After getting dressed, Kevin left the hotel and headed towards New Line Cinema.
As for Salma Hayek, she had already left the hotel in the morning. She made it clear that their relationship was purely physical, temporary companionship.
Kevin was well aware of this and felt both happy and somewhat regretful.
However, once he arrived at New Line Cinema, he completely abandoned these thoughts.
Everything he had came from his identity as a talented director.
Once the aura was shattered, he believed that Salma Hayek would abandon him just as quickly.
But as long as his aura remained intact, a constant stream of beauties would willingly come to him.
Instead, he had to resist these temptations. He didn't want to become the protagonist of some scandal.
Led by Dean, he brought all the film reels directly to the editing room of New Line Cinema.
Inside the editing room was a tall and skinny white man with a bony face that made people feel somewhat uncomfortable.
Perhaps it was because of his appearance that he chose a profession like an editor, where he didn't have to interact with too many people.
The only information Kevin obtained was that he was a fairly good editor, and his name was Tyne.
After a brief conversation, Kevin realized that Tyne had no desire to talk.
So Kevin lost his desire to speak as well.
He handed all the film reels to the editor Tyne, who would select the shots, and then Kevin would make the final choices.
Kevin originally thought that there would be intense arguments between him and Tyne in the editing room, as editors had the most authority. However, Tyne turned out to be quite cooperative.
During their interaction, Tyne didn't question any of Kevin's ideas, which made Kevin very satisfied.
He already had a clear picture of what Saw should look like in his mind. He didn't want anyone to question him, just to edit according to his requirements.
From the first day to the eighth day, Kevin finally emerged from the editing room with a disheveled appearance.
Inside the editing room was one of the rare places in New Line Cinema with a bed.
For these few days, Kevin ate food provided by New Line Cinema and stayed in the editing room.
He made small adjustments based on the original concept of Saw and some of the criticisms from the audience.
Finally, after eight days, Kevin completed his first work.
It was a low-budget horror film titled Saw with an investment of 1.3 million dollars.
As soon as the movie was finished, Kevin couldn't wait to rush out of the editing room, find a nearby hotel, and enjoy a good meal and a day of rest.
The next day, Kevin and Dean arrived at the internal screening of New Line Cinema with the movie.
They were received by Shay, the owner and president of New Line Cinema.
Shay had the typical appearance of a white Jewish person, with slightly duller skin tone than the average white person. He had a high-bridged nose and was currently wearing a very friendly smile.
However, Kevin knew that if Saw's box office results caused losses, this person would turn against him immediately.
In the capitalistic society of the United States, there was not as much personal sentiment as in China.
Once he lost his value as a director, he would be treated like garbage and thrown into the trash heap.
"Kevin, I've been hearing Dean praise you for a long time. He hasn't seen such a talented and energetic director like you in a while."
"As soon as I heard that your film editing was completed, I immediately came over."
As Shay spoke, he guided Dean, Kevin, and the late-arriving Shannon towards the screening room inside New Line Cinema.
It was a small cinema intended for internal screenings within the company, to set the tone or level for an unreleased film.
The purpose was to determine how much marketing budget should be allocated and how intense the promotional efforts should be.
Guided by Shay, everyone entered the room and took their seats. Several people were already seated inside.
Shay looked at Kevin's face and explained, "These are our in-house screeners. They have unique perspectives and can analyze your film from different angles to judge whether it has the value to be released in theaters."
Kevin nodded. These people were the backbone of a medium-sized or larger film company.
It was because of their presence that film companies could discover one good film after another and launch the appropriate level of promotion for these films.
In the future, New Line Cinema would develop so well, and these people would play an enormous role in it.
Unfortunately, the company's ability to withstand risks was still too weak. A major flop of a high-budget film could be a death blow to them.
In the future, The Lord of the Rings would lead the company into a kind of superstition towards fantasy films.
Later, The Golden Compass would completely strip them of their independence and merge them entirely into Warner Bros.
Putting aside thoughts about the future of New Line, Kevin handed the film reel to the projectionist and took his seat.
The lights were dimmed by the projectionist, and the movie began to play.
As the scene started, the male protagonist, Adam, woke up in a bathtub. His gaze fell upon the dilapidated surroundings, and it became apparent that he was in a basement.
His foot was chained to a rusty pipe, and across from him, another person was similarly restrained. In the center of the room, a corpse lying in a pool of blood initially caught their attention.
However, soon their focus shifted to other things.
Who kidnapped them and what was their purpose? Money or something else?
The two characters were bewildered.
Dean and Shay nodded approvingly. As executives of the film company, they naturally had a certain level of appreciation for films.
The opening scene immediately aroused the audience's curiosity, prompting them to be interested in continuing to watch what comes next.
From this opening, it is evident that Steve Kevin, as a director, is not just a person with an empty reputation.
Carrying their curiosity about why Adam was abducted, the group continued watching.
Under the killer's command, they were forced to choose between their own lives, the lives of their families, and this stranger named Adam.
Until the end, Gordon, in a state of frenzy and despair, sawed off his own foot and crawled out, dragging his severed leg behind him.
Meanwhile, Adam, who remained behind, suddenly noticed that the bodies on the floor were slowly crawling.
Adam launched a counterattack against Jigsaw but was incapacitated by a prearranged device.
Finally.
Jigsaw uttered the words, "People often don't appreciate being alive, and you will no longer leave this room."
As the screen dimmed, Adam let out a scream in the darkness, and then the movie ended.
...
"Oh, my God, is he a deity?" exclaimed one of the screening staff, completely captivated by Jigsaw's charm.
In the guise of a mortal, he assumes the divine responsibility of punishing those who do not value life.
In all his years in the industry, this staff member had never seen such a charismatic antagonist in a film. Some of the concepts even carried religious undertones, adding a touch of divine radiance to the villain's character.
"The cinematography is excellent, no issues there. It flows very smoothly."
"The plot has a few flaws, but the charisma of Jigsaw outweighs them all. Kevin, where did you find this actor? There's always a calmness and smile on his face that doesn't fit the profile of a serial killer. However, when combined with his actions in the name of the divine, it all becomes strangely reasonable..."
The screening staff praised Kevin, the director who crafted this classic film. Indeed, they unanimously believed that Saw would become a monument in the horror genre.