Chapter 837 So kind?
"They got to take advantage of this too."
Chen Ziyan was speechless.
"It's Chen Pinhe who's the lead actor, so this box office figure isn't much." Lu Qingzhen smiled and comforted Chen Ziyan when she saw her puffed up. "Besides, it didn't break 100 million on the first day. It only grossed a little over 20 million on the first day thanks to the Mid-Autumn Festival holiday. The total box office for this movie is estimated to be just over 100 million."
"Isn't this good enough for an art film?" Chen Ziyan sighed, pouting. "I'm thinking of using some tricks."
"What methods?" Lu Qingzhen asked, "To get rid of him?"
“Hmm,” Chen Ziyan said, “Since he’s using such methods to create ‘Dingfeng No. 1,’ does he really think he can get away with it unscathed?”
Lu Qingzhen: "So what are you planning to do?"
Chen Ziyan said, "It's very simple."
-
— Chen Pinhe acted like a diva on the set of "The Pianist," with the entire crew revolving around him and serving him alone.
On set, he frequently revised the script, changing many of the characters' highlight moments to his own, making "The Pianist" a one-man show for him.
— Chen Pinhe was the most unhappy person when "The Pianist" won an award at Venice. He originally thought he was going to win Best Actor, but the film received a special jury prize instead, despite the huge controversy surrounding its reputation.
—The so-called Jury Special Award is given when the jury doesn't want to award a particular film, but the jury chairman really wants to give it to a certain film.
...
Online, attacks against Chen Pinhe have been rampant.
They weren't particularly substantial attacks, but they were all negative, and the kind that people could easily "associate" with.
Lu Qingzhen asked, "Your method seems rather mild. Will it cause any substantial harm to 'The Pianist'?"
"Why should I care about 'The Pianist'? The quality of this movie speaks for itself. Everyone knows it's mediocre, and even if it grosses 100 million yuan, it's still just a mediocre film," Chen Ziyan said. "I'm attacking Chen Pinhe. Since this guy dares to use such underhanded tactics against 'The Wind Rises,' he shouldn't pretend to be an artist."
Lu Qingzhen said, "However, it's quite normal for artists to have a bit of a bad temper."
“It’s normal for artists to have bad tempers, but it’s not normal for artists to be unable to collaborate well with others, or even to cut other people’s scenes and add their own,” Chen Ziyan said. “You didn’t know that the director of ‘The Pianist,’ Zheng Ximo, had a very bad falling out with Chen Pinhe?”
"Huh? I really don't know, what's going on?"
“Chen Pinhe revised Zheng Ximo’s script in many places, and on set, Chen Pinhe was the one who made the decisions,” Chen Ziyan said. “However, this film was produced and invested in by Chen Pinhe and Zhang Yuezhen’s company, so a lot of information was kept under wraps. Zheng Ximo’s interviews in Venice this time were very interesting.”
What did he say in the interview?
“He said that being a film director is always a struggle for poverty. Apart from spiritual freedom, there is no other freedom, including creative freedom.” Chen Ziyan winked at Lu Qingzhen. “When I was arranging for people to attack Chen Pinhe, I used this interview excerpt. But so much time has passed, and no one from Chen Pinhe’s side has come forward to clarify this point. At least if Zheng Ximo and Chen Pinhe had a pleasant working relationship, they wouldn’t have remained completely silent, would they?”
Lu Qingzhen: "Are you bluffing him?"
Chen Ziyan: "Yeah, it's all about making up materials and writing short essays. They're ambiguous, hesitant, take things out of context, and stir up trouble."
Lu Qingzhen said, "But the box office of 'The Pianist' did indeed decline."
“That has nothing to do with my actions. Art films rely most on word-of-mouth. The film ‘The Pianist’ was so bad that even if I did nothing, the box office performance wouldn’t be good. Otherwise, Zhang Yuezhen wouldn’t have rushed to arrange its release so quickly,” Chen Ziyan said. “Of course, she does have some ability. She made a small-budget art film achieve this effect, winning awards, giving Chen Pinhe’s acting a wave of positive reviews, and even using it to attack ‘The Wind Rises’.”
Lu Qingzhen: "Indeed."
Chen Ziyan said, "However, they pushed away a director who is actually very talented, which is a pity."
"Zheng Ximo?"
"The fact that 'The Pianist' was able to be shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival's main competition must be due to the influence of Zhang Yuezhen's network, but the film itself must also have its merits, otherwise even the strongest connections wouldn't have been able to get it shortlisted," Chen Ziyan said. "Actually, if you look at Zheng Ximo's past resume, you'll know that he is a director who insists on making art films, who is not well-known, but has a rich resume of international film festivals, although he has never been to any of the four major international film festivals before."
Lu Qingzhen: "Are you eyeing him?"
Chen Ziyan smiled.
“A propaganda war can only smear someone temporarily; winning them over is the long-term solution,” Chen Ziyan said. “I have already asked a mutual friend to arrange a meeting with Zheng Ximo. I don’t plan to have Zheng Ximo sign with Linghe. Aurora Video is planning a movie project, and I’m going to act as a go-between to help Zheng Ximo collaborate with Aurora Video.”
Lu Qingzhen: "The aurora borealis is also on the Yan River side."
“That’s right.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “Moreover, the person in charge of the film division at Northern Lights is an old friend of Yan He.”
Lu Qingzhen was very surprised and asked, "Lin Miaomiao?"
“No, it’s Lin Miaomiao’s boyfriend, Yan He’s senior, Wang Xiao,” Chen Ziyan said. “Back when Yan He was studying at Zhenhua, he and Wang Xiao were very close friends.”
Lu Qingzhen: "Northern Lights, is this a deliberate placement of Wang Xiao in this position?"
“Hmm.” Chen Ziyan nodded. “Lin Miaomiao doesn’t plan to follow in her father’s footsteps and join Aurora. She’s already pursuing her doctorate. Lin Desheng probably wants to groom Wang Xiao, but Wang Xiao isn’t Lin Miaomiao. He doesn’t have a strong foundation at Aurora and his position isn’t legitimate. If he were to rise to power through marriage, he would be easily gossiped about. So, I guess Lin Desheng considered this when he put Wang Xiao in charge of a new business segment. The older generation can’t reach that area. When Wang Xiao was in charge of the Youth Volunteer Association at Zhenhua, he met and received a lot of filmmakers. Plus, he has a good relationship with Yan He, so he has a solid foundation for this.”
Lu Qingzhen: "And then you sent someone over there for him?"
“Longyan doesn’t understand Liu Bige’s value. They’ve pushed him to this point, so a breakup is inevitable,” Chen Ziyan said. “However, the significance of a director who can gain international fame and win awards to a film company cannot be measured by a few hundred million in box office revenue. It means a stepping stone, a bargaining chip. If you really treat film as just a business, you’ll get robbed.”
The film industry is just like that.
It's a business, but if you really talk about business with it purely, you'll always just be Wong Jing.
He's a big shot, but you'll never have enough respect for him.
The industry will not position him as a symbol.
Once overseas, without artistic merit, it won't be commercially successful.
-
The second day of "The Pianist" only grossed 16.28 million.
Nevertheless, The Pianist followed suit and stated that it had already begun to make a profit.
It's been announced that the film has been sold to more than 30 countries and regions overseas; Chen Pinhe's performance has been praised by dozens of media outlets; and North American distributor Neuron believes that Chen Pinhe's performance has the potential to win an Oscar for Best Actor and will be giving him a full-scale public relations campaign during this year's awards season.
Lu Yanhe said to Chen Ziyan: He used "Calming Wind No. 1" to promote "The Pianist". Can we do the opposite and use his current momentum to promote Teacher Wen?
Chen Ziyan: ?
Lu Yanhe: Have a foreign media outlet conduct an interview on the streets of America, asking them what Chinese film impressed them the most this year, and who the Chinese filmmakers they are most interested in this year are.
Chen Ziyan: What's this?
Lu Yanhe: "Dingfeng No. 1" grossed over ten million US dollars at the North American box office.
Chen Ziyan: I understand, you want to retaliate like this?
Lu Yanhe: It's not just about retaliation, but about making sure that Professor Wen can truly enter the awards season's field of vision this year.
Chen Ziyan: Okay.
Lu Yanhe: Chen Pinhe should have some public relations activities coming up. Sister Ziyan, could you talk to Darren about it? I'm going to start filming soon, but Teacher Wen's time is all free. He's been assigned to handle all the pre-production public relations activities in North America, including screenings of films by Green Valley, D19, and Parameter. Any opportunities for exposure should be arranged for Teacher Wen. In the coming days, we need to get North America familiar with Teacher Wen's face and make them remember him.
Chen Ziyan agreed.
Lu Yanhe: In addition, we should also help Professor Wen get in touch with some Hollywood film projects. Whether he accepts them or not is another matter, but we should create the impression through media reports that Professor Wen has started to truly break into Hollywood through the film "Dingfeng No. 1" and the recent exposure.
Chen Ziyan: Then why don't you arrange a cameo role for Teacher Wen in "Men in Black"? Starting with "Men in Black", this movie is now ranked fourth on the list of most anticipated Hollywood movies.
Lu Yanhe: Sure, let's release the news like this for now.
Chen Ziyan: Okay.
-
How high can an actor be propelled by using top-tier resources to promote them?
You can have anything except popularity with the audience.
Lu Yanhe's use of such vast resources to promote Wen Shengming is something many people dream of but cannot achieve.
Jiang Yuqian knew that Lu Yanhe was going to promote Wen Shengming's campaign for the North American awards season this year. Therefore, she needed to consolidate her influence in Hollywood and needed to hold a party. The invitation was sent to Wen Shengming as soon as possible.
This party was held during a break in the filming of "The Window".
A Hollywood producer said to Jiang Yuqian, "You Chinese are really united. Not only Lu Yanhe, but you have also started to help promote Wen Shengming."
Jiang Yuqian said with a smile, "My dear friend, we Chinese are indeed united, but I didn't host this party to promote Wen Shengming. Can't I invite some friends to relax and have some fun?"
"Many of the people you invited today are members of the academy who are eligible to vote."
“Of course.” Jiang Yuqian blinked. “I’m also aiming for an Oscar someday. Can’t I have a dream of winning one?”
She raised her hand and gently patted the other person's shoulder.
"Hollywood is Hollywood, not China," Jiang Yuqian said with a charming smile. "Don't worry about us Chinese taking over your territory."
"Many Hollywood producers are finding it increasingly difficult to do their jobs because of Lu Yanhe from your country."
“Oh, he’s a genius. He’s different from us,” Jiang Yuqian said. “We can’t take your territory, and a genius wouldn’t bother to compete for it. In fact, we all know that his existence has actually reopened the door to the Chinese market for your Hollywood movies, hasn’t it? Hurricane made nearly $200 million at the Chinese box office.”
The other person stopped talking.
Jiang Yuqian: "You guys are really greedy. You clearly need us Chinese actors to help you further open up the Asian market, but you talk as if we want to take over your territory."
She reached out again and gently pushed the other person's shoulder.
“Will, you made me unhappy today. You have to bring me a good script to cheer me up again.” Jiang Yuqian smiled charmingly. “I’m a very greedy actress.”
The producer, Will, smiled helplessly.
"You're a devil! You're leading me by the nose."
Jiang Yuqian raised her eyebrows slightly.
"Think of me whatever you want, but remember, I'm a very ambitious actress, and also a very good one." Jiang Yuqian shrugged.
-
Having witnessed Lu Yanhe's behavior in social situations, and now seeing Jiang Yuqian's behavior in social situations, Wen Shengming remained silent for a long time on the way back.
When they arrived at the hotel, he said to Chen Keqiu, "These young people have really made it on the international stage. It's not easy for them."
Chen Keqiu said, "Why are you suddenly saying that?"
Wen Shengming said, "I just saw Jiang Yuqian chatting and talking with different people all night. She speaks to people in a way that suits them, and not everyone treats her as a friend. Some people even say things that are sarcastic and veiled. This was at a party she organized herself, yet she accepted everything without reservation and handled everything perfectly. In China, do you know any actors who have this kind of ability?"
“Young artists these days are basically protected too much by their teams, like porcelain dolls.”
"It's not just young artists. I thought I had already lowered my stance a lot by cooperating with the public relations and publicity work for 'Dingfeng No. 1'. But look at Yan He and Yu Qian. At the height of their popularity, they had done much more than we imagined. Chen Pinhe probably didn't want to lower his stance back then either."
“Possibly,” Chen Keqiu said. “Actually, Chen Ziyan told me that if you want to have influence internationally, Europe and America are unavoidable places, and if you want to have influence in North America, box office and awards season are two unavoidable paths. If you want to succeed in awards season, you have to understand their rules, follow their rules, and gain a foothold. Here, no one will respect you just because you are a very successful actor in China. You must first achieve success according to their standards before you can be respected.”
“Jiang Yuqian really caught my eye today,” Wen Shengming said. “Those people in China who think Jiang Yuqian’s success is built on Lu Yanhe should see how she seized the opportunity and truly stood on her own two feet.”
Unfortunately, Lu Yanhe is not here.
Otherwise, upon hearing Wen Shengming's words, Lu Yanhe would have grasped Wen Shengming's hand with great empathy, feeling grateful that someone finally shared his sentiments.
Chen Keqiu said, "Actually, Zhang Yuezhen came to see me recently."
"Hmm?" Wen Shengming was somewhat surprised and asked, "What does she want with you?"
Chen Keqiu: "She said that since we are all Chinese actors, we can share public relations resources and achieve mutual benefit and win-win results by working together to compete in the North American awards season this year. She is willing to introduce us to a powerful public relations company."
Wen Shengming showed a hint of surprise.
"Huh? When did she become so proactive and kind?"
(End of this chapter)
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
