Hollywood:Starting out as an MV director

Fifty Shades of Grey might be the most suitable subject for adaptation into a movie, something Ethan pulled from his memories.

Other ideas either had high production costs or posed challenges in filming, making them unsuitable for Norton's Eye's current scale.

So, after completing the filming of Saw, Ethan immediately decided to prioritize this film project.

However, before that, the movie needed to be turned into a novel first, since the original was adapted from one.

Ethan considered releasing the novel first to gauge the market's response. If the sales were low and the public showed little interest, it would indicate that the adaptation wasn't yet viable, and he could wait another two years.

If the novel sold well, with a fanbase from the original work, the film adaptation should perform well at the box office.

However, Ethan wasn't entirely satisfied with the previous film adaptation of Fifty Shades of Grey because he felt it was still too conservative. He had thought of many ways to modify the film while watching it in the past. Now that he reflected on those days, watching Fifty Shades with a few girls, he realized he kind of missed those moments.

But, of course, it was understandable. To secure a good box office, the movie had to be rated R, which inevitably meant less exposure in certain scenes.

If it were adapted into a TV series aired on a premium cable channel, it wouldn't face the same restrictions.

After some wandering thoughts, Ethan got out of bed. It was already noon, and after spending a wild night with Anne Hathaway, he finally got up to eat.

He went downstairs and immediately saw Anne, dressed in a white shirt, preparing lunch for him.

"It smells great," Ethan said, though he hadn't actually smelled anything, but that didn't stop him from pretending to enjoy it.

Anne smiled at his demeanor and brought over a plate of steak. "Come eat. I'm heading to Los Angeles to shoot in a couple of days."

"Really? Which project?" Ethan asked, poking at the poached egg, watching the yolk flow, which made his appetite increase.

Princess Diaries 2.

"Finally, the sequel is getting made. I've been waiting for this for so long," Ethan joked. After Anne Hathaway had finished filming the first Princess Diaries, there had always been talk of a sequel.

Anne Hathaway placed her plate across from him and sat down. "I've been waiting too."

"How long will you be gone?"

"Probably about three months."

"Good luck."

"Good luck to you too."

After sending Anne off, Ethan hurried to his next appointment.

"Jessica, sorry I'm late, the company's been busy," Ethan said when he met Jessica Alba in a private room at a Chinese restaurant. After exchanging a customary cheek kiss, they sat down and began talking.

"Ethan, a lot's been happening on set..." Jessica started complaining about the rough treatment she had been receiving on the Cameron set.

Ethan listened attentively, offering words of comfort and cracking a few jokes, which made Jessica laugh.

The two had talked a lot on the phone recently, and Ethan had always been patient with women, never getting tired of their conversations.

Jessica, too, needed someone to listen, so when she got back to New York, she immediately arranged to meet Ethan.

However, their relationship had not yet progressed beyond friendship, so after lunch, Jessica left alone.

Ethan finally managed to squeeze in a visit to the office of Angel Declaration.

"Cain, how are things progressing?"

"Almost ready," Cain replied as he stood up from his desk. Lately, he had been working long hours and was too tired to notice the few stray hairs on his neatly combed hair.

Republic Records had already finished writing the songs for the girl group's debut album. Now, Cain needed to pave the way for their debut, contacting various variety shows and programs to help build their popularity. He had been working tirelessly.

Fortunately, after the success of Kaiden and Cindy, Cain had established connections with many similar resources, making this task much easier.

Of course, getting the girl group on TV would cost money.

Ethan had anticipated this and planned to release a photo book for the new girl group while the songs were being launched, helping to accumulate some popularity.

"Right, have you decided on the name for the first group? Is it set?" Ethan asked as he sat at the desk and glanced over the new documents Cain handed him.

"There are three options. Which one do you think works best?" Cain asked.

Ethan glanced over quickly and raised his eyebrows. "Hot Angels. It fits the image. By the way, have you confirmed the venue?"

"Yes, it's been arranged at the Night Dance Theater, with three performances a week." Cain nodded, handing over the signed contract. "But do you think people will buy into this?"

"Of course they will." Ethan tapped his fingers on the desk. "Other girl groups, like Destiny's True Girls, fans can only see them at music festivals or TV shows, but they lack the excitement of a developmental journey. But Hot Angels are different. They come from humble beginnings, with nothing to their name, struggling to climb up the ranks in this steel city. Wouldn't you, as a fan, feel sympathy for them?"

Cain shrugged. "I think I would."

"Exactly!" Ethan smiled. "That's the Hot Angels' positioning—ordinary girls with big dreams of being idols. We're selling more than music. We're selling the resonance and connection that fans will feel once they relate to their struggles."

Cain nodded thoughtfully. "It's about the experience, the journey. Idol development."

"Exactly. It's just like a game, full of participation! This is why I insist on using their humble backgrounds as part of their identity," Ethan explained. "As long as they maintain that working-class image, the girl group will attract genuine sympathy. At the end of the day, we're not just selling songs, we're selling a sense of belonging and emotional connection."

"Other girl groups have always been too elite! It's not what the new generation wants."

Ethan was speaking from his understanding of the future direction of idol groups. Although no one in America had tried this before, it meant there was an untapped market.

Girl groups had originated in America, but had never quite taken off here. Beyond the influence of feminism, the key reason was that Americans valued individuality. Their years of education led them to be less accepting of the collectivist mentality that dominates idol culture.

They were more inclined to act independently, highlighting their uniqueness.

This was why many groups broke up once they reached their peak.

This realization was also something Ethan had learned in his time working with idol groups. He had to admit his initial assumptions were too simplistic. Trying to get these white girls to stick to the rules was harder than getting a group of black girls to stop infighting.

But that was okay. Ethan had adjusted his approach. He no longer required the girls to be perfect in every way or to always smile at everyone.

He only required them to collaborate and maintain their image. In simple terms, the girl group would be marketed as an emotional companion for fans, selling the emotional value to encourage fans to spend money.

Performances at the theater would be strictly paid by session. Apart from the required sessions each month, the girls would be allowed to take time off. There would be no risk of anyone suing Ethan for restricting their freedom.

He had heard of cases where companies were taken to court for over-controlling their talent, ending up with large fines.

Even now, a few of the girls in training were unhappy with the system. If the songs hadn't taken off yet, they would have already exploded.

Upon hearing this, Ethan instructed Cain to let go of a few potential troublemakers and fast-track their debut.

Meanwhile, the Japanese actresses had no complaints. They were extremely diligent, which left the white girls quite puzzled.

Ethan was very pleased with the Japanese girls' performance and had already instructed their new agent, Quest, to help them secure shooting opportunities.

If all went as planned, the Tokyo girls' golden opportunity would be lined up later this year.

Returning to the Hot Angels group, there were seven members in the first batch, all with three-year contracts. Of course, their penalties for breaking the contract were very high.

If anyone tried to poach them, Angel Declaration would earn a big payout.

As for the second batch and beyond, it all depended on how the first group performed. While Ethan remained confident, he was also prepared to cut his losses if necessary.

After finalizing the debut details with Cain, Ethan finally had some free time.

He opened his computer and began typing the title and first paragraph of Fifty Shades of Grey. He wanted to quickly draft the story and then hire a writer to refine the language, allowing the book to be published as soon as possible.

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

When Ethan stood before the seven girls of Hot Angels, they had just finished recording their first song and were excitedly discussing their future success.

"Good morning, girls!"

"Good morning, boss!" the girls greeted, flashing bright smiles, and lined up in front of him.