I became a son-in-law in the United States

Chapter 46 The Powerful Are Even More Despicable

The next morning, Luther got up as usual, and his brother-in-law and John F. Kennedy had already left.

The eldest brother-in-law was going to inspect the shipyard, and young Kennedy was going to the hospital for a check-up because he was feeling unwell, so only Luther and his wife were having breakfast.

Perhaps because of what happened yesterday, when Gia met Luther, she lowered her head slightly and didn't dare to look at him at all.

For a young girl, having her diary read by others is tantamount to having her privacy exposed, a feeling that is hard to describe.

After a long while, Jia finally adjusted, then lowered her voice and asked calmly, "Luther, what are the plans for today?"

Luther was slightly taken aback; he hadn't expected Gia to ask that question.

In the past, Gia would make her own arrangements, either continuing her studies or going shopping with Mrs. Ross, rarely asking herself questions.

"I have to go to the company," Luther said slowly.

"Can I go with you?"

Luther nodded. Of course, that was fine.

Although the box office film was given to him by old Joseph, it also meant that the young couple should work together to run it, and besides, Gia herself was very interested.

"Okay, have something to eat, we'll leave at nine o'clock."

"OK."

Jia added half a glass of milk to her glass, tore off a piece of bread from the plate, ate it quickly, and then rushed back to change her clothes.

In the upper echelons of 20s society, women often did not work, or rather, their job was to present themselves.

Especially in social situations, showing off the fashions she recently ordered from Paris, designer jewelry, the number of servants in her household, etc., is part of a wealthy woman's daily life.

But Gia was different. She found all of this too boring, so she wanted to do something real like the men.

About thirty or forty minutes later, Gia, who was all dressed up, went out, and the couple got into their car and headed to the movie theater.

This time, Luther didn't drive; Benson had a driver drive instead, and the car was changed from Gia's Chevrolet AA to a Chrysler. The young couple sat in the back, with Luther in the boss's seat and Gia beside him.

Soon the car started, its body bathed in the soft morning light, and slowly drove away.

On the way, while Luther was driving, Jia took out a few pages of paper from her bag and handed them to him.

"This is the revised script I wrote."

Luther glanced at them and found that the pages were densely covered with Gia's handwriting.

Because she majored in literature, Gia's choice of words and sentence structure is quite refined, with a touch of British classical style, which is also the style that Wellesley admired most.

Luther frowned.

"What's wrong? Did I not write it well?" Jia asked worriedly.

"No, on the contrary, you write very well, even better than the company's screenwriters."

"Then why are you frowning?"

Luther put down the script and then noticed that Gia was looking at him, with a hint of anger hidden in her clear eyes, as if she was not very satisfied.

Of course she wasn't satisfied!

I stayed up all night writing this script, finishing close to 1 a.m. Today, I confidently presented it, expecting praise or at least some kind words. But instead, this is the expression on their face. Who would be satisfied with that?

However, Luther noticed this as well, and then changed the subject, pointing to several places in the script:

"You wrote it very well, so well that it doesn't seem like a script."

"What do you mean?"

Luther paused for a moment before explaining, "Gia, movies are no longer some kind of high art. Nowadays, most moviegoers are ordinary people. They swear, they curse, and they often do vulgar things. These are ordinary people, this is life itself. But your script is too elegant and refined, so much so that it doesn't feel like a script, but rather like a beautiful prose poem."

"Just imagine, if we let the actors say these lines, it wouldn't be a movie, it would be a stage play. The audience wouldn't understand it, and they would think we were too verbose and too obscure. It's fine if one or two people think that way, but if everyone thinks that way, then no one will watch our movie."

"Oh, I see." Jia suddenly realized.

She studied English classical literature at Wellesley, the most elegant kind. Little did she know that this approach, while suitable for school, was completely unsuitable for the film industry.

Gia quickly realized, "Then, Luther, how should I write that?"

"It's very simple. Just write it the way we usually speak, and it's best to use interjections as well. It doesn't matter if it's a bit vulgar or crude; the audience likes to see that."

"I don't mind being vulgar... but I don't know how to write vulgar words!" Jia said, both anxious and annoyed.

Firstly, no one had ever told her this before, and secondly, she herself really didn't know how, at least not now.

Luther didn't say anything; he could just revise it himself later.

Soon, the car arrived at the movie company building. The driver stopped the car, and Luther and Gia went upstairs together.

Reynolds had been waiting, and the moment he saw the two of them, he immediately went to greet them eagerly.

"Mr. Luther, Miss Gia."

"Luther, how have you been these past few days?"

Luther didn't waste any words and went straight to asking about the situation.

Reynolds sighed slightly before explaining, "It's alright, but when people heard you were going to make a sound film, they weren't very supportive. But you're the boss, so you make the decisions, and everyone else said they'd cooperate fully."

Luther nodded; that was enough.

Soon, the two entered the conference room. Reynolds understood immediately and this time not only called several managers but also the rest of the staff.

In no time, the conference room was packed with people—all the current employees of the box office film company.

Luther glanced at it, then addressed the crowd:

"Ladies and gentlemen, I'm sure Reynolds has already told you that our next film will be a sound film, which means that you will need to record the sound while filming to ensure that the picture and sound are synchronized."

Upon hearing this, everyone looked at each other, their faces showing a troubled expression.

This kind of thing sounds simple, but it's a different story when you actually do it; in short, the workload is enormous.

Other skilled workers are better off; they can always find a way. But it's tough for the actors.

In the past, performances only required actions and expressions. Now, in addition to actions and expressions, lines are also needed. Those who are not good at speaking lines, have heavy accents, or even have unpleasant voices may be eliminated.

"So, Mr. Luther, what are we going to film?" Reynolds asked.

"To be on the safe side, let's shoot a romance film first."

Luther glanced at everyone in the conference room, taking in their expressions.

There was confusion, hesitation, and of course, mostly worry.

He understands this feeling.

These people have been making Westerns and melodramas for so many years, and they never thought that one day they would have to read lines and speak into a microphone. The pressure is obvious.

Of course, Luther knew even better that this vocal revolution was not a question of whether he would do it or not, but a question of whether it would come sooner or later.

Rather than letting others do it, I'd rather be the first to jump out and try it myself.

Reynolds breathed a sigh of relief: "Romance movies are great, this one's a safe bet."

In 20s Hollywood, Westerns and romance films were the mainstream, popular with audiences, and studios were well-versed in the genre, so they all followed suit.

After saying that, Gia took out the script, handed it to Reynolds, and briefly explained the story.

"I call it 'Walden,' and it tells the story of an Irish girl and a wealthy WASP boy."

There was a moment of silence in the conference room.

The veteran employees exchanged glances. This topic wasn't exactly "safe" in the current state of the United States, but that was exactly the kind of insecurity that Luther wanted.

Breaking with convention is what makes people remember you and creates opportunities to make money.

Reynolds didn't speak, but looked down at the script, his brows furrowing deeper and deeper. Finally, he looked up at Luther:

"Will the audience be able to accept this ending?"

Lu De said confidently, "Nowadays, audiences want more than just happy endings; they'd love to see something else too."

The crowd fell silent, seemingly understanding but not quite.

"Starting today, we are fully transitioning our box office films to sound films; this is the future direction."

He paused after speaking, his gaze sweeping over everyone before finally settling on Jia.

"This story was written by Jia, and she will be involved in it from now on. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask her."

Jia was stunned for a moment, not expecting Luther to call her name in public. Before she could react, she heard Reynolds lead the applause.

The applause grew louder and louder, almost bursting the small room. Gia smiled elegantly, and the way she looked at Luther changed.