Chapter 59: Film Buyers

The Morris Theater was located in the southern part of Park City, not in an ideal location compared to the centralized screening area of the Sundance Film Festival. It could only accommodate 150 people, and its screening equipment was quite outdated, making it less than ideal.

Nevertheless, the Morris Theater's screening schedule was still packed. During the ten-plus days of the festival, a considerable number of films were screened daily.

From the theater's conditions, one could guess that most of the films screened here were made by relatively unknown individuals.

The screening of "Hard Candy" was scheduled here, with only one screening for now. According to the Saint Denis Film Festival's practice, if the word of mouth was good, there might be additional screenings.

Just past three in the afternoon, Murphy arrived at the Morris Theater with Paul Wilson.

The previous screening had not ended yet. After greeting the theater manager and the staff from the film festival committee, they stood near the theater entrance.

On the slightly outdated bulletin board at the entrance, the list of films to be screened in the coming days was posted: "Love and Madness," "Poor Rosski," "My City," "Long Island Infatuation"... As Murphy glanced over these titles, he found none of them familiar.

"There are so few people."

Standing next to Murphy, Paul Wilson looked towards the exit of the theater, where the previous audience had just dispersed, leaving behind scattered comments.

"Wasted an hour and a half..."

"The shaky camera made me nauseous."

"What was the director even trying to say? Utterly confusing."

As these viewers passed by Murphy and Paul, it was evident from their discussions that they were dissatisfied with the previous film.

Murphy shook his head gently. These were just ordinary viewers, none of whom were buyers.

The end of the previous screening meant that the screening of "Hard Candy" was about to begin. Murphy stood at the theater entrance, observing for a while, and sadly noticed that not a single audience member entered.

Given the remote location, the obscurity of the film, lack of promotion, and the fact that it was being screened in the mid-afternoon rather than prime time, Murphy didn't find this situation surprising.

Though anxious, Murphy remained calm. Paul Wilson's anxiety was evident on his face as he paced around the entrance, complaining about the organizers placing their screening venue far from the central area.

"Paul, calm down for a moment," Murphy said, stepping onto the theater entrance steps and looking back at him. "You're making me dizzy with all your pacing."

The theater was quiet, and while Murphy couldn't afford not to be anxious, he maintained enough clarity of mind. It was normal for a film with no attention to attract no audience. If people flocked to it, that would be abnormal.

He checked his phone and saw that there was still nearly half an hour until the screening started. Bill Ross and the professional viewers and buyers he had contacted should be arriving soon.

Around the corner of the street, a few people approached, and soon they reached the theater. Ignoring Murphy standing at the entrance, they went straight into the theater. Over the next fifteen minutes or so, four or five more people entered through the main gate behind Murphy.

Similar to the previous screening, there would probably be a dozen or so audience members by the time the screening began.

Fifteen minutes before the screening, Murphy checked his phone again. Finally, two taxis turned the corner, and as they pulled up in front of the theater, Bill Ross got out of the front passenger seat of the first taxi and opened the rear door.

Paul Wilson was quick to react. As Murphy stepped down the stairs, he rushed over from behind and opened the door of the rear taxi, imitating Bill Ross's actions.

Murphy greeted them with a professional and warm smile, but his gaze quickly swept over the three strangers who got out of the two taxis.

The first person to get out of Bill Ross's taxi was a middle-aged man with a receding hairline and round glasses perched on his nose. At first glance, he seemed like a traditional accountant.

Behind him was a man in his thirties, with brown hair combed to the side and the smell of cologne emanating from his suit. Even from a distance, Murphy could smell it.

There was only one person in the back of the second taxi, a black woman with long hair permed into loose curls, also around thirty years old.

Murphy descended the stairs, and they approached. Bill Ross took the initiative to introduce them.

The middle-aged man with the receding hairline was Joel Graham from Harbor Entertainment. The man with the cologne was Beck Larsen, a professional viewer from Castle Rock Pictures. The black woman had the most prestige; Jones Butler, a buyer from Miramax Films.

They were the VIPs invited by Bill Ross.

With no capital himself, Murphy shook hands with each of them, exchanged pleasantries, and then led them into the screening room.

The theater, with its capacity of 150 seats, looked quite spacious. Only a dozen or so audience members were scattered across the middle rows.

Murphy led them to the row of seats specially reserved in front of the theater, politely saying, "Please, have a seat."

The three individuals simply nodded, without saying a word.

Especially Jones Butler, the black woman, who, besides a casual "hello" during the greetings, hadn't uttered a single word.

Once seated, she showed no intention of engaging in conversation with anyone else. As a buyer from Miramax Films, her presence to watch such a film was more of a courtesy due to her acquaintance with Bill Ross. Otherwise, how could she be interested in a film made by a director who had no prior works?

The other two weren't much better. In this circle, distributors held the upper hand, especially when facing investors, producers, or

directors of small film projects.

This kind of disdain and arrogance weren't deliberate; they were simply natural in this environment.

Murphy could see it but didn't mind. This was an extremely realistic circle; to earn respect, one had to have the strength to command it.

"They're interested in our film?" Paul Wilson, still a student who hadn't even graduated, couldn't help but lean close to Murphy and whisper, "They seem quite disdainful."

Murphy shrugged. "I don't know."

Bill Ross sat with the three individuals, but his gaze occasionally shifted towards Murphy's side. Seeing Murphy's calm demeanor, he nodded inwardly.

This rookie director's composure and resilience were indeed rare among young people.

As the lights on the ceiling dimmed and the screen lit up, Jones Butler instinctively pulled out her pen and notebook, ready to jot down potential selling points for a film—an essential skill for a film buyer.