script is finished, Isabella naturally wants to take a look. This doesn't mean she has the right to modify it—she doesn't want to be the screenwriter for Harry Potter—but rather that the sooner the script is finalized, the sooner filming can begin.

There's no escaping this HP job; there's no point in dragging it out.

Just as she was about to munch on some snacks while flipping through the script, Robbie, who had prepared the fruit platter and tea for her, suddenly popped his head out like a groundhog, "Isha~ Can I look at the script with you~"

"Ok?"

The little beaver, lying on the sofa with its head resting on the armrest, let out a soft "hmm".

"I'm Potter Heads~"

Robbie Jr. reiterated this point.

"Uh... okay..."

The little beaver thought for a moment, then got up from the sofa. "You can watch it with me, but don't tell anyone."

"Okay, okay, I have nowhere else to say it."

Robbie excitedly sat on the armrest of the sofa, and while she waited for dinner, Catherine crept over.

Its neck was stretched out like a dried goose.

The surrounding presence from both sides instantly gave the little beaver the feeling of its mother reading a story to its children.

"I'm truly speechless with you two—"

"Even if there's an original story, you still need to see the script!"

The helpless complaints made the two little girls giggle.

How many children in the Western world aren't Harry Potter fans?

After Isabella opened the script, the director and screenwriter's masterpiece was revealed—

Perhaps the publisher defined the HP series as a novel aimed at young people?

Therefore, the story of Azkaban contains elements of contemplation, but it is not so complex as to be mind-bending.

The original story is about Azkaban, a notorious prison in the wizarding world, where vicious criminals are imprisoned. One day, a prisoner named Black escapes and begins a frenzied search for Harry Potter, wanting to kill him to avenge his master, Voldemort. After a series of twists and turns, it is discovered that Black is not after Harry, but rather Ron's pet Scabbers. Scabbers is actually Peter Pettigrew, a friend of Harry's parents, who betrayed Harry's parents, leading to their deaths at Voldemort's hands. Furthermore, Black's true identity is Harry's godfather…

A story can be condensed, but a script cannot be simplified.

So after flipping through only a few pages, the three discovered that the beginning of the script for "Azkaban" differed from the original novel:
In the original book, Rowling devoted an entire chapter to describing Harry's summer vacation during his second year of high school. She went to great lengths to describe how Harry received phone calls and letters from his friends during the summer. This was because at the beginning of The Chamber of Secrets, Harry was lonely, as Dobby had cut off all his communication with his friends. So, in order to show the different world after Dobby's departure, Rowling made Harry feel the warmth of Hogwarts, or rather, 'home'.

However, all the 'warmth' elements that Rowling specifically designed were cut from the script by the screenwriter and director.

At the beginning of the script, what they present to the audience is still the conflict between Harry and the Dursleys. The Dursleys' sister is coming to visit. She is a sarcastic and mean person. She mocks Harry, ridicules his father, and dissed his mother, which makes Harry very angry.

Then, when Harry could no longer tolerate it, he ignored the prohibition against wizards casting spells on Muggles and attacked his 'aunt' who was not related to him by blood, and then escaped from the cage...

"Huh? You're not filming any of the scenes involving contact?"

At this point, Robbie was already surprised.

"I think the changes are pretty good."

Catherine now understands the difference between the movie and the novel.

So she immediately saw through Robbie's fan mentality.

“Marge, a movie has a limited runtime; it’s impossible to cram hundreds of thousands of words into it…”

Little Beaver also thinks this change is pretty good, from a creator's perspective.

Because if the movie were actually filmed according to Rowling's writing, the beginning of the film would look incredibly weak.

For example, whether it's a phone call or a letter, in a movie it represents 'the concern of a friend'. In a novel, you can tell this story in a simple, descriptive way, making the characters seem emotional. But in a movie? You can't just start with a page-turning montage like the opening of a Marvel movie, can you?
If you're going to use a brief summary to skip over the narrative from the start, you might as well not mention this part at all.

Viewers who haven't read the original novel will be confused.

As you continue reading, the differences between the script and the novel become countless.

For example, in the original book, Harry only learned about Ron's father winning the Daily Prophet's grand prize and then using the prize money to travel to Egypt through conversations with his friends during the summer.

However, in the script, this scene is shown when Harry meets Ron at the Leaky Cauldron after he runs away from home.

The script cut out the interactions between the characters in the bar from the original novel, and replaced them with the previously deleted scenes from the novel's correspondence.

As for why?

Simply put, Harry's godfather Sirius Black discovered Peter Pettigrew hiding in the Weasleys' house after seeing Ron's father's lottery winnings. This was the key to his escape and the starting point of the Azkaban story.

If you delete it, then "The Prisoner of Azkaban" will have to be renamed "The Great Prophet of Azkaban".

Because you can't explain how Sirius discovered the dwarf star.

While this change is fine, but...

"Sis, get me a pen."

Isabella nudged her older sister.

"what?"

Catherine didn't understand what she meant.

Little Robbie was quick as a flash, grabbing the pen from the coffee table.

Isabella said while marking:

“Since Mr. Weasley’s lottery win is the starting point of the story, I personally think it would be better to tell it at the beginning of the film. For example, we could start by giving the Weasley family a close-up, showing it as a news report about their trip to Egypt.”

"What do you think of the scene shown... having Harry hiding under the covers, using a flashlight to read Ron's reply? With this design, just two shots, four or five seconds, can convey the warmth of the moment..."

In the opening of the original book, Harry does indeed meet the readers by holding a flashlight and hiding under the covers.

But he wasn't reading letters; he was catching up on his summer homework.

Isabella thought the scene about catching up on homework could be cut, because the little beaver could handle things like being diligent, studious, and having the brains, cough cough... But she felt it was still necessary to film a scene about feeling the warmth of 'home'.

Because Harry Potter fans like him because of the warmth in the story.

"Then, as Harry smiled contentedly, Uncle Dursley suddenly came upstairs looking for him. The loud footsteps startled Harry. He turned off his flashlight, put away his letters, and with Uncle Dursley's appearance, Harry's aunt was coming to visit. Uncle Dursley warned him that if he behaved properly, the story could be introduced without compromising its integrity, and..."

"Uncle interrupting Harry while he was looking through the letters would make the subsequent conversation at the Leaky Cauldron seem more natural."

"Harry didn't finish reading the letter, nor was he in the mood to finish it, so he was curious about how Ron was doing."

"At the same time, there is a pure wizarding village near Hogwarts called Hogsmeade Village, where students in their third year and above can go on study tours on certain Saturdays, but a guardian's signature is required. This can also be reflected at this time."

"The signed consent form is placed after Ron's reply."

"Then, once the form appears, Harry can negotiate with Uncle Dursley, just like in the original story."

Why did Harry show restraint in front of his cursing aunt? It was because Uncle Dursley said that if he didn't go along with his aunt, he wouldn't sign his study abroad consent form.

"And why did Harry ultimately attack his aunt? It's because no matter how interesting the study abroad was, it wasn't as important as his parents. This is where Rowling's message about Harry's longing for family becomes fully apparent..."

Isabella wasn't a screenwriter, but as I said before, she really liked Harry Potter.

Therefore, her greatest wish is to make the story understandable to more casual viewers without compromising the film's narrative framework.

Since Catherine knew the true nature of her sister's relationship with Rowling and Columbus, she didn't think much of Beaver's behavior of looking at and changing things. Moreover, having read the novels thoroughly, she would speak up directly when she had any objections.

To discuss with them.

However, all of the above was explosive news in Robbie's eyes.

"Isa...you...you...you're rewriting the script?"

During halftime, Robbie directly expressed his shock.

"No, I was just sharing my thoughts on the script from a fan's perspective."

Isabella laughed and said, "The final draft of the script is in Aunt Rowling's hands, it has nothing to do with me."

"..."

Robbie misspoke; she didn't know whether Isabella was telling the truth or not.

Catherine rolled her eyes and huddled to the side, grinning slyly.

'Are you just playing with the kids again?'

Like the previous two films, the script for *Azkaban* is between 150 and 180 minutes long, over two hundred pages long. It's quick to read, but revisions take time. Isabella received the script on January 10th, but didn't finish reading it until the 12th.

Then, as she returned the script to the Warner staff, they flew from Iceland to Scotland.

That's right!

The script that incorporated Isabella's personal ideas will not be returned to California, because what director Columbus and screenwriter Clover discussed was already the final draft after they reached a consensus, and the only one who could change it was Rowling.

So, after Little Beaver finished reading Rowling's book, that was the final step in the writing process for the script of "Azkaban".

Ok?
After Little Beaver finished reading Rowling's work, what did she read next?

When this process began, Isabella suddenly laughed.

Watching the Warner staff disappear into the distance, the little girl said, "Keisha."

"Ok?"

"Don't you feel like I have a higher status in the team than Chris?"

Following her sister's train of thought, Catherine chuckled, "Oh, so I should call you Producer Haywood, right?"

"Hey hey hey~~~"

Isabella wagged her happy little tail.

When she can change the director's and screenwriter's scripts, isn't she second only to the emperor?

In the HP project, was he second only to one person and above thousands?
Wow, I'm so awesome!

While sighing, Isabella, with her hands in her pockets, yawned and said, "Keisha, we've been in Iceland for ten days now. How about we go somewhere else? To be honest, it's a bit cold here..."

Before filming of "Azkaban" officially began, Isabella had no work, so she could go on vacation anywhere without any problem.

And nobody's afraid she'll disappear; she's been using Warner's security all along. Her fear of death is practically like strapping a megaphone to herself and shouting into Warner's ear every day—"I'm here!"
However, just when she thought everyone could find another place to stay, several uninvited guests suddenly arrived.

Wait for the other party to reveal their identity—

Paramount;
Explain your purpose—

Find Margot Robbie to discuss the project;
And then she took out "The Queen Bee"...

Robbie was surprised, but the Heywood family was happy for her.

"Oh, Margot, I think you have to face your mom now."

Vivian laughed and said, "Go call your mom and tell her that a project has its eye on you. Make her happy."

Catherine nodded in agreement. "Although Paramount said that the Queen Bee project would have to wait another year before filming could begin, since they said it to our faces, they probably wouldn't go back on their word, and they also agreed to sign a contract first."

"So, you can now ask your mom to find you a lawyer or something..."

The story of Mean Girls takes place on a high school campus.

Margot Robbie is not even thirteen years old yet.

Even though Europeans and Americans generally mature earlier, Robbie's baby fat has long since disappeared, and he is already 1.5 meters tall barefoot. Given this, he could easily play the role of a high school student by wearing platform shoes or high heels.

However, the female lead in Mean Girls is somewhat provocative.

And this is something that Robbie needs to grow a little more before he can have.

Therefore, while explaining the project and extending the invitation, Paramount also sincerely stated that Robbie Jr. does not quite fit the image of the female protagonist in the novel at the moment, but they can wait. Depending on the situation, they will invite her to film "Queen Bee" at the end of this year, the beginning of next year, or the middle of next year. When such words were spoken, Paramount's sincerity was already quite sufficient.

Talking about next year's projects this year is simply a result of the film industry's habit of 'planning ahead'.

Not to mention, signing players in advance can prevent rivals from snatching them away.

Disney recruits people secretly.

With others already setting an example, how could Paramount possibly make a foolish mistake?

And these...

"Oh~~~ Aunt Vivian, Sister Keisha, thank you for your advice."

Robbie Jr. smiled, his eyes crinkling.

She was very happy at that moment.

Finally, someone believes in her!

But at the same time, she didn't want to contact her mother immediately. "Aunt Vivian, can you recommend an agent for me?"

"Because my mom doesn't have time to spend with me."

"So... I might need to sign with a talent agency before I can start working."

Finding an agent before entering the industry is indeed a classic practice in the entertainment circle.

Furthermore, under signed agreements, brokerage firms can even temporarily possess, or act as guardians of, minors, which would give them more convenience when they are working.

Uh……

Well, that's actually why things are so chaotic in the industry.

Guardianship can be temporarily held by a third party, and with that, anything can happen.

Therefore, theoretically speaking, having someone you know recommend an agent, or having everyone sign with the same agent, is actually the simplest and best way to avoid pitfalls.

but……

Isabella doesn't even have an agent!
So all she could do was apologize to Robbie.

"WWW...What? Sister Isa, you don't have an agent?"

Robbie Jr. doubted his ears.

Isabella smiled and nodded. "That's right, because I don't need it."

"Or rather, the people in our crew don't actually need it."

The unconventional remarks left Robbie somewhat bewildered.

Isabella's slightly agape expression of surprise made her turn her gaze to her mother and older sister.

After exchanging glances, Vivian cleared her throat and said, "Marg."

"Ok?"

"In fact, we've always had this idea."

“Aunt Vivian, please speak.”

"It's actually very lonely to be in the entertainment industry alone, so... uh... we're planning to start a company, a talent agency. Of course, we don't plan to sign a lot of people, because we don't have the energy..."

"I am willing!"

Before Vivian could finish speaking, Robbie shouted, "I'm willing to sign!"

His determined gaze and loud words made the entire Heywood family laugh.

"Okay, let's go back to London first."

Isabella clapped her hands, signaling that the vacation was temporarily over.

If before, Isabelle's idea of ​​starting a talent agency was simply to help Robbie Jr., without any other ulterior motives, then now she feels that she really needs to set up a company and build a team.

Just because she has no ill intentions towards others doesn't mean that others won't mess with her.

Harvey Weinstein this time, wasn't he just inexplicably jumping out to disgust people?
Since this world is such a mess, and if you block someone's way they want you dead, then going it alone is no longer an option. Forming a circle will allow you to live a more stable life.

And, to be frank, even top talents like George Lucas and Steven Spielberg work in groups.

Francis Ford Coppola, Martin Scorsese, Clint Eastwood, Ron Howard, Chris Columbus, Robert Zemeckis, David Fincher—these people and they are all in the same circle.

The relationships between Eastwood, Ron Howard, Columbus, Zemeckis, and the two mentioned above have already been discussed.

I won't go into details.

Coppola, for example, brought Lucas into the business with him.

Back then, he was the producer of "American Graffiti" first, which allowed Lucas to successfully become the director.

The script for "Grocery" was a project that MGM, Paramount, Fox, and Columbia were unwilling to invest in. Coppola used the fame he had built up with "The Godfather" to secure investment for Lucas.

And Lucas is also sensible.

After Coppola's bombing, he couldn't secure funding, so Lucas directly funded the film's production.

So, you're asking people why they wear the same pair of pants?
They helped each other through the most difficult times!

David Fincher was the same; he was Lucas's neighbor, and his first job was working with Lucas on Star Wars.

With his resume and connections, if he seriously learns how to make movies, he will definitely be able to make a name for himself in the industry.

Since even big stars team up to compete, the idea of ​​soloing Hollywood is just wishful thinking.

Once Isabella and the others returned to London, the first thing they did was to find Valentine O'Connor.

Well, this bald guy with the hairstyle of a strongman can be trusted for now.

Putting everything else aside, at least he has professional ethics.

(End of this chapter)