Chapter 777 Is the creative threshold for sitcoms too high?
"The fact that three Chinese films were shortlisted for the main competition at the Picardo Film Festival this time shows that Chinese films are becoming more and more diverse. From Wang Zhong, Lu Yanhe, and Chen Bige to Wang Shuai, Liu Teli, and Xu Yiren, only when more and more Chinese filmmakers take different works to the international stage will people's stereotypes about Chinese films gradually change."
"The Chinese film market is so big, it can't always be just Lu Yanhe and Wang Zhong. The most surprising thing this time is Xu Yiren. Everyone thought she was just a pretty commercial film actress, but she starred in 'Portrait' for free and was nominated for the main competition of the Picardo Film Festival, one of the four major international film festivals, for the first time, leaving all the actresses of the same period behind."
"Box office and awards are the real and solid shields for an actor. Without these two things, no matter how high the popularity is, it is empty and doesn't count. Xu Yiren is not well regarded in the industry, especially among actresses. Many media outlets have also said that she is a 'female rival'. However, her achievements in recent years are obvious to all. Even Jiang Yuqian, in terms of actual achievements, cannot compare to Xu Yiren. Xu Yiren is a rare actress in recent years who has carried the box office."
...
Lu Yanhe saw an article published by a media outlet.
He was a little curious whether this was a press release that Xu Yiren had bought.
Or perhaps the author of this article is a fan of Xu Yiren.
However, to be fair, Xu Yiren's career has indeed progressed by leaps and bounds in recent years, as if he had been given a cheat code.
Even if they don't have the same "blooming outside the wall but fragrant inside" success as Jiang Yuqian, and don't receive recognition from mainstream awards, they still manage to produce a box office hit every year to prove their influence, which is quite impressive.
Apart from her, no other actress can consistently generate box office revenue for her films.
However, with Xu Yiren's career progressing so smoothly, Sister Yuqian is probably feeling a little uneasy.
Lu Yanhe remembered that Jiang Yuqian and Xu Yiren did not have a good relationship.
-
In reality, Jiang Yuqian wasn't in as bad a mood as many people imagined.
Filming for *Doomsday* has finished, *Red Eye* is about to begin, and the script for another romantic comedy film has already been sent to her.
The project of Parameter, the female protagonist.
After years of painstaking efforts in developing her overseas business, she has finally reaped the rewards.
For the first time, without Lu Yanhe's influence, she landed a leading role in a non-B-movie or low-budget Hollywood film.
The independent film she starred in with Lee Ji-baek was also shortlisted for the Picardo Film Festival, although it was not in the main competition section, it was still an official competition section.
If we're talking about the most popular Chinese actresses overseas right now, one is Chen Bige, and the other is Jiang Yuqian.
Even in terms of public recognition, Jiang Yuqian has the edge. Her frequent exposure over the past few years hasn't been for nothing.
Jiang Yuqian messaged Li Zhibai, asking: "Have you coordinated the schedule yet? You're not going to leave me to attend the Picardo Film Festival alone in the end, are you?"
Li Zhibai: Of course not, it's already being coordinated.
Li Zhibai: This time when you go to Picasso, you will meet Xu Yiren. Will you be able to control your temper then?
Jiang Yuqian: You don't understand women at all.
Li Zhibai: ? ? ? How did the topic suddenly shift to my lack of understanding of women?
Jiang Yuqian: Even if you've really fallen out, when you meet in public, "whoever publicly shows their displeasure first loses" remains an unchanging ironclad rule.
Li Zhibai: ...It took me two seconds to understand what you were saying.
Jiang Yuqian: I received a script for Parameter, a romantic comedy, and I'm playing the female lead.
Li Zhibai immediately asked: Are there any intimate scenes?
Jiang Yuqian: Judging from the script, there are no explicit scenes, and they will not film any restricted scenes. They still hope that this movie can be released in various markets around the world.
Li Zhibai: That's fine then.
Li Zhibai: We are not allowed to film intimate scenes that are too revealing.
Jiang Yuqian: I know, you've said it many times. You're not old, but you're quite possessive.
Li Zhibai: Yes, that's right.
Justified and confident.
Jiang Yuqian: I understand, I understand.
-
“We’re planning to take ‘There’s a Strange Woman in the Building’ to the Picardo Film Festival to find buyers,” Chen Yin told Lu Yanhe during a video conference with Linghe’s senior management. “This film stars Jiang Yue, and her film ‘Hesitant View of Life,’ which she co-starred in with Yu Mengling, was shortlisted for the main competition. Jiang Yue will also be there.”
Lu Yanhe agreed, adding, "In the future, we can submit our films to the four major international film festivals. While it might be difficult for these new directors to directly enter the main competition, other sections are fine too. If a film can be screened at these festivals, the buzz and exposure will be much greater than having a premiere in China. Most importantly, I don't know if you've noticed, but in China, film promotion seems to be increasingly less effective at captivating audiences. On the contrary, films that are nominated for film festivals and receive good reviews at those festivals are more likely to attract viewers."
Chen Yin nodded and said, "We've also noticed that last year and this year, several low-budget art films that received good reviews at international film festivals have actually grossed tens of millions of yuan at the box office when they were released in China, making quite a bit of money."
Lu Yanhe: "Yes, domestic film promotion is somewhat ineffective now. Essentially, people no longer trust the 'good' presented in the promotion and think it's all fake. On the other hand, people still have a little more trust in the positive reviews gathered by overseas media and film critics at international film festivals and think it's worth watching."
This is actually an industry-wide failure.
The Chinese film industry has made audiences "lose interest".
There are many reasons behind this, of course, but what Lu Yanhe finds most alarming is that some truly good films, despite high praise and genuinely high quality, have very low new audience acquisition rates after their release. This is because audiences don't perceive the "goodness" as stemming from quality, but rather from the entire film industry's "hybridization and favoritism."
How to attract audiences back to cinemas and convince them that there are good movies is the real challenge and a long way to go.
Movies are never a necessity, but good content is.
-
Lu Yanhe originally did not plan to go to the BiCarlo Film Festival.
Because he didn't have any works nominated for any category this year, and he was quite busy himself.
Even if Linghe was going there to sell films, Lu Yanhe didn't think he needed to go and endorse her.
However, several brands he endorses hope that he can attend the BiCarlo Film Festival.
For these brands, Lu Yanhe's presence brings far more exposure than other celebrity collaborations.
Every year, the film festival attracts many celebrities who collaborate with sponsoring brands.
Film festivals also need such "star-studded" events to "attract attention."
“If you don’t want to go, that’s fine too,” Chen Ziyan said. “You’ve attended a lot of public events this year, especially the Oscars, the Cité International Film Festival, and the Jose Film Festival. You have a lot of public events, and you’ve already fulfilled your contractual obligations with the brands you endorse.”
Lu Yanhe nodded.
“Let’s go,” Lu Yanhe said. “Anyway, ‘Squid Game’ will be finished filming by the end of the month. This is the first time I’ve had a free month in December. I have plenty of time, so I can go to the film festival to watch some movies.”
As a result, shortly after making this decision, another message came in.
The animated version of "The Squid Game" has been added to the "Screenings" section and will be screened at the Bicarlo Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe was somewhat surprised, and then he learned that Maxine was behind it all.
Maxine has already acquired the exclusive overseas broadcasting rights for the animated series "Squid Game," and is using the Picardo Film Festival to generate buzz for the show.
The animated version of "The Squid Game" will be released online three days after the Bicarlo Film Festival ends.
The domestic broadcasting platform is Chestnut Video.
After confirming Lu Yanhe's attendance, the BiCarlo Film Festival immediately contacted him to invite him to participate in several official events.
They even wanted to invite Lu Yanhe to be an award presenter if he was willing to stay until the closing ceremony.
Chen Ziyan said, "Take all these jobs. You're already a big name in the international film industry. This event will solidify that image, especially since you didn't have any films nominated this year. To receive such high-level treatment from the Carlo Film Festival shows your attitude."
Lu Yanhe nodded.
"OK."
He also felt that Chen Ziyan was right.
If the timing is right, there's no reason not to take these jobs.
-
Therefore, at the end of November, the Picardo Film Festival made a major announcement that Lu Yanhe would attend the "Master Dialogue" forum at the Picardo Film Festival. He is the youngest of the five guests and the second youngest "master" in the history of the event.
This news was officially released by the BiCarlo Film Festival.
Lu Yanhe was joined by two world-class directors at the event: Sandra Viktor, who has won an Oscar, a Golden Globe, and two Best Actress awards at the Bicarlo Film Festival; and a screenwriter who has won an Emmy Award for Best Screenplay and an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay.
A person's status is sometimes determined by the people they participate in activities with.
Seeing his photo alongside these individuals, officially announced by the film festival, Lu Yanhe felt a sense of pride. He hadn't felt this way in a long time. These people had truly built their reputations in this field through long and outstanding careers.
In comparison, although Lu Yanhe's resume is no less impressive than theirs, when compared side by side, even he himself feels that it is still lacking.
As for what's missing?
Lu Yanhe also frankly stated that it was actually the sense of prestige bestowed upon him by time and seniority as an "evergreen in the industry."
Lu Yanhe also became the first segment on the Movie Channel to exceed 5 minutes in length during their coverage of this year's Picardo Film Festival.
Since the official event he attended was a "dialogue with masters," it was inevitable that his "master achievements" would be introduced.
Viewers of the movie channel said they've seen it way too many times, but—
Why do I still feel compelled to watch it again?
Why do I still find it so awesome and inspiring even after watching it again?
“After the Bigo Film Festival, we can’t go back to China yet; we have to go straight to the United States.” When confirming the itinerary, Wang Biao said to Lu Yanhe, “The premieres of ‘Mist 2’ will be held in three places. D19 also has an interview segment on your previous talk show, and you also have two magazine cover shoots to do.”
This has always been the case with the various supporting promotional resources that come with a large project.
As the absolute lead actor and No. 1 in promotional positions for "Mist 2", the most crucial promotional resources will definitely be concentrated on Lu Yanhe.
Of course, it can't really be said that Lu Yanhe is a very prominent actor in Hollywood right now.
All I can say is that he is a very popular actor.
But whether he is a very influential filmmaker is a different story.
Like Phoebe Waller-Bridge, who wrote the screenplays for "Fleabag," "Killing Eve," and "No Time to Die," she was at most a well-known actress as an actress, but with the added identity of a hit screenwriter, her status in Hollywood was completely different.
Her primary role became that of a creator, a film artist.
Lu Yanhe is in the same situation now.
Therefore, D19 did not pay too high a price for these propaganda resources on the Lu Yan River.
They are also very happy to cooperate with Lu Yanhe.
Even Lu Yanhe's magazine covers were paid for by brands, and Lu Yanhe could even receive high commissions.
Many people don't realize that when celebrities appear on magazine covers or even endorse high-end luxury brands, they only receive a service fee at most, not a large commission.
However, Lu Yanhe is capable.
Because Lu Yanhe has value.
Print media sales are declining, and advertising costs are also decreasing. Nevertheless, it has not disappeared. Covers of top magazines in various fields remain a rare commodity.
It's not something anyone can just do whenever they want.
For this reason, Lu Yanhe generally does not refuse the work plans set by these partners, unless they are particularly problematic or unsuitable.
Lu Yanhe knew that behind these work arrangements lay the coordination, planning, and back-and-forth communication of many people, which consumed a lot of human and material resources.
Lu Yanhe didn't want his casual selection to waste the hard work of others.
In particular, this is also a way to promote the movie he starred in.
"Mist 2" is Lu Yanhe's first Hollywood A-list production film.
Although it is a sequel, its box office performance is still important.
After all, Lu Yanhe took on this film series precisely to prove his commercial value.
Ideally, it should gross a little more than the first film.
Unfortunately, "The Mist 2" still cannot be released in mainland China; otherwise, Lu Yanhe would be quite confident that the sequel's box office would surpass that of the first film.
-
Lu Yanhe arrived in Bicarlo in the afternoon.
The sun is shining brightly.
Many media and fans came to the airport. They didn't know where they heard the news from, and they were all real fans, not just there to join in the fun. They held various movie posters of his and excitedly shouted his name or the names of his characters.
Lu Yanhe would wave to them or give them a smile, and they would scream and cheer even more excitedly.
He actually really disliked fans coming to see him off or pick him up at the airport, but at this time and in this place, Lu Yanhe felt it was understandable and normal.
He went to sign autographs and take photos with many people.
Because he wasn't in a hurry, he lingered at the scene for about five minutes.
Few actors would stay on this occasion for so long.
Many foreign fans at the scene even asked if the next season of Friends could be broadcast earlier.
Lu Yanhe said in shock, "The current season of Friends is still airing and hasn't finished yet."
In recent years, every time Lu Yanhe has come overseas for activities, he has had a profound feeling that the number of overseas viewers of "Friends" is increasing.
More and more people are asking about Friends.
The power of sitcoms remains as overwhelming as ever.
This result made Lu Yanhe very happy.
Lu Yanhe has always felt that sitcoms are one of the most important genres in television dramas.
However, it did not receive the respect it deserved.
Lu Yanhe was even more puzzled as to why, despite the numerous hit sitcoms that had preceded them, the number of sitcoms on various platforms was far less than that of other genres.
Is it possible that the creative threshold for sitcoms is too high, making it impossible for just any director or screenwriter to get involved?
(End of this chapter)
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