Chapter 6

Numbers appear (2) The first thing Lee Kyuhan read thoroughly was the original script.

That was the script where the number 4,582,546 appeared before his eyes.

‘It’s a bit different!’

This was the realization Lee Kyuhan had after reading the original script.

Lee Kyuhan had already seen the completed movie about ten years ago, so his memory wasn’t perfect, but he still remembered the general flow of the story and the key lines. The script he read now had some differences from the movie he remembered.

‘Is that why the audience numbers changed?’

Next, Lee Kyuhan opened the revised script by Director Kang Hyungjin.

The original script and the revised script.

He needed to carefully check which parts had changed, as there was a difference of nearly 500,000 audience members.

Lee Kyuhan finished reading the revised script by Director Kang Hyungjin, trying not to miss a single word or a single syllable.

‘What is it?’

Lee Kyuhan tilted his head.

His expectations before reading the revised script were off.

At that moment, Director Kang Hyungjin, who had been watching Lee Kyuhan’s reaction, spoke up.

“Is there something strange?”

“Yes, it’s strange.”

“What part is strange? Is there an error in the setting or the plausibility?”

“It’s not that… there’s not much difference.”

The original script and the revised script by Director Kang Hyungjin.

After reading them carefully, there wasn’t much difference.

Of course, it didn’t mean that Director Kang Hyungjin hadn’t put effort into revising the script.

Director Kang Hyungjin, who needed the contract, had worked hard on the revisions.

As a result, the lines became more concise, and the reading experience improved.

However, the reason Lee Kyuhan tilted his head was that the revised lines weren’t enough to account for the difference of 500,000 audience members.

“I tried to make the journalist character, who plays the antagonist in this movie, more intense, but it seems my intention didn’t work.”

“No, it’s definitely better.”

The two main areas Director Kang Hyungjin focused on in this script revision were the lines and the character of the journalist who plays the antagonist.

Thanks to this, the script definitely improved. However, even considering all these aspects, it seemed insufficient to account for the difference of 500,000 audience members.

‘Then… what could be the reason?’

Lee Kyuhan, unable to find the answer, crossed his arms and looked frustrated.

At that moment, what caught his eye was the title.

‘Three Generations Family History’ and ‘Speed Family Scandal’

The titles of the original script and the revised script were different.

‘Maybe… it’s because of this?’

Thinking this far, Lee Kyuhan snapped his fingers.

“Let’s check it out!”

“Director, should we change the title?”

“The title?”

Perhaps surprised by the unexpected suggestion, Director Kang Hyungjin asked with a puzzled look.

“Is the title I changed this time not good?”

“No, it’s much better.”

Compared to the original title ‘Three Generations Family History,’ ‘Speed Family Scandal’ felt much better.

While ‘Three Generations Family History’ gave an old-fashioned feel, ‘Speed Family Scandal’ felt more sophisticated.

Still, Lee Kyuhan wasn’t satisfied.

He already knew a better title.

“However, I feel that the core of this script is missing.”

“The core?”

“The word ‘speed’ in the title is good. Using the English word ‘scandal’ was a brilliant move to remove the old-fashioned feel. However, the word ‘family’ feels too cliché.”

“Why?”

“It feels like it’s overtly promoting a family movie.”

“Hmm.”

“Of course, I know the theme of the movie is related to family. However, by explicitly using the word ‘family,’ it seems to reduce the interest.”

“You might be right.” As Director Kang Hyungjin nodded in agreement, Lee Kyuhan quickly added:

“So, here’s what I’m suggesting.”

“Please speak freely.”

“What if we use ‘three generations’ instead of ‘family’?”

“Three generations?”

“The core setting of the movie is about an unmarried father, a young daughter, and a grandson living together. I think it’s essential to highlight ‘three generations’ from the title.”

“Then, how would the title change?”

“It would become ‘Speed Three Generations Scandal.’”

“Speed Three Generations Scandal.”

“What do you think?”

Director Kang Hyungjin’s expression brightened as he repeated it.

“It seems good. It captures the core setting of the movie and has a catchy feel.”

“Can we change the title this way?”

“Yes, I’m fine with it.”

“Let’s change it right now.”

“Right now?” “Here it is.”

Lee Kyuhan handed over the revised script and a pen.

Director Kang Hyungjin, tilting his head, asked, “Why are you in such a hurry?”

“There’s something I need to confirm.”

“I see.”

Director Kang Hyungjin picked up the pen as instructed.

Scribble, scribble.

Striking through ‘family,’ Director Kang Hyungjin wrote ‘three generations’ above it.

‘Speed Three Generations Scandal.’

After changing the title as agreed with Lee Kyuhan, Director Kang Hyungjin asked:

“Is it done?”

“Yes, now please give it to me.”

Lee Kyuhan took the revised script with the new title.

At that moment, a new number appeared before his eyes.

-5,221,004.

Determining the success of a movie involves various factors: the script’s quality, the director’s skills, the actors’ performances, the release timing, and more.

Many factors collectively determine the success or failure of a movie.

The title of the movie is no exception.

The title can influence whether the audience likes or dislikes the movie.

Therefore, movie producers are sensitive to titles. Lee Kyuhan also knew the importance of the title.

However, he only realized today how crucial the title is for the success of a movie.

After changing the title from ‘Three Generations Family History’ to ‘Speed Family Scandal,’ the expected audience increased by nearly 500,000.

Of course, in this case, it wasn’t solely due to the title.

The revised lines and the modified character of the journalist in the script also played a role.

However, changing the title from ‘Speed Family Scandal’ to ‘Speed Three Generations Scandal’ was different.

It was just a change of two words in the title.

Yet, the number that appeared before Lee Kyuhan’s eyes changed.

From 5,083,825 to 5,221,004, the expected audience increased by nearly 150,000.

“This is… amazing!”

Lee Kyuhan finally understood the secrets of the numbers appearing before his eyes.

When the content of the script or the title changed during the movie production process, the expected audience numbers also changed.

These two factors were likely the key.

During the movie production process, if certain factors changed, the expected audience numbers could continue to change.

‘This is really incredible.’

Lee Kyuhan took a deep breath.

The ability to confirm the expected audience numbers through the numbers appearing before his eyes was extraordinary.

Especially for a movie producer, it was even more significant.

Movies are often called the art of revision.

This is because the process of making a movie is so arduous.

To improve the script, countless revisions are made, and numerous repeated shootings and editing processes are undergone to capture better visuals.

The most challenging part for the producer during this process is the lack of confidence.

‘Will the script improve if I revise this part?’

‘Will the audience like it more if I change this setting?’

‘Will the actor fit the role if I cast them?’

‘Will the quality of the movie improve if I reshoot, even at the cost of exceeding the budget?’

These are the many questions a producer asks themselves during the process of completing a movie.

However, there are no definite answers to these questions.

No one except God can know the success of a movie before it is released.

This leads to deeper concerns for producers.

However, if they could see the expected audience numbers?

It would alleviate their concerns.

They could check the expected audience numbers at any time during the movie production process.

“Mr. PD.”

“Mr. PD, are you okay?”

Lee Kyuhan, who had just realized that Director Kang Hyungjin had been looking at him with concern, snapped out of his thoughts.

“I’m sorry. I was just thinking. But… when did it get so dark?”

Lee Kyuhan was surprised to see how dark it had become outside.

“What time is it now?”

“It’s 7:10 PM.”

“Already?”

Lee Kyuhan, flustered, quickly said:

“Are you hungry? Let’s go have dinner together.”

“Um…”

“Why not? Do you have other plans?”

“It’s not that… I want to know about the contract first.”

After a long pause, Director Kang Hyungjin finally spoke, and Lee Kyuhan realized his mistake.

The most important thing for Director Kang Hyungjin, who was sitting in front of him, was the contract.

By making him wait for so long, Lee Kyuhan had made him extremely anxious.

“I’m sorry.”

The moment Lee Kyuhan apologized, Director Kang Hyungjin’s expression darkened.

‘I see.’

“I’m done with dinner. I have no appetite.”

Lee Kyuhan, puzzled by Director Kang Hyungjin’s reaction, realized there had been a misunderstanding.

“Director, I think there’s a misunderstanding.”

“What misunderstanding?”

“I’m apologizing for not giving you a quick response. Please sign the contract with us.”

“Is that… really true?”

Perhaps because he had heard what he wanted so easily, Director Kang Hyungjin looked bewildered and anxious.

To reassure him, Lee Kyuhan added:

“I will offer you the best contract terms I can.”

100 million audience producer

Life is timing

Script fee: 40 million won.

Directing fee: 60 million won.

Total: 100 million won.

These were the terms of the contract Lee Kyuhan proposed.

“What do you think?”

Director Kang Hyungjin showed a surprised look in response to Lee Kyuhan’s question.

He was likely surprised by the amount, which was more than expected.

“What will the net amount be…?”

After a moment, Director Kang Hyungjin asked cautiously.

He asked this question because of the long-standing practice in the film industry.

When making a script or directing contract, a certain amount is proposed. However, it is rarely paid in full at once.

Most of the time, it is paid in installments.

The most common case is paying in three installments.

One-third is paid as a deposit, another one-third when the investment is secured, and the remaining one-third when production begins.

On the surface, this might seem like a reasonable contract.

It feels like a structure where the risks of investment failure are shared among the writer, director, and producer.

However, there are two hidden flaws in this system.

First, the probability of securing investment is extremely low.

“Out of 100 movies that go into production, only a few are released.”

This statement clearly reveals the current reality of the film industry.

It means the competition is fierce. And the more competitive it is, the harder it is to secure investment.

What if the investment fails?

The writer or director would only receive one-third of the original contract amount.

Another flaw is time.

As mentioned earlier, making a movie is a long and arduous process.

It rarely progresses smoothly.

It usually takes a long time to revise the script, cast the lead actors, hold auditions, and secure investment approval.

It can take as little as a year or as long as several years.

What if it takes three years to secure investment?

The writer or director would have to wait three years for the remaining two-thirds of the payment, and it would be difficult to maintain a living with that amount.

Director Kang Hyungjin asked about the net amount because he was well aware of these industry practices.

“Let’s be frank.”

Instead of answering Director Kang Hyungjin’s question, Lee Kyuhan asked a question in return.

“Are you in urgent need of money?”

After a moment’s hesitation, Director Kang Hyungjin answered:

“Yes, I’m in a bit of a hurry.”

“Can you tell me more about it?”

“It’s… I have some debt. I took out a loan and ended up with credit card debt, and the interest is growing. To be honest, I want to stop sending my child to after-school classes, but his mother insists that we can’t do that.”

Revealing one’s weaknesses to others is never easy.

Moreover, Director Kang Hyungjin was introverted and had a strong sense of self-respect.

It’s easy to imagine how much he must have agonized before sharing this information.

“It would be more advantageous for you to receive as much as possible upfront.”

“I’m embarrassed, but yes.”

“Then…”

After setting the tone, Lee Kyuhan hesitated for a moment.

‘He’ll try to kill me!’

Lee Kyuhan could vividly imagine Park Tae-hyuk, his boss, raging and thrashing about in anger. However, Lee Kyuhan deliberately erased this image from his mind.

It wasn’t just because of Director Kang Hyungjin’s difficult situation.

He wanted to win his heart.

‘Even if he receives such treatment now, he will become a director worth millions in the future, and I won’t be able to contract with him even