Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 445 Global Premiere

Gu Changwei has now achieved great success.

He was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Cinematography four times and won the award twice, which is an outstanding achievement in the entire film industry.

Therefore, as Cao Yang's regular photographer over the years, he is also known as Cao Yang's golden partner.

Of course, while Lao Gu could put on airs of a world-class photographer in front of others, he was always very humble and cautious in front of Cao Yang.

He knows where all of this came from.

He will always remember how he came to Hollywood full of hope before he met Cao Yang, and how he slunk back to his hometown.

Therefore, he felt grateful and respectful towards Cao Yang.

but!

These feelings of gratitude and respect could not suppress the envy in my heart!

That's the Great Hall of the People, that's Merkel, that's the highest leader, that's a state banquet!

Old Gu suddenly realized that it still had to be the director!
In the film industry, only directors can achieve such a status, right?
Old Gu felt a surge of excitement. He suddenly wondered if he could direct a film based on an idea he had had before.

However, this was just a fleeting thought born of envy towards Cao Yang. He himself knew very well that unless he switched to directing and could achieve the status of Zhang Yimou or Chen Kaige, he would not have the same position and influence as he did now.

Being ranked among the world's top five photographers is no exaggeration.

The film "Like Father, Like Son" doesn't have any big scenes or intense conflicts, and it doesn't require any special visual treatment.

Aside from the occasional delays caused by having to reshoot due to the two children, the filming process went very smoothly most of the time.

The film's shooting schedule, which was expected to last fifty days, was successfully completed on the 43rd day.

Generally speaking, most directors will exceed the planned timeline when shooting a film. For example, Chen Kaige's "Mei Lanfang" took more than two months longer to complete.

Not to mention geniuses like Jiang Wen and Wang Jiawei, even exceeding three to five months is considered fast.

Cao Yang is the only one who finishes filming almost every movie ahead of schedule.

This can be considered one of Cao Yang's major trademarks.

Perhaps influenced by his immersive experience, Sister Hong didn't cause Cao Yang any "trouble" during those forty-odd days, which truly relieved Cao Yang.

However, according to Li Xiaoran, Sister Hong mentioned to her several times that she must find time to secretly get a paternity test done for Arthur...

Well, she felt that Arthur's personality and appearance were somewhat different from hers, and she always wondered if they had been switched at birth.

If you were to ask Cao Yang what he thinks about this, what could he possibly think?
All I can do is silently wish Sister Hong all the best, and hope she doesn't cause any scandalous incidents, otherwise things will get really messy.

As for Li Xiaoran, she is now very gentle and a good wife and mother.

The reason she said this was because she had even made plans for Cao Yang's future.

Specifically, she would remind Cao Yang from time to time to be wary of Gao Yuanyuan, fearing that Gao Yuanyuan would be jealous of her relationship with Cao Yang, harbor resentment towards her, and might collude with the nurses to switch the babies...

Sigh, Cao Yang didn't know what to say.

Fortunately, since it was just an added element of immersion, the impact wasn't that deep or long-lasting. Otherwise, Li Xiaoran might have impulsively started tearing into Gao Yuanyuan in front of the media again.

This wasn't the first time the two had mocked each other in front of the media, but there was a fear that Li Xiaoran, influenced by her role, might use a fictitious child as a pretext...

After filming wrapped on "Like Father, Like Son", Cao Yang didn't rush into post-production; instead, he attended an important meeting.

The person mentioned above will arrive in Berlin a week before the opening of the Berlin Film Festival, on January 28, 2009, local time, for an official visit to Germany.

The timing was excellent.

Of course, the above was an official visit to discuss important matters, mainly cooperation and how to deal with the global financial crisis.

Cao Yang's matter may only be mentioned incidentally.

However, let alone mentioning it incidentally, even such a high-ranking leader might let slip a little something when talking to Merkel.

Given the current unique economic circumstances, the German government is able to withstand considerable pressure from Europe, making the Berlin Film Festival more "fair" and "just".

In fact, the current financial crisis has left the economies of Europe and the United States preoccupied with their own problems, which has reduced many of the obstacles to the Berlin Film Festival and Cao Yang's Grand Slam victory.

This financial crisis is more serious than we imagined.

On October 31, 2007, the total market capitalization of publicly traded companies worldwide reached a high of $63 trillion, but now that figure is less than $30 trillion.

This has resulted in a severe blow to the real economy and a surge in unemployment.

According to Warner President Jeff Robinoff, who called Cao Yang, the US unemployment rate rose from 4.6% at the beginning of the year to 10%, resulting in the loss of 870 million jobs.

General Motors and Chrysler went bankrupt and underwent restructuring, with the government injecting $800 billion in funding.

American household net worth has shrunk by $11.2 trillion, equivalent to 80% of GDP.

In Europe, industrial output in Germany, a long-established industrial powerhouse, fell by 33%; the external debt of almost all Eastern European countries exceeded 50% of their GDP; and Russia's stock market plummeted by 75%...

In late September, the United States proposed a $700 billion financial rescue plan, the largest financial rescue operation undertaken by the U.S. government since the Great Depression of the 1930s.

However, the proposal was rejected by the House of Representatives at the end of September.

However, just four days later, after emergency consultations within the US, the voting process was restarted...

On October 3, this financial rescue plan was miraculously passed again.

It's not just Americans.

On the afternoon of October 13, Germany announced that it would allocate 480 billion euros to deal with the financial crisis.

Almost simultaneously, France announced a bailout plan totaling 360 billion euros... Subsequently, in a very short period of time, EU member states launched financial rescue plans totaling more than 2 trillion US dollars.

Just a few days ago, China also introduced ten measures to further expand domestic demand and promote steady and rapid economic development. Preliminary estimates suggest that by the end of 2010, the investment scale will reach 4 trillion yuan.

These actions by countries around the world demonstrate just how bad the global economy has become.

However, these crises are actually the biggest "positive" for the upcoming film "Joker".

Warner Bros. seized the opportunity and held a "Thank You for Your Support - Joker Global Premiere" two weeks before the release of "Joker".

This so-called global premiere was not just held in one city, but in 10 cities around the world.

In the words of Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff, "Joker" has always been marketed as a "prophecy" and "curse" movie, taking advantage of the global depression to let people all over the world experience in advance whether it is a prophecy or not.

The implication is that the premiere was used to let the media and audiences know that "Joker" is a film that foreshadows a global depression. Two cities were chosen for the North American premiere: New York City in the US and Toronto in Canada.

Europe selected five cities: London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, and Moscow.

Then add Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul.

However, it's impossible to hold a premiere in one of the 10 cities every day. The crew was divided into three groups, and Jim Carrey, who hadn't fully recovered, was scheduled to premiere in New York and Toronto in North America.

Furthermore, Jim Carrey was born in Toronto, Canada, and is a Torontonian, so it was most appropriate for him to attend the Toronto premiere.

Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff, along with Ian McKellen and Anne Hathaway, are making a tiring trip to five European premieres.

Ian McKellen was born in England and is very famous in Europe, so it would be suitable for him to go to Europe.

For the remaining premieres in Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul, let Cao Yang and Pang Bing run around to the premieres.

On November 20, "Joker" held its premiere in Tokyo, followed by a premiere in Seoul on the 23rd and a premiere in Beijing on the 26th.

Cao Yang, accompanied by Fatty Bing and Warner Bros. staff, attended the Tokyo premiere.

Previously, "Joker" had already held premieres in Toronto, Paris, Rome, and London, and word-of-mouth had already spread.

In summary: This is a truly prophetic film, a classic art film that will go down in history. It has transcended the realm of comic book adaptations, wearing the guise of "The Joker" to tell a contemporary story...

Such positive word-of-mouth must have attracted special attention from the film industry. In addition, this is a film directed by Cao Yang, so many big directors and famous stars from the entertainment industry attended the premiere.

Famous directors such as Takeshi Kitano, Hayao Miyazaki, and Hirokazu Kore-eda all came, especially art-house film directors, more than a dozen of them.

As for the actors, almost all the more well-known film actors came to show their support.

If you didn't know better, you'd think this was a big gathering of the film industry.

Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki are directors from different fields, and their relationship is not good, but they have a mutual friend, Joe Hisaishi.

Takeshi Kitano once said, "I hate animation the most, and I hate Hayao Miyazaki the most, but I have to admit that his works can make money, and his animation is also very good."

Therefore, when the organizers arranged for Takeshi Kitano and Hayao Miyazaki to sit next to each other at the premiere of "Joker," Kitano refused.

"You're someone who works in animation, do you even know anything about live-action movies? Don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for you to be here?"

Takeshi Kitano looked fierce and spoke very directly, directly criticizing Hayao Miyazaki.

"You're really rude. I've won major awards at the Berlin Film Festival, an Oscar, and the Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement at the Venice Film Festival. Why can't I come?"

Hayao Miyazaki understood Takeshi Kitano's "domineering" personality and didn't argue with him, but instead retorted with a smile.

"All you can do is make animated films."

Takeshi Kitano paused for a moment, then spoke again.

"But my animated films can win awards."

Hayao Miyazaki smiled again and said, "Art is interconnected. Both live-action films and animated films can convey the most basic art... Let's begin."

Takeshi Kitano gave a muffled "humph" and remained silent.

The movie "Joker" has begun showing.

As the story progresses, Miyazaki's smile gradually fades, and his initially relaxed posture changes, making him appear serious and earnest.

Takeshi Kitano, who had always had a serious expression, suddenly smiled.

He was also considered a close associate of the Venice Film Festival. He had met Cao Yang several times at small gatherings in Venice and they had a pleasant conversation.

Not long ago, when he was drinking with Joe Hisaishi, they talked about Cao Yang's "Joker". Joe Hisaishi said that comics cannot be adapted into real live-action art films. Only animated films are the appropriate medium.

Takeshi Kitano refuted him, saying that others might not be able to do it, but Cao Jun definitely could.

Then, Takeshi Kitano realized that Joe Hisaishi could not possibly say such a thing.
Under his persistent questioning, Joe Hisaishi admitted that he made that statement while drinking with Hayao Miyazaki and discussing Cao Yang's manga adaptation, "Joker."

That's why Takeshi Kitano was so unceremonious when he met Hayao Miyazaki today.

"I understand your idea."

Takeshi Kitano, his eyes fixed on the big screen, leaned closer to Hayao Miyazaki and whispered something.

"Ok?"

Hayao Miyazaki was focused on the film and didn't immediately grasp what Takeshi Kitano meant.

"Do you think that only animation can better and more appropriately express the original meaning of a comic, and that live-action actors can't fully portray the characteristics of the characters in the comic? Animation is the only way..."

As Takeshi Kitano was speaking, he suddenly widened his eyes, stopped talking to Hayao Miyazaki, and forgot about the sarcastic words he wanted to say. He just stared straight at the big screen.

On the big screen at that moment, Jim Carrey, playing the Joker, was dancing "joyfully" down the stairs to upbeat music.

This scene, combined with the music, color palette, and cinematic language, made Takeshi Kitano want to slap his fist in amazement and shout out his admiration for the scene.

Even after the scene ended, Takeshi Kitano remained intently focused on the big screen.

"you are right."

Hayao Miyazaki paused for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Live-action films can also produce amazing scenes."

He turned to look at Takeshi Kitano and said very seriously, "Perhaps only Mr. Cao can make a manga adaptation film so artistic, but I always believe that this film is no longer a manga adaptation film in the traditional sense."

It merely borrows the shell of "Batman" and "Joker," but it tells a story of surrealism.

Surrealism?

Takeshi Kitano finally turned his head and looked at Hayao Miyazaki, saying:

"Then tell me, what's going on with the large number of unemployed people outside? Maybe it's like what's being said, this is a prophetic film, a cursed film. It's not surrealism, it reveals the true nature of this world in advance."

Hayao Miyazaki frowned slightly and muttered to himself, "Is that so?"

Takeshi Kitano snorted again, "Ignorant!"

Hayao Miyazaki wanted to refute this, but although he excels at animated films, as he himself said, art is interconnected.

In his view, Joker is unparalleled in terms of overall quality, the meaning it wants to express, and the performances of the actors.

Add to that the various rumors, and the fact that this film was indeed initiated before the financial crisis, could it be that Cao Jun has really made a great prophetic film?

(End of this chapter)