[Chapter 136: The Heart of Commercial Film is the Audience]
After the meeting, Levitt reminded Linton that the video rental and sales report for Step Up for the last quarter (ending in January) was already out, and asked him to arrange for the financial auditing team to conduct an audit together with Universal to complete the settlement as soon as possible.
...
Daniel held Linton back to discuss the marketing and promotion of Sold Out.
During this time, Daniel was riding high, walking with the wind every day. Since early December 1992, first, I Swear had topped the Billboard singles chart for nine consecutive weeks.
Thanks to the boost from Pepsi's promotional support, Taste the Feeling then consecutively topped the charts for five weeks, leaving no chance for other companies or singers.
Also, their newcomer Shania's Surrender held a steady spot in the top three of the charts for a long time.
As of yesterday, I Swear's global single sales had reached 26.8 million copies, and the music video discs sold 500,000 copies, though its potential was already completely exhausted.
Taste the Feeling had broken 14 million copies in global single sales.
Even Shania's Surrender surpassed 8 million copies worldwide.
"Linton, Taste the Feeling has passed its peak. Although it was still number one on Billboard last week, this week might be a bit shaky and it will definitely drop next week. I plan to release Sold Out officially on March 5. Is your promotion plan ready?"
Linton calculated the time; at that point, he would probably still be doing post-production on the movie, but taking two days for media interviews was feasible. However, dedicating more time for chart battles was unrealistic.
Daniel hesitated but finally confirmed the March 5 release, asking Linton to participate in media promotion on March 3 and 4. After his movie's post-production was done, he would do a 10-day promotional push for the charts.
Before leaving, Daniel told Linton that the company was preparing to settle accounts for the Step Up movie soundtrack, the I Swear single, and the Taste the Feeling single, so Linton should arrange for financial auditors to conduct the audits promptly.
---
The three women had already left to busy themselves with their own work; after all, they were all famous actresses with endless invitations for appearances. Having a break this long was already hard to come by.
Since the editing room was still occupied by Zack, Linton decided to take this time to write scripts for Happy Death Day and The Rock, then handed them to the company's screenwriters for revision and refinement.
These were projects he planned to start in the second half of the year. Going forward, he wanted to stagger the movie projects.
This way, he could better manage everything, avoid conflicts during post-production, and better arrange movie release times.
...
Linton also took an afternoon to visit the Step Up 2 film crew. The filming was going smoothly, all according to schedule.
Shooting in Los Angeles was nearing completion; many extras and dancers had already wrapped up and left the set. The on-site directing and scheduling were orderly.
During dinner, Anne and Frank reported to Linton that work here would wrap up on March 1. The crew would rest a day and then move to Baltimore on March 3 for 15 days of filming.
Preparations in Baltimore were all set, including hotel accommodations for the crew, locations rental, communications with the Maryland Arts Academy, and approvals from City Hall.
Linton was quite satisfied with Frank and Anne, but reminded them about the worsening security situation in Baltimore. The gap between rich and poor was intensifying, with rising tensions. They must be cautious there.
Of course, he would send a top-notch security team to accompany them and ensure the crew's safety.
...
After dinner, Linton was about to head back to the estate when Jennifer hooked her arm around his. With a mischievous smile, she whispered in his ear, "Honey, your big treasures miss you."
Well, there was nothing much waiting at the estate, so he stayed to shower attention on his big treasures.
The layout of Building 3 was basically the same as Building 2, and the crew's accommodations were arranged likewise.
On the top floor, the 7th, there were six rooms, but only Frank, Anne, Leonardo, and Jennifer lived there.
He didn't bother with any pretense or opening another room, going straight into Jennifer's.
...
Unexpectedly, Jennifer's room was cozy, with a warm feminine vibe and a light, pleasant scent.
Before he could fully take in the room's setup, a passionate figure threw herself into his arms and lavished kisses on him.
They kissed deeply while helping each other out of their clothes, soon fully exposed to each other.
Then the passion ignited, with sweet, pleasant music playing in the background.
...
During a pause, Jennifer, like a little kitten, lay on Linton's chest, her small hand unconsciously tracing circles on his chest.
"Honey, your big treasures missed you."
"I missed them too," Linton said, fondly stroking the heavenly masterpieces.
"Then you should cherish them more."
"Darling, after filming at Location 1 wraps up, why not stay at my estate for a couple of days?"
"Sure, but will you be with me?"
"I might be busy during the day; I need to start editing Speed, but I'll definitely be around at night."
"No problem, you take care of your work during the day. I'll swim, work out, and watch movies at the estate."
"You're so good, babe. Also, I've hired enough female bodyguards at the estate - all ex-special forces. You can pick one to be your personal bodyguard to keep you safe. It'll give me peace of mind."
"You're so sweet, baby. Let's continue, okay?"
Passion resumed.
---
On the 27th, Zack finally completed all the post-production on The Shallows. Two versions of the trailers were also edited.
Linton, with Michael and Ryan, headed into the company's editing room to start cutting Speed with editor Oleck.
Having the original as a reference meant Linton didn't have much new footage. Also, many explosions and car chases couldn't be reshot, so total raw footage was under 300 minutes, much less than typical movie shoots.
The original movie ran 116 minutes, but Linton felt some scenes dragged on and the pacing was slow.
He planned the final length at about 110 minutes. Subtracting the intro and ending, the actual content had to be 106 minutes.
After confirming the main storyline with Oleck, Linton demanded edits focusing on short shots, dazzling visuals, sharp fast cuts, rapid narrative pace, and explosive special effects.
The audience should feel intense psychological stimulation while watching, sensing urgency and danger, adrenaline surging, as if inside the events, unable to look away from the screen.
His demands differed greatly from mainstream Hollywood films, surprising Michael, Ryan, and Oleck and opening their eyes.
"Linton, this editing style might sacrifice story logic. Critics won't be kind," Oleck warned.
"Remember, our movie is a big commercial production. The priority is to please the audience. The core is what the audience likes. As long as it makes big box office bucks, critics' complaints don't matter. Besides, you don't think Speed can snag an Oscar, right?" said Linton.
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