Chapter 279 - Future Goals

In the remaining time, every two weeks, their company would release a horror film, continuing until all the films in production and those already filmed were screened. SAW had performed well in the previous releases, and Laila wasn't worried about its box office performance. However, for the others, like "The Hills Have Eyes" or "Fatal Turn," she thought it would be better to have a test screening first.

In her previous life, some well-known horror films never made it to the big screen and were released directly on CD. This made her uncertain about the box office potential of those films. Public screenings were costly, and unless a producer was confident in a film, they wouldn't typically send it to theaters. After all, Hollywood produced thousands of films each year, but only a fraction made it to theaters.

Moreover, many films in cinematic history have performed poorly at the box office but have been hugely successful on DVD or CD sales. So, Laila couldn't be sure if those films were worth screening in theaters.

Afterward, it was Christmas, and during that time, they would definitely take a break. Even if she had the energy, her team wouldn't want to work overtime. After the New Year, she would be planning a large-scale promotional event for Victoria's Secret. Whether they could become a globally recognized lingerie brand would depend on the performance at that time.

Next in line was the production of a new film, one that required a lot of special effects. To ensure its box office success, she needed to finish it before the summer of 2001. Otherwise, on September 11th, the United States would face a terrible catastrophe, and people's attention would be focused on that event, leaving no opportunity for her to earn at the box office.

Laila had no intention of trying to save the world from that disaster. Setting aside whether she could prevent it, even if she told someone about it, how could she explain how she knew about it?

She wasn't a saint, and she had no intention of sacrificing herself to save others. This life was precious to her, more so than anyone else. She couldn't risk getting involved in a vortex to save others.

So, all she could do was use her foresight to avoid the disaster and minimize the losses for her family's company during that catastrophe.

As for others... Who helped her when she worked hard for her dreams? Since no one did, she had no obligation to ruin everything she had worked for to help others.

Shaking her head to clear her increasingly tangled thoughts, Laila opened her computer and began working on a new screenplay.

"Pirates of the Caribbean" would be the name of her next film. It would be her first major assault on the summer box office, and she believed she was qualified for it, having earned enough money from her low-budget films.

She wanted to announce to the world that she, Laila Moran, could not only make low-budget classic films but also handle big productions. Every film she made would leave a deep mark on cinematic history.

She wanted people to remember her name for decades or even centuries to come, remembering the brilliant miracles she had created for the world!

Back when she arranged for Roy to receive martial arts training, she had already equated him with Captain Jack Sparrow from "Pirates of the Caribbean" in her mind. She believed that when that pirate ship set sail under her direction, the whole world would be amazed by the captain played by Roy.

At that time, he would become one of Hollywood's top-tier superstars. A top-tier star created by her own hands!

Thinking about the bright future ahead, Laila couldn't help but hug herself tightly with her arms to contain the excitement trembling within her. She was getting closer and closer to her goal, and when she looked back on her past life and compared it to the present, she had nothing to complain about.

The next morning, a refreshed Laila arrived early at the filming location, as usual.

Today, they would be shooting fight scenes, specifically the ones involving Kyoko Fukada and Theron. After receiving hands-on training from Hong Jinbao and Shinichi Chiba over this period, her growth rate could only be described as lightning-fast. Although she still had some youthful features, her level of ruthlessness had reached Laila's expectations. After seeing her rehearsal, Laila's expectations for her had risen even higher.

"Fukada, just remember your character's background," Laila said. "Your audition was excellent, and I saw a completely new character in you. Your initial performance was spot on, and I believe that with the effort you've put in during this time, you should have gained more insights."

Kyoko Fukada, dressed in a schoolgirl's sailor uniform, looked completely natural in the outfit that was commonly seen on students in Japan. After all, she was only sixteen years old, a genuine high school girl.

She held a chain with a spiked ball in her hand and replied with a sweet smile, "Yes, director, I'll do my best."

Although her smile seemed sweet enough to melt one's heart, it took on a slightly eerie quality when combined with the spiked ball in her hand. It perfectly captured the image Laila wanted, where Kyoko would be sweetly smiling while gently caressing her opponent's neck.

"Excellent, then let's officially begin!" Laila raised her director's megaphone. "Everyone, get ready. Action!"

With that command, everyone on the set went into action, each person performing their role to ensure a smooth filming process.

In front of the camera, Kyoko Fukada portrayed a lively and innocent schoolgirl, acting cute in front of the female boss played by Shu Qi. But when Theron appeared, she presented herself with a provocative expression, licking her lips in a crimson manner, immediately adding a new layer to her character. In modern terms, it was called "moe" (萌) with a twist, or using today's language...

Well, Laila wasn't sure how to describe it in current terms, but Kyoko Fukada's performance pleased her greatly. It was as if she had brought a completely different, but more charming, vicious high school girl to life compared to the original character.

After reviewing the footage, Laila, who had been a bit anxious, finally put her last shred of worry to rest. The results of the shoot were even better than she had imagined. She believed that when Kyoko Fukada's version of the character was shown to the world, it would undoubtedly receive more praise than the original!

This made her realize that just because a film was a classic didn't mean it was perfect. By recreating it, she might achieve a more perfect performance. In this case, she could have found another girl to play the same role as in the original. However, Kyoko Fukada's performance had brought a visual and emotional impact that far exceeded her expectations.