Vanity Fair

Chapter 82 Vanity Fair (Please Subscribe)

Built in the 1970s during the heyday of Mills Cinema, the Los Angeles Dome is a mecca for countless B-movie fans.

The fan and media meet-and-greet for "Zombie Gigolo" was held here.

The film is playing in the small screening room.

In the adjacent lounge, Black, the publicity director from Lionsgate, reiterated the precautions to Martin, Catherine, and Benjamin: "Speak less, but absolutely do not say anything carelessly. If you encounter sensitive or difficult questions, do not rush to answer. We have people among the reporters and fans who will help you out."

He looked at Martin and said directly, "Your role is the most outstanding, and the questions from fans and reporters will be focused on you. Can you face the cameras and them with composure?"

Martin arrived prepared: "No problem."

Benjamin chimed in, "Our leading man is Atlanta's number one gigolo; he's seen it all."

Blake reassured Martin: "Don't be afraid of entertainment reporters and those online entertainment bloggers; they depend on us for their livelihood."

Catherine felt a mix of emotions as no one paid her any attention.

Blake called his assistant and asked, "Have you notified them?"

The assistant said, "The focus will be on the male lead."

After the movie ended, Blake clapped his hands and said to Martin and the other two, "Come with me."

The four people entered through the side door of the theater and went up onto the small stage together.

Today, apart from the media reporters and entertainment bloggers invited by Lionsgate, everyone here is a hardcore fan of B-movies.

When the three main creators appeared, they applauded enthusiastically.

The theater wasn't large, with only a little over a hundred people. Fans interacted closely, and many rushed to the front of the stage.

Benjamin and Catherine, who hadn't experienced this before, hadn't even reacted when Martin took the initiative to walk forward, come to the edge of the stage, sit down, and said with a smile, "Everyone, please don't push. We have plenty of time, let's chat slowly."

Most of the audience gathered around him.

Martin, determined to control the pace and the initiative, asked, "Guys, was the movie good?"

The bespectacled man at the front laughed, "The plot is awful, a piece of crap, and poorly made." Then his tone suddenly changed, "But it's the most memorable B-movie I've seen this year."

Martin couldn't help but take another look at this person, highly suspecting that this was an undercover agent planted by Lionsgate among the movie fans, who had already revealed the biggest flaws so that those who came after would have nothing to complain about.

He did his homework and said, "There's nothing we can do if we don't have money. We tried our best to be innovative in this film, to come up with some new ideas and tricks. It's a B-movie, like hitchhiking on a budget trip. It sounds impressive and looks interesting, but in reality, we're broke."

This remark drew laughter from the crowd, and a woman in her mid-twenties said, "You acted very well, your name is..."

Martin reacted quickly, saying, "I'm Martin Davis, you can call me Martin."

The woman said, "Martin, those scenes of yours were fantastic; they'll be classics in B-movies!"

Another woman wearing glasses chimed in, "This film is all bark and no bite, but you are the lightning in a rainy day, illuminating the entire night sky."

Martin waved excitedly, "Thank you! Thank you!" He waved to the Lionsgate staff behind him, and when they came over, he said, "Could you get me a notebook and pen? I want to write down all these encouraging words."

Even though the staff were experienced, they had never encountered such a request before. Fortunately, they reacted quickly and brought over a notebook and pen.

Martin accepted the letter, thanked them, and handed it to the two ladies: "Could you do me a favor? Write down those encouraging words for me. I lacked confidence while filming this movie, and I almost couldn't finish many scenes. Sometimes I even doubted whether anyone would watch the role or the movie I played? Whether anyone would like it? Whether my work was meaningful?"

Most moviegoers are ordinary people who have encountered countless similar situations in their work and life, so they will resonate with them to some extent.

You don't need much, just a little bit is enough to spread the infection.

The woman with glasses was the first to take the notebook and pen from Martin and quickly wrote down what she had just said.

Martin, who had been sitting on the stage, jumped down and asked, "Can I leave my name? When I see this, I'll know who's encouraging me."

The woman smiled and said, "My name is Rachel! Martin, you did a great job, really great. I loved your zombie machine gun dance, and I loved your aerial acrobatics. I'll buy tickets to see it again, and I'll recommend it to my friends. This terrible movie has a great lead actor."

Martin said, "Thank you, Rachel. I'll always remember this day."

The middle-aged bald man next to him took the pen and notebook, writing as he spoke, "Martin, you brought out a lot of brilliant ideas in this film, reminding me of the glory days of B-movies twenty years ago. Don't doubt yourself, have confidence, you're a good actor!"

Martin asked his name: "Rick, if I ever succeed, it will definitely be thanks to your encouragement today."

Reporters were taking photos, and bloggers were recording the scene with their cameras.

Compared to the lively atmosphere around Martin, Benjamin and Catherine's surroundings were rather quiet.

Benjamin is a director, and these days he still has one foot in the movie screen, so he needs to maintain a certain level of style.

Before coming to Los Angeles, Katharine was just an ordinary late-night film actress. Apart from temporary training at Lionsgate, no one had systematically taught her how to face movie fans.

Seeing Martin steal all the limelight, Catherine became anxious, and the more anxious she became, the less composed she was to deal with the situation.

On one side of the stage, Blake kept his eyes fixed on Martin.

The staff member who brought the notebooks and pens approached Blake and whispered, "Boss, Martin Davis is getting autographs from fans."

Blake said, "I see, this young actor has something in his head." He felt he had learned something: "I never thought that you could stir up fans' emotions through reverse autographs."

The staff member suddenly realized: "When a lead actor on screen asks fans for autographs and well wishes, the fans' goodwill towards the actor and the film will increase. The person we found today is a B-movie enthusiast."

Blake said, "Go and observe carefully, then go back and compile a report for me."

The staff member was stunned for a moment, thinking to himself, "Isn't this just asking for trouble?"

Martin easily controlled the pace and communicated smoothly with fans. Although the reverse autograph was a little trick, it was well-received by the fans because it was so inspiring.

So, Martin naturally said, "Guys, if this movie is watchable, please recommend it to your friends."

A cacophony of responses erupted from the surrounding area.

"no problem."

"I'm a moderator on a B-movie forum, and I'll definitely recommend it."

In contrast to the composed Benjamin and the slightly flustered Catherine, Martin attracted the most reporters and bloggers.

Blake personally stepped forward and briefly interacted with the invited journalists and bloggers, most of whom sided with Martin.

Martin invited fans: "Everyone, come up on stage, let's take a group photo together."

A large crowd of fans escorted Martin onto the stage.

Martin hadn't forgotten Benjamin and Catherine, and waved to them: "Come on, join us."

Benjamin strode over and bumped fists with Martin.

Catherine, a novice actress, is psychologically unbalanced and doesn't want to be a supporting character, so she stubbornly stands still.

The trio, who arrived on good terms, have already developed cracks after just touching the very edge of Hollywood's glamorous world.

Fans gathered behind and on both sides of Martin and Benjamin, taking photos with the media.

Next, there was an interview session with reporters and bloggers. When Blake came over, Martin whispered something to him, and Blake glanced at the atmosphere and nodded in agreement.

Martin had completely taken control of the situation. He picked up the microphone and said, "Guys, our media friends and blogger friends want to talk to us. You've all been standing for so long and you must be tired. Let's sit down and chat."

He didn't use a chair; he sat directly on the stage.

Benjamin wanted to eat at the Gray Company's restaurant, but after a slight hesitation, he sat down as well.

The surrounding fans all sat down in a flurry, crowding around Martin like his iron-willed underlings.

The reporters and bloggers, who were originally supposed to be facing one or three opponents, found that something was wrong. How did it turn into a dozen or so facing more than a hundred opponents?

Blake did not intervene at all, feeling that the publicity effect today far exceeded expectations.

Catherine awkwardly came over and sat down next to Martin.

From movie fans to journalists to bloggers, the existence of the female lead was almost completely ignored.

The male lead is impressive in the movie, and even more so off-screen.

The Q&A session began, following Lionsgate's usual pattern. The first reporter raised the biggest point of contention: "Isn't this film a bit too rough? It feels like you used a grand framework but told a small story set in a cramped club."

Benjamin was prepared, saying, "If we go all out and have a super war between the church and vampires, that won't be a B-movie."

Another reporter asked, "The film uses some new concepts and novel designs, such as the aerial battle between the male lead and the female supporting character, and the life-or-death struggle between the male and female leads. How did you come up with these ideas?"

Benjamin pointed at Martin: "These ideas originated from Martin."

At that moment, he recalled a phrase Martin often used and put it to good use: "He is the most versatile actor in all of Atlanta."

A female blogger asked loudly, "Martin, do you have any practical experience in this area? Is that why you were able to design those action scenes?"

Martin spread his hands and laughed: "I wouldn't dare do such a difficult move. Only Spider-Man can do something like that. Maybe Batman too?"

All the questions focused on Martin, with another female reporter asking, "Was the zombie machine gun dance done with special effects?"

Benjamin shook his head: "No, it's all real footage."

A gasp of surprise rang out from the crowd.

The female blogger suggested, "Martin, could you perform a piece right here?"

Martin stood up, took off his coat and handed it to Jessica, who wore glasses. He stretched a little, making room for her, and said, "Let's make it clear first, you can't take your clothes off."

He snapped his fingers to the side and said to the Lionsgate staff, "Play some music."

The energetic dance music started playing, and everyone was stunned, truly amazed.

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(End of this chapter)