Hollywood Director 1992

[Chapter 182: Movie Trailer]

"Actors, take your places!"

"Scene 1, take 1, action!"

Due to the logical structure of the film, Link aimed to shoot according to the narrative's flow. However, he also filmed all the sequences in a particular location in one go to save costs.

...

"Neighbors heard them screaming at each other. It was nothing new or unusual. But,

then they heard the gun go off. Boom, boom... both barrels."

At a crime scene, a middle-aged detective spoke to William Somerset.

"Did his wife confess? Did she actually speak the words?"

"When the patrolman got here she was trying to put his head back together. She was crying too hard to say anything." Closing the notebook the officer said, "Crime of passion."

"Yes. Look at all the passion splattered up on the wall here."

William strolled around the crime scene, examining the deceased's apartment. He suddenly paused in front of a child's drawing. Adjusting his glasses, he asked, "Did their son see it happen?"

"What?"

The middle-aged detective replied impatiently.

"Was the child present?"

"What kind of question is that? Huh? He's dead. His wife killed him. There it is. That's all. Anything

else has nothing to do with nothing. You and your fucking questions, Somerset. I'm glad I'm getting rid of you today. You know that, you fuck?"

The middle-aged detective grumbled as he walked into the apartment.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Footsteps echoed from the stairs as Ben Affleck, playing David Mills, jogged up wearing a black leather jacket and a white shirt, his tie neatly in place, sporting a bit of stubble.

After reaching the second floor, Mills glanced around the hallway and his gaze landed on William.

"Uh... Lieutenant Somerset?"

William turned to face him.

"I'm David Mills... your new partner."

...

"Cut!"

Link called a halt to the shoot. After reviewing the footage, he chatted briefly with Morgan Freeman, Ben Affleck, and Charles, who played the middle-aged detective.

The trio was having a bit of trouble coordinating in this scene. Morgan Freeman was a step slow in his movements, while Ben Affleck lacked the enthusiasm and energy that the character required.

Charles, portraying the middle-aged detective, didn't come across as impatient enough; his emotions were off.

Morgan Freeman was a seasoned actor, having received an Oscar nomination for Best Actor, yet he displayed humility on set, willingly accepting direction from this young filmmaker.

This markedly improved the shooting process.

On the other hand, Ben Affleck's issues were more apparent -- he struggled with grasping the character and didn't fully immerse himself in the role.

He needed more training.

...

After finishing that scene, Link announced they were going for another shot, which went much smoother with no significant issues.

However, to help Ben Affleck settle better into his character, Link decided to film the latter half of the scene twice more, hoping to draw out the essence of David Mills.

They spent the entire day filming that scene.

---

While Link shot in New York, the second trailer for Final Destination was released.

The first trailer mainly introduced the cast and the release date.

The second trailer had more content and was even more shocking, telling audiences that 'Death would come for you at three and wouldn't wait until five,' 'Life is fleeting; everyone would die eventually,' and 'Death designs each person's death from birth, and no one can escape its pursuit.'

This trailer also featured some impressive special effects to grab audience attention.

It performed well, and after airing on television, many people noticed the film and began eagerly anticipating its release.

...

"Why don't we stop Guess Pictures from promoting this film on television? We could keep them from making a splash with their ads; if no one knows when it's coming out, it won't do well at the box office."

After watching the Final Destination trailer, Robert Downey Jr. felt uneasy; the movie seemed quite interesting, and he couldn't help but want to catch it in theaters.

Kiefer Sutherland replied, "That's tough. Advertising on television costs millions. It's a big contract, and the major media groups aren't going to pass up that money just because of CAA. They're not in the habit of altruism."

Robert Downey Jr. suggested, "What if we block the film? We can contact the theaters and prevent it from being screened, or at least limit the number of theaters showing it. If it shows in fewer places, it won't perform well."

"That might not work either. The theater chains know Link's films usually do well at the box office. Screening his movies means higher revenue shares for them. I've heard that before Link's new film releases, the top three chains were competing to show it in their theaters, offering a better split than the typical blockbuster from the major studios. To convince all the chains not to screen Final Destination, we need more than just talk -- unless we're willing to buy them off, compensate for their losses. That would require a hefty sum, and it wouldn't be worth it."

David Duchovny remarked.

Kiefer Sutherland added, "Exactly. Additionally, banning a film that has passed through the review process could be seen as anti-competitive. Even Ovitz wouldn't pull something like that."

With everything seemingly blocked, Robert Downey Jr. felt overwhelmed.

Not long ago, Ovitz had asked everyone to chip in to promote The Firm, and based on his wager, he needed to contribute over two hundred thousand dollars more.

As a result, his debts had ballooned to 5.8 million dollars. If he lost his bet, he would go bankrupt and be left with nothing.

Every time he thought about this, anxiety gripped him.

Now seeing the impressive trailer for Final Destination only added to that anxiety.

Kiefer Sutherland patted Robert's back. "Don't worry. The Firm had an impressive first 15 weeks with 202 million at the box office. Not every film can pull those numbers. Final Destination is just a high-budget thriller. Given the current situation, even reaching 100 million won't be easy, let alone 202 million.

Remember how much work CAA and Paramount put in to reach that figure for The Firm? How much time and resources we invested? Does Link or Guess Pictures have those kinds of resources? No, so don't be too anxious."

Robert Downey Jr. nodded, remembering how difficult it was to reach 202 million for The Firm. Breaking that number for Final Destination wouldn't be a walk in the park.

"Peter, what's wrong? Why are you so quiet?"

David Duchovny looked at Brad Pitt, who was sulking nearby.

"I think I just missed out on a fantastic movie role," Brad said, sipping on his beer and scratching his head.

"What role?"

"Whose movie?" Robert and the others looked at him.

"Se7en!"

Brad sighed.

*****

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