Chapter 120

In the entertainment industry, in addition to popularity and the ability to make money, winning awards, especially prestigious awards, is clearly the most important criterion, bar none.

Being able to show off a resounding reputation and fame is something that cannot be bought with any amount of money in this circle.

The Thorn Award obviously has the highest reputation in this circle, so this news has been on the hot search for three days in a row. The public is very enthusiastic, and anything that has something to do with "The Book of Mountains and Wilderness" will get attention.

The status of the Thorn Award is so special that after the news of the nomination came out, Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng also learned more about this award at this time.

The current Thorns Award is clearly in its heyday.

On the surface, this award is not controlled by a certain family or company. The judges come from various countries and are changed from time to time. They are all well-known people in the circle. This award has always been famous for representing art and fairness.

It once sheltered many poor and displaced artists during the war. Over the past century, it has also used its influence to call for equality, anti-war and other advocacy, discovered many world-renowned artists, and focused on charity with many fruitful results. It can be said to be the highest and purest pearl in the entertainment industry.

It is undeniable that the recognition it receives from the whole world is not in vain; it is the result of its achievements year after year.

But as to whether the current Thorn Award is behind some cat shit, neither of them can come to a definite conclusion.

——Where there are people, there are naturally places where filth and dirt can hide, but they really didn’t do anything about being shortlisted this time.

Even though Su Ning and Shen Mingzheng were the investors of the film, they did not take any shortcuts in this regard. Although President Gao of Gaoshan Pictures was very capable, she obviously did not have the ability in this regard. When she first received the news, she was more surprised than Su Ning.

From this perspective, the Thorn Award is now very fair. And Hong Kong City also gave its own opinion on this matter.

There are also actors in the country who have served as judges for the Thorn Awards, such as Hong Kong's Fu Jing. Her work was shortlisted for the Thorn Awards when she just debuted, and she had been a judge for several years before that, so her position in the country is unshakable.

So if you have to say, the Shen family in Hongcheng is closer to that side than Shen Antang, and with Fu Jing's experience, they can still have a say.

Perhaps, the relationship with the "Thorn Award" was also one of the important reasons why Shen Antang showed goodwill to Hong Kong Island at that time.

Shen Antang once kicked the iron plate at the Thorn Award.

Shen Mingzheng had only seen clues before, and didn't know how the old man and Jingjijiang became estranged. Although Shen Zhaolan was a little younger, he had a lot of information, and since he asked, he didn't hide anything on this matter.

"I heard that when Shen Antang first took office, he tried to influence the Thorn Award through bribery, but was discovered by the then chairman, Matthew Morgan. He has been on guard since then, and he couldn't intervene, and he suffered a lot of losses," said Shen Zhaolan, who knows something about it. "Old Matthew is a very strict person, and President Su should have heard of him. Of course, it is impossible for those who work in the entertainment industry not to have heard of him. He will not allow anyone to tarnish this award."

This is one of the few Waterloo's mistakes.

Moreover, during his years of great power, he never realized this long-cherished wish.

It was not until he withdrew and Shen Mingzheng took over, and he really had some excellent works, that the Thorn Award once again extended an olive branch to him.

What confirmed Shen Zhaolan's statement was that after the news of the nomination came, Shen Antang immediately called him overseas and asked him and Su Ning to make a trip to the Thorn Award. His words implied that they must seize this opportunity to get in touch with them.

"Old Matthew is a stubborn person who won't change his ways," he snorted. "But after all these years, he's not in good health anymore and can't care less."

"Mingzheng, the future of the Shen family is in your hands. There is a chance."

Shen Mingzheng agreed on the surface, but then he turned around and told Su Ning what he really thought: "Let him die."

Now Shen Antang has less and less control over him.

Shen Antang has just this kind of personality. He wants to get what he likes and what he wants to achieve, no matter what means he uses. In the circle of powerful people, there are many people like him, not only in China, but also in the entertainment industry.

What is lacking here is people who truly uphold fairness and justice.

Even though Shen Mingzheng had a bad impression of the Thorn Award, the time point was different after all. Looking back now, there seemed to be no problem with this award. It was as bright and shining as a pearl.

They both went to see it in person.

When a serious work is nominated, Gao Shan Pictures will naturally take people on a grand trip. The Thorns Awards ceremony lasts for a long time, about half a month. In addition to the eye-catching red carpet, there are also various art exhibitions and film screenings. Generally speaking, it is in the form of a film festival, and various celebrities from the entertainment industry gather together, making it extremely lively.

For these people behind the scenes, the purpose of coming here is different from that of celebrities. What is important is the various business dinners and personal contacts. Many collaborations are negotiated on such occasions.

Su Ning came here with this goal in mind.

Although art is not good or bad in a strict sense, technology is high and low. He has spent so much money on special effects, but there is still a gap between him and some foreign companies.

In particular, he watched the films nominated for the Best Special Effects and Best Animated Feature Film at this year's Thorns Awards. The story presentation was excellent, but what attracted Su Ning more was their excellent technology.

If there is an opportunity, he wants to cooperate with the other party and take advantage of their strengths. The Thorn Award is a good platform.

Moreover, after Shen Mingzheng inherited the Shen family, he also remembered the benefits he had experienced in his previous life. He and Su Ning had always wanted to invest in emerging directors, and this was no small project.

They invest in directors not just to give money. The director is the core of a team, but the foundation for "installing" this core lies in a complete team and technical support.

So they start with the configuration of actors, screenwriters, music, and various personnel platforms within the crew, watch these works mature, and then at this point in time, find the right drivers to protect and escort these creators as much as possible.

This is obviously a big plan. Su Ning did find a lot of surprises during his visit.

For example, some emerging independent film directors and some short films by new directors that have entered the exhibition are far from winning awards, but they are of high quality to have made it to this stage.

Su Ning also saw several director teams from China participating in the exhibition. The circle is so large and Su Ning had never heard of their names before. Some niche films found it difficult to attract attention and even if they were released, they only made a few million at the box office before being quickly withdrawn. But it was clear that some of them had something worthwhile.

Among them, there was an animation director who left a very impressive impression. He made an animated short film with a very traditional Chinese ink-and-wash feel, but it was a simple story called "Silver Bracelet," about a girl chasing her childhood dream.

It was filmed very well. Although the story was still a little immature, it was obvious that it already had a lot of style.

Unfortunately, this animated short film is too short, only fifteen minutes long, and the last eight minutes are a bit rushed, not as impressive as the previous ones, and the overall completion is not high enough.

Although this work was screened, it had very few opportunities to be shown. Su Ning saw it by chance, and after returning, he specially asked someone to contact this young director.

When the other party heard that it was from Light and Shadow Entertainment, he sounded very happy and frankly explained the reason for the final hasty production. It was very simple: because they ran out of money.

It cost too much to make such a work. The young director almost went bankrupt. He still made it even though he knew that there was no way to commercialize such a short film.

There is only one reason why she is so persistent - because the Thorns Award has encouraged the shooting of this kind of short films in recent years and provided opportunities for external display, which she seized. Because of this small opportunity, several investors have contacted her recently, wanting to continue to support her creation of works.

At present, Su Ning also intends to cooperate with her and provide her with new opportunities. At the end of the conversation, she said to Su Ning with a smile: "Even the famous light and shadow entertainment has come. It seems that my dream is really going to come true."

Although some details still need to be discussed, it is obvious that the other party has great faith in Lighting Entertainment. They only mentioned the name and there was no need to say more. They even readily agreed to the next step of contact before discussing the investment amount.

In between the words, she mentioned a very important word, "dream". Everyone who comes here has their own dream, big or small, with stars in their eyes, and a yearning for this industry from the bottom of their hearts.

The most important thing about this award has never been the red carpet and awards ceremony that night, but these "opportunities", which coincides with what Su Ning has been doing.

If his previous unconventional approach to recruiting talent had not been recognized, he would not have been recognized so quickly.

So after actually coming here, Su Ning really likes this place.

Even though he came here with caution, the situation here was beyond his expectations.

The Thorn Award was great, and he completely understood why countless people and the protagonists in books regarded it as their ultimate goal.

But it is precisely because of this that the ending is more contrasted with the original work he knows. The protagonist who once aimed at the Thorn Award finally died in depression, proving that after many years, the Thorn Award no longer seems so good, as if the ideal has been shattered.

Not to mention the protagonist, Su Ning has only been here for a few days, and feeling this atmosphere, he feels heartbroken when he thinks that this might change, let alone someone who has always regarded it as his biggest dream.

Why has there been such a big change in just a few years?

After arriving here, Shen Mingzheng and Su Ning acted separately for some time. As the heir of the Shen family, he could not avoid some business and social activities. Moreover, the special effects technology that Su Ning wanted to tackle belonged to the works of large companies. Only through such occasions could he get in touch with them. Of course, the two of them would attend at the same time, but Shen Mingzheng had more contacts.

As the two of them were drinking, he was able to sense what was going on. After observing for a while, he gave Su Ning an answer.

——Old Matthew, who has served as the chairman of the Thorn Award for more than 30 years, is the great guardian of the Thorn Award. He is too old and may not be able to hold on for much longer.