Chapter 33: The Beginning of a New Era
In order to truly promote "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," it was evident that the Southern Border Adventurers Guild spared no expense. This could be seen from the overall change in the atmosphere of the guild.
However, although Durin was also eager for the film's premiere, since he had entrusted all preparations for the screening to the Adventurers Guild, he refrained from intervening further. Nevertheless, he insisted on personally supervising the premiere to ensure that the world's first movie screening wasn't mishandled by a group of individuals unfamiliar with filmmaking.
After receiving some general information from the Adventurers Guild, Durin found himself trusting the guild master of the Southern Border Adventurers Guild even more. True to his expectations, the guild master had heeded Durin's advice provided in the two-hour meeting the day before and had begun preparing for the premiere in a fresh format.
Initially, "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World" would premiere in Nosrick, at the Nosrick Grand Theatre—the only theater in Nosrick.
The term "theatre" referred to a venue for performing plays or stage productions, which were highly cherished forms of entertainment in this world. Although the format was simplistic, stage productions held a special place in the hearts of audiences due to the rarity of such events. Since the troupes performing stage productions typically toured the entire empire, audiences were eager not to miss any performances, making it a sought-after entertainment for those who could afford it.
Of course, this form of performance has its drawbacks. Firstly, as mentioned earlier, due to the touring troupe system, performances have long durations and require great luck for audiences to catch a show.
Moreover, the high costs of facilities and manpower make attending a stage production expensive, typically costing at least five silver coins per show—a price almost equivalent to a week's worth of meals for common folk, making it inaccessible for the lower class.
Furthermore, the appreciation threshold for stage productions is also a challenge. Many uncultured individuals find it difficult to comprehend the artistic elements of singing and dancing in stage productions, apart from merely applauding. Thus, they fail to grasp the essence of the play.
Therefore, when Durin decided to produce "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," he was determined to present it in a completely new format—film!
Unlike stage productions, filming a movie requires minimal manpower and resources, only necessitating a small imaging crystal and a mage to infuse it with magic.
Hence, movies not only require shorter production cycles but also significantly reduce costs. According to Durin's calculations, even with hundreds of backup imaging crystals, the cost would be less than ten gold coins, with production costs almost negligible compared to stage productions, which cost at least three digits.
This freedom allowed the Southern Border Adventurers Guild to set the price for a movie screening at a mere five copper coins, a tenfold decrease compared to stage productions!
What does this imply? It means that forgoing just one mug of ale enables one to experience a visual spectacle lasting an hour and a half in the cinema. Such affordability means that even relatively impoverished individuals can easily watch the movie. Moreover, sacrificing a bit of viewing experience, the imaging crystals could even be sent to remote villages for open-air screenings at night!
As a result, "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," or rather, the movie, has the potential to achieve widespread entertainment, even sparking a wildfire not just in the Southern Border but throughout the entire empire!
Of course, deciding to premiere "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World" as a movie was a decision reached after lengthy discussions between Durin and the guild master of the Southern Border Adventurers Guild. It was a bold gamble and an opportunity that could almost change the era itself!
Calling it a gamble is natural because this disruptive behavior, completely disregarding industry norms, will inevitably affect countless interest groups in the Southern Border and even throughout the entire empire. Not a single practitioner in the arts industry will be left unaffected, and the potential retaliations that could arise might be too much for even Durin or the Southern Border Adventurers Guild to handle!
However, in the face of such great risks, the opportunities it presents are almost unimaginable. After all, if this new form of entertainment art were to catch fire in this world, it would bring unimaginable benefits to the Southern Border Adventurers Guild and Durin. They would become the creators of an era!
Once movies become popular in this form, not only will the Southern Border but the entire empire's entertainment industry will face a seismic shake-up. This would directly lead to entertainment no longer being the exclusive domain of the wealthy; even the poorest individuals would have the right to enjoy entertainment and experience happiness!
This is precisely Durin's original intention for filming. Although it includes his personal desires, he also made this decision to satisfy the desires of countless others, to bring about such change!
Compared to pursuing the true essence of magic, Durin, from a civilization of higher levels from another world, hopes more to change this boring world!
Although it may sound a bit cliché, he still wants to say it: he, Durin, wants to be a person who changes the world!
.....
That afternoon, upon hearing that the Adventurers Guild had already discussed various matters regarding the premiere with the manager of the Nosrick Grand Theater, Durin personally went to the theater with Wrenly.
As the Guild Master had mentioned, this theater, with its long history in Nosrick, truly lived up to its reputation. The visibly extravagant decorations and design elements not only surprised Durin but also quickly led him to meet the theater's manager, a young man with an air of sophistication.
He was said to have had some dealings with the Edward family in the past, and the Nosrick Grand Theater was his family's property. Upon learning about this new emerging medium of cinema, he immediately watched it and, naturally, deeply impressed by the concept of movies, promptly agreed to screen the film at the Nosrick Grand Theater.
"Hello, hello, Baron Edward, I'm Banil, the Viscount who inherited the Nosrick Grand Theater."
Viscount Banil appeared quite talkative, bombarding Durin with questions from the moment they met. He inquired about the future development of "Konosuba God Blessings on This Wonderful World," expressed interest in participating in the filming, and even mentioned severing ties with several theater troupes after watching the film.
Although Durin was pleased to find that the theater manager was open to new ideas and unconventional approaches, Banil's persistence was a bit overwhelming. Durin couldn't help but interject, "I'm here to discuss matters concerning the premiere. Can we address the other questions later, Viscount Banil?"
Upon hearing this, Banil, realizing that Durin was becoming impatient, quickly put on a knowing smile and said, "Of course, of course. Then allow me to show the esteemed Grand Mage around our theater first." With that, he turned and led the way.