Former Warrior Turns Into A Million-Dollar Actor [EN]: Chapter 45

The Veteran Actor’s Ten Million Roles – Episode 45 (45/199)

Braving the Storm (4)

Kim Ryul mentioned he was editing at the Seongsu-dong studio that Kim Geunbeom had lent him.

In the parking lot in front of the studio, the brothers spotted a familiar red Tucson.

“Oh, Actor Park! And Seon-i!”

“You’re here, CEO!”

CEO Tae Jongbeom, stepping out of the car with a bouquet of white flowers, waved.

“We’re meeting right here. But, what did you guys buy so much of?”

“And you, CEO, even brought flowers… Wow, isn’t the director going to be touched by this?”

CEO Tae awkwardly hid the bouquet behind his back.

“Is Director Kim the kind of person who would be? I just bought them on the way to match the occasion.”

The others also had a lot of luggage in their hands. They had bought some wine and cake, hearing that gifts were customary for the first public viewing of the edited version.

When they went up to the studio, familiar faces were already gathered.

“Jangmi, Seonghwa!”

“It’s been a while, both of you.”

Lee Jangmi waved happily. Her complexion was much better than when they first met at the theater troupe, and her cheeks had a healthy flush.

“Yongjo couldn’t come. I heard an agency got him a job in the meantime, so his filming schedule is packed from this morning until evening.”

Jang Seonghwa, looking apologetic, nudged Lee Jangmi.

“You’re busy too, right? I hear people are looking for you everywhere… I’m the only one whose stock isn’t rising.”

“What are you talking about? If you’re upset, do better.”

“Wow… the celebrity disease is already kicking in…”

Amid the lively atmosphere, Kim Ryul, who had been hidden amongst the people, got up from his chair.

“Thank you all for coming.”

His gaunt cheeks were still skeletal, but his eyes were quite clear. It was the unwavering radiance unique to those who had managed to get through a long, dark tunnel.

“Director Kim, take this first. They’re real flowers, real flowers!”

An eager CEO Tae handed over the bouquet.

“Why so many acacias…”

“Looking at it, the flower’s meaning was good. So, how was the finished version?”

Before answering, Kim Ryul looked at each of the people gathered.

The production staff, the leads and supporting actors and their entourages… The director surveyed the key players of the movie, and the words they had been waiting for finally came.

“You’ll know when you see it.”

“Yes, quickly!”

“I want to see it too. I’ve been so excited since I heard it was the first public viewing of the edited version today.”

“Jang Seonghwa, stop being so dramatic and move the chair.”

Seeing is believing. They hurriedly cleaned up the surroundings, brought a few chairs, and created a makeshift screening room.

Jang Seonghwa, standing at the door, clapped her hands as if hitting a slate [a hinged board used to synchronize sound and image].

“Okay, should we turn off the lights?”

At that moment, the last guests arrived.

Lee Sangcheol, head of the entertainment division, and Gong Gi-hyung, head of the public relations team, entered.

“H-Head of department!”

Although he was the head of department, not the CEO, he was still number two at a large agency. As Park Seon instinctively stood at attention, the head of department smiled.

“Is it okay for me to come? I heard Team Leader Gong was going, so I came instead of the CEO, but if it makes you uncomfortable, I’ll head out.”

“No, you’re always welcome.”

The head of department shook hands with each person, and finally everyone finished sitting down and the lights went out.

People stared at the 32-inch monitor with different expressions.

Amidst expectations and worries, the movie began.

And 1 hour and 55 minutes vanished.

“Wow, this is…”

In the bluish light, Jang Seonghwa repeated like a parrot.

“This is, wow…”

Other people had similar reactions. Han Sangyoon PD next to the door wiped his sweat, forgetting to turn on the lights, and Lee Jangmi also wore an unbelievable expression.

“How did something like this come out? It’s completely different from what I saw on set.”

“I know, right? The leads are one thing, but what about the supporting actors? They’re completely different people.”

Kim Ryul’s directing, after editing, worked even more magic than on the filming set.

Even passing extras and minor roles with a single line exuded an atmosphere as if they had cast acting masters.

What about the mise-en-scène [the arrangement of scenery and stage properties in a play or movie]? The majestic and eerie atmosphere that flowed throughout the movie, and the visual beauty created by Jang Yong, the art director, and Kim Ryul together, made the 32-inch monitor feel like a special theater’s giant screen.

On the day of release, the audience in front of the screen would be sucked into that destructive visual beauty without even breathing.

“It was the most interesting movie I’ve ever seen in my life.”

Following Park Geon’s simple review, Park Seon also stammered and conveyed her impressions.

“I originally liked re-watching movies anyway. But I’m definitely going to watch this twice… no, three times, and even the director’s cut.”

“Is re-watching the problem? I’d sit there for six hours straight on the day I saw it.”

“Director Kim, I won’t be long-winded. It was the best of Kim Ryul’s works I’ve seen so far.”

The gazes of the people who naturally offered a word each turned somewhere. To the oldest and most senior person in this place, the real power of Roman.

The head of department shrugged and turned to Team Leader Gong.

“Team Leader Gong won’t have time to re-watch it, will he?”

“Yes!”

Team Leader Gong quickly left the studio, and Han Sangyoon PD hurriedly followed. Lee Sangcheol, the head of department, who was watching with a satisfied expression, asked.

“How much is left now?”

“It’s almost done. We’ve selected the simultaneous recording and re-recorded it… all that’s left is sound effects production and DI [Digital Intermediate – color correction].”

“The speed is amazing. I heard there wasn’t even an editor on set.”

“Since time was short, I thought it would be better to do a rough edit myself as soon as filming was over instead of an editor’s cut. The final version will be faster that way.”

Anyone with an understanding of movie production, that is, the production process, would know how audacious that statement was.

‘He’s doing the impossible. Planning, filming, and even editing all by himself?’

The head of department’s soaring eyebrows settled back into place. Now was the time to worry about movie promotion, not talent scouting.

“Instead, the color correction work may take a little time. The equipment is also insufficient, and it’s not a field I’m originally good at.”

“I know an ace from the MBS [Major Broadcasting Station] production headquarters. He’s probably an advisor to the technical support team now, but let’s borrow his skills. The equipment… well, our studio shouldn’t be bad.”

Kim Ryul’s eyes sparkled. A technician from a major broadcasting station and good equipment? It wasn’t just about shortening the time, it could visually stun the audience with the colors.

Lee Jangmi, who was listening to the conversation, raised her hand.

“Then, what about our promotion? Are we just doing trailers and previews?”

“That’s right, these days, movies have to attract attention to get an audience. The ones we’re up against are that thriller and some historical romance…”

Tae Jongbeom, the CEO, took over from Jang Seonghwa, who was frowning and worrying.

“‘Murder Train’ and ‘Our Four Circumstances’. These two are the biggest.”

“I can also hand out flyers.”

Park Geon, who was about to get up, was stopped by Park Seon and Kim Ryul.

“Hyung [older brother/male friend], who hands out flyers for movie promotion these days!”

“…It would be nice if the actor took the initiative, but the image of the movie itself might be cheapened…”

“I understand. Then I’ll just help with the sound effects during the dubbing.”

“Yes? Sound effects?”

The head of department, who had been listening intently, suddenly burst into laughter.

“Director Kim doesn’t know yet. Our actor Park Geon is very versatile. He might be better than most sound effect artists.”

As Kim Ryul nodded with a puzzled expression, Lee Sangcheol, the head of department, erased his smile.

“Most people will see this movie as a failure.”

“……”

“And also, there will be many people who want it to fail. A flash-in-the-pan star from the drama scene and underdog production staff… they’ll be sick to their stomachs if those guys celebrate. The Lee Jangmi actress smear campaign was also part of that.”

The faces of the people also became serious. Lee Jangmi didn’t say anything, but her lips twitched savagely for a moment before returning to normal.

“We’re going to face it head-on.”

“Head-on means…”

“We have to spread spam articles, attract attention, and roll around in the mud. How much did the PR team grind their teeth while just getting hit?”

It is the most aggressive marketing tool. Adding fuel to the negative public opinion and growing the board.

Park Seon muttered.

“So there hasn’t been any special response so far…”

That’s why the Roman PR team was quiet. If small fries make a fuss and go out to fight in advance, the topicality will only decrease.

Of course, there are also clear disadvantages. As much as it attracts attention, when the results are a mess, a huge backlash will blow.

But when the movie is well-made, or when it shows something more than that…

Buzzㅡ

The phone vibrated.

Director Lee checked the message and smiled meaningfully.

“Let’s do well. One of our busy people is also joining the war for the first time in a while.”

22 days before the screening of ‘Black Priest’.

There was a debate ahead of the movie’s release.

The Kim Ryul faction, who said that ‘Chungmuro’s [Korean Hollywood] Spear’ would win, and the Park Geon faction, who said that ‘Ratings Shield’ would hold out, were fiercely opposed.

The underdog is, of course, the latter.

Title: Will Black Priest Fail or Succeed?

Real-time voting

[Kim Ryul Advantage 83%] : [Park Geon Advantage 17%]

Content: As someone who has mastered 3,500 domestic and foreign movies, I think that box office success is ultimately a statistic. Therefore, “Multi-hit” Kim Ryul is more likely to be superior to “One-hit” Park Geon.

-You wrote nonsense so sincerely

-1 hit VS 4 shit

└Chungmuro’s misfortune VS Jinbs Rising Star

└└Movie Terrorist vs Drama Bureau Safety Officer ㄷㄷ

-The production cost is roughly 5 billion won… then you have to get more than 2 million viewers to break even

-2 million? I’m immediately predicting Chungmuro’s misfortune to win

└So how many people?

└└The actor’s name value is there, so they’ll film 800,000 and switch to IPTV to break even

-Is 800,000 easy? They mixed a rookie with a bunch of stragglers?

-You never know, movies are director’s play. I don’t know if time is tight like in dramas.

└That’s right, acting changes depending on the direction

└└Yeah, you guys just don’t seem to know ㅋㅋㅋ

-It would be fun if it turned out to be amazing and filmed 5 million and swept the Grand Bell Awards [prestigious Korean film awards] ㅋㅋㅋ

└It’ll be decided when it’s released~ I’m going to watch it ㅇㅇ

It is Park Geon’s new work, which has been talked about a lot since the crank-in [start of filming]. Even during filming, the rare ‘actress sex bribery’ controversy arose.

The verdict came out and Roman stepped in to put out the fire, but… there are many corners to bite.

[The EU where Black Priest is unconditionally going to 3 million] (34)

Recommended 22 / Not Recommended 67

[The reason why Kim Ryul has no choice but to explode this time] (21)

Recommended 15 / Not Recommended 45

In addition, some aggro-seekers subtly added fuel to each movie community, and the controversy only grew.

Will it be a flop… or will it be mediocre?

The trailer released after the making-of film is too intense to be just a flop movie.

But aren’t there many movies in this industry that are ‘you’ve seen it all if you just watch the trailer’?

While only false fires were being lit,

[‘Black Priest’ decides to pre-release paid preview, 14 days earlier than release date]

[Attention is focused on the ‘premium pre-release’ on weekends, only once…]