Hollywood Director 1992

"Ladies and gentlemen, good morning. Our plane is about to take off, and the estimated flight time is 4 hours and 52 minutes."

Hearing the sounds of the plane taking off, Link leaned back in his seat and breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally left New York safely, without being blocked by that group of black people on the road.

Back in Los Angeles, Link didn't have time to rest.

He contacted Jerome Preston, William Mason, the manager of the United Theater, and Sean Tang, the newly hired lawyer, to sign three contracts at the AMC movie theater in The Grove shopping center.

Two film distribution contracts stipulated the terms of the release time, screenings, promotion, and other aspects.

The contract with William Mason also included a clause for the use of a $30,000 deposit.

According to the contract, if the box office of "Buried" is lower than the minimum guarantee line for art film limited release—an average of $5,000 per screen per day—within the first seven days of release, Link would have to use the deposit to compensate the theater for its losses.

If it exceeds the minimum guarantee, it would not be necessary, and the theater would return all the deposit and a share of the box office revenue after the film's run.

Link also signed a cooperation agreement with the film GG Studio introduced by Jerome Preston to help design and produce the movie poster.

Link also personally contacted the marketing department of the "Los Angeles Times" and spent $5,000 to buy a small space in the entertainment section to publish the release information of "Buried."

In addition, Link also had to personally take care of tasks such as copying videotapes, arranging for people to post movie posters, and compiling box office statistics.

In the three days after returning from New York, Link ran around, not only spending all the money he had on him but also all his physical strength, and he lost more than five pounds.

Fortunately, the result was good.

After a few days of hard work, tomorrow, "Buried" will officially land in 10 theaters of the United Theater in Burbank and two theaters of The Grove shopping center cinema.

After "Buried" is released, hehe, the next moment will be the time to witness the miracle.

"Ugh ～"

At more than nine o'clock in the evening, Link yawned, stretched his back, and walked up to the fourth floor with his half-crippled legs.

He planned to go back to his small apartment bed for a good night's sleep and welcome the premiere of "Buried" tomorrow with a full spirit.

But when he walked to the door of the small apartment, he suddenly saw a rent arrears notice posted on the door, and the door lock was locked with an iron chain.

Link was stunned for a moment. A few days ago, the manager reminded him to pay the rent on the 15th, but he had been too busy these days and had forgotten about it.

Link patted his forehead and had no choice but to return to the dormitory management room on the first floor, knock on the small window, apologize to the manager Lucy, and say that he had been too busy these days and had forgotten about it, and that he would definitely find a way to pay off all the arrears tomorrow.

"Tomorrow? Don't try to fool me. You don't have money today. How can you have money tomorrow?"

"I really have money, but I don't have cash. My money is all in my bank account. Look, this is my Citibank bank card."

"Hehe, who doesn't have a few bank cards? If the balance in this card of yours exceeds $10, I'll eat it on the spot."

"Lucy, I'm really not lying to you. This is not an ordinary bank card. It's a credit card with loan qualifications. The loan limit is $5,000. I guarantee that I will pay off all the arrears before 12 o'clock tomorrow and will never embarrass you."

"Really?"

"Absolutely true. By the way, Lucy, what do you like to eat? I'll bring you breakfast tomorrow."

"Get out! Don't try to use this trick to fool me. I'm not a seventeen or eighteen-year-old little b*tch."

Lucy slapped the window sill with her thick palm, took her hand away, and revealed a key. "If you don't pay off the rent arrears before 12 o'clock tomorrow, I'll throw you and your broken furniture all out."

Click! Lucy closed the small window heavily.

"Hey, Lucy! Thank you!"

Link took the key to the iron lock and smiled. When he turned around, he happened to see Monica Bellucci passing by from behind with her bag.

"Hi, Monica, are you just back?"

"Hi!"

Monica Bellucci glanced at him, nodded, and walked past him on her mid-heeled shoes, leaving behind an indifferent back.

Link smiled faintly. A few days ago, people in the apartment said that a beautiful woman who was very indifferent to people had moved into the building. She was probably the one they were talking about.

"Monica, have you finished filming your scenes in the "Dracula" crew?"

"Yes, I only have two scenes in that movie."

"Have you been auditioning for new roles recently?"

"Yes!"

"Were there any successful ones?"

"No!"

"What a pity. My new movie hasn't started filming yet, otherwise I could give you a role."

"Your new movie?"

Monica finally slowed down and looked back at him.

"My name is Link, and I'm a director."

"Hello, Director Link!"

Monica responded faintly, twisted her full hips, and walked upstairs.

Link looked at her back, raised the corner of his mouth, and smiled.

Back in the small apartment on the fourth floor, Link threw himself on the bed. He originally planned to lie down for a while, take a shower, cook some supper, and then go to sleep.

But he was too tired, and he fell asleep unconsciously as soon as he touched the bed.

He slept until dawn, and Link got up early to the Citibank counter to withdraw $5,000. Lucy was right. The balance on this card did not exceed $10, but it had credit, and he could borrow $5,000 with this card.

In the morning, he paid off the rent, and Link brought Chris Bauer to The Grove shopping center. Today, "Buried" is officially released here.

—

"Wow, there are so many people, Link, did you hire them to support the movie?"

Arriving at the crowded Grove shopping center, they saw a long red carpet spread out in front of the door. Many citizens and forty or fifty media people holding cameras and microphones were crowded on both sides of the red carpet.

In the middle of the red carpet, several beautifully dressed people walked forward slowly, standing in front of a huge movie poster to sign autographs and take photos.

These people are all movie stars, including Oscar winner Anthony Hopkins, famous actress Cybill Shepherd, A-list actress Diane Lane, famous actor and director Richard Attenborough, famous actress Julianne Moore, and so on.

"Isn't Chaplin dead? Why is there a poster of him here?"

Chris Bauer also saw the huge movie poster. A man wearing a bowler hat was standing at the door, holding a cane, with his right hand on his hip, posing in the classic pose of the comedy master Chaplin.

The top of the poster read "Chaplin", directed by Richard Attenborough, starring Robert Downey Jr., Anthony Hopkins, Kevin Kline, and Geraldine Chaplin.

"Downey! Downey!"

"Downey, look here!"

Suddenly, the audience on both sides of the red carpet shouted loudly. Famous movie star Robert Downey Jr. made a dazzling appearance.

Robert Downey Jr. is 28 years old this year, much younger than in the "Iron Man" series, with no stubble on his face.

He was wearing a well-tailored Armani suit, wearing Chaplin's black bowler hat, holding a cane in his right hand, and strode onto the red carpet.

Behind him were three beautiful young actresses, Moira Kelly, the female lead, Marisa Tomei, the female third, and Milla Jovovich, the female lead of the future "Resident Evil" series.

Robert Downey Jr. waved to the fans while walking, occasionally posing in a few of Chaplin's classic poses, causing bursts of high-pitched cheers at the scene.

Robert Downey Jr. is a famous Jewish actor, a child star, and his father is the famous director and actor Robert Downey Sr.

Thanks to Old Downey's resource support, Robert Downey Jr. debuted at the age of 5. This year, at 28, he has already starred in 27 films. With popular movies like "Tuff Turf", "Modern Problems", "The Pick-up Artist", he has become a popular young actor in Hollywood.

At the same time, he is also a well-known Hollywood playboy and drug addict. Since he became famous in his twenties, entertainment newspapers have always featured his scandalous news, making him a controversial celebrity.

Last year, Carolco Pictures invested 15 million US dollars to adapt the biography of the master of comedy films, Charlie Chaplin, aiming to win an Oscar with this film. Robert Downey Jr. defeated many opponents and successfully became the male lead of the film.

The director, Richard Attenborough, won the Academy Award for Best Picture for directing "Gandhi" in 1982, and received the 36th British Academy Film Award for Lifetime Achievement in 1983.

The film also invited Anthony Hopkins, the male lead of "The Silence of the Lambs" and Oscar winner, to play the second male lead.

It can be described as a strong alliance with a powerful lineup.

The film is also considered by the media to be one of the most anticipated art films of the year.

"Link, what are you thinking? Choosing to release on the same day as 'Chaplin'? Are you worried that 'Buried' isn't obscure enough, and you want to make things worse?"

Chris Bauer pointed to the lively red carpet scene, with a speechless expression on his face.

Regarding Chris Bauer's question, Link couldn't answer.

When promoting the release of "Buried", he only thought about getting "Buried" released smoothly, but he never thought about which day to release it.

Besides, as an unknown nobody with no money, no connections, and no buzz, he naturally wasn't qualified to choose a release date.

Just like the ancestors said, a poor man can't choose his wife, and a cold man can't choose his clothes. If you have no money, what auspicious day can you choose?

"Don't ask so much, just watch."

"We're just watching here? When will they finish?"

Link didn't answer this question and stood by the red carpet for a while.

Just as he was about to enter the shopping center, a cinema staff member came to him and told him that the manager, Jerome Preston, had also arranged a premiere ceremony for "Buried."

"Where?"

"There!"

The staff member raised his hand and pointed to a small poster next to the "Chaplin" poster. The big poster was more than eight meters long and about four meters wide, while the "Buried" movie poster next to it was about 1.2 meters long and about 80 centimeters wide.

Putting this poster on the wall of an apartment wouldn't look too small, but placing it next to an eight-meter-long poster gave the impression of a gray mouse following behind an elephant, with a sneaky and rat-like feel.

"Mr. Preston said that 'Buried' has no celebrity guests, no on-site interviews, and no large number of fans, which is very detrimental to the film's box office. It's better to take advantage of the 'Chaplin' red carpet to gain some popularity, which may attract media attention."

The staff member paused, "Mr. Preston also said that whether or not to walk the red carpet is entirely up to you."

The staff member finished speaking and left.

Leaving Link with a hesitant face and Chris Bauer dumbfounded.

"We're going to walk the red carpet too?"

"Do you want to walk?"

"Of course I want to, that's the red carpet, but this is not what I imagined, and it shouldn't be at this time. I'm not prepared at all."

"There's no need to prepare anything. In a moment, you follow me and walk forward boldly. No matter how others look at you, you just need to think of yourself as Schwarzenegger or Stallone, and you won't feel nervous."

"You're going to walk the red carpet? Are you serious?"

At this time, the off-site premiere ceremony of "Chaplin" ended, and the actors all entered the cinema in the shopping center. When the on-site reporters and audience were preparing to leave, they suddenly heard the on-site host pick up the microphone and shout again: "Next, let us welcome the cast of 'Buried' with warm applause."

"What?"

"There's another movie premiere ceremony here?"

"Why didn't I receive any news or a red envelope?"

Dozens of media reporters stopped in confusion and turned to look at the entrance of the red carpet.

Two young men walked onto the red carpet. The one in front was a slender and handsome Asian, wearing a blue shirt and casual pants. His clothes were very ordinary, but he looked clean and comfortable, and the gentle and refined temperament he exuded was impressive.

The one behind him was a short, stocky young man with thick eyebrows and a flat nose. He probably went the wrong way. After walking seven or eight steps, he returned to the crowd with a flushed face.

The Asian youth strode to the middle of the red carpet and waved to the media and the audience outside the venue. No one cheered, and no one took pictures, but he didn't seem embarrassed or cramped at all, and still had a gentle and clean smile on his face.

Some photography reporters couldn't help but aim their cameras at him and press the shutter.

On the red carpet, Link saw someone taking pictures and consciously stopped and smiled at the reporter.

"Sir, can you introduce yourself?"

The red carpet host asked, handing over the microphone.

"Thank you! My name is Link. I am a director and actor. Today is also the day my movie is released. In this movie, I wrote, directed, and starred myself. It took half a year to complete. After being screened at the Sundance Film Festival at the beginning of the year, it was well received and considered a high-quality independent film on par with 'Reservoir Dogs'. In this movie, everyone will see the struggle of human nature, the tenacious life, and the unyielding will, and also see a different movie. Believe me, after watching this movie, everyone will definitely have their eyes opened. Thank you!"

Link returned the microphone to the host and walked to the small poster next to the "Chaplin" poster with a signing pen, signing his Chinese name - Link! - on the "Buried" poster.

Click! Click!

Four or five reporters couldn't help but aim their lenses at him and press the shutter.

Hearing that someone was taking pictures again, Link stood sideways in front of the poster, raising his hand and pointing to the "Buried" movie poster.

The poster style was similar to "Chaplin", using black as the background color.

At the top is the English name of the movie "Buried".

Below the movie name is a deep black color, occupying half of the poster, and further down is a wooden box illuminated by an electric light, revealing Link's cheeks and upper body.

There is also a line of words on the poster 'The coolest movie in the world, see how a man buried alive saves himself in desperation?'

In addition to this poster, there are also more than a dozen posters of varying sizes at the entrance of the shopping center and on the street, which read -

'The loneliest movie in the world'

'A must-see for lonely people'

'The most alternative movie in the world, with only one actor in the entire film'

Etc.

Because of limited time and money, these posters were designed by Link himself.

It's a pity that the "Chaplin" poster next to "Buried" is bigger and more eye-catching, making the "Buried" poster inconspicuous.

"The premiere ceremony of 'Buried' is over, thank you all for participating!"

The host shouted.

"Huh? Is it over?"

"Only one person came from the cast?"

"The loneliest movie in the world doesn't need to be this lonely, does it?"

"Interesting! This is the most bizarre premiere ceremony I've ever had in my more than ten years in the industry."

The reporters looked at each other, and some people looked at the "Buried" poster, hesitating whether to go and see this movie that was no less inferior to "Reservoir Dogs" and "Chaplin".