Chapter 710 - The Start of Promotion

To complement Laila's promotion efforts, the company quickly followed suit. At a pace of two to three times a day, they posted various behind-the-scenes stills, scenic images, and humorous bloopers from the movie on the official website.

This approach proved highly effective, gradually unveiling the mystery surrounding the film with an increasing number of photos. Unfortunately, even with these revelations, they had only scratched the surface. Understanding the entire movie through these images alone was futile, given the epic nature of the source material.

The movie, despite omitting many scene descriptions from the original work, still portrayed a vast and intricate world. Randomly picking a small segment could yield a wealth of information.

Amidst various speculations and discussions, the Super Bowl arrived.

Laila had never been a fan of such events, but her family, including Roy and Abel, seemed quite interested. As the whole family gathered to watch the live broadcast, Laila focused on checking online comments about the movie on her computer. Successful promotion required more than just applying a standard set of rules; each situation had its unique context.

Take, for example, a publicity stunt favored by some minor celebrities—the accidental exposure on the red carpet.

This was perhaps one of the simplest attention-grabbing methods. Whether it was wearing revealing attire, pretending to step on the gown on the red carpet, or feigning a stumble due to high heels—anything that subtly revealed parts that were rarely seen yet highly sought after—success was guaranteed when the flashbulbs flickered.

However, the risks of such tactics were substantial. A misstep could lead to public disdain, resulting in tragic obscurity. Unless another opportunity presented itself, there would be no chance of redemption.

If lucky enough to avoid public scorn, opportunities arose. All major media outlets would showcase photos or footage from the incident, and the person's name would be propelled into the limelight.

The starkly different outcomes hinged significantly on the promotional strategy behind the scenes. If the strategy was effective, fame awaited. If not, well, get ready for criticism.

The key difference in these strategies was understanding the context of the situation. Success came from going with the flow while going against it led to failure. Therefore, mastering this context was crucial, and different situations required different approaches.

Laila had a strong sixth sense in this regard from her past life. During her years as a television drama director, most of the shows she directed were melodramas, but their viewership remained consistently high. Otherwise, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to direct so many TV dramas.

After her rebirth, relying on her experience and abilities, she successfully orchestrated one effective promotion after another. This showcased her innate talent in this field.

Credit was also because she could focus on publicity while her family enthusiastically cheered in front of the TV. If it were someone else, they might have either cracked under the noise or joined the cheering crowd.

"Laila! The trailer is about to start!" Roy suddenly pulled her close, urging her to watch the TV.

It was then that she realized the Super Bowl had reached halftime. This year, she had once again secured a 90-second slot during the prime advertising time of the year to broadcast her carefully edited trailer for "The Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring."

"Really? There's a trailer?" Janet excitedly increased the TV volume with the remote. "I wonder how it turned out. I'm concerned about the clothes I designed. After all, it's for my favorite work, and I hope I haven't dragged down the entire movie's tone."

Roy nodded with a smile, "Yes, it should be starting soon."

Laila remained silent. Honestly, she felt a bit nervous at this moment, as if she had returned to the days when she first premiered a movie in theaters several years ago.

This feeling hadn't occurred in a long time, not even during the release of "Iron Man," which had more strategic significance for the company's future. She knew the future evaluations of this movie; many would consider it one of the greatest cinematic works. While she didn't aim for such greatness, she couldn't deny that it was indeed a film that would leave an indelible mark in cinematic history.

There were many reasons why she liked this movie. She couldn't allow such great work to turn into a flop under her direction. The importance of this film to her was evident from the fact that she held the rights for so many years without initiating the production. It wasn't surprising that her previous films served as stepping stones for this one.

In fact, as long as you study carefully, you can also find some clues. For example, each of the movies she shot is grander than the last, and for example, each movie uses more special effects technology than the previous one.

From small-scale effects in "The Final Destination" to later blockbusters like "Pirates of the Caribbean," "Harry Potter," and "Iron Man," she continued studying and experimenting with the application of special effects.

It wasn't just about special effects. She was also researching her unique style, infusing her own opinions and thoughts into these films. Because she knew the future evaluations of these films, she would preserve and magnify the positive aspects and improve or eliminate the negative parts.

When she was sure she had mastered everything, she finally revealed her plan for "The Lord of the Rings."

Now, the time to validate her efforts was approaching. Although a trailer wasn't the full movie, a good trailer could have an enormous impact. Some might argue that a trailer might include all the most exciting scenes from the entire movie, but that wasn't necessarily a bad thing. If spoilers weren't an issue, they could do exactly that. At least it would attract (deceive) many people into the theaters, wouldn't it?

As for what people would say and criticize about the movie and the production company after watching it, that was a matter for later.

Of course, this was a tactic used by bad movies. To avoid spoilers, many companies even cut some scenes that didn't make it into the final movie into a trailer.

"It's starting!" Janet saw the scenes appearing on the TV and excitedly clutched Quentin's arm. "Look, look! Those are the clothes I designed!"

"Yes, yes, of course, they're your designs." Quentin held her hand to prevent her from continuing to torture his poor arm.