The Wolf of Los Angeles.

Chapter 9 You Don’t Know Your Specialties

As it got dark, Hawke walked through the festival's outdoor exhibition area and turned onto the main street.

Apart from the thirty-odd business cards in Brand's pocket, there was nothing to be gained.

It was Hawke's first time attending a film festival, and the situation was not quite what he had expected. The small crews in the open-air exhibition area were poorer than each other, and their wallets were cleaner than their faces.

"What's next?" Brand asked.

"Scan the movie theaters, collect information, and get in touch with the crew members of the participating films." Hawke brought Brand with him because he could be useful: "Don't you know someone in the organizing committee? Can you go to the organizing committee tomorrow to get all the information about the participating films? And by the way, look for the transaction data of the previous session?"

Brand hesitated and said, "Let me try."

The two went to five cinemas, collected a bunch of movie information, and chose two of them to watch a movie. However, because the movies were so bad and the conditions were not suitable, they had to leave early.

When we arrived at the Great Salt Lake Cinema near the community, a few guys were distributing brochures to passers-by and trying to get them into the cinema to watch movies.

The leader was less than 30 years old, dressed in a suit and tie, with brown hair and a long face. As he stretched out his arms, the gold Rolex watch on his left wrist shone brightly.

One of them ran over, handed Hawke a color leaflet, and said, "'D.C. Heights' is showing soon, free to watch!"

Hawke took the coloring page and quickly scanned it. All the people in the picture were Mexicans, and the plot took place in the Highland community in Washington, where there was a large Mexican population.

There is also an artistic photo above, and the man wearing the Rolex is the director.

Hawke handed the coloring page to Brand and looked briefly at the entrance of the theater.

Most of the people entering the venue are white, with a small number of blacks and very few Mexicans.

Hawke thought about it for a moment and said, "Let's go in and take a look."

Brand asked curiously, "Is this movie interesting? What's the point of talking about Mexicans? It's boring..."

Hawke walked forward: "How can you know if you don't see it?"

Brand closed his mouth, but before he reached the theater entrance, he couldn't help but say, "I understand. The director wears mid- to high-end brands and a Rolex. He's obviously a rich man."

Hawke said: "You finally found the crux of the problem."

Brand chuckled: "I have a pair of eyes that are good at discovering beauty."

Hawke entered the theater, chose to sit in the last row, and waited for more than ten minutes before the movie began.

There weren't many spectators, with only about one-third of the 200 seats occupied.

Hawke then noticed that Director Rolex came in quietly and also sat in the last row. He took out a portable DV from his bag and filmed the audience, his excited face full of anticipation.

But it didn't take long for the excitement on his face to disappear.

The movie quickly explains the background. The Washington Heights community, which is populated by Mexicans, is known as the "Coughlin Capital of the World". The protagonists are a group of former Mexican traffickers who want to turn over a new leaf under the shadow of drugs and violence.

The screen is full of Mexicans, and some of the dialogue is in Spanish.

Less than five minutes into the screening, three white audience members were the first to leave.

Then blacks and whites left one after another.

Director Rolex looked grim, and seemed to be a novice. When another group of people left, he couldn't help but stand up and ask, "Is the movie bad?"

A white man curled his lips: "Not interested."

"boring."

"Who cares if these rubbish live or die?"

Let alone these people, a few minutes later, Brand next to Hawke yawned, glanced at the other group of people leaving, and asked, "Shall we leave too?"

"Although the film is crudely made, the plot is okay." Hawke specifically asked, "Why do you want to quit?"

Brand still said the same thing: "The Mexican's crap is boring."

Hawke said, "Let's see after we finish."

By the second half of the film, nearly half of the audience had left.

Most people who work in the film industry are very emotional. Director Rolex was hit hard. He turned off the DV and sat down dejectedly.

Hawke quietly walked over, sat in the empty seat next to him, and asked, "Are you the director?" Director Rolex nodded woodenly.

"It's a great movie." Hawke praised and introduced himself: "My name is Hawke Osment, a media practitioner."

The other party reluctantly shook his hand and said, "Eric Eason, you see, not a very successful director."

Hawke specifically asked: "I haven't heard of this movie, which company produced it?"

Hearing this, Eric's eyes flashed with a picture of himself kneeling down in front of an ordinary-looking square-faced woman and licking her. He said bitterly, "I raised the money for this film myself. It has nothing to do with the film company."

Hawke took out the business card he had printed in Salt Lake City and handed it to Eric: "Can we exchange contact information?"

Eric accepted it and gave Hawke his business card. Without waiting for Hawke to say anything, he suddenly stood up. The woodenness and disappointment on his face disappeared instantly. He put on the brightest smile and walked towards the entrance.

Hawke was surprised at the speed of the change.

A typical American girl came in from the entrance, with long legs, big arms, thick waist, and a big square face.

Eric rushed over and kissed the woman hard: "Honey, why are you here?"

The woman returned the kiss, "I came to congratulate you. The film is finally showing in theaters."

Eric's smile froze for a moment, and he whispered, "Theater screenings and theater screenings are different."

The woman added: "Don't worry, I've contacted the distribution company and they'll send someone over to check out the film."

Eric's smile was brighter than a chrysanthemum: "I don't know how to thank you..."

The two sides were not far apart, and Hawke had been listening.

The screening of "D.C. Heights" ended and the audience left one after another. Director Eric was pulled aside by a woman to talk and had no free time for the moment.

Hawke left the screening room and carefully reviewed all the materials of "D.C. Heights" in the ticket office.

Brand asked, "No way, do you think this movie can be made?"

Hawke did not answer, but pointed to the inside of the screening room: "Do me a favor, go in and get close to the director, ask about the film's investment, screening, and intended sales, and learn as much as possible..."

"I don't know him!" Brand shook his head: "We are not acquaintances or friends, why are you asking?"

Hawke said helplessly: "You don't know anything about your own strengths." He pushed Brand over there: "Believe in yourself, you can do it."

Brand entered the theater.

Hawke waited on the roadside for half an hour before Brand finally came out of the cinema.

This guy ate so much melon that his eyebrows almost flew to his hair.

Hawke asked directly: "What's going on?"

The first thing Brand said was: "Poor director, in order to raise money to make a movie, he sold out his love and had to lick that woman every night." He looked disappointed: "It turns out that gigolos are not delicious. I still want the beautiful girl who chases me."

Hawke grasped the key point from the messy words: "If the movie still needs money, will the woman be willing to pay for him?"

Brand recalled carefully and said, "From what the director said, the woman seems to have inherited tens of millions of dollars. In her circle, finding an artistic film director as a boyfriend to lick her ass can really improve her status."

He was sure: "As long as Mr. Director works hard at night, it won't be difficult for the woman to pay more money."

It was getting late, and Hawke was hungry, so he said, "Let's go eat, and we can talk while we walk."

Brand was very good at getting close to people and learned a lot of useful information.

Eric Eason had only made one experimental short film before. By chance, he met his square-faced girlfriend Catherine at a film industry gathering. He defeated his companions and won her over, thus raising a production budget of $20 and making "D.C. Heights".

Young directors are often arrogant and most of them only know how to make films but do not understand the market. Eric believes that his first feature film has the potential to be screened in theaters, so he brought his girlfriend and several temporary employees to the film festival to screen and promote it. However, a large number of viewers left the first screening tonight, which dealt a certain blow to his confidence.

Three days later from 9:11 to : a.m., "D.C. Heights" will have a second private screening at the Great Salt Lake Cinema.

This game is the key.

Thanks to her late father's relationship, Catherine invited a group of film buyers led by Robert Reiner, the vice president of business at Castle Rock Pictures, a Hollywood production and distribution company.

Whether the film can be bought by a distribution company and released in theaters depends on this one move.

(End of this chapter)