Huayu: As a child star, I just want to be famous

Chapter 601 Xiao Chen, which side are you on?

The discussion about politics didn't last long before everyone returned to the topic of the Oscars.

Joker received 11 nominations, although the focus was on the few awards available, while the technical awards were relatively less important.

However, if a work wants to maximize its value, it still needs the support of these smaller awards, which can also play a role in enhancing its prestige.

"Of course, not many resources are invested in this area, and in fact, not many competitors will invest resources in these awards."

Bolton said, "We adopted the usual practices, combined with traditional media propaganda models, and also took into account Chen's suggestion to launch an online public opinion offensive."

Bolton, in fact, was somewhat dismissive of the latter.

Certainly, the internet has become an important promotional channel for major films.

However, when it comes to the Oscars, the Academy, which is predominantly composed of older white men, consists of rather traditional people.

They comprise nearly half of the 9000 judges and can significantly influence the final result.

Information on the internet and the public opinion trends circulating among young people are difficult for them to perceive.

This is why, even today, the best public relations tactic for the Oscars is still to court the judges face-to-face.

Traditional media promotion is also a major focus.

After all, older white men are still used to reading newspapers.

However, since the big boss who was paying the money had spoken, Bolton still put in a lot of effort as required.

In the past six months, a large number of reviews of "Joker" have appeared on YouTube, and "Joker" can always be seen on various lists of classic movies.

On social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook, Joker remains a relatively popular topic.

Chen Linfeng could see through Bolton's thoughts, he knew it from the beginning.

Bolton was just a typical professional manager; even if he didn't agree, he would still get things done, so Bolton didn't say much.

In fact, veteran public relations professionals have already done a great job on how to please the judges.

Chen Linfeng added a new media promotion, but it was just a trial balloon.

While the judges are generally older, their desire to pursue fashion should not be underestimated.

In my past life, when I was a working-class person, there were always older colleagues who used outdated slang to show that they could keep up with the times.

Although it often makes people incredibly awkward, it's enough to show that these older folks are very likely paying attention to trending topics online in private.

Chen Linfeng never thought highly of the judges' professional competence. When they voted, they might not even have seen the nominated films and were relying entirely on a single impression.

Smaller awards are more likely to be like this if they lack public relations.

You might vote for the movie you hear about the most.

If you've seen related reviews indicating that a film has received positive public or professional media ratings, then you couldn't be more certain.

Creating a stir on the internet increases the probability of a related issue.

Chen Linfeng listened to Bolton's report on the results of his offline public relations efforts, nodding occasionally.

The main expenses were spent on the Variety cover ($80), FYC ads ($120 million), and private screenings ($300 million).

This is considered a basic package, and most film teams vying for major awards will buy it to some extent.

More importantly, it involves personalization, either by spending money or by using other benefits to persuade players with strong connections.

Spielberg is a prime example; a phone call from him can likely sway hundreds of votes.

Other Hollywood directors can also influence the vote count to some extent.

They have a lot of influence, especially in the director's award category.

Then there's the Black Judges Alliance, which also wields considerable influence.

In the previous life, "12 Years a Slave" reached the top, and there were rumors that they were the ones who promoted it.

But now that Joker has joined in, many people in the Black Alliance have been drawn to this side.

At least in this session, the Black Alliance is in a state of division.

Mei Jie did a lot of the work here. As Chen Linfeng's representative outside of Hollywood, she could speak on his behalf during his absence.

"We've already completed the preliminary work on what Bolton just mentioned. Now we need you, Xiaofeng, to finish it up."

Mei said, "For directors like Spielberg and Cameron, only you are a more equal match."

"The time is about 3 days from now, as I mentioned when we discussed the itinerary before."

"okay, I get it."

Chen Linfeng's career in Hollywood has progressed rapidly, and the same applies to the Oscars; he can now influence a portion of the votes.

A Chinese director can get around 20 tickets, but he can also persuade a group of people from other East Asian countries just by speaking.

In addition, there are some people with whom I have close relationships in Hollywood.

Although he didn't have as many as Spielberg's limit of several hundred votes, he was still considered a big shot in his own right.

In terms of acting awards, he can also attract a lot of people; directors are naturally more charismatic.

This is determined by the nature of the profession.

Therefore, he has the capital to make deals.

"In addition, since New Year's Day, major media outlets have been summarizing and commenting on the global films of last year."

Burton continued, "Our film topped the global box office charts, making it a natural hot topic, and the team focused on marketing through positive media reviews."

"Joker received a meta score of 85 from 48 major media outlets, which is a very high score and is more than enough to support the film in competing for various individual awards during awards season."

"Eleven media outlets, including the Los Angeles Times, Empire, and Rolling Stone, gave it a perfect score of 100."

As Bolton spoke, he handed over a form.

The page includes scores from various media outlets, along with key evaluations.

Chen Linfeng glanced at it and had a clear understanding of the situation.

The Los Angeles Times praised Joker as a masterpiece;

Rolling Stone praised Leonardo DiCaprio for giving his most daring and best performance to date.

Empire magazine believes that Joker set a benchmark for future superhero movies;

The Arizona Republic gave it a score of 95, calling it a crazy work as well as a masterpiece;

Later, media outlets such as The New York Times, Beauty Today, and the Chicago Sun-Times all gave it a score of 90 or higher.

At the very bottom, a few scattered media outlets gave it relatively low scores.

These include The Wall Street Journal, The New Yorker, and others.

The Wall Street Journal argues that Chen's attempt to portray the Joker as a hero who rebels against oppression is utterly absurd.

I gave it a score of 60.

The New Yorker, however, thought the film was too fake and unrealistic, giving it a score of 60.

This made Chen Linfeng wonder if his allusion was so accurate that it triggered a reaction in the other party.

After all, Gotham City, with its simple and honest people, is like New York in reality.

It's perfectly normal to empathize.

As for the Charlotte Observer and similar publications, they only gave it a score of 20 or 30.

The reviews were even worse—I never imagined that Chen's film would give me this feeling: in a two-hour movie, there were no fresh elements and no attractive characters!
Chen Linfeng didn't care about these real clowns at all. It would be pointless to argue with them.

Overall, everyone did a very good job.

Chen Linfeng gave a summary.

The preparations for this Oscar nomination are much more extensive than those for the previous film, "Sunset".

Not only in terms of financial resources, but also in terms of experience, they are much better.

Last time was the first time, and although we had some hearsay tips and the PR team was pretty good, we were still novices and made some small mistakes.

Without the support of a pig-like opponent, it's hard to say what the outcome would be.

This time it's clearly different; it has a sense of overwhelming power.

You can tell a lot about this from the early Oscar previews and trends.

Chen Linfeng showered the team members with praise, increasing their morale by 5.

They then said they would increase the bonus, probably by another 10 points.

After the conversation had nearly ended, the others took their leave one after another, but Sister Mei was the only one who stayed.

Chen Linfeng gestured for Qianqian to go and rest first, noticing that her head had been bobbing up and down, indicating that she was clearly tired.

"Sister Mei, is there anything else?"

Sister Mei looked serious. "During the meeting just now, Director Li's secretary called and said he hoped you would call back as soon as possible."

"Okay, I understand." Chen Linfeng took a deep breath. "What needs to be faced will always have to be faced."

On the other side of the ocean, in Beijing at noon, in an office in the Cultural Affairs Bureau, Director Li stared at the computer screen, his brow furrowed. Three cigarette butts were already piled up in the ashtray on his desk.

On the opposite sofa, another person sat, also with a worried expression.

He was also in the cultural field, holding the rank of deputy director-general. He usually dealt with external parties a lot in his work. Recently, he received some news that made him feel uneasy, so he went to Director Li to inquire.

"Wei Si, could this be a mistake? I know Xiao Chen well; his stance has always been very firm."

“I also hope it’s a mistake, but some recent signs from across the ocean suggest that things aren’t quite right.”

"Are you sure he's gone astray?"

Wei Si shook his head. "No, it's just that we heard some organizations are trying to contact him. Considering the timing of his trip to Emiliaken with his pregnant wife, our comrades have some concerns."

"We should ask first; we can't suspect our own people without reason."

"Yes, that's what I meant too, so I came to you first, Mr. Li, hoping you could communicate with me and see if there are any problems."

"Oh, that's easy to do."

"Director, here's your coffee." The secretary carefully placed the cup down.

"Just leave it there." Director Li said without looking up. "Have you made contact with Chen Linfeng?"

"General Manager Sun replied that Director Chen was in a meeting and should be here soon—"

The phone rang suddenly. Director Li grabbed the receiver: "Chen Linfeng?"

"Director Li, it's me." Chen Linfeng's clear voice came from the other end of the phone, sounding very calm.

"What's going on with you in Hollywood lately?" Director Li asked, getting straight to the point.

"Have you received the message?"

"Of course, what do you think we do all the time?"

"Well, I had no choice in this matter."

Director Li frowned immediately. "What do you mean by 'forced into it'? Explain yourself. Given your current situation, Chen Linfeng, who could possibly force you?"

Chen Linfeng will give a detailed account of the recent public opinion battles surrounding the Oscars and the media.

"Director Li, this second Best Director award, or the first Best Film award, is very important to me. I need some time to put aside these external factors."

Chen Linfeng sighed, hesitated for a moment, but still did not mention that he would be shifting his focus entirely to the domestic market and giving up the Oscar race in the future.

"No matter how important it is, you shouldn't act alone. You should at least tell me about it beforehand. Do you think I can stop you?"

“It wasn’t exactly acting alone,” Chen Linfeng said in a low voice. “I’ve spoken with the China Railway Corporation, but she might not have communicated with you.”

"Ah, this." Director Li was speechless for a moment, feeling deeply embarrassed.

China Railway Corporation is a big brand.

Wei Si, who was listening from the side, also felt that it was a bit tricky.

The key issue is that it's difficult to verify whether what Chen Linfeng said is true. After all, people at a certain level know that this guy has a very good personal relationship with the China Railway Corporation and visits them every year during the Spring Festival.

There's really no need to doubt that.

Chen Linfeng isn't stupid; he would definitely tell his family about doing something like this.

However, in order to further enhance his influence, he also wanted to gain some political value for himself.

Therefore, he specifically discussed with the China Railway Corporation that the matter should only be disseminated to a very small circle, since it seems that Director Li's level is unaware of it at present.

Being too honest and having an overly firm stance can sometimes be a bad thing.

That is, they are easily overlooked, and the treatment they receive is not as good as that of outsiders or newcomers.

Of course, this doesn't mean Chen Linfeng is dissatisfied with his current situation, but he has heard some subtle comments on a daily basis.

A typical example is the recent film "The Legend of Zhaolie of the Southern Song Dynasty". If Ang Lee had directed such a film, it probably wouldn't have made any waves at all.

But when it came to him, dissenting voices immediately emerged, many of which came from state media.

It was only because the data for "The Biography of Zhaolie of the Southern Song Dynasty" was so terrifying in the later stages, and its influence was so great, that public opinion forced professional evaluation; otherwise, the direction of public opinion would have been very different.

While the kneeling tribes were certainly fueling this, to say that those above were wholeheartedly supporting him is utter nonsense.

In some ways, this is somewhat similar to the situation of Yue Fei in history.

If Grandpa Yue had been a little more domineering and hadn't acted so much more loyal to the emperor and patriotic, Wanyan Gou might not have dared to be so unscrupulous.

Telling such thoughts to a close relative like the China Railway Corporation is acceptable, but telling a higher-level leader would be suicidal.

That's why Director Li only just learned about it now.

"Director Li, don't worry. The current Hollywood rhetoric is mostly just a temporary measure. I'm not stupid; I won't defect to the Nationalists in 49."

I'm not at all relieved.

Upon hearing the phrase "joined the National Revolutionary Army in 49," Director Li pondered for a moment before quickly understanding its meaning.

But in 2014, the United States was still at its zenith, and there were traitors everywhere. He didn't think of the opposing side as "the Nationalist army of 49".

What Xiao Chen said could certainly be explained, but on the other hand, it could also be that he was lying to him, so it's hard to be sure.

The only thing that can corroborate this is the China Railway Corporation, but it's not easy to ask them.

Director Li sighed inwardly and decided to seek the minister's help; the leader would always find a way to confirm.

Chen Linfeng sensed that Director Li was not in a good mood, and considering that Director Li usually took good care of him, he provided some more information.

“Just today, NED contacted me and wanted to invite me to a party they organized.”

"Huh?"*2
Even the Director of the Guard couldn't hold back this time.

(End of this chapter)