Chapter 829 Love in Progress... No, Farewell Song!
Lu Yanhe's idea was simple: he would be happy if "Dingfeng No. 1" could reach $100 million in global box office.
He didn't have that many unrealistic ideas.
At the height of Lu Yanhe's popularity, "Dingfeng No. 1" did indeed secure good screening conditions in various markets around the world. With effective promotion, even a foreign language film can attract attention.
However, many film companies still have unrealistic goals for "Dingfeng No. 1" because of the success of Lu Yanhe's past starring works.
For example, the South Korean distributors hoped that "Calm Wind" could gross at least $5 million in South Korean theaters.
After all, the previous film "Late Spring," starring Lu Yanhe and directed by Liu Bige, grossed over $8 million in South Korea, including its re-release, which was a very good result.
However, after a week of release in South Korea, The Wind Rises only grossed over $2 million.
South Korean media outlets are saying that Lu Yanhe's "box office magic" has failed.
Wang Biao was so angry that he couldn't help but scold them. A serious foreign art film could earn $2 million at the box office in a week, but in their mouths, it was a box office failure.
Lu Yanhe didn't care.
While the South Korean market is not small, to be honest, given its current global box office appeal, its performance in this market is actually quite good, and even if it performs poorly, it won't affect the overall picture. The only factors that truly influence its "box office appeal" assessment are currently the box office performances in the Chinese and American markets.
China goes without saying, it's our home base, our core market. The United States is the only country where the annual box office surpasses that of China; only here can you easily produce films that gross tens of millions of dollars.
"Calm Wind" performed exceptionally well at the US box office.
Midoriya also sent out good news, saying that "Crystal Plane 1" is their best-performing foreign language film at the box office this year.
It is well known that Americans do not like to watch non-English films, so foreign films have never performed well at the box office. Achieving tens of millions of dollars is enough to get them into the top ten or twenty films in history.
Lu Yanhe now holds several of the seats by himself.
Needless to say, "Home Alone" is a "cheat-making money machine," occupying three spots.
In addition, "Burning Fire" also occupies two spots.
In addition, there was "Dragon Inn"—a film that also performed exceptionally well at the US box office.
These non-English films have enabled Lu Yanhe to achieve unparalleled success in the North American market.
Now, the box office performance of "Calm Wind One" is about to break 30 million US dollars.
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"The focus of this film is not actually on espionage, but on the subtle influence and changes in the relationships between the characters against this backdrop." Lu Yanhe, during a promotional tour in the UK, gave a television interview introducing "The Wind Rises." "Its overall tone is very cold and solemn, like London in winter. Many things seem calm at first glance, which is what attracts me most about this film. In a chaotic world, with disorder, an ordinary person just wants to protect his own safety and the safety of his family, but he is caught up in the situation and has to do things against his conscience. At this time, a person appears and does things that ignite something that may have already existed in his heart but had not been lit up."
In the UK, the style of the film "Calm Wind One" seems to be particularly popular.
It is also the second overseas market, outside of the United States, for a single film to gross more than $10 million.
It was precisely because of this influence that Lu Yanhe accepted the interview invitation and came to participate in the program recording.
"Moreover, I was very lucky to meet Wen Shengming in this movie," Lu Yanhe said. "Those who have seen the movie know how terrifying he is. As my co-star, the stimulation he gave me made me very clear during filming that many things could only be experienced in this movie. That unique acting experience can only be had by that one actor stimulating you."
“I’ve always wanted to make a British film, but I haven’t received a suitable script before. But to be honest, British films—from what I know—don’t seem to suit my image very well,” Lu Yanhe said. “I always have this feeling that British films, like many Chinese films, are strange to have foreigners in them, except for certain roles. To some extent, because we have a long history and tradition, even in films where we can let our imaginations run wild, we are still more conservative and slower to change.”
"This is actually related to the subject matter that our two countries prefer to film. If we mainly make modern comedies or science fiction films, rather than focusing on realistic or classical themes, it might be better. But I don't think that a slower pace of change is a bad thing. In the past, the world changed too slowly, so we needed to be faster and more determined. But now the world is changing too fast. Almost every day when we wake up, there are many new things that can even challenge our existing knowledge and beliefs. In such cases, a slower pace might not be a bad thing."
“No, no, I’m not a so-called conservative. You probably didn’t understand what I was saying,” Lu Yanhe said with a smile. “I don’t actually have any unchanging views. I’m open to the idea that my understanding can change at any time. I’m very open-minded about that. What I mean is that every change should be based on real change, and it should be thought-provoking, not something we’re swept along by. In fact, I believe you agree that in this day and age, a lot of change is crazy, even barbaric. I’m not criticizing this phenomenon; I’m describing the characteristics of this change. Based on these characteristics, I would say that sometimes going slower isn’t necessarily a bad thing.”
"Of course, I respect those who actively embrace every change. To put it bluntly, people are all different, not only in terms of skin color and language, but most importantly, in terms of their thoughts."
Lu Yanhe shrugged.
"Everyone influences others and is also influenced by others. The story of 'Dingfeng No. 1' is actually about how one person is influenced by another person under a specific historical background."
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Finally, on the last day of July, the tenth day of "Calm Wind One's" release, the global box office surpassed $100 million.
Next, "The Wind Rises" will be released in other markets one after another, so it can be guaranteed a 1.5 rating and strive for a 2.
News has also come from the Film Bureau that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, they will be submitting "Calm Wind No. 1" for consideration for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film this year.
A film themed around revolutionary predecessors and spiritual awakening is itself a mainstream film. If such a film can still gross tens of millions of dollars overseas, the authorities cannot possibly not support it.
This is an attitude.
However, they are also well aware that it will be difficult for a film like this to perform well at the Oscars, where liberalism is the mainstream.
When "Raise the Red Lantern" was being made, the Film Bureau specifically asked Lu Yanhe what he could do to increase the film's chances of being nominated.
When it came to this movie, they didn't even ask a question, just gave Lu Yanhe a heads-up beforehand, probably thinking it was hopeless.
However, after Lu Yanhe communicated with Midoriya, Schmidt Laurie felt that they could give it a try.
“In recent years, the Academy has recruited nearly 1,500 new members from all over the world, and the internationalization rate is getting higher and higher,” Schmidt Laurie said. “The film ‘Calm Wind One’ itself came from the Venice International Film Festival and did very well at the global box office. As an art film, it achieved great success and received good reviews. Even though many people may not vote because of ideological issues, that does not represent everyone.”
Upon hearing this, Lu Yanhe asked, "Would Midoriya be willing to do public relations?"
“We’ll do it.” Schmidt Laurie nodded. “We’ll also handle the public relations for the Best Actor award. It’s about who should apply for the lead role and who should apply for the supporting role between you and Wen Shengming. We might need to discuss that.”
Lu Yanhe was extremely surprised.
"Really? Is there any chance?"
"The performance awards depend on the situation this year," Schmidt Laurie said. "As I said before, with the Best Actor award from the Venice International Film Festival as a foundation, there is a basis for winning awards. It's just that whether we can make it in the preliminary awards depends on the situation."
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Lu Yanhe also shared this information with Longyan.
Huang Zhongjing immediately made a decision: as long as China ultimately decided to submit "Dingfeng No. 1" for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film, they would spend five million US dollars on public relations.
Longyan is the copyright holder of "Dingfeng No. 1".
If "Dingfeng No. 1" does indeed perform well and win awards during the awards season, Longyan will be the biggest beneficiary.
Lu Yanhe thought about it for a while and discussed with Darren whether they should do public relations this time.
Darren said, "Of course. As a Chinese-language art film, it is unique that 'Calm Wind One' has achieved a box office of tens of millions of dollars in the United States. Under such circumstances, it would be a pity if you did not put in extra effort to win the Best Actor award. Opportunities do not come twice. When you have the chance to compete for the award, you must go for it."
Therefore, Lu Yanhe decided to do public relations for the Oscars once again.
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It's August now, and the awards season at the end of the year is still a long way off, but a lot of publicity and public relations work can still be done now.
Especially now that the movie is in theaters, it needs to be promoted.
At this time, the Venice International Film Festival released its shortlist for this year's festival.
Lu Yanhe did not submit any film applications this year.
There is no Linghe River either.
Two Chinese films were nominated.
One of them is the art film "The Pianist" starring Chen Pinhe.
As expected of a veteran actor, he immediately changed when the intensity increased under Lu Yanhe's threat.
First came streaming blockbusters like Death Stranding, then came art-house films like The Pianist.
Chen Ziyan couldn't help but say "bad luck".
If Chen Ziyan is so wary of Ma Zhiyuan, then Chen Pinhe is even more so.
To be honest, Chen Pinhe posed a much greater threat to Lu Yanhe than Ma Zhiyuan.
"I hope Chen Pinhe's movie is a complete flop." Chen Ziyan even told Lu Qingzhen that sometimes she would go to a temple that was supposed to be efficacious and pray to the Bodhisattva to bless Chen Pinhe's movie so that it would be a complete failure.
Lu Qingzhen said, "I heard that Zhang Yuezhen was behind the scenes and communicated with them for a long time to get the film 'The Pianist' selected for the Venice Film Festival."
Chen Ziyan: "Really? Zhang Yue is that amazing?"
“The Pianist is of very high quality, but it takes skill to get Venice to notice that there is such an excellent film,” Lu Qingzhen said. “It is a biographical film, which is entirely a one-man show by Chen Pinhe. It is said that his performance in the film is outstanding, and he probably wants to win a Best Actor award.”
"If they really have the ability to win this trophy, then there's nothing more to say."
“However, it’s not that easy. If it were that easy, China would have already produced a large number of international film emperors.” Lu Qingzhen shook her head. “You have to be strong yourself to succeed. As long as Yan He’s current momentum doesn’t decline, it won’t matter if Chen Pinhe wins two more film emperor awards. Just make sure it doesn’t affect the selection of ‘Dingfeng No. 1’ for the Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film this year.”
Chen Ziyan: "The Pianist is participating in the Venice International Film Festival in September. Even if it's released in October, it still won't make it in time, right? How can that affect The Wind Rises?"
“Who knows? Chen Pinhe has always had strong connections with the Film Bureau. What if he tries something underhanded?” Lu Qingzhen said. “He’s putting all his effort into his career right now. If ‘The Pianist’ really wins a big award at Venice this year, who knows whether they’ll give it to ‘The Pianist’ or ‘Windbreaker No. 1’? It’s really hard to say.”
Normally speaking, "Dingfeng No. 1" is not just Lu Yanhe's film. With Liu Bige as director, Miao Yue as screenwriter, Longyan as production company, and the support of overseas box office, unless "The Pianist" wins the highest award, the choice should still be "Dingfeng No. 1".
However, Chen Ziyan felt that Lu Qingzhen's words made sense.
No matter what, we can't let Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen use underhanded tactics to steal the prize.
I need to solidify my understanding beforehand.
Therefore, Chen Ziyan discussed with Lu Yanhe whether to launch a campaign in advance with the slogan "Striving for an Oscar for 'Dingfeng No. 1'" to generate momentum.
Ultimately, for the Film Bureau, the most important thing is whether the nominated film can represent China's image, and the second most important thing is the likelihood of the film receiving a nomination.
Just like how many gold medals one can win at the Olympics, it's something closely related to one's official position, career path, and political achievements.
The reason why "Raise the Red Lantern" was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film was because a series of people from relevant departments made the nomination.
If we can demonstrate the strength of "Calm Windsor" in the North American awards season in advance, as long as we don't make the same foolish mistake as the South Korean film department in submitting "The Age of Shadows" when Park Chan-wook made "The Handmaiden" and swept the Best Foreign Language Film awards in North America, we should definitely choose "Calm Windsor" (given the way "The Handmaiden" swept the preliminary awards back then, if South Korea had submitted "The Handmaiden", it would have been almost a sure thing to win).
Lu Yanhe said yes.
"I also plan to let the European and American sides know in advance that China's submission this year is very likely to be 'Dingfeng-1'."
"Mm." Lu Yanhe nodded.
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In Linghe, the pre-release promotion for "If Love Has a Destiny" has begun on a large scale.
At this time, Chen Yin received a message from Lu Yanhe: "For this movie, pay attention to the promotion and distribution on short video platforms, and you can invest in traffic."
Chen Yin was taken aback.
Lu Yanhe had never paid much attention to this "large-scale distribution" approach for other films before.
Why the sudden announcement of a traffic boosting initiative?
Lu Yanhe said: The content of this film is suitable for developing the lower-tier market.
Love, tragedy, youth, separation.
This is an even more tear-jerking bomb than "You Are the Apple of My Eye".
It is precisely because of its "tear-jerking" nature that the potential box office space in lower-tier markets is enormous.
The theme of "You Are the Apple of My Eye" is still too limited to the youth market.
"If Love Has a Destiny" is a film with a strong sense of nostalgia, and even people from our parents' generation will find themselves crying while watching it.
After listening to Lu Yanhe's explanation, Chen Yin convened the propaganda department to discuss the matter further and discovered that Lu Yanhe's idea was actually consistent with the propaganda department's judgment. The only difference was that the two sides chose different propaganda methods based on this judgment.
The publicity department plans to focus on promoting the OST, inviting a top-tier, superstar-level singer to perform the theme song, and then making the song play everywhere.
Song?
Hello?
Lu Yanhe composed a piece of music for this movie, which was used as background music in the film.
Could it be adapted into a song?
Just as I was thinking this, Lu Yanhe sent me a sheet music, the kind with lyrics.
He said: Oh no, I forgot to send this to you guys beforehand. This is the OST theme song I wrote for this song.
Chen Yin: !
The theme song of the same name.
If Love Has a Destiny.
This song... Whenever this background music plays while Chen Yin is watching a movie, combined with the movie's plot, tears would stream down his face.
Lu Yanhe had actually written the entire song long ago!
Chen Yin could almost imagine how popular the song would become after it was released.
Especially after the movie was released.
I estimate it won't be inferior to the song "Those Years".
Last year we had "You Are the Apple of My Eye", and this year we have "If Love Has a Destiny".
Summer Love March on the Ling River.
No, it's a farewell song for love.
"..."
(End of this chapter)
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