Utah.
Today marks the opening of the Sundance Film Festival.
The Sundance Film Festival, or more precisely, the Independent Film Exhibition Festival, is a festival specifically created for independent films.
Everyone knows that independent films have small budgets and often follow an artistic rather than a commercial path. These films are difficult to distribute and even harder to recoup their costs.
To prevent good films from being overlooked, the Sundance Film Festival was born.
Many famous directors have emerged from here, such as the Coen brothers, Christopher Nolan, and Quentin Tarantino, making it a true Hollywood blood-making machine.
This year's film festival will still last 10 days. Eric is currently on his way to Park City, a small town with only a little over ten thousand residents that does not have an airport.
Ring.
The phone rang; it was another, more private number, known by only a few people.
"Hi, Elena!"
"Little guy, is this your plan? I woke up and Hasbro's stock price had already dropped by 5 percent."
Eric frowned: "Only five percent? That little? It seems the market is still very optimistic about me directing, hahaha."
"What are you thinking? Even I know this is completely unreliable. The reason the stock price hasn't fallen further is partly because someone is propping it up—no need to guess, it must be the Hassenfeld family."
"Another reason is that the news broke too recently, and many people are in a wait-and-see state. Perhaps they think it's just fake news."
"I understand. You want me to make a bigger splash, right?"
Elena said anxiously: "Otherwise? I lent you money in violation of regulations, enough to send me to prison. You absolutely must not disappoint me, Eric Cooper! Otherwise, I'll drag you to hell with me."
Even over the phone, Eric could feel her emotions and quickly comforted her: "Don't worry, that impulsive tone isn't like the woman I know."
"Right now, I'm on my way to the Sundance Film Festival. Today is the opening ceremony, and it's full of entertainment media from across the United States. They are bloodthirsty sharks, and they'll help us make a big splash."
On the other end of the phone, she took a few breaths to calm down: "I hope so."
More than half an hour later, the taxi arrived at its destination. In the snow-covered town, a huge venue was cordoned off, filled with screening rooms. Countless people, film enthusiasts from all over the country, were squeezing inside.
Whoosh.
A puff of white mist escaped his lips. Eric took off his hat and mask. It was a bit cold, but to make it easier for the media to capture him, he'd endure it.
He directly opted for a pass, costing 2000 US dollars. Most people couldn't afford it; they usually just bought tickets for the specific films they wanted to see.
Looking at the handbook with over a hundred film titles, Eric began to search for any familiar ones. On the second page, he saw a film: "The United States of Leland."
Although the director was not well-known, the cast included some familiar names: Don Cheadle, Ryan Gosling, and Michelle Williams.
Don Cheadle is the Black actor who played War Machine in iron man, not the one from the first film.
He had been in the industry for over a decade and had already gained some fame in the film world. While certainly not as prominent as Denzel Washington and Will Smith, he was still a relatively well-known Black actor.
Ryan Gosling and Michelle Williams, needless to say, were both promising young talents in Hollywood. The former was currently being heavily promoted and had recently auditioned for transformers.
Having chosen his target, Eric headed straight for The United States of Leland's screening room. The film would start soon, and if all went well, he might encounter some media.
After squeezing through the crowd for a while, he found the screening room in a decent location. Upon entering, he indeed found a small press conference in progress.
There weren't many media outlets, only seven or eight, but they would suffice. Eric boldly found a front-row seat and sat down.
A handsome man is unforgettable wherever he goes, like a shining star. The moment he arrived, Ryan Gosling's gaze followed him.
"Eric Cooper, it's him! Why is he here? Is he interested in my film?"
With this thought in mind, while being interviewed, Ryan Gosling nodded at Eric, who smiled and returned the gesture.
This strange behavior naturally piqued the interest of others. Several people looked over at the same time, and the media naturally followed suit.
The film's creators might not have known Eric's identity, only thinking that this young man was very handsome.
The media, however, was different. Instantly, like sharks smelling blood, they surrounded Eric, as if afraid he would run away.
"Mr. Eric, is it true that you're going to direct transformers?"
"Mr. Cooper, could you please respond to the news from this morning? Did MGM make a mistake?"
"Mr. Cooper, you're going to be a director, is that true or false?"
Seeing the enthusiastic reporters, and then recalling their indifferent attitude towards them just moments ago, the director and actors felt a bitter taste in their mouths.
This is our home turf! What's going on!
Eric gestured for everyone to calm down: "I will answer your questions, but after the film ends. This is an excellent work, bringing together excellent directors and actors. Let's focus our attention on them first, okay?"
After saying this, he leaned back in his seat and said no more. Seeing this, the media found it difficult to press further. Since Eric Cooper had already promised, they would just wait until the film ended.
And Eric's reason for not wanting to answer was certainly one of them. The main reason was that there were too few media outlets present, and they were all tabloids, lacking sufficient influence.
But as soon as the news of his presence spread, reporters would undoubtedly surround the screening room after the film, making it impossible to pass.
Let the bullets fly for a while.
Seeing the media's attention return to them, and with considerably more enthusiasm, the director and actors couldn't help but feel grateful.
He's actually quite nice.
Unconsciously, more than an hour passed. The film ended, and Eric applauded with the few other audience members. Although it was an art-house film, the quality was quite good.
After the creators went on stage to thank everyone, the audience began to leave.
Then the director, along with Ryan Gosling and other main actors, walked towards Eric. Opportunities to meet such big shots were rare, and no one wanted to miss out. Perhaps he was the film's buyer.
However, the media's actions were clearly faster than theirs. Besides the original seven tabloid reporters, dozens of media outlets seemed to suddenly appear, surrounding Eric from all directions.
Instantly, long and short lenses were practically shoved in his face, with a chaotic cacophony of voices. On the periphery, the film's creators stood awkwardly in place.
First day of the third round of recommendations, the data is so bad, I feel like I'm at the bottom.