041 Richard, the Headline Genius
Hawkins Public Library... Richard and a group of people Steve had gathered were flipping through and searching the library's newspapers and periodicals from over the years. With so much dense text, it would have been tough for just Richard and Steve to finish, so Nancy, Barbara, and Jonathan, who were free, were roped in as unpaid labor.
"You're certainly full of energy. You just recovered from a major injury; can't you take a proper rest during this rare break?" Nancy teased Richard. Although she was complaining, she had come as soon as she heard Richard needed help.
Richard chuckled and said, "To me, this is relaxing."
"Oh, relaxing? You mean trying to make a movie without even having fifty grand?" Nancy was even more baffled, shaking her head. "Listen, Richard, although I don't know much about movies, I know that the production budget for a movie currently on the market—not including promotion—is at least five hundred thousand dollars at the absolute minimum. The industry standard is over a million. The gap between you and them is ten or even a hundred times over."
"Small budgets have small-budget ways of working. Broaden your horizons, sweetheart." Richard had a knowing smile on his face, like an older brother humoring a naive girl.
Nancy was completely exasperated and threw up her hands in surrender. "Alright, since you've already made up your mind." Then, she gave Steve a look, as if silently asking, 'Why aren't you trying to talk sense into him?' Steve just gave a silent, dry laugh. He was actually just taking a gamble on the outcome; in his heart, he was backing Richard's play, but he couldn't easily explain that to Nancy.
Jonathan was searching alone in a corner. Perhaps one person works more efficiently; after being silent for a long while, he turned around and said, "I've looked through everything on my end. There's nothing special."
Richard also finished searching his assigned area shortly after, let out a deep breath, and said, "I didn't find anything on my side either."
The other friends then reported no results. Facing everyone's gaze, Richard pursed his lips and clicked his tongue. "It's impossible for a small town to be this squeaky clean for decades. It's unbelievable."
Based on his twenty-plus years of life experience, Richard might believe an individual could be upstanding for their whole life, but he would never believe that a collective group of humans in a certain area could live in peace for decades without a single serious incident occurring.
Could it have been scrubbed clean?
Why?
What exactly are they hiding?
"Have you guys looked for newspapers or magazines that don't look like regular news, but are full of sci-fi or supernatural stuff?" Richard asked the group.
Barbara weakly raised her hand and laughed nervously. "I haven't."
"Me neither," Nancy followed, raising her hand.
Richard smiled slightly, looking very much like a grinning corporate overlord to his unpaid workers. "Then keep looking for the information we skipped over."
Ten minutes later... Everyone crowded around Richard as he put a microfilm containing news from decades ago into the reader and began playing it back segment by segment.
The newspaper was from the 'Weekly World Observer.' This was an independent publication that specialized in reporting 'news' full of sci-fi and paranormal elements. Because these 'news' stories were too bizarre, fantastical, and sometimes even illogical, they had always been regarded as tabloid trash by the public.
However, if one could find some news full of dark and bloody elements about the town from such a newspaper, it wouldn't be surprising.
Nancy seemed to be very interested in the journalism industry; the information about this publication had all come from her.
"Anyway, we've experienced even more bizarre things. If some of the news reported by this tabloid isn't fake, we shouldn't find it strange." Richard smiled, then began reading the newspaper content with everyone.
First was a piece of news about a 'Bigfoot' from a certain date. Everyone fell silent just by looking at the headline.
Bigfoot Sasquatch Devours 35 Farm Poultry!
Nancy let out a breath. As someone with an immense pursuit of the truth, her interest vanished instantly upon seeing such a boring and fake headline. "This news is just great..."
"Too lame and too fake," Jonathan agreed.
Richard rubbed his temple and said calmly, "Actually, whether the content is fake or the subject matter is lame doesn't matter. The main thing is that this tabloid actually doesn't know how to write headlines. It's no wonder they never became popular."
Immediately after, under the shocked eyes of the crowd, he came up with one shocking news headline after another.
"If it were me, I'd write it like this: 'SHOCKING! Thirty-six Lives Lost Overnight in Small Town!' or 'Blood-Soaked Horror After Winter Storm: Massacre at Local Farm'..." Richard said calmly. "As long as you don't explicitly mention that the dead creatures were chickens, and instead amplify keywords that grab people's attention and mess with their emotions, this kind of tabloid story becomes a success."
Nancy stared at Richard in a daze, then asked as if possessed, "Richard, have you ever considered becoming a journalist with me in the future? Or starting a newspaper or something?"
"That wouldn't work out for me." Richard glanced to his left and right. Steve looked a bit jealous upon hearing Nancy's words, while Jonathan looked a bit guilty and awkward.
Steve noticed Richard's teasing gaze, coughed a few times, caught the hint, and casually took Nancy's hand. He said with a smile, "If you want, once I've made enough money, I'll start a newspaper for you. I'll be your investor, and you can be my editor-in-chief."
Nancy pursed her lips and shrugged. "That won't be necessary. I'd prefer to achieve those things through my own hard work."
"If you need photos, maybe I can help." Jonathan scratched his face, his eyes drifting away without meeting Nancy's gaze. The hand he had resting on the table was covered in sweat. "After all, when it comes to photography, I'm basically a pro."
Hearing this, Nancy seemed to sense a different kind of emotion from Jonathan. A strange light flashed in her eyes, and she couldn't help but curl her lips into a smile. "That's a good suggestion."
"Photography?" Steve nodded. He put his hands on his hips and said to Jonathan, "Speaking of which, if we're going to shoot this movie, Richard said he wants you to be the cinematographer."
"Me!? Cinematographer!?" Jonathan froze for a few seconds, then his eyes widened, and he pointed at himself forcefully, his voice rising.
Sensing the annoyed looks from others in the library, Jonathan realized his outburst and hurriedly flashed apologetic looks at the other people reading quietly.
Richard said with a smile, "Play to your strengths; just think of it as practice. I already have an idea for the general script, and I'll fill you in later. As for the shot composition and how to film it, that'll be up to you."
Jonathan, who had just confidently said he would help, was now a bit hesitant and smiled bitterly in his heart. His words just now were actually meant for Nancy, but since he didn't specify who he was talking to, it sounded like he was addressing everyone.
However, if it was Richard's request, he wouldn't refuse. It was just that he felt a bit caught off guard and uncertain about suddenly becoming a 'cinematographer.'
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