Chapter 372 Great Ambitions
The last time Maxine's people came to meet Lu Yanhe, it was for "Squid Game".
The other party's arrogant attitude left a deep impression on Lu Yanhe.
Therefore, Lu Yanhe never even considered cooperating with Maxine's people.
This time, when filming "The Silent River," it wasn't Lu Yanhe who directly collaborated with Maxine. The main reason he agreed to act in this drama was because the director was Chen Lingling and the producer was Huang Cheng, and it didn't have much to do with Maxine.
Huang Cheng was somewhat surprised and asked, "Arrogance?"
Lu Yanhe: "Hmm."
"The people who came to us were always quite respectful, and to be honest, my interactions with them went quite smoothly. Basically, they only took the money and didn't concern themselves with much about the content or production," Huang Cheng said. "Who were the people you met last time?"
Lu Yanhe said, "Jack Wilson and Wu Zuping."
He also remembered their identities: Jack Wilson, an American, was the head of Maxine's series acquisitions department, while Wu Zuping was a producer at Maxine.
Huang Cheng shook his head and said, "I don't know these two people, and I've never had any dealings with them. Who introduced them to you?"
"Director Lian Bei."
“They may not have been officially representing Maxine when they met with you,” Huang Cheng said. “Take our filming of ‘The Silent River’ for example. Maxine had already contacted us a long time ago, wanting to collaborate. They had communicated with us many times in the early stages. After they learned that we were preparing for ‘The Silent River,’ they immediately contacted us. After their own internal evaluation, they decided to fully fund the filming of this series. To be honest, they were generous with the money, without any unnecessary additional terms or interference with our creative process. You have many projects ahead of you, and having another potential collaborator is a good thing. If there’s an opportunity later, I’ll introduce you to the people we know.”
"Okay." Lu Yanhe nodded.
Huang Cheng: "This time, 'Late Spring' was shortlisted for the Venice International Film Festival. If this movie is released again this year, you will have two representative works in both TV series and movies. That's amazing. I've been in this industry for so long and I've never seen a young actor with more momentum than you. You know, because 'Friends' and 'The Seventeenth Floor' are both short dramas. Now many actors are starting to choose short drama scripts when they are selecting scripts."
“Short dramas have fewer episodes and shorter filming time, which is great,” Lu Yanhe said. “Many of our previous dramas were too padded, while short dramas are more concise.”
"Yes, I had the same feeling when I was filming 'The Silent River'. This was the first time I had filmed such a short series. The filming period was not so long, so the pressure was not so great," Huang Cheng said. "Long series with dozens of episodes are also under great production pressure. If they don't air well, they will suffer serious losses. They can lose everything in one go."
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh when he heard Huang Cheng say that.
"Short dramas have their advantages. The biggest advantage is that they can control costs. Many big productions can also spread the risk by producing them in seasons," Huang Cheng said. "This is even more true for actors. In the past, a drama had dozens of episodes. If the lead actor was in the lead role, half a year would have passed. With the pre-production preparation, half a year would be gone. But with short dramas, like ours 'The Silent River,' the filming time itself was less than a month. I see that most of the dramas you've filmed have very short filming times. So, you've only been an actor for two years, yet you've produced so many works and still maintained quality."
Lu Yanhe nodded as well.
Huang Cheng hit the nail on the head.
The TV series he filmed were generally short-lived, with the longest being only two months on set.
This is precisely why he releases his works at such a rapid pace.
Other actors are lucky if they get two shows airing a year, but he gets several.
Huang Cheng: "The success of 'Friends' and 'The Seventeenth Floor' has shown everyone the potential for huge commercial returns in short dramas, and everyone has started to invest in short dramas. You are changing this industry by your own efforts."
Lu Yanhe quickly shook his head and said, "No, Mr. Huang, please don't flatter me like that. I don't have that much ability."
Huang Cheng: "Don't be modest. Everyone in this industry is actually changing the industry through their actions and influence. When Friends became popular, the platform started to pay attention to sitcoms. When The Seventeen Floors became popular, the battle royale genre also gained attention. When you achieve success with short dramas, other actors start to pay attention to short dramas and choose short drama scripts. It's all the same principle."
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Chen Ziyan never expected that Mrs. Huang would take the initiative to contact her, just to invite Lu Yanhe to attend the film festival with the "Late Spring" crew.
"I heard from Bige that Yan He hasn't recovered well yet?" Huang Tai asked. "Is he still having trouble moving around?"
Chen Ziyan sat opposite Mrs. Huang and said with a smile, "Yes, she fell from the third floor before. Luckily, she didn't break any bones, but her body was covered in bruises, which looked quite scary. She has been using a wheelchair to get around while filming on set these past few days."
They were in a restaurant at a five-star hotel.
It was Mrs. Wong's idea to come here for afternoon tea.
Chen Ziyan generally doesn't care much about formalities. If they want to discuss business, they either go to a coffee shop or a teahouse. If they really need privacy, they go to a private club. Having afternoon tea at a five-star hotel restaurant is an option only wealthy and leisurely housewives like Mrs. Huang have.
However, as the wife of Huang Zhongjing, president of Longyan Film Industry, Huang Taiwen Zhimao has never been a wife who only cares about domestic matters. She was also an actress before retiring from acting after marrying Huang Zhongjing. However, she still assisted Huang Zhongjing in managing the huge company that is Longyan Film Industry. Relying on the connections she accumulated as an actress, she helped Huang Zhongjing open up many channels during the rise of Longyan Film Industry. She also personally served as a producer and was in charge of many major projects.
She deserves much credit for Longyan Film Industry's ability to establish itself in the domestic film industry and now firmly occupy a leading position.
In recent years, she has gradually withdrawn from the front line and no longer personally works as a producer or manages projects.
Chen Ziyan respected her very much.
"We didn't expect that 'Late Spring' would be selected for the Venice International Film Festival," said Wen Zhimao. "Zhongjing and I have high hopes for Liu Bige, but he has never directed a project independently before, so we let him practice with this project. Initially, Venice wanted to put the film in the Horizons section, which I already considered a pleasant surprise, but Liu Bige is a young and ambitious man, and he insisted that he wouldn't participate in Venice unless it was in the main competition. Liu Bige had spent many years in France before, and this time, when he submitted his new work to Venice, many filmmakers in the French film industry helped recommend the film to the artistic director of the Venice International Film Festival, Picasso. And that's how 'Late Spring' actually made it into the main competition."
Chen Ziyan had no idea about the story behind it until Zhimao told her.
Lu Qingzhen was absolutely right.
Getting into the main competition was far more "unprofessional" than she had imagined.
Of course, it can't be said that entering this main competition unit is easy.
If *Late Spring* hadn't been well-made, they wouldn't have been so eager to bring it to the Venice International Film Festival—good films and film festivals mutually benefit each other. Any film festival that aspires to be successful knows the importance of discovering new talent, especially those with the potential to become stars. They saw *Late Spring*, recognized its excellence, and even its potential impact. Therefore, based on the premise that *Late Spring* must appear at the Venice International Film Festival, Liu Bige compromised by stating that he wouldn't participate if it didn't enter the main competition.
Film festivals are about art, but they are also about "doing business"—about how to further enhance the influence and status of film festivals.
Talent and film are Liu Bige's greatest assets.
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Chen Ziyan smiled at Wen Zhimao and said, "Then I must congratulate you on finding such a promising new director as Liu Bige."
in the country, it is a consensus that film companies must have their own trusted directors.
A director who isn't tied to the company is just a coder.
Wen Zhimao said, "I have to thank you for this, Ziyan, for agreeing to let Lu Yanhe star in a movie like 'Late Spring.' Without Yanhe's performance, this movie wouldn't be so good. We've already had an internal screening, and Yanhe's performance is outstanding. We will do our best to help Yanhe win the Best Actor award."
Chen Ziyan smiled brightly, nodded, and said, "That's wonderful, Mrs. Huang. When Yan He first saw the script for 'Late Spring,' he said it was good. This kid really loves acting and film and television art. So, even though he was invited by a bigger production and a more experienced director, he didn't hesitate to choose Liu Bige's 'Late Spring.' With your support, I believe Yan He will also have good results on his path to winning awards."
Wen Zhimao smiled gently, “We really need Yan He to come with us to Venice this time. We can forget about other films. This film only has Yan He as a well-known actor. Everyone else is a newcomer and no one knows him, including the director. If Yan He doesn’t go, we won’t be able to promote the film in China.”
Chen Ziyan looked troubled.
“Mrs. Huang, if we could go, of course we would like to go too. It’s Venice, and as an actor, how could Yan He not want to go? It’s just that Yan He’s physical condition makes it difficult for him to even walk, and we don’t know how well he will have recovered by then,” Chen Ziyan explained.
Wen Zhimao said, "Ziyan, I know a doctor who specializes in treating sprains and bruises. He was in charge of the action stars we hired for many action movies. I asked him to take a look at Yan He. Also, since Yan He is able to film on set now, it means his body isn't completely unable to get out of bed. Don't mind me saying this, but as long as he can, I'll arrange a private jet for him and a team to take him there. I'll make sure he doesn't feel uncomfortable at all."
Chen Ziyan looked at Wen Zhimao in astonishment.
"Mrs. Huang, isn't this a bit serious?"
“Ziyan, it’s been many years since any of our films from Longyan Film Industry have been nominated for the Venice International Film Festival. Of the world’s four major film festivals, only Venice and Sittoria are considered to be more artistic. The other two festivals have a lot of influence, but they are generally considered to be less artistically focused. Zhongjing and I both attach great importance to the fact that ‘Late Spring’ has been nominated this time. We will both go together,” Wen Zhimao said. “This trip to Venice, from food and accommodation to transportation and promotional activities, we conservatively estimate that it will cost more than five million. If Yan He doesn’t participate, it will have a huge impact on ‘Late Spring’. I’m not one to force people to do things, but this opportunity is very important for the film, for Longyan Film Industry, and for Yan He. I understand that Yan He is injured, but if he can overcome the difficulties, I sincerely hope that he can.”
What more could Chen Ziyan say about Wen Zhimao's sincere attitude?
She took a deep breath. "Mrs. Huang, we've known each other for so many years, you know me well. Since you've said so, I'll talk to Yan He about it later. I also promise you that if it's an insurmountable difficulty, we will definitely overcome it."
Wen Zhimao smiled with satisfaction, "Ziyan, don't worry, we will definitely not let Yan He suffer this time."
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"Mrs. Huang values you so much, she even arranges a private jet to pick you up and drop you off. I don't even get that kind of treatment," Liu Bige said sourly.
On this day, Liu Bige came to visit the set of "The Silent River".
He got off the plane and rushed straight to the film set, just in time to catch Lu Yanhe finishing work.
Lu Yanhe sat in a wheelchair and was pushed to the lounge by Zou Dong.
Liu Bige happened to see this scene.
Liu Bige realized that Lu Yanhe was not exaggerating; he really did have difficulty moving around.
Liu Bige came here for two reasons: first, to visit Lu Yanhe, and second, to formally invite Lu Yanhe to go to Venice with him.
If there had been a second big star in "Late Spring," Liu Bige wouldn't have done this.
Although this was Liu Bige's first time directing a film, his many years in the French film industry made him acutely aware of how important a movie star is to a film's promotion.
If it weren't important, there would be no need to offer actors such high salaries.
It's determined by the market.
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Lu Yanhe took Liu Bige to eat hot pot.
Clear broth hot pot.
"I didn't eat anything last night, so I'm a little hungry," he said.
Suddenly, Liu Bige thought of something and asked curiously, "Is it inconvenient for you to go to the toilet like this?"
Lu Yanhe's face darkened. "Shut up, what's it to you?"
Liu Bige laughed heartily.
“Go ahead, we need you.” After laughing, Liu Bige suddenly said very seriously, “If you really have trouble walking, I’ll carry you the whole way.”
Lu Yanhe: "...This scene is too beautiful to imagine."
Liu Bige: "This is the first time your starring film has been nominated for such a top film festival. Are you really not going?"
“I didn’t say I wouldn’t go,” Lu Yanhe said helplessly. “Actually, if you had called me before you came, you would have known that I had already agreed to go two hours ago. Your Mrs. Huang invited Sister Ziyan over and talked for an hour, making all sorts of promises. Sister Ziyan said that if we didn’t go, it would seem like I was being unreasonable.”
They've arranged for personal doctors and private jets to pick them up, what else can you say?
Liu Bige: "Damn it, so all my trip was for nothing?!"
Lu Yanhe glanced at him sideways, "What, you think you came all this way for nothing?"
"Hahaha, what's so interesting about you?" Liu Bige laughed heartily. "I've been very busy lately, still working on the final cut of 'Late Spring.' The one I submitted to them before was just a rough cut; even the opening and closing credits aren't finished yet."
"Then you'd better hurry up and do it."
“Yes,” Liu Bige said. “Look, what did I say back then? This will be a great movie, and now it has taken the first step toward greatness.”
Lu Yanhe felt that the biggest difference between himself and Liu Bige was that the latter was very confident.
Liu Bige sincerely believes that he is making a very good movie.
Lu Yanhe, however, never felt this way.
Once Liu Bige's lips curled into a wide grin, it seemed impossible to suppress it.
Lu Yanhe: "Congratulations! Your debut film has been shortlisted for Venice. You've taken the first step towards becoming a great director."
Liu Bige said, "My next movie is already in the script revision stage. Are you coming?"
“Sure.” Lu Yanhe nodded without hesitation. “But I need to focus on my studies before I graduate. If we don’t film during the winter or summer vacations, it might be a bit of a problem in terms of timing.”
“No problem, you’re so popular, of course I’ll accommodate your schedule,” Liu Bige said.
Lu Yanhe was very happy that Liu Bige still thought of him when preparing his second work.
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This time, two films have been selected for the main competition at the Venice International Film Festival.
Another film is "White Pearl," a realistic drama directed by Yu Mingjiang.
This is also the first time that director Yu Mingjiang has been nominated for the Venice International Film Festival.
Of course, he's a veteran director who has made many well-received low-budget art films. However, his films have a small impact; even in China, his work is often only known to a small group of people within the film industry.
This time, "White Pearl" is director Yu Mingjiang's new work after six years. Before it was shortlisted for the Venice International Film Festival, there was basically no news about it.
This film boasts top-tier actors like Chen Pinhe and Xu Minyin, as well as Zuo Xing, who previously became a sensation.
This film has garnered just as much attention in China as "Late Spring," and has even generated more discussion.
If Shang Yongzhou is one of the top actors in his 30s and 40s, then Chen Pinhe is the top actor in his 40s and 50s, with a higher seniority and status in the industry.
He is also the actor who has won the most Best Actor awards in China in the past two decades, even more than Shang Yongzhou.
Xu Minyin goes without saying; her status in the industry is comparable to Chen Bige.
And to the left—
This young actor also has some connection with Chen Ziyan.
She became a sensation three years ago, but rumors circulated that she had offended Chen Ziyan, so she was suddenly bombarded with all sorts of negative news by hundreds of media outlets, bringing her rising popularity to an abrupt halt, and she gradually faded into obscurity.
Of course, Chen Ziyan had mentioned this to Lu Yanhe before, saying directly that it had nothing to do with her and that it was just rumors spread by others.
In conclusion, thanks to the leading actors, "White Pearl" is just as popular as, if not more popular than, "Late Spring".
In any case, the fact that two Chinese-language films were selected for this year's Venice International Film Festival is something to celebrate for Chinese-language cinema.
In the days since the news broke, Lu Yanhe has received many congratulations.
Just like when "Three Mountains" was shortlisted for the Sitour International Film Festival.
At this moment, Lu Yanhe realized that everyone genuinely hoped that Chinese-language film and television would develop well and take off.
In the group chat, Yan Liang said: "Yan He, are you going to Venice this time? One of the brands I endorse got me an invitation, and I'm going too."
Lu Yanhe said: I will go, but the screening of "Late Spring" is later in the season, so I may not attend the opening ceremony.
The Venice International Film Festival typically lasts for two weeks, and films like "Late Spring" are reportedly scheduled for screening in the second week.
If Lu Yanhe goes to Venice, he will have to stay there for more than a week.
Not to mention that he is currently filming "The Silent River," which was already delayed due to his injury, another two weeks of that will put even more pressure on "The Silent River."
Moreover, even without "The Silent River," Lu Yanhe would have already started school at that time.
With so many classes this semester, it's difficult for Lu Yanhe to get two weeks off at once.
Yan Liang: Then we might not be able to meet in Venice. After attending the opening ceremony, I have two more days of work to do before I come back. I have other work to do after that. Otherwise, I would really like to have some fun in Venice and watch some movies.
Lu Yanhe: It's okay, we'll go together next time.
Yan Liang: Okay, it's a deal.
Li Zhi's 100 Questions: With your physical condition, are you even fit to participate in the Venice International Film Festival?
Lu Yanhe: I'm recovering quite well now. In addition, Longyan Film Studio arranged a doctor to accompany me and chartered a private jet, so I felt bad not going.
Li Zhibai: Holy crap, they're so extravagant?
Yan Liang: I'm so envious, a private jet!
Lu Yanhe: Because I was the only well-known actor in "Late Spring," and everyone else was a newcomer, they insisted that I be the one to go.
Li Zhibai: A speech by Good Versailles.
Yan Liang: I second that.
Lu Yanhe: Yeah, very ordinary. You guys are envious, aren't you?
This was followed by a haughty, pouting expression.
Li Zhibai: Throw that dog out!
Yan Liang posted a picture: Runtu hunting a badger.
Lu Yanhe: ...
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Yuming is a bakery that has recently become very popular online.
Chen Siqi, carrying a bag of bread, pushed open the glass door and walked out of the bakery.
She was talking to Linyu on the phone using a Bluetooth headset.
“You have the best English among us, and you were mainly in charge of film and television content before, so you are the most suitable person to go to Venice,” Chen Siqi said. “So, I’ll have to trouble you to make the trip. I’ll also ask you to bring Li Bi with you. I’m planning to have him do a special Venice segment in his short video column.”
“The Yan River section certainly needs to be done separately, but besides Yan River, we can also do a lot of other things,” Chen Siqi said. “Why don’t you work with Li Bi to make a proposal? We’ll discuss it in two days. What do you think?”
"no problem."
After hanging up the phone, Chen Siqi pondered how to make the most of the Venice International Film Festival to increase the influence of "Jump Up".
She immediately added in the editorial group: "We could do a retrospective of Chinese-language films and the Venice International Film Festival over the years, but I'm sure many people have done this topic. Let's see if we can do something different."
Bai Yu immediately suggested: Could we invite filmmakers who have won awards at the Venice International Film Festival to share their experiences and stories from the festival?
Chen Siqi: This is a good idea, we can try it. We can send invitations to these filmmakers under the name of "Jump Up" and ask them if they are willing to share.
Bai Yu: OK.
Xu Zijun said: "Besides interviewing filmmakers who have won awards in our own country, could we try interviewing filmmakers who have won awards in Venice in previous years? If a few people agree to be interviewed, it could definitely become a topic that attracts a lot of attention."
Chen Siqi: We don't have the contact information for those filmmakers overseas. Does anyone know how to get in touch with them?
Xu Zijun: We don't have their personal contact information, but we can find out who their agency and agent are online. Generally, you can find the contact emails of agencies and agents. I'll try to find them and send them emails.
Chen Siqi: OK, if we can get the consent of one or two people, that would be great. We definitely want to go international in the future.
Xu Zijun: Okay, I'll take care of this.
Lin Yu: I have another idea. Could our film account share some reviews or interviews with world-renowned film critics about the award-winning films of the Venice International Film Festival? Over the years, the Venice International Film Festival has selected many films and produced many film reviews that have attracted a lot of attention and discussion in the film industry. Apart from true film lovers, few people would actively seek out and read this content. With the popularity of the Venice International Film Festival, perhaps many readers will be interested.
Zhou Mukai: It would be great to do a call for submissions on "Me and the Venice International Film Festival". We have been soliciting submissions on various platforms for a long time. If we do a special call for submissions on this theme, we should be able to get a lot of attention from film fans.
Chen Siqi: Sure, I think everyone's suggestions are all pretty good. @Yu Lang, could you follow up on everyone's suggestions and create a timetable and task allocation?
Yu Lang: OK.
This is the core group of the "Jump Up" editorial team. After two years of working together, everyone has gradually become more in sync and understands the positioning of "Jump Up" and what kind of media they want to become.
The key point is that this group of people are all college students.
They were either old classmates from No. 13 Middle School, or current classmates of Lu Yanhe or Chen Siqi—people they knew and trusted very well.
We've all fought our way through the fierce competition of the college entrance exam, so our basic qualities are there. With enough experience, our work abilities will be honed.
In the past, there were many things that Chen Siqi didn't understand, but because she was the editor-in-chief, she had to bite the bullet and learn as she went.
She still doesn't understand many things, but the pressure isn't as great anymore because she has a group of trustworthy people around her who help her share the burden. They learn and do things together, and in the process, she becomes more and more professional and starts to stand on her own.
I hope this magazine will continue to improve.
Chen Siqi just said that the future must be internationalized, and this is not just a slogan.
This is her real goal.
She has great ambitions, and she is determined to work hard to achieve them.
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Let's start with the guaranteed update. The current monthly vote count is 2528, an increase of 1250 votes from yesterday's 1270. According to the rule of "400 monthly votes + 1000 words", an extra 3000 words are needed. I'll throw this out again and add 4000 words.
It will be available shortly.
The bonus chapter event for monthly tickets is still ongoing, so please shower me with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)
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