chapter 174 part 2
Brought back to his senses by Colin's reminder, Hughes looked down and took a drag from his cigar. He paused for a few seconds before saying, "The photography team did indeed capture the stunning scenes of the icebergs, and we confirmed the effect of the footage in the ship's screening room."
Although Hughes's tone was mostly flat, Colin still sensed something from his reaction.
Sure enough, under his gaze, Hughes's tone shifted. He shrugged and spoke with a helpless air.
"But, I'm not satisfied with the final product, so I'm planning to reshoot all of it."
Such a "headstrong" move might be unbelievable coming from anyone else.
But for Howard Hughes, it wasn't something unacceptable.
After all, when he was filming *Hell's Angels*, he had already scrapped a finished silent film to remake it as a sound version.
Of course, on the surface, Colin still played along and asked.
"Why?"
Hughes took a puff of his cigar, glanced at Colin, and then slowly replied.
"Because of *Superman and Mickey*."
Hearing Hughes's answer, a look of surprise appeared on Colin's face.
He had anticipated various reasons for Hughes wanting to reshoot, but he certainly hadn't expected that this decision would be connected to the animated short film he had co-produced with Disney.
"After I returned from Greenland, I was originally planning to start work on the film immediately. That was until I saw your short film. The colors presented in it instantly made me lose all desire to shoot a black-and-white movie. Compared to the brilliant world of your short, black-and-white films are simply too monotonous and dull. We live in a world of color, so why should we go to a movie theater to watch a black-and-white film?"
Colin clearly hadn't expected that the color animation would have such a massive impact on Hughes.
It had even changed his views on filmmaking.
"After watching *Superman and Mickey* in my private theater, one thought kept running through my mind: if animation can be made in color, why can't movies? There's no doubt that color film is the future, just as sound film replaced the silent era. People always strive for better things. Since color film is the future trend of cinema, why should I continue to shoot in black and white?"
The technology for color had always existed in the film industry, but due to its complicated process and high cost, it had only ever been an embellishment for Hollywood scenes.
In many film productions, this technology was often used in only a few scenes, such as weddings or dance sequences.
A true color film wouldn't become widely available for several more years, with the development of the Dye Transfer Process and the Film Bonding Process. Before that, black-and-white was still the mainstream, much like the development of sound films during the silent era. When sound technology first appeared, film industry professionals worried that the presence of sound would make movies gimmicky and distract audiences from the story.
And before that happened, Hughes's desire to make a complete color film was clearly an extremely time-consuming and expensive endeavor.
Moreover, no one could guarantee that a movie made with color processing would be profitable.
Such a time-consuming, labor-intensive, and high-risk venture would likely not even be considered by the average person. However, Hughes was clearly not an average person. Just as Roy Disney once mentioned in a letter, he was a maverick who did things his own way.
Therefore, after deciding to make the film in a color edition, Hughes had already made plans to set sail on another voyage.
Even though the film stock he had could be rendered in color using a color transfer process.
However, for Hughes, a technique relying solely on this process couldn't create the true color film he envisioned.
Only by being on-site, comparing the film to the magnificent icebergs, could he perfectly capture the colors he envisioned, bit by bit.
"So, you've already set a date for your departure?"
If Colin were truly the film's producer, he might have been incredibly troubled by Hughes's wild approach.
But thankfully, he was merely the provider of the screenplay.
His original purpose for providing the *Titanic* screenplay was just to establish a connection with the man and use his network to achieve his own goals.
Without a doubt, that plan was progressing very smoothly.
As for the production of *Titanic*, he was actually less invested in it than Hughes was.
But, no matter what.
Colin still felt a sense of admiration for Hughes's idea of producing the first full-color film in an era of black-and-white cinema.
"It's not that easy to find technicians skilled in color processing, so I'll have to wait a while. I might have to go back to Los Angeles to check on the construction of the aircraft hangar."
Although captivated by the vastness of the sea, Hughes hadn't forgotten his dream of the sky.
During his time sailing on the ocean, his aircraft hangar in Los Angeles had been nearly completed.
"Compared to airplanes and ships, ground transportation is just too terrible. If I could find a suitable airplane in New York, I wouldn't be willing to take the train back. That long journey is truly an ordeal."
At this, Hughes couldn't help but complain about the transportation issue again.
He was accustomed to the convenience of airplanes and the unhindered passage of ships at sea, and he had a clear opinion on modes of transport like trains.
"Perhaps you could try developing a more convenient mode of transport, like a commercial airplane. That might solve the problem."
Amidst Hughes's complaints, Colin said casually.
"That's a good idea. Once I finish shooting the film, if I have time, I'll give it a try."
Colin's seemingly "casual" suggestion gave Hughes a brilliant idea.
Holding his cigar in one hand, he raised his eyebrows and said.
Just like that, the two exchanged ideas about the film's production in the car.
Hughes did most of the talking. He clearly had his own unique ideas for the film *Titanic*. Especially after deciding to make it in color, Hughes felt that his passion for filmmaking had been rekindled.
"We are making history!"
This was what Hughes said to Colin in the car, and it also proved his ambition in making a color film.
Once the topic of the film quieted down a bit, Colin asked him a question.
"A securities manager?"
Inside the luxury car, facing Colin's question, Hughes smacked his lips and said while smoking his cigar, "This is not a good time to enter the stock market."
Even for Hughes, the stock market during the Great Depression was too perilous. He was wealthy, but he had no intention of investing his money in stocks. After all, even if he lost money either way, at least with filmmaking he would have something to show for it. If he put it in the stock market, the money might be swallowed up without even making a ripple.
"A financial swamp"—that was Hughes's definition of the current stock market.
Also, as someone who started in industry, Hughes had an instinctive aversion to the stock market.
(end of chapter)