Chapter 652 - Expectations

Looking back at Laila's movies over the years, she always managed to find cost-effective ways to create a massive buzz before a film's release. The methods where the media helped promote her movies for free were simply fantastic, and thinking about them always excited her.

She knew that Laila had high expectations for "Iron Man." Shouldn't they do something more significant in terms of promotion?

Laila put down the documents in her hand and touched her chin, "What method should we use?"

Indeed, in the past, she had used some tricks to promote movies. However, this time, her focus on the trip to the East and the incident with her "big brother" had completely pushed promotion out of her mind.

Louise looked at her with anticipation, "It depends on you! The best would be something that doesn't cost much but still has a significant impact! I loved those kinds of promotions in the past."

Laila nodded, "Give me some time to think."

"Okay, there's still some time; no need to rush." Louise understood that good ideas couldn't be forced, so she left the quiet office to Laila.

Laila hadn't figured out a good promotion method yet. While she could use some of the previously employed tactics, they might not align with her preferences. Besides, moviegoers weren't fools; being fooled once might be novel, but repeating the same tactics would make them feel foolish.

She wanted box office success, not criticism from the audience. She didn't want her movie company to be labeled as a fraudulent one.

The current promotional methods of the company were quite mainstream, similar to what other film companies did. They advertised in the media, released trailers, had cast members appear on various shows, and conducted interviews with the media.

"Iron Man" was a comic book character, so they collaborated with some companies to print its image on items like cups or food bags to attract the public.

However, such actions didn't have a significant impact, and the investment was considerable—Laila felt it was somewhat "uneconomical."

After some contemplation, she took a blank piece of paper and jotted down some points.

For hype, she decided to focus on Downey's redemption story. Many people enjoyed such narratives as they were both inspiring and interesting. She planned for him to participate in more talk shows, like those on NBC.

In line with the principle of not letting the fertile land flow into others' fields, Laila underlined this line heavily to remind herself not to forget the interests of her own television station.

She also remembered that "Iron Man" had a fan base as a comic book character, and it was essential to bring those fans into the forefront of box office contributors. Therefore, she thought it would be a good idea to produce some peripherals as giveaways or limited editions.

Typically, comic book fans were young, so she believed these peripherals didn't need to be too expensive—some toys, T-shirts, and props that appeared in the comics would suffice. Posters were a must-have for everyone.

In one afternoon, Laila planned several promotional methods for the movie. They might seem like small details individually, not as grand as her previous strategies, but when combined, they formed a substantial force.

Moreover, she believed that once the movie was released, even without active promotion, its outstanding performance would attract audiences like "tap water" flowing naturally, automatically spreading the word.

So, all she needed to do was push the first batch of people into the theaters, and then she could sit back and count the money.

When Louise received her promotion plan, the initially high expectations in her eyes revealed a hint of disappointment.

"Is this all?"

"Isn't this enough?" Laila wondered. As far as she knew, no movie company would implement so many promotion plans for a single film.

It wasn't that it wasn't enough, but compared to the grandiose promotions in the past, this time it seemed a bit too ordinary, lacking the stunning elements. Louise felt disappointed, given the high expectations she had.

Maybe she was being too greedy? Laila, no matter how capable, couldn't always come up with amazing promotional methods. Moreover, she had been too busy during this period, constantly searching for suitable shooting locations abroad, leaving little time to think about promotion plans.

"No, it's enough." Louise didn't show her disappointment too obviously; she calmly put away the promotion plan. While it couldn't match the previous ones, it was still an excellent proposal that would significantly help with the movie's promotion.

However, Laila couldn't miss the subtle change in her expression. She didn't mind, though. In her previous life, "Iron Man" was a struggling masterpiece from Marvel, shot with a sense of determination to go down with dignity. Due to various shortcomings, there wasn't much investment in promotion.

But in Laila's version, she had the funds, the technology, and the actors. Everything was better than the original, with a significant investment in special effects.

She had acquired several special effects companies and integrated them into one, utilizing their combined technology to create the film. Despite the movie being released a few years earlier, she was confident that the effects wouldn't be inferior to those a few years later.

She believed her version would far surpass the original in terms of quality.

And she had a trump card—she knew the reviews from people in the future after watching the movie, understanding what they liked and disliked. So, she could add more scenes in places where people liked them, such as interactions with J.A.R.V.I.S. or holographic imaging.

After handling her current tasks, she shifted her attention back to the upcoming "The Lord of the Rings" production. According to the plan, all three movies would be shot simultaneously and then released over three years.

The list of actors had been handed to her not long ago. Roy got the role of Legolas, the Elven prince, and at her recommendation, Leslie Cheung secured a significant role—Elrond, the Elven Lord.

After reading her script, Leslie Cheung took a long time to respond. Laila initially thought he rejected the offer to act in her movie. It was only later, through Shu Qi, that she found out he and his manager, Chen Shufen, couldn't agree on the decision.

Leslie Cheung considered himself an Easterner, and he was reluctant to take on a prominent role in a Western film, fearing that audiences might have difficulty accepting it. He was thinking of choosing a minor role, treating this as an opportunity to experience Hollywood film production.

Chen Shufen, on the other hand, had a different perspective. She saw it as a rare opportunity and believed that since the director had said he could choose any role, why not pick a substantial one?

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Louise: I've already taken off my pants, and you give me such a promotional plan?

Laila: (⊙_⊙) Ah, well.