522: Chapter 522 A Different Way of Chatting

"Andy, do you like it?"

Lin Chuyan's expression was calm; it was finally his turn to act cool.

"Like it! I absolutely love it! This movie, this movie..." George couldn't find the right words for a moment to describe his inner shock.

Someone nearby couldn't help but lean in: "This movie definitely has a chance to win awards here!"

The man who had taken the initiative to stand up and greet Director Lin when he entered the room also chimed in: "That's right, that's right. Lin, this movie is filmed with such maturity and sophistication. I watched a song-and-dance scene you directed on set, and I thought it was brilliant at the time, absolutely brilliant."

For a young, novice director, the word "mature" could be considered the highest praise.

The Five-Man Group was currently surrounding Lin Chuyan, their praises endless.

"The opening uses a Long take, right? I didn't notice the duration, Lin, may I ask how many minutes that Long take is?"

Lin Chuyan nodded in response: "A five-minute pseudo-Long take."

"How did you achieve that? I couldn't see any traces of editing at all."

"The lead actress is your girlfriend, right? Her acting is quite outstanding!"

Hearing this, Lin Chuyan was happier than hearing any other praise, and he immediately smiled and said: "Thank you! I will definitely pass that on to her."

"To be honest, the company sent me here to watch the film because they knew I liked musicals. Although I was very interested, I didn't dare to have any expectations, but now... Lin, I apologize for my previous arrogance."

Lin Chuyan shrugged: "I'd like to say I don't mind, after all, bad movies are our common enemy."

Once this was said, everyone laughed.

Several of them felt deeply about this: it was the same in North America; every year, a large number of poorly made, bad movies flooded the market.

Next, everyone didn't continue to discuss the "North America IMAX exclusivity agreement," as if this meeting had already concluded successfully. After everyone dispersed, only George remained to accompany Lin Chuyan: "Lin, we need to conduct an internal evaluation of la la land, and will give you an answer tomorrow."

"Then I'll come back tomorrow."

"Okay, I will email you the specific time."

The next day, at the same time, George did not appear, and the person receiving Lin Chuyan had been changed to an ordinary staff member.

Although the status of the reception staff had decreased, the level of the people meeting him had increased significantly.

The receptionist led him to a small conference room where there were only two people, a man and a woman, both white.

"Hello, Director Lin, I am the Director of the Strategic Investment Department, Jack Morrison."

"Head of the International Distribution Department, Emily White."

"Nice to meet you both, the director of la la land, Lin Chuyan."

The three shook hands and then took their seats.

Lin Chuyan did not speak first.

Although he came here to ask for a favor, looking at the reactions of those people yesterday, and then looking at the level of the people he was meeting today... he felt that the balance of power had shifted.

If the movie's quality were mediocre, that would be one thing; he would humble himself and ask for help without hesitation.

But right now, he suddenly realized a fact: a good movie, especially one as good as la la land, really does have bargaining power.

Since Lionsgate had already invested in this movie, Lionsgate helping him was helping themselves; who would go against money?

Whatever rules, whatever logic, whatever promotional strategies, the exhortations from Boss Yang and the people Boss Yang sent to assist him had been cast to the back of his mind.

No rush! Let's play with them!

He didn't speak, and the two people sitting opposite him didn't speak either. For a moment, the three stared at each other.

Lin Chuyan's eyes turned to the left; the white man, Jack Morrison, had a strange expression. His eyes turned to the right; the white woman, Emily White, remained calm.

The atmosphere suddenly became somewhat tense.

Lin Chuyan didn't care and simply started counting silently in his heart: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9...

"Mr. Lin." The white man, Jack Morrison, finally couldn't help but break the silence, "Regarding la la land, don't you have anything you want to say?"

Lin Chuyan smiled: "Of course I do. Mr. Morrison, Ms. White, here, I would like to express my gratitude to your company for investing in this film. I firmly believe that la la land will not disappoint you."

After Lin Chuyan's mindset shifted, he understood. The implication of these words was: You also have a stake in this movie, don't make it seem like it's just my work, and that I have to beg for your help.

However, Emily White didn't give him a chance to act cool: "Director Lin, let's be straightforward and talk directly about the IMAX exclusivity matter. After all, this is the purpose of your trip."

Lin Chuyan had no objections: "Sure."

"From a distribution perspective, IMAX scheduling needs to be planned in advance, and it has high requirements for the film's promotion. What kind of promotional plan can you coordinate with us on? Do you have enough talking points to attract audiences to enter the IMAX theaters?"

Lin Chuyan did not answer directly, but instead posed a question: "You two, la la land is scheduled to be released globally on February 17th. Are there any other blockbusters being released during this period?"

Immediately after, he answered his own question: "I checked. Compared to the summer season, Christmas season, and other hot periods, the competition in this period is not that intense. More importantly, the Los Angeles fire gave la la land a wonderful opportunity!"

Lin Chuyan continued his in-depth analysis: "la la land chose to be released on February 17th because it is our Chinese Spring Festival, which is the hottest Spring Festival Movie Season. And overseas, I have a large number of fans among North American Chinese, and they also have viewing needs. Another thing, isn't it a coincidence? February 17th Chinese time is February 16th here in the US, and February 16th happens to be your Presidents' Day! This is a long holiday. Moving further back — isn't it a coincidence, as a romance movie, February 14th happens to be the Valentine's Day slot!"

"In other words: Valentine's Day, Presidents' Day, Chinese Spring Festival, all happened together!"

"Of course, I know these are not enough to convince you..."

Lin Chuyan started to bring out Boss Yang's promotional strategy.

Venice premiere, Toronto award campaign, hunger marketing, aiming straight for the awards season.

Lin Chuyan either said nothing, or once he started, he couldn't stop, leaving the two opposite him stunned.

Emily White seized the last point of his speech and immediately followed up: "The problem is: what if this movie doesn't win any awards —"

Lin Chuyan interrupted her: "Ms. White, how about we make a bet?"

Here it comes, here it comes. If Lin Zhiyuan saw this scene, the four words "highly prone to gambling" would probably never be removed from him.

"A bet? Bet on what?"

"Let's bet on whether la la land can win awards!" Lin Chuyan leaned forward, staring at the woman in front of him, "I won't just win awards, I will win every award here."

North America IMAX exclusivity agreement? He wanted it, but he wanted it in a different way.