Chapter 486 I didn't win an award today, I'm really depressed (8,000 words update!)
After talking with Ning Zhiyuan and Zhou Yuning.
Chen Ziyan whispered in Lu Yanhe's ear, "After 'Nine Yin' became a box office hit, many film companies offered high prices to snatch his next film. But he is a very principled person and remembers the good things others have done for him. When he was making 'Nine Yin,' he was not well-regarded. Nobody believed that martial arts films could still sell at the box office, so it was very difficult for him to find investment. Later, his current film company took over and invested in the project, which allowed him to make 'Nine Yin.' Therefore, he rejected other film companies and continued to cooperate with Donglin."
"Donglin? I don't think I've ever heard of that film company."
“It’s a small company,” Chen Ziyan said. “They used to make low-budget films that you’ve basically never heard of.”
"Although 'Nine Yin' is a martial arts film, director Ning Zhiyuan is also a veteran director. Is it really that difficult for him to find investment?"
"Because the previous two films both lost money," Chen Ziyan said. "Martial arts films are indeed not doing well at the box office now. Before 'Nine Yin' came out, we hadn't had a martial arts film with high box office for many years."
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe also felt it was a pity.
What a pity.
Chen Ziyan suddenly squinted her eyes and said, "Don't tell me you also have a martial arts story in your head that you want to write?"
Lu Yanhe smiled and waved his hand.
"Not at the moment."
Yes, of course he does, but he has just too many projects right now, so he should take it easy and slow down.
Today's meeting with Chen Bige served as a reminder to Lu Yanhe.
Even if he filmed until he died, he could never film all those scripts by himself.
But if we work together, then he won't have to do it all by himself.
Just like Chen Bige spearheaded the production of "Rouge" and "Raise the Red Lantern".
Just like Jiang Yuqian now wants to make a book called "Telephone".
Just like Li Zhibai wrote "Nineteen Years of Crime Records".
Actually, could we train some "project managers"?
After the thought popped into Lu Yanhe's mind, Lu Yanhe himself laughed.
That sounds a bit far-fetched.
However, is there any way to make it happen?
After a round of pleasantries and social interactions, Lu Yanhe was finally able to sit down.
His seat was in the middle of the second row.
The actors sitting in the first row were only big names like Shang Yongzhou, Chen Bige, Chen Pinhe, and Ning Xiulian.
By that calculation, Lu Yanhe's position is quite good.
However, Chen Ziyan had previously wondered about it. She felt that with Lu Yanhe's current status, there was no way he wouldn't be able to sit in the front row. To put it bluntly, the Fei Hong Awards thought Lu Yanhe was too young; no matter how high his achievements were, his seniority was still too shallow, making it inappropriate for him to sit in the front row. So, they moved Lu Yanhe to the second row.
Lu Yanhe really wasn't sure if he could win Best Actor tonight.
He really wanted it.
Having acted in so many dramas and been held in such high esteem by everyone, it's truly embarrassing that I've never won a Best Actor award.
However, the competition this year is just too fierce.
Even if others don't mention it, there's still a Shang Yongzhou in my own drama.
Shang Yongzhou's disadvantage lies in the fact that he has already won two Fei Hong Awards for Best Actor, making it very difficult to win a third. However, his advantage is that he hasn't seriously acted in an art film for nearly five or six years, and his performance in "Road to Glory" has received unanimous acclaim.
As for Lu Yanhe, his strengths are obvious, but his weakness lies in the fact that his character in "Road to Glory" is not well-developed. Although his transformation from beginning to end makes the character portrayal quite profound, he is only the second main character in "Road to Glory".
If Lu Yanhe is nominated for Best Supporting Actor this year, then he is practically guaranteed to win the award.
The reason he wasn't nominated for Best Supporting Actor when the awards were announced was because he really didn't need any more supporting actors, and this role could be nominated for Best Actor.
Lu Yanhe silently calculated for a moment and felt that he probably really couldn't win the Best Actor award for this movie.
It's not a problem with his acting skills, it's a problem with the role he played.
Or should we just nominate the last two major awards for Best Supporting Actor?
I don't think I have a chance at Best Actor.
Lu Yanhe thought to himself silently.
Sitting next to him, Huang Kairen kept rubbing his hands on his knees.
Seeing this, Lu Yanhe came to his senses and asked, "Brother Kai Ren, why are you always rubbing your hands?"
Huang Kairen whispered in Lu Yanhe's ear, "I'm so nervous, my palms are sweating."
"..." Lu Yanhe was speechless for a moment.
It's understandable that Huang Kai-ren was nervous and uneasy, as this was his first time being nominated for Best Actor at one of the three major film awards.
In particular, his performance in "Rouge" was widely praised. Even though he didn't win the Best Actor award at the Jose Film Festival like Chen Bige, it doesn't mean his performance was inferior to Chen Bige's. It's fair to say that Huang Kairen was the most popular choice among the media. The media seemed to really like "Rouge," predicting Huang Kairen and Chen Bige as the best actor and actress, respectively.
Lu Yanhe said, "You can do it, Kai Ren. I think you'll definitely win one of this year's three major awards."
The Fei Hong Award is the first to be awarded, making it the most difficult to predict.
According to the rule that major awards should not be given to the same person in the same year, if the Fei Hong Award is given to Shang Yongzhou, then Shang Yongzhou will basically not be considered for the other two awards.
Unless this year's competition is really bad, like the year Lu Yanhe won Best Supporting Actor for "Three Mountains" when there were basically no competitors, then he would win two awards by himself.
Obviously, this is not the case this time.
Huang Kairen took a deep breath and said, "Don't try to cheer me up, I need to calm down right now."
Lu Yanhe said with a smile, "You should have asked Sister Zixing to come with you."
“Zixing has something to do tonight, otherwise she would have come with me,” Huang Kairen said.
"What's up, Sister Zixing, tonight?" Lu Yanhe asked, somewhat surprised.
"She wants to meet someone, and we hope to persuade that person to step down and take over my management duties."
"Huh?" Lu Yanhe asked, puzzled.
Whom does Huang Kairen have his eye on, and whom does he want to invite to take up a post?
The Best Supporting Actress award was announced at this time.
The award goes to Li Shiyi, who played the supporting role in the commercial action film "The Abyss".
A girl who was only in her early twenties.
This is her first time acting in a movie.
Upon hearing her name called, she was so excited that she burst into tears of joy.
Lu Yanhe turned his head and looked over. Li Shiyi was still a bit far away from him. The little girl was sitting in the fourth row on the right.
"Winning an award for your first acting role, how lucky!" He heard a soft sigh from behind him.
He glanced back.
Sitting behind him was Yu Mengling, the female lead of "Fusang," who had previously won the Lingyun Award for Best Actress for this film.
When Yu Mengling saw Lu Yanhe turn around and look at her, she suddenly realized that someone must have heard her unconscious remark.
She stuck out her tongue, looking embarrassed.
Lu Yanhe smiled kindly.
-
Lu Yanhe has two nominations tonight: Best Actor and Best Screenplay for "Rouge".
According to industry predictions, the chances of winning the Best Screenplay award are actually not as high as those for the Best Actor award.
The main reason is that "The Seventh Chapter of a Floating Life" is too strong. As soon as it was released, its text was hailed as the most literary script in Chinese-language films in the past decade.
How good is its script?
Its films are so mediocre that, apart from the Best Screenplay award, it received no nominations at this year's Fei Hong Awards.
However, no one can overlook the excellence of its script under these circumstances.
Lu Yanhe hadn't seen the movie yet, but since so many people were praising it, he was sure it must have something special about it.
He also plans to find some time to watch the movie properly.
When the winner was announced as "The Seventh Chapter of a Floating Life," the entire audience erupted in applause that was "no surprise" whatsoever.
Its screenwriter, a young man of only twenty-six, walked onto the stage wearing a pair of black-rimmed glasses.
His name is Zuo Feng. He graduated from the College of Arts at Yuming University with a bachelor's degree and then went to Beijing Art University to study screenwriting for a master's degree. After graduating with his master's degree, he entered the industry. In addition to working as an uncredited on-set screenwriter, he wrote scripts in his spare time and submitted them to a youth film fund pitching event. This is the film "The Seventh Chapter of a Floating Life". It was spotted by actor Liu Teli, who served as the producer and made the film.
After Zuo Feng went on stage, he was somewhat reserved and even seemed hesitant to look at the audience.
He walked to the microphone, accepted the trophy, and said somewhat embarrassedly, "I'm a little surprised. I thought Lu Yanhe would win this award. I really like the movie 'Rouge'."
Lu Yanhe was suddenly called out and laughed.
He knew there were definitely cameras filming him at that moment.
He quickly waved his hand.
Sure enough, the screen at the scene showed him waving his hand.
The director switched to him.
Zuo Feng said, "Thank you, Mr. Liu Teli, for giving my script the opportunity to be made into a movie. Perhaps I will have many more opportunities to make my scripts into movies in the future, but I know that the first one is always the most difficult. So, Mr. Liu, I will always remember you telling me that my script is very well written. You are the first person to encourage me."
Liu Teli was not present.
But Zuo Feng's grateful attitude was clearly appreciated by everyone present.
The applause was continuous.
"Like me, there are many young screenwriters who may be struggling to make ends meet and don't know when their scripts will be recognized and adapted into works. I hope that all the teachers here can pay more attention to the works of young screenwriters. Our works are not bad; they just lack an opportunity to be seen by you. Thank you."
The audience erupted in applause once again.
Lu Yanhe clapped his hands while looking at Zuo Feng.
From his position, he could clearly see the expression on Zuo Feng's face.
What Zuo Feng said made Lu Yanhe think deeply.
-
During the break in the awards ceremony, Lu Yanhe took the initiative to go to Zuo Feng.
"Hello, I am Lu Yanhe."
Zuo Feng raised his hand and adjusted his glasses. "Hello."
At first glance, Zuo Feng appeared expressionless, seemingly unconcerned about Lu Yanhe's visit, and even somewhat condescending and distant.
However, Lu Yanhe still noticed Zuo Feng's slightly trembling lips and his Adam's apple bobbing from time to time.
Lu Yanhe laughed, guessing that Zuo Feng must be very nervous.
Just like he used to be.
When meeting famous people, one tries to appear neither arrogant nor humble, but fails to control one's behavior well, resulting in such unsatisfactory deviations.
Lu Yanhe said, "Congratulations."
Zuo Feng said, "Actually, you should have won the award. Compared with 'Rouge,' 'The Seventh Chapter of a Floating Life' was not as popular."
Lu Yanhe: "Although I haven't seen your movie yet, almost every friend around me has told me that the script is excellent. So, I believe you deserve the award tonight. There's no need to be modest."
"No way?" Zuo Feng was surprised.
"It's true, so now that you've won the Fei Hong Award, don't belittle yourself," Lu Yanhe said with a smile. "If there's a chance in the future, let's collaborate. I'll act in the script you wrote, how about that?"
Zuo Feng immediately said, "If you're willing to act, of course that would be great."
Lu Yanhe and Zuo Feng exchanged contact information and became friends.
He continued, “Just now, you said on stage that there are many talented young screenwriters who are just waiting for an opportunity. If you encounter a screenwriter who needs an opportunity and has a mature script, they can contact me anytime. If I'm not suitable, I can also introduce them to someone else. I have many actors around me who are waiting for a good script. But as you know, in our industry, there may be an invisible barrier between us and a good script. For example, a script like ‘The Seventh Chapter of a Floating Life’ has never been in my hands or any of the actors around me's hands. Everyone says that if they got their hands on a script like that, they definitely wouldn't miss it.”
Zuo Feng looked surprised.
"Really?"
Lu Yanhe nodded, “There are many actors who don’t know how to choose scripts, but there are also many actors who have the ability and insight to read scripts. However, it seems that the more actors they are, the harder it is for them to find good scripts among a large number of scripts.”
Zuo Feng: "I thought not many people would like this script. When we were looking for actors, many actors were unwilling to take the role because the budget was very low."
“That can happen, but nothing is absolute,” Lu Yanhe said. “Sometimes it’s not that we reject a script, but that the team rejects it, and the actors don’t even get a chance to see it. But if the actors do see it, as long as the script is good, the salary and other things can be negotiated. So, if you have a good script or a good screenwriter in the future, and you need an opportunity, feel free to contact me.”
Zuo Feng smiled with delight and nodded.
He said thank you very forcefully.
Only then did he laugh.
-
Who do you think will win Best Actor today?
A dozen or so people were smoking in a lounge, so the lounge became a smoking room.
"Apart from Zhang Ding in 'You Who Go Against the Current,' everyone else has a chance."
"Indeed, this year is a big year for Best Actor and Best Actress, both are coming on strong," someone laughed.
"Shang Yongzhou should be eliminated first, right? He's already won Best Actor twice. It's impossible for him to win it again this year. If he does, he'll have won it three times. He's only in his thirties. If he breaks a record at this age, will he even be able to win it again in the future?"
"But besides that, is there any other reason not to give him the role?" someone immediately asked. "Compared to him, Lu Yanhe's character is much weaker. His character depth is nowhere near as great as Shang Yongzhou's. He should be the one eliminated first."
"Don't say that. Of the five nominees this year, tell me, from the judges' perspective, who is the one who most deserves a Best Actor award right now?"
"But the character he played was not the core protagonist of 'Road to Glory'. Although it is said to have two male leads, anyone can see that the protagonist of this movie is Shang Yongzhou."
"That doesn't diminish the brilliance of his performance, does it? He's even received numerous award nominations in the US."
“Those are all Best Supporting Actor awards. If he had applied for Best Supporting Actor, he would have swept the awards this year.”
"Maybe the judges didn't even consider either of them, but wanted to choose between Huang Kairen and Zhou Yuning. Huang Kairen's portrayal of Twelfth Master was excellent, and he completely nailed the role. As a popular star with a large following, he dared to persist in acting in this drama under the public opinion environment at the time, where no one was optimistic, and he gave a performance that made people look at him with admiration. He is fully worthy of the award for Best Actor."
"Zhou Yuning achieved success late in life, single-handedly carrying the martial arts film 'Nine Yin Manual' and bringing martial arts films back into the mainstream. Doesn't that have representative significance?"
"Sigh, actually, apart from Zhang Ding, all four of them have reasons to win awards. Being a judge this year is really tough."
"I feel that whoever I choose will be quite controversial."
"There's no way around it. In the past, it was already a big year if there were two people competing for the award. This year, there are four people competing for the award, and everyone has a reason to win."
"But one thing is almost certain: this year's three major awards will likely be won by three different people."
"Out of four people, three will be chosen. Who will be the unluckiest one?"
"Who knows?"
"Wouldn't any judge think that Lu Yanhe is aiming for the North American awards season, and that he might achieve something there, so they'd give the award to someone else?"
"It can't be that bad, can it?"
"If our three major domestic awards don't give Yan He a Best Actor award soon, it will become a scandal for the three major awards."
"Then what you're saying is going too far. Lu Yanhe has only played the lead role in one movie so far, 'The Road to Glory.' He already won Best Supporting Actor for 'Three Mountains,' so it's not like he hasn't received awards before."
"Are you kidding me? Lu Yanhe was nominated for Best Actor at three major awards last year for 'Late Spring,' but he ran into competition from Liu Teli and Chen Pinhe, as well as He Daren, who was a big upset. Didn't Lu Yanhe lose last year because he was too inexperienced? Actually, 'Late Spring' was a performance that could have won awards."
“Late Spring is an ensemble piece. No matter how good Lu Yanhe’s performance is, it still falls short compared to Chen Pinhe and Liu Teli.”
"You guys just can't stand seeing a young person win Best Actor."
...
The break wasn't very long, and the commercial break was only fifteen minutes long.
With only three minutes left before the ceremony was to continue, someone knocked on the door to remind them that they had to leave.
Everyone then stopped talking and gradually left the room.
The conversation that just took place in the small room was just a conversation.
Will anyone tell others? Will it have any impact on this circle? At this time, no one knows.
Anyway, in this industry, countless people chat and offer their opinions every day.
Perhaps Lu Yanhe will win Best Actor tonight, or perhaps someone else will.
Regardless of the outcome, there will be various controversies.
But one thing is clear to everyone.
Many in the industry believe that Lu Yanhe has reached the point where the three major awards must award him a Best Actor trophy.
Otherwise, if a top actor representing the industry cannot win an award that belongs to him, people will only question the authority of your award.
From "Three Mountains" to "Late Spring," from "Rouge" to "The Road to Glory," the films Lu Yanhe has participated in have shone brightly on the international stage for Chinese-language films in the past two years, a fact that everyone can see.
One of the actors, who had just been smoking in the small room, remarked to his companion, "Wow, it's hard to believe he's only twenty-one."
-
Lu Yanhe sat back down in his seat.
He let out a long sigh of relief.
Huang Kairen also clenched his fists.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh when he saw him like that.
The awards ceremony is drawing to a close, and we're about to receive the most prestigious awards.
Lu Yanhe put his hand on Huang Kairen's shoulder and said, "Brother Kairen, let's find a suitable project to cooperate on next time."
Huang Kairen's attention was at least slightly diverted by that sentence. Somewhat puzzled, he asked, "You've written a new script again?"
“A new script has been written, but there’s no suitable role for you.” Lu Yanhe smiled. “I mean, if a suitable role comes along, we can continue acting together.”
"Okay." Huang Kairen's eyes flashed with disappointment when he heard that there was no suitable script for him.
He asked, "Well... if you win this time, I might still feel a little jealous of you. Don't mind me then."
Lu Yanhe was completely dumbfounded.
Huang Kairen took a deep breath, "I really want to win this award so badly, I can't control my emotions."
Lu Yanhe laughed and said, "Okay, Kai Ren, if you win this award, you have to consider my feelings too, I'll be jealous of you."
"If I win this award, I'll make a movie for you without asking for a fee," Huang Kairen said. "Really, I can't think of any other way to thank you."
Lu Yanhe: "Now that you mention it, I suddenly feel that it would be great if you won the award."
Huang Kairen clenched his fists and took a deep breath.
"If it were you, and another competitor were sitting next to me, I wouldn't even want to talk to them right now."
Lu Yanhe laughed.
He was quite nervous at first, but seeing Huang Kairen like this actually diverted his attention a bit.
Finally, it was time to present the Best Actor award.
Lu Yanhe sensed that Huang Kairen had become tense.
Lu Yanhe himself was no better off.
The idea that he's reached a point where he no longer needs awards to prove himself... that's all bullshit.
Why shouldn't he need awards?
Lu Yanhe raised his right hand to cover his eyes.
Suddenly, Huang Kairen grabbed his left hand tightly, as if he were praying for something.
"Let me grab it for a bit, otherwise I'm going to have trouble breathing!" Huang Kairen said.
Those around them were all surprised to see what the two of them were doing.
—Do you two have to be so conspicuous with your bags?
The award presenter, Bao Zhenzhu, who had previously won the Fei Hong Award for Best Supporting Actress, opened the envelope and took out the winner's information.
The winner of this year's Fei Hong Award for Best Actor is—
"Huang Kairen, Rouge".
Before Lu Yanhe could even react, he was embraced by Huang Kairen, who was standing next to him, with an excited hug.
"Congratulations," Lu Yanhe said.
He was a little numb and didn't react in time.
Huang Kairen took a deep breath and said, "You'll definitely be the one to win the award next time."
Lu Yanhe laughed, patted Huang Kairen, and said, "Go up and receive your award quickly, don't bother comforting me."
Huang Kairen was in a state of extreme excitement and agitation.
Lu Yanhe watched him hug the people around him repeatedly before going on stage.
At that moment, he was genuinely...jealous.
Why wasn't it himself who went on stage?
Reason had already told him that it would be very difficult for him to win an award with "Road to Glory," but at this moment, if reason could work, then the emotions that make us human would be too useless.
Lu Yanhe took a long, deep breath.
Yu Mengling, who was sitting behind him, suddenly put a hand on his shoulder and patted him gently.
“There are still the Lingyun Award and the Galaxy Award to come, you still have a chance.” Yu Mengling leaned forward and whispered to Lu Yanhe, “Don’t be disappointed.”
Lu Yanhe politely thanked him.
At this time, people still encouraged him, and Lu Yanhe was very grateful.
He clapped and turned back to smile at Meng Ling.
Out of the corner of his eye, he saw many people looking at him, their eyes full of encouragement and support.
Lu Yanhe thanked them one by one with his eyes.
Huang Kairen has already gone on stage to receive the award. Holding the trophy, he stands in front of the microphone and takes a deep breath.
"I hope I don't look too disheveled right now," Huang Kairen said with a smile. "I'm just too excited."
He took two deep breaths before gripping the trophy tightly in his hand, his eyes reddening, and said, "I really want to say with great confidence that I have no qualms about winning this award, but the actors who were nominated with me this time are all so amazing. You all know how incredible they are without me having to say it."
Huang Kairen's remarks on stage surprised many people.
“I don’t even know how to face Yan He. If it weren’t for him, I would never, ever have acted in the movie ‘Rouge’. Then he might be the one receiving the award today.”
As soon as Huang Kairen finished speaking, the audience burst into laughter.
Lu Yanhe couldn't help but laugh.
“I turned down this movie and this role three times,” Huang Kairen said. “Then Yan He persuaded me to come back three times. He told me then that this would become the representative work of my acting career. At the time, I thought, of course you would say that in the script you wrote. I would be a fool to believe it. Now, holding my first Best Actor award, I just want to go back to that time and tell my past self, yeah, you really were a fool.”
Lu Yanhe gradually suppressed his disappointment and distress.
Huang Kairen's acceptance speech was a bit funny, which captivated him.
"Just before I went on stage, I told Yan He that if I won this award, I would help him make a movie without asking for a fee. I was just joking and trying to lighten the mood because we were both quite nervous backstage. Speaking of which, it's understandable that I'm nervous since it's my first time being nominated, but Yan He, you've been nominated so many times, why are you still nervous?"
Faced with Huang Kairen's teasing remark, Lu Yanhe resisted the urge to give the middle finger, and simply pouted, making a gesture that he himself was helpless about.
Huang Kairen took a deep breath, "But now I want to say this very seriously in front of everyone: if you want me to act in your next film, I don't want a single penny of salary. Anyway, I don't have an agent now, so no one can control me."
They've gone mad, they've gone mad.
Huang Kairen also won an award and was ecstatic.
Lu Yanhe shook his head and clicked his tongue.
Huang Kairen's acceptance speech ended almost entirely with his interaction with Lu Yanhe. After stepping off the stage, he suddenly realized and exclaimed in surprise, "Oh my god, I forgot to thank the director and Sister Bige!"
Bao Zhenzhu laughed and said, "It's okay, they won't mind. Anyone can tell from your expression that you're just overly excited."
Huang Kairen: "...Ah."
Five minutes later, Ning Xiulian won the Best Actress award.
Chen Bige clapped with remarkable nonchalance, showing no sign of disappointment.
On the contrary, Xu Yiren's disappointment was impossible to hide.
The Best Director award was given to Ning Zhiyuan, who has consistently dedicated himself to making martial arts films and has finally returned to the public eye with "Nine Yin Manual".
The Best Picture award was a major upset, going to the animated film "The Angry Raven," leaving everyone stunned.
Another Fei Hong Award has come to a close.
Lu Yanhe once again missed out on the award.
Lu Yanhe didn't attend the celebration party afterwards. Everyone thought he didn't need to care about these awards anymore, but he did. He was worried that he would be too disappointed and wouldn't be able to keep a straight face, so he simply didn't show up.
As he walked out of the venue and prepared to get into his car to go home, a large number of media reporters swarmed around him and asked him questions.
"You didn't win Best Actor this time, is there anything you'd like to say to your fans?"
"Neither 'Rouge' nor 'Road to Glory' won the Best Film award, which many netizens say is a huge upset. Do you think it's reasonable for 'The Angry Crow' to win the award?"
...
Lu Yanhe was not very interested, sighed, but still stopped.
"Dear brothers and sisters, I was already feeling down because I didn't win an award today, and you still asked me so many questions. I'm really annoyed."
-
A minimum of 6,000 words will be guaranteed, with an extra 2,000 words as bonus chapters.
Could you... let me add a little more, friends?
(End of this chapter)
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