Issue link: https://digital.copcomm.com/i/370852
25 SEP-OCT 14 / CINEMONTAGE assignment, and did it gladly. "You watch The Godfather as a child," he says excitedly. "You worship Puzo and [Francis Ford] Coppola as gods. You're reading the last manuscript of the man whose work was the basis for one of the most legendary films of all time. Can you imagine? Getting to read Mario Puzo's last novel before the rest of the country? It was a privilege — and one of the great perks of the job — being given that opportunity." He put his neck on the line and recommended the project emphatically, and Moonves made a winning offer on it the same day Reiner submitted his coverage — which became the basis for what the analyst was told was the most successful CBS miniseries in over a decade at the time of its broadcast. Mario Puzo's The Last Don aired in December 1997, receiving three Emmy Award nominations, including Outstanding Miniseries. Reiner did not have time to discuss any projects that got away. Interviewed via transatlantic phone call in mid- July, he was in transit, having just escaped the bombs and missiles criss-crossing the skies over Gaza and Israel, where he had gone on a visit inspired by his work on his most recent assignment at CBS. CHRIS DEBIASSE Chris DeBiasse, a graduate of the film school at Ithaca College, arrived in Hollywood in the 1980s, and managed to secure a position as secretary to an actor's agent. He didn't like the job but did discover that he liked reading screenplays, and soon got work as a story analyst at Walt Disney Pictures and Universal Pictures, the latter of which has been his home for the last seven years. The metaphorical fisherman whose quote began this article, DeBiasse's biggest catch of late was Ted. In turnaround from 20th Century Fox Film Corporation, where it had been developed, the script struck him as "too funny to say no to," and the executives at Universal agreed. "It wasn't Shakespeare, but it was inspired," he adds. Picking up the project was just the beginning of the process for the analyst, who also did the development notes on Ted. This is the aspect of the story analyst's job that nearly all readers find most satisfying: identifying the strengths and weaknesses of a script, suggesting solutions to problems, and offering ideas to improve marketability. The film was one of the comedy hits of 2012, earning a worldwide gross of $548 million, and along the way collecting many award nominations, including an Oscar nod for best Original Song. For Universal, Ted was a big fish landed. For Fox, it was the one that got away. But as every fisherman knows, the luck that's with you one day may desert you the next. That was the case for Universal and a little item it had in development called Gravity. The project already had Alfonso Cuarón attached as co-writer and director, but was to star Angelina Jolie and Robert Downey, Jr. Many at Universal were wary of the scale of the piece, given the spartan story elements. Though they could imagine that Cuarón's contribution would be significant, the risk seemed untenable, so they let it go…to Warner Bros. The undeniable hit of 2013, Gravity won seven of the 10 Oscars for which it was nominated, including Best Directing, Cinematography and Editing, along with many other awards. As well, the film has grossed $716 million worldwide. Like that of the fisherman, the job of the story analyst can net results that alternate between fulfilling and frustrating. And there is no sure-fire way to predict which way things will go. Basically, it's all a classic case of screenwriter/novelist William Goldman's dictum about the entertainment industry, with which he opened his 1983 memoir, Adventures in the Screen Trade: "Nobody knows anything." f Like that of the fisherman, the job of the story analyst can net results that alternate between fulfilling and frustrating.