I'm Not A Master, I'm A Director
Chapter 462: Shinji — Three Sentences to Make Rin Tohsaka Explode
"Why did it jump straight to a king-versus-king matchup?"
"It's purely a coincidence~"
This was how Cloris, who controlled the first-hand information in North America, explained it to Shinji over the phone.
"Both Disney and we had our eyes on the Christmas season this year. It just so happens that Michael Bay's movie was scheduled for that period."
After thinking about it, Shinji realized she was right. Disney had just announced a whole slate of projects from up-and-coming directors. Unlike him, a transmigrator, they had no way of knowing that the strongest newcomer among this batch was none other than Michael Bay.
He sighed softly.
"I see... As expected of a century-old giant like Disney. They've already grasped the importance of commercial movie release windows. If their decisions are carried through properly, they'll definitely be a formidable opponent."
Cloris hadn't expected Shinji to take it so seriously. She paused before saying, "No way, Shinji. You can't seriously think you're inferior to a forty-three-year-old man, can you? You're in the prime of your youth right now—a sturdy bull that never gets tired of plowing."
Ignoring the innuendo from Cloris, Shinji continued his analysis, "I've seen the commercials he's directed. He has a very distinctive style. If he can make full use of his strengths, his movie will be a strong competitor."
The real reason Shinji was certain Michael Bay's new film would be troublesome was that he already knew its title—
Armageddon.
In the world before his transmigration, the film had earned 550 million dollars worldwide.
That box-office figure might not seem particularly impressive at first glance, but one had to remember that the movie was originally released in 1998.
More importantly, it was one of the rare Michael Bay films with genuinely solid storytelling, and it placed considerable emphasis on family relationships while still being a blockbuster spectacle.
One could say that every element of Armageddon struck directly at the core ingredients of a box-office success. It was the kind of movie that was difficult to fail even if it tried.
"As long as Disney doesn't do anything stupid, I think Armageddon is 100% going to succeed."
"I didn't expect you to think so highly of this Michael Bay guy," Cloris said in surprise. "I thought you were being sarcastic earlier."
"It's not sarcasm. Michael Bay genuinely has the skills. At the very least, his ability to blow things up is no worse than mine."
Shinji spoke slowly, "The main thing is that he chose a rather special genre—a modern sci-fi disaster film. That's a type of movie I rarely work on."
A person's energy was limited. No matter how talented Shinji was, he couldn't cover every type of commercial film.
The difference in subject matter, combined with a protagonist setup that was much closer to North American society, gave Armageddon a clear advantage. He couldn't say for other regions, but it would definitely appeal to North American audiences.
And North America was the largest market for Shinji's films.
For all the jokes he liked to make about North American moviegoers, their contribution to his success was undeniable.
"So you're saying that as long as the movie doesn't have any major problems, that director's explosion scenes alone can make it successful?"
Cloris found it hard to believe. She had never imagined there could be a director better than Shinji.
Hearing the surprise in Cloris's voice, Shinji calmly held the receiver a little farther away to spare his ears.
'In my previous life, the guy really did become a world-class commercial director. I can fool anyone, but I can't fool myself.'
Shinji silently complained to himself.
Granted, the story about training oil drillers to go into space and blow up an asteroid was absurd from a logical standpoint.
Unfortunately, there were a lot of blue-collar workers among North American audiences, and that exact kind of plot hit all the right buttons for them. It was enough to let the movie dominate the North American box office.
Michael Bay was responsible for the explosive spectacle, while blue-collar audiences were responsible for the explosive ticket sales.
Of course, there were always exceptions.
When Michael Bay made Armageddon in Shinji's previous life, his directing skills were already quite polished. It was one of the representative works of his mature period.
But in this world, Michael Bay still had no experience directing a feature-length film.
A spectacular failure was not impossible.
But basing his winning strategy on the opponent making a mistake was simply too uncertain. Shinji wasn't foolish enough to do that.
Who knew what those higher powers thought of him? What if Miss Counter Force felt that his development had been going too smoothly and deliberately arranged some calamity for him?
This was the Type-Moon universe, where gods really did exist above one's head. Shinji wasn't reckless enough to gamble on something like that.
"I see. Then forget about the audition thing," Cloris said regretfully. "I don't want to help the enemy."
"An audition?"
Shinji quickly brought the receiver back to his ear.
"Yeah. You know Disney invested some money into the production of Prologue, right? As part of the agreement, they hoped that actors under Time Group would give priority to their films whenever their schedules were free."
Although Disney said "Time Group," Cloris was one hundred percent certain that what they really wanted were the Heroic Spirit actors under Shinji's control.
"For Armageddon, they sent me two audition invitations. One for the male supporting lead and one for the female lead. Both roles are supposed to be young."
"Hmm..."
If Shinji remembered correctly, the two roles Cloris mentioned had originally been played by Ben Affleck and Liv Tyler.
"Go. Why wouldn't we?" Shinji answered directly.
"It's such a good opportunity to increase our actors' exposure. We'd be idiots not to go. The Heroic Spirits can leave Fuyuki City now, so taking jobs from other film companies is a good thing."
Before Cloris could say anything else, Shinji immediately began making arrangements.
"How about this? For the male role, I'll send Cu Chulainn. For the female role, I'll send Mordred, Semiramis, and Stheno. You can handle the arrangements on your side."
Shinji was more than happy to have his Heroic Spirits participate in the film.
Did refusing to send actors somehow mean Armageddon would stop competing against him?
What a joke.
The biggest selling point of Armageddon had never been its cast. Audiences went to watch people blow up an asteroid. Handsome men and beautiful women were merely bonuses.
Since that was the case, why not let his own people benefit from the film's popularity?
The only thing Shinji found regrettable was how few actors he could actually send to audition.
As for the male Heroic Spirits, there wasn't much to say. Aside from Cu Chulainn and the Three Idiots of the Round Table, most of the others filled specialized roles, and Shinji couldn't spare them from his own productions.
He could send Gilgamesh, but Shinji genuinely feared that the King's terrible personality might flare up and cause Michael Bay's set to literally explode.
By comparison, he had several female Heroic Spirits available, but after considering upcoming schedules and various other matters, he ultimately settled on Mordred and the other two.
"So you're actually pretty confident, aren't you?"
Seeing how decisive Shinji was, Cloris covered her mouth and teased him.
"I just think it'd be a waste to pass up the chance to gain exposure on movie screens all over the world," Shinji replied indifferently.
"Besides, who knows whether they'll even like our actors."
"I don't think they'll refuse," Cloris said with certainty.
"They'll probably be struggling to decide which of the three beauties to pick. Aren't you worried they'll fight each other over the role?"
"It's just a decorative role in a commercial blockbuster. They wouldn't fight over something like that. Though..."
Shinji hesitated briefly before continuing.
"Personally, I'm leaning toward Stheno."
Final Fantasy: The End of the World was scheduled for release next year. Letting her appear now would help build popularity and also serve as a bit of foreshadowing for the Okeanos Singularity.
The only question was whether Michael Bay would be interested in her.
'If I remember correctly, Michael Bay values figure more than facial beauty. Stheno's petite loli-like build doesn't really have much of an advantage there.'
Shinji pondered silently before asking aloud:
"Lissy, if you're that interested in the movie, why don't you audition for the female lead yourself? You're beautiful enough to make it to the final round at least."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
Cloris crossed and adjusted her slender legs, deliberately speaking in a seductive tone.
"Since little Shinji thinks so highly of this big sister, the next time you come to North America, I'll give you a reward~"
"Heh."
This time, it was Shinji's turn to let out a cold laugh after being flirted with.
"Lissy, a marriage registration form is not a reward. This young master hasn't had enough fun yet."
With that, Shinji hung up before Cloris could respond.
Indeed, provoking someone and then immediately running away was quite thrilling.
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Of course, no matter how much of a challenge Armageddon might pose to Hundred Years' War of Evil Dragons, and regardless of whether their Heroic Spirits could successfully become actors, those were matters for the future.
For now, Shinji's primary job was still filming Hundred Years' War of Evil Dragons.
To be precise, everything on set had been progressing quite smoothly so far.
Although several of the cast members were only barely above the passing line in terms of acting ability, everyone understood that they couldn't compare to professional actors and maintained a very humble attitude.
As a result, even when they had to repeat scenes over and over due to multiple NG takes, they still patiently sought Shinji's advice and obediently followed his instructions.
When actors were this cooperative, getting the right shot was only a matter of time.
Compared to that, Martha's situation was somewhat troublesome.
As a Pseudo-Servant, "Martha" could handle all action scenes and dramatic scenes that required little emotional expression. However, for dramatic scenes demanding a wide range of facial expressions, someone else had to step in.
Fortunately, there weren't many scenes like that for Martha's character.
In fact, there was only one: the scene where Martha was pierced by Jeanne and exited the story.
The actress filling in for Martha during that scene was none other than Rider.
Actually, Rin herself had some interest in performing the scene. Olga Marie had landed an important role, and Rin felt that not acting in anything would be the same as surrendering without even trying.
Unfortunately, Shinji dismissed her idea with a single sentence.
"This isn't a makeup issue, it's a body-type issue. There's at least a ten-Artoria-cup-size difference between you and Martha. Or do you have a special fondness for slime suits and want to use one to enhance your chest and hips?"
"WAAAAAAAHHHHHH—!! Die, seaweed-head! Eat my Rising Dragon Punch!!"
"To think Master can make Rin go berserk in just three sentences. He truly is a director who has mastered the art of courting death."
Watching Shinji get launched into the air by Rin's combo attack and fail to come back down, Jeanne couldn't help but comment.
"That's where you're mistaken, Jeanne."
Artoria, standing nearby, joined the conversation.
"Hitting is affection, and scolding is love. It's a sign that they get along well."
"I see. So Master is actually a masochist."
Jeanne nodded as though she had arrived at a profound conclusion.
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