The My Hollywood System
Chapter 37

*Clap clap*

Applause continued to echo throughout the screening theater as clarity finally returned to the audience.

One by one, people rose from their seats as some were still trembling in fear while some were of excitement.

"Woe.... Actually I almost pissed myself off. Shit, that's good."

"Yes, man, the end where a witch suddenly appeared almost gave me a heart attack."

"I especially liked the parts where the tents were shaking, and it didn't feel like the actors were actually acting. It felt as if they were really scared."

"I will definitely show this to Lina. He always said horror movies are boring and not scary at all; I want to see his reaction, haha, it will be worth it. Maybe I'll record his reaction too."

Some viewers who came with friends or acquaintances began to talk about the film.

Will, who was listening to the conversation earlier, could not help but smile in satisfaction. His film was being talked about, and he felt the achievement in him.

Right beside him, a cameraman appointed by Carl begins to photograph the audience's reactions. They will be able to market the movie by leaps and bounds if they catch and advertise using the reactions of the film festival.

Writers and critics who happened to see the film, including Nick, began writing down their opinions about the film.

As the audience calmed down, some of them started looking for a film director, so, George invited Will to the podium to talk to the audience. When the audience met Will, they gave various kinds of reactions.

Some were surprised that such a young man was the director, and they nearly fainted upon learning that he was the screenwriter and producer as well.

Some parents told her that they were envious of her, while some people acted like total fans and looked at her with respectful eyes.

Will feels refreshed by the kind of reaction he gets from different people. At times, George and Carl would praise the young director because they were so happy with everything he came into contact with, from his films to the marketing strategy he was given.

Soon, as audiences got more and more involved in their questions, as this was the first screening of a film that was quite unpopular, not many writers or critics were present.

Nick Fernandez, who first asked the question, delivered the gist of the problem first.

"What about the missing posters you shared outside? Are the movie clues really missing? If so, how do you plan to find them or compensate their families?"

He snapped at Will with many questions at once while smiling inwardly as this was something where most of the budding directors would start to stutter and lose confidence.

Most independent and new directors are still like rough diamonds that require a lot of polishing. And most of them are not prepared for any sudden interviews or questions that directly affect their future popularity.

On the other hand, Will only calmly smiled as he answered easily.

"Oh, no, no actors are missing, I take very good care of my team. It was just a movie poster that we shared outside. Didn't you watch the movie? Start of the news of 3 friends who are missing. Behind the missing posters were ordinary movie posters as well, to clarify everything."

Nick was stunned to hear that answer and immediately pulled out a folded up movie poster from the front pocket of his blazer. Indeed, there was a normal movie poster behind the missing poster, which he seemed to have missed earlier due to the rush.

He simply chuckled at the absurdity of the situation and asked,

"So this was just a publicity stunt? Aren't you afraid of people reporting to the authorities that you're making fake posters that go missing and playing with people's emotions?"

"There's nothing fake in it, it's a movie poster, and the annual festival organizers give full freedom to promote our film inside the venue. I don't know what you're talking about...Mr. Fernandez."

After that, many others started to wonder about the film and its shooting. The main questions are like how Will came up with the idea of such a film and how he used the technique of shooting that was presumed dead.

"Can I get Heather's number?"

One of the spectators asked jokingly, while Will simply replied.

"Oh no, she already has a boyfriend."

A visible wail could be heard from the young shoots in the audience. What they don't know is that the boyfriend she's talking about is Will himself.

Will answers any relevant questions while avoiding questions aimed at himself or his personal life.

The first day of the Annual Film Festival ended just like that.

As the day ended and the second day of the Annual Film Festival began, festival attendees began to receive information about first-person horror films.

It was not like a fire, but word of mouth continued to spread, and as a result, the audience on the second day of the screening was even more significant than the first day. There were even some people who came to re-watch the film.

Will, who does not plan to repeat the same film, again and again, has invited the cast to join in the screening from day two onwards. His marketing tactics were a success, so there was no need to keep hiding the film's clues.

Although only two male leads attended the screening, the female lead was not present.

June is taken around by Will to enjoy another movie. There's a movie screening called [Alien? A lover?].

The film is directed by a famous director and stars Nick Maddie, a famous rom-com actor.

It follows the story of an alien who was stranded on earth because he missed his journey back to his planet. He saves a girl who is about to fall off a hill and misses the chance to return home.

The alien looked very human-like and had a cynical personality. He never aged and was forced to change his identity every ten years. Four hundred years after being stranded, he meets a deranged Hollywood actress when the plot begins.

It's mostly a romantic comedy with a light theme but still has an emotional moment. June cries in many parts of the story, and it is clear that the film actors have done an incredible job playing their characters.

What confused Will was that the story was a complete copy of [My Love From The Star], a Korean drama popular in his previous life.

This opens up new possibilities for Will as he thinks that there might be a movie already in existence but with a different name. There can even be actors with other names.

Though all of this still won't pose a real threat to Will as he has the Hollywood System with him.

Will and June enjoy their time together on the rest of the film festival day in the same way. [The Blair Witch Project] began to become a hot topic on the third day and notable critics attended the film from the fourth day onwards.

Meanwhile, Will and June watch another film together, directed by John Carry, a famous director who mostly makes sci-fi films.

The film's name is [The Eclipse in Our Memories] and follows its sci-fi trends with a touch of romance; the story goes as follows.

After an argument, John Agnello discovers that his girlfriend Emma Bartley has erased her memory by the Poison Company in New York City. Heartbroken, he decides to undergo the same procedure. In preparation, she records a tape for Racuna, recounting her memories of their unstable relationship.

The Poison employee works on John's brain while he sleeps in his apartment so he will wake up without remembering the procedure. An employee, Patrick, goes to see Emma; since her procedure, she has been using John and Emma's memories as a guide to seduce her. While the procedure goes through John's brain, Stan's technician and Mary's secretary throw parties and sex sessions.

John recovers his memories of Emma as they are erased, starting with their final fight. As he reaches earlier, happier memories, he realizes that he does not want to forget them. Emma's mental projections show that John hides her in memories that don't involve her. This stops the procedure, but Stan calls his boss, Howard, who comes and starts over. John returns to his last memory of Emma: the day they first met, on a beach in Montauk. As the memory collapses around them, Emma tells John to meet her in Montauk.

At John's apartment, while Stan is outside, Mary tells Howard that she is in love with him, and they kiss. Howard's wife came and, from the street, saw them through the window. Enraged, she tells Howard to tell Mary the truth: that Mary and Howard had previously cheated on her and Mary's memory was erased. Disgusted, Mary steals Lacuna's notes and sends them to patients, including John and Emma.

John wakes up, his memory of Emma erased. He impulsively goes to Montauk and meets Emma again on the train home. They are attracted to each other and go on a date to the frozen Charles River in Boston. John drives Emma home, and Patrick sees them, realizing that they have found each other again. John and Emma receive their Lacuna tape and listen to their tapes. They are shocked by the bitter memories they have of each other but agree to try again.

Will is again surprised to find a film from his past life, although it is not a very famous film, the film is very good, and is titled [Eternal Sunshine of a Spotless Mind].

Over the past few days, she had watched many screenings with June, and this was the second film to match a film from her past life. He came to the conclusion that every 2/10 movie was here, and he decided to watch all the famous movies.

After all, he was finally able to work hard at the movies that already existed and fool himself.

On the 10th day, the film festival officially ends when the award-share begins.

The award-sharing venue was different, and it was much larger than a movie screening venue. A large stage was set up, and the host would announce a certain award-winning film, essentially announcing their success in the future.

As the awards ceremony took place, Will witnessed several famous awards given to this world-renowned director, such as the 'Best Feature Film' award'.

He wasn't stupid enough to expect an award on his first film, but deep down, he couldn't help but hope for it; even a small award would be huge for him.

After some time, special awards began to be shared. These awards were what really surprised the jury but were unable to bag the main award.

"Next is the award for 'The most innovative film'. To present this award, I would like to call Karen Jansen on stage."

The host said, and a beautiful actress walked onto the stage in a dress made by a top designer in Hollywood.

He took center stage and took out an envelope containing the name of the winning film.

His eyes showed shock as he looked at the name of the film, and raising his head with a smile, he announced the winner.