America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 123 Creative Ways to Boost Work Efficiency

Brentwood is a well-known affluent neighborhood in Los Angeles.

Martin gave a special introduction to Thomas, while Craven and Aja also introduced their respective agents.

Then, the three agents were ushered to the banquet hall.

Craven, Aja, and Martin have already agreed to work together, and their agents are getting to know each other beforehand to minimize potential conflicts later on.

"The story outline is almost complete." Aja handed Martin a handwritten manuscript: "The character is based on you, and we both think we should get your input."

Martin quickly skimmed the outline: a family on a trip encounters a family of freaks and deformities caused by a nuclear explosion in the United States, leading to a massacre.

Because of his involvement, the outline changed somewhat, but he was basically certain that it was similar to "The Hills Have Eyes," a book he had read before.

As Hollywood's undisputed godfather of modern horror films, Wes Craven's horror and thriller projects are a guarantee of success.

Craven glanced at the time and said, "This isn't the right place to discuss this. Let's find somewhere that will spark our thinking."

Martin asked at the opportune moment, "Wess, have you prepared a surprise?"

Craven said, "It definitely gets a man's mind going."

Abandoning their agent, the three of them got into a car, with Martin in the driver's seat. Following Wes Craven's directions, they arrived at a strip club.

Martin was very familiar with this kind of place; it was just that the male dancers were replaced with female dancers.

The three arrived relatively early, and there weren't many guests yet. On several stages, the warm-up dancers slowly swayed their sexy bodies.

Craven was very generous: "Make yourselves at home, it's on me tonight." He told the waiter who followed him, "I've booked the largest VIP room upstairs."

The waiter ran backstage, and not long after, a dozen dancers in high heels walked onto the stage.

Craven chose the youngest one, who was at most 18 years old and could do this job.

Martin chose a tanned Latina woman who wore leather shorts and a black bra, much like Jessica Alba in Sin City.

A-Jia chose a blonde woman.

The three went upstairs and entered the largest and most luxurious VIP room. They asked the waiter to adjust the sofas slightly, placing three single sofas in a circle.

Craven said, "Something soothing."

The dancers then entered and went to their respective clients to perform lap dances.

Craven watched as the dancer, old enough to be his granddaughter, took off her top. His mind began to race, and he said, "I chose the story of nuclear radiation as the background mainly because the Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have been making headlines across the United States this year. With the election coming up soon, this matter will definitely be brought up repeatedly, so it will naturally generate buzz."

A-Jia stared at the swaying headlights of the car and swallowed hard. "My original idea was a voyeuristic story: girls go out, encounter a voyeur, the voyeur eventually can't help but hurt the girls, and the girls try to get revenge."

Martin asked, "Like 'I Spit on Your Grave'?"

"Similar." Aja leaned forward slightly, as if wanting to experience the feeling of a car headlight hitting his face: "The scale won't be that large, but Wes think that in addition to voyeurism and rape, adding killing will further ignite the male protagonist's flames of revenge."

The Latina woman on Martin's lap twisted her waist like a snake as she slowly unbuttoned her top.

In this situation, Martin couldn't help but take a deep breath. His brain was stimulated and his thoughts became more active: "I have an idea. Add a newborn baby to the protagonist, which is then stolen by perverts. Then the protagonist transforms into a pervert and goes on a killing spree."

Craven pulled out a $20 bill, stuffed it into the man's shorts, beckoned to the girl, and said, "That's a good idea. A father is willing to risk everything for his child."

Aja noticed Craven's face being run over by the car headlights, and mimicking him, pulled out some cash from his wallet and stuffed it into his hand: "In the ending, the entire protagonist team is wiped out..."

He didn't finish his sentence because the car headlights obscured A-Jia's face.

Martin, who was considering playing the role, said, "Isn't this a bit inappropriate?"

Craven temporarily escaped the crushing defeat: "Aja, that's the European style. You'll lose the audience this way. In the beginning, the psychopath ambushes the unprepared protagonist's family. The torture and killing in this process must be brutal. The old man is killed, the wife is killed, the pet is killed. Arrange it all. Make the killing process as brutal as possible to pave the way for the exhilarating counterattack later."

Martin interjected, "How about adding a sexy young girl being raped by a pervert? When I was making late-night movies, the director... you know, Benjamin who likes to have sex with zombies, said that violent scenes of beauty and ugliness can maximize people's emotions."

"Baldness and zombies?" Craven couldn't help but scoff. "That night, all I witnessed was the clash of ugliness against ugliness..."

Speaking of that night, A-Jia still had regrets: "And the snake woman and the succubus? I didn't even get to them before I ran out of bullets."

The young woman above him leaned in, almost stuffing her mouth: "With me by your side, you won't regret it."

Martin, the only serious one among the three, quickly stopped the conversation when he saw it was about to go astray: "If more perverts take turns harassing pretty girls, won't it become 17+?"

Craven, with his extensive experience, said, "It's okay if you don't film the lower body."

"The psychopath has a physical deformity, should we give him a deformed brother?" A-Jia, true to his European roots, displayed a wealth of artistic flair: "Hooks or thorns?"

Craven thought of his children, and of Jason and Freddy's weapons, and said, "Martin's good at this."

"Don't you guys think the topic has gone off track?" Martin reminded them. "Aren't you using your active thinking in the wrong place?"

Craven got back to the point: "What's the protagonist's identity? A former soldier? A wrestler? A frequent hunter?"

Martin chimed in, "Texas redneck? I'm from Georgia. I'm pretty good with a gun, know some hand-to-hand combat, and I'm good at action scenes."

A-Jia said, "He's a middle school physical education teacher, skilled in many sports, and usually a very kind person."

"I think it's good," Craven said symbolically. "What do you think, Martin?"

Martin shrugged: "I dropped out of high school."

The Latina woman leaned closer: "We're the same, I also dropped out of high school."

Martin asked, "May I know your name?"

The headlights of the Latina woman's car were flashing right in front of me: "Jesse."

Seeing Craven and Aja completely overwhelmed and unable to speak, Martin realized that being with a psychopath only made him a psychopath himself—otherwise, how could he fit in? Left with no other choice, he pulled out a dollar bill and shoved it into Jesse's hand: "Is this okay?"

Jesse leaned closer: "We can't talk about this outside, or we'll be in trouble. It's illegal."

The rolling wheels rolled over Martin's face repeatedly.

After finishing their round of jumping, Jesse and his two friends went out to rest and prepare for the next round.

Martin and the other two continued their discussion.

The main focus is on the male lead, who better fits Martin's image.

Aja said, "He's usually a good person, seemingly sunny and cheerful, but once provoked, he transforms into a crazy psychopath. Isn't that just Martin himself?"

Martin retorted, "Hey buddy, Martin's reputation as a good guy is known throughout Atlanta! You know the Methodist Church? They've always been grateful to me."

Craven then moved on to a more crucial aspect: "Our next step in moving this project forward is to find a reliable production company. You may have some money, but as a friend and someone who's been there, I'm reminding you, only a fool would use their own money to make a movie."

Martin said, "Wes, with you here, how can we not find a production company?"

Craven shook his head: "Raising investment is never an easy task for any director or producer."

Martin thought of his support team and said, "I should be able to raise a few million dollars in investment, but I can't say the exact amount."

Craven asked, "Louise?"

"No," Martin said vaguely, "The investors in Atlanta, you know what I mean."

Craven laughed: "This is no big deal. We'll set up a separate studio and manage our finances separately."

Aja stretched and said, "I don't understand Hollywood stuff. I'm just in charge of filming."

Craven said, "We won't get involved in the specifics. We'll find a few people to set up a studio. When this kind of opportunity comes up, there will be plenty of people rushing to take it."

Martin thought of Andrew from Gray Company, who had become increasingly favored by Kelly since taking over the establishment of the "Zombie Dancer" studio.

He brought his thoughts back and said, "It's settled. I'll call people from Atlanta."

Craven said, "Wait until the first draft of the script and the proposal are out."

Although he was certain that if Wes Craven stepped forward, people would obediently hand over their money, Martin consciously went along with Craven's lead and said, "I'll do as you say."

A-Jia couldn't wait and suggested, "Shall we start a second round?"

Craven, though old, is still young at heart: "In the second round, without enough excitement, I have no ideas for what to do."

Martin also found that this more active thinking improved work efficiency.

To gain the approval of your colleagues, you naturally have to do the same things.

After another round of dancing, the three workaholics switched partners, and then six more dancers were called in.

When the show ended, the romantic French director, Aja, took four people with him.

Lonely Martin, together with the equally lonely Thomas, left in a car.

The driver, of course, was Mr. Thomas, the agent and chauffeur. He recounted his conversation with the other two agents: "It's said that your last private party reignited Craven's interest in horror films. He turned down an offer to direct an action thriller from DreamWorks and is now preparing to make this horror film where both the protagonist and the villain are psychopaths."

Martin stated, "Working with Craven increases the chances of success."

Thomas completely agreed: "While Craven's films may not all be as hugely successful as Scream, his horror films always have a guaranteed commercial floor. Compared to this project, the roles I showed you during the day were far too risky."

He said, "The most crucial point is that I don't know what method you used, but that old man Craven really likes you and is willing to let you play the male lead. As for the others, who can guarantee whether the auditions will be successful?"

Martin tapped his head and said, "I still owe Craven a party. I need to think of something new to do."

That's all for today. Time to get back to writing.

(End of this chapter)