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Hilton Hotel, Garden Banquet Hall.

This was Firefly Films' first internal celebration.

Lyman was certainly not stingy. In addition to the grand banquet to reward everyone, he had also distributed the bonuses in the afternoon. He showed a united front, and who among the employees wouldn't want to be part of a promising company with such generous leadership?

Moreover, in all honesty, compared to the value the company had created for him, a few million dollars didn't really count for much. Besides, the tax benefits from being associated with a company were substantial.

Glasses clinked, and the atmosphere was just right.

The excitement of hitting the $300M mark at the North American box office and the massive profits that came with it wouldn't fade away overnight. Even though some had experienced this sensation during "Saw", many still felt a surreal sense of accomplishment.

Evan Braden, now slightly intoxicated, raised his glass again with a silly grin. Blake Cole and the rest of the former management team of Rodrian Entertainment were also visibly excited.

Especially the tens of thousands of dollars that had already found their way into their pockets made them even more elated.

With the summer and Christmas box office seasons yet to begin, this film had already secured the top spot in the 2004 annual box office rankings. As of today, "Effervescent" had triumphed over its competitor, "The Passion of the Christ", with North American box office earnings of $314.2M.

However, this title, while impressive, didn't hold much weight.

After all, in a growing North American market, $300M wasn't a secure achievement.

It was just a fleeting moment at the top.

Dior had made significant moves with their new perfume line this year, having teased it for a while.

The marketing department saw an opportunity and wanted to have Eva star in their promotional ad. What's more, they were very eager for Lyman to direct it.

After all, Lyman's status as a film director meant his fee was undoubtedly higher than that of an advertising director.

That was an undeniable fact.

After they made contact, Lyman arranged to meet with Dior's Los Angeles branch the day after the celebration.

The department's representative was dressed in a black suit, looking rather young. After his assistant prepared coffee, he got straight to the point. "Mr. Lattes, the films you've directed have all been excellent, especially "Effervescent", which had a very special quality. That's why we'd like to have you direct this time, with Ms. Green as the lead, capturing a sense of leisure, elegance, and budding romance."

Yes, Dior had set the theme for their perfume as "What would you do for love?"

It was a promotional plan that had a high chance of riding the wave of the film's success.

Lyman looked at John.

John spoke up at the right moment, "Your company intends to create a 4.5-minute TV commercial and a set of print advertisements, correct?"

"Yes."

"Well, let's make it a flat fee, $5M."

John made an audacious offer without hesitation.

This fee was already the highest that top advertising teams in the industry could collectively command. Now, it was being offered to just one person.

However, Dior placed great importance on this promotional campaign. Their annual marketing budget was in the hundreds of millions, and they had no intention of being stingy when it came to increasing their brand's visibility.

"All right, $5M it is. But we'll split it into two payments. We'll only pay $1M before the shoot begins, and the remaining $4M will be paid after the completion of the advertising campaign." The young department representative thought for a few seconds, then nodded decisively while also presenting his own counteroffer.

This way, there would be room for maneuver if the ad's performance wasn't up to par.

"We have no problem with that."

Subsequently, both parties signed their names on the prepared advertising contract, two copies in total, and each held onto one.

Lyman had given the entire film crew a break since he didn't want to reassemble them for this project. Instead, he chose to collaborate with a professional advertising production studio.

He also brought Thomas along.

Dior had set up an appropriate studio as per instructions.

After Lyman and his team arrived, Eva had already been waiting at Dior's branch office, trying on outfits and doing her makeup.

She was delighted to see Lyman, but with so many people around, she didn't dare to approach and disrupt everyone's work.

After the lighting equipment and camera positions were temporarily set up, Lyman discussed the concept with the studio's manager while holding the advertising design brief.

"Hello, Mr. Snyder."

"Just call me Zack, Director Lyman."

Though Zack was older than Lyman, it was apparent that in the world of directors, experience held more weight. Zack was somewhat reserved.

"Zack, is it?" Lyman smiled. "All right, Zack. You can just call me Lyman. May I ask for your thoughts on the concept for this short film?"

"I've worked with Dior before, and they seem to favor lavish costumes and bright cinematography to enhance their brand."

Zack provided an objective description of the advertising effect that Dior desired.

It was rather cliché but appealed to a broad audience's aesthetic.

As the advertising lead actress, Eva's role was primarily to complement the perfume with her beauty and glamorous attire, enticing consumers to make a purchase.

Shortly after, the stylist had dressed Eva in various outfits, and Lyman came over to inspect the results.

To be honest, it was captivating. Her hair, elegantly coiled, looked surprisingly beautiful.

"Eva, how is it? What did Dior offer you for this advertisement?" Lyman inquired.

"$300,000," Eva replied. "But according to the agreement, I need to attend several brand promotional events to receive the full amount."

Lyman sighed, "Why? Didn't John negotiate better terms for you? Accepting only $300,000 is too cheap for Dior."

"Why not? I think it's quite good," Eva said, very satisfied. Her salary for starring in "The Day After Tomorrow" was about the same, and now she only had to help with promotion and shoot a few ad campaigns to earn it. It was quite effortless.

In the past few years, this would have been unimaginable.

Of course, this couldn't be blamed on John.

As an agent, he naturally had his clients' best interests at heart and hoped to secure better terms. After all, his future prospects were closely tied to Lyman, Eva, and others.

He couldn't afford not to give his all.

However, Dior was no fool. They had a clear view of the value and returns on their investment.

With everything ready, the advertising short film planned by Dior began shooting in the studio. The lighting on set was soft, casting a beauty filter-like effect on the actors, making their skin appear fair and hiding any imperfections under the strong light.

Eva, assisted by the costume designer, kept appearing in different outfits, but without exception, each highlighted the essence of "beauty".

Sensual and glamorous.

There was no need for extensive acting skills in this advertisement shoot. Well, let's be honest, acting skills weren't required at all.

Being natural in front of the camera was more than enough.