Chapter 97: Source of the Virus

Embassy Film's screening room just finished showing the re-edited The Blair Witch.

Garcia rubbed his eyes again; enduring this kind of movie was sheer torture. Terry and Thomas beside him weren't faring any better, both closing their eyes to slowly adjust their mood.

Robert was feeling slightly better. He quickly got up to draw open the curtains. Behind him, the publicity director, David Villegas, seemed on the verge of nausea.

"This is the final edited version," Ronan stood up and walked to the front, facing everyone. "The effect is much better than the last time."

The others had participated in the previous meeting and knew Ronan's plan, so they nodded slightly. The film had fewer loopholes compared to the previous version.

Ronan looked around at them and asked, "Robert, how's it going on your end?"

Robert lowered his head to check his notebook, then said, "I've signed contracts with all the cast and crew, including the temporary actors playing the townspeople, with a confidentiality clause attached. But each person received an additional $3,000. They're all satisfied with our generosity and will cooperate with our marketing plan."

Money and fame were the most appealing rewards in this industry.

"Also, the director, Daniel Malick, set up a website for this film last year, with a lot of witch-related material he collected," Robert continued. "I paid him another $3,000, and he directly transferred the website to us."

Ronan became interested. "Is the website getting any attention?"

Robert shook his head. "The website was established last year, and total visits are only a few hundred so far. It's just a simple website."

Ronan pondered for a moment and then told the publicity director, "David, you take over the website. Incorporate the parts you prepared earlier and proceed according to the plan."

Robert added, "I've handed over the witch-related materials to David."

David Villegas spoke up, "The material is quite detailed and will be useful for our publicity."

"Very good," Ronan turned to Garcia. "And what about your end?"

Garcia replied, "I've communicated with dozens of independent cinemas I regularly work with. Screening won't be a problem there. But it's not going smoothly with the chain cinemas. Our salespeople are still negotiating. The top five cinemas in North America are very resolute; they want to consider after the trial screenings."

The purpose of cinemas is primarily for commercial profit. For small productions like this one, unless the cinemas see real selling points, they won't easily invest resources.

Ronan understood this and said, "Continue to communicate with the commercial chain cinemas. Trial screenings can happen, but not now. We need to wait until we see the results of the marketing plan. Otherwise, the film alone doesn't have any convincing power."

For a film like this, without setting the pace with marketing and promotion, it would be odd for commercial chain cinemas to invest heavily in screening resources.

Garcia continued, "I suggest scheduling it for the first half of the premiere."

"Good," Ronan agreed. "Follow your plan, and when the time comes, you're responsible for inviting cinema experts."

Garcia nodded, "No problem."

Ronan raised his voice, "The promotion of this project is crucial. The internet is key. If anyone has new ideas based on the previous plan, let's further refine it."

"I think we should test the social response first," David Villegas said cautiously. "If the feedback is poor, we should cut our losses in time."

No one can guarantee the success of a film, especially for a plan with no precedent.

David Villegas raised his voice slightly, "I've made a budget. To achieve the desired promotional effect, the investment in advertising alone won't be less than $8 million, perhaps even $10 million or more."

Although he had memories from his past life, Ronan knew he couldn't go all in. "David, let's proceed with the first part of the promotion plan for now. If there's no attention, we still have time to turn back."

This film appeared to have a low cost, but to achieve high box office success, it required substantial investment.

Just for transporting a copy of a film to a cinema, including printing, insurance, and transportation costs, it averages around $1,500.

Most chain cinemas have multiple screens, requiring large-scale distribution, so about 3,000 copies are needed.

That's $4.5 million.

Unless he bought out the rights, Ronan wouldn't invest heavily in a film like this.

In today's context, for a film to be successful in distribution and screening, it must utilize various media outlets through marketing and promotion.

As someone who had experienced the internet revolution, Ronan was very clear that the crossover between film and the internet would redefine the marketing format of movies.

This was a crazy plan and a great risk. Investing tens of millions of dollars wasn't something he could do casually.

Ronan also needed to see the social response, rather than blindly rushing forward.

"What about the release date?" he asked Garcia. "When do you think is the most appropriate?"

Garcia had a plan in mind. "This project shouldn't be delayed for too long. If it's delayed too long, it will affect the promotion and distribution of The Grim Reaper, so I think the summer is the most suitable."

Ronan frowned, "The competition in the summer is very intense."

"Let's aim for the latter half of July," Garcia suggested. "During this time, the summer blockbusters have been showing for quite a while. We're not using the traditional promotion model, so the impact of the schedule is minimal."

Ronan contemplated for a moment and said, "That works. Garcia, I've had a long-shot documentary made. Get someone to add the website address to it, along with a missing person notice for three university students. Send it to the Discovery Channel. If the Discovery Channel refuses to broadcast it, we'll find another TV station."

He then turned to the publicity director, "David, before Garcia, you need to take care of the website. The website should provide a lot of historical information about Blair the Witch, eyewitness accounts, diary records, fictional news reports before and after the disappearance of the movie characters, and related items. Continuously post handwritten notes, life photos, and family information of the missing individuals..."

"Robert, you've dealt with those actors. You assist David in producing interview records of the missing person's friends and relatives."

David Villegas nodded.

Robert said, "No problem."

Ronan further emphasized, "The most important thing is, whether it's the documentary for the Discovery Channel or the website, make sure to mention the accidentally discovered videotapes. Say that the tapes are being restored and will be made public soon."

These tasks weren't difficult to accomplish.

David Villegas added, "I suggest holding off on offline activities for now. Newspaper, magazine, and video store advertising costs are very high."

Ronan agreed, "Okay, let's focus mainly on the internet for now. David, find someone to post missing person notices on the most popular websites and forums."

He continued, "If it gets some response, we'll intensify our efforts. Especially offline, coordinate with printing factories. If the plan goes smoothly, over the next few months, we'll publish missing person notices in major magazines, journals, and video stores, distribute various news reports about the missing people on the streets, as well as their handwritten notes, photos, and so on."

This wasn't just an online marketing campaign; Ronan wouldn't overlook the role of traditional media channels. They would simultaneously push online and offline.

Then, Ronan emphasized again to David Villegas and Robert about the website. The website was the source of spreading the virus.

"The website is crucial," Ronan emphasized. "It should allow people to enter a mysterious world of witchcraft through various materials and evidence obtained on the website and immediately take on an agent role, continuously spreading outwards."

Ronan knew that as long as most of the people who paid attention became a source of spreading the virus, success was very close.

"Oh, Robert," Ronan said. "Gather the key personnel temporarily. We can provide them with a fee and send them on a trip to Africa to avoid media digging."