Chapter 854 Attack

It rained on the day the filming of "The Boat" wrapped up.

A light, persistent rain was falling.

It was already autumn, a time of "autumn chill," and this rain made the scene even more desolate.

Fortunately, the crew was small and consisted of experienced people. Even in the terrible conditions, everyone wore raincoats or carried umbrellas and managed to wrap things up in an orderly manner.

Lu Yanhe sat under the eaves, lost in thought.

He couldn't even remember when he developed this habit—

Each time filming wrapped up, instead of rushing to leave, I would sit on set and carefully take in the familiar surroundings.

I silently bid farewell to this place.

Wen Shengming came over to his side with a thermos cup and sat down.

"What are you daydreaming about?"

“I didn’t just stand there in a daze, I said goodbye to this show.” Lu Yanhe said, “I don’t know when I developed this habit, but I say goodbye in this ceremonial way when filming wraps up, so that I can get out of the role and state as soon as possible and return to my own life.”

Wen Shengming: "That's good too. Actors all have their own anchor points, so they don't get too deeply involved and can't get out of character."

Lu Yanhe: "I originally thought that I would be very immersed in this play, so immersed that I couldn't get out, but it seems that's not the case. I can clearly know almost every second that I am acting. I have never had such a clear feeling when acting before."

Wen Shengming: "Perhaps it's because of your inability to find the scene of my death back then. Some aspects of this movie are superficially similar to your real life, but are actually quite different. So, your rationality repeatedly reminds you of the difference between reality and fiction."

“That might be the case.” Lu Yanhe laughed, placing his hands flat on his knees and leaning his head against Wen Shengming. “Teacher Wen, when I used to act, I would always be 100% immersed in the role. But this time, I just felt uncomfortable and uneasy.”

"Is it because you're not used to using mostly technical performance techniques this time?" Wen Shengming asked.

Lu Yanhe: "That's probably true. I almost never acted in this movie from the character's perspective."

“It’s alright.” Wen Shengming shook his head. “Acting is not the art of an actor’s inner self, but the art of external presentation. You may feel uncomfortable because you are not used to the sudden change in the way you perform this time. But in terms of the result, you performed very well. You may have only given 1% of the true feelings, but you presented 100%, and that is enough.”

Wen Shengming shared his experience with Lu Yanhe.

Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I probably haven't put so much technical skill into my performances before, so I'm not sure what kind of character I've created overall."

“You have to trust Director Luo on this point. Since he called it a 'cut,' he knows what he's doing.” Wen Shengming laughed. “I’m actually quite surprised. In the past, when you acted, you always knew exactly how you were performing. After editing, were there any differences between the final product and what you imagined?”

Lu Yanhe shook his head: "No, since I started acting, I've encountered very mature and capable directors, such as Director Luo, Director Chen Lingling, and Director Wang Zhong. Even the younger directors I met later were all very mature and creative creators, like Lian Bei and Liu Bige. During the filming stage, they were basically very clear about what their work would look like. I was very clear on set about what kind of visual effect they wanted to present. So, when I was acting, I was also very clear about the level I had reached."

Wen Shengming: "You really have no experience in making bad movies, which is enviable. No wonder I have hardly seen any bad acting habits in you. Even though you are not from a professional acting background, you have a more well-trained professionalism than those who are."

Lu Yanhe: "It was mainly Director Luo and Director Chen who set a good standard for me when I first started acting, showing me how an actor should behave. In fact, all the actors I've worked with have done the same, and they've given me a lot of help."

Wen Shengming: "In this respect, you are indeed like a 'pure land' in the entertainment industry. It seems that you have never worked with any bad people."

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “In terms of creative work, I have almost never had any major disagreements or conflicts with others.”

"That's great." Wen Shengming's eyes were full of appreciation for Lu Yanhe. "This is a good thing. I often feel sorry that some young people, who were originally promising talents, have had their talents wasted because they didn't meet good directors or good creators. Not only did their talents diminish, but they also lost their sparkle. They look like they've been suppressed and tormented. Sigh."

"Don't actors often have such experiences that give them a greater emotional reserve?"

“But what actors need most is not even emotional reserves.” Wen Shengming shook his head. “What actors need most is confidence. Without confidence, nothing can be done.”

Lu Yanhe did not expect Wen Shengming to say such a thing.

Is self-confidence more important than anything else?

Wen Shengming said, "As you meet more and more actors in the future, you will understand what I mean. Actors need to have a bit of pride."

He pointed to the location of his heart.

Lu Yanhe nodded.

-

After filming wrapped, on the way to the high-speed rail station, Wang Biao suddenly let out a joyful scream.

"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.

Wang Biao said, "The Gotham Independent Film Awards have announced their nominations. 'The Wind Rises' has been nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, and Mr. Wen has been nominated for Best Supporting Actor."

Lu Yanhe's eyes lit up.

"Really?! That's wonderful!"

Was the public relations strategy successful?

Wang Biao said, "It's a pity, Brother Lu, you weren't nominated for Best Actor."

“This is normal. We already knew this and expected it. Don’t feel sorry about it.” Lu Yanhe shook his head. “Don’t forget what our focus is on this movie.”

Wang Biao nodded.

"Of course, Chen Pinhe wasn't nominated either." Wang Biao laughed. "They were doing a lot of public relations and hype before, but they didn't even get nominated for the Gotham Independent Film Awards."

There are several independent film awards like this during awards season, and Gotham is the most influential of them—the kind where a large number of nominees dress up and attend the awards ceremony every year.

It targets independent films, excluding those from major studios. This means that many award season contenders are excluded from the list, allowing independent films like "Windbreaker" and "The Pianist," which are not produced by major Hollywood studios, to receive preferential support.

In short, those who are nominated are not necessarily the favorites of awards season, but if they can't even get a nomination for the Gotham Independent Film Awards, they can basically be considered "out of the running".

Lu Yanhe smiled slightly.

That's good.

Lu Yanhe immediately sent Wen Shengming a message to congratulate him and asked him to make time to continue attending public relations events in North America.

-

Lu Yanhe is about to join the cast of "Friends". Under these circumstances, Lu Yanhe only gave himself two days of rest to spend with Chen Siqi. Two days later, he will leave for the United States to participate in the public relations activities of "Dingfeng No. 1".

Cocktail parties, parties, media events...

Lu Yanhe is nominated for Best Actor. Even though he is currently considered a "second-tier" contender with only a few minor film critics' association nominations and has not made much of a splash, it does not mean that he is not receiving attention this year.

Liu Bige has been in the United States for almost a month.

Huang Tai also brought people from Longyan to personally participate in public relations activities in North America.

She's quite skilled in this area.

She's weathered many storms, and that's what she excels at.

Chen Siqi said, "You're really different now. I thought you and Mrs. Huang had reached the point where neither of you spoke to the other."

"It's not that exaggerated. It's just that we'll try to avoid contact in the future, and if we really have to appear on the same stage, we can just pretend." Lu Yanhe laughed. "We have common interests. I hope the play 'Dingfeng No. 1' is good, and so does she."

"She initially wanted to make commercial films."

"In the end, she agreed to let it be filmed according to Liu Bige's ideas. During the production stage, everyone has different ideas and demands, which is normal." Lu Yanhe shrugged. "Of course, the final box office performance of 'Dingfeng No. 1' was better than the box office performance of the commercial film she originally wanted to create. Movies still need to make money in the global market. If the subject matter is not popular enough, the ceiling is limited."

Chen Siqi nodded with a smile.

“You just finished filming ‘The Boat’ and immediately threw yourself into promoting ‘The Wind Rises’. Aren’t you tired?” she said. “Why don’t you take a break? Liu Bige and the others are also putting in a lot of effort in public relations in North America. They don’t really need you that much.”

Lu Yanhe said, "Let's go while we still have time, because we really won't have time when we're filming 'Friends'."

“Why don’t you promote ‘Windbreaker’ on ‘Friends’?” Chen Siqi said. “Friends now has hundreds of millions of viewers overseas.”

Lu Yanhe said, "I've thought about it, but I'm afraid it might backfire and be detrimental. 'Dingfeng No. 1' is not a big-budget film. In the current awards season, it's positioned as a low-budget film. If it appears in 'Friends,' it will undermine the impression of the film in everyone's mind. Those judges who support low-budget art films, who were originally biased towards this film, might not vote for it if they see that 'Friends' can promote it."

Chen Siqi: "I hadn't thought about that. By the way, will 'The Wind Rises' be submitted to domestic film awards this year?"

“Of course.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “This year, Sister Ziyan said that I’m going to try my best to win Best Actor at the domestic film awards.”

Chen Siqi: "Domestic film awards don't use the same public relations tactics as North American awards, so what's the point of our efforts to compete?"

Lu Yanhe: "I don't know, but 'Dingfeng No. 1' is definitely going to be a hot contender for major film awards this year. It all depends on how the judges vote."

Chen Siqi: "Chen Pinhe is also a strong contender for this award."

“Yes.” Lu Yanhe nodded. “It doesn’t matter. Anyway, his idea of ​​making a name for himself during this year’s North American awards season has failed.”

Chen Siqi nodded: "Yes, now the public relations strategy of 'Calming Wind No. 1' is successful and has made some progress. 'The Pianist' has completely disappeared. The outcome of the first round is already decided."

Lu Yanhe: "There will be many more opportunities for us to clash."

“What’s there to be afraid of?” Chen Siqi said. “He’s not even in the same league as you right now, okay? Especially in terms of box office performance, that’s his biggest weakness. The movies he starred in have always had mediocre box office results.”

Lu Yanhe: "Hmm."

Chen Siqi: "After filming 'Friends,' what project are you planning to work on?"

“Men in Black,” Lu Yanhe said. “Oh, no, before Men in Black, there’s Huang Tianlin’s movie to film, but that movie only took about twenty days to film.”

Chen Siqi nodded.

"OK, it seems you've changed your strategy again to focus on both awards and box office success."

"There's no other way; we have to manage both," Lu Yanhe said. "It's such a huge undertaking."

Chen Siqi said, "Our Jumping Theater is becoming more and more popular. Even Japanese TV stations regularly come to us to discuss cooperation and buy adaptation rights."

Lu Yanhe: "Many of the stories in the Jumping Theater are based on the kind of themes they like."

Chen Siqi nodded.

“Yes, but now I require all partners who adapt Jump Up Theatre plays, regardless of their country of origin, to include the Jump Up Theatre name,” Chen Siqi said. “I am determined to make Jump Up a world-renowned brand.”

Lu Yanhe: "How's the magazine's overseas launch going?"

"We've tried all sorts of things, barely managing to break even," Chen Siqi said. "Our themed books sell quite well in Asia, but they've been met with a cold reception in Europe and America. Fortunately, thanks to the Jumping Theater, many authors have gained some recognition with overseas publishers. Now, pushing our domestic books into overseas markets, translation and publishing are going much more smoothly than before. Five of Mingyin's novels have already been translated and published in Japan, with total sales exceeding 1.2 million copies."

Lu Yanhe looked shocked. "So many?"

“Yes.” Chen Siqi nodded. “She has held two book signing events in Japan. She is very popular. The initial opportunity was that the Japanese TV station bought the rights to several adaptations of her novels, and the resulting dramas were quite popular.”

Lu Yanhe nodded.

“Liu Jiazhen’s novels have gradually gained a stable readership overseas,” Chen Siqi said. “Crime and mystery novels are a consistently popular genre, and with the adaptations and broadcasts of several films and television series, his readership has grown even larger. Because of this, I thought for a long time about whether I should start a film and television production company to be in charge of Jump Theater, but in the end I decided to give it up and focus on managing the copyrights of the author’s books.”

“That would be even better,” Lu Yanhe said. “If you were to do the Jumping Theater production yourself instead of finding other film and television companies to do it, you would basically not be able to manage it. The workload would be too great. Even if you let Linghe take charge of the production of Jumping Theater now, he wouldn’t be able to handle it all at once. No film and television company could possibly handle it all at once. More than fifty films a year is too exaggerated.”

Chen Siqi nodded.

"Yes, I realized that later. As long as we leverage the brand value of the theater, everyone will work together to build that brand value for our common good. But if I do it myself, others will become my competitors and enemies. I'm not a professional in film and television, so there's no need for that."

"The value of media is far greater than that of film and television, whether commercial or non-commercial," said Lu Yanhe. "With a leap forward, it could become a truly remarkable media group. I genuinely believe so."

“Of course, that’s my goal too.” Chen Siqi nodded. “Actually, we are already a very large media group. You have no idea how terrifying our strength is now.”

"Hmm?" Lu Yanhe asked, "What did I miss?"

(End of this chapter)