Chapter 88: Returning to One's Old Profession

In the modest screening room of the Embassy Pictures, silence pervaded as everyone watched the concluding scenes on the screen. Several individuals rubbed their eyes and massaged their temples, appearing quite uncomfortable.

As the screen turned black, signifying the end of the screening, Garcia breathed a sigh of relief, feeling dizzy and nauseous. He couldn't bear to continue; it might make him sick.

The film purchased by the new boss at the Saint Denis Film Festival was even worse than the low-budget overseas productions Embassy Pictures had acquired from Central Asia for two or three thousand dollars. In fact, it might rank as the worst film he had ever seen.

Thomas, the head of the theatrical distribution department, took off his glasses and reached for a tissue, rubbing his eyes for quite some time.

Is this some sort of torture by the new boss, expressing dissatisfaction with Embassy Pictures' management by subjecting them to this?

Thomas looked at Terry, the head of offline distribution, who shook his head, clearly disliking the lousy film as well.

David Bilger, the head of marketing, remained silent, pondering where the promotional angles for this film could possibly be found, but coming up empty-handed.

Robert turned off the small projector and drew back the heavy curtains, then looked at Ronan, seated in front, his eyes filled with bewilderment. Why would Ronan buy such a film?

Was Ronan about to make another foolish decision? Like with "Final Destination"?

"How does it feel?" Ronan asked the fierce Latin woman beside him.

As he needed to re-edit, he had specially called Jessica Felton over.

Jessica crossed her arms, perhaps too forcefully, causing her thin arms to press against her prominent chest, straining her shirt buttons as if they might pop off at any moment.

"The cinematography is amateurish, and the editing is even worse," Jessica, being technical, didn't bother with niceties. "Is this your work?"

Ronan scratched his slightly itchy nose and replied, "I bought it at the Saint Denis Film Festival."

Jessica was candid, "You got rich, but it's the person who sold it to you."

At this point, all the curtains were drawn, Garcia turned on the lights, and the screening room returned to brightness.

"You guys want to discuss this film?" Jessica, being a tech enthusiast but not dumb, understood. Seeing Ronan nod, she said, "I'll take a walk outside. Contact me when you're done."

Ronan didn't pull her from her busy technical research just to watch such a DV video.

Jessica left the screening room.

Ronan stood up and looked at the key people from the distribution company, saying, "This is a film I bought at the Saint Denis Film Festival for eighty thousand dollars, acquiring all rights in one go."

Hearing this, Garcia immediately began calculating how long it would take to recoup the investment through VHS and DVD releases.

"I plan to distribute this film theatrically," Ronan continued.

Garcia looked at Ronan in astonishment. Did a film like this warrant theatrical distribution? It probably wouldn't even recoup the investment no matter how much was put into it.

Thomas and Terry exchanged glances, seeming to see each other's thoughts. The last time this young man had shown such expertise, and with funding sources in hand, they were still delighted at the potential for the company.

How quickly one's lack of expertise is revealed...

David Bilger furrowed his brow. How much money would be lost by this venture?

Robert couldn't understand why Ronan suddenly seemed unreliable.

Ronan could see the dissent among his subordinates and even guessed the doubts in Garcia's mind. He wouldn't have considered this film if he hadn't had some capital. Although the production cost of this film was low, success would still require a significant investment.

"I'm planning to establish a dedicated distribution team for this film," Ronan said, realizing that no matter what he said now, he couldn't dispel their doubts. So he added, "We need someone to lead this project. Who's willing to take it on?"

Thomas, the head of theatrical distribution, hesitated to speak, keeping his thoughts to himself. An idea difficult to suppress emerged in his mind. What was Ronan planning? Was he deliberately preparing a trash project and then weeding out dissidents?

If the project failed, the person in charge would have to bear the responsibility...

Terry didn't seem inclined to speak; after all, theatrical distribution wasn't his responsibility.

Robert looked around and, seeing no one volunteering, was about to take on the project himself, perhaps Ronan saw something he didn't.

After all, two trips to Abu Dhabi and the success of "The Purge" had already proven Ronan's vision and execution ability.

He had long recognized that Ronan stood taller and saw further than himself and George.

But before Robert could speak up, Garcia said, "I object to distributing this project."

Ronan looked at Garcia. Garcia didn't hesitate, continuing in a responsible tone, "The quality of the film is average, and the risk is too high. It could easily lead to losses."

He paused, then added, "The company has just completed an acquisition. If the first film released after the acquisition fails, it will have various negative effects. This project needs to be approached with caution."

Ronan silently nodded. These words reflected Garcia's sense of responsibility. If this boss of his decided to distribute it, regardless of the quality of the film itself, and began to operate it, then he would really need to consider whether such a person was suitable for his current position.

In fact, Ronan was also conducting a covert assessment.

New company, new personnel, everyone had their own ideas. He couldn't understand them just by looking at the data.

"I have a preliminary idea..." Ronan said, opening his briefcase and handing out several copies of the document to the people in the screening room. "Take a look first. This is a plan centered around viral marketing. Of course, this is just a preliminary plan, and the specific implementation process will require input from you, the professionals."

Garcia didn't speak further, lowering his head to examine the copies. He was immediately drawn in, finding the concept incredibly audacious, something Hollywood had never seen before. It was wildly imaginative, but the question remained: could it succeed?

Wasn't sticking to the traditional Hollywood model the safest bet?

Thomas and Terry flipped through the pages, finding themselves shocked, amused, and intrigued all at once.

Robert swallowed hard, reading through Ronan's proposal at lightning speed. Suddenly, his opinion of the lousy film took a complete turn.

It seemed like it could succeed?

With someone else, it might not be certain, as such a plan required strong execution.

But Ronan and his people? Definitely no problem.

A thought flashed through Robert's mind: We all started with deceit. When it comes to returning to our old profession, we're in our element!

David Bilger closed the document, repeatedly filtering through the potential effects of this preliminary plan in his mind, supplementing it with appropriate adjustments based on years of experience.

Embassy Pictures had just started, and Ronan was well aware that they were in the early stages of building trust. He wouldn't resort to strong-arm tactics until the very end.

"A very crazy idea," Garcia looked at Ronan, seeming unsure what to say. After organizing his thoughts for a moment, he continued, "But it's also a plan that could ignite public opinion once successful."

Ronan smiled, waiting for Garcia to continue.

Garcia took a deep breath. "It's highly executable, but the risk is substantial." Normal people wouldn't worship a crazy idea upon hearing it; instead, he expressed doubt, "According to this plan, there are too many loopholes in the film's content."

Ronan replied, "That's why I've brought in an editor to re-edit."

Garcia still had doubts. "This marketing strategy might affect the company's reputation."

Ronan didn't need yes-men, so he patiently replied, "The distribution company will remain behind the scenes. This film has no affiliation with any guilds and doesn't need Embassy Pictures' logo."

He had already considered this, even including a clause in the copyright contract: "If the film does succeed, on the day of exposure, push the director and lead actors to the forefront, let them enjoy the cheers of the media and fans, enjoy the spotlight, enjoy everything."

The artisan company that distributed this film in the past seemed to have followed a similar strategy, with the director and lead actors streaking across the sky like meteors, then quickly fading away.

How the artisan company operated then was how it would continue to operate, with minimal negative impact.

Ronan also considered that the director and lead actors of this film had no experience and were all marginal figures far from Hollywood. It would be relatively easy to manipulate them.