Chapter 186: Let’s Get Down To Business
The man was silent as if he did not know how to speak.
Hazel asked incredulously. “Have I seen you before? You look very familiar.”
“My name is Mathew, I’m a director. If you watch movies a lot, you would know my name,” he said.
“Oh, I know you,” Hazel snapped. “My dad loves your movies, but I think your movies are too specialized at a minority of people, and that’s why they’re popular but don’t appeal to the audience …”
Hazel broke into a cold sweat and stopped talking.
Because of Harry, Hazel had little knowledge of Mathew. Most of the films he made more than a decade ago had won numerous awards, but back then, the film market was stagnant, so he only got the positive public to appraise.
When the film market started to boom, his films were always too academic to make money. Fewer and fewer people wanted him to make films, and he gradually became less and less famous.
Hazel guessed if she mentioned that, though, he would jump faster.
“I know I shoot films that nobody likes to watch. You don’t need to remind me!” Mathew said with shame and irritation.
“Did you ask Susan Edwards to film this time? Did she say yes and then go back out?” Hazel hurried to change the subject.
“How can I take the initiative to find those kinds of artists who have no acting skills?” Mathew said disdainfully.
“What’s that about then?” she asked.
“She wanted to develop in our country, so she came to me and invested a large sum of money, asking me to customize a film for her. I was short on money recently, so I agreed…”
Mathew looked a little embarrassed, and then he said with grief and resentment, “But now the script, the cast, and others have been found, and the filming starts in two weeks, waiting for her, but she suddenly uninvested! I’m owed a lot of money now, and there’s no way to make a movie. This is going to kill me!”
“Why did she un-invest?” asked Hazel curiously.
“She thinks the film is cheap, the other actors are not famous, and the script is not what she wants,” Mathew said angrily. “But I've arranged the best of them. No matter the script or the actors, I've selected all of them very carefully. How could she insult my painstaking effort like that?!”
“Can you show me the script?” Hazel asked. Mathew was holding the script in his arms. He was trying to convince Susan, but Susan didn’t give him a chance.
He hesitated for a moment but then threw the pages. “Look at it by yourself, after I am dead, it’ll mean nothing to me.”
Hazel bent down to pick up the script and started flipping through it. After reading just a few pages, Hazel’s eyes filled with surprise.
It was a very good script, and it was something that Mathew had worked on. What was rare was that instead of bowing to the market, he had found a perfect balance between the market and art. If it was released, it would definitely be a dark horse at the box office.
“You’ve got a great script,” Hazel praised without hesitation. “If you get the right actors, it's not a problem to get the awards. But I'm afraid it would be difficult for Susan to make it.”
“As long as she did what I asked, I could not guarantee her the award, but at least I could get her the nomination,” Mathew said firmly, but the next moment he smiled dispiritedly. “What’s the use of saying all of this? I’m afraid there will never be a chance to make a movie out of such a good script… Thank you, Miss.”
“Huh?” Hazel suddenly felt there was something bad.
“I know you’re a kind person. You keep talking to me, trying to stop me from killing myself,” Mathew said, smiling wryly at him. “But I am really in a corner now. If I jump, all of it can be solved with my death...”
“No, no, no!” Hazel said hurriedly, “Isn’t it just a movie? Susan has pulled out, but you can find other investors!”
Mathew looked even more upset. “Where could I find other investors? People have said if someone asks me to make a movie, they should be prepared for it to go down the drain…”
Hazel sighed. He had an extremely miserable life. No wonder Susan asked him to make a movie, and he was willing to use such a precious script.
It seemed that Mathew, who was relying on the movie to turn his career around, was hit hard. There was a reason for him to want to jump off the building.
“If no one invests, I’ll invest it!” Hazel asked, “How much did Susan invest?”
Mathew looked at her in astonishment, then he frowned in displeasure. “Don't lie to me, little girl. What can you do…”
Hazel took the black card out of her pocket, he stared at her with disbelief.
“Do you think I have no money?” Hazel shook the black card in her hand, and she was really glad she took it, but she didn’t expect that it would actually save a life.
“Are you, are you really going to invest?!” Mathew’s agitated body shook a little, and he asked doubtfully, “You’re not lying to me, are you?”
“What did I lie to you about?” Hazel waved the script in hand. “I'm very fond of this movie. Can you please tell me more about the investment?”
Mathew was still a bit skeptical, and Hazel continued, “Are you really willing to miss this opportunity?”
Mathew was completely touched by this, and he crawled down from the rail tremblingly and walked over to Hazel.
Hazel brought him to Joshua’s office. She wanted to reassure Mathew that she was not lying to him.
Mathew looked around the office with a little trepidation and asked nervously, “Is Denmark Group going to invest in my film?”
Hazel cocked her eyebrows slightly and shook her head. “It has nothing to do with Denmark Group. It’s my decision.”
Although it was easier to do things under the hiding of the Denmark Group, she didn’t want to lie.
Mathew gave her a suspicious look and seemed to speculate about Hazel’s relationship with the Denmark Group.
“Let’s get down to business. How much did Susan invest?”
“Eight million.”
“Only eight million?” Hazel raised her eyebrows in surprise.
“It’s a low-budget movie, and the cast is new, so it doesn’t cost much…” Mathew said with some apprehension, fearing that Hazel would withdraw capital if she weren’t happy.
“Well, I’ll invest ten million dollars,” said Hazel.
Hazel’s quick and direct movement stunned him. Then he looked at Hazel with concern. “Are you going to play the leading lady?”
“I’m not a star. Why do I want to be a leading lady?” Knowing what he was worried about, Hazel didn’t know whether to cry or laugh.
She said seriously, “Director Carter, this is your dramatic turnaround. You can contact me at any time if you have any difficulties, but the quality of the film must be strictly guarded!”