Chapter 133: Professional Reputation

"The freshness rating has dropped again!"

In the study, Kerry lifted her head from behind the computer, her frustration evident on her face. "It's dropping too fast, isn't it?"

Looking at the interview process sent over by Fox Searchlight, Murphy waved his hand dismissively. "has the freshness rating for 'Saw' dropped below twenty percent?"

"Of course not." Kerry lowered her head again. "Before last weekend, the Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating was sixty percent, but now it's only fifty-two."

Her words sounded strained, as if forced out. "This week, more film critics have released reviews of 'Saw,' mainly negative ones."

"Oh..." Murphy remained indifferent but still asked, "Any latest ones? Read a few for me."

With the horror film expanding its screenings last weekend, 'Saw' naturally attracted the attention of film critics. However, unlike the praise from horror enthusiasts, critics mostly viewed the film negatively.

Not only Rotten Tomatoes, but the IMDB rating of the film was also rapidly declining. With the expanded release, a significant portion of casual moviegoers were inevitably drawn to the film. However, such explicit content would not appeal to non-horror enthusiasts, let alone garner collective praise from casual viewers.

It was obvious; when a film expanded its reach and became widely known, it would inevitably attract audiences beyond its target demographic. Some of these viewers might be intrigued, while others would become sources of negative feedback. This was an issue unavoidable for films with extensive screenings and widespread dissemination.

In contrast, niche independent films had limited audiences, with minimal marketing efforts. Mainstream audiences, upon encountering such films, would recognize that they were not to their taste, leading to lower chances of viewing. The viewers were often true enthusiasts of such films, hence naturally resulting in higher ratings.

'Saw' was fundamentally a film with a relatively narrow audience. However, as it achieved outstanding results, it gradually gained the marketing scale of mainstream commercial films. In such circumstances, its reputation couldn't continue to soar.

Kerry scrolled through the mouse, reading the latest reviews while saying to Murphy, "Peter Travers from 'Rolling Stone' gave it only 5 points, saying our film is extremely disgusting, with nothing else to offer. Roger Ebert from the 'Chicago Sun-Times' also gave it 5 points, stating that while the film achieved the effects of horror and suspense, it ultimately subjected the audience to painful torture, which wasn't worth it."

Her voice carried a hint of anger. Kerry clearly lacked Murphy's composure. "Rene Rodriguez from the 'Miami Herald'..." She paused, her clear voice tinged with frustration. "He said he only saw a bunch of shining idiots in the film. And JR Jones from the 'Chicago Reader,' he said the film's sadism was only surpassed by its absurdity."

"Hey!" Murphy noticed the change in Kerry's tone and quickly intervened. "Are there no positive reviews?"

"Yes..." Kerry looked up at Murphy and controlled her emotions. "Goldman Newman from 'Empire' said you successfully created a terrifying atmosphere. And David Edelstein from the 'New York Magazine' believed the film's narrative was very clever..."

Perhaps upon encountering another negative review, Kerry stood up from behind the computer and walked over to Murphy's side. Her petite face still bore a trace of frustration. "For a film with such good audience feedback, why are critics attacking it so viciously?"

"Because critics never view films from the perspective of ordinary viewers," Murphy explained simply. "In their eyes, a film's depth and substance are far more important than its entertainment value."

"But isn't watching movies for entertainment?" Kerry leaned against the arm of Murphy's chair, furrowing her brow.

Murphy shrugged. "Some people always manage to find highbrow elements in films."

"But..." Kerry didn't quite understand Murphy's point and asked, "But 'Saw' has been praised for its narrative, pacing, and editing by many media outlets. Why don't critics like it?"

"It's actually quite easy to understand." Murphy reached out and pulled her shoulder. "Very few critics like bloody films."

"Oh..." Kerry nodded lightly saying, "This is what you told me before about the difference between professional reputation and audience reputation."

"Exactly." Murphy smiled. "The former is more likely to bring awards, while the latter represents a film's market."

"Can both be balanced?" Kerry, after all, was just a sixteen-year-old girl. "If both professional and audience reputations are good..."

"Of course." Murphy shrugged slightly. "But it's very difficult."

Commercial performance was a director's foundation in Hollywood, but to elevate one's status further, such films were essential. Unless one was James Cameron, whose commercial success could overshadow everything.

Kerry kissed Murphy on the cheek, "I believe you can do it!"

Murphy just smiled. With his current abilities, even if he wanted to cheat, he couldn't produce such a film. He still needed to continue honing his skills as a director.

Returning to the computer, Kerry Mulligan glanced at the screen and almost exclaimed, "The Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating has dropped again, now it's only fifty-one percent."

She looked up at Murphy, "Will this affect the film's box office performance?"

With such negative reviews from critics, it was impossible for them not to affect audience choices. Murphy also walked over, took a quick glance, and said, "What we're making is a commercial film. We don't need to worry too much about the Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating."

Kerry looked puzzled, "Why?"

"Because Rotten Tomatoes doesn't represent audience ratings. Strictly speaking, it's not even a rating system." Murphy briefly explained to Kerry, "The concept of Rotten Tomatoes freshness rating is based on whether film critics give a positive evaluation of a movie. For example, if eighty percent of critics give it a positive rating, the film's freshness rating is 80."

This system had its limitations. The freshness rating of a film couldn't truly reflect whether it was well-received, as its standard was whether a film review met a passing grade. If a film had a freshness rating of over eighty percent, but its average critic rating was only slightly above six, could it be considered to have received widespread professional acclaim?

Moreover, Rotten Tomatoes itself intentionally stirred the waters, awarding the "Certified Fresh" label to films with a freshness rating above 75 and a review count of 40, creating the illusion for audiences that Rotten Tomatoes was "rating" films.

After hearing Murphy's explanation, Kerry nodded.

Pointing to the bucket of popcorn icon representing the freshness rating, Murphy said, "This popcorn index is more reflective of a film's popularity among audiences than the freshness rating."

Despite 'Saw' dropping to a fifty-one percent freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes, its popcorn index remained as high as eighty-eight percent.

This was also why Murphy didn't care much about the freshness rating.

"So, does this mean the freshness rating on Rotten Tomatoes isn't very important anymore?"

Seeing Murphy nod slightly, Kerry scratched her cheek, "Then where should we look

for professional reputation?"

She was just a budding actress in Hollywood and was not very clear about some things.

"Do you know about the Metacritic score?" Murphy tried to explain simply, "Industry insiders pay more attention to the serious Metacritic score rather than internet media like Rotten Tomatoes. And do you think those old guys from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences really care about the internet?"

Although Metacritic scores also had a website, it primarily focused on print media. As the most prestigious institution in the industry, with an average age exceeding fifty, one couldn't expect this group to be faithful internet users, and most of them probably hadn't even used the internet.

However, Metacritic also had its limitations. Its scores were based on reviews and ratings from veteran professional film critics, exhibiting a conservative and traditional approach.

All these scores were just references and couldn't fully reflect a film's market value. Films with extremely high IMDB ratings or freshness ratings above ninety on Rotten Tomatoes might flop at the box office or even drag down an entire film studio. This was not uncommon, especially for IMDB, where its rating system was always susceptible to manipulation rather than prevention. The legendary battle between "The Dark Knight" and "The Godfather" was the best example.

After briefly explaining these points, Murphy handed Kerry the materials sent over by Fox Searchlight. "Take a good look at the process. This is the first official interview for the crew and your first media interview. Don't mess it up."

"I won't!" Kerry's face showed an unusual seriousness.

With 'Saw' securing the second spot in last week's North American box office, the film became the focus of many media outlets. For promotional purposes, under the coordination of Fox Searchlight, a program on Fox Television would conduct an interview with the entire crew led by Murphy.

Looking at the producer list for this interview, Murphy noticed a familiar name—Carla Fess!