Chapter 22: Birds of a Feather

Making a movie is not an easy task. Murphy knew he had to be fully prepared, especially in terms of funding.

So, the next day, Murphy appeared on time at the club where he had an appointment with Leon Rose. Since they had already agreed on the terms, there wasn't much small talk between them.

Leon Rose, representing Kobe Bryant, paid Murphy $100,000; Murphy handed over all the materials related to the photos and signed a confidentiality agreement.

Such transactions frequently occur between media journalists and celebrities and are not considered a big deal.

Having received the $100,000 as promised, Murphy was in a good mood. When leaving, he shook hands with Leon Rose, "Please convey my respect to Mr. Bryant. If I get the chance, I will definitely watch him play in person."

Leon Rose unceremoniously replied, "I hope you never get that chance."

With that, he left the room with the CAA lawyer, showing no interest in further dealings with Murphy.

Murphy watched his retreating figure, shrugged, and then left as well. Despite Leon Rose's anger, he didn't take it to heart. Yesterday, he had asked Kara Faith to find someone to investigate, and he learned that CAA's basketball division wasn't particularly important. CAA prioritized American football in sports agency work.

This wasn't surprising, as American football is the number one sport in North America, far surpassing the NBA and other leagues in influence. CAA's primary business was still focused on the North American market.

However, Murphy wouldn't overlook CAA's massive influence. He was currently a small fry. To the giants at CAA, he was no different from any paparazzi wandering the streets of Los Angeles. Nobody would pay too much attention. If he ever made it into Hollywood and gained some fame, the impact of this incident would become significant.

But Murphy had no regrets. To quickly accumulate the initial capital for development, some unconventional methods were necessary.

At least he hadn't broken any laws.

"Since coming to the human world, every pore of capital is dirty and bloody."

With this thought, Murphy left the club and drove to Channel 6 to continue participating in the documentary production. Like before, he was more like a student during the production process, greedily absorbing all the post-production techniques and experience.

This was Los Angeles, the heart of Hollywood and the place with the world's most advanced film technology. Even though the documentary team mostly came from Channel 6, a relatively obscure TV station, their meticulousness and concepts in post-production amazed the novice Murphy.

Indeed, he had more experience than the average person and had studied the latest film techniques and knowledge at a film school across the ocean. But learning and practice are two different realms. Excelling in study doesn't necessarily mean excelling in execution.

Murphy calmed down, temporarily discarding other thoughts into the Pacific Ocean. For the next period, he stayed steadily in the post-production room of Channel 6, following experienced people like Griffith, constantly asking various questions.

The documentary wasn't particularly difficult to produce. Murphy knew that he would encounter far more problems when filming his own movie.

The documentary was simply editing together previously shot video materials, which didn't take long. Moreover, the black movements in the Los Angeles area wouldn't continue indefinitely. The documentary had to be released quickly to have an impact.

Half a month later, the hype around white police officers shooting unresisting black criminals and the subsequent black protests in the Los Angeles area gradually subsided. Just as the LA County Police Department and City Hall calmed down, Channel 6 aired the documentary "City of Sin" during prime time.

The theme of the documentary was evident from its title. This 55-minute documentary was a compilation of criminal activities in the Los Angeles area, featuring car accidents, murders, drug deals, and armed robberies. It highlighted that crime in Los Angeles was no longer confined to one area but had spread to every corner, and it subtly pointed out the conflicts between minorities and whites caused by social injustice.

Murphy's footage of the Bill Road case and the Beverly Hills police shootout were the highlights of the documentary. Despite the lack of clarity in the footage due to the equipment used, the nearly complete and bloody gunfight still triggered a huge response.

Especially the last scene, where a black criminal was shot dead by white police officers without any resistance. The impact was beyond description.

News broadcasts often censored many sensitive or bloody scenes due to various concerns, but the documentary's larger scope allowed for more impactful footage.

Unsurprisingly, the documentary garnered widespread attention, propelling Channel 6 to become the hottest local TV station in Los Angeles.

The just-calm black movements erupted again due to the documentary's theme and Murphy's fully broadcast footage. Crowds of protesters gathered again in front of the Los Angeles City Hall and County Police Department, providing more material for the media.

Channel 6 even partnered with a video distributor to release DVDs and videotapes of the documentary.

Despite using a lot of Murphy's footage, Channel 6 only paid him a modest copyright fee, but he was satisfied. After all, he had participated in the entire documentary production, learned a lot, and gained some experience.

More importantly, he had somewhat developed a relationship with Griffith. If he encountered editing problems in the future, he could ask him for advice.

Though Griffith was just one of the many unremarkable editors in Los Angeles, he was much better than Murphy, a newbie with almost no practical experience.

"Congratulations..."

In an Italian restaurant, Murphy sat by a window, raising his glass to Kara Faith across from him, "Congratulations on your promotion."

Kara Faith, dressed in a well-fitted casual suit, with her curly blonde hair neatly tied back, raised her glass, clinked it with Murphy's, and smiled before drinking, "Thank you!"

They both downed their drinks.

Murphy picked up his knife and fork, cutting into the steak on his plate, "How does it feel to be the news director of Channel 6?"

Previously, Kara Faith was in charge of the news programs during the night and early morning slots. After her promotion, she was responsible for all news on Channel 6.

Kara Faith tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear and, with some emotion, said, "It feels great not having to work night shifts!"

Murphy chewed a piece of steak and suddenly looked curiously at Kara Faith.

"What's wrong?" Kara Faith thought there was something dirty on her face. She touched her face and was about to take out a small mirror from her handbag, "Is there something on my face?"

"No." Murphy shook his head lightly, "I'm just surprised you're not wearing makeup today."

The Kara Faith he usually saw, though not heavily made up, always wore professional makeup. Today, her face had only very light makeup.

"Do I look ugly without makeup?" Kara Faith joked.

"Of course not." Murphy admired her, "You look fresher and more natural this way, not as aggressive as when you wear professional makeup."

"Really?" Kara Faith picked up her knife and fork, "Don't forget, I'm a woman. If I don't look strong, how can I work?"

Gender differences are an undeniable aspect of the workplace.

Murphy nodded, smiling, "If you're willing to meet me like this, does it mean our relationship is more than just professional?"

Kara Faith raised an eyebrow, "What do you think our relationship is?"

"I thought we were already friends." Murphy said lightly.

"Friends?" Kara Faith's smile was both playful and mocking, "What kind of friend are you? Always forcing me to negotiate..."

Murphy spread his hands, "Dear, work is work, personal relationships are personal."

Unlike the connection he had with Ross from prison, Murphy couldn't precisely describe his relationship with Kara Faith. They met through work, drew closer due to similar views, and especially after he gave up working as a freelance journalist and stopped providing news videos to Channel 6, he became closer to Kara Faith.

He understood that without the final entanglement of interests, their interactions had fewer scruples.

Frankly speaking, Murphy thought a phrase from across the Pacific aptly described his friendship with Kara Faith: birds of a feather flock together.

They chatted while eating, the atmosphere exceptionally pleasant. Especially when discussing how the documentary boosted Channel 6's ratings from the Bill Road case to now, they laughed heartily.

In such private settings, both Murphy and Kara Faith laughed unabashedly, thinking only of the huge benefits they gained, rather than any journalistic ethics or social responsibility.

As the meal drew to a close, Kara Faith drank a large glass of water, wiped her mouth, and suddenly changed the topic, "When will your plan start?"

"As soon as possible." Murphy put down his napkin, "I've learned a lot from this documentary..."

He pointed to his head, "There's already a clear plan here."

Kara Faith asked, "What about funding?"

"After paying the lawyer and other fees," Murphy calculated in his mind, "there's still over $300,000."

At this, he frowned again. This amount was really too little for making a movie.

"Here's a piece of advice." Kara Faith spoke with unprecedented seriousness, "Don't invest all your money."