Chapter 674: Leveraging Power

"How far along is the 'Fifty Shades of Grey' project?"

Gal Gadot had mentioned early on that she wanted to work on this project, and Murphy had agreed. Now hearing her bring it up again, he couldn't help but ask, "Is the script finished?"

He remembered he had only given Gal Gadot a casually written script outline and then took a hands-off approach.

"I've hired screenwriters."

Given the subject matter, Gal Gadot was very interested in adapting "Fifty Shades of Grey." "I hired a three-person writing team to start writing the script based on the original novel and your outline."

"Good." Murphy nodded. "If you think it's suitable, go ahead."

Since they had acquired the rights early, the cost for the "Fifty Shades of Grey" rights wasn't high. Moreover, the film's genre wouldn't require a large investment or a big production, making it perfect for Gal Gadot to handle.

Frankly, if the two of them were to star in this film, they would undoubtedly be the most suitable actors.

Of course, Murphy was just musing. Privately, they could do whatever they liked, but putting such antics on screen would be laughable.

"Aren't you going to give me some advice?" Gal Gadot asked.

"First, let's talk about the actors." Murphy specifically emphasized, "This is a classic Mary Sue and domineering CEO story. The actress must be sexy and beautiful, and the actor must be handsome and charming. This is very important."

The previous female lead lacked a bit in both looks and figure.

Gal Gadot nodded and made a mental note of this.

"By the way, dear," Murphy asked, "do you have a suitable director in mind?"

The director's role in a film is crucial, even for a melodramatic commercial film like this.

"I have someone in mind." Gal Gadot didn't hide her thoughts. "What do you think about Sofia Coppola?"

"A female director?" Murphy shook his head without hesitation. "That's not a good choice."

Before Gal Gadot could say anything, he continued, "I think it's best not to use a female director."

Hearing Murphy's latter remark, Gal Gadot frowned, "Dear, that's sexist."

Murphy shrugged innocently. "This has nothing to do with sexism. If you were working on an independent film, I wouldn't oppose using a female director. But for a typical commercial film like 'Fifty Shades of Grey,' it's better not to use a female director."

Although Hollywood has examples of female directors successfully directing commercial films, those are rare exceptions. Hollywood has long reached a consensus that female directors are better suited for independent films rather than mainstream commercial movies.

Seeing that Gal Gadot still didn't fully understand, Murphy briefly explained a few things, and Gal Gadot gave up the idea of using a female director.

This wasn't Murphy's bias.

After more than 130 years of development and numerous changes, generations of filmmakers have witnessed technological progress: from Edison's movie camera to the Blackmagic cinema camera to the IMAX 3D camera; from exhibition film projectors to smartphone screenings, and so on.

However, one phenomenon in the film industry has remained unchanged—the presence of female directors isn't very strong.

There is no doubt that there are many female directors. Murphy was sure many people had heard of famous female directors like Kathryn Bigelow and Sofia Coppola. However, most female directors remain unknown, let alone achieving global recognition like Martin Scorsese or James Cameron.

Compared to Hollywood experiences, female directors find it easier to make a mark and achieve "relative success" in independent films.

Murphy had seen statistics showing that from 2002 to 2012, nearly 24% of the directors at the Sundance Film Festival were women, but less than 3% of the top 100 box office films were directed by women.

Looking at Hollywood as a whole, the percentage of female directors was 9% in 1998, 7% in 2010, and 5% in 2011.

Even with the vigorous development of the women's movement, the number of female directors in the film industry has shown a declining trend.

Regarding the Oscars, which favor independent films, female directors have only received four nominations for Best Director in its 85-year history.

Although some statistics may not be entirely accurate, the overall trend has not changed, and the reasons for this situation are very complex.

On the one hand, most famous movies are directed by well-known male directors, who have inherent advantages in breaking conventions and adapting scripts. On the other hand, many female directors lack the ability to execute film shoots, which invisibly lowers their competitiveness.

Each year, half of the graduates from the directing programs of North America's major film schools are female. This implies that something happens between graduation and the wrap party that significantly increases the gender gap among directors. One reason is that many in the industry have a "misogynistic" attitude, believing women can't handle shooting and bring a lot of trouble.

Additionally, for female directors, the hardest part of filming in Hollywood isn't the filmmaking itself but constantly dealing with gender discrimination and sexual harassment—common hassles in Hollywood.

Although data shows that women face more rejection, receive less respect, and must walk a thorny path longer than their male peers to film directly, the rise of independent films has made female directors more open.

Many female directors have entered the independent film circle.

As Murphy knew, since Kathryn Bigelow won the Oscar for Best Director in 2010, she inspired countless female directors. Many women were in tears when they heard the news, saying, "Oh my God, we did it!"

In short, whether it's Sofia Coppola or Kathryn Bigelow, if they planned to direct a standard commercial film and wanted Stanton Studios to invest, Murphy would steer clear—the risk was too great.

Conversely, if it were for an awards season-targeted independent film, Murphy would certainly invest.

Gal Gadot mostly handled the "Fifty Shades of Grey" project, while Murphy continued his post-production work.

In the studio at Fox Tower, Murphy stood before the monitor, watching the footage. The first shot was a wide shot, then the glass of a building was suddenly shattered, revealing two silhouettes from the outside.

"Stop!" Murphy decisively said. "Cut the latter part of shot number two. After the window shatters, switch immediately to an indoor close-up. It needs to be clean and sharp."

Jody Griffiths edited according to Murphy's instructions. A few minutes later, the footage continued playing. Murphy kept giving instructions, "When the hook gun fires, don't wait for it to land; switch to a back shot of James immediately. Keep pushing the shot forward, using a dolly to drive the film's pace and emotion."

Jody Griffiths, handling the editing himself without the help of assistant editors, meticulously fulfilled Murphy's requests. They occasionally exchanged a few opinions.

"Murphy, I think we can break the dolly shot's rhythm with the car that suddenly appears next to James Franco."

Murphy mentally rehearsed the potential outcome of this suggestion and finally nodded, "Good idea. The next shot can be handled similarly. Once James starts getting into the car, immediately cut to the bandit rising on the other side."

Switching from one incomplete action to another beginning action doesn't follow traditional editing logic but is an excellent way to accelerate the film's pace.

While Murphy was busy with the post-production of "Dark City," the film's promotion was also underway, especially the viral marketing, which never stopped.

Before Thanksgiving in November, everyone who had registered their phone numbers and email addresses on the website received an email from the Magician. In the email, the Magician claimed, "Friends, our target is not just New York, but the entire world!"

The email included an attachment showing portraits of former US presidents, all with bleeding daggers through their eyes and colorful magic balls stuffed in their mouths.

These promotional materials further demonstrated the Magician's madness.

On another front, Jay Rachel's election website began accepting votes, with the results to be announced in April next year, revealing whether Jay Rachel could be elected as New York City's district attorney.

The Magician also took action, sending messages to all phone users, threatening to take immediate action against Jay Rachel if she was elected.

While "Dark City's" viral marketing campaigns were numerous and varied, they mainly revolved around two key points: James Franco's Magician and Jay Rachel's election for New York City's district attorney.

A major societal hotspot in 2012 was the US presidential election, capturing the attention of all media and Americans. Everything related to the election became highly sought after. In such a social climate, "Dark City's" marketing team took the election subplot and created substantial buzz around this fictional election.

They created no fewer than 20 websites, including candidate websites, district attorney election websites, and Jay Rachel's personal website. Each site was detailed and realistic enough to pass for real.

Marketing personnel also produced campaign ads for Jay Rachel, with both images and videos, creating an election atmosphere as intense as the real one, giving fans a strong sense of participation.

"Dark City" smartly leveraged the social hotspot for its viral marketing, achieving more with less effort.

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