Chapter 7: The Client is King
Upon hearing these words, Dudley immediately got into work mode and started directing Scarlett's actions: "Move the pizza to the left. No, I didn't mean you should walk left, just turn the pizza slightly."
"Now to the right—no, not the pizza, your body! Show off that denim jacket!"
Ethan and Jimmy stood by watching. In addition to the outdoor advertisement, they also had to shoot a short commercial today, but the process wasn't going smoothly.
Mr. Monaghan had been nitpicking over minor details for ages, even rudely interrupting the shoot several times. This frustrated Apollo so much that he couldn't stop scratching his head, as if trying to tear out his already thinning hair.
The two of them went back and forth several times, but in the end, Apollo always conceded—not just because Monaghan was the client, but because he genuinely couldn't come up with any good ideas.
From Apollo's habit of never calling "cut" once he started shooting, Ethan could tell that this director knew next to nothing about advertising, and wasn't even that knowledgeable about filming in general.
So he couldn't help but ask Jimmy, "Tell me the truth, how did this director even get into Martin Scorsese's crew?"
Jimmy felt a bit awkward and had to admit the truth: "Well, you know, 'assistant director' is just a title. He actually started in logistics."
"Okay, I get it." Ethan sighed, realizing he shouldn't have had any expectations from his good friend.
The commercial shoot dragged on for three hours, and finally, Monaghan gave his approval.
After a lunch of pizza, everyone got back to shooting the outdoor ad.
They thought the hardest part was over, but Mr. Monaghan's demands grew even stricter!
"No, the pizza shouldn't be on top of the head! It's too ugly!"
"You want to compare it to the sun? No, that's not interesting enough! I want it to look big, you understand? Big enough to see with the naked eye!"
"It's not enough just to be big, I also want to show speed! Right now, it only looks big, that's not right!"
"Delivering pizza on horseback? Damn it, how did you come up with such a terrible idea?"
"It needs to show the cheese stretching too! How can a pizza look appetizing if the cheese doesn't stretch?"
"This is terrible, this ad is terrible. Apollo, if you keep filming like this, I think I might have to stop the shoot!"
Monaghan kept rambling on about his ideas, making everyone's heads hurt. By 6 PM, the ad still wasn't finished.
Everyone was exhausted. Ethan and Jimmy had set up the lights multiple times and were worn out.
Scarlett simply sat on the floor, watching Apollo and Monaghan argue intensely.
"Mr. Monaghan, what exactly are you looking for in this concept?"
"What I want is simple! I need to highlight our product's large portions, fast delivery, and the cheese stretch—something that will make viewers hungry! But the current concept isn't convincing at all. If even I don't approve of it, how can you expect the drivers passing by to be convinced?"
"Alright, I'll give it another try." Apollo kept wiping his sweat, as if the air on set was burning.
But Monaghan wasn't willing to let him keep trying. He threw down a harsh ultimatum: "Apollo, that's it for today! Tomorrow, I'll give you one more day, just one! If you can't come up with the concept I want by tomorrow, you're out! Got it?"
"Understood, understood."
Once the grumpy old man left, Apollo angrily threw his hat on the ground: "Damn it! 'Big and fast!' And it has to stretch too! FXXKYOU!"
"That's it! Today's shoot is over!" he announced, frustrated and pulling at his hair.
Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began packing up the equipment.
Scarlett tilted her head slightly, glancing at Ethan who was moving the lights. Then she got up and walked toward her agent.
After the two of them disappeared through the door, Apollo and a young woman playfully pushed each other into the nearby makeup room.
Three or four minutes later, the old man came out of the makeup room, adjusting his belt, while the young woman walked quickly out of the studio, frowning.
"Jimmy!" Apollo, looking a bit down and irritable, called Jimmy over.
Jimmy brought Ethan along, and the two walked over to the director.
"Come have a drink with me tonight!"
"No problem!" Jimmy readily agreed, then patted Ethan on the shoulder. "This is my good friend, Ethan Li ."
"Ethan Li?" Apollo sized Don up, shrugged indifferently, and said, "Alright, let's go together. I need to drink hard tonight. Damn Domino's."
"Damn Domino's," Jimmy echoed, and the two of them looked at Ethan expectantly.
"FXXKing Domino's," Ethan added emphatically, making Apollo laugh heartily. "Yeah, you're damn right!"
After getting a bit more familiar with the director, Jimmy and Ethan went back to packing up the equipment.
It wasn't until 8 PM, after dinner, that Apollo called to tell Jimmy the location of the bar.
Jimmy hurriedly took Ethan there, and by that time, the atmosphere in the bar was already heating up.
"Take it off! Take it off! Take it off!"
A bunch of men who had just gotten off work were crowded around the bar where the strippers were performing. The floor was littered with cigarette butts. They waved their cash in the air, intoxicated by the cheap perfume, eager for the dancers to shed more clothing.
Jimmy and Ethan pushed through the crowd, heading towards the private room.
Honestly, it was Ethan's first time seeing such a scene. With the strong rhythm of the music and the flashing lights, it really felt like a dizzying experience.
But it was different from what he had imagined. The strippers' faces were hidden in deep shadows, and though their moves were bold, they didn't reveal anything inappropriate.
In America, stripping is a very legitimate profession, and clubs that offer strip shows are strictly regulated and categorized. The more risqué ones are usually found in high-end, members-only establishments.
If someone wanted a more stimulating experience here, they'd have to pay five dollars for a private booth, like a paid DLC in a single-player game.
But Ethan wasn't interested in that. He'd rather see Scarlett gently swaying her hips in front of him; that would give him a real sense of accomplishment.
When they reached the private room and opened the door, they were greeted by a haze of smoke and the sounds of laughter and dice.
Looking closer, they saw Apollo and Dudley drinking with some girls, lounging on the sofa.
When Jimmy and Ethan arrived, the old man immediately grabbed a bottle and poured them each a drink.
"Come on, let's drink!" Apollo clinked glasses with Jimmy, then with Ethan, his face flushed as if he were already tipsy.
After downing their drinks, they continued drinking for a while longer.
When everyone was slightly drunk, Apollyon seemed to remember the day's shoot and suddenly cursed, "Damn Domino's, FXXK Monaghan. He made me lose face in front of that girl!"
Ethan raised an eyebrow—he was probably talking about that young woman. It seemed that Apollyon had hoped to win her over, but now his plans had fallen through.
"So, do you guys have any ideas? Any ideas at all! I have to make that old man shut up! If we keep delaying and the ad gets scrapped, our reputation in the industry will be ruined!"
Apollyon lit a cigarette, looking around the room.
But everyone kept their heads down, suddenly silent, showing none of the bravado they had while drinking.
Except for Ethan, because a classic example had just popped into his mind.
One of the top ten classic American pizza ads, from a lesser-known pizza brand.
It was a highly creative piece of work that used two different elements to successfully showcase all the brand's strengths.
Though it didn't entirely match what Domino's was asking for, Ethan could tweak it to fit their promotional needs.
So he nudged Jimmy with his knee. Jimmy frowned at him, but when their eyes met, he quickly understood what Ethan was getting at.
Jimmy raised an eyebrow, looking at his friend in disbelief, mouthing the words:
"Are you serious?"
Ethan nodded. Of course he was serious—he could help Apollyon nail this ad!
And leave that grumpy old Monaghan speechless.