Duke knew very well that neither he nor Peter Weir was the kind of director favored by the Academy. The latter's films often mocked the entire film industry, while Duke was purely a commercial film director.
Therefore, even when holding the advantage, Duke had never slowed down his actions.
Many people involved in the Christopher incident had implicitly or explicitly expressed support for him. In particular, Frank Pierson, the Vice President of the Academy's Rotating Committee, discreetly conveyed through Nancy that he would support The Return of the King at this year's Oscars.
In the days leading up to Christmas, apart from shooting Taken, Duke frequently attended various parties. Even if he didn't personally lobby for votes, he needed to show an active attitude.
The Duke Studio hosted large-scale parties under various pretexts every week, ensuring that no attendee left empty-handed.
Exquisitely crafted DVD deluxe sets were essential for the judges to review the films. Along with DVDs, playback devices were also necessary. The Duke Studio arranged for a batch of custom-made players from Sony Electronics to be "loaned" to the judges. Though technically a loan, everyone understood they wouldn't be returned.
The Lord of the Rings series porcelain sets custom-made by Royal Albert of Britain were merely small commemorative gifts.
By Christmas, just the DVDs and commemorative porcelain sets alone had been distributed in tens of thousands, covering every Academy member and every potential connection.
Strictly speaking, this definitely crossed the Academy's boundaries. However, in today's Oscars, nearly every competing project was doing the same, and some might even go further. As long as these activities stayed within a certain limit, the Academy often turned a blind eye.
Even if the Academy found it intolerable, they would first pick a minor target as a warning to others. Over the years, especially since the 1990s, the Oscars have increasingly leaned towards public relations and monetary influence. Has the Academy ever dealt with well-known figures?
The Weinstein brothers, with their endless PR tactics—did the Academy ever directly warn them?
After spending Christmas in New York with his mother, Duke returned to Los Angeles. He temporarily handed over PR matters to Panny Kallis and Nancy Josephson and then led the crew to Paris via chartered flight to complete the final location shooting of Taken.
Although France is famous for its art films, a closer look at its annual box office rankings reveals that the top positions are always occupied by commercial films, often Hollywood productions.
As a quintessential Hollywood commercial film director, Duke and his crew were quickly surrounded by a swarm of reporters and fans as soon as they appeared on the Champs-Élysées, temporarily halting the shoot.
"It seems I'm quite famous in France," Duke remarked self-deprecatingly to Tina Fey as the security team maintained order, "but right now, I wish I were obscure."
The gathering of fans and reporters inevitably disrupted the filming, despite many starting to observe order.
"You should have anticipated this long ago," Tina Fey replied, handing Duke his water cup. "When I went to the East, I realized just how influential you are. You're the most recognized Hollywood director there. People who know Hollywood might not recognize Steven Spielberg, but they all know you."
Duke laughed heartily at her comment.
"I once wandered around the cultural markets in the big cities there and spoke with some people," Tina Fey said.
Over the past few years, Tina Fey had gradually taken over the actual management of Duke's studio. She continued, "Your films like Speed, The Rock, Saving Private Ryan, are ubiquitous there. They're also among the best-selling DVDs, introducing many to you and your work."
"Unfortunately..." she sighed, "all the DVDs I saw weren't authorized by us or Warner Bros."
Tina Fey looked puzzled. "I once suggested suing them. Why did you veto it, Duke?"
"Is it worth spending endless energy fighting a cross-ocean lawsuit?" Duke shook his head.
Even now, in 2003—and even ten years later during his final years—copyrights were often meaningless in practice. Back then, like countless others, he was a beneficiary of lax copyright protection.
Some things are vastly different when seen versus done.
Duke never deluded himself into thinking he could single-handedly change an entire industry or even a country's broader circumstances.
"By the way, Duke, how do you plan to respond to their invitation?"
When Tina Fey visited the East, she met a film official who, on behalf of their department, once again extended an invitation to Duke. They hoped he would visit the Pacific region next year with his film.
Following the 9/11 attacks and the signing of trade agreements, including a memorandum on film cooperation, Hollywood crews had increasingly filmed in that region. Earlier in the summer, George Lucas had shot Star Wars: Revenge of the Sith in a scenic city there.
According to 20th Century Fox's plans, Revenge of the Sith would achieve simultaneous release in China and the U.S.
Hollywood's hungry wolves were already eyeing that enormous market, ready to pounce once it matured.
"Inform Warner Bros. and let their international distribution department handle it," Duke decided. "If they agree to a simultaneous release of Taken in China and the U.S., I'll consider attending the premiere."
Since they had repeatedly invited him, and given the easing Sino-American relations, Duke decided to visit and possibly further expand his reputation. When that vast market exploded in the future, his films might also achieve jaw-dropping results.
As time passed, the temporary set regained order. After adjustments, the crew resumed filming. The scenes here involved simple dialogue between Liam Neeson and a French actor under the shadow of a reflector.
Due to the noise on set, Duke abandoned live recording, planning to handle the audio in post-production.
The presence of reporters and fans extended the planned two-hour shoot to half a day. When night fell, Duke finally led the crew back to the hotel.
Returning to the hotel, Duke found that Ivanka, back from a business trip to London, had also arrived in Paris.
"Finished with your work in the UK?" he asked after escorting her to the room. "Did it go well?"
He handed her a glass of water. Ivanka took a sip before replying, "Pretty well. We've secured promotional agreements with two British companies, officially entering the UK and European markets."
"Impressive growth," Duke remarked.
Ivanka pulled Duke to sit beside her, half-leaning against him as she continued, "Without your help in achieving a breakthrough in broad promotion, we couldn't have grown so quickly."
"Don't forget, I'm also a shareholder," Duke said, gently pinching her nose. "And a board member."
"A nominal member," Ivanka retorted with a pout.
Duke laughed and kissed her cheek. Most of his stake in Instant Share was managed by David.
"Although the company is growing fast, we've yet to turn a profit," Ivanka sighed. "And I still owe the bank a lot."
Company expansion required significant capital. Unlike Duke, Ivanka had to rely on bank loans apart from her trust fund, which she gained control over at 21.
Duke had offered financial support, but Ivanka declined.
It wasn't hard for him to understand. While she leaned on Duke in life, she preferred some independence in business.
"By the way, I heard Google is preparing for an IPO?" Ivanka asked.
Duke nodded. "Yes, likely in the second half of next year."
"Will I witness the birth of a miracle?" Ivanka teased, pretending to be curious. "Will you become a billionaire?"
She remembered clearly that despite multiple rounds of dilution through financing, Duke still held 25% of Google's shares. With Wall Street analysts bullish on Google, its IPO would undoubtedly create astronomical wealth.
"Darling," Duke said, pulling her closer, "you won't be far behind."
Given Instant Share's current growth, it too could achieve financial miracles with a future IPO.
Ivanka blinked. "What do you think about taking the company public?"
"Now?" Duke frowned slightly. It wasn't the first time she'd brought it up.
Since returning from New York, she'd been pondering the idea. Duke, busy filming at the time, hadn't given it much thought.
"I think the timing is decent," Ivanka said. "The IT sector and Nasdaq are recovering, and our site now has over 5 million registered users. What do you think?"
"Let's wait a little longer," Duke suggested. "After Google's IPO, we can assess the situation."
Ivanka thought for a moment before nodding. "Alright, let's wait a bit longer."
...
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