A widower's entertainment

Although several Hollywood film companies approached him, it was clear that Lin Youcheng only had one script to write, "Phone Booth," so he could only work with one film company at the moment.

Perhaps it was because Paramount Pictures producer Freeman was so sincere, and because he had always wanted to help "The Truman Show" win the Oscar for Best Picture, that he not only came to Beijing to see him, but also made repeated international long-distance calls to him.

After Lin Youcheng finished the script for "Sniper Phone Booth," he told producer Freeman about it. Freeman immediately booked a flight to meet Lin Youcheng.

With a translator present, it was naturally easy to communicate the entire script of "Phone Booth," especially since Lin Youcheng's English was now quite good. After all, his children were taking the middle school and college entrance exams one after another, and he, as their father, naturally had to study alongside them. It's worth noting that Lin Youcheng had also been studying with his son, Lin Zhaoqing, back when Lin Zhaoqing was in school.

Then Freeman was truly amazed by the script written by Lin Youcheng.

He never expected that Lin Youcheng would write a script where almost the entire story takes place in a phone booth, but the plot remains tight and suspenseful. As a film producer, he knew very well from the very beginning that if this script were to be made into a movie, the production cost would be very low.

Of course, the most important thing is that the story of this script is very exciting!

"Lin, this is incredible!"

"This is absolutely incredible!"

Freeman was truly astonished by Lin Youcheng's imagination; it was truly amazing and unbelievable. He genuinely hadn't expected Lin Youcheng to come up with such a unique story—a low-budget suspense thriller set in a single, almost enclosed space, with a very exciting plot.

One by one, advertising salespeople who were just moments ago confidently and skillfully talking nonsense to all their clients have become helpless weeds controlled by death in an instant. The sudden change in fate is truly novel and unique.

The protagonist is a salesman who sells news, both true and false. While he's suspected of being a conman, he's not a heinous criminal. As usual, he's calling his confidante from a public phone booth, fearing his wife from Silent Hill will check his phone records. In reality, he's also deceiving a recent female college graduate. Then, a stranger calls, claiming to be monitoring him. The protagonist assumes it's someone he once deceived seeking revenge. The stranger then calls his confidante, revealing his true identity. The protagonist panics, believing the stranger is prepared. The stranger claims to be a vigilante, specializing in punishing criminals, and threatens the protagonist to call his wife. His wife also received a call from the stranger that morning. The protagonist completely panics after hearing the sound of a sniper rifle being chambered.

Three sex workers also wanted to make calls to solicit business. When the male protagonist refused to listen to reason, they approached Da Zhuang. Even after he paid them, they tried to forcibly take his money. A stranger fired a gun, and the three erratic sex workers claimed the male protagonist was the one who fired it. When the police arrived, they believed the sex workers' lies and made the male protagonist the prime suspect. The stranger prevented the male protagonist from telling the truth, so he could only say it was a call to a psychologist. When his wife arrived, the male protagonist panicked even more. The stranger demanded that he confess his infidelity to his wife, promising to let him go if he did. But the stranger stood him up. The male protagonist, devastated, didn't want to play along anymore. Outside, the male protagonist and the sheriff saw his wife being illuminated by infrared beams and instantly understood…

All of this was so exciting.

Especially the setting of the phone booth. You know, in many cases, even when passing by, people will no longer ignore the phone booths that are usually deserted and idle. Those people, things and events that are not noticed, not valued, and inconspicuous in daily life actually hide earth-shattering secrets.

Freeman was genuinely astonished by Lin Youcheng's idea. He knew very well that the film script was only about eighty minutes long, with seventy minutes of it filmed in a roadside phone booth. The attention to detail in people's daily lives was exceptional. There was no time span, no need for changing seasons, and no need for character transitions. The camera focused primarily on the male protagonist, with only two people confronting each other through a phone, one of whom was only represented by his voice.

This fluid and natural way of expressing details is truly amazing.

According to Freeman, the story is quite symbolic, somewhat reminiscent of Kafka's *The Trial*. A sudden, unfamiliar phone call, with a sniper rifle aimed at the phone booth on the other end—and just like that, tension, fear, police, media, public opinion… all follow. In essence, this is a trial, a trial at gunpoint, with the judge being the man behind the sniper's scope. He has deified himself; under the gun, you must confess your sins, or he will pull the trigger. The trial ultimately ends with the protagonist confessing to the onlookers and media about his infidelity to his wife, deceiving her friends, employees, and clients, and repenting for his sins, thus gaining a chance at redemption.

Especially before the end, there's a brutal struggle between humanity in this movie, which is truly thrilling.

They either confess their filth and depravity, their meanness and shamelessness, or they die in an instant, never to see the fiery sun and the azure sky again.

What is humanity? This is what humanity is all about. It takes more than an hour to explore the depths of human nature and its weaknesses.

When the protagonist finally tearfully revealed his deepest secret to everyone, Freeman was truly shocked. There are just too many people in this world who live like that.

They lie, they deceive, they lack genuine emotion, they chase fame and fortune, willing to harm others' interests. They are the so-called big shots, but they are also the most pitiful people. Perhaps it's a relief when they finally tell the truth. No more pretense, no more concealment. Although they may lose much of their outward glamour, they will gain more genuine affection from their wives and friends.

This kind of human struggle is truly vividly portrayed.

Of course, this doesn't mean the script is absolutely perfect, but compared to the production and filming costs, the story is truly amazing.

Now, Freeman is even eager to make this "Phone Booth".

"I can't wait to make this movie, it's really amazing!"

"You're a true genius!"

Lin Youcheng, the screenwriter, is truly a genius. His skill is so profound that it is hard to predict. In an 80-minute story, more than 70 minutes take place in the confined space of a telephone booth. This is even more difficult than a stage play where the scene remains unchanged and the story unfolds along a single line. The only external tool that can confine the male protagonist is the telephone, or rather, the voice on the other end of the phone, as well as various potential threats.

As for what overwhelms the male protagonist, besides the fear of death, it is the screenwriter's writing of the dialogue. The details of how the male protagonist goes from indifference to doubt, then to terror, collapse, and finally a desperate fight are also commendable.

Even the brief appearance of the food delivery guy serves multiple purposes: it develops his character and subtly sets the stage for the mysterious assassin's escape.

Freeman was truly impressed.

Lin Youcheng could understand why Freeman was so excited, because compared to those big-budget movies, "Phone Booth" was undoubtedly much cheaper. Even if its box office revenue was far less than that of other big-budget movies, it was still a sure-fire way to make a huge profit.

If Freeman were a true film producer, he would never refuse a script like that.

Freeman said excitedly, "Lin, the filming time for this movie won't be too long."

"Yes, it might take at most half a month to finish filming. Of course, if it's fast, it could be finished in about ten days. Of course, the premise is that the male lead's acting skills must be good, because to a large extent, it depends on the male lead's performance."

These words naturally made Freeman nod repeatedly.

Freeman went even further, saying, "That's right. Faced with a sudden threat of death, the male lead transforms from a calm telemarketer into a redeemer on the verge of collapse. This requires the male lead's acting skills to portray." "Lin, don't worry, we will definitely find a suitable actor to play this role."

Freeman knew that this film would test the lead actor's abilities; if he was even slightly inferior, he wouldn't be able to carry the whole film, and even the best script would be useless.

Lin Youcheng nodded upon hearing Freeman's words. He naturally believed that Paramount Pictures would definitely make a good film. After all, even if the investment was small, it was Paramount Pictures that was investing. And if the film was well-made and did well at the box office, it would naturally benefit Paramount Pictures.

Of course, Lin Youcheng will also benefit.

After all, when it comes to collaborating with Lin Youcheng on scripts, in addition to the copyright fees, there is also a share of the film's net profit. These are all things that Lin Youcheng has actually achieved through his hard work with each and every work. If it weren't for Lin Youcheng's reputation as an Eastern screenwriter, why would film companies like Paramount Pictures keep contacting him to discuss collaborations?

Although Lin Zhaomei was studying at Yenching Film Academy, she would naturally return to Xinghua Hutong whenever she had time because she was in Beijing.

Lin Zhaomei also learned that her father, Lin Youcheng, had sold a new movie script to Paramount Pictures in the United States. Unsurprisingly, Lin Zhaomei was quite surprised, especially after hearing her father mention the script's copyright fee.

"One million five hundred thousand dollars?"

Lin Zhaomei was somewhat surprised; the figure seemed high, but it was actually lower than the previous copyright fee.

This is also why Lin Youcheng, who has won the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay twice and has written many film screenplays, has achieved great box office success. Hollywood film companies are naturally seeking cooperation with him at great expense. It should be noted that the price of 1.5 million US dollars is not actually high. Before that, there was a 2 million US dollar screenplay copyright fee.

Of course, this sum of one and a half million US dollars in foreign exchange is an absolutely astonishing amount.

To put it in perspective, this $1.5 million is equivalent to just over 12 million RMB at the current exchange rate—a truly unimaginable figure.

Lin Youcheng smiled, knowing Lin Zhaomei's surprise, and said, "Actually, Paramount Pictures wanted to offer a higher price and lower the profit share, but I still value the net profit share more."

Hearing her father Lin Youcheng's words, Lin Zhaomei naturally understood that her father had great confidence in the film, which was why he valued the net profit share so much, and naturally, he was also curious about the story.

Lin Youcheng would naturally show the script of "Sniper Phone Booth" to Lin Zhaomei.

Clearly, Lin Zhaomei and Freeman felt the same way. She really didn't expect her father to come up with such a story. It wasn't the kind of story where the male protagonist gets into trouble by answering a phone call at the wrong time, goes through various battles of wits, street gunfights, car chases, and then has a big fight with the villain before finally reaching the grand finale. It was just like those mainstream action-gunfight movies.

It's simply a story set in a phone booth.

Lin Zhaomei was also shocked by this story.

"Dad, you're amazing!"

Lin Zhaomei looked at Lin Youcheng with admiration. This was her father, and she truly admired him. He really deserved to be called the number one screenwriter in the country.

"The production cost of this movie must be very simple, and even if the box office results are low, it will definitely be profitable."

Lin Zhaomei also understood why her father insisted on a higher share of the film's net profit. This film, while not guaranteed to make a profit, was at least entirely risk-controlled. Especially if the film was exceptionally good and became a box office hit, then after deducting even a tiny bit of the cost, it would all be profit, resulting in a huge windfall.

Thinking about "Phone Booth," and recalling what she had seen in the script of "Human Tales," Lin Zhaomei really wanted to make her own feature film.

Now, Director Jia is also planning to make her first feature film, and she has the same idea.

Even though she'll only be a junior next year, so what? After junior year comes senior year and graduation.

Lin Zhaomei looked at Lin Youcheng and couldn't help but call out, "Dad—"

"what happened?"

"Dad, I plan to film 'Our Millionaire' next year."

Hearing Lin Zhaomei's words, Lin Youcheng smiled and said, "Okay!"

It was such a simple answer, without any unnecessary words, yet it offered boundless support.

Lin Zhaomei naturally understood why her father, Lin Youcheng, hadn't said much. There was no need to say much at all. Leaving aside the previous film, "Final Destination," the script copyright fee for this film, "Phone Booth," was enough to ensure that she wouldn't have to worry about the film's production costs.

There's absolutely no need to worry about the film's cost.

This is the support her father gave her, supporting her from behind. Whether it's the script or the budget, it's all equally solid, just like her father's love.

Lin Zhaomei smiled slightly as she looked out the window; a cold wind was blowing outside.

Next year is almost here. (End of Chapter)