Chapter 105: A Five-Star Film
"Welcome, it's a great honor for Stanton Studios to have you here..."
At the entrance of a small theater in West Hollywood, Murphy, Bill Rosis, and Paul Wilson stood greeting representatives from several companies who had come to view the film. Murphy warmly shook hands with each person, wearing the most enthusiastic smile as if they were divine visitors.
As long as he could achieve his goal, Murphy didn't mind smiling until his face hurt.
Originally, he planned to hold this screening in a hotel conference room, but to ensure the best viewing experience, he spent $1,000 to rent the theater for the morning.
Watching a movie in a conference room versus a professional theater produced entirely different effects.
Everything Murphy did was to promote his film as much as possible.
In total, over a dozen people entered the theater. Murphy checked his watch and asked, "Bill, is everyone here?"
Bill Rosis thought for a moment, "Everyone on the list is here."
"Let's go in." Murphy led the way into the theater.
Inside, Paul Wilson didn't go to the screening room but headed upstairs. He, Seth Rogen, and Jonah Hill would supervise the screening copy throughout, even taking turns for bathroom breaks.
Although Stanton Studios and the film were not well-known, Murphy wouldn't slack on precautions.
This film represented nearly all his assets and was crucial to his future development. Any mishap would be devastating.
In the small screening room, the dozen or so people scattered in their seats. Tony Guzman habitually sat in the back row. From his position, he could see many familiar industry faces.
In the third row, towards the center, sat Miramax's Jones Butler.
In the fifth row on the left was DreamWorks' Ron Albas.
The person in the front row surprised him the most: Milton Johnson, a senior executive in charge of distribution at Lionsgate.
There were also a few unfamiliar faces, likely buyers and scouts from smaller distribution companies.
It wasn't surprising to see multiple companies at the screening. What surprised Tony Guzman was that a small, unknown Stanton Studios and an obscure director could attract so many people.
However, recalling the data on "Hard Candy," it made sense. Everyone here was realistic.
Without the revenue data from "Hard Candy," he believed that fewer than three people would have come, and only because of the CAA name.
Milton Johnson sat in his seat, ignoring the people around him. He only cared about the film. If this horror movie piqued his interest, he would stay; if not, he would leave without hesitation.
Given that the young director had turned a $300,000 budget into a profitable film for Miramax, Johnson believed the second film wouldn't be worse.
Jones Butler looked around. This situation wasn't uncommon. A director with a successful track record naturally drew attention, and Bill Rosis had leveraged some of CAA's influence.
Her eyes turned to the screen. Regardless of what Stanton Studios and CAA did, the film itself was crucial. Without commercial appeal, all these efforts would be in vain.
Milton Johnson's fingers lightly tapped the armrest as he wondered if this film would hold his attention.
He had specifically watched "Hard Candy" before. The film had value but was too niche.
The screen lit up, and without an opening title, the film immediately set its theme. After just one minute, Johnson found himself rubbing his chin, a habitual gesture when intrigued.
A locked room, two people chained, and a corpse in a pool of blood from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. It was straightforward yet filled with questions: why were they locked up, and why did the man commit suicide?
"Photography, camera work, color grading, editing—all have improved significantly compared to the last film," Tony Guzman nodded slightly. "The suspense in the opening is handled excellently, just like before."
The increased gore content made Jones Butler frown a bit, but after watching for a while, she had to admit Murphy Stanton's progress was evident. The film's quality was far superior to "Hard Candy."
Although still a traditional American gore film, the added elements of suspense and clever killing mechanisms provided a fresh experience.
Halfway through, even without being stunning, Jones Butler kept nodding and taking notes. There were many marketable points in this film.
"Extraordinary creativity, realistic depiction of human darkness, dramatic plot twists, unique handling of classic elements like the unknown, darkness, claustrophobia, and near-death experiences, intricate details, a powerful ending, all enhanced by appropriate gore..."
Her notebook was filled with notes.
More importantly, Jones Butler's years of experience told her this wasn't a niche film like "Hard Candy" but a mainstream horror film.
This was crucial as it directly indicated the film's market value!
A film without market value was meaningless to her and Miramax!
Tony Guzman was also nodding, having formed his own judgment. In the small-budget independent films he had seen this year, this horror film was undoubtedly five-star material.
It was an exceptional low-budget film!
Milton Johnson's eyes lowered, but not because he was uninterested. He instructed his assistant, "Tell our people to get in touch with Stanton Studios. We need to acquire this film..."
As he spoke, the supposedly dead man in the room stood up, revealing himself as the Jigsaw killer!
This unexpected twist widened even Johnson's eyes, an experienced viewer. The ending was truly shocking!
He immediately reconsidered. With the right distribution, this horror film could do wonders for Lionsgate...
"After the screening, gather the distribution and marketing departments for a meeting," he whispered to his assistant. "Stay in close contact with Stanton Studios. I'll push for our company to buy this film outright."
Even if they couldn't buy it outright, this film had given him plenty of inspiration.
Tony Guzman also reevaluated his stance, his mouth slightly open in surprise at the ending. This wasn't just a five-star film; it was an exceptionally five-star low-budget film!
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