Chapter 54: Chapter 54: Product Placement
[Chapter 54: Product Placement]
The conference room door swung open again, and Jeffrey Hansen along with Kepler Hyde walked in. They both took one look at Eric's dark expression and knew that things had fallen apart.
Kepler realized that he must have had a hand in this; otherwise, the nearly washed-up Richard Gere wouldn't have turned down a flick from such a hot director as Eric. "Eric, why don't I just resign? I could head to Europe; even though their movie scene is in a slump, I could easily find work given my skills."
Eric rubbed his somewhat stiff cheek and said, "No, I won't make any compromises. Kepler, you just need to handle your own things. By the way, have you signed the contract agency with Julia yet? What do you think of her?"
"I went and saw Miss Julia Roberts in Mystic Pizza and I just spoke to her again," Kepler replied, hesitating. "To be honest, Eric, I'm not too optimistic about her potential. She's only had short-term acting training, her performance is mediocre, and she doesn't have a standout appearance..."
Kepler's voice grew slower as he glanced at Eric's face, remembering that Julia Roberts was someone Eric had specifically recommended, coupled with the tabloid rumors about their relationship. He worried that being so blunt might upset Eric.
However, after Kepler finished speaking, Eric nodded in agreement, "Actually, I feel the same way."
"Then why did you cast her as the lead?" Jeffrey interjected, always hoping Eric would pick a more famous actress for the role.
"Because I have a feeling that Julia is destined to take America by storm, make a splash at the Oscars, and gain worldwide fame..." Eric started to say but halted when he saw both Jeffrey and Kepler exchanging looks as if to say, "You've got to be kidding."
Chuckling, Eric changed his tune: "Alright, I was joking. Actually, while Pretty Woman has a lovely title for a beautiful woman, we can't cast someone too striking for the role. To me, Julia's image fits just right. If the lead is too beautiful, audiences might only focus on her looks and overlook the film's deeper themes. If, after watching Pretty Woman, viewers can only recall a pretty face, that would mean we failed."
Having already perused the script for Pretty Woman, Jeffrey and Kepler listened to Eric's insights, and once they connected it with the content, they ultimately agreed with him.
"Now, what we need most is a leading man." Eric looked at the two men in front of him. "While Richard Gere is still my top choice, since he declined, we have to consider other options. Do you have any good suggestions?"
"How about Michael Douglas?" Jeffrey suggested. "He played a stock magnate in Wall Street last year, which aligns closely with Edward's character in Pretty Woman."
As Eric recalled Wall Street, Kepler quietly reminded him, "Eric, Michael Douglas's agency is also CAA."
All three men fell silent for a moment before Eric replied, "Kepler, you're the expert here. Why don't you handle this? Quickly create a list of suitable actors for Edward and set up auditions. We're on a tight schedule."
Kepler nodded, "No problem. If there's nothing else, I'll get started on it right away." After Eric confirmed, Kepler hurried out of the conference room.
Watching Kepler leave, Jeffrey sighed softly, "Eric, do you really think this is worth it?"
"You're referring to the tension with CAA due to Kepler?" Eric inquired.
Jeffrey nodded.
"Whether it's worth it or not is a secondary concern, Jeffrey. My circumstances are different from others; you'll understand in time. Other studios might fear burning bridges with a giant like CAA, but I have no such worries."
"I just don't get where you're getting all this confidence from," Jeffrey shook his head. "Eric, you mentioned before about seeking sponsorships for cars in the film. I contacted the higher-ups from Ferrari in Los Angeles. Initially, they agreed to provide us cars for free, but after hearing about the plot and that the lead character is a prostitute, they hesitated. I think we should reach out to other car brands."
"No problem," Eric replied. Even though he favored Ferrari, he didn't want to force them into a promotional deal. Reflecting on Jeffrey's words, Eric suddenly had a thought, "Jeffrey, did you say they initially agreed to provide cars for film support for free?"
Jeffrey didn't grasp what Eric meant until he nodded after considering it.
"You didn't mention anything about payment?"
Jeffrey said, "Eric, with your current name, getting a car brand to sponsor a movie for free shouldn't be difficult. We wouldn't have to pay them anything."
"I meant..." Eric felt a bit frustrated and absentmindedly waved his right hand. "What if they paid us?"
Jeffrey was taken aback. "How could that even be possible?"
Product placement had already been a common practice, but from Jeffrey's reaction, Eric realized that increasing movie revenue through such concepts hadn't sunk in yet. Back in his previous reality, the global advertising industry for product placements had surpassed $20 billion annually.
"Jeffrey, just imagine. According to the script, that car would appear in the first twenty minutes, and the lead character even has a scene where she introduces the car's features. That ends up being like a twenty-minute commercial. If I achieve $100 million in North American box office, that means 10 million people will have seen that segment. Add in the global viewership and those who rent the VHS later, and the numbers will balloon even larger. Even ten or twenty years down the line, every time someone watches the film, they'll be reminded of this 'car commercial.' Can you understand the scale of the advertising impact?"
Jeffrey nodded thoughtfully.
"So, put together what I just explained, and pitch it to those car brand higher-ups. Just remember, any sponsorship less than $1 million is off the table."
"Eric, isn't a million a bit steep? Besides, what you just said was all hypothetical. What if the box office does poorly..."
Eric cut him off. "This can be easily worked out; we could set a box office threshold. If it doesn't hit the expected number, we return a portion of the sponsorship fee."
Jeffrey was persistent. "But what if it exceeds our expectations?"
Dealing with this nagging old man made Eric slightly exasperated, "Jeffrey, those finer details are what you, as the producer, need to work out. I have far too much on my plate; can you really expect me to worry about that?"
Just then, a staff member knocked on the door to the office. "Mr. Williams, the outfits based on your sketches have arrived; would you like to take a look?"
"Sure, I'll be right there. Have Julia try it on first," Eric replied, chatting briefly with Jeffrey before adding, "Let's go see the look I designed for Julia."
...
Stepping out of the soundproof conference room, they heard faint hammering; workers were still busy doing renovations in some of the offices.
Entering a thirty-square-meter audition room, Julia had already changed into the iconic tank dress and long boots for Pretty Woman, topped off with a red jacket. Eric merely glanced and frowned, "Where's the wig? I specifically requested it earlier."
"It's in the dressing room. Should I put it on now?" Julia asked.
Eric waved his hand, "Quickly go change into it. We still have to shoot the fitting photos."
Julia obediently walked into the dressing room, and her newly assigned assistant, Allison, followed in to help.
Before long, Julia emerged again, donning a golden wig and topped with a small black hat. As soon as she appeared, everyone's eyes in the audition room lit up a little. The wig accentuated her face, giving her a hint of stunning beauty. If Julia's looks were originally only a six, now they were at least an eight.
Seeing Julia's appearance, Eric still sensed something was off but simply instructed the photographer beside him to snap some photos of her.
Once they finished, Eric said, "You all can step out. I need to speak with Julia for a moment."
The crew gradually left, and Jeffrey rose to take his leave as well.
When they were alone in the audition room, Julia nervously fiddled with her clothing and asked, "Eric, is there a problem? I noticed you've been... frowning the whole time?"
Julia Roberts felt that her recent experiences were surreal -- first, Eric had surprisingly seduced her, leaving her with an uncertain promise. The week that followed saw no contact from him; just when she was disappointed, thinking his earlier words amounted to nothing but games, he abruptly called her. After hastily signing a management contract, Eric threw a script in front of her, saying, "The lead is yours. Don't let me down."
*****
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