Hollywood Road

"The company's channels for raising capital have encountered some problems."

In a French restaurant owned by the Burbank family, Kara Faith sat opposite Murphy and Gail Gadot, discussing the new project, "Due to thematic constraints, Twentieth Century Fox and Weinstein Company will not invest more than 80 million USD in production."

Although this is a collaborative project between the two companies, due to an unexpected incident with Quentin Tarantino, Twentieth Century Fox undoubtedly took the lead.

"Um..."

Murphy simply nodded, not saying much. This was a project he had taken over on short notice, and he was still organizing his thoughts to complete the most basic script. The specifics of the investment would have to wait until the script and project proposal were completed to have an overall concept.

"Quentin's style..." Kara Faith seemed somewhat concerned, "His previous works were clearly over-the-top and tended to be like B-movies. This style can win over a segment of movie fans but might drive away many others."

"Don't worry." Murphy smiled, "Quentin has promised me, and it's clearly written in our agreement. Quentin is just a screenwriter providing the outline and main storyline; he won't be involved in other aspects. This is a project I'm leading, and although my style is similar to Quentin's, there are significant differences."

Aside from indulging himself in 'Planet Terror,' his films, while typically noir, differed from Quentin's absurdity and leaned more towards seriousness.

Of course, you couldn't expect a movie that kills off Hitler to be overly realistic; it necessarily contained elements of absurdity, but these needed to be controlled and not left unchecked.

And the more serious the content and theme of the film, the more pronounced the effect of the black humor in contrast.

Now that he had taken on this burden for Quentin, Murphy naturally wouldn't follow Quentin's previous path, especially the lengthy off-topic dialogues that non-Quentin film fans couldn't tolerate. He would limit these when organizing the script.

Regardless, it was necessary to make some appropriate changes and adjustments to the film as he saw fit.

After discussing some details about this yet-to-be-named project, Kara Faith and Gail Gadot shifted the conversation to fashion, talking about clothing and accessories and moving on to this year's Paris Fashion Week, and then to some celebrities in the fashion world.

Women never run out of topics when it comes to fashion. Having undergone professional model training, Gail Gadot, strictly speaking, had been part of the fashion circle. As for Kara Faith, her daily refined makeup and carefully coordinated outfits clearly showcased her fashion sensitivity.

Murphy became a complete listener.

Luckily, Kara Faith and Gail Gadot brought the conversation back to movies, though still related to fashion.

"Gail, have you read that book and the script?" Kara Faith suddenly asked, "What do you think? Are you interested?"

"I think..." Gail Gadot slightly frowned, "The female protagonist seems to have some issues. Her understanding of fashion and the world is strange, and I don't think I can play such a role."

She turned to look at Murphy, "I still need to learn how to be a qualified producer."

Kara Faith sighed softly, "The female protagonist indeed has some issues, but this role..."

She shook her head, "You continue as a producer; I'll find someone else."

"What are you talking about?" Murphy looked at Gail Gadot and then at Kara Faith, "I don't understand what you mean?"

"A movie," Gail Gadot succinctly replied, "and a role."

"Because of my competition with Dave Scolari, an adaptation project has been on hold for two years." Kara Faith elaborated, "I originally wanted to invite Gail to play the female lead, but let's forget it; the character's unique thinking doesn't suit Gail."

"Hmm." Murphy nodded.

Beside him, Gail Gadot added, "It's a project adapted from a novel called 'The Devil Wears Prada,' reportedly based on the experiences of Anna Wintour, the editor-in-chief of 'Vogue.'"

With her mention, Murphy then remembered that he hadn't heard any news about the release of 'The Devil Wears Prada,' and combined with Kara Faith's comments, this film was undoubtedly suppressed by Kara Faith, who held the production power at Twentieth Century Fox.

This was also an indirect change he brought about.

Seeing Murphy's puzzled expression, Gail Gadot asked, "Have you read that novel?"

"I've read a bit." Actually, Murphy knew that Gail Gadot's current interest was not in acting, and he didn't mention letting her star in this film. Instead, he asked, "Why do you say the female protagonist has strange thoughts?"

He vaguely remembered that the former female lead, Anne Hathaway, was overshadowed by Meryl Streep and Emily Blunt in the original movie, and didn't recall any

 odd behavior from her.

"I disagree with the original interpretation of Anna Wintour, or Miranda," Gail Gadot stated without hesitation, "Fashion survives on critique, but critique shouldn't be seen as the original sin of fashion. The successful people I know in the fashion world, those designers and magazine editors, are incredibly meticulous about details, sometimes to an unbearable degree, but this is a professional requirement, and their profession demands it."

Perhaps because she was once part of it, Gail Gadot had a different understanding from Murphy's memory of the film, "Fashion is a very delicate and sensitive endeavor, inseparable from a commitment to detail. To put it in common terms—details determine success or failure!"

Kara Faith agreed with Gail Gadot, adding, "What Gail said is the rule of survival in fashion. Those who work in fashion often bring this pursuit of perfection into their daily lives, which then appears as demonic to their subordinates."

Listening to this conversation, which was entirely different from the theme of the film he remembered, Murphy didn't know what to say. His understanding of fashion was too limited; from different standpoints, perspectives on things differed.

Gail Gadot laughed, knowing Murphy didn't understand these things, and didn't say more.

But Kara Faith said, "Let me give you some basic knowledge. Have you read that novel?"

Since he had just admitted he had, Murphy simply nodded.

Seeing Murphy nod, Kara Faith continued, "In the novel, when Andy's colleague brings out two belts and says they are very different, Andy laughs, thinking the belts look the same."

"That's typical of a layman! Although the belts are the same color, their buckles are different. They create different visual effects when paired with the same outfit, and discerning these differences to find the best match is a subtle aspect of fashion. Designers care about these details. To ordinary people, there might not seem to be any difference, but to designers, they are distinctly different; this is the difference between professional and non-professional vision."

Kara Faith took a sip from her water glass, and Gail Gadot thought for a moment before joining in.

"For instance, you chose that blue-striped sweater, thinking you seriously picked it out yourself…" she recited a dialogue from the novel, "but this shade of sky blue has generated millions of dollars in profit and countless jobs, as well as immeasurable effort…"

Gail Gadot spoke earnestly, "I think this passage is a good portrayal of the fashion industry."

Kara Faith nodded in agreement, "Each industry has its own characteristics."

"How does fashion influence the world? How does a trend move from high-end couture to everyone? How does the fashion industry affect the everyday life of ordinary people?"

Facing Gail Gadot's earnestly beautiful face, Murphy helplessly spread his hands; he was genuinely ignorant in this area.

"Every season, designers discover new ideas, innovations, and colors, which are extracted from a multitude of inspirations and data, like the sky blue mentioned earlier, selected from nearly a hundred shades of blue and many similar colors," Gail Gadot explained.

Since she had started, she detailed further, "Then designers create clothes, promoting this color; if it catches the attention of other designers, it achieves a niche trend; then the media and magazines, from countless season launches, identify potential popular items, and this blue becomes noteworthy."

Gail Gadot continued, "The media conveys to the public that this blue will be fashionable, and this message quickly spreads. Major retailers follow suit, creating a fashion trend. If this blue is embraced by the public, it represents millions, even more, in profits and countless jobs. Then, among the season's trends, some will continue to evolve, and this blue, having become fashionable in clothing, will further develop."

Murphy nodded slightly, still somewhat unclear.

Gail Gadot rolled her eyes and added, "So, no one should think they are unrelated to fashion; every choice they make is a product of fashion; and all their choices are actually based on options provided by others. Often, a designer or a magazine editor's choice determines what ordinary people can wear."

"Indeed, it's complicated," Murphy muttered.

"Of course! Did you think dressing up was simple?"

Faced with Kara Faith's question, Murphy could only shake his head. His style aimed for simplicity, but for women, it was definitely not that simple.

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