Chapter 67: Super Bowl Trailer

[Chapter 67: Super Bowl Trailer]

After that vague rejection, Julia seemed to put any feelings she had for Eric behind her and threw herself into filming. Whether in public or private, Julia changed her reference for Eric to "Director Williams."

Of course, Eric didn't have time to feel down about Julia's distance. As they shot more scenes, the editing began to ramp up too. Eric found himself working late into the night almost every day with the editor, sometimes so late that he opted to sleep in the office to save on rest time.

Jeffrey expressed some concerns about Eric's approach. Most films underwent post-production only after wrapping up filming. Even though the shoot for his last film, Home Alone, was short, it still followed the standard process. But now, Eric was completely upending that order.

However, once Jeffrey saw the edited clips Eric had put together, he relaxed completely, only advising Eric to take care of himself and not to overwork.

Jeffrey had asked Eric why he was pushing so hard. With his current success, the profits from Home Alone would have comfortably supported him for a decade.

Eric just smiled and didn't explain, burying himself in work. How could Jeffrey know about the ambition stirring within him? When he first stepped into that audition room at Fox, the seed of ambition he planted had taken root deep in his heart, and a series of successes had nurtured it to grow even stronger.

Eric wanted to see just how far he could go.

The crew for Pretty Woman moved in smoothly after three days of adjustments, and they officially set up at the Beverly Hills Wilshire Hotel to film some of the most critical scenes.

"Cut!" Eric popped his head out from behind the monitor during a scene where Vivian and Edward had breakfast the morning after a night together. "Make Julia's lip gloss a bit less flashy, but not too dull."

It was a minor change, so Julia didn't need to avoid the spotlight. The makeup artist quickly made the adjustment.

After a moment, the makeup artist turned back to Eric and asked, "Director, is this okay?"

Eric looked at Julia and shook his head. "It's still too light. Make it a bit brighter."

After fiddling with it some more, the makeup artist finally achieved a look Eric was satisfied with. He turned to his assistant, Alan Feissman, and said, "Alan, note this down and remind me later. Julia's lip color should gradually transition from bright red to pink to soft red throughout the film. After the scene where she is nearly assaulted by Philip Stuckey, she should drop the gloss and wear her natural shade."

Though Alan felt uncertain, he quickly jotted down Eric's notes.

Eric didn't explain his reasoning to the others; this was merely a subtle detail he wanted to use to hint at Vivian's transformation. Vivian's friend, Kate, on the other hand, wore an attention-grabbing bright red the entire time.

...

Around noon, Jeffrey rushed over to the set.

"Eric, I spoke with Carlin Hunt all morning, and Fox still hasn't agreed to your plan to air a trailer during the Super Bowl."

Eric set down his lunch, wiping his hands with a napkin. "What did they say?"

"A 60-second spot during the Super Bowl costs around $1.2 million. Fox thinks that's a waste of money. They believe a concentrated publicity push two weeks before the release is sufficient for your film," Jeffrey replied. "In the end, they just don't have enough faith in your new project. Everyone knows the reason behind signing you for three movie deals was solely for Home Alone 2."

Eric squeezed the napkin in his hands, pondering for a moment. "Keep negotiating with Fox; getting them to agree to anything would be a start. The important thing is to secure that 60-second slot with NBC. If push comes to shove, I can cover the cost myself."

"Eric, our film budget is only $7 million. If you insist on airing a trailer during the Super Bowl, I think 30 seconds should suffice."

Eric patiently clarified, "Jeffrey, for a special effects blockbuster like Star Wars, 30 seconds could work, as long as we edited some jaw-dropping shots. But Pretty Woman is a narrative film, and I intend to include our company's logo. In that case, 30 seconds wouldn't convey anything."

"Alright, if you're determined," Jeffrey relented, aware that Eric often proved right. Yet again, he found himself reluctantly supporting Eric's decision.

At that time, Hollywood movie marketing was still relatively conservative. The idea of airing movie trailers during the Super Bowl wouldn't catch on for another ten years, and only the major studios could afford to do so.

The Super Bowl had maintained the top spot for television ratings in North America since its inception, attracting over 100 million viewers. Major networks took turns broadcasting it, and this year, it was NBC's turn.

Not long ago, while watching Jennifer Aniston's show on NBC, Eric had first encountered the Super Bowl promo, sparking his idea to feature the trailer for Pretty Woman during the event.

In the years before his rebirth, the concept of Super Bowl trailers had become deeply ingrained, and Hollywood's six major studios would send in trailers for their leading films almost every year.

But now, Eric's notion felt a bit ahead of its time. Typically, major Hollywood productions only aired their trailers on television about a month in advance. Although airing just a month after the Super Bowl could align with the Easter release slot, big-budget films tended to aim for summer or holiday periods, leaving no one to air ads during the Super Bowl.

The advertising costs for the Super Bowl were significant. Eric had previously inquired, and the cost had risen to $670,000 for a mere 30-second slot. While that amount seemed like a lot, it could also cover a continuous two-week advertising campaign on NBC during prime time, making 30 seconds of airtime during the Super Bowl feel fleeting.

Yet despite this, Eric quickly decided to go ahead with a 60-second trailer for Pretty Woman during the Super Bowl, knowing how vital box office performance was for his second film as a director.

Even though Eric held strong confidence in the film's potential success, he still harbored quiet concerns over the butterfly effect that could arise from this decision.

Therefore, he wouldn't pass up this incredible promotional opportunity. If everything went smoothly, Pretty Woman would be the first film trailer to debut during the Super Bowl.

With over a hundred million viewers, combined with the novelty of being the first Super Bowl trailer, the buzz surrounding Pretty Woman could be enormous. Given that, paying $1.2 million felt completely justified.

Moreover, Eric was convinced that the media hype would carry on right up to the film's release twenty days later.

With that settled, Eric remembered another matter. "Jeffrey, how's our company logo coming along?"

After founding Firefly Productions, Eric had collaborated with Jeffrey to brainstorm ideas, and they had ultimately chosen a 3D version.

Once filming for Pretty Woman kicked off, Eric had handed over the task of managing the logo's creation to Jeffrey.

"I've followed up with Pixar several times, and they assured me it would be ready this week. It won't delay the trailer, so don't worry," Jeffrey said.

Just as Eric was nodding, he suddenly gasped, "You're talking about... Pixar?"

Confused, Jeffrey asked, "Yeah, what's the problem?"

"Is this the same Pixar that belongs to Jobs?"

Jeffrey nodded. "Yes, that's right, it's Jobs' Pixar," he said, a mischievous smile creeping onto his face.

"Funny enough, Jobs has had a rough few years. First, he got kicked out of Apple. He ambitiously bought Pixar, intending to create specialized graphics computers, but after the product flopped, he found himself only able to take on animation contracts to keep the company afloat. However, Pixar's animation technology is truly outstanding. After watching their short film, Tin Toy, I decided to hand over the logo project to them."

*****

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