Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 577 Saturn Award

"The Witch" is an action movie with a very simple plot: it's about a girl who escapes from a laboratory and goes on a killing spree. Strictly speaking, it doesn't require high-level acting skills; just passing is enough.
Jing Tian's acting skills have truly shone in this drama.

Of course, it can't compare to the original Kim Da-mi.

Kim Da-mi is a genius; she won the Best New Actress awards at both the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the Grand Bell Awards with her very first acting role.

Acting requires talent, but Jing Tian isn't considered talented; she's a typical resource-based actress.

But acting is a skill, especially for Hong Kong actors, who are particularly good at it.

Some of them are classically trained actors, and they still act quite well.

Jing Tian followed this approach, and the results were surprisingly good.

"The Witch" is actually a product of South Korean wishful thinking—America has Captain America, and South Korea also needs its own Superman, so they came up with "The Witch".

The original story was set in South Korea, but Zhang Chen's version naturally became set in Hong Kong.

Since it was to be a co-production, many Hong Kong actors were used.

The martial arts choreographer was Chin Ka-lok, and the villain Ah Gui was played by Andy On.

The fight scenes in "The Witch" are actually quite easy to design; all you need to do is convey that sense of power.

In this respect, The Witch 2 is actually better designed than The Witch.

The door of the van was suddenly kicked off while it was moving.
On the farm, the witch kicked the thug like a cannonball, sending him flying to the barn a hundred meters away.

No complicated steps are needed; the flavor comes out in just one touch.

The premiere of "The Witch" was very well received.

Hong Kong media, in particular, were very accommodating, showering him with praise.
Johnnie To is a renowned Hong Kong director, and Ching Tin has consistently played the daughter in the "Taken" series, earning her a good public image.

Moreover, her first leading role in "Crawl" sold well in Hong Kong.

She's quite popular in Hong Kong.

After the premiere, Zhang Chen posted a Weibo message:
[Chinese people will have their own superheroes too! Wishing "The Witch" great success!]

After Zhang Chen posted, Yang Xiaomi, Fan Xiaopang, and others also posted on Weibo to celebrate. Zhang Chen had told them about Jing Tian's background, and the two of them were very careful about it and had a very good personal relationship with Jing Tian.

Reporters wanted to interview Zhang Chen, but unfortunately, he was destined to be nowhere to be found.

Zhang Chen and Fan Xiaopang have already flown to Los Angeles.

The 35th Saturn Awards for film and television are about to begin.

Diane wanted to pick them up from the airport, but Zhang Chen declined because Warner Bros. had already arranged for someone to take care of their accommodation.

This year's awards ceremony will be held at the Beverly Hilton Hotel.

Like other award ceremonies, it started with the highly anticipated red carpet walk.

The last time Zhang Chen attended the Saturn Awards was for "The Descent," when it was just him and Lao Li; there wasn't even a female companion.

Because she wasn't very well-known, the reporters on both sides of the red carpet didn't even bother to take pictures of her. It was so embarrassing!
But this time it's completely different.

When the host announced the cast of "2012", Zhang Chen, Cheng Long, and Fan Xiaopang walked down the red carpet as a group, and the flashes from the cameras on both sides almost blinded them.

Jackie Chan is a renowned international superstar.

Zhang Chen is now a well-known director. His films "Pacific Rim" and "2012" have made him famous in the Western market.

Especially "2012", which made him a top contender in a certain genre.

Fan Xiaopang is the same; she became the most popular action star with just two movies.

However, Fan Xiaopang showed no signs of her usual action star persona today. Instead, she wore an eye-catching crane-themed dress that stole the spotlight from all the other celebrities present.

It has to be said that Fan Xiaopang is born to do things that steal the spotlight.

Only she can pull off such extravagant gowns as crane dresses and dragon robes.

As soon as the three of them appeared, Fan Xiaopang immediately became the focus of the entire event.

The woman walked slowly with an air of indifference, waving and flashing a charming smile at the media on both sides.

I wonder how many male celebrities are amazed by her beauty, and how many female celebrities are secretly calling her a bitch~
Zhang Chen and Cheng Long exchanged a glance and both gave a wry smile; they had now become nothing more than background figures.

Amidst the attention of the crowd, the three walked the red carpet and were even stopped by the host for a few questions.

The Saturn Awards organizers really like celebrities like Fan Bingbing.

No awards ceremony wants to miss out on expanding its influence.

The reason why award ceremonies are so highly anticipated is because they combine authority with entertainment.

The Saturn Awards' authority lies with the organizer, the Academy of Science Fiction, Fantasy & Horror Films.

The entertainment aspect comes from the red carpet shows and the celebrities.

The more buzz this topic generates, the greater the reputation of the awards ceremony.

Red carpet events are all about female celebrities vying for attention; people come for the female stars, not the men. They're not blind!
The organizers love female celebrities like Fan Bingbing who actively boost the popularity and buzz of award ceremonies.

After walking the red carpet and entering the venue, Fan Xiaopang apologized and went to find a place to change his clothes.

Formal dresses are just for showing off on the red carpet.

You have to change immediately after walking the red carpet.

Some people choose haute couture gowns because they are too expensive, and the risk of damaging them outweighs the benefits.

Another major reason is that wearing formal attire is inconvenient.

After Fan Xiaopang left, Cheng Long and Zhang Chen started chatting.

"How's the private jet thing going?"

"Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. If all goes well, you should get it by the end of the year. Next time you come to Los Angeles, you can fly here on your own plane..."

Cheng Long and Zhang Chen both chose Gulfstream, while Zhao Benshan chose Bombardier.

Moreover, all three of them coincidentally chose beds when selecting their outfits.

Zhao Benshan may genuinely want to rest, but Zhang Chen and Cheng Long are probably aiming for rapid progress.

At that moment, Diane spotted Zhang Chen in the crowd and approached him.

"Boss~"

Diane and Cheng Long nodded before standing down next to Zhang Chen.

She's here today representing Twilight.

Twilight was nominated for Best Fantasy Film.

"Boss?"

Jackie Chan exclaimed in surprise, "You're the owner of 'Cube'?"

Zhang Chen shrugged: "Of course."

Cheng Long looked at Diane in disbelief, and she nodded, saying, "Yes, Zhang is the owner of Cube."

Oh my god~

Jackie Chan is incredible.

"Did you produce 'The Walking Dead'?"

"Yes, we developed The Walking Dead in collaboration with Robert Kirkman..."

Robert Kirkman is the comic book creator of The Walking Dead.

"Oh my god, I'm a huge fan of The Walking Dead, I watch every single episode..."

Cheng Long suddenly had a feeling of absurdity.

Zhang Chen's answer was even more absurd. He looked at Diane and asked, "It's already airing?"

Diane nodded: "Yes, Boss, it's the first authentic zombie TV series in the world, airing on AMC cable television network!"

Diane's tone was full of pride.

Not only because it's good, but also because it's fast.

The Walking Dead was a collaboration with CAA, and casting was very quick.

"Oh, Zhang, you haven't seen it? You haven't seen a show produced by your own company?"

Cheng Long's exaggerated tone made Zhang Chen mistakenly believe that he had done something outrageous.

Is it really that big of a deal just because I haven't been paying attention to The Walking Dead?

"How are the ratings?" Zhang Chen prepared to inquire on the spot and express his opinion.

The premiere episode achieved a viewership rating of 2.7%.

After a pause, perhaps sensing that Zhang Chen might not be familiar with the ratings in North America, he explained, "These ratings are actually quite good; AMC is, after all, a cable television station."

Having worked with The CW on "Gossip Girl," Cube already has considerable experience in producing American TV series. "The Walking Dead" also started with a seven-episode pilot.

Unexpectedly, the response was excellent, and it quickly became the number one in its time slot.

AMC promptly ordered the next two seasons.

The production cost of "The Walking Dead" is approximately $120 million per episode.

The pilot season, consisting of 7 episodes, cost $840 million.

The second and third seasons that followed each had 13 or 14 episodes.

Zhang Chen was not surprised at all by the success of "The Walking Dead".

It was already a wildly popular show, and it remained popular for ten years.

How popular was The Walking Dead back then? Let's put it this way: Game of Thrones was so popular that every season of Game of Thrones had to deliberately avoid airing The Walking Dead.

It's so exaggerated!

Why are there so many great American TV series like Prison Break, The Walking Dead, Gossip Girl, and The Vampire Diaries?
Because American TV series use a writer-centric system.

As the name suggests, the screenwriter is the core of a drama.

To put it bluntly, the small screen doesn't actually require that much of a performance.

Whether a TV series can attract viewers depends entirely on its plot.

It can be said that the quality of the plot directly determines the life or death of a drama, which is why screenwriters have such a high status.

In the production process of American TV series, the screenwriter's status is far higher than that of the actors.

Because they really can decide an actor's fate with a single word.

There's a little story in Friends where Joey, an actor, becomes famous after starring in a medical drama. During an interview, he's full of pride but says the wrong thing and offends the writers.

Then in the next episode, he was killed off by the screenwriter.

That's right, it's written to death!

That's how much power you have.

The biggest difference between American TV series and Chinese TV series is the screenwriter.

In the United States, television stations are all privately owned.

Ratings and renewal rates are closely related to advertising revenue, which is why major TV stations spend a lot of money to acquire good American dramas.

Moreover, American TV series are filmed and broadcast simultaneously, and if the ratings are not good, they will really be canceled.

If the ratings drop in the previous episode, the screenwriter will immediately revise the script for the next episode. They will write whatever the audience wants to see, and there will never be any scenes that cause suffering to the main character.

If everything is based on the needs of the audience, then American TV series will naturally be good.

Screenwriters will write well, whether it's to make money or keep their jobs.

This creates a virtuous cycle.

Korean dramas follow a similar pattern, essentially copying the format of American dramas. As a result, for a period of time, many classic Korean dramas emerged.

Next, let's talk about domestically produced TV dramas.

The scripts for domestically produced TV dramas are usually credited to well-known screenwriters, but that's all they are credited for.

The people who actually do the work are mostly ghostwriters and interns.

Because no matter how well he writes, it's useless.

Big-name actors bring their own screenwriters when they join a production, and they can change things however they want.

Therefore, it is jokingly said in China that the screenwriter is the most important position in a film crew, besides the director, producer, lighting, sound effects, script supervisor, post-production, etc.

In other words, it's the least important position.

Because you have no say in the matter.

"What did you say?"

Fan Xiaopang changed his clothes and came back to find everyone gathered together.

"It's nothing, we're just praising Zhang. He was the one who spearheaded the development of 'The Walking Dead,' and 'Twilight.' Zhang has an incredibly sharp eye; he even accurately predicted the Oscar for Best Director and the Cannes Film Festival's Best Director award..."

Who says only Chinese people like to create gods? Americans are quite skilled at it too.

After the red carpet event, a short break was taken before the awards ceremony began.

"2012" was a strong favorite to win, nominated for five awards including Best Sci-Fi Film, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects.

The first option is the Best Science Fiction Film Award.

The host announced the nominees at the top of the page:

This year's nominees for Best Sci-Fi Film are all formidable competitors:

Iron Man

Hawkeye

Indiana Jones 4

Transfer

The Day the Earth Stood Still

2012.

"Please look at the big screen..."

Clips from six movies were played on the big screen in sequence; to be honest, none of them were bad.
Although "2012" was a huge hit and achieved remarkable success worldwide.

But Iron Man is also a big hit~
The final outcome remains to be seen.

The film that won Best Science Fiction Film at the 35th Saturn Awards is… 2012!

The host drawled out his words, and the camera panned across the faces of the six candidates one by one. At this moment, Zhang Chen, who was sitting below, was actually a little nervous.

It wasn't until I heard the name "2012" that I felt relieved.

Zhang Chen stood up, accepted the congratulations from those around him, and walked towards the podium.

Standing on the stage, accepting the trophy, Zhang Chen gave his acceptance speech: "Thank you to the Saturn Awards for giving Best Science Fiction Film to '2012'. I have also seen the other films, and they are all excellent works."

Thank you for the Saturn Award recognition.

My first award was the Saturn Award for Best Horror Film, and today I'm thrilled to receive Best Science Fiction Film. I will continue to work hard and strive to make good films to give back to the audience..."

Zhang Chen's speech was conventional and unremarkable.

The awards ceremony continues.

When it came time for Best Actor, it was Jackie Chan's turn to be nervous.

Although Jackie Chan is famous, he has not won many awards for his acting.

This Best Actor nomination, even though it's only a B-list film festival, is enough to excite him.

But the competitors are equally excellent.

The host announced from above:

Will Smith in "Hancock";

Robert Downey Jr. in Iron Man;
Harrison Ford in Indiana Jones 4;

The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, starring Brad Pitt;

Christian Bale in The Dark Knight;

Jackie Chan in 2012;
To be honest, the competition for this nomination is much fiercer than for Best Science Fiction Film.