Chapter 484: Sino-American Film Forum

After the shooting ended, Murphy took a two-day break before meeting up with Jody Griffiths. They hid away in 20th Century Fox's professional studio to begin post-production. On the first day, Bill Rossis hurriedly came to find them.

"Good news and an invitation."

In the temporary office, he picked up a water cup and asked before drinking, "Murphy, which one do you want to hear first?"

Murphy didn't hesitate, "Let's hear the good news first."

"I've discussed with the company and Kara Faith, you don't need to worry about the media. We have enough resources in this area."

Bill Rossis was clearly referring to the matter with Sheriff Gatlin Collins. "Robert has almost finished collecting the evidence."

"Good," Murphy nodded slightly.

"We're now just waiting for you and 20th Century Fox," Bill Rossis said after taking a sip of water and putting the cup down. "Once we launch this public opinion offensive, we will definitely create enough momentum."

Murphy thought for a moment and then said, "We need to coordinate well with the promotion and marketing of 'The Wolf of Wall Street.'"

Although the film's subject matter and lead actor naturally have significant appeal, and 20th Century Fox has prepared substantial promotion and marketing funds, in the current film industry, unconventional promotional methods are still crucial for box office success.

Talking about money might seem vulgar, but to Murphy, any promotion that doesn't aim to sell tickets is a waste.

However, promotional methods and strategies are changing with the times.

What kind of promotion would be more effective?

This question represents the strategy of most film companies. For artistic and animated films, traditional promotional packages are not enough. They must use refined marketing; otherwise, 80% of the promotion will be wasted, ineffective, and have no conversion rate.

Hollywood's long-standing traditional promotion method is to cover all channels, such as TV, print, online, outdoor, and radio. Now that the internet has become a crucial channel, it has further subdivided into social media, portals, and forums. Posting articles and getting some recommendations is the norm, but no one questions whether it is effective or if the results can be quantified.

In this era of the internet shifting to mobile, a film's topicality is becoming increasingly important.

Of course, so-called topical promotion first requires ensuring the film's quality.

After nearly a decade of visual effects blockbusters, audiences have lost interest in films that focus only on visuals and ignore real content. Commercial films with guaranteed content often trigger audience spending, meaning the film's reputation has become especially important.

Soon, if a film is terrible, even spending tens of millions of dollars on promotion won't significantly impact the box office. In the mobile internet era, a bad film has only three days to make money, maybe even less—only a day or a few hours. If the film's reputation tanks by the afternoon of its release day, fewer people will watch it.

There's a saying in traditional marketing: "Half of all advertising is wasted, but you never know which half."

The goal of film promotion is to sell tickets. Now, more and more audiences are buying tickets online, and the internet is all about user conversion rates. Film distribution is becoming similar to game distribution, where the cost per user can be calculated, reducing blind and uncertain promotion.

But why do many films still engage in promotions without user conversion rates? For example, spending millions on a grand premiere that doesn't help the box office much.

However, no investor, actor, or director will say this because they need to promote themselves.

There's another reason. Just like Murphy and 20th Century Fox, a chain of interests is formed.

In Hollywood, such interest chains are numerous. Sometimes, even knowing a film won't have high box office returns, promoters still encourage more investment. For directors, spending more on promoting their work means more market visibility, making future projects easier to finance.

Ultimately, film promotion is a significant project, sometimes more important than the production itself.

Murphy isn't a professional in this area. He just provides ideas, and then a professional team formulates detailed plans and implements them step by step.

For the Gatlin Collins incident, Murphy merely suggested incorporating it into 'The Wolf of Wall Street' promotion. How to do it specifically is up to Bill Rossis, Robert, Kara Faith, and 20th Century Fox's professional team.

Murphy never considered himself a genius, let alone an all-rounder. He understands the importance of teamwork.

After discussing the Gatlin Collins matter, Murphy asked, "Bill, what invitation did you receive?"

An ordinary invitation wouldn't warrant Bill Rossis coming over.

"Have you heard of it?" Bill Rossis didn't answer directly. "Hollywood and the other side of the Pacific hold a film forum every year. This September, it will be held in a top university in China. The theme this year is discussing film and culture. The organizers and the MPAA have invited you."

Murphy recalled such an event between China and the US but couldn't remember the exact name. It was probably what Bill Rossis mentioned.

Bill Rossis continued, "As far as I know, participants in this event are mainly top directors, producers, screenwriters, and scholars from both sides of the Pacific."

"Do you think I should accept the invitation?" Murphy asked.

This was obvious. Otherwise, Bill Rossis wouldn't have explained it in such detail.

"I think accepting the invitation has benefits," Bill Rossis paused, probably organizing his thoughts. After a few seconds, he said, "This forum will be held in the top university on the other side of the Pacific. Their government and the film review department place great importance on it. Murphy, aside from 'Man of Steel,' none of your films have been screened in their theaters. The Chinese market has enormous potential, and we can't ignore it."

Murphy gradually understood Bill Rossis' point. Accepting the invitation also shows an attitude.

"This event is highly anticipated by the government, media, and public," Bill Rossis saw it as a rare opportunity. "Your presence might change the situation for your films over there. The 'Transformers' series has already proven the market's box office potential."

Bill Rossis glanced at Murphy, who fell into deep thought instead of speaking.

The difficulties his films face in screening on the other side of the Pacific won't be solved by attending a Sino-American film forum.

Large-scale scenes can be edited out, but most of his films have inherently incorrect values, which can't be solved by cutting scenes.

If his films are visually rogue, their themes are equally problematic.

Such politically incorrect themes could never pass the review. For example, 'The Wolf of Wall Street' would need to be cut down to about half an hour to meet their standards.

But some things can't be considered from just this perspective. If it were the French-American, British-American, or any other film forum with America, he would undoubtedly refuse.

This is the other side of the Pacific, which has special significance.

"Murphy," Bill Rossis knew he couldn't ask Murphy to do anything but sincerely said, "Could you consider this invitation?"

"No need to consider."

Hearing Murphy, Bill Rossis thought he would refuse. Unexpectedly, Murphy continued, "Accept the invitation, but try to get two spots. Gale and I will treat it as a trip and vacation."

Gale Gadot had just started as a producer and had no fame. Bill Rossis couldn't guarantee it.

He thought for a moment and said, "I'll do my best!"

Murphy nodded and added, "Once the time and spots are confirmed, help me plan the itinerary."

"No problem," Bill Rossis stood up, ready to leave. "I'll contact the MPAA and won't disturb your work anymore."

He left the office first. Murphy followed, returning to the color grading room to continue directing a team of colorists in adjusting the tones of all the filmed shots.

Although 'The Wolf of Wall Street' could be classified as a black film, it differed from Murphy's previous works by incorporating many comedic elements. Therefore, Murphy wouldn't make the film too dark, instead brightening it slightly to present a retro orange and teal tone.

This was partly due to the subject matter and the film's historical background.

Attentive viewers might notice that the orange and teal tones have been popular in Hollywood films for the past twenty years or more.

Whether in previous films or 'The Wolf of Wall Street,' the shot tones weren't the final desired result. They all needed a color grading process. Since the film's format is highly complex and the MPAA's R rating is a hurdle, Murphy might use many different shots during editing. So, this time, a team of colorists was tasked with adjusting the tones of all the shots using DaVinci Resolve before the final cut.

This work would last for weeks. Colorists often need to adjust frame by frame for a two-hour film, which takes a lot of time.

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