Chapter 3: NO!
A year ago, "The Matrix" caused a sensation worldwide, propelling the Wachowskis from newcomers to hotshot Hollywood directors. Warner Bros. and their partner, Village Roadshow Pictures, raised a huge budget to put the sequel to this film on the agenda.
Bruce Berman from Village Roadshow became one of the producers of this project. Due to the massive investment, even an experienced producer like him felt immense pressure. Since the formation of the crew, Bruce's fiery temper could occasionally be seen in the Warner Bros. studios.
As a seasoned producer, Bruce Berman had extremely strict requirements for all pre-production work, even involving himself in the recruitment process whenever he had the time.
Projects like the sequel to "The Matrix" inevitably required a massive crew, with countless behind-the-scenes roles. In addition to recommendations from various Hollywood guilds and talent agencies, they also openly recruited externally.
"This is a super project with a total investment exceeding 300 million dollars."
Before the morning interviews began, Bruce Berman gathered several key personnel for a brief meeting, emphasizing, "You must ensure that every person we hire is a top-notch expert with extensive industry experience!"
Bruce Berman wasn't just talk. After the meeting, he followed a production manager into an office, ready to participate in the recruitment interviews himself.
The black Chevrolet car drove into Burbank, one of the most precious assets left behind by the former Murphy being his familiarity with the greater Los Angeles area. Quickly finding Warner Bros. Studios, after parking the car, Murphy picked up the meticulously prepared document bag from the passenger seat, registered at the entrance of the studio, and then took a golf cart into the studio lot.
Sitting on the golf cart with several other people, Murphy realized he was the youngest among them. It was understandable; when he went to prison last year, he was only twenty years old. Now, he was just legally an adult.
Warner Bros. Studios was located behind the Warner Tower. Looking at the building, Murphy let out a sigh of relief. He believed that he would be welcomed by all the production companies in the future.
Although the goal seemed distant and somewhat unrealistic, Murphy kept hypnotizing himself: "I am the most special one!"
Hollywood is tough to break into. If you don't even dare to set goals or have the most basic confidence, you might as well go find another job quickly.
Since he was here, Murphy was confident. After all, he possessed resources that were unequalled in this era.
He believed that as long as the right opportunity arose, he could shine.
The electric cart stopped in front of the studio's office area. Due to the significant outflow of talent from today's Hollywood productions, the vast studio lot seemed somewhat empty and deserted. Murphy, like the others, followed the guidance of the staff and arrived at a large conference room to wait.
Sitting in the conference room, Murphy had no interest in talking to the others. Instead, he continuously flashed through potential interview questions in his mind, considering how to demonstrate his advantages...
He was here to interview for the position of a scenic artist in the crew, and he had prepared for several days. Thanks to his studies at film school, Murphy had also drawn several sketches full of dark gothic style, which he believed would leave an impression.
Since he was among the first batch to arrive, they didn't have to wait long before a staff member came to notify them. Murphy picked up his document bag and followed them to the door of an office. After hearing the voice inside say 'Yes,' he gently knocked on the door and entered.
There weren't many people in the office, only two. One was a middle-aged man with chestnut-colored short hair, the one who had spoken just now. The other was a chubby man with graying hair sitting behind the middle-aged man, his small eyes looking quite sharp.
"Over here."
The middle-aged man pointed to the chair opposite him. Murphy responded with a polite smile, sat down, and said, "Thank you."
After the routine introduction, the middle-aged man said, "I'm Chris Miller, the production manager responsible for scenic design and props for the crew."
As if it were a routine, after the middle-aged man introduced himself, he gestured politely towards the chubby man behind him and said, "This is the producer of the crew, Mr. Bruce Berman."
"Hello, Mr. Miller," Murphy greeted politely. "Hello, Mr. Berman."
Both men just nodded. Chris Miller then said, "Let's get started. Please give us a brief introduction of yourself."
"I'm Murphy Stanton, a native of Los Angeles..."
In the days leading up to this, Murphy had done a lot of work. He spoke about his carefully prepared resume, embellishing the few noteworthy experiences of the previous occupant with a touch of creativity. "Mr. Miller, although I was a freelancer before, I have self-taught in film scenic design..."
At this point, Murphy opened his document bag and placed a stack of sketches on the desk in front of him. "These are some sketches inspired by 'The Matrix'."
Chris Miller took the sketches and flipped through them. The person's drawing skills weren't particularly impressive, but the style was eye-catching—typical dark cyberpunk. Both the background and the characters highlighted one word—cool!
The other two didn't notice, but Murphy had been subtly observing Chris Miller's expression. When the opportunity arose, he said fittingly, "I personally believe that philosophical speculation is at the core of this series, while the ultra-cool style in the visuals is the selling point."
"Why did 'The Matrix' succeed?" Bruce Berman knew very well that it had little to do with the philosophical speculation highly praised by the critics. The biggest factor was that the film was incredibly cool to the extreme—a coolness that was off the charts...
Hearing the young applicant say this, he couldn't help but glance over. This young man had a tall and strong physique. Even sitting here, he seemed to exude a hidden strength. Especially with the distinct scars on his angular face, coupled with his short brown stubble, he didn't look like a good person.
Whether he was a good person or not, Bruce Berman didn't care. Hollywood wasn't a place for good people to survive.
Bruce Berman's gaze had been on Murphy the whole time. Not only did Murphy's words fit the production philosophy of the upcoming two films, but Bruce also felt that Murphy looked somewhat familiar. He seemed to have seen him in the media a long time ago.
"I believe I need this job..."
Sitting in the chair, Murphy was still trying his best to seize this rare opportunity. "This is a profession where I can learn and grow. I work hard, have ambitious goals, and people around me believe I am perseverant and truthful."
These words came out of Murphy's mouth without even blinking his eyes. "I have been influenced by the self-esteem movement since childhood and was a favorite in school. In the past, I only focused on fulfilling my own needs, but I know that today's workplace culture is no longer like that of the previous generation, where loyalty to work is paramount..."
Prison was also a complex circle. Being overly aggressive wouldn't lead to good results. In a year's time, Murphy had learned what to say and when to say it. "My motto is that as long as you work hard, you will be
rewarded."
He looked at the interviewer and said very seriously, "People like you, successful people like you, definitely didn't achieve success out of thin air. It must have been hard work."
Chris Miller nodded slightly. If the applicant's credentials weren't so poor, he could easily pass this initial interview and enter the more rigorous assessment that followed.
This young man was polite, confident, and knew how to be appropriately modest. Chris Miller was willing to give him a chance.
Just as he was about to speak, Bruce Berman's voice came from behind, "Young man, what kind of freelance work did you do before?"
Murphy could tell that the interviewer had a good impression of him, but the person behind him could definitely change the interviewer's opinion. At this moment, without any hesitation, and knowing that those things couldn't be hidden, Murphy replied, "I was a freelance journalist, mainly covering social current affairs news."
Bruce Berman seemed to remember something and stared at Murphy, asking, "What did you say your name was?"
"Murphy Stanton," Murphy answered.
"Murphy Stanton?" Bruce Berman repeated softly, a strange smile suddenly appearing on his lips. "I remember now. You're the journalist who broke into Samir Reish's mansion last year and injured a British director, aren't you?"
Seeing the expression on the other's face, Murphy's heart sank. He corrected, "I'm sorry, sir, but I think there's a misunderstanding. That was an accidental injury."
It was said that the director had suffered some brain damage from the injury and might never be able to make films again.
Thinking about what he had done before, Murphy felt a bit guilty, but this guilt was minimal. After all, he had spent a valuable year for this, and guilt was far less than frustration and resentment.
It was an indescribable feeling, a feeling of hating Samir Reish but knowing that he couldn't do anything about it.
"Interesting. Someone who dares to lay hands on a film director wants to join the film industry."
Although Samir Reish had never responded directly to the incident, everyone in Hollywood knew that he had personally put pressure on the Los Angeles police. Even if this project had little to do with Viacom, Bruce Berman didn't want to use someone who dared to physically assault a film director; that would become a laughingstock in the entire industry.
"NO!"
He said only this one word to Murphy.
Murphy gently squeezed his fist, took a deep breath. This was the best opportunity he could find at the moment, and he didn't want to leave like this, to give up like this.
Think about it, with the experience of working on the two sequels to "The Matrix," the future path would undoubtedly be much smoother.