OBS Chapter 62 Movie Screening
Chapter 62 Movie Screening
Tony took Kang Woo-jin to a nearby hotel to rest for a day. In preparation for the upcoming movie preview meeting, Tony also brought Kang Woo-jin a well-made suit.
When meeting with representatives of major film companies, in addition to the necessary etiquette and sincerity, one must also put a lot of effort into one's appearance.
When the contract was signed, it was with this representative that the movie screening was discussed. Both groups had smiles on their faces when they first met, but Kang Woo-jin and Tony both knew very well that this was important.
If the film's box office performance doesn't meet their expectations, they'll completely turn against them and even kick them while they're down. If they're really malicious, they'll badmouth their work to their peers.
That's how inhumane and cruel it is.
Countless newcomers venture into Hollywood, and seven or eight out of ten of them lose their job opportunities and the chance to become famous because of a single sentence from these big shots.
Columbia Pictures has a large screening room, essentially a small cinema, used for watching films, rating unreleased films, deciding whether to use that version of the edited film, and, more importantly, allocating promotional resources.
As the group entered, Jiang Youzhen clearly sensed that more people were entering from behind, and one of them even came over to greet him.
With Tony's explanation, Kang Woo-jin understood the reason: those people were all film viewers from Columbia Pictures, and the situations and ratings mentioned earlier were all decided by their votes.
The middle-aged white man who came over to say hello was Mads Wu's friend.
Indeed... having a father who's doing very well in the entertainment industry has its advantages.
With the projectionist's reminder, the film officially began. The film's theme was infinite loops, and the overall narrative structure followed a cyclical pattern.
The protagonist is a single mother who goes on a sea voyage with a group of friends. After encountering a storm, they come across the cruise ship "Aeolus", which was declared missing in 1930.
An empty cruise ship, mysterious instructions, and a bloody murder draw everyone into a terrifying cycle.
Tony privately gave the movie a nine out of ten, deducting one point for being "brain-intensive." To fully understand the movie's themes, one would need to learn about ancient Greek mythology and the story of Sisyphus.
My head is itchy, like my brain is growing.
When asked about the plot by the film company representative next to him, Jiang Youzhen would quietly give him a 'spoiler' explanation. Columbia Pictures is a very large film company. The other party wasn't really ignorant, but rather had a certain appreciation for the film.
If he doesn't say anything, that would be really bad.
A film is a good film if it encourages the audience to actively learn about and engage with it. The lead actress, Melissa, perfectly portrays the panic of a single mother trapped in a cycle of reincarnation, as well as her profound love for her child, which is very important.
What happened on the cruise ship might be a purgatory that this single mother conjured up for herself, tormenting herself again and again. But because her obsession was too deep, she was unable to redeem herself and was thus trapped in this cycle of reincarnation.
"A very good work. The theme of reincarnation is excellent. Compared to religion and unknown ghosts, this kind of nihilistic fear is more frightening."
"The lens is also very good, the color tone is impeccable, and the picture is very smooth."
"However, you might not understand it after watching it only once; you need to use your brain to watch this movie."
As the movie ended, a series of understated compliments reached Kang Woo-jin's ears. They agreed that it was indeed a good film, but the last person was right: watching this movie required using one's brain.
How about... watching it a second time after you've finished watching it?
The film company representative smiled. The investment in this film was not large, it could be described as a small splash, but he believed that it would bring good results. Perhaps it would not be as successful as previous hits like Saw and The Shining, but it would be quite remarkable.
The group chatted for a long time in the screening room and finally decided that Columbia Pictures would invest over two million dollars in publicity and distribution resources this time. In addition to theatrical promotion, there would also be print media and film critics. They would also arrange a preview screening next month to bring the film to the public's attention ahead of time.
The most important thing, of course, is to put their Columbia Pictures logo on the film. While box office revenue is important, the film company values even more the follow-up revenue, including the sale of DVDs and other revenue streams over the next few years or even decades.
But it also depends on the box office performance.
Now the white man regrets it; he should have widened the profit-sharing ratio for box office revenue and other income in the contract. He should have insisted on more when it came to exploiting a new director.
Even the smallest mosquito is still meat!
Watching Jiang Youzhen talk to Tony about the publicity with a warm smile, he suddenly thought of Mads Wu and quickly suppressed his thoughts.
Mads Wu is no small-time actor; he has worked his way up in Hollywood for decades, rising from an unknown actor to a highly sought-after movie star.
Both being award-winning actors, Smith seems to desperately want to get his son into the Oscars, having countless stars pave the way for his son's success.
Thinking of this, he suddenly felt relieved, and he was able to accept Jiang Youzhen's invitation to dinner with a smile.
Afterwards, they moved to the conference room to discuss the publicity and promotion. They also agreed to have Jiang Youzhen attend the publicity event. At the end of the meeting, the two agreed to keep in touch privately.
This led to the idea of a second collaboration, and at noon, Jiang Youzhen treated this representative to a meal.
It's important to be tactful in social interactions. After dinner, Jiang Youzhen asked Tony to order a nice bottle of wine and some cash he had just withdrawn from the bank, filling an entire wooden box. The wine was secondary; it was this small token of appreciation that these people appreciated most.
At least by doing this, Jiang Youzhen received an extra million in publicity resources, which surprised him.
After finishing all these things, when he returned to his apartment, Mads Wu had already left for his new film crew. On the phone, his father was happy for him and promised to help promote the film at the preview screening.
Before hanging up the phone, Mads-Oh suggested that Kang Woo-jin find himself an assistant or agent, but Kang Woo-jin decisively rejected the idea.
He didn't want to be watched all the time.
Besides, he's not a professional actor. Having already tasted the sweetness of being a director, Jiang Youzhen plans to continue writing and directing his own films. As for those trivial matters, he can leave them to the assistant director.
You get paid one less salary, but you gain a lot of happiness and can enjoy your own personal time.
After hanging up the phone, Jiang Youzhen lay on his sofa for a long time before picking up his phone again as it gradually got dark outside.