Chapter 649 We can't favor one over the other
"The Lingyun Awards have made significant reforms in the past two years, and it's clear that a group of people who want to get things done are running this award. In recent years, all the films nominated for the film awards have been re-released in theaters. Based on the past three or four years, the combined box office revenue of all the nominated films during this window period can reach several hundred million."
Chen Ziyan expressed her feelings and agreement with the Lingyun Award's performance over the past few years.
Among the three major film awards in the country, Lu Yanhe has participated most in the Lingyun Awards.
“They are really perceptive and have seen the changes in the TV series market,” Chen Ziyan said. “Actually, everyone says that the domestic film industry has changed a lot in recent years, but in reality, it’s the market that has grown, the audience that has grown, and people have more money and are willing to go to the cinema to watch movies. If we’re talking about changes in content such as subject matter, filming techniques, and quality, I personally think that TV series have changed far more than movies. To some extent, TV series are on the rise, while movies, apart from production techniques, seem to be on the decline in other aspects.”
Lu Yanhe and Chen Ziyan actually share the same feelings.
"However, the traditional three major TV drama awards have not kept up with this change. I'm not saying that their award results are wrong, but the award recipients and results sometimes reflect the trend of the entire industry."
Chen Ziyan continued, "Look at the award results of the three major awards. I am actually quite pessimistic. Every year, the focus is on whether there is any behind-the-scenes manipulation, rather than whether the results reflect the most commendable results in the industry."
Lu Yanhe was taken aback.
"What's the meaning?"
“Take Friends for example. It’s the most popular TV series in China in recent years, and it has always been in the top spot. There’s no doubt about that, right?” Chen Ziyan said. “I’m not saying this because you made the show, but because such a show has such an influence on the industry and such a great market response. From the first season to now, it’s already in its fifth season, but it has never won any awards in the three major awards.”
Lu Yanhe hesitated for a moment.
"But... sitcoms have never been favored by mainstream awards."
“This is a paradox in itself,” Chen Ziyan said. “First, whose mainstream is it? Is it the mainstream of government departments, the mainstream of the industry, or the mainstream of artistic value? The definition of mainstream has different scopes. Second, the award should be fair, but that doesn’t mean that the same yardstick is followed every year. Some people mistakenly believe that so-called fairness means that the standard is unchanging. The industry is constantly changing, and the market is constantly changing.”
“Sometimes, when it comes to an award, the concept comes first. They think that in recent years, it has been veteran actors who have won awards, so they should give some opportunities to young actors. However, none of the young actors who are given awards have a convincing performance, which results in a lot of criticism. Do you think they are deliberately being unfair? No, but they are just too self-righteous and trying to manipulate the public and market's preferences with their own concepts.”
Chen Ziyan said to Lu Yanhe, "Back when you won Best Actor for 'Road to Glory,' it was fortunate that you won it at the Galaxy Awards, which were presented last. Otherwise, there would have been controversy. The male actors that everyone felt deserved the award had already won the Lingyun Award and the Feihong Award. When you won it, there were far fewer doubts about you. After all, that was a big year for you, and the competition was too strong."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
That's true.
"This is a matter of public opinion," Chen Ziyan said. "In a big year for Best Actor, you see, Shang Yongzhou, who acted with you in 'Road to Glory,' didn't win. Was his performance worse than the three actors who won that year? Of course not, right? He was even the most popular nominee at the beginning; he acted really well. When other actors who deserved the award emerged, everyone was quite tacit. At that point, Shang Yongzhou, who no longer needed the trophy as much, was temporarily deprived of it."
"As it turns out, the influence of the film 'Rouge' was far less than that of 'Rouge'. Zhou Yuning, who won the Lingyun Award for Best Actor, also relied on 'Nine Yin,' the most influential martial arts film in the past eight years," Chen Ziyan said. "In your year, the selection of the Best Actor award caused a huge discussion, but after the noise subsided, everyone thought it was the right choice and well-deserved."
“Then look at the acting awards in the last two years. How many of the films of those winners will truly become classics in Chinese film history? And how many people have actually seen those films?” Chen Ziyan curled her lips. “Simply pursuing art and absolute acting quality without considering the situation of the entire industry is also a process of self-destruction.”
Lu Yanhe seemed to be deep in thought.
What angered Lu Yanhe the most about this year's Golden Tripod Awards was not actually the "Friends" incident, but the fact that "The Summit," starring Yan Liang, did not even get him a nomination.
Fairness is a concept that requires self-deception to maintain a false balance, even when it is known to be a false proposition.
Yan Liang's performance in the TV drama field over the past few years is enough to make him a role model for all young actors in the industry.
The effort, hard work, and the quality of the final character portrayal all deserve recognition.
But inexplicably, the drama "The Summit" was overlooked.
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The news that the Lingyun Awards planned to hold a drama series award selection had become so widely known that it could no longer be kept secret and was slowly spreading within the industry.
However, for many in the industry, the sudden move by the Lingyun Awards is linked to the public opinion crisis that arose with the Golden Tripod Awards this year.
Many people speculate that the Lingyun Awards are trying to replace the Golden Tripod Awards in the field of drama awards.
This is not some amateurish award put together casually; it is the Lingyun Award, a prestigious film award in itself.
As the rumors circulated within the industry, they suddenly evolved into a signal that "the Golden Tripod Award is in danger."
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Huang Lian didn't know how many phone calls he received in a row.
The Lingyun Awards are set to become a drama series award, but their aim is clearly at the Golden Tripod Awards.
The negative public opinion, which had been gradually fading away, has made a comeback.
No one expected things to develop this way.
Huang Lian repeatedly assured people that the status of the Golden Tripod Award would not be shaken by the Lingyun Award.
However, verbal promises are not valid.
The Golden Tripod Award Executive Committee held an emergency meeting to discuss countermeasures.
Next year's Golden Tripod Awards must not be compromised; we cannot allow a repeat of this year's controversy.
We need to find a way to change public opinion and turn the tide.
"Invite Lu Yanhe to be a judge?" Huang Lian looked at the others in the conference room in shock. This was a direction he had never expected.
Some people say, "Only in this way can we bridge the gap between Lu Yanhe and our Golden Tripod Award in the public's eyes."
"He's only twenty-four years old," Huang Lian emphasized. "A twenty-four-year-old judge? In the history of the Golden Tripod Awards, there has never been such a young judge!"
"Has there ever been an actor at the Golden Tripod Awards whose reputation was almost ruined because of another actor?" Someone immediately retorted to Huang Lian, "His current achievements have completely exceeded the normal level of actors of his age. In fact, it can be said that most of the top actors in their thirties and forties in the industry have not achieved as much as he has."
“That’s going too far,” Huang Lian shook his head. “I don’t agree.”
“Then let’s vote,” someone immediately said. “The executive committee isn’t a board of directors’ decision-making process.”
Huang Lian's face turned extremely ugly.
What do you mean by this?
“I also disagree with the vote,” Gu Mo suddenly said.
His words caused everyone to look at him in shock.
The same applies to Huang Lian.
Gu Mo was Luo Yuzhong's student and had always supported Lu Yanhe. No one expected that he would oppose Lu Yanhe at this time.
"Gu Mo, do you also think Lu Yanhe is too young?"
“That’s not why,” Gu Mo shrugged. “It’s just that I can say very clearly that even if we invited him to be a judge, he wouldn’t come.”
"He won't come?" Huang Lian laughed, a cold laugh.
Gu Mo: "Just recently, the main competition of the Situ International Film Festival invited him to serve as a jury member next year, but he declined. The Lingyun Award for Best Drama Series invited him to serve as the first chairman of the jury, but he declined twice. Now Chen Hengyi is still relentlessly trying to persuade him."
He turned to look at Huang Lian.
"Does Chairman Huang think that being a judge for the Golden Tripod Award is something that would be tempting for Lu Yanhe?"
After Gu Mo finished speaking, the conference room fell silent.
Huang Lian's expression changed repeatedly, his mouth opened and closed repeatedly, as if he wanted to speak but then stopped, and after a long while he didn't utter a single word.
Gu Mo spread his hands, "So, everyone should know why I opposed the vote, right? The premise of trying to mend the relationship with Lu Yanhe in this way is that what we offer is what Lu Yanhe wants. While you're all here nitpicking, others have already reached another level. What's the point of us struggling? With the current operating philosophy, even if we really manage to invite Lu Yanhe over and make the public think that the relationship between the Golden Tripod Awards and Lu Yanhe has eased, so what? Even when selecting judges, they still care so much about age and seniority, let alone the selection of awards. Let the Golden Tripod Awards slowly be eliminated."
"Gu Mo, don't be so extreme. Is it really appropriate to boost others' morale while diminishing our own?" someone said. "The Golden Tripod Award does have some problems, but everyone is still focused on solving them."
"What problem are you trying to solve?" Gu Mo suddenly asked.
For a moment, no one spoke.
Does anyone know what the problems are with the Golden Tripod Awards right now?
Still, no one spoke.
Gu Mo looked at Huang Lian and said, "Isn't the biggest problem with the Golden Tripod Awards the result that it has been impure from the very beginning? Who gets nominated and who doesn't? Who decides this? Who is influencing the list?"
The air was very quiet.
At that moment, everyone's expression changed.
"Huang Lian's revenge against Lu Yanhe is his problem, but who among you here, and the various factions behind you, can say your hands are completely clean?" Gu Mo sneered. "Inviting Lu Yanhe to be a judge for the Golden Tripod Award? I don't know who came up with this idea, but I want to ask you, have you considered that if you really invite Lu Yanhe to be a judge, who will be able to handle him? Or are you going to leave this award clean for a year?"
Huang Lian stared at Gu Mo in shock.
"Gu Mo, what nonsense are you talking about?" someone scolded.
Gu Mo asked, "What I'm saying shouldn't be hard to understand, right? Did I say something wrong?"
Huang Lian smiled.
"Gu Mo, did Director Luo tell you to say these things?"
"You're quite an interesting person. Is it that whatever you say or do isn't your own idea, but rather something instructed by others? So, in your eyes, everyone is just a puppet?"
Gu Mo's words pierced Huang Lian's heart with sharp force.
Huang Lian clenched his fists and looked at Gu Mo with a cold face.
"I'm just telling the truth, there's no need for everyone to be so tense and agitated." Gu Mo spread his hands. "These are just my own words, without anyone instructing or directing me. I genuinely have this doubt—in every previous award ceremony, there have always been a few less-than-clean actions. Let's be frank and open about this at the table. If Lu Yanhe comes, do you think he will accept such actions and a less-than-clean result?"
Gu Mo's words weren't exactly earth-shattering, but after he spoke, the conference room became so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
This is a very real problem.
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Although Lu Yanhe has not yet agreed to be the chairman of the jury for the first edition, invitations to the Lingyun Award (TV series category) have been sent out to many people in the industry.
In this invitation, Chen Hengyi explained in detail the rules of operation, voting mechanism, and original intention of establishing such an award.
This is the first time Chen Hengyi has publicly introduced the Lingyun Award (TV series category) to the film and television industry on a large scale.
What were just rumors before have now become the truth.
Since membership is by invitation only, whether or not someone has received an invitation has become a hot topic of conversation lately.
If you received it, it means you are recognized in this industry; if you didn't receive it, that's bad news.
Lu Yanhe, Li Zhibai, and Yan Liang all received invitations.
It's not surprising that the three of them received invitations.
In the field of TV dramas, the achievements of the three of them in recent years are obvious to all.
To Lu Yanhe's surprise, film directors Wang Zhong and Liu Bige did not receive invitations.
Wang Zhong said that Chen Hengyi called him specifically to explain.
This is a TV series award, and only industry professionals who have participated in TV series production and have a certain influence in the TV series field can receive an invitation to become members.
Upon hearing this news, Lu Yanhe realized even more deeply that Chen Hengyi truly wanted to do a good job of winning this award.
It's not difficult to gather a group of well-known and influential people to become members of this award association. For an industry leader like Chen Hengyi, almost everyone would give him face.
However, whether one truly understands the production of a TV series or has made contributions to the field—well, everything is interconnected.
The title of "Football King" selected by all football players and industry participants is definitely not the same as the title selected by top athletes from different sports. It's not to say the latter is inferior, but the former certainly enjoys higher industry recognition.
The same principle applies to industry awards and professionalism.
This made Lu Yanhe reconsider whether he should take on the role of chairman of the first judging committee.
“Of course I should go.” Li Zhibai felt there was no reason to hesitate. “You should go and show others what professionalism and quality are.”
Lu Yanhe: "My biggest psychological obstacle is that I don't think I'm capable enough. Can my judgment really select the person who deserves the award the most? What have I done to deserve this?"
Lu Yanhe wouldn't be this humble with others.
However, Lu Yanhe was still very direct with Li Zhibai and Yan Liang.
“You all know that I’ve always felt… in some ways, I was just lucky.”
"Then let me ask you, have you been in this industry for many years?" Li Zhi asked. "Even if it's not ten years, if you count from when you became an actor, it must have been at least six years, right?"
"About five and a half years?" Lu Yanhe said.
“Okay, it’s not a small amount, right?” Li Zhibai continued, “You’ve worked with so many people and met so many film crews, all of whom are the best creators in our industry. You could say you’ve worked with everyone, from big productions to small crews, from award-winning actors and actresses to newcomers. I’d say you’re very knowledgeable, you wouldn’t deny that, would you? At most, you could say that you’re still a bit green compared to those veterans, right?”
Lu Yanhe sighed noncommittally.
"Finally, do you have any selfish motives? Will you be fair? We've read so many scripts and watched so many movies and TV shows. When we talk about things in private, aren't we all quite eloquent? We can talk a lot of things logically."
Li Zhibai said, "Since it's time for you to step up, why don't you dare to step up? You say you're afraid you don't have the vision, but what's the reality? The more selfless you are, the more you want to choose the best outcome, the more afraid you are of this matter, and the more reverent you are in doing this matter well."
A cannon shot was fired from Li Zhibai's mouth and hit Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe felt for a moment that he was stunned, and then he understood.
Yan Liang: "Don't be afraid to take responsibility and bear the consequences. If you're afraid, what will Li Zhibai and I do when we receive similar invitations in the future?"
Yan Liang was never as talkative as Li Zhibai, but his words often hit Lu Yanhe's most critical weakness.
They all knew what words to use to provoke Lu Yanhe.
Lu Yanhe nodded.
He looked at the two people on the screen and asked, "How's filming going? Is Yan Liang almost done filming?"
These two are still in the "Chinese Paladin" production team.
Yan Liang nodded and said, "I'll be finishing filming in two weeks. I'm currently focusing on my scenes."
"So you won't have any rest and will have to go straight to filming 'Dragon Inn'?"
“Yes,” Yan Liang said. “Moreover, we’ll be filming in the desert, shooting on location every day.”
When Yan Liang said this, he didn't seem to feel tired at all; instead, he was excited, his eyes practically sparkling with excitement.
To film the movie "Dragon Inn," Liu Bige built a replica of the inn in the desert.
Liu Bige wanted to film entirely on location.
This is certainly very helpful for the actors' performances.
However, not every actor is willing to film on location. After all, just by reading the script for the movie "Dragon Inn," you can tell how harsh the filming environment would be if it were filmed on location.
Actors like Yan Liang, who love to use the most realistic environments to stimulate their reactions, are extremely rare.
You can pretend to be dedicated for a while, but you can't keep it up for long.
Lu Yanhe said, "After these few films, I feel that you can really become an action superstar in the future."
Although the drama "The Flowing Light" did not air as well as expected, Yan Liang's performance in it still received unanimous praise, especially his image as a war god and the large number of action scenes he performed himself, which satisfied the audience.
Then came "Chinese Paladin" and "Dragon Inn".
For these films and television series, Yan Liang started martial arts training more than a year in advance.
Although the moves he made were still just fancy moves, they didn't look "fancy" at all on camera.
Lu Yanhe began to seriously consider what kind of action drama script he should write for Yan Liang.
Tailor-made.
Having written so many main characters for Li Zhibai, Lu Yanhe has yet to write a proper main character for Yan Liang.
We're all friends, so we can't favor one over the other.
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I recommend the new fantasy adventure novel, *The Demon-Slaying Sword*.
(End of this chapter)
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