Chapter 97: The Source of the Virus

In the Seashore Entertainment screening room, the re-edited version of "The Blair Witch Project" had just finished playing.

Garcia rubbed his eyes again, feeling that watching this film was a form of torture. Terry and Thomas were not faring any better beside him, closing their eyes to adjust their emotions slowly. Robert seemed slightly better and quickly got up to draw the curtains, while behind him, PR director David Villa appeared to be on the verge of vomiting.

"This is the final cut," Michael Davenport said as he stood up and faced everyone. "The effect is much better than the last version."

The others, who had all been part of the last meeting and were aware of Michael's plan, nodded slightly. The film's flaws were significantly reduced compared to the previous version.

Michael glanced at the group and asked, "Robert, how are things on your end?"

Robert flipped through his notebook and then said, "I have signed contracts with everyone involved in the film, including the temporary actors playing the town residents, with confidentiality clauses. We paid each of them an additional $3,000. They are all delighted with our generosity and will cooperate with our publicity and marketing plans."

Money and fame are the most effective incentives in this industry.

"Also, director Daniel Myrick had set up a website for the film last year with a lot of collected information about the witch," Robert continued. "I gave him another $3,000, and he directly transferred the website to us."

Michael showed interest. "Does the website have any traffic?"

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

Michael thought for a moment and then said to the PR director, "David, take over this website. Incorporate some of your prepared content into it and proceed with the rest according to the plan."

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

David Villa then said, "The materials are very detailed and will be beneficial for our publicity efforts."

"Great," Michael said, then turned to Garcia, "What about your side?"

Garcia responded, "I've communicated with dozens of independent theatres we often work with. Screening won't be a problem, but negotiations with chain theatres are not going well. Our salespeople are still working on it. The top five theatres in North America are very firm in their stance, requiring a screening before making any decisions."

The primary goal of theatres is commercial profit. Without seeing significant potential, they won't easily invest resources in an unknown small production.

Michael understood this point and said, "Keep communicating with the commercial chains. We can arrange for a screening, but not now. We should wait until the publicity and marketing plan starts to show results. The film alone won't be convincing enough."

For a film like this, without the momentum from marketing, expecting large chain theatres to invest significant resources is unrealistic.

Garcia suggested, "I recommend doing it about half a month before the release."

"Okay," Michael agreed. "Let's do it as you said. You will be responsible for inviting the theatre reviewers."

Garcia nodded, "No problem."

Michael raised his voice, "The key to promoting this project is the internet. If anyone has new ideas, we can further refine our plan."

David Villa, who was relatively cautious, said, "I think we should first test the social response. If the response is poor, we should cut our losses in time."

No one can guarantee the success of a film, especially one with a marketing plan that has never been done before.

David Villa raised his voice slightly, "I've made a budget. To achieve the ideal promotional effect, the investment in publicity alone will not be less than $8 million, possibly even over $10 million."

Although Michael had memories of a similar campaign from the past, he knew he couldn't bet everything on it. "David, we will initially push the first part of the marketing plan. If there is no response, we can still turn back."

The film's production costs seemed low, but achieving high box office returns required a significant investment.

For instance, distributing a film copy to theatres, including printing, insurance, and transportation, averaged $1,500 per copy. For wide distribution, at least 3,000 copies would be needed, costing about $4.5 million.

Without owning the rights, Michael would be crazy to invest such a massive amount in this film.

Given today's communication environment, for a film to succeed in distribution and screening, it must leverage various media for marketing and promotion in the most reasonable way.

As someone who had experienced the internet boom, Michael knew that the intersection of film and the web would redefine movie marketing.

This was a crazy plan and a huge gamble. Over $10 million couldn't be thrown around carelessly.

Michael also needed to gauge the social response, not mindlessly follow through.

"About the release schedule," he asked Garcia, "When do you think is the best time?"

Garcia had a plan ready. "This project shouldn't be delayed too long, as it would affect the promotion and release of 'Final Destination.' I think summer is the best time."

Michael frowned, "Summer is highly competitive."

"Late July," Garcia suggested. "By then, most of the big summer films will have been out for a while. Our unconventional promotion method will be less affected by the release schedule."

After considering it, Michael said, "Okay. Garcia, I've had a long-shot documentary cut. Add the website address and send it along with a missing person notice for the three college students to the Discovery Channel. If they refuse to broadcast it, we'll approach other networks."

He then turned to the PR director. "David, you need to sort out the website issues before Garcia. The site should provide extensive historical information, eyewitness accounts, and diary entries about the Blair Witch; fabricated news reports and related items about the disappearance of the fictional characters; continuously release handwritten notes, personal photos, and family details of the missing people... Robert, you've worked with the actors, help David create interview records with the friends and family of the missing characters."

David Villa nodded.

Robert said, "No problem."

Michael emphasized, "The most important point is that both the documentary sent to Discovery Channel and the website must mention the found footage, stating that the tapes are being restored and will be made public soon."

These tasks were manageable.

David Villa added, "I suggest we delay offline promotions. Ads in newspapers, magazines, and video rental stores are expensive."

Michael agreed. "Fine, we'll focus on the internet for now. David, have someone post missing person notices on the hottest websites and forums."

He continued, "If we get some response, we'll ramp up the promotion. Especially offline, contact printing companies. If things go well over the next few months, we'll publish missing person notices in major weeklies, magazines, and video stores. We'll distribute news reports about the missing people and their handwritten notes, photos, and more on the streets."

This wasn't just an online marketing campaign; Michael wouldn't ignore traditional media channels, and they would advance both online and offline efforts simultaneously.

Later, Michael emphasized the website to David Villa and Robert. "This website is crucial," he stressed. "It should enable people to access various materials and evidence on the site, immersing them in a mysterious world of witchcraft and prompting them to act as agents, spreading the word further."

Michael knew that success would be within reach if they could turn most of those who saw the campaign into secondary distributors.

"By the way, Robert," Michael said, "Let's gather the main cast for now. We can offer them a sum and send them on a trip to Africa to avoid the media digging up anything."