"Hey, Gilbert, long time no see..." Gwyneth Paltrow greeted Gilbert with a big hug right off the bat.
For some reason, when others said his name, it was fine, but when Gwyneth Paltrow said it, Gilbert always felt it was a bit odd, as if there was some ambiguity.
"Long time no see, Gwen, you're even more beautiful," Gilbert praised.
"Thanks," Gwyneth Paltrow seemed more reserved, perhaps because her family was also there today.
She looked around the lobby of the independent cinema and grumbled, "Universal Pictures is so stingy, choosing this place for the screening and combining the media and fan screenings into one session."
Seeing Gwyneth Paltrow complain, Gilbert, on the contrary, defended Universal Pictures, saying, "Whether the film will be profitable is still unknown, so Universal Pictures making this choice is normal."
"I'm sticking up for you, and you're still taking their side, hmph!" Gwyneth Paltrow pouted, then leaned in close to Gilbert's ear with a mysterious tone and whispered, "I heard that Universal Pictures is really optimistic about this film internally, and President Akio Taniguchi really likes it."
Gilbert replied, "I hope what you say is true!"
They hadn't chatted for long when Levitt Gore, the head of Universal Pictures' distribution department, arrived at the screening.
Gilbert wasn't familiar with him; they simply nodded as a greeting.
The venue for the screening wasn't large, with just over two hundred seats. The front rows were mostly occupied by entertainment reporters and film critics from small and local media outlets.
Big national media, weekly publications, magazines, and top-tier film critics wouldn't attend screenings for lesser-known films like this.
This was considered an unwritten rule in Hollywood: the caliber of media reporters and film critics attending a screening often correlated with the film's investment scale and star power.
Film companies wouldn't rashly spend a large budget inviting industry top-tier individuals who weren't a match for the film.
Even if they were invited, they might not come; such small benefits weren't enough to entice them.
The media and film critics would drum up support after the screening. Universal Pictures would observe the audience's reactions and the word-of-mouth before deciding whether to proceed with media public relations after the screening.
Universal Pictures invited 180 ordinary moviegoers to sit in the back, their ages ranging from seventeen to forty-five.
This age group constituted the main audience for films, and Universal Pictures would observe their reactions to The Shallows to gauge the film's market acceptance.
To gather firsthand data, Universal Pictures had a dozen observers interspersed among the regular moviegoers, and Jackie Fall was one of them.
Next to Jackie Fall sat a couple of twenty-something white individuals, holding popcorn and cola, chatting noisily.
"Honey, do you know the director or actors of this movie?" the girl asked.
The young white man shook his head and said, "I only know it's a shark movie and that Steven Spielberg is the executive producer. I don't know anything else."
The white girl said, "I pay more attention to Hollywood news. This director named Gilbert Landrini doesn't have any previous works, and he's only twenty-one, two years younger than me."
"Oh my god, Zoe, I kind of regret coming here. This isn't going to be a bad movie, is it?" the white guy worried.
"Doug, don't get worked up. It's just a free movie where we fill out a survey," Zoe said, handing him her popcorn. "Just think of it as passing the time."
"You're right," Doug found the lever to adjust his chair and tried it out. "If it's no good, I'll just sleep through it and you can wake me up when it's over."
"Okay..."
The conversation between the couple left Jackie Fall speechless, but he understood that it was normal to have no expectations for an unknown film.
More and more moviegoers streamed in, creating a bustling atmosphere akin to a lively market, yet few were actually discussing the film they were about to watch.
Most of the chatter revolved around what they would do after the screening: go to a bar, attend a party, or simply head home to sleep.
Jackie Fall thought that if the film continued like this once it started, The Shallows wouldn't be worth any investment from Universal Pictures.
"It's starting," someone yelled as the lights in the screening hall dimmed and the screen lit up, and the noisy market-like atmosphere immediately quieted down.
However, the sounds of drinking cola, eating popcorn, and whispering didn't disappear entirely; the audience's attention wasn't fully on the big screen.
The white couple next to Jackie Fall were exchanging colas, completely oblivious to what was happening on the big screen.
"I don't want cold cola..." Zoe said.
"Mine isn't iced; I'll trade with you..." Doug casually glanced at the big screen and couldn't tear his eyes away.
Because at that moment, the female lead, Gwyneth Paltrow, had just taken off her clothes on screen, revealing her long legs.
Gilbert's mastery of cinematic language was strong, cleverly concealing Gwyneth Paltrow's smaller chest and greatly accentuating her strengths.
"Oh my god, she's so sexy," Doug was clearly captivated.
Zoe followed her boyfriend's gaze and immediately felt a little annoyed, so she pinched Doug's waist and asked, "Is she sexier or am I?"
Doug cried out in pain, attracting a few angry glares. He quickly raised his hand in apology and whispered to his girlfriend, "You're the sexiest, she can't even compare to you. But I think this movie seems pretty interesting; let's watch it first!"
"Hmph, I'll deal with you later!" Zoe turned her head and also focused on watching the movie.
Undoubtedly, starting the film by having Gwyneth Paltrow showcase her sexy figure was effective; at the very least, the male audience's eyes hadn't left the big screen since.
From this, it was also clear that Paul Collins wasn't entirely useless before; at least he knew what some male viewers liked to see.
But next, it wasn't just the male audience, but even the female audience, or rather, all the ordinary audience members present, whose eyes were firmly fixed on the screen, not moving for even a second.
Gilbert's powerful cinematic language and dazzling, sharp editing presented a cinematic magic that captivated every audience member present.
When the shot from the shark's first-person perspective appeared, Jackie Fall could even hear the heavy breathing of the surrounding audience.
Some female audience members even closed their eyes, afraid to watch, fearing that the shark would pounce and bite the protagonist the next second.
Additionally, some audience members quietly cheered for the female lead, only to be shushed by someone nearby who said, "Damn it, stop talking, I'm so nervous."
Jackie Fall knew that the film had succeeded halfway at this point because it had attracted the audience, capturing them with the purest cinematic content.
He really wanted to be like these audience members and watch the film as an ordinary spectator, but he couldn't.
Jackie Fall had to observe the reactions of the ordinary audience around him, record them, and report them.
The surrounding audience no longer made sounds of drinking cola, eating popcorn, or whispering. They simply stared at the big screen, unmoving, unwilling to miss a single frame.
Jackie Fall inwardly praised the young director, Gilbert, as a master at manipulating audience emotions. He managed to keep the audience's attention firmly on the movie, not letting it stray even an inch.
For a moment, Jackie Fall felt like he was witnessing history.
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