Not so easy

The morning sun in Cannes shone bright making those who went for an early walk sweat a bit. Lyman looked at the modern commercial building in front of him, and without much hesitation, he walked forward confidently.

Just yesterday, Thomas also rushed over from Paris. After the trio reunited, they couldn't wait to start their next project. For a movie to be released in theaters, it naturally requires negotiation between distributors and theater chains. The theater chains will arrange vacant slots in their cinemas only after finding suitable film distributors, which was the purpose of their trip.

In France, in the province of the Alps, there were many film companies with distribution channels. They could be broadly divided into two types. The first type was subsidiaries of major Hollywood companies that distributed their films globally, including Paramount, Columbia, Warner Bros., MGM, and UGC Fox Distribution. The second type was domestic French film companies, such as Pathé, EuropaCorp, and Gaumont, as well as numerous independent distributors, the kind of second-tier players in regional screenings.

Lyman's ideal choice, of course, was the major companies. After all, big companies not only meant strength but also had more abundant film and television resources. So his first choice was the Warner Bros. office in France. With so many big companies, there was nothing particularly innovative about targeting them as the first goal. It was simply because the Warner Bros. office was near Cannes.

"Hello, welcome to Warner Bros. France Office!" The receptionist greeted with a smiling face. She was a white woman in her twenties. Although her smile seemed fake, it was unexpectedly pleasing.

Lyman glanced at the name tag hanging on her chest and knew her name was Sylvie. He spoke, "Miss Sylvie, hello, I am Lyman. I made an appointment yesterday to meet with the manager of your company's acquisitions department, Mr. Gaiman."

"Alright, please wait a moment," Sylvie turned and made a phone call to confirm the relevant matters.

Seeing this, the trio casually sat on the nearby bench and waited for the news. Touching the firm seat beneath his buttocks, Lyman looked around the surroundings. For some reason, he suddenly felt a bit nervous.

At this moment, receptionist Sylvie finished her phone call and said in a friendly tone, "Mr. Lyman, our manager is already waiting for you in the screening room on the second floor. Let me take you there. Please follow me."

"Okay." Lyman and the other two stood up. René and Thomas each held a briefcase containing various materials and the final edited version copy of "Buried".

They went upstairs and passed through Warner Bros.'s office area, which didn't seem to have many people, but it looked busy. Everyone was either busy working or talking on the phone. Sylvie led the three of them to a separate office. She knocked on the door and a voice from inside said, "Come in." She opened the door and reported, "Mr. Gaiman, Director Lyman is here." After that, she turned and went back to the reception desk.

After Lyman and the others entered, they saw a middle-aged white man in his forties. He had the common appearance of the American region, with thinning hair and a bald head. He was wearing a gray suit with a black tie and was sitting behind the desk, looking at something. When he noticed them entering, he raised his head, smiled, and stood up, "Hello. Director Lyman, hello."

"Mr. Gaiman, hello." Lyman smiled and shook his hand, politely saying, "Nice to meet you."

Thomas smiled and didn't say anything. Instead, he asked, "Mr. Lyman, you look really young. If I may ask, how old are you?"

"25," came the concise reply.

Upon hearing this, Gaiman furrowed his brow slightly, apparently dissatisfied with the young director who claimed to want to collaborate. Twenty-five years old, just graduated from college, would the so-called movie made by someone like this be nothing more than a laughable "pretend play"? Although he didn't like it in his heart, feeling it was a waste of time, he had already agreed to meet and the person had come. He couldn't just avoid it directly. So, he spoke up, "Well, let me first appreciate your film works. I hope it will be a pleasant experience."

"I brought a copy of the film." Lyman said, taking it from René, who was standing beside him, and handed it over.

"Okay, let's take a look." Gaiman took the film copy and put it into the projector in the office compartment. He casually pulled down the curtains installed in the room.

The four of them sat in comfortable chairs, watching the small screen in front of them together. Gaiman pressed the play button on the remote control, and a black screen lit up on the small screen.

As time passed, there was still no other image appearing on the screen, just complete darkness. "Wow, this..." Gaiman pressed the pause button, looked at Lyman, and asked in doubt, "Director Lyman, are you sure this is a movie? Why isn't there any image? Is it an entire film in the dark?"

Lyman was lost in thought, distracted by the interruption. But he quickly came back to his senses and explained, "This initial 20 seconds uses sound to create the visual impact. You will understand what it means later."

Suppressing the rising sense of absurdity, Gaiman pressed play again. On the screen, the camera zoomed in, focusing on Heath Ledger trapped alone in a coffin buried under a large shadow, his eyes filled with panic and confusion, anxiously darting around.

The background music gradually started, intensifying the atmosphere. This long, uninterrupted shot, without a single cut, lasted nearly 30 seconds. It was truly a stunning entrance. As time slowly passed, after ninety minutes, suddenly everything turned dark, and the film came to an end, with subtitles gradually appearing. The screening was over.

At this moment, Lyman, René, and Thomas, their gaze all focused on the bald man sitting next to them. They had watched this movie many times and still found it fascinating.

The first time, you feel heart-wrenching; the second time, you sense some deeper meaning; by the third time, you can discover how this film vividly exposes the despicable tactics of the U.S. government and the entire social discourse, truly analyzing the conflicts of interest on the international political battlefield. In conclusion, all in all, it is really good!

But Lyman and his two companions' opinions didn't count. The one with the decisive power in this room was Gaiman. Only if he approved, it would truly be approved.

"So, Mr. Gaiman, how was it?" Seeing the somewhat quiet atmosphere, René couldn't help but speak first. His eyes were fixed on the acquisitions manager, afraid to hear a "no" from his mouth.

"Director Lyman, your film... how should I put it?" Gaiman hesitated in his words, making Lyman even more nervous. "It's surprising and indeed interesting, at least it allowed me to watch the entire film without any worries."

Then he chuckled self-deprecatingly, "But this extremely strong personal style, coupled with the fact that the entire film consists of just one character and one setting, it's just insane. I've never seen such... such an unconventional film before. You know, I'm just an office manager, I don't have much authority. But you've handled the story and plot very well, however..."

As soon as Lyman heard Gaiman's lack of certainty in his words, he knew that the outcome of this endeavor might not be too good. Sure enough, Gaiman spread his hands and said, "I can only acquire the distribution rights for the offline market and release it on videotape. Whether people love it or not, it's business. Director Lyman, I'm willing to persuade the company to spend a sum of money to buy the distribution rights for this film, but I can't push it for theatrical release. What do you think?"

Lyman felt a sinking feeling in his heart. Gaiman's meaning was simply that the film's style was too intense. Rather than taking the risk and persuading theaters to screen it at a high cost, it was easier to release it in the offline market. In that regard, the upfront costs would be much lighter compared to theaters. In other words, the movie might have value, but they weren't willing to take the risk.

"I understand, but the market is always unpredictable, right? Maybe we can start with limited screenings, test it in a dozen or so theaters, see the audience's reaction, and then decide on further release. What do you think?" Lyman unwillingly proposed his suggestion.

But Gaiman shook his head, "I've seen the investment in the film. It cost €500,000 to make, right? Our company is willing to spend €1M to buy the distribution rights for this film and guarantee profits in the offline market. As the production team, you will have a 25% share. How about that?"

Five hundred thousand turned into one million, and in an instant, it would earn back the entire investment. Logically speaking, Lyman should feel happy. When he first came here, he wanted to make money by making movies and continue in this line of work. But why was he so unwilling? "Can't we give this film a chance to try?"

"Sorry, that's beyond my scope of authority. I'm powerless." Gaiman cleanly cut off the last thread of hope for a theatrical release. As the acquisitions manager of Warner Bros. Film Studio's office in France, he certainly had the authority to push a film to theaters in various locations. After all, he also had the opportunity to get involved in the release of films from the head office in France every year.

It wasn't difficult to establish good relations with theaters, let alone the fact that the head office's distribution channels spanned the entirety of Europe and North America. But he didn't want to take risks. The director's style in "Buried" was too prominent, more like an auteur film, not the so-called "artistic" film with a touch of sensuality. Such thriller, niche genres would not be well-received in France, based on his long experience in acquisitions.

There was value, but the future was uncertain. There was no need to forcefully push it, risking his own negligence. Instead, releasing it on offline videotapes would surely recoup the costs and generate profits for him. What was more important was clear at a glance.

"Can I have some time to consider?"

"Of course, you can call me anytime during this period."

"Thank you."

...