Chapter 438 Overseas (10,000-word update!)
Lu Yanhe was completely taken aback when Jiang Yuqian suddenly said those things to him.
Lu Yanhe thought for a moment and said, "Sister Yuqian, I think it's not that you don't have the acting skills to win awards, but that you may have become obsessed with winning awards so much that you inevitably bring that obsession to your acting."
Jiang Yuqian looked at Lu Yanhe with a rather strange expression.
Lu Yanhe thought he had been abrupt in saying those words, so he immediately apologized, saying, "Sister Yuqian, I just said it offhand, please don't take it to heart."
“No, you’re absolutely right,” Jiang Yuqian said. “I just didn’t expect you to be the one to say this to me. I only realized this when I was filming ‘The Squid Game.’ Ever since ‘The Golden Era,’ my acting has been off. I put all my effort into every scene. Maybe it was because Director Luo helped me with ‘The Golden Era,’ so the final result was pretty good. But if I continue to act like this, especially since the feedback from ‘The Golden Era’ was so good, it gave me more confidence to act like this, but it still falls short of expectations. I don’t even know where the problem lies.”
"During the time I was filming 'The Squid Game,' I realized that I was acting in a play that I truly loved and a role that truly moved me. Especially when I knew that this role was basically out of the running for awards, so I wasn't acting with the mindset of winning awards at all, my state of mind was not right when I was filming the previous two plays."
Jiang Yuqian spoke very sincerely.
Lu Yanhe could tell that this was Jiang Yuqian's true feeling.
"So, after thinking about it, I think I'd rather maintain this state than win an award. At least when filming this movie, I can regain my confidence as an actor. After I finish a scene, I don't have to ask others how I did."
Lu Yanhe nodded, genuinely happy for Jiang Yuqian.
Jiang Yuqian smiled. In the sunlight, her face was exactly the same as when Lu Yanhe first met her a few years ago. However, those who knew Jiang Yuqian well knew that it had been a long journey for her to regain that relieved and relaxed smile.
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"Lost in Thailand" is scheduled for release during the summer season.
Before heading to the Jose Film Festival, Jia Long suddenly contacted Lu Yanhe and told him the news.
"Summer release? I thought this movie was going to be released during the Spring Festival. Wasn't the Spring Festival a more suitable time for this movie?"
“It’s not going to happen.” Jia Long was also a little frustrated and annoyed. “The production company of this movie, Yan Nian Film and Television, made it very clear to me that they will reserve their publicity and distribution resources for the sequel to the box office champion of the year before last, ‘The Beatles’.”
"Is 'The Beatles' the action movie that Cheng Shiyan starred in?" Lu Yanhe knew about the movie; it raked in 4.2 billion yuan at the box office and was the highest-grossing film of the year.
Generally speaking, the Spring Festival film season can only accommodate six to seven films that can secure effective screenings. As the highest-grossing period of the year, this season is fiercely contested by major film companies, which means that a film company can usually only submit one of its main films for this season, and it is rare for a company to submit two films at the same time.
From an objective standpoint, Lu Yanhe could understand why Yan Nian Films chose to release the sequel to "The Beatles" during the Spring Festival instead of "Lost in Thailand".
He sighed, "Then we can only put it in the summer season. If we don't put it in this season, we'll have to move it back."
Jia Long sighed and said, "Yes, we agreed that this movie would be best released during the Spring Festival, and Yan Nian Films agreed readily. But now they've gone back on their word because of the sequel to 'The Beatles'."
Lu Yanhe knew that Jia Long must be very angry right now.
Speaking of which, Jia Long is also one of the most box office-capital movie stars in China today.
Yan Nian Films, however, did not hesitate to choose Cheng Shiyan's sequel to "The Beatles", clearly believing that "Lost in Thailand" could not compare with "The Beatles".
Of course, in reality, these two films are not even in the same league.
With a predecessor that grossed four billion, any film company would not hesitate to choose a sequel to this box office blockbuster.
Lu Yanhe and Jia Long could only accept their bad luck.
"Rouge won't be released during the summer, will it?" Jia Long suddenly asked Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "There is no release date yet, but 'Rouge' and 'Lost in Thailand' are completely different in style. Are you worried that these two movies will clash?"
"It's because you wrote the screenplays for both of these films, and your fans are exactly the kind of audience we all desperately need," Jia Long said helplessly. "Of course, we don't want to clash with each other; it's best to avoid it."
Lu Yanhe said, "I'll go and talk to Director Wang and try to avoid any collisions."
"Okay." After finishing the business, Jia Long asked, "When are you leaving?"
"This Saturday is the premiere of 'Rouge,' and I'm leaving the day after tomorrow," Lu Yanhe said. "I really can't make it to the screening of 'Lost in Thailand,' so I'm sorry."
Jia Long said, "You absolutely can't miss the domestic premiere."
"Yes, I definitely won't be absent," Lu Yanhe said.
After talking with Jia Long, Lu Yanhe hung up the phone.
He stretched, and suddenly heard Wang Biao exclaim in surprise.
"What's wrong?" Lu Yanhe asked.
Wang Biao said, "The movie 'Nineteen Years of Crime Records' just suddenly announced its release this Friday."
This news startled Lu Yanhe.
It's been a long time since we've heard anything about this movie. The questionable actions surrounding it infuriated Liu Jiazhen, who even wanted to revoke the authorization. Of course, that was impossible, so Liu Jiazhen had no choice but to give up. However, after that, Liu Jiazhen completely severed ties with the movie and never mentioned it again.
Even Ruyi Pictures didn't want to continue making this film for a while.
Lu Yanhe didn't expect it to suddenly appear out of nowhere.
Generally speaking, a movie will always leave some time for promotion.
In this era, if a movie doesn't do proper promotion, it will die faster than anyone else.
The film version of "Nineteen Years of Crime Records" stars Chen Jiping and Chen Ziliang.
Both are very famous actors. A movie like this was destined not to be released quietly. They immediately shared the movie's release announcement and the trailer.
Lu Yanhe also watched the trailer as soon as it was released. To be honest, the trailer was quite appealing.
Chen Jiping's acting was also excellent; several scenes were truly stunning.
Chen Ziliang also had some very good scenes. It's clear that his acting was carefully honed.
However, knowing beforehand that the film had been a flop, Lu Yanhe could almost imagine how the audience would criticize it after leaving the theater.
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With the film's release date set, Liu Jiazhen, the original author, has remained completely silent.
Many people, unaware of the situation, assumed that Liu Jiazhen was unaware of the movie's release and went to his comment section to remind him.
Many readers in Liujia Town, in particular, are eagerly anticipating the film adaptation.
Almost every reader in Liujia Town knows that he rose to fame with his book, "Nineteen Years of Criminal Records." A prime example of instant fame. Now, the book has been successfully adapted into a movie, which is about to be released, and naturally, many people are looking forward to it.
Liu Jiazhen originally wanted to say that "the film adaptation has changed drastically and is a complete mess," but his agreement with Ruyi Pictures stipulated that he could not make any negative comments about the film adaptation. Liu Jiazhen could only endure it, feeling very unhappy but helpless.
Lu Yanhe comforted him over the phone, saying, "The rights to the series have already been transferred to us. Li Zhibai is already looking for a screenwriter to adapt it. Let's not worry about the movie anymore, let's focus on making the series."
"Yan He, thank you."
Liu Jiazhen knew that Lu Yanhe didn't actually need to help him buy back the rights to the storyline. When Ruyi Pictures bought the film and television rights, Liu Jiazhen had already received the copyright fee.
He wasn't cheated or scammed. After talking with his colleagues, he realized his experience wasn't unique. Most of them had gone through similar situations. And faced with such things, there wasn't much they could do but consider it a loss, like stepping in poop on the street—just bad luck.
However, despite this, Lu Yanhe kept his word and actually helped him buy back the TV series rights to "Nineteen Years of Crime Records".
Lu Yanhe smiled and said, "However, even if we buy it back, we may not be able to make the show well. Good intentions don't always lead to good results, so don't have too high expectations of us."
Liu Jiazhen laughed.
“I’m already very grateful that you’re willing to give this story a second chance,” he said. “I can almost imagine that my book will be greatly affected after the movie is released.”
"Have you seen the final cut of the movie?" Lu Yanhe asked.
"They wanted me to come and take a look, and they contacted me, but I didn't reply to them," Liu Jiazhen said, somewhat defiantly. "I don't want to work with Ruyi Pictures anymore."
Lu Yanhe: "Okay."
To Lu Yanhe's surprise, Ruyi Pictures actually contacted him, wanting him to help promote the movie.
"It was because of your recommendation that so many people came to know and appreciate this original novel."
Generally speaking, forwarding the message, helping with promotion, or simply saying hello will usually be enough to get help.
However, Lu Yanhe refused this time.
"I'm sorry, I'm friends with Mr. Liu Jiazhen. He's not satisfied with this film adaptation collaboration, so I won't be reposting it this time."
The other party seemed to have not expected that Lu Yanhe would refuse so bluntly.
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Lu Yanhe refused their offer, packed his bags, and set off for the Jose Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe has also attended many film festivals.
However, the Jose Film Festival was the most lively and busiest film festival Lu Yanhe had ever seen.
In Jose, movie posters are displayed in almost every corner of the city, featuring stars from classic films, currently popular movie stars, and others.
Lu Yanhe even saw posters for "Late Spring" and "Three Mountains".
Jiang Zixin from the Northern Lights video team came to pick him up.
Aurora Video also invested in the film "Rouge".
Zheng Huai-ren brought Jiang Zi-xin with him.
They came here with two purposes: firstly, to see if they could find buyers for the vast library of online movies on Aurora Video; and secondly, to see if there were any good movies that they could buy the broadcasting rights for in mainland China and exclusively stream on Aurora Video.
They arrived four or five days early.
Jiang Zixin was in high spirits. At first, Lu Yanhe didn't know why, but soon after getting in the car, Jiang Zixin told him herself.
“Five of our self-produced films have been targeted by foreign film companies, who have purchased the overseas distribution rights,” Jiang Zixin said. “It was a completely unexpected surprise.”
In China, online films are generally perceived as poorly made and of low quality. This impression is indeed largely due to their generally low overall quality. However, in recent years, several cleverly crafted online films have emerged.
Aurora Video has consistently invested in producing its own original online films. The investments are relatively small; many online films have production costs of only a few million yuan, some even as low as a few hundred thousand. Due to limited funds, the production quality of many films is indeed not very high. However, even so, talented filmmakers still manage to stand out from these films. Several of Aurora Video's signed directors were discovered through online films and later became directors of their original series. Some directors have even established their own studios, signed contracts with Aurora, and produced one film after another.
These online films often only have one revenue stream: video-on-demand. The current box office ceiling for online films is around 50 million yuan. This means that many online films struggle to achieve profitability. Jiang Zixin was excited because this trip revealed that overseas, there are actually people willing to pay for the rights to these online films. This means that many online films can actually further monetize through this channel.
Lu Yanhe remembered Chen Siqi's "accumulation plan".
It's unclear how many people will sign up once this "energy building plan" is launched.
Jiang Zixin told Lu Yanhe, "The market for 'Rouge' is also very good. Since we came here, more than a dozen film distributors have inquired about it. Everyone is very interested in this movie."
Lu Yanhe said, "Director Wang Zhong still has influence in the international film industry, and his films have always had stable distributors in various regions. Most of the film companies that came to inquire this time are probably old friends of Director Wang who have worked with him for a long time."
Jiang Zixin shook her head and said, "The director said that he had never worked with most of them before, and he was also surprised that so many film companies were inquiring about their prices."
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised at this point.
Logically speaking, director Wang Zhong's films have a fixed audience and are not commercial films, so why would so many film companies suddenly be interested in them? A Best Director award at the Xituer Film Festival shouldn't have made him so commercially sought after all this time.
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When Lu Yanhe got out of the car, there were many media reporters at the hotel entrance, including many Chinese reporters.
The sound of camera shutters rang out instantly, one after another.
Many people called his name. Many foreign journalists also clearly recognized him, calling his name in broken Chinese.
What Lu Yanhe didn't expect was that some foreign fans were holding posters of him or his movies and wanted to ask him for autographs.
Lu Yanhe quickly signed a few autographs for them to express his gratitude, then waved to the photographers who were filming him before entering the hotel.
Throughout the entire process, Jiang Zixin stood aside, watching this scene with some surprise.
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Jiang Zixin doesn't have many opportunities to attend film festivals overseas, but she has been a few times.
Every time I come here with a different film crew, no matter how popular an actor is in China, once they're overseas, they're basically just an ordinary entertainer. Many celebrities who promote themselves as international stars in China and have high popularity overseas are actually not recognized by many people.
Jiang Zixin had never seen Lu Yanhe promote his popularity overseas. She had only heard that "Friends" and "The Seventeenth Floor" were quite popular on Maxine, and that "Three Mountains" and "Late Spring" received good feedback at film festivals. But Jiang Zixin never imagined that so many people would recognize Lu Yanhe at the Jose Film Festival.
The media reporters from various countries certainly weren't planted—Jiang Zixin knew that some celebrities would hire planted people to create hype. They were people who frequently traveled the world to film festivals; besides the four major international film festivals, there were other film festivals all over the world. These media reporters were actually the ones who understood the changes in the world film industry best.
Jiang Zixin was quite surprised.
She also had some doubts in her mind: why had she never seen Lu Yanhe and his team promote his popularity and influence overseas when he was in China?
If it were any other celebrity, press releases would have been flying everywhere by now.
However, given Lu Yanhe's current momentum in China, there's absolutely no need for him to promote this anymore. He's already unrivaled in his age group.
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Lu Yanhe rested in his room for a while, and then Lin Yu came over.
She knocked on the door and said to Lu Yanhe, "Yanhe, shall we set off in half an hour?"
Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I can change my clothes. Should we go ahead?"
Lin Yu said, "Half an hour is enough to leave. It's still early. You just arrived at the hotel, so take a rest."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
Linyu then gave him a bound A4 sheet of paper.
"Take a look at Evan Gardy's file first."
Lu Yanhe took it from him and said, "Okay."
Evan Galdy is the executive editor of Jose Cinema and a highly influential critic in the film industry. Lin Yu got to know Evan Galdy through Tom Wayne, a film critic for Variety, and then they made contact.
When Lu Yanhe came over this time, Lin Yu took the initiative to suggest to Evan Gardy that she wanted to visit the Jose Film magazine office.
Evan Galdy readily agreed.
Jose Cinema is one of the most influential film media outlets in the world.
Its annual selection of the top ten films is always highly prestigious. While not all films nominated will be released in theaters in various countries, they are guaranteed to be targeted by distributors worldwide, ensuring strong sales. Online screenings and DVD sales will both see a surge.
It can be said that this is someone who truly has a substantial influence on the film industry.
Lu Yanhe hadn't expected that Lin Yu would be able to know such a person and even act as a matchmaker, allowing him to meet him as well.
Lin Yu said, "I translated two of my film reviews into English and showed them to him. He published one of them in the January issue of this year and the other on the official website of Jose Films. He also told me that he is actually very interested in Chinese-language films and that I can send them any good reviews I have."
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized.
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Contrary to Lu Yanhe's expectations, the Jose Film magazine office was not located in a high-end, modern office building, but in a detached, three-story house.
Perhaps because the film festival is in progress, many film fans have come to take photos in front of the Jose Film magazine office.
The security guard stood watch at the entrance, preventing unauthorized personnel from entering.
When Lu Yanhe and Lin Yu arrived at the door, a woman with long brown hair waved to them.
They were people who came specifically to pick them up.
Among the fans gathered at the entrance, some recognized Lu Yanhe and excitedly called out to him.
Lu Yanhe smiled and greeted the person who called out his name.
The person who came to pick them up gave him a rather surprised look.
Once inside, I discovered that the small house also had a courtyard, designed like a garden. Some people were sitting in chairs reading books, while others were typing on notebooks; they were probably all people working for Jose Film magazine.
"It's so beautiful here," Lin Yu said with a smile to the people who came to pick them up. "Working here must be a real treat."
The other person immediately replied, "Believe me, darling, although I love my job, when I'm about to go crazy, even the best environment can't stop me from wanting to go crazy."
Lu Yanhe and Lin Yu both laughed upon hearing this.
Evan Gardy came downstairs to greet them personally.
"Hi, Lin, Yanhe~" Evan Gardy gave them both a warm hug. "I've been waiting for you. You've finally arrived. Are you getting used to the weather here? Is it hotter than in China right now?"
Lin Yu nodded and said with a smile, "It is indeed a bit hot. We were sweating profusely as soon as we got off the plane, and the first thing we did was go back to the hotel to change our clothes."
She introduced Yan He to Evan Gardy, saying, "Yan He just got off the plane, went back to the hotel to change his clothes, and then we came here. I've been reading Jose Cinema magazine for a long time, and today I finally have the opportunity to come here and see how this legendary magazine is made. I'm so excited."
Evan Gardy smiled broadly as he looked at Lu Yanhe.
“I’m glad you could come and visit,” Evan Gardy said. “I know that Yan He is now one of the most influential actors in China, and also the founder of Jump Magazine.”
Lin Yu nodded and said yes.
Lu Yanhe told Evan Gardy, "I also often read the magazine 'Jose Film.' Although our magazine 'Jump Up' is an arts and literature magazine, not a journal that specializes in film-related content, we do have sections on related content, which many readers pay attention to. Lin Yu often sends me some well-written film reviews. As an actor and a screenwriter, good film reviews can indeed bring me a lot of inspiration."
Evan Galdy laughed and said, "I thought you filmmakers didn't like us critics."
“No, personally, I just dislike film critics who write reviews based on personal biases and personal grudges rather than aesthetic appreciation of film,” Lu Yanhe said. “In fact, many creators I know, including Wang Zhong, the director of ‘Three Mountains,’ and Liu Bige, the director of ‘Late Spring,’ have the habit of reading film reviews, not only their own but also those of others. I also feel that good reviews look at a film from another perspective and dimension. This not only helps us examine our own creations from the perspective of others but can also give us new insights and stimulate our creative process.”
Evan Galdy's smile grew warmer.
He said, "I saw a news report saying that you have a movie that you will write, direct, and star in?"
“Yes, we plan to film in two phases, summer and winter.” Lu Yanhe said to Evan, who then led them inside until they reached the door of his office.
Since he was visiting voluntarily, Lu Yanhe didn't bring Wang Biao, only Zou Dong. Zou Dong didn't go into the office, but stood at the door. Many people looked at him with curiosity and doubt, probably wanting to know who their executive editor's guest was today.
Zou Dong stood expressionless at the door. Just then, someone came over and invited him to sit on the guest sofa next door for a while. The person spoke in English, which Zou Dong didn't quite understand. But the person gestured with their hand, pointing to the sofa in the guest area, and he understood what they meant.
This is the work area; you can see the editor-in-chief's office from the sofa in the meeting room.
He felt it was strange for others to see him standing there, so he readily agreed and sat down.
Just then, a black-haired girl came over.
"Hi, you're Chinese, right?" The girl has an Asian appearance.
Zou Dong nodded and asked, "Are you Chinese?"
“Oh, no, I’m Korean,” the girl said. “But I studied in China, so I speak Chinese.”
Zou Dong: "Hello."
"Are you someone working for Lu Yanhe?" the girl asked.
“Yes, he is my boss.” Zou Dong nodded.
“I’m currently interning at Jose Films magazine,” the girl said with a smile. “I was quite surprised to see you come in; I didn’t expect to run into you here.”
Zou Dong nodded, looking at her with some confusion.
He didn't quite understand why the girl was telling him these things.
The girl smiled slightly at him and said, "I'm really lonely here as an Asian. Are you free tonight? We could go out for a drink together?"
Zou Dong was somewhat taken aback, then suddenly realized what was happening.
This girl was actually asking him out?
Since his divorce, Zou Dong has never considered starting a new relationship. Perhaps due to his personality, he has generally remained aloof and taciturn. Although some women have subtly expressed their feelings for him, none have ever taken the initiative to ask him out like the girl in front of him.
The girl in front of me really does look like a recent college graduate. Although she has put on a very professional and business-like makeup, the naivety of someone fresh out of college can't be hidden by any amount of mature makeup.
Zou Dong said, "I'm sorry, I have work that doesn't allow me to come out alone."
He rejected her.
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"Both of the films you wrote will be screened at the Jose Film Festival this time. It's remarkable that you've achieved such success as a screenwriter for the first time."
El Gardi said to Lu Yanhe, "Moreover, I heard that 'Rouge' was filmed very well."
"Oh?" Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
El Gardi said, "I met with Wu Yang, the artistic director of the Jose Film Festival, a couple of days ago. I asked him if there was any film in the main competition that was particularly noteworthy. He told me that 'Rouge' from China would definitely be a film that receives a lot of attention and discussion."
Lu Yanhe suddenly realized, and was somewhat surprised, "I didn't know he had such a high opinion of our film."
Evan Galdy said, "However, we are all puzzled as to why you wrote the script yourself but don't act in it."
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "There are various considerations, but the main reason is that I don't think I'm suitable to play that role."
Evan Gardy said, "Few actors will proactively realize that they are not suitable for certain roles, especially someone like you who was labeled a genius at a very young age."
Lu Yanhe: "Because I know I'm not a real genius."
“You’re being too modest,” Evan Galdy chuckled. “It’s a pity you’re only staying for two days; you’re leaving the day after tomorrow.”
Lu Yanhe: "I still have some things to do when I get back. I hope that next time I come, I will have more time so that I can watch more movies at the film festival."
Evan Gardy nodded.
Before leaving, they took a group photo together on the small balcony outside Evan Gardy's office.
Evan Galdy said, "I'm looking forward to the premiere of 'Rouge' tomorrow, and I'll be there to watch the movie."
Lu Yanhe: "Then we look forward to your arrival."
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This visit is truly just a simple visit.
Of course, the content of this visit was relatively simple, but the purpose was not.
Lu Yanhe and Lin Yu are coming to establish contact, and then gradually strengthen communication and exchange later.
In the film industry, anyone with even a slight understanding knows how important the voices of critics are. Is box office performance important? Absolutely. No film company would consider awards more important than box office success. However, for any filmmaker, if you extend their career over ten or twenty years, especially when determining whether an actor has reached the top, it's definitely not measured by box office numbers.
Without judging right or wrong, let's look at the objective facts. How many of the legendary movie stars in film history built their fame solely on box office success? Their place in film history is precisely due to the voices and evaluations of others, especially those from critical circles.
Therefore, if Lu Yanhe wants to follow the path of a legendary filmmaker, he cannot avoid dealing with people in the film criticism circle, and even needs to cultivate good relationships with them.
Lu Yanhe was personally escorted to the door by Evan Gardy.
This scene was also witnessed by many film fans who were taking photos in front of the Jose Film magazine office.
For those seasoned movie fans, they may not know Lu Yanhe, but they definitely know Evan Galdy. Therefore, this scene really surprised them, and they were curious about who this person personally escorted out by Evan Galdy was.
Those who knew Lu Yanhe were also excited at this moment.
Look, Lu Yanhe was personally escorted to the door by Evan Gardy!
Chen Ziyan did not do any marketing or promotion, but this photo went viral in the domestic film industry.
Last time, Lu Yanhe used his personal connections to invite Tom White, the head of HP's Asia-Pacific region, to China. Maxine also specially arranged two fan meetings for him in South Korea and Japan, showcasing Lu Yanhe's connections and influence overseas. This time, Lu Yanhe was even photographed having such a good personal relationship with the executive editor of "Jose Film" magazine. When he went to Jose, he not only visited the "Jose Film" magazine office but was also personally received by Evan Gardy.
Not to mention the online forum with top international film critics that "Jump Up" held to refute Japanese film critic Nagayama Kazuzo.
Many people have a question in their minds: Where did Lu Yanhe get to know these important figures?
Even if Lu Yanhe is very popular in China, it's impossible for so many people to want to befriend him, right?
There are filmmakers in China who have won international awards before, and there are also filmmakers who have made a name for themselves in Europe and America for a period of time. However, even they do not seem to have the ability to make friends and interact with so many people like Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe saw that a topic about him was trending on social media: How did Lu Yanhe build his network of connections?
He smiled.
His network of connections wasn't built solely by himself.
Lin Yu quietly made friends with a large group of people in the film criticism circle and became a member of their circle. At the same time, because she was backed by "Jump Up" and Lu Yanhe, people not only recognized her as a person, but were also willing to give her more face on that basis, which created the current illusion that "Lu Yanhe's network of connections is terrifying".
Well, Lu Yanhe's assessment of his trending topic was that it was all an illusion.
What personal relationship? We've only just met today.
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But nobody else cares.
After Lu Yanhe returned to the hotel, he met up with Jiang Zixin and the others and had dinner together.
The way Jiang Zixin and Zheng Huai Ren looked at Lu Yanhe changed.
In China, they may not be all-powerful, but at least they can have a say whenever they want. But abroad, nobody cares who you are.
In this environment where their true colors are revealed, Lu Yanhe is actually "refining his image," making it impossible for them not to change their mindset when facing Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe and his colleagues had dinner with the cast and crew of "Rouge".
Shang Yongzhou, who serves as this year's image ambassador, also attended the event.
The atmosphere was quite lively at one point.
When other diners at the restaurant saw so many of them, especially Lu Yanhe and his group, they cheered with delight.
Especially Shang Yongzhou.
His appearance at the Jose Film Festival this time made him a familiar face to almost everyone attending the festival.
As the ambassador, his image and the posters for this film festival were displayed in every corner of the city, and he also frequently appeared in official reports.
The people in the restaurant overheard others saying things like, "He's Wang Zhong, the director of the movie 'Three Mountains'," or "He's Shang Yongzhou, didn't you know? He's the ambassador for this year's Jose Film Festival," or "Chen Bige! I love her 'Xinqi Pirates' series!" or "Isn't that Lu Yanhe?"...
In no time, many people came up to them wanting to take photos with them or get their autographs.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised.
"Oh, do you really know me?" Lu Yanhe couldn't help but ask the foreigner who came to ask him for a photo, looking at the phone that the foreigner had already raised.
The person said, "Of course I know you! I'm a huge fan of yours. I absolutely love Friends! I've watched it three times!"
Lu Yanhe was shocked.
Such conversations, and similar declarations of love like "I really like your XXX," also appeared with Wang Zhong.
Zheng Huai-ren immediately took out his phone and filmed the scene, creating a video that lasted about thirty seconds.
Jiang Zixin said, "I really didn't expect that when our 'Rouge' cast had a get-together here, we would meet so many international fans. Seriously, every day back home I see people bragging about being international superstars and having international influence. What is real influence? Just look at this scene."
Zheng Huai-ren smiled knowingly and then sent the video he had taken to his colleagues at the company.
An hour later, thanks to the Northern Lights, the video became one of the top three trending topics.
The trending search term is: "The cast and crew of 'Rouge' received enthusiastic support from foreign film fans at the Jose Film Festival."
Click on it, and you'll see this video.
The video was posted by an ordinary account. The poster claimed to be a film fan who came to the Jose Film Festival to watch a movie. He was having dinner with friends at a restaurant that night when he unexpectedly encountered this scene. Then, Zheng Huai-ren took the video.
Jiang Zixin's words were also recorded and transcribed into text, then released as subtitles.
Just as Zheng Huai-ren had predicted, such videos always tend to attract attention and generate heated discussions on online platforms.
Every country and every nation fervently desires to see its people, events, and things recognized and admired abroad. This is the most basic human emotion. Given the current weakness of Chinese-language films and television, it is certainly inspiring to see a few individuals recognized by so many international film fans at a film festival, requesting photos and autographs.
Zheng Huai-ren accurately targeted this psychology of the public, which led to a large-scale publicity and promotion of "Rouge".
This also creates the impression in everyone's mind that this is a film crew composed of top domestic filmmakers, and that this is a film representing China that is sought after at overseas film festivals—in reality, this has nothing to do with the film "Rouge" at all, as the film has not even been released in Jose.
But if you want to advertise, who cares about all that?
The data for "Rouge" has soared across various platforms.
But at this moment, an untimely voice suddenly emerged: Huang Kairen is standing to the side, and no one knows who he is. Doesn't he feel embarrassed?
These kinds of comments, which are clearly made intentionally to criticize, still get a lot of attention and are liked and commented on by many people.
Some people even said: Isn't it normal that he's a TV actor and not recognized by overseas audiences? From the beginning, I felt that he shouldn't have appeared in the cast of "Rouge". I still don't understand why Lu Yanhe didn't play the role himself.
This comment actually received a lot of likes.
Huang Kairen's fans were naturally outraged, and some were filled with righteous indignation:
—Are you kidding me? This is the one Lu Yanhe himself refused to act, so he asked Huang Kairen to act. It's not like Huang Kairen begged to act. We said from the beginning that there was a problem with this character, and we didn't even want Huang Kairen to act!
Are TV actors really that low-class? Are movie actors that superior? Then why does Lu Yanhe even need to act in TV dramas? Let him just do movies!
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I had perfect attendance this month, updating a total of over 300,000 words, averaging 10,000 words per day. As a working professional, I can only say that I did my best to maintain this update frequency.
June is over, and July is just around the corner.
Please continue to support me next month.
I'll keep writing, and everyone, please vote with your monthly tickets!
(End of this chapter)
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