The hidden side

A conference room in the EuropaCorp, executives from various departments arrived together.

"M. Besson."

"George! Schubert, everyone... greetings..."

The heads of the marketing, publicity, and distribution departments, along with the two company founders and some representatives of the board of directors, settled comfortably into their seats.

"Let's begin!" Luc Besson, sitting at the head of the table, saw that everyone had arrived and wasted no time, immediately arranging for a screening of the film. Lyman handed the film to the projectionist, and the curtains were drawn around the room. In the dim and solemn atmosphere, everyone waited for the film to begin.

As the images appeared on the screen and the background music played, guided by a narrator, the camera showed scenes from a renowned technical university in India, the Imperial College of Engineering. On the first night of the freshmen's arrival, senior students came to inform them of the rules, which included stamping their buttocks with a seal. The freshmen obediently complied without objection, lowering their heads and pulling down their pants.

The scene shifted, and Aamir Khan appeared. He may have been late, but upon seeing the situation, he hurriedly ran into a dormitory and locked the door behind him. The senior students felt that he had offended the long-standing tradition of the college and wanted to protest.

The result...

...

The film screening came to an end. As the curtains were drawn back, in the light, Lyman glanced at the reactions of the people present. To be precise, there was not much of a reaction. They were all senior executives of EuropaCorp, having watched hundreds if not thousands of films, exploring various genres.

But today, they were moved.

After more than ten minutes, as they replayed the plot and emotions in their minds, the silent atmosphere in the room began to ease.

"Not bad."

"Quite exciting."

"This is the hidden side of education..."

Luc Besson, who had been frowning since the middle of the film, also relaxed. For him, this film indeed tugged at his heartstrings.

"Lyman, you did a great job with this film." As Luc Besson spoke up, others voiced their support again:

"The subject matter is grand, but it was handled with great attention to detail."

"The contrast between laughter and tragedy throughout the film creates great tension."

"The final scene was also excellent, amidst the cruelty, it provided a glimmer of light, the symbolism is well done."

Lyman's use of a straight narrative interspersed with flashbacks in the film was clever. It started with campus life, taking the perspective of Farhan, then shifting to the first senior student's suicide scene, viewed from the perspective of a remote-controlled airplane, along with the collision of two distinct positions representing old and new educational ideas, further elevating the viewing experience. Even the transitions between each shot and the presence of the musical score indirectly guided the audience's emotional changes.

He wanted them to laugh, and they laughed; he wanted them to feel sad, and they felt sad. He was the architect of this dream and the master of this film world, and he succeeded.

...

As high-level executives of a production and distribution company, the people present naturally had a certain level of expertise and could roughly discern whether a film could gain recognition in the box office market.

Sometimes, viewers might find a film enjoyable but struggle to articulate what exactly makes it so. This so-called "enjoyable" factor could be composed of many elements: plot pacing, storytelling, cinematography, lighting, performances, dialogue, costumes, and more, all playing significant roles.

After exchanging some opinions, it was time to discuss the schedule.

"According to our initial plan, the release date is set for February of this year, and the post-production is progressing quite quickly. We can accelerate the process and set the nationwide release for February 2nd. How does that sound? You can take a look at this report, which contains the preliminary numbers we discussed with the theaters. The distribution map is also included, indicating the approximate screening times at the theaters. Of course, the specific screening arrangements can be further negotiated." The head of the distribution department stood up and spoke. This was their job, and it had been planned well in advance during the film's post-production phase.

Lyman also received a copy of the information. As he looked at the theaters based on the preliminary discussions, he furrowed his brow in confusion and asked, "Why are these theaters all located in unfavorable geographical positions, and the screening times are mostly in the morning and evening?"

After carefully reviewing the report, he discovered that most of these theaters were located in small towns or suburbs near major cities, with only a few in good locations near Paris. The rest were completely absent. Moreover, the screening times were problematic. Morning and evening were not prime time slots, and although the evenings were somewhat acceptable, there were only two showings, which paled in comparison to the three showings in the morning and noon.

Upon hearing Lyman's question, the head of the distribution department smiled and picked up the preliminary negotiation report in his hand. He was a middle-aged man in his forties, close to 1.8 meters tall, slightly overweight, and his smiling face appeared amiable.

He explained, "These theaters are all traditional art-house theaters. Although the geographical locations are not ideal, the audience demographic is similar to the target audience of the film. The advantage of this approach is that the promotional resources won't be wasted on a large scale. We can efficiently carry out on-site advertising."

"Moreover, "3 Idiots" is a non-English film, and mainstream theater markets won't provide us with better screening slots or theater venues."

"We all know that non-English films are not highly regarded in the European market as a whole. For example, before "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", produced by that Taiwanese director, received an Oscar nomination, no theater was willing to invest heavily in it."

"If we look at all the non-English films that have achieved tremendous success, we can see that their high market recognition is not solely due to the quality of the films."

"The boost from various international awards is particularly prominent. It's like a huge publicity platform that maximizes the impact of the film and attracts more potential viewers interested in this type of film."

"Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, the Palme d'Or at Cannes, the Golden Lion at Venice... their influence cannot be underestimated." The head of the distribution department continued, recalling the information he had gathered. "Therefore, my plan is for our film to align with the awards season strategy, gradually build up its reputation through screenings, and trigger a transformational change to generate quantitative growth. The best approach for us is to let these theaters spontaneously invest their resources in the film's release."

"Our preliminary plan is to screen the film in 300 theaters for trial purposes, and we can make adjustments based on the situation. This will also reduce the difficulty of controlling the film's reputation."

Lyman hadn't expected that in the eyes of EuropaCorp, his film required this approach, rather than a simple theatrical release.

"I think it's feasible," Luc Besson spoke up. Obviously, he also believed that it would be better for this film to pursue an awards season strategy. He looked at Lyman and asked, "What do you think? Do you have any suggestions?"

"I think it's a good idea, and I have no objections," Lyman replied.

Since EuropaCorp had a comprehensive distribution plan, Lyman didn't have any issues himself. Theater owners were always focused on their own interests, even in markets like France, which had support for niche genre films. Would they really provide resources on the same scale as blockbuster films? Certainly not. Until a film is released, it remains unknown, and theaters make preliminary decisions on screening market plans based on factors such as the film's cast and budget, which are also the most crucial factors for theaters.

Unfortunately, in any aspect, "3 Idiots" fell short, let alone being a non-English film. As the head of the distribution department had said, there were very few successful examples, and no one was willing to take the risk. In this regard, his proposed awards strategy was indeed the most effective.

In fact, it was quite good, Lyman thought. He still clearly remembered the dismal situation when "Buried" was released. It screened in only a few dozen theaters, with unfavorable geographical locations. Now, the preliminary release had 300 theaters and a dedicated operational plan, which was undoubtedly a huge improvement.

Just as Luc Besson thought Lyman had made his decision, he added, "Can we do it simultaneously?" The gaze of everyone in the conference room focused on Lyman. He organized his thoughts and slowly began to speak, "Maintaining a good reputation through trial screenings is crucial to have a competitive edge in awards. That's correct. If things go well, it wouldn't be difficult to get into the main competition at Cannes. But the time required for these operations is too long. It may take a year to complete."

"With a trial screening in February and the Cannes Awards in May, it may not be until July when the reputation builds up."

At this point, he shook his head. "Let me propose a hypothesis. If we release the film using this approach, attracting audiences and receiving positive word-of-mouth, but with such screening arrangements, I think maintaining a 20% attendance rate would be remarkable. Over time, as the potential audience satisfies their own demands, the number of screenings and showtimes may decrease. We'll be waiting for a chance to win a major award to generate publicity. But what if we don't do that?"

"I mean, a simultaneous global release, letting the market evaluate the film solely based on its reputation rather than relying on limited release spaces to sustain it. And if the attendance rate is high, theaters will certainly extend the screenings. We can still pursue awards alongside this strategy. How does that sound?"

After listening to Lyman, the head of the distribution department chuckled. "We understand what you mean, but it all depends on whether the film genuinely has that strong appeal. Relying solely on word-of-mouth, in a situation where viewers have many choices, they might not necessarily choose to watch our film. Moreover, without the evaluation from awards, it might be prematurely relegated to lower-tier screenings."

Lyman smiled, not refuting the point. The head of the department's words made sense. These were simply two different operational approaches. And what he said mainly served as input for Luc Besson. The final decision was always in his hands. Others understood this as well, so everyone's gaze focused on the company's boss, waiting for his opinion.

Luc Besson pondered, taking his time and not providing an immediate answer. He, too, hesitated between the feasibility of the two operational approaches. After all, he had a stake in the company, and if the film's investment failed, it would undoubtedly affect him. Although the consequences might not be too terrible, he needed to proceed with caution.

One approach was to wait patiently, aiming for recognition through awards and then supporting the market. The other was to take a risky leap, seeking audience recognition and influencing the market without relying solely on awards.

His gaze swept across the people in the conference room and ultimately settled on Lyyman, "Let's go with Lyman's proposal."