But the problem is, in the first six minutes, the film hurriedly showcased quite a few flashy moves, which resulted in only a forty percent six-minute retention rate.

Grace Miller said that the highest drop-off rate for the film was between the eight to thirty-minute mark, while after thirty minutes, the audience drop-off rate significantly decreased, and viewers could watch steadily.

This, in turn, lowers two important metrics: [completion rate] and [average viewing duration].

If the metrics are poor, the video platform will reduce subsequent promotion, causing the film to cool off even more, and as it gets colder, it becomes impossible to recoup costs, possibly even leading to a huge loss.

If this happens, producer Grace Miller will have a hard time pulling in investors for future projects, and her career will take a downturn.

So after Grace Miller posted the data in the group, she was feeling a bit down.

The male lead Howard and the second female lead kept comforting her in the group, saying things like "failure is the mother of success," "let's learn from our mistakes and fight for glory again," and so on.

At this point, the first female lead, who has acted in several web films and is quite experienced, spoke up in the group: "Ms. Miller, even though our data isn't great, it can't really be called a total flop. If we can ramp up the external promotion outside the video site and push for more traffic, we should still be able to get some numbers."

"If we get the numbers, the site will also help increase the promotion, and then we'll have a chance to break even."

"The key is, we have no money right now." Grace Miller replied with a sigh, "Our total project investment is only four million, we spent too much in the early stages, and post-production went thirty thousand over budget, so there's basically not much left for promotion."

If there was money, they could take a gamble, but with no money for promotion, it's definitely doomed.

The group fell silent.

Except for those just in it for a quick buck, no one wants to see a film they acted in flop.

Only if the film becomes a hit can everyone rise with the tide, broaden their acting paths, and raise their value.

"Screw it, I'll go borrow two million to push the promotion. Maybe we can recoup the costs, and then we'll have a chance to team up and fight again." Grace Miller said through gritted teeth, "I still have an apartment in Sucheng. If I mortgage it, raising two million in a short time won't be a problem. Brothers and sisters, wait for my good news."

At this point.

Ethan Brooks spoke up: "Ms. Miller, hold on a second."

"Yixia, don't try to talk me out of it. If I take a gamble, there's still a chance. If I don't, it's really over." Grace Miller seemed to have made up her mind.

It's true—anyone who can be a producer has to be someone with guts.

"I'm not trying to talk you into or out of it. I want to help you analyze the data and see if it's worth the gamble, or how to maximize the odds if you do." Ethan Brooks said, "I just looked at the data Ms. Miller reported. The biggest problem right now is the content between the eight and thirty-minute marks."

"I watched that part too. Honestly, it's pretty bland with no highlights, so it's reasonable that the audience drop-off is high."

Before anyone could ask questions,

Ethan Brooks continued, "But after the thirty-minute mark, we start to have highlights. The plot stickiness suddenly increases, and there's even a reversal trend, which means some people dropped off but then skipped ahead to watch the later parts."

"Based on what I watched, the thirty-minute plot point is exactly when Alex comes out of his psychological slump and shows off his card control superpower. The process is really cool and eye-catching—you can tell a lot of the post-production budget went there."

"From this, even though my acting is nothing special, the audience's recognition of the cool card control is still very high. So, if Ms. Miller uses the borrowed two million to heavily promote the exciting scenes of Alex's card control comeback, plus targeted marketing copy, that should be the optimal solution."

"For the copywriting, you can emphasize that the film uses a 'rise after the fall' narrative technique, saying that the earlier blandness is all to set up for the later climax."

"Use phrases like 'the plot gets super intense after thirty minutes,' 'a masterpiece almost ruined by the editor,' and so on, to increase the tolerance of new viewers for the bland first thirty minutes, and boost our completion rate and average watch time."

"With external traffic coming in and the overall data improving, the site will have reason to ramp up promotion, creating a positive chain reaction."

Grace Miller sent a shocked emoji, then sighed with emotion: "Ethan laoshi, after your analysis, I feel like a sage has touched my head—my mind is instantly clear, and I know exactly what to do next and how to do it."

"Ms. Miller, you're too kind. You were just too close to see clearly."

"No wonder you're a top student from a prestigious school. Do you have any other suggestions?"

Before Ethan Brooks could reply, the first female lead offered a soul-level suggestion: "I suggest we make Ethan the center of the promo poster, preferably adding a cool card control move. Howard's looks really can't compete."

If this had happened before the film flopped, it would have been the legendary "billing dispute," and would probably have caused conflict and drama.

But right now, it's purely a case of trying anything to save a dying film—no one cares about that.

"……" The male lead Howard sent a string of ellipses, followed by a question: "Alex is more handsome than me? I'm known as the mainland's little Howard~~"