For the next week, Leon was completely occupied with preparations for the new company.
Old Jones seemed like he didn't want anything to do with Leon ever again, acting extremely cooperative from beginning to end.
He didn't want to see this face again before he hopped into his coffin.
"I have a feeling Old Jones will take your life before he gets into his coffin." In the office, Phil joked.
"How could that be?" Leon looked indifferent. "I even put his name on the list of artistic consultants for Straight Outta Compton."
Saying that, he looked up at the time on his gold watch.
He was flying to Los Angeles in the afternoon; Straight Outta Compton had officially wrapped filming.
Currently, it was in the final editing and post-production adjustment stage.
Although Leon repeatedly stated that he knew nothing about film editing, he decided to personally participate under James Wan's insistence.
Taking the knife to edit directly without investor participation meant if the box office flopped, he would inevitably be in trouble.
Having been in Hollywood for so many years, James Wan understood this very well.
The movie's promotional plan had already started being laid out a month ago.
Now it was in the full-force stage.
Subway billboards, giant outdoor screens, social media, radio, cable TV...
He used almost every promotional method he could think of.
The ensuing expenses were also a considerable figure.
Apocalypse Pictures was currently just a shell, and there were no film professionals within Apocalypse Music.
Finally, under James Wan's recommendation, Leon chose a professional movie promotion team.
He didn't have to do anything, just responsible for looking over the list and reports handed over by the other party.
Then sign, and wire the money...
On the plane to Los Angeles, Leon suddenly felt restless.
Even though he was exhausted, he couldn't sleep for even a second during the flight.
This situation had never happened before.
He asked the flight attendant for a cup of coffee and scrolled through social media out of boredom.
His attention was intentionally or unintentionally placed on Robbie's account.
Although the two hadn't spoken for a long time, fortunately, the other party's social media account had resumed updates.
This made Leon breathe a sigh of relief.
He was most afraid of the other party throwing a little girl fit, coming up with something like depression, semi-retirement, adjusting status, and other such lousy stunts.
This would affect his earnings.
Judging from the photos Robbie updated on social networks, her current life state was very good.
Singing Faded near the Geirangerfjord in Norway with the aurora as the background;
Dining with circle friends like Miranda and Kate, drunk with dazed eyes;
What caught Leon's attention most was that Skyfall had officially started filming.
Although neither of them said anything, this cold violence was often more terrible than quarreling.
It represented that both people felt powerless to change the other.
He knew very well in his heart that this relationship already had half a foot in the grave; an official announcement was just a matter of time.
Currently, he couldn't take the initiative to bring this up; Robbie might break down directly because of it.
"Boss... those kids in the South Side of Chicago caused big trouble again." Sean's thin voice came from behind.
This trip to Los Angeles, Leon brought Sean along.
The first issue of Vibe after its resumption was about to be released.
How to fill this issue with eye-catching content was the thing Sean was most anxious about currently.
And Compton happened to be the birthplace of gangsta rap culture; maybe he could find some dramatic news locally.
"South Side of Chicago?" Leon asked.
"Lil Durk... a die-hard fan of the song Billy, the leading figure of Chicago Drill music." Sean said, "This kid worships you to death; he said on social media he would do anything for you."
"Fxxk, I'm not interested in these rookie punks." Leon curled his lip.
Sean divided the new Vibe into two parts according to the plan.
The first half was mainly about new song exposures, disputes, and scandals in the rap music circle.
And the second half was dramatic little stories from the underground rap circle.
These underground rappers were usually not considered professional singers because they didn't sign formally with record companies.
Using the crudest equipment, cheap instrumentals bought for dozens of dollars online, plus fierce and violent lyrics, they could piece together a work.
Sometimes they would use the proceeds from "zero-dollar shopping" (looting/shoplifting) to print and distribute records at their own expense.
Sometimes they would even sell their parents' cars directly.
In most cases, there were no physical records; crudely made works were released directly onto the internet.
With the development of social networks and streaming media, the traffic of underground rap music was getting bigger and bigger.
Discussion in major hip-hop music communities remained high.
Underground stories were far more exciting and dramatic than the mainstream.
After all, although the mainstream music circle was chaotic, it wouldn't go as far as triggering bloodshed just because of an online verbal spat.
"They just did something big." Sean said.
"What big thing can that bunch of idiots poorer than dirt do?" Leon didn't even blink, acting extremely indifferent.
As a popular singer, the boss of a record company and a media company.
He and these bottom-feeder punks who had to split the bill even for fast food were people from two completely different worlds.
"Another gang in the South Side of Chicago, GS6, broke out in a verbal spat because they supported P. Diddy online against Lil Durk." Sean said, "You should know this; they were on the trending search for a while a few days ago..."
"I never paid attention to this matter, get to the point." Leon asked, "What happened after?"
"Lil Durk is a die-hard fan of you and 50 Cent. To defend your reputation, he arranged a fight with GS6 members online; they decided to solve the problem in O-Block the street way." Sean said.
Only then did Leon have some impression of the name Lil Durk.
The avatar of a young ngga with dreadlocks had once given him a headache.
This avatar sent him dozens of private messages on Twitter every day.
The content was always repeating constantly:
Listen to my work, Boss Leon;
Please sign me, Street Jesus;
I can do anything for you...
Since Leon received hundreds of such private messages every day, he hadn't clicked open to listen carefully.
"Go on." Leon said.
Sean handed the phone to Leon. "This morning, a gunfight occurred near an abandoned construction site in O-Block. Two young black men were turned into sieves on the spot..."
"They were members of GS6. It is said that the shooters were Lil Durk and his little bro King Von, a young bad boy."
"The police are investigating them, but currently haven't mastered any substantive evidence."
"WTF..." Leon's eyes widened.
These young nggas were even crazier than he imagined; they could shoot two people dead just because of an online verbal spat.
This was very ngga, this was very Chicago.
And Leon, as the core figure of the whole Beef, had only fired a few blank shots in a record store during his most intense friction with Diddy so far.
"This will be great material! I plan to modify this event and put it in our first issue of Vibe magazine!" Sean said excitedly.
"Will there be heat?" Leon scoffed at this.
What heat could a bunch of punks who weren't even professional singers and had only a few thousand followers on social media have?
"Young people nowadays love watching this." Sean explained.
"Alright, handle it yourself." Leon spread his hands, thinking he was only 21, but he understood less and less what American youth were thinking.
After the plane landed at Los Angeles International Airport, the group went straight to the Lionsgate headquarters building.
Myers arranged for an assistant to receive them with an extremely perfunctory attitude, then turned his head and disappeared without a trace.
"Fxxk, never seen these bastards from film companies dare to treat investors like this." Phil complained.
Leon didn't say anything.
Major film companies were showing their magical powers on the big cake of superhero movies, exerting force one after another.
Although Lionsgate's size couldn't compare to those giants, they were equally jealous facing huge profits.
They had gone "All in" with all manpower, material resources, and financial resources to produce The Hunger Games.
Conservatively planning to shoot three movies in the series.
Moreover, in the filming of Straight Outta Compton, Lionsgate only took a 5% box office share, making it clear they wouldn't invest any costs.
Based on the principle of saving where possible, labor costs were also costs.
In the editing room, James Wan excitedly introduced various knowledge about editing to Leon.
Post-production is the process of combining all elements that complete a movie.
This step is crucial.
The quality of editing directly affects the movie quality; unedited and edited versions are usually two completely different movies.
Modern film production is divided into two different workflows: using traditional film throughout, or a mix of traditional film and digital video.
Straight Outta Compton was shot entirely on 35mm film, giving the image quality a unique retro feel.
Fitting the dim disorder of late 80s Compton to the maximum extent.
"Bro, you can't cut like this." When hearing Leon tell the editor to cut Dre's scenes, Kendrick quickly stood up to stop it.
"Why? This inner monologue of Dre is simply unnecessary." Leon asked.
"Boss Dre was already very unhappy that you changed the script during filming..." Kendrick looked helpless. "Now cutting so many scenes, he will be unhappy!"
"Listen... what I cut are scenes that don't fit his character." Leon waved his hand to signal the other party to shut up; he was too lazy to explain anymore.
In the original version given by the inspiration refresh, Dre was practically whitewashed into a "white lotus" (innocent person).
This was the only failure of the entire movie.
And what Leon wanted to do now was to show the real N.W.A, the real Dre on the big screen...
What exactly happens when a group of bottom-feeders struggling in violence and poverty suddenly gain wealth and fame.
It's betrayal, lies, struggle...
"Man, are you sure you don't want to cut the scenes about Diddy?" James Wan asked.
"Why cut?" Leon had a smug, wicked smile on his face. "This is the most exciting part."
After the original script was changed, the character of P. Diddy, which didn't exist originally, was added.
In the film, Leon explained how Diddy's extraordinary fetish came about.
Diddy's father died in a drug deal when he was three years old.
This led to him often encountering bullying in schools in Harlem.
To make himself look less easy to bully, he tried hard to puff out his chest, like an inflated balloon.
Thus getting the nickname "Puffy."
This story was known to everyone in the circle.
But through Leon's magic modification, this story became: due to the abnormally bulging chest from puffing up, Diddy received "excessive care" from his peers.
"Brotherly love."
Such an encounter completely changed Diddy's orientation.
"I mean, won't this really infringe rights?" James Wan looked worried.
Leon had already thought of these things.
So throughout the film, he didn't mention the name P. Diddy or the other party's real name, Sean.
But with such detailed portrayal in the movie, only a fool wouldn't see who it was.
"Alright, you're the boss~" James Wan spread his hands. "Maybe I should issue a disclaimer."
"Relax, you won't have any trouble." Leon patted the other party's shoulder.
He could now fully imagine what Diddy's expression would be after the movie was released.
Since provoking this plague god, Diddy was practically dragged out to be smeared every few days.
And due to JAY-Z's existence, he could never take further action.
But Leon's thoughts were soon slapped in the face.
Sean walked up to him in a hurry, holding a phone in his hand. "Something happened at the radio station?"
"What?" Leon raised his eyebrows. "Did Marcus that guy pass out from drugs?"
"No, it's T-ray." Sean shook his head.
"What happened to that bastard?"
"He was shot. Someone fired four shots at him on Chester Street."
"What?" Leon's expression finally became serious. "You're not kidding, right? Who dares to shoot at him on Chester Street?"
T-ray had been a loose-mouthed bastard since he was young, but no matter what, as long as he stayed on Chester Street, with "Magnum" George's protection...
No one dared to easily make a move on him.
"The shooter covered his face. Before the action, he stayed in a grocery store; surveillance captured everything." Sean paused. "The shooter mentioned 'The Boss'..."
"Sure enough..."
Just as Leon guessed before, this matter definitely couldn't be separated from Diddy.
T-ray had no filter in his radio livestreams.
High-profile claiming he had an affair with Diddy's mom, and even birthed two younger brothers for Diddy...
Even if it was just an inconspicuous small radio station, blacking someone in different ways every day would be unbearable for anyone.
No one likes being constantly buzzed by flies.
Moreover, Chester Bad Boy Radio was a property under Leon.
Diddy temporarily couldn't retaliate directly against Leon, but shooting a radio DJ wasn't difficult for him.
This was the first bloodshed conflict between the two sides since the outbreak of the "Second East Coast vs. West Coast Gang War," rare big news.
Leon immediately realized that a sky-high amount of traffic was coming again!
He held back his excitement and asked with feigned concern, "How is his condition now?"
"He seems fine; he even called a group of streetwalkers to the hospital ward..." Sean responded.
"What a pity." Leon sighed.
Unsurprisingly, that layer of fat saved him.
An ordinary person taking 4 bullets, even small-caliber bullets, couldn't possibly have such energy.
"Pity?" Sean felt his ears might have a problem.
"I mean if this bastard died, the consequences triggered would be more sensational." Leon said lightly.
Sean froze for a full half-minute before reacting.
Is this something a human says?
"Why are you staring at me like that?" Leon patted the other party's shoulder. "I mean if T-ray really went to see God, Vibe would have exclusive material."
"We master the first-hand information, this issue of the magazine would sell out easily."
"Traffic is the life of a media person; you taught me that."
Sean didn't know what to say for a moment, only freezing in place and nodding repeatedly.
Leon raised the corners of his mouth. "I was just joking..."