"No. 2-2, 1-chome, Yurakucho...well, this is it."
Looking up at the tall building in front of him, Nakamura Masahiro concentrated on the conspicuous logo representing Toho Co., Ltd. Although the height of the floor is not very prominent, it is still quite eye-catching among the nearby buildings. p>
Nakamura Masahiro was very surprised when he received a phone invitation from Toho Co., Ltd. He had no connection with Toho Co., Ltd. The only connection he had was that Toho Co., Ltd. took over his movie "One Long Day"
Distribution rights.
However, since all the rights of this movie are basically controlled by Toho Co., Ltd., there is no place for Nakamura Masahiro to intervene. Therefore, Nakamura Masahiro does not know the reason why the other party invited him.
After reporting his name to the guard at the door, the other party made some confirmations and then readily chose to let him go. Probably because he was afraid that Masahiro Nakamura would not know the specific location, he pointed it out to Masahiro Nakamura.
"Thank you."
After thanking him, Nakamura Masahiro took steps to blend in with the pedestrians. He walked along the road leading to the building, adjusted his posture, and then quickly entered the building.
According to the direction indicated by the guard just now, the distribution department of Toho Co., Ltd. is on the right side of the third floor, and the film business is the largest room in it. Well, Masahiro Nakamura has not come here, so he can only go up and take a look first.<
/p>
After registering information at the front desk of the lobby, Nakamura Masahiro took the elevator directly to the third floor. Compared with the crowds and noises walking back and forth in the lobby on the first floor, the third floor seemed much empty and quiet.
A few employees in work clothes passed by, all walking in a hurry, and they didn't even notice the strange outsider Nakamura Masahiro. Even if someone saw it, they just glanced at it and left in a hurry.
Moving his eyes lightly, Nakamura Masahiro looked at the nameplates hanging on the door in turn. Soon, he locked the door of the film business: If the information on the nameplate is correct, this is his target.
After just two steps, Nakamura Masahiro suddenly stopped again. He looked at the closed door, thought for a moment, and felt that it seemed a bit rash to just go and knock on the door, so he took out his mobile phone, intending to make a call first.
Phone.
"Moses Moses, I am Masahiro Nakamura. I have made an appointment with you before..."
After a brief ringing, the phone was quickly connected. Listening to the somewhat familiar voice speaking, Nakamura Masahiro quickly reported his name and said in a very respectful manner: "I'm here now.
It’s on the third floor, just outside.”
"Hi, sorry to trouble you...it's okay, I'll just wait outside for a while."
There was a faint sound of some shuffling documents over the phone. Nakamura Masahiro couldn't hear it very clearly, but he could also guess that the other party was probably quite busy at the moment. Therefore, Nakamura Masahiro could only choose to wait patiently.<
/p>
"I won't disturb you anymore...just go ahead and do your work. I'm not in a hurry."
Although he said this, Nakamura Masahiro still cares about time. He came to Toho Co., Ltd. just to solve possible problems. Who knew that the person who contacted him would still be busy at this moment, so he could only wait.
By.
There's nothing I can do about it, even though the other party is just a low-level manager of the distribution department of Toho Co., Ltd., and is only responsible for the distribution of movies, but they hold real power, and no filmmaker dares to offend easily.
After all, Toho Cinema Line, a subsidiary of Toho Co., Ltd., has a large number of theaters, most of which are located in prosperous areas in the city center. Although the overall number is not as good as that of Aeon Cinema Line, which started as a department store, due to Toho Cinema
In terms of status and influence in the entertainment industry, Toho Cinemas is actually stronger.
If offended, even if the movie can still get a chance to be released at Toho Cinemas, as long as they use some tricks, the promotion and distribution of the movie will be affected, and the number of screens and release times for subsequent releases will also be targeted.
.
Ordinary people may think that the box office performance of a movie is determined by the quality of the movie and its publicity and distribution capabilities. However, there are actually many details involved, such as the location of the theater where it is released, the frequency of movie scheduling in the theater chain, and the size of the screening room.
Wait.
For example, whether a movie is scheduled to be released during the prime time in the evening or during the late night slot, there is definitely a big gap in the number of moviegoers between the two, and the box office results will also be intuitively reflected.
.
Time passed bit by bit, as if a long time had passed, and it seemed as if the pause button had been pressed. The surroundings were quiet, only the occasional sporadic footsteps suddenly sounded, but it soon returned to silence.
Nakamura Masahiro sat bored on the bench against the wall in the corner, his eyes seemed unfocused, and he just glanced around casually to pass the long boring wait.
I don’t know how long it took, but Nakamura Masahiro, who was already in a state of relaxation, suddenly felt that his vision went dark, and then a shadow enveloped him, making Nakamura Masahiro’s scattered mind regroup.
"Is this Masahiro Nakamura-san? I'm Shibata from the distribution department..."
Appearing in front of Nakamura Masahiro was a man about forty years old. He was not tall and had a strong build. He just stood in front of Nakamura Masahiro, exuding a tough aura.
Well, how should I put it, Nakamura Masahiro feels that the person in front of him is a bit like a Yakuza boss, rather than a cultural person engaged in film distribution.
The only thing related to culture is probably that he wears a pair of gold-rimmed glasses on the bridge of his nose, which makes him look a little bit like a scumbag. Well, yes, that’s the word scumbag.
"I'm really sorry to keep you waiting for so long. Because there were a lot of things just now, and I have just finished my work..."
"It's okay...I actually didn't wait long."
Nakamura Masahiro quickly stood up, bowed his head to greet the other party, and responded politely: "Shibata-san, the work must be very hard."
"There's no job that isn't hard. You have to be worthy of the salary..."
A smile appeared on Shibata's face. Although it looked a little forced, people could feel his sincerity. As he spoke, he led Masahiro Nakamura toward the gate of the film business.
"As long as you like and fall in love with the job you are doing, there is actually no so-called hard work. If you do a job you don't like, then it is really hard work."
"That's what you said..."
Nakamura Masahiro smiled politely, agreeing with the other party, and followed him in. What came into view was a huge office area, and each separated workstation was almost full of busy employees.
They are either typing on the keyboard in front of the computer, with a clear and regular rhythm like playing the piano. Or they are immersed in writing something, frowning and thinking from time to time, and then continuing to write with their heads down.
Or you can use the microphone of the landline phone, cover your mouth that keeps talking with your hand, and then try to lower the volume of the conversation so as not to affect colleagues at other workstations.
There is a thick pile of information and documents placed on everyone's workstation. Some exaggerated ones are significantly taller. The towering height is comparable to the height of a sitting employee. From a distance, it looks like
A small mountain peak.
"Everyone is quite busy right now. The matters in the distribution department are very cumbersome and we need to communicate with various units..."
Seeing Masahiro Nakamura looking at the busy staff, Shibata took the initiative to explain. Then, he took Masahiro Nakamura into his personal office.
"Nakamura-san, let's talk in the office..."
After entering the office, Shibata enthusiastically gave Nakamura Masahiro a glass of water. Then he returned to the chair and sat down opposite Nakamura Masahiro, and the two began to chat.
"Nakamura-san, I'm contacting you because I want to talk to you about the promotion of the movie "One Long Day"."
Soon, the exchange between the two got down to business. Shibata stopped smiling and his expression became a little more serious. His serious attitude made Nakamura Masahiro sit upright.
"In general, we will make good arrangements here. However, as for the theme song of the movie, after research, we plan to make it into a single for release."
"Release a single from the movie?"
His expression was slightly startled, and Nakamura Masahiro was a little surprised. Although he knew that he came to Toho Co., Ltd. because of the movie, he was still surprised when it came to the issue of releasing a movie single.
"You don't need to ask for my opinion, right?"
"That's true, but Nakamura-san, you are the singer and copyright owner of the song after all."
Seeing that Nakamura Masahiro seemed to be thinking, Shibata paused for a moment and continued unhurriedly: "In the future, you may need to do some publicity. For example, be on a variety show team or something..."<
/p>
"You want to be on a variety show? Shibata-san, are you kidding me?"
Nakamura Masahiro suspected that Shibata was joking. Looking at the many supervisors in Japan, many participated in the promotion of the film, but few actually appeared in the variety show.
Well, don't mention Kitano Takeshi. This senior boss is different from ordinary supervisors. Although he is also a supervisor, he is a half-way monk when making movies. The boss's job is actually that of a comedian.
"Nakamura-san, do you think I need to joke?"
Asking back with a serious look, Shibata crossed his hands on his desk and looked at Nakamura Masahiro with a burning gaze. He pondered for a moment, then continued: "Participating in the promotion of the film is the responsibility of supervision." p>
"Okay, I will try my best to cooperate."
Nakamura Masahiro couldn't refute Shibata's words and had no choice but to agree. Although he could ignore it, who doesn't want the film he shoots to get high box office?
In life, what we pursue is nothing more than fame and fortune. Perhaps some people can achieve a detached state of despising or even ignoring. But this person is definitely not Masahiro Nakamura, he does not have such a big structure and ambition.