Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 427 The Purpose of Hype

"You're looking for me?"

Ning Hao pushed open the door and asked with a grin.

Cao Yang gestured for him to sit down and, without beating around the bush, said directly, "Isn't there still more than 100 days until the Beijing Olympics? There's a theme song for the 100-day countdown celebration called 'Welcome to Beijing'."

One hundred Chinese-language singers participated in the performance, and the song was released as a single on the 17th of this month. Now they want to shoot a music video, which is expected to be released on the 30th. They want me to recommend a music video director.

Ning Hao is such a shrewd person; as soon as Cao Yang spoke, he immediately understood what Cao Yang meant.

"You recommended me?"

"Hmm, didn't you direct a music video for a popular singer before?"

Cao Yang joked, "I heard there's a newcomer who just debuted and spent a lot of money to hire you, a big director, to shoot a music video."

"hey-hey……"

Ning Hao grinned again. He was thick-skinned, and this "small matter" couldn't break through his defenses at all.

“I also refused, but they were so sincere.”

Yes, the banknotes came flying in like a shower, the "sincerity" was absolutely on point, and few people could refuse such a great deal of sincerity.

"It's one thing to shoot a music video, but if you dare to mess around with a movie, I won't let you off the hook."

After saying this, Cao Yang added, "No matter how sincere the other party is, it won't work."

"Don't worry, Junior Uncle. I know the importance of reputation. We've established ourselves in this area through movies, and we would never ruin our own reputation."

Ning Hao quickly patted his chest and assured him.

Then, with a playful grin, he said, "Thank you for thinking of me, Junior Uncle. Don't worry, I will definitely do my best in filming this music video and I will not let you down."

The director of the music video for the song celebrating 100 days until the Olympics is not the same as a regular music video director; he has a much higher level of prestige and is considered a very important qualification in China.

This kind of qualification is not something that ordinary people can obtain; one must be from a "reputable and respectable family."

"Well, you'll have about a week to finish this music video when you go back this time. I'll give you ten days. Spend the remaining days with your wife."

They've been following you since you were a student, all these years..."

As he spoke, Cao Yang's voice weakened. He suddenly felt that he didn't seem to have any right to talk to Ning Hao about matters of the heart.

Although he knew that Ning Hao, like Lao Gu, had some wild side outside, he believed that it was all consensual... sort of.

It wasn't that Ning Hao and Lao Gu forced anyone, but rather that those people were so proactive that it almost felt like they were "forcing" them.

The film and television industry is the place with the most beautiful women; anyone with a little ability will not lack them.

Therefore, the film and television industry is particularly demanding.

"Don't worry, Junior Uncle, we have a great relationship."

Ning Hao said with a smile.

Cao Yang didn't know whether Ning Hao was telling the truth or not, so he just assumed it was true.

This life is different from the past. In the original timeline, Ning Hao's wife was a great help to him. She was a very talented screenwriter, and she was the screenwriter for many of his works.

Therefore, Ning Hao cannot live without his wife.

But things are completely different now.

Ning Hao entered Cao Yang's film crew before he even graduated, thanks to his "cleverness," and got along very well with Lao Tian and Lao Gu.

Lao Tian even took him on as his graduate student.

Ning Hao thus became one of Cao Yang's men and joined his core team.

Over the years, Cao Yang only let Ning Hao "go out" once, allowing him to direct "Crazy Stone," and then let him continue to follow him.

He wanted to see through these things whether Ning Hao was worth nurturing.

Ning Hao is a person with high emotional intelligence and is also very shameless. Don't be fooled by his playful and unserious demeanor; he is self-aware and knows what he can and cannot do.

Based on this point alone, someone in his position would surpass 90% or even more of the people.

Overall, it is still reliable.

"That's good. When you come back, you can bring the students from the school who are doing internships with you."

The school has been given 15 internship slots this time, which is perfect for Ning Hao to bring along.

Cao Yang hesitated for a moment, then whispered again, "When you get back, secretly tell Xiao Gangpao that casting for 'Aftershock' can begin."

He deliberately emphasized the word "secretly".

Ning Hao nodded knowingly and whispered, "Don't worry, Junior Uncle, it's all for the sake of the movie."

Cao Yang looked at Ning Hao, who had an "I understand" expression on his face, and was speechless.

You know nothing! You don't understand a damn thing!

Okay, if you can "understand," then Little Cannon should also be able to "understand" what it means, right?

The hype surrounding Xiaogangpao went a bit too far and was "frightening" a while ago, so it was stopped. Cao Yang couldn't directly tell Xiaogangpao about it, since he still had to do some pretense.

As that day draws ever closer, Cao Yang still feels a little uneasy.

The roles for "Aftershock" had already been decided, so why did Ning Hao have to tell Xiao Gangpao that casting could begin?

If Xiao Gangpao understands this thoroughly, he will use the "casting" process to create a big buzz and draw more attention to the "earthquake."

Even if he doesn't fully understand the situation, he could still hold a press conference to talk about the casting process and the cast of "Aftershock," which would attract some attention.

Nearly 7 people died, almost 1.8 went missing, and more than 37 were injured. These are not just cold, hard numbers; they are vibrant lives.

By hyping it up, let Xiao Gangpao take the blame for the past. Even if it saves one more life, it will be a great deed.

Moreover, for the sake of the movie, Xiao Gangpao didn't care about the so-called "infamy" at all.

That's it, consider this our last effort.

After Ning Hao returned to China, Cao Yang continued filming "Joker".

The movie "Joker" can be seen as Arthur, an ordinary person, doing his best to be kind to others, just like most people, and full of hope for life and dreams...

Unfortunately, he was still forced by one thing after another, and eventually turned to the dark side, becoming a "clown" who took revenge on society.

It can also be seen as the process of the Joker breaking free from Arthur's "shackles" and liberating himself.

The Joker was originally inside Arthur's body, or rather, there is a "Joker" living in the heart of each of us, it just hasn't been released yet. It may seem like just different ways of saying it, but the difference is actually quite significant.

Because of medication, maternal love, and his dream of becoming a stand-up comedian, Arthur is able to temporarily suppress the Joker, but the Joker always reappears to cause trouble whenever he tries to integrate into society. Arthur's inability to laugh occurs at key junctures.

It seems that Arthur's inability to laugh is controlled by the "Joker".

Jim Carrey's portrayal of Arthur and the Joker, especially in these key moments, is extremely natural, as if he *is* Arthur and the Joker.

In commercial films, even critically acclaimed ones like "Inception" or "Pirates of the Caribbean," while the main characters have a lot of screen time, the film doesn't focus a lot of shots and attention on the characters; instead, it emphasizes the narrative.

Therefore, even if the protagonist is given an immersive experience, they will only feel that the actor's acting skills are very good, but it is far from amazing.

Art films are different.

Art films may focus on narrative, but they place more emphasis on characters.

For example, in films like "Black Swan," "Manchester by the Sea," and "Joker," a large amount of the camera work and attention is focused on the main character, allowing viewers to experience the character's changes at different stages of the film.

This is also why films that "depict people" are more likely to win awards for their actors.

When Dong Xuan was filming "Black Swan", the protagonist also had a split personality, but whether it was the "White Swan" or the "Black Swan", it was actually a dedication to the stage, not "bad".

But Joker is different.

As more and more films were shot, many people were frightened when Jim Carrey "transformed" into the Joker.

This guy's Arthur evokes sympathy, but his "Joker" also instills fear in people from the bottom of their hearts.

Cao Yang was also a little hesitant.

So far, Jim Carrey's "Arthur" and Joaquin Phoenix's "Arthur" are similar, both showing repression, decadence, heaviness, cowardice, introversion, and sensitivity.

But Jim Carrey's "Joker" is a little different from Joaquin Phoenix's "Joker".

Jim Carrey's "Joker" looks more insane and more perverted.

It's not that the Joker's actions made him seem more insane and perverted, but rather Jim Carrey's performance—his expressions and movements—made the Joker seem more insane and perverted.

Jim Carrey made the difference between "Arthur" and "Joker" so great that it seemed like they couldn't be played by the same person in such a short period of time.

In Lao Gu's words, if a person doesn't have a serious illness, he would never be the honest and simple Arthur one moment and the arrogant and perverted Joker the next.

Cao Yang was genuinely worried. The financial crisis hadn't spread to the US yet, but if Jim Carrey were to be "moved by the situation" once it did, the consequences could be dire.

Or, if Jim Carrey sees "The Dark Knight" in July and gets emotionally moved, he might go and kill Christian Bale, who plays Batman...

Damn it, to prevent this from happening again, maybe we should get an exorcism... no, maybe we should get a psychologist to give Jim Carrey regular counseling.

Jim Carrey's two agents, Jimmy Miller and Eric Gold, had also noticed that something was wrong with him.

However, they previously thought it was because Jim Carrey was too immersed in the role. After all, there had been rumors in the industry that once someone took on an art film directed by Cao Yang, the lead actor would usually become too immersed in the role because Cao Yang was so good at directing actors.

However, they will recover after a period of time.

So nobody cared anymore—is it even a big deal for actors to get into character?

Cao Yang instructed Jim Carrey's agent to keep a close eye on him and to take Jim Carrey to the psychologist on time, with the production crew covering the expenses.

Jimmy Miller and Eric Gold were both shocked. Had it gotten so serious that they needed to see a psychologist?
Even more serious is that if Jim Carrey is unable to film the movie due to his own reasons, the production team will definitely not wait for him to recover. Either the production team will disband, or the production team will recast and reshoot.

Jim Carrey will definitely have to bear all the losses incurred by the production team during this period.

Of course, as a professional actor, Jim Carrey certainly wouldn't post a complaint about his agency's boss going skiing while he was receiving treatment... (Isn't this a bit too new?)
"Director, has Jim's depression become so severe that he needs a psychiatrist? Is he no longer able to work?"

Eric Gold asked somewhat nervously.

With a budget of $7000 million, "Joker" has been in development for so long, making it a top-tier film for art-house cinema. If Jim Carrey is unable to handle the directing, the company will lose at least $2000 million.

Cao Yang was taken aback. "How did you interpret that as meaning filming is impossible?"

"No, it's like this. As you probably know, the content of 'Joker' is a bit special, and Jim got a little too into the role. I was worried something bad might happen to him. You know Heath Ledger..."

After hearing Cao Yang's words, Jim Carrey's two agents became even more nervous.

Heath Ledger... It's said that this guy also took so many drugs because he got too immersed in the role of Batman.

"Don't worry, Director. We will definitely hire the best psychologist to provide Jim with regular counseling. Our studio will cover the costs ourselves."

Eric Gold quickly said.

While psychologists charge by the hour, how much can even the best psychologist charge? Are we really going to ask the film crew for reimbursement for such a small amount?

Of course, the most important reason is that the fact that Jim Carrey has a psychologist cannot be known to the rest of the crew. Too many people will lead to too much gossip, and if word gets out, who knows what rumors might spread.

Jimmy Miller, Jim Carrey's other agent, seemed to be deep in thought.

The two returned to the studio.

Jimmy Miller closed the door and said to Eric Gold, "Eric, do you think we could take advantage of Jim needing to see a psychologist?"

"Ok?"

Eric Gold frowned and said, "Jimmy, Jim has depression. He's trying to hide it, how could he possibly publicize it everywhere?"
Previously, when the news broke, there was nothing we could do but steer Jim's depression towards his acting career. But if it's revealed that Jim has reached a point where he needs to see a psychiatrist, who would dare use him in the future?

You've got it wrong, buddy.

Jimmy Miller said somewhat mysteriously, "There are still news reports about Heath Ledger from time to time, saying that he became depressed because he was too immersed in playing the Joker in 'Batman,' and could only rely on medication to relieve his insomnia."

"If we wait until July for *The Batman* to be released, and Heath Ledger's Joker is decent, what will Warner Bros. do?"

"What will you do?"

Eric Gold thought for a moment, then said somewhat uncertainly, "They will continue to hype up Heath Ledger's Joker, making him the most classic Joker, and they might even push for an Oscar for him."

"Dude, have you noticed? Warner Bros. has already done this!"

Jimmy Miller said with certainty, "Just wait and see. From now until the release of 'The Batman,' Heath Ledger will have no shortage of news. There will be another big explosion of news right after the movie is released."

Warner Bros.' excessive promotion of Heath Ledger is definitely not a good thing for Jim. People will compare Jim to a dead man, which is unfair to Jim.

At this point, Jimmy Miller added mysteriously, "We just need to take a gamble: bet that Heath Ledger's Joker is pretty good, bet that Batman will be a huge hit, and bet that Warner Bros. will continue to hype up Heath Ledger..."

What we need to do is to link Jim with Heath Ledger. Heath Ledger became depressed because he got too into the role of the Joker in Batman. Can't Jim also get too into the role and become depressed?
Our Jim really needs to see a psychologist. With a doctor's certificate, some medication, and a bit of hype about how Jim lost nearly 25 kilograms in two months to prepare for the Joker role, isn't he more dedicated than Heath Ledger?

Eric Gold remained silent.

Jimmy Miller continued, "Eric, it's hard to compare a living person with a dead one. People will use a magnifying glass to find Jim's shortcomings in order to highlight Heath Ledger's greatness."

Only by making Jim more deserving of sympathy will people put aside their prejudices and look at the issue fairly. Do you think Jim's acting skills are inferior to Heath Ledger's?
Besides, as long as we take action, I believe Warner would be happy to see that…

Eric Gold opened his mouth, then said weakly, "Let me think about it, let me think about it some more."

(End of this chapter)