Chapter 378 Sideways Glance
Because they returned early, neither Lu Yanhe nor Chen Ziyan were present at the closing ceremony of the Venice International Film Festival. However, they watched the live broadcast together.
With all the films in the main competition now screened, it's pretty much clear which films are in the first tier and which are in the second tier.
"Late Spring" received good reviews and positive media feedback; however, virtually no one thought it could win a major award.
The main reason is that the film itself lacks depth and breadth compared to other films.
The reason why "Late Spring" has received such high praise is mainly because its main creators are all newcomers. No matter where you are, you are more tolerant and encouraging towards newcomers.
Lu Yanhe had not received any news by the time the awards ceremony began, and thus knew that the Best Actor award was indeed not for him.
As is customary at international film festivals, if you win an award, you will receive a phone call inviting you back to attend the awards ceremony.
After realizing he really wouldn't win the award, Lu Yanhe stopped having any expectations and focused intently on watching the awards ceremony.
The Venice International Film Festival's awards ceremony doesn't have many fancy elements; it's just an awards ceremony.
Some speeches, some acceptance speeches.
Many of the award winners were very excited.
This is also a moment that Lu Yanhe really enjoys watching.
It is often in moments like these that we can see the true feelings revealed.
However, "Late Spring" did not win any of the previous awards.
This made Lu Yanhe's expectations rise higher and higher.
This means that the award for "Late Spring" will definitely come later.
When Lu Yanhe heard that the Grand Jury Prize winner was "Late Spring," he immediately let out a cheer.
Chen Ziyan beamed with joy.
"Winning the big prize is great!"
The Silver Lion is the second most prestigious award after the Gold Lion.
During the live broadcast, Liu Bige and his actors embraced each other excitedly.
Many people applauded at the scene.
After Liu Bige went on stage, holding the trophy, he was so excited that he didn't know what to say for a long time.
Lu Yanhe had seen his gentlemanly side many times before, and rarely had he seen him lose control like this.
Indeed, there is no one in this world who is truly calm and composed. All composure is merely a result of not yet encountering the arrow that truly strikes your destiny.
Now, the arrow is aimed at Liu Bige.
-
The news that "Late Spring" won the Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival immediately made headlines across various media outlets.
At the same time, Chen Pinhe also regrettably missed out on the Best Actor award.
Despite being a strong contender this year, he ultimately lost out to the equally popular British actor.
"Late Spring" became the only Chinese-language film to win an award.
Entertainment critic Guan Suchen jokingly commented on Weibo: "Lu Yanhe's momentum is unmatched. Whether he's a lead actor or a supporting actor, every project he's involved in becomes a hit. With this kind of luck, it's unlikely we'll see another actor replicate Lu Yanhe's achievements this year for a long time. It's only September, and he already has two local TV dramas with ratings exceeding 2 (both are preparing for a second season, potentially creating a rare blockbuster series), two films that won awards at the four major international film festivals, one for Best Director and one for the Jury Prize. I can't help but wonder what surprises Lu Yanhe will bring us in the fourth quarter."
Another entertainment critic, Chen Luo, reposted this Weibo post, saying: "Lu Yanhe's luck this year is truly unprecedented for an actor. With the award-winning performance of 'Late Spring' at the Venice International Film Festival, I think all entertainment companies and agents who work with male actors in their twenties will have to face the fact that, whether it's awards or box office performance (the film 'Three Mountains,' which only cost 17 million to make, still grossed over 80 million), Lu Yanhe will become an insurmountable obstacle for them."
Several entertainment critics with millions of followers rushed to elevate Lu Yanhe to an extremely high status.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat bewildered when he saw this.
ha?
"Late Spring" won the award, but it wasn't him who won it. Why do we need to elevate him to such a high position?
Lu Yanhe watched with trepidation.
Okay, he has to admit that he's still a coward, especially afraid of being praised to death. In particular, his path to fame after transmigrating was almost entirely a path where he was most afraid of crashing—a path that was both lofty and righteous.
This forced him to reluctantly embark on a path of "perfect image."
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment, then quickly posted a Weibo message congratulating "Late Spring" on winning the award, and then reviewed the filming of the movie.
"Meeting director Liu Bige was a complete accident. I was able to act in 'Late Spring' thanks to my classmate Miao Yue, who is the original author of the story and the screenwriter of the film. Because of her, I had the opportunity to meet director Liu Bige and be chosen by him to participate in the creation of 'Late Spring'."
"Yes, I am a big star—that's what everyone said before I joined the crew. But after filming started, the so-called stars or anything else all stayed outside the set. That's the filming atmosphere that the 'Late Spring' crew brought to me."
"Director Liu Bige is someone who can give actors a lot of confidence. Although he is very young, he makes people feel at ease. I was worried that I would not play the role well, and that my so-called fame would affect the audience's perception of the film. The other actors were all acting for the first time, and everything was unknown. They were even more uneasy and at a loss. He was like an umbrella over each of our heads, allowing us to build confidence in our performance under the care of protection and encouragement."
“Acting requires a strong sense of conviction, which is not only believing that you are the character, but also believing that you can act well. Liu Bige is such a director who can help you achieve all of this.”
Lu Yanhe's retrospective focuses entirely on Liu Bige.
Some fans joked: "Are you writing a love letter to the director?"
Lu Yanhe's statement had no other purpose than to let more people know that this film was Liu Bige's film, not Lu Yanhe's film.
-
“Look, Xiao Lu is that kind of actor.” Luo Yuzhong put down his phone, smiled at the person sitting opposite him, and said, “I’ve worked with him before, and he’s a really good kid. He’s not the kind of person who would do anything to become famous.”
Luo Yuzhong was chatting with Xie Dao.
Xie Dao is also a director, and a more senior one at that than Luo Yuzhong. He is seventy years old this year and is the president of the Television Directors Association.
Xie Dao smiled and pointed at Luo Yuzhong, saying, "Everyone says you praise Lu Yanhe to everyone you meet, and I thought they were exaggerating. I didn't expect that you were the one exaggerating."
“Teacher Xie, you will feel the same way after you get to know Lu Yanhe,” Luo Yuzhong said. “A genius with a normal personality, no limitations on his acting style, he can act in any kind of play, he has high comprehension, and he is not arrogant. For us directors, he is the kind of actor we dream of.”
Xie Dao chuckled and asked, "Then why did you only cast him in 'The Golden Era' and not make any other films?"
Luo Yuzhong said, "If I were to cast him in another film, I would at least give him a leading role, right? But none of the scripts I have prepared have a male lead role for someone his age. If I ask him for a supporting role, he will definitely take it, but that's no fun. Why would I take advantage of a kid?"
Xie said, "Good roles are divided into main characters and supporting characters."
Luo Yuzhong said, "Good roles don't distinguish between lead and supporting roles. You're right. Actually, the truth is I haven't encountered a suitable role that allows me to showcase my acting skills. Alas, unlike movies, TV dramas are such a large-scale production. If a twenty-year-old boy is the lead, unless it's a light comedy or genre drama like 'Friends' or 'The Seventeenth Floor,' the male lead in a slightly more serious drama is usually at least thirty years old. It's a pity. Director, if you're making a film or TV series in the future and there are any challenging roles that require an actor his age, just cast him. You won't go wrong. Although I only worked with him on one project, and it wasn't for long, I've watched him grow step by step. I've watched almost every one of his dramas."
Xie said, "Hey, I've never seen anyone admire a young man so much."
“Even after he finished filming, he still remembers me and respects me. He calls me every holiday and even sends me gifts. The gifts are small, but his thoughtfulness is precious,” Luo Yuzhong said. “Especially in the last two years, you’ve seen him rise to fame so quickly, becoming more popular month by month, winning awards, breaking viewership records, and receiving all sorts of praise from the media. Yet, he hasn’t lost his humility at all. He only remembers me, and he remembers Chen Lingling and Wang Zhong the same way. I ran into Liu Zeliang the other day, and he was talking about how Lu Yanhe has kept in touch with him ever since he finished filming ‘The Golden Era.’ He’s not just like that with me; he’s a kind-hearted kid.”
Xie said, "Thinking of you all makes you kind-hearted children, ah!"
Luo Yuzhong: "So, it's only good if you don't care about us?"
Xie Dao chuckled coldly and glared at Luo Yuzhong.
Luo Yuzhong laughed again, "So, you have to step in and say that we can't let those people deliberately exclude him from the awards anymore. Whether it's 'Friends' or 'The Seventeenth Floor,' his performances are commendable. Winning an award might be difficult, but given the influence of the series and the difficulty of the roles, he is fully qualified for a nomination. Look, even his performance in 'Late Spring' was considered by many foreign media outlets as a strong contender for Best Actor at the Venice International Film Festival. This shows that I'm not just bragging, right?"
Xie Dao said, "Friends and The Seventeen Floors are indeed very popular and influential, but the artistic level of these two films is not high. If he really didn't get a nomination, it may not be as you said, that someone deliberately ostracized him."
"If I hadn't heard some rumors, why would I have come to you?" Luo Yuzhong said. "I truly consider Xiao Lu my student. Putting that aside, it's not easy for our film and television industry to produce such a young person. If these two films aren't artistically high, then why is Li Yuefeng on the preliminary list? Don't ask me how I saw the preliminary list; that's just how it is. When we created this award, we wanted to avoid all the influences and simply present our directors' ideal list. I never expected it to become an award where everyone has their own selfish motives."
What Luo Yuzhong was referring to was the nomination list of this year's Television Directors Guild, with "Friends" and "The Seventeenth Floor" being among the most nominated.
The Directors Guild Awards are not among the three major television awards, but because they are decided by directors' votes, they are highly regarded in the industry.
No application is required for the TV Directors Guild Awards; as long as the applicant meets the requirements, they will be automatically included in the judging pool.
This year's TV Drama Directors Guild Awards ceremony will be broadcast live on CCTV, and its influence will be significant. Luo Yuzhong only appeared here today because he heard some inappropriate comments during the decision-making process for the nomination list.
As the chairman of the Television Directors Guild, his influence on this award is extraordinary.
Xie said, "A young man who has been publicly praised by you and that girl Lingling, whose voice is so powerful that it can block his way?"
"They're just standing on the moral high ground, insisting that these two dramas lack artistic merit and the characters aren't well-developed," Luo Yuzhong sneered. "To put it bluntly, they're just clearing the way for their own people, especially for Best Supporting Actor. Yan He also acted in 'Phoenix Terrace,' but he wasn't even on the preliminary list, while Lang Kequn's son was. What kind of logic is that? Don't they have eyes?"
Xie Dao's expression turned serious.
“Teacher Xie, the most crucial point about this matter is that a young person who is clearly exceptionally talented and will become a leader in the future is not even nominated for our Directors Guild Awards. It’s making us a laughing stock,” Luo Yuzhong said earnestly.
-
Lu Yanhe was unaware that Director Luo Yuzhong was quietly working hard for him.
He was dealing with an uninvited guest and wondering how to handle her.
Zhang Lan came to see him again.
When Lu Yanhe received Zhang Lan's call, he initially wanted to decline, but Zhang Lan said directly that she was already at the school gate and was waiting to see him.
Lu Yanhe couldn't refuse.
Zhang Lan came for the role of Tong Xiangyu in "My Own Swordsman".
“The attitude of the Northern Lights is unclear. It’s been a long time since I’ve encountered a role that I actively sought and was then snubbed.” Zhang Lan looked at Lu Yanhe and said, “Yanhe, tell me the truth, is it that you don’t want me to act in it?”
Lu Yanhe was taken aback. "Huh?"
At that moment, his acting was superb. "How could that be, Sister Lan?"
Zhang Lan scrutinized Lu Yanhe's expression and said, "Is it because of Jiang Yuqian that you don't want to cooperate with me?"
Lu Yanhe wore a helpless and exasperated expression, saying, "Sister Lan, you're an actor too. People say we can control a lot of things, but you know, do you really think I can have 100% control over the casting of a drama?"
Zhang Lan looked doubtful and said, "But I heard that you were the one who cast two of the roles in this drama."
“It wasn’t me who decided, I recommended it. It was Aurora that made the decision. I don’t have that much power,” Lu Yanhe said frankly. “Actually, Aurora also contacted me about this role.”
"Then what do you say?"
Lu Yanhe shook his head. "Sister Lan, it doesn't really matter what I say. Sister Ziyan said something that day that I think makes a lot of sense and it was a real eye-opener for me."
Zhang Lan frowned and asked, "What did she say?"
Lu Yanhe said, "You and I are both from Xingyu. No video platform would allow me to be both a producer and screenwriter while simultaneously casting a top-tier actress like you as the female lead. Such a creative structure would greatly restrict the video platform's control over the drama."
Zhang Lan isn't stupid. Having been in the entertainment industry for so many years, she understands these things to some extent.
She fell silent, and Lu Yanhe didn't know if she had been persuaded.
Zhang Lan asked, "Okay, I won't talk about 'My Own Swordsman' anymore. I'm asking you, if I'm interested in your later projects, would you be willing to work with me?"
Lu Yanhe nodded, "Of course I'm willing, but, Sister Lan, the scripts I write are never about a female lead, but rather about an ensemble cast. You can see that from 'Friends' and 'My Own Swordsman.' Would you be willing to act in those?"
Zhang Lan said, "Didn't I take the initiative to fight for the role of Tong Xiangyu?"
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
Zhang Lan: "Yan He, don't underestimate me. Don't think I'm just an arrogant, shallow actress who only plays leading roles. I've been able to fight with your good sister Jiang Yuqian for so many years. If I didn't have some skills, I would have been crushed by her long ago."
Zhang Lan curled her lips slightly, seemingly with a hint of mockery.
Lu Yanhe was at a loss for words.
"Alright, if we really can't collaborate on 'My Own Swordsman,' let's see if there's another opportunity next time." Zhang Lan's tone softened a little as she asked, "How are you feeling? I saw you walking out just now, and your gait was a bit strange."
"I'm recovering, and I hope I can get some rest soon," Lu Yanhe said with a helpless smile.
Zhang Lan: "There's something else I've heard rumors about, so I'm telling you. I can't guarantee whether it's true or not."
Lu Yanhe looked at Zhang Lan with a puzzled expression.
-
"The Television Directors Guild Award?"
Chen Ziyan paused for a moment on the phone and said, "I know about this award. It was established more than ten years ago. In terms of influence, it certainly can't compare with the three major mainstream awards, but it is still quite prestigious in the industry. After all, it is a major award selected by all the directors in the association."
Lu Yanhe said, "Zhang Lan told me that the preliminary nomination list for this award has been released, but it has not been officially announced yet, but none of my three films are on it."
The three films mentioned here refer to Phoenix Terrace, Friends, and The Seventeen Floors.
Chen Ziyan: "The TV Drama Directors Association Award does not require the production company to register. As long as the drama is officially broadcast on a TV station or video platform, it will be automatically included in the selection scope. Then the committee will select the nominees, and then all members will vote."
"Committee?"
“The Directors Guild’s committee is an organization that is responsible for all matters, big and small, within the guild, and it is re-elected every five years,” Chen Ziyan said. “I haven’t heard about this yet, so I have to find out. If it’s true, then this matter will have a significant impact on you, though not a huge one.”
When the Golden Tripod Awards nominations were announced, Lu Yanhe's "Phoenix Terrace" did not receive a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. There was also the claim that because he had already won the award the previous year, he would not be nominated again without a major breakthrough. Although many people were unwilling to accept this explanation, there was still a reason for it, and it was not a case of losing the nomination inexplicably.
But this time, none of the three films received a single acting award nomination. If this is the case, it will definitely cause a lot of discussion.
Even without mentioning anything else, the Directors Guild's attitude towards Lu Yanhe, as reflected in this award, will become a point of attack for Lu Yanhe's haters—no matter how much the media praises him, the directors do not recognize Lu Yanhe.
Sometimes, as long as there's a pretext, all sorts of smears and doubts will come rushing in.
With the Golden Tripod Award in hand and a Silver Lion Award for "Late Spring," Lu Yanhe's position is unlikely to be truly shaken by such claims.
But too many flies can still be annoying, even disgusting.
-
Lu Yanhe thought it would take some time for Chen Ziyan to find out the relevant information, but to his surprise, he found out about Chen Ziyan in just over two hours.
As soon as the call connected, Chen Ziyan said, "Yan He, we really need to remember what Director Luo Yuzhong did for you."
Lu Yanhe was completely bewildered when he heard this, having no idea what Chen Ziyan was talking about.
"ah?"
What does this have to do with director Luo Yuzhong?
Chen Ziyan said, "I have found out the truth of the matter. What Zhang Lan told you is probably true. In the past two days, Director Luo Yuzhong has communicated with the committee several times about the fact that you were not on the preliminary nomination list. He also asked Xie Dao, the president of the association, to help. Finally, it was decided that starting from this year, the nomination list will be generated by a vote of all association members. This means that the previous preliminary list is invalid and we have to start over."
Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.
"Did Director Luo do all this?"
“Yes,” Chen Ziyan said. “The key point is that he did so many things, but he never mentioned any of them to you or me.”
Luo Yuzhong did all these things purely out of care for Lu Yanhe and because he couldn't stand the way some people acted. He had no other selfish motives, nor did he do it so that Lu Yanhe would remember his kindness.
But now that Lu Yanhe knows about this, he's determined to remember this kindness.
Chen Ziyan sneered again, "If it weren't for Director Luo pushing for this change, Lang Xia would have been nominated for Best Supporting Actor according to the original list, but you weren't. That would have been a laughing stock."
The character Lang Xia was indeed quite popular when the show aired, but in terms of acting skills and reputation, from the beginning to the end, he was far inferior to the guard played by Lu Yanhe.
The scene where Lu Yanhe's character dies is one of the most talked-about and popular moments in the entire series.
Lu Yanhe was too embarrassed to praise himself for acting better than Lang Xia, so he didn't respond.
After listening to Chen Ziyan's complaints, Lu Yanhe was about to hang up when Chen Ziyan said, "There's another good news. Jiang Zixin from Aurora Video just contacted me. Probably because of the award-winning 'Late Spring,' your vision has been honed once again. Aurora has agreed to build Tongfu Inn in Jiangzhi."
At this moment, Lu Yanhe felt a surge of excitement from the depths of his heart.
"Really? That's great!"
Chen Ziyan said, "Go and tell your Brother He the good news."
Chen Ziyan's voice also revealed joy.
Unlike Lu Yanhe, who simply wanted to help more people know about Jiangzhi, she didn't.
Chen Ziyan felt that if Jiangzhi's economy could truly be boosted and transformed from a poor little place into a popular tourist destination, then Lu Yanhe's status as a "golden man" would be even more secure.
This is even linked to helping local areas alleviate poverty.
From "City Travelogue" to "My Own Swordsman", if Jiang Zhi really becomes popular, wouldn't Lu Yanhe be using his own power to do such a great thing?
Chen Ziyan's thinking is very pragmatic, but of course, she never thinks there's anything wrong with being pragmatic.
She didn't harm anyone's interests; she just wanted to make a profit from everything.
That's fine.
-
On September 12th, "Late Spring" suddenly announced that it would be released during the National Day holiday.
Choosing this release date to compete with a host of blockbusters seems like an extremely irrational move, yet the film still opted for this release. The reason is simple: to ride the wave of the Venice International Film Festival, to select a recent and favorable release date while everyone still remembers the film's awards, and to let it wait for audiences in theaters.
At this time, the distribution and promotion capabilities of Longyan Film Industry, a large company, became apparent.
Although it was scheduled for release in October, "Late Spring" began small-scale previews starting on September 20th.
In the period leading up to the National Day holiday, there were no new films entering the market, only old films and low-budget new films. "Late Spring" managed to get about 5%-7% of the screenings each day through preview screenings.
Liu Bige then led a group of actors on a promotional tour.
Longyan Film Industry allocated tens of millions of yuan to the publicity of this film, which cost only a few million yuan to produce—because it won an award, and its box office target jumped to tens of millions of yuan.
On one hand, there are roadshows; on the other hand, there is the investment in lower-tier channels.
Longyan Film Industry edited some footage from "Late Spring" into short video clips of about ten seconds each, and launched them on the short video market for large-scale marketing.
Finally, we need to leverage Lu Yanhe's star power.
Due to his health condition, he only participated in one of Yuming's roadshows. All of his other promotional tasks were interviews and presentations.
Moreover, Longyan directly approached Chen Siqi, asking "Jump Up" to tailor a promotional campaign for "Late Spring".
A total of two million in publicity funds were given to Chen Siqi's "Jump Up".
Lu Yanhe was quite shocked when he heard the news; he hadn't expected Longyan to be so generous.
And Chen Siqi lived up to expectations, not just taking the money and not doing the job.
She did a publicity stunt that caught the attention of the entire industry.
(End of this chapter)
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