Renly pushed the door open and entered. He caught sight of Andy and Rodrigo in the lounge, waved his hand in greeting, and said, "Good evening." He didn't have any intention of staying longer and pointed towards the direction of the room. "I'm a bit tired. I'm going to take a shower and rest for a while."
Andy's forehead developed three lines as he exclaimed, "Renly, wait! Aren't you curious about why Rodrigo is here? We're in your room, not mine."
"Oh," Renly only realized it at that moment, gently lifting his chin, "You guys are discussing work?" His voice trailed upwards, and he continued, "In that case, continue your busy work. Just let me know the outcome once you're done."
Renly genuinely had no interest in matters outside of acting. His carefree demeanor left Andy somewhat exasperated. "Renly, you can give us some advice. This is about you."
According to Andy's assessment, it would indeed be an uphill battle for "Buried" to carve out a path during awards season due to its limited scope and a rather rigid theme. The film's greatest hope lay in Renly. This perspective wasn't solely because he was Renly's agent.
Renly hesitated for a moment, then walked over, patted Rodrigo's shoulder, and settled onto a nearby single sofa.
The constant bombardment of news over the past three days was even more exhausting than the shooting of "Buried". Moreover, when he went out now, the audience at the film festival had started recognizing him, making going out increasingly cumbersome. Those zealous fans would shriek and startle him from time to time. His eardrums and nerves were enduring quite a stern test. This was why he chose to go for walks at night. In fact, Renly was already quite fatigued. His sole thought was: when will the Toronto International Film Festival finally end?
Sitting on the sofa, Renly maintained proper posture, a vestige of his strict aristocratic education. The manners of standing, sitting, walking, dining, and greeting had been deeply etched into every cell. The only time he could truly relax was when he slept, which was also why he had an overwhelming affinity for sleeping.
"A few companies have presented offers to Rodrigo, expressing their interest in handling the North American distribution of "Buried"," Andy summarized in the simplest terms. Renly nodded in understanding, and Andy continued, "Personally, I think Lionsgate could be a good choice. So far, we haven't heard much about their actions during this year's awards season. "The Next Three Days", a collaboration between Paul Haggis and Russell Crowe, is their in-house production and their main focus."
Both of these figures were Oscar winners, so their influence was not to be underestimated.
"This film is scheduled for November, and we don't know its quality yet. If it receives positive feedback, Lionsgate's resources will undoubtedly lean towards "The Next Three Days". That's a given," Andy's mind was spinning rapidly. Within the few minutes following Rodrigo's news, he had already formulated a framework for his plans. "However, objectively speaking, Lionsgate is rooted in producing thriller and horror films. They possess more seasoned experience on how to market "Buried". At the very least, in terms of box office performance, they are trustworthy."
At this point, Andy paused for a moment, observing Rodrigo lost in thought and Renly's nonchalant demeanor. After confirming that neither of them intended to speak up, he continued, "However, their disadvantages are also quite apparent. They are still relatively new players in Hollywood. Prior to this, only "Precious" managed to make it to the final stages of awards season."
"Precious" won the People's Choice Award at last year's festival and went on to secure both the Best Supporting Actress and Best Adapted Screenplay at Oscars, remarkable feat.
Rodrigo raised his head, displaying an eager and eager-to-try expression. It was evident that Lionsgate was closely aligned with his expectations. However, Andy raised his hand to halt Rodrigo's intention to speak and continued, "On the other hand, Focus Features, with their Academy PR prowess, is unquestionable. Every year, they screen a multitude of potential works and, as awards season progresses, they discard film after film to eventually select the standout contenders and concentrate their promotional efforts on them."
"So, their strengths and weaknesses are quite distinct. They have abundant resources, and the competition is fierce." Andy could see that Rodrigo was puzzlingly furrowing his brow. However, Andy calmly continued, "But compared to Fox Searchlight, Focus Features encountered a slight issue this year. Their highly anticipated "The American" received terrible reviews, and the reception for "Somewhere" after its Venice premiere was far below expectations. Even before awards season started, they lost two major players. This is why they reached out to you."
"The American" starred George Clooney, who has won two Oscar Best Actor awards in the past three years and is rapidly gaining momentum. "Somewhere" is the work of Sofia Coppola, released four years after her debacle with "Marie Antoinette", and it has garnered significant attention.
Focus Features had immense confidence in both of these works, yet the results were less than satisfactory, disrupting their initial strategy. As Andy had mentioned, without this situation, "Buried" would have found it hard to get noticed by Focus Features.
"Of course, Toronto hasn't ended yet, and Focus Features still has time. However, as far as I know, they only have "The Kids Are All Right" in their hands for now." Andy stated with confidence, "Of course, awards season hasn't started yet, and there will be many changes in the next two to three months. Focus Features certainly won't back down without a fight. In this regard, their chances are much greater than Lionsgate's. But I believe..."
Andy noticed Renly's probing gaze, which had been on him for quite a while now, an intense scrutiny lingering on his face. He couldn't help but pause and turn his head to look at Renly. With a smile, he inquired, "What's the matter? Is something not right?"
Renly pursed his lips and shook his head with a soft chuckle. "I thought you had been on vacation these past two days. But clearly, I'm completely uninformed."
Andy's manner of speaking seemed casual, as if discussing minor details. However, Renly could discern that these pieces of information were obtained through extensive investigation and inquiries, perhaps even requiring networking for information exchange. The rapidly changing and urgent circumstances were certainly not as casually presented by Andy.
Renly also realized that his previous understanding of agents had been somewhat biased. Before the Emmy Awards, he hadn't sought out an agent, and it appeared that he had oversimplified matters.
"I think if Focus Features has taken notice of us, it signifies our recognition," Andy concluded, "In this aspect, Focus Features is more reliable and valuable than Lionsgate."
In the film industry, giants like Focus Features needed to consider the big picture with every decision they made. Factors such as which film would compete for Best Picture, which ones for individual awards, which genres to choose, and which to avoid were all part of a strategic approach. This differed from smaller companies that, upon seeing a decent film, would immediately go on the offensive, only to execute their plans once they secured the rights.
"Renly, what do you think?" After expressing his viewpoint, Andy turned the question to Renly.
Not that Renly could provide any professional insight. First, because the crew of "Buried" was small, consisting of just a handful of people, and Rodrigo was willing to listen to Renly's input. Second, because the finished quality of "Buried" was not at a high level; unless things took an unexpected turn, their only hope was competing for Best Actor. Therefore, Andy hoped Renly could join the discussion.
Renly shrugged without overthinking or hesitation, stating briskly, "I would choose Focus Features."
Andy glanced at Renly, the smile in his eyes deepening. "You're not trying to avoid giving an opinion by just picking one at random, are you?"
Renly seemed to be caught in his own thoughts, and a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he spread his hands. "So, what answer are you expecting from me? Some seasoned professional advice? I thought that's your job, or Rodrigo's."
Objectively, Renly indeed had little understanding of the intricacies of distribution, promotion, and public relations. Even with two lifetimes' worth of experience, he hadn't delved into these matters in his previous life either. These aspects were specialized work, and offering advice as a layperson would essentially cause more trouble than good.
Such situations were not uncommon in the film industry, with Warner Bros.' handling of DC Comics being the most prominent example. Both "Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice" and "Suicide Squad" faced such issues. Executives intervening in the later stages of filmmaking believed they were sufficiently knowledgeable and ended up disrupting the creators' original intentions, resulting in a dramatic drop in the quality of the finished products and leaving the audience disappointed.
Nevertheless, Renly still engaged in the discussion. "Personally, while internal competition is indeed fierce at Focus Features, their promotional system and public relations structure are more comprehensive. I think both of you have a skewed focus, placing too high expectations on "Buried". I believe that if the film can secure a place in awards season, that's already an achievement to be celebrated. But if it doesn't, it's not the end of the world. The acclaim the film has garnered so far is already a tremendous affirmation."
Renly maintained a positive mindset, fueled by his concentrated and pure dedication to his acting craft. His attention remained solely on acting, with other matters taking a back seat.
"Moreover, if Focus Features decides to pass on "Buried" in the competition, does that mean we'll necessarily fare better in the awards season race? Even if we switch to Lionsgate?" Renly's two rhetorical questions made Andy and Rodrigo fall into contemplation, but he simply stood up, saying, "Alright then, you two continue discussing at your own pace. There isn't much I can contribute in terms of the professional aspects. I'll go prepare for some rest."
With that, Renly left gracefully.
Andy and Rodrigo remained seated, and the living room regained its quiet ambiance. After a short while, Rodrigo tentatively asked, "Otherwise, should I inquire about the offer from Focus Features?"
"Sure," Andy replied concisely.