Chapter 10 Movies Have a Professional Audience?

After running around all afternoon and into the evening, connecting with dozens of film crews, Hawk finally found an opportunity.

Hawk reviewed the situation with The Heights of the Special Zone, then focused on Brand, combining his memories from his past life to come up with a plan.

Brand, with his local background and connections, was key.

Hawk patted Brand on the shoulder. "I have a plan. Want to make some money together?"

Brand, still a college student, said, "I'll help you. Just buy me dinner, and that's enough."

Helping wasn't enough; Hawk needed Brand to give it his all. He said, "If the plan doesn’t work, neither of us will have any money. But if it succeeds, I’ll give you twenty percent of the profits."

Brand was still hesitant, not believing that making a film about Mexican people could make money.

Hawk pulled out his trump card. "Next time you ask that girl out, bring some Tiffany jewelry or a Chanel bag, and you'll see the difference. She might even pursue you."

Brand’s eyes lit up immediately. "I’m in!" He cracked his knuckles, fully motivated. "Tell me, what do you need me to do?"

Hawk glanced at the Grand Salt Lake Theater. "First thing in the morning, go to the festival committee, make copies of The Heights of the Special Zone submission materials, and see if you can get the last three years of film market data and statistics on the demographics of out-of-town audiences."

Brand couldn't help but blurt out, "For my goddess, I’ll camp out at the office door first thing in the morning!"

Outside the Grand Salt Lake Theater, Eric and Catherine exited, with Eric holding the car door open for Catherine. The two then drove to a nearby hotel.

Hawk checked the time. "Let’s go grab dinner."

Brand was pretty hungry too.

Just ahead was Alpine Pizza. It was late, and the large restaurant was almost empty.

Brand led the way, pushing the glass door open. As they entered, two people dining near the entrance called out to Brand.

One of them beckoned Brand over. "I just heard some crazy gossip from the film industry."

Upon hearing that, Hawk could only sigh.

Sure enough, the guy said, "Winona Ryder is a kleptomaniac—she specifically steals men’s underwear."

The other added, "That’s why Johnny Depp dumped her—because she stole Tom Cruise's underwear."

Hawk and Brand exchanged bewildered looks, not sure how to respond, and quickly distanced themselves to take a seat.

Brand still looked a little shaken. "The speed at which rumors spread is terrifying."

"And even scarier, they evolve into all sorts of versions as they spread." Knowing Brand's inability to keep a secret, Hawk decided to put a lock on it. "Our plan must stay confidential. If anyone finds out, we won’t make any money. And without money, you can't date that girl, and she'll end up having fun with someone else!"

He locked it even tighter. "Imagine her with one guy after another while you just watch!"

The overly imaginative Brand immediately pictured it and quickly closed his mouth in fright.

Hawk ordered dinner. The owner, Bill, who was quite familiar with Brand, brought the food over and chatted for a bit.

Brand asked, "The festival’s started. How’s business lately?"

Bill shook his head. "Same as usual, mostly local regulars."

"I’m from out of town." Hawk tried to make an impression. "Your pizza, fried chicken, and fries taste amazing."

Bill smiled broadly. "Young man, you really know how to appreciate good food."

After Bill left, Hawk continued to chat with Brand about local community theaters and gatherings, and about Brand’s family.

Brand, as usual, had a lot to say.

...

The next morning, Hawk woke up on time to exercise, aiming to get his body into peak condition as soon as possible.

After a simple breakfast, Brand went to the committee to copy the documents.

As soon as he stepped out the door, he ran into Lewis.

Lewis asked, "Did you and Hawk find anything yesterday?"

"Yes..." Brand started, but then the "lock" took effect. He suddenly imagined his goddess struggling in the hands of many men, and he quickly changed his answer. "Not... yet..."

The abrupt change made him cough repeatedly, and he waved Lewis off as he headed to the committee office.

Meanwhile, Hawk borrowed Brand’s laptop, searching online for information about Castle Rock Entertainment, Rob Reiner, and data about North American film consumers and public Hollywood information.

A while later, Brand returned with a stack of copied documents.

Hawk first reviewed Eric's general background, then organized and categorized the information, noting down all relevant data.

Understanding the target and preparing specifically can increase the chances of success.

After finishing, Hawk pulled out a business card he’d received the night before and called Eric. "Director Ethan, we met last night and exchanged business cards. I can help you solve the problem of audience walkouts. Can we talk in person?"

There was a brief hesitation on the other end before agreeing.

After Hawk hung up, Brand asked, "What else do you need me to do?"

Hawk packed his briefcase. "Give your family lawyer a heads-up that we might need him today."

...

In the business suite of a hotel, Eric had been feeling anxious since returning last night, not even in the mood to dote on Catherine.

Catherine, having incurred a sunk cost, valued her director boyfriend and tried to comfort him. "Rob from Castle Rock Entertainment will personally come. He has the authority to independently acquire films. Our movie will definitely get into theaters."

Eric sighed. "Did you see the DV footage I shot last night? So many people left early. If the same happens during the screening, I can't imagine the consequences."

Catherine mentioned Castle Rock's requirement. "Rob requested a public screening."

Eric understood why. "I’ve heard that Rob highly values direct audience feedback."

Catherine was also concerned. "The film is good. What's wrong with these people? Why did they leave early?"

"That guy said he could solve it." Eric checked the time. "I should go down now."

He took the elevator to the second-floor café, where he met Hawk.

Eric remembered Hawk; they had indeed exchanged business cards.

Hawk got straight to the point. "I got word from the committee that Castle Rock Entertainment's VP of acquisitions, Rob Reiner, is arriving in Park City the morning after tomorrow. The Heights of the Special Zone is on his agenda for its screening that morning."

Eric saw no need to deny it. "Yes."

"To be blunt, given last night’s screening, he'll reject your film," Hawk said, using some data he’d found. "He highly values the opinion of general audiences."

Hawk mixed truth with some exaggeration. "If the audience walks out in large numbers, he'll leave early too."

Eric's face went blank, but he still held on to hope. "That might not happen next time."

Hawk was confident. "It’s guaranteed to happen."

"I don’t believe that!" Eric was trying to extract more information.

Hawk understood but didn't mind. "At this point, in a place like Park City, you can’t solve it."

Eric asked, "Are you here to solve the problem for me?"

Hawk replied, "I’m a media professional. I specialize in solving problems."

Eric added, "You also specialize in charging for it."

Hawk neither confirmed nor denied it.

Eric insisted, "If you don’t tell me the specific problem, I won’t pay."

Hawk took out the first set of documents and handed them to Eric. "In the past three years, Mexican Americans accounted for less than three percent of all moviegoers in North America. The largest group of North American moviegoers are white, followed by Black people."

Eric looked over the data, recalling the audience that left early last night. "White and Black people don’t like my movie?"

Hawk stated, "They have no interest in movies centered on Mexican communities and people."

He handed over a second set of documents. "Here’s the breakdown of the festival audience from the past three years. Very few Mexican Americans in Park City, and the proportion of visiting Mexican Americans is less than two percent. The audience for your next screening will still be predominantly white."

Eric thought he found a solution. "I’ll try to attract Mexican Americans as the audience."

"That’ll only make it worse." Hawk pointed to the first set of documents.

Eric looked down at the tiny percentage of Mexican American moviegoers and muttered, "No studio would buy a movie for such a small audience."

Hawk added more weight. "Even Mexican director Robert Rodriguez didn’t use Mexican actors as the leads for his Mexican-themed films in Hollywood. And your film, Eric—you’re a new director, without any stars in the cast. It was shot on a low budget and made a bit roughly."

Eric realized that the problem seemed unsolvable.

Hawk calmly said, "I can create the best audience environment for your film. No one will leave early. They’ll watch with enthusiasm, making Rob believe the audience loved it."

Eric’s interest was piqued. This...

"I know what you're thinking. You can find them yourself, right?" Hawk dared to speak his mind, clearly not worried about it: "The movie enthusiasts you hire with money—will they sit calmly through a whole film? How much will it cost you to counteract the prejudice ingrained in white people's bones? Do you think those laid-back individuals can compare to an organized group?"

He shifted his tone: "I can bring you a group of highly professional audience members. They've watched countless films, have extensive acting experience, and know exactly what emotions to express at which points in the movie, delivering the most enthusiastic applause at just the right moment."

"You mean... professional audience members?" Eric was in disbelief. Had the commercialization of movies gone this far? Even the audience was professional now? He asked, "Is this not your first time? How come I've never heard of this?"

Hawk smiled, looking up. "Because we succeed every time. The film crew or director who successfully sells their movie certainly won't mention us or acknowledge our help. They'll just say their film was good enough and call it a victory for cinematic art."

He lowered his voice: "The Saint Denis Film Festival has been held for 18 editions now. If we had messed up, complaints about us would've spread across the film industry by now."

Eric, caught up in the conversation, thought back carefully, and indeed, there hadn't been any such complaints in the industry.