Chương 103: Chapter 103: The Existence of a Five-Star Film
"Welcome! It's a great honor for Stanton Studios to have you here..."
At the entrance of a small theater in West Hollywood, Murphy, Bill Rossi, and Paul Wilson stood there, welcoming representatives from several companies who had come to watch the film. Each time someone approached, they greeted them warmly, shaking hands and offering their most enthusiastic smiles, as if they were all gods come down to earth.
As long as they could achieve their goals, Murphy didn't mind if his face turned stiff from smiling all day.
Originally, he had planned to hold this screening in a hotel's conference room, but later, for the sake of viewing experience, he spent $1000 to rent this theater for a morning.
Watching a film in a conference room versus a professional theater was completely different.
Everything Murphy did was to promote his film as much as possible.
After a dozen or so people entered the theater, Murphy checked his watch and asked Bill, "Are they all here?"
Bill Rossi recalled for a moment and replied, "Everyone on the list has arrived."
"Let's go in then." Murphy led the way into the theater.
Once inside, Paul Wilson didn't head to the screening room; instead, he walked towards the second floor. He and Seth Logan and Jonah Hill would oversee the screening copy the whole time, even taking turns going to the restroom.
Although Stanton Studios and this film were relatively unknown, Murphy Stanton was not about to relax his guard.
This film had almost exhausted all his resources and directly affected his future development. If something went wrong, he really wouldn't be able to hold back his tears.
In the small screening room, about a dozen people sat sparsely in their seats. Tony Gusman habitually sat in the back row. From his position, he could see many familiar faces in the industry.
In the middle of the third row was Jones-Butler from Miramax.
On the left side of the fifth row seemed to be Ron Albas from DreamWorks.
The people in the front row surprised him the most, including one of Lionsgate's distribution executives, Milton Johnson.
There were a few others he didn't recognize, presumably buyers and viewers from some small distribution companies.
It wasn't surprising that multiple companies participated in this internal screening, but what surprised Tony Gusman was how a small studio like Stanton Studios and an unknown director could attract so many people.
However, when he thought about the data from 'Hard Candy,' it all made sense. Everyone, including himself, was practical.
Without the revenue data from 'Hard Candy' as a foundation, he believed that no more than three people would have been willing to come here, and that's only because of CAA's reputation.
Milton Johnson sat in his seat, paying no attention to his surroundings. He was only concerned about the film. If this horror film could capture his interest, he would stay and continue watching, but if not, he wouldn't hesitate to leave.
Since that kid could bring Miramax a pleasant surprise with just $300,000, he probably wouldn't do worse the second time.
Jones-Butler looked around, a common occurrence. Directors with a successful track record were more likely to attract industry attention, and Bill Rossi even borrowed some of CAA's influence.
Then her eyes turned to the screen. Regardless of what Stanton Studios and CAA did, the film itself was the key. If there were no commercial selling points, all these efforts would be in vain.
Milton Johnson tapped his fingers lightly on the armrest, but his mind was focused on whether this film could hold his interest. He had watched 'Hard Candy' before, and while the film had some value, it was too niche.
As the lights dimmed and the film began without any opening credits, Milton Johnson couldn't help but stroke his chin. It was a habitual gesture when he encountered something of interest.
A closed room, two people shackled by foot restraints, and a corpse lying in a pool of blood in the middle, clearly and succinctly raised questions: why were they locked in here, and why did the person commit suicide?
"The cinematography, the use of camera angles, the color grading, the editing, all show improvement from the last film," Tony Gusman nodded lightly. "The operation of the opening suspense scene is as outstanding as ever."
More blood was used compared to the last film, which made Jones-Butler frown slightly. However, after watching for a while, she had to admit that Murphy Stanton's progress was evident, and the quality of the film had improved significantly compared to 'Hard Candy.'
Although fundamentally still a traditional American blood and gore film, the addition of elements such as suspense and clever murder mechanisms gave it an eye-catching effect.
Midway through the film, even though there was no stunning feeling, Jones-Butler kept nodding, and her pen kept jotting down notes in her notebook. There were too many selling points for this film.
"Extraordinary creativity, realistic portrayal of the dark side of human nature
, suspenseful plot arrangements, unique treatment of classic elements such as the unknown, darkness, confinement, and near-death situations, intricately nested details, and an extremely impactful ending, coupled with appropriate blood and gore..."
Her notebook was full of a whole page of notes.
More importantly, Jones-Butler, with her years of experience, could clearly judge that this was not another super-niche film like 'Hard Candy,' but rather a mainstream type within the horror genre.
This was extremely important because it directly reflected the market value of the film!
A film without market value meant nothing to her and Miramax!
Tony Gusman also nodded in agreement, forming his own judgment in his mind. These judgments were somewhat astonishing, considering all the low-budget independent films he had seen this year; this horror film was definitely a five-star existence among them.
It was not just a five-star film; it was a super-five-star existence within the realm of low-budget films!
As Milton Johnson's eyes drooped slightly, it wasn't because he wasn't interested in the film, but because he instructed his assistant beside him, "Tell the people below to stay in touch with Stanton Studios and try to acquire this film as much as possible..."
Just as he was speaking, the person who had committed suicide in the middle of the closed room stood up. He was Jigsaw!
This unexpected twist left even Milton Johnson, who had seen countless films, wide-eyed. The ending was truly astonishing!
In an instant, he overturned his previous opinion. If Lionsgate got their hands on such a horror film, coupled with appropriate marketing and distribution...
"After we leave, immediately convene a meeting with the distribution and marketing departments," he whispered to his assistant. "You stay in close contact with Stanton Studios. I will push the company to fully acquire this film."
Even if they couldn't acquire it, this horror film had brought him a lot of inspiration.
It wasn't just him who had overturned his previous opinion; Tony Gusman slightly opened his mouth, looking at the disappearing Jigsaw on the screen as if unsure of what to say. This wasn't just a five-star film; it was a super-five-star existence within the realm of low-budget films!
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