Director in Hollywood

These harsh conditions were clearly not something a fledgling agent like Sheena Boone could make decisions about, and her face darkened for quite a while.

After listening to Gilbert Jr.'s terms, Sheena Boone realized that there wouldn't be any results today, so she decided to end the discussion.

"I'll discuss these conditions with the company and will contact you as soon as there's any news," Sheena Boone said.

"Alright," Gilbert Jr. responded. He had a good impression of the first agent who reached out to him, so he left a contact number: "If you change your mind, just get in touch with me."

Sheena Boone was speechless; that line should've been hers.

Without saying more, Sheena Boone picked up her bag and left, leaving Gilbert Jr. alone to enjoy two cups of fragrant coffee.

But for some reason, he felt that the tea from his hometown tasted better, he thought to himself.

Sheena Boone wasn't the only one who wanted to take a chance on Gilbert Jr. Over the next few days, other agents from different companies also reached out to him. Without exception, they were all deterred by his outrageous demands.

Perhaps out of anger and revenge, at a public gathering, one of the agents shared Gilbert Jr.'s conditions as a joke.

Soon, Gilbert Jr.'s demands became a laughingstock among Hollywood agents, and he was branded as an arrogant young man who didn't know his place.

Almost everyone was waiting to see the joke that Gilbert Jr., the youngest son of the Landrini family, would become. When he went to Universal Pictures' headquarters, he could feel the staff whispering behind his back.

But Gilbert Jr. didn't mind at all. He clearly understood that until he achieved something, any defense would seem weak.

Only solid accomplishments could effectively silence those who laughed at him.

What surprised Gilbert Jr. was that Sheena Boone, the agent who had reached out to him, sent him an email. The message was one of encouragement.

In essence, she advised him not to care about what others thought and to focus on achieving something tangible, as actions speak louder than words.

This greatly increased Gilbert Jr.'s appreciation for Sheena Boone. Her attitude alone made her better than most agents.

As for the agent who had mocked him, Gilbert Jr. had heard his name from his father.

Gilbert Jr. was never a generous person; on the contrary, he was quite petty. Now that he had remembered that agent's name, he planned to get back at him one day in the future. And while he was at it, he'd make an example out of him—Gilbert Jr. wasn't someone to be trifled with.

Signing the director's contract with Universal Pictures wasn't too complicated. Gilbert Jr. hired a lawyer to ensure there were no legal issues, then he quickly signed the contract.

His fee as a director and writer was only $100,000, which was very low.

But there was no other option—he was a new director, without much reputation, and still young. Even this fee was given by Universal Pictures out of respect for Spielberg.

Otherwise, Gilbert Jr. might not even have gotten $50,000.

Once the contract was signed, Gilbert Jr. felt relieved. This meant that Universal Pictures couldn't replace him as the director, and he had finally secured the opportunity to direct.

With the contract finalized, the next step was the project preparation meeting.

In support of Gilbert Jr., Spielberg invited Frank Marshall, a producer from his own company, Amblin Entertainment, to oversee the project.

Though Gilbert Jr. was the director, the real decision-maker was Universal Pictures' producer, Domo Blake.

Knowing that Gilbert Jr. wouldn't be bringing his own team, Domo Blake had already assembled the crew before the director's contract was finalized, just waiting for Gilbert Jr. to take his position.

Frank Marshall kept quiet, so the discussion in the meeting room was mainly between Gilbert Jr. and Domo Blake.

"We should film in Hawaii. The scenery there is beautiful, it's a great spot for surfing, and most importantly, there are real sharks there," Gilbert Jr. explained his reasoning.

Domo Blake agreed and then asked, "I've read the script, and aside from the leading lady, there are several other roles. What are your plans for casting?"

"Reach out to the actors' union, give them our requirements, and they'll find suitable candidates. We can hold a simple audition afterward," Gilbert Jr. responded confidently, continuing, "The key to this film is the female lead; everything else can wait."

The female lead had already been decided—Gwyneth Paltrow.

She was Spielberg's goddaughter, and without Spielberg, this movie wouldn't have been possible.

Gilbert Jr. went on enthusiastically, "At the beginning, we can leverage Uncle Steven's previous film *Jaws*. We could even call this film a spiritual successor to *Jaws*. What do you think?"

Domo Blake's eyes lit up. "Indeed, even after all these years, *Jaws* remains a classic shark film. Promoting this movie as a spiritual successor to *Jaws* would be a great idea.

Frank, what do you think?"

Frank Marshall nodded, "No problem, Mr. Spielberg said the same thing."

"Good then..."

With Spielberg's approval, it meant that the crew could use his name to promote the movie. In today's terms, they would be riding on Spielberg's coattails.

After the two main decision-makers discussed the overall preparation, it was time for the other crew members to share their updates.

First up was the special effects team. Spielberg had called in a favor and brought in Industrial Light & Magic, George Lucas's company, to handle the special effects.

The head of Industrial Light & Magic briefed the team on their current progress: "We plan to use a combination of CGI and models to create realistic sharks. We've just developed new rendering software, and with the advancements in computer hardware, we can achieve this effect quickly."

Industrial Light & Magic was a reliable choice, but they weren't cheap either. Most of the film's budget would be spent on these sharks.

The cinematographer was a newcomer—or rather, this was his first time in charge, although he had served as an assistant for several years. His name was Durell Randolph.

"As per the requirements, we've been experimenting extensively with underwater filming techniques over the past few days and have accumulated some experience. By the time we start shooting, we'll definitely meet the expectations," Durell Randolph assured them.

With special effects and cinematography taken care of, the rest of the film's production seemed manageable.

The meeting went smoothly, to the point where Gilbert Jr. was ready for some dramatic confrontations, expecting to have to prove himself.

But in the end, no assistant director or crew member stood up to challenge him, leaving Gilbert Jr. disappointed.

It made sense, though. While the outside world might see Gilbert Jr. as a joke, signing the director's contract made him the real deal. Unless a producer stepped in to question or challenge Gilbert Jr., the crew members wouldn't risk their jobs by confronting him.

Everyone here was an adult; there was no room for childish behavior.

The responsibilities were clearly laid out in the contract—just do your job. Whether Gilbert Jr. would become a joke didn't concern them.

And so, in this harmonious atmosphere, the *The Shallows* crew was successfully formed.

There was no press conference, and no journalists came to report on it. The production started quietly, just like countless other Hollywood films.

However, Spielberg's name did add a bit of intrigue. Entertainment media mentioned it in passing, adding a jab at Gilbert Jr.'s overconfidence before moving on.

The general expectation was that this film would end up like so many others that failed—quietly shot, quietly released, quietly flopped, and Gilbert Jr. would finally become the joke everyone anticipated.

In fact, Gilbert Jr. should be grateful to Spielberg. Without him, Gilbert Jr. wouldn't even have been significant enough to be a joke.

There were so many fresh stories in Hollywood every day; who had the time to pay attention to an unknown young director?

But regardless of the outside noise, once Universal Pictures transferred $3.5 million into the third-party insurance company's account, Gilbert Jr. took the entire crew, along with Gwyneth Paltrow, to Hawaii to begin filming.

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