Capítulo 106: Chapter 106: Never Heard of It
Facing the young director, Jones Butler realized she had indeed underestimated him. His progress was not only evident but also astonishing. Before the ending, she thought the film was good, but after seeing the ending, the sense of amazement lingered and wouldn't dissipate.
The beginning and the end of a film are extremely important. In Hollywood's highly mature commercial system, the beginning and the end can account for over sixty percent of the entire film's attention. Her boss, Harvey Weinstein, once said that if a film has a compelling beginning and ending, the middle content can be filled in at will; as long as it's not too bad, the audience will buy it.
The beginning of this film was decent, and the ending was beyond amazing. The middle content was not just passable; it was quite outstanding.
Jones Butler took a deep breath. How much market value would this film have if handled by Miramax?
She couldn't estimate for now but was certain it would far exceed "Hard Candy."
"An excellent movie, Director Stanton." Jones Butler shook hands with Murphy, glanced at her watch, and said, "It's getting late. I have to go."
Murphy stood in front of the cinema and didn't try to persuade her to stay. "Goodbye."
Watching Jones Butler drive away, Murphy turned to look at the theater door. It was now empty. The people he and Bill Rossis had invited seemed eager to leave, only giving him a casual greeting before escaping as if he were Jigsaw.
"This is a good thing," Bill Rossis said, coming up behind Murphy. "Based on my observations, this film exceeded their expectations. Some people privately gave it very high praise. They should be heading back to their companies now."
Murphy nodded. Having been in this circle for a while, he knew that unless they were top executives, no project involving hundreds of thousands or millions of dollars was decided on a whim.
From the attitudes of Miton Johnson, Tony Guzman, and Jones Butler, who had all left in succession, he could tell they were very interested in "Saw."
Distribution companies are at the top of the industry chain. Projects with enough selling points allow them to fully realize their market value.
Paul Wilson, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill were now bringing out the copies. Murphy waved to them, "Store the copies securely with the security company, and let's go have lunch."
During the screening, he had observed everyone's reactions. Although it was far from time to celebrate, they could at least have a drink to relax a bit.
As Murphy stored the copies and called James Franco, walking into a restaurant with a few others, Lionsgate's office in Santa Monica was bustling. Many from the marketing and distribution departments were hurrying to the conference room.
The conference room was silent. A dozen people sat on either side of the table. Miton Johnson stood at the front. "Does anyone here know about Stanton Studios and director Murphy Stanton?"
Everyone looked at each other. Where did this small company and new director come from? They had never heard of them.
Miton Johnson sat down, lightly tapping the table with two fingers. "From now on, start gathering information about him and establish a complete director profile."
Many people looked at Miton Johnson in surprise. Directors for whom Lionsgate established special files were potential collaborators, mostly with some reputation in the industry. Completely unknown directors were rare.
"Jamie..." Miton Johnson looked at a middle-aged man. After the female assistant handed over a business card, he said, "This is Murphy Stanton's contact information. Get in touch with him as soon as possible. You must all see his new film within three days."
"His new film?" Jamie Winston was curious but replied, "I'll do it right after the meeting."
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Miton Johnson said sternly, "Once Jamie schedules the screening with Stanton Studios, I need you to temporarily put aside all your work, watch the film, and evaluate it. Marketing and distribution must provide me with a complete report as quickly as possible."
Thinking he might not secure the film, he added, "Let the editorial department participate as well."
With Miton Johnson's words, everyone took it seriously and got busy after the meeting.
As the meeting ended, the female assistant received a call. She walked over to Miton Johnson. "I asked a friend to look into Murphy Stanton. He has a criminal record, some conflicts with the LAPD, and has offended Sumner Redstone..."
"Hmm..." Miton Johnson nodded but didn't care. "These are matters for the tabloids, not us."
As for Sumner Redstone, Lionsgate wasn't a Viacom subsidiary. He didn't care about that. With a potentially marketable film in front of him, who cared if the director had offended Sumner Redstone?
In an office building near Fox Plaza in Century City, Tony Guzman paced anxiously in front of a conference room, frequently checking his watch. The top executives of Fox Searchlight were having a meeting inside, and it should be ending soon.
Suddenly, the conference room door opened, and several stern-looking executives walked out. Seeing his superior, Godin Clyde, approaching, Tony Guzman hurried to greet him.
"Why are you here?" His superior's tone was harsh, indicating a bad mood.
Walking into a quiet corridor with his superior, Tony Guzman said, "I just watched a movie. Among low-budget productions under five million dollars, I believe it deserves five stars."
"What?" His superior turned around, knowing Tony Guzman was a seasoned company veteran who rarely gave such high praise to a film. "You're not joking?"
Tony Guzman replied seriously, "When have I ever joked about work?"
His superior nodded. "Can you arrange another screening?"
Fox Searchlight, especially the distribution department, had a terrible first-quarter performance with no notable films. The headquarters had exerted immense pressure on them, and several executives had just lost their temper in the meeting.
As the head of the distribution department, he was the primary target.
Tony Guzman took out his phone. "I'll arrange it now."
Jones Butler returned to her hotel, sat in the suite's living room, recalled the film she had just watched, and reviewed her notes. After serious consideration and reflecting on the success of "Hard Candy," she made up her mind.
She picked up the phone and dialed a number. When the other end answered, she said, "Boss, there's a film here. If you have time, you should come and see it."
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