Chapter 97: Joint publicity
After finalizing the release date for the movie "Fury", EuropaCorp contacted Paramount Pictures, which holds the North American distribution rights and a portion of the investment, to collaborate on the pre-release publicity for the film.
The next day, on September 27th, Paramount Pictures was the first to announce this news to the media.
"On November 22nd, "Fury" will officially premiere in theaters across North America and various regions."
Meanwhile, a batch of stills from the filming process and promotional articles were released in French and American media publications.
There were pictures of Nicholas Cage wearing a tank uniform on the Fury, him and Heath Ledger smoking and discussing war, friendly handshakes between Allied and German commanders, and more. There were also behind-the-scenes footage released, such as the only operational Tiger tank in the world being used by the production team, authentic weapons, and costumes from that era.
In short, any positive promotional material that generated interest in the film was shared by major media outlets or magazines to reach the audience. Of course, all of this required money and sometimes personal connections.
Nic's fans and the fans accumulated by Lyman himself through "3 Idiots" were very excited upon receiving the news. For them, this meant that the new film could be watched on Thanksgiving this year, which raised some expectations.
Looking at the strong image of Cage in the stills, it undoubtedly sparked the interest of some viewers. However, there were also those who had doubts, especially among Nic's die-hard fans or the fans of Lyman.
Based on the official information provided, "Fury" was undoubtedly a film about World War II. Will it truly be a good film?
They all knew that Lyman came from a background of making more artistic films, and Nicholas, well, he recently had a failed film with a similar theme and was ridiculed by critics. Can it really work? It seemed like a huge leap for someone who excelled at artistic films to venture into commercial ones.
This concern required further discussion.
However, having concerns is also a manifestation of public interest. It showed that there were people who genuinely cared about this film, which was a good thing. It was much better than the production team constantly shouting and receiving no response. Ignoring is the scariest form of doubt.
Now Paramount's goal was to convert the audience's attention into motivation to support the film in theaters. Undoubtedly, this required more intensive follow-up publicity efforts to impress them. EuropaCorp and Paramount Pictures had already reached a consensus on the promotional plan for "Fury".
Once Lyman finishes editing, the trailer would be completed as well. The film's aggressive promotional measures could also be launched: movie posters placed on bus stop billboards and cinema displays in various city facilities. Starting one month before the premiere, contact television stations and media outlets for continuous special interviews.
Nicholas Cage and the creative team, including Heath Ledger, will travel to various places tirelessly, attending charity events, participating in magazine promotions, and moving between different regional radio stations... Even on the internet, Paramount Pictures took Lyman's advice and created an official website for "Fury", regularly updating news about the production or the film. But for Paramount Pictures, all of this was just the beginning.
As the Christmas season approaches, the promotion effect needed to be increased, and more efforts needed to be made to build momentum for the film.
"Hey, David, are you free? Let's have a cup of coffee together, how about it? Okay, let's meet at 3 o'clock this afternoon." In the office of Paramount Pictures, Sherry Lansing hung up the phone and signaled to her assistant, who immediately prepared the schedule for the afternoon meeting.
As the CEO of Paramount Pictures, Sherry Lansing had just made a phone call specifically for the promotion of "Fury" to the most senior columnist in the entertainment department of the Los Angeles Times. Her goal was nothing more than the film's publicity.
In addition to the scheduled appearance on a talk show next week, this would undoubtedly be a significant expense. Coupled with the interviews with major newspapers and media outlets, as well as the entertainment headlines of the Los Angeles Times, it should bring more attention and discussion to the film.
With these thoughts in mind, she called the executive from the marketing department, Christie, "What are EuropaCorp's plans for the premiere? Will it be held simultaneously in Paris, France, and Los Angeles, USA?"
Christie, who was called in, replied with a serious tone, "They plan to hold the film's premiere in both Paris, France, and Los Angeles, USA simultaneously."
After thinking for a moment, Sherry said to Christie, "That's how it will be." Then she moved on to the next topic, "What about the promotional budget? Judging from the ongoing publicity work, can we sustain it until the day of the film's release?"
Upon hearing this, a trace of concern appeared on Christie's face, and she responded, "If we consider the continuous distribution of promotional articles in newspapers, it's likely to exceed the budget."
Just now, they arranged to appear on a talk show again, which would undoubtedly be a significant expense. If they aimed to hype up the show's effect, burning over $1M for just that wouldn't be too difficult. Although Paramount Pictures was a large company, its financial profitability was not impressive.
Upon hearing Christie's words, Sherry immediately instructed, "Apply to the finance department for an additional budget for promotion. Our work cannot stop."
Viral marketing, huh? What else can we do? It's all about spending money. The more we invest in the promotional stage, the more likely we are to reap fruitful results. Christie silently thought that hopefully, all of this would be worth it.
Her slightly worried expression naturally drew the consolation of Sherry, who understood what her subordinate was concerned about, just like a mirror reflecting her thoughts.
"Promotion is always a costly affair. The bigger the spectacle we want, the more money we have to spend. And this time, we need a victory that will excite the shareholders, so it will inevitably require more financial resources. You should understand that, right?"
Christie certainly understood. Her boss's current situation was not good. Since taking over Paramount Pictures, the company's annual performance had not shown any upward trend. Instead, there was a slight decline this year. The board of directors' shareholders had long been dissatisfied with her, but she knew that she wanted to regain some confidence from the management by relying on "Fury".
But would it really work? She really wanted to ask if it was worth taking such a gamble, but ultimately, she didn't say it out loud. For her, besides going all out and investing heavily in "Fury", what other choices did she have?
None. Paramount Pictures had almost been absent from the Christmas season, which excited the American film festivals this year. The only option left was to release "Fury".
Christie politely took her leave and turned to apply for additional funding for promotion. Sherry, the woman seen as a powerhouse by outsiders, sat exhausted in her boss chair, contemplating the next steps for the promotional work.
Meanwhile, Lyman continued with the tedious and arduous post-production work. The only good news was that as the post-production tasks steadily progressed, they were getting closer to having the final cut.
The film editing had long been completed, followed by the voiceover recording and musical score. Since none of them had any knowledge about music, they brought in Hans Zimmer, a well-known sound designer for film scores, and his team.
In the editing room at this moment, Lyman sat in a chair. His attention focused entirely on the melody playing as the powerful and stirring orchestral music resounded. He could handle simple music inserts, but creating several original scores for the film was impossible. However, he had a relatively clear judgment on whether the original songs were suitable or not.
Overall, the track was decent, but it didn't quite match the film's theme. It was too somber.
People die in wars. Does that mean the other side doesn't? There is no absolute justice. The somber tone seemed contrived, and Lyman didn't like it very much.
His gaze swept past the serious-faced Hans Zimmer, and he thought to himself: At this moment, he didn't possess the radiant brilliance of future years. He hadn't accumulated enough life experiences.
"Not satisfied?" Hans Zimmer noticed Lyman's gaze, and he tentatively asked.
"It's close but not quite." Lyman shook his head and pondered for a while before saying, "I hope for a more serene tone, like that of a bystander who is indifferent. It should convey the feeling that it doesn't matter who wins or loses; it's only the sense of cool melancholy in the face of life's impermanence and easy demise. That would be better."
It was a pity that Lyman didn't understand composing; otherwise, he could try to create a classic piece of music himself. However, his knowledge of musical rhythms was insufficient, and he could only lament his musical limitations.
Hans Zimmer thought for a long time and played another song. This one was much better than the previous one but still not quite fitting. It seemed to be missing that certain feeling. However, there was no other choice. Hans Zimmer said that he didn't have anything else.
Lyman had no choice but to settle for this piece and make do with it. He considered whether he could make adjustments and try for new compositions later, but it was clear that if there weren't more outstanding tracks, this first version of the musical score was already finalized.
After the music aspect was settled, the subsequent work progressed more smoothly. Most of the upcoming scenes requiring music had relatively low requirements, and Hans Zimmer had prepared a stockpile of suitable tracks, making the process quite easy.
After concluding the music-related tasks for the day, that evening, Lyman, who had just finished dinner, received a call from CAA...
CREATORS' THOUGHTS 
Shallowman
Shallowman Again, using surnames instead of forenames. It is really weird to read characters call each other familiarly by their surnames, not their nicknames nor given names lol
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