Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 456: Tall and Superior

Chen Kaige is proud of his achievements in the field of art, especially after winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes. He always has a strong desire to express himself and wants to show it to everyone in the film.

As for the few viewers who said they didn't understand it?

There's nothing we can do about it.

Art films are a niche art form that pursues artistic content and ideological expression, emphasizing the literary, artistic, and social value of films rather than simply pursuing box office or commercial value.

Yes, at least that's what Lao Chen always thought and did.

When he makes movies, the storyline isn't the most important thing; artistic content and the expression of ideas are his top priorities.

Therefore, Lao Chen has some opinions about Cao Yang's compromises with commercial films in the past two years.

He believes that Cao Yang still had artistic aspirations up to "Inception," which is also Cao Yang's most perfect experimental film combining art and commerce.

In his opinion, the two films that best combine art and commerce to date are Cao Yang's "Inception" and his own "The Promise".

However, "The Promise" focuses more on the expression of ideas, while "Inception" focuses more on artistic connotations.

But when Cao Yang directed "New Pirates of the Caribbean," it was a "fall from grace." This film was entirely a commercial movie and had nothing to do with art.

Just when Lao Chen thought Cao Yang had completely compromised with commercial interests, he never expected that Cao Yang would release "Joker" in the blink of an eye!
To be honest, when Lao Chen first learned that Cao Yang's new movie was "Joker," adapted from a comic book, he once thought that Cao Yang was "beyond saving," and that China had lost another person who upheld art.

The reason I used "again" is because the last person to disappoint Lao Chen was Zhang Yimou.

When Zhang Yimou's "Hero" was released, Lao Chen knew that Zhang Yimou, who had once been his cinematographer, was "beyond saving."

However, things took an unexpected turn once again.

Old Chen never imagined that "Joker" would have both artistic merit and profound message. Considering the current international climate, it is undoubtedly a rare classic, at least in the present day.

What surprised Lao Chen even more was the box office performance of "Joker".

It grossed over $1 million in mainland China and $15 billion globally. And this is supposed to be an art film?

Even though Mr. Chen doesn't care about box office, he is still a little dizzy from the impact of $1 million in China and $15 billion globally.

What's even more outrageous is that while "Mei Lanfang" once again missed out on an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Language Film, "Joker" actually received thirteen Oscar nominations!

That's thirteen nominations!

Isn't it true that movies with high box office returns won't receive Oscar recognition?

The Oscars have chosen to be selectively blind to the $15 billion box office!

This is something Old Chen can't understand.

Most importantly, as many people know, the reason why "Mei Lanfang" was released earlier was because they wanted to compete with "Joker".

As for box office... Old Chen isn't someone who simply pursues box office and commercial success, so let's not compare.

In terms of art... although "Joker" received thirteen Oscar nominations, everyone has a different understanding of art, and the Oscars cannot represent everything.

So Lao Chen made up his mind to focus on the Berlin Film Festival, which has a higher level of artistic merit and value.

“I remember you said last time that you hadn’t visited Professor Xie Fei in a long time? He should be going to Berlin soon. If you want to go, you should hurry up and not put it off any longer.”

Old Chen picked up a new newspaper and saw that it still featured extensive reports about "Joker" receiving thirteen Oscar nominations. He couldn't help but feel annoyed and turned to Sister Hong, who was not far away, and said something.

"what?"

Sister Hong was momentarily stunned, her face filled with confusion.

I'm going to visit Xie Fei.
When did I say that?
Why should I visit him?

I'm from the Shanghai Theatre Academy, not the Beijing Film Academy.

Yes, Xie Fei is a senior, and he even taught Lao Chen, but the two families don't interact much. Why do I suddenly want to visit him?

Sister Hong was a smart woman. After her initial shock, she gradually realized what was going on when she thought of the word "Berlin".

She couldn't help but glance at Old Chen, and for a moment she wondered if this was still her proud and even arrogant husband.
What triggered this?
Looking at the newspaper in Old Chen's hand, Sister Hong seemed to be deep in thought.

For a moment, she felt like laughing, wanting to laugh heartily, wanting to laugh freely and unrestrainedly.

However, she held back.

"Okay, okay, I'll go as soon as possible."

Old Chen put down his newspaper, seemingly closing his eyes to rest, but he whispered, "Just go and say hello, no need to say anything more."

In his office, President Han was reading a newspaper, while his secretary had selected about ten other newspapers on the table.

After a while, Mr. Han folded the newspaper in his hand, placed it with the other newspapers he had read, smiled, and muttered to himself:

"I was wondering why Warner Bros. was so generous, investing $1000 million to promote 'Joker' at this time. It turns out they had planned this all along."

With thirteen Oscar nominations, coupled with the $1000 million poured into the market just a few days ago, they really want "Joker" to be a phenomenal success.

He tapped the table rhythmically with his hand, and then made a decision.

Since Joker has all the advantages of timing, location, and popular support, let's see how much potential it really has.

Then, he instructed his secretary to contact the cinemas associated with China Film Group to selectively reclaim some of the prime screening time that had been given up due to the release of new movies and the fact that "Joker" had been in theaters for almost two months.

Don't underestimate this point; it has a significant impact on the film's box office.

After nearly two months of screenings, "Joker" has grossed an unprecedented 7.32 million yuan at the Chinese box office.

"With the right timing, location, and people, is there a chance to reach 8 million?"

"Mr. Han murmured softly."

After nearly three months of filming, "Aftershock" finally wrapped up in mid-January.

After only a few days of rest, Xiao Gangpao, after discussing the overall style and themes to be presented with Cao Yang again, threw himself into the post-production of "Aftershock".

According to Xiao Gangpao's plan, he originally wanted to release "Aftershock" in May, the month of the Wenchuan earthquake.

The reason he wanted to release it in May was because he wanted to learn from Warner Bros. and adopt their approach—didn't someone say online that his little cannon could "predict" earthquakes?

Why not hype this topic again before the movie's release, just like Warner Bros. hyped "Joker" as a prophetic movie?

Little Cannon also wants to label "Aftershock" with that tag.

Cao Yang was truly shocked when he heard Xiao Gangpao's crazy idea.

Damn, I knew you'd go to any lengths to hype up a movie, but I never knew you'd have such "courage"!
Cao Yang is trying to distance himself from what happened in April and May of 08, and now Xiao Gangpao wants to bring it up again? Isn't that suicidal?

Moreover, this earthquake still caused so many casualties; can such a thing be sensationalized at will?

You're fucking crazy, I'm not going to go crazy with you.

Cao Yang rejected Xiao Gangpao's idea without hesitation.

Finally, Cao Yang made the final decision: the release date for "Aftershock" would be July, the month of the earthquake that year.

Furthermore, the earthquake was not scheduled for the exact date of the earthquake, but rather a few days in advance, to take into account the emotions of the survivors and the people of the entire nation.

This disaster film, based on true events, is different from commercial films; you can't operate it using the same mindset as commercial films.

This gave us an extra two months, so we weren't in such a rush during the later stages of production. We had time to relax, like going outside for a smoke or browsing the latest news when we got tired of editing.

"Hold!"

Little Cannon had a cigarette dangling from his mouth and a newspaper in his hand.

The smoke from the burning cigarette made him squint in one eye, but the information on the newspaper made him widen his other eye involuntarily.

Yang Qian raised his eyelids and glanced at Xiao Gangpao, then narrowed his eyes again. He was Cao Yang's go-to editor; all of Cao Yang's Chinese-language films were edited by Yang Qian.

Of course, as Cao Yang's go-to editor, Yang Qian is still in high demand, and he also takes on some outside work in his spare time.

For example, Yang Qian would usually edit the films that Qingying Film Studio collaborated on with other studios.

For the film "Aftershock," a collaboration between Qingdao Film Studio, China Film Group, and Huayi Brothers, Xiao Gangpao also chose Yang Qian as the editor.

This is not the first time the two have collaborated; they previously worked together on "Assembly".

However, having gotten used to the "simplicity" of Cao Yang's films, working with other directors again made Yang Qian feel exhausted!

Especially with directors like Xiao Gangpao, who have many ideas, poor communication skills, and a penchant for hands-on work, they are prone to getting angry when the editing isn't satisfactory, making collaboration even more exhausting.

Yang Qian was already used to Xiao Gangpao's penchant for swearing.

Yang Qian was already used to Xiao Gangpao's tendency to be easily startled.

So he lifted his eyelids slightly, continued to rest with his eyes half-closed, and pondered how to avoid losing the argument with Xiao Gangpao when they got back to the editing room.

"Old Yang, am I too tired and fell asleep in the editing room? Am I dreaming now?"

Little Cannon turned his head, blew out the smoke, and couldn't help but ask.

Yang Qian opened his eyes again, somewhat puzzled. Before Xiao Gangpao could react, he slapped him on the shoulder.

"Does it hurt?"

"Damn it, old man!"

Little Steel Cannon winced in pain, and then his mouth emitted a fragrant breath.

"Hey Yang, you son of a bitch, you got a problem with me, huh? That slap used every ounce of strength you had, didn't it? You bastard..."

"Hey, you surnamed Feng, are you a dog? You're the one who asked me to prove it, and I proved it for you, but you son of a bitch aren't happy about it now."

Yang Qian and Xiao Gangpao started arguing.

Despite being one of the top directors in China, Yang Qian is not intimidated by Xiao Gangpao at all.

Yang Qian works for the Qingdao Film Studio, which is backed by the Beijing Film Academy; the two are not from the same system at all.

Most importantly, Yang Qian is Cao Yang's go-to editor. He has the background, the ability, and the qualifications, which is why he is not afraid of Xiao Gangpao.

Of course, this doesn't mean Yang Qian isn't working properly; otherwise, Xiao Gangpao wouldn't continue to work with him.

As an editor, arguing with the director is commonplace, and mutual insults are also frequent.

However, for a big director like Xiao Gangpao, other editors might dare to argue and quarrel with him during work, but they basically wouldn't dare to hurl insults at him.

"Alright, alright, damn it, I'm not going to stoop to your level."

Xiao Gangpao rubbed his shoulder. It didn't actually hurt that much. He just wanted to take the opportunity to argue with Yang Qian for a bit to ease his inner shock.

His thoughts were actually similar to Lao Chen's. His understanding of the "high-class" Oscars was still based on his own opinion. He thought that a movie with super high box office, which is the second highest in film history, should not be favored by the Oscars, even if it is an art film.

Didn't the Golden Rooster Awards in the past use this reason to reject many films that did well at the box office? And they would often say, "According to international practice..."

Damn, doesn't the Oscars have to follow international conventions?
After the initial shock came an endless stream of envy.

The Oscars, those are the Oscars that domestic directors struggle to even get a nomination for Best Foreign Language Film. Every year they shout "go for the Oscars," so how come it's like child's play for Cao Yang?

Xiao Gangpao remembers very clearly that Cao Yang's first film in Hollywood was "The Dirty Milk," which received ten Oscar nominations and shocked the domestic film industry.

Cao Yang's second film was called District 9, which also received seven Oscar nominations.

The third film was "Inception," which greatly elevated Cao Yang's image and also received nine Oscar nominations.

Cao Yang's fourth film was "New Pirates of the Caribbean," which, in Xiao Gangpao's opinion, is the true model of combining commercial and art films.

This film also received seven Oscar nominations.

Xiao Gangpao knows Cao Yang's film nominations and awards like the back of his hand, and for a while he even dreamed of directing these films...

Now, a movie adapted from a comic book, a movie featuring a villainous character from the comic book as the main character, has even been made into a purely art-house film by Cao Yang...

Not only did it cause a global box office sensation, reaching the second spot on the global box office charts, it also managed to garner thirteen Oscar nominations!
Is there any royal law?
Are there any laws?
And... why not me?
"Old Yang, do you think it's possible that if I went to Hollywood, I could make a name for myself and win awards left and right?"

Little Cannon stared ahead, his eyes unfocused, seemingly lost in some strange reverie.

Yang Qian glanced at the little cannon.

He chuckled and said, "Anything can happen in a dream."

Little Cannon wasn't angry or retorted. Instead, he waved his hand weakly and said, "Forget it, I'm a bit tired today. I'm done. I'm off work. You can continue."

Since anything can be found in dreams, I'm going back to dreaming now.

As for you, surnamed Yang, you'd better stay here and do your job properly.

After the Oscar nominations were announced, Cao Yang received a call from Warner Bros. President Jeff Robinoff.

"My dear director, you must already know about the Oscar nominations, right? Haha, how about it, are you satisfied with the results? Warner Bros. has spent a lot of money on your 'Joker' these past few months."

"Jeff, you're wrong. It's your Warner Bros.' 'Joker,' the highest-grossing film in Warner Bros. history, 'Joker.'"

Cao Yang corrected him.

He then joked, "Of course, Jeff, if Warner Bros. gives me the rights to Joker, then you can say it's for my Joker."

Jeff Robinov chuckled, and since Cao Yang didn't "appreciate" his gesture, he had no choice but to change the subject.

"Cao, let me tell you a secret. Do you know why 'Joker' received thirteen nominations?"

Cao Yang really didn't know.

For example, among the nominations for "Joker" was a nomination for Best Supporting Actor. This nomination was actually a bit inexplicable, as the supporting actor in the film didn't have much screen time, so it was a stretch for him to be nominated for an Oscar.

"why?"

Jeff Robinoff laughed and explained, "Cao, you should know that the Oscars' ratings have been declining for the past two years, and now, with the economic crisis, the Academy has used 'Joker' to create some big hype."

"A gimmick? Is it using 'Joker'?"

"That's right. You should know that David's 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' also received thirteen nominations. Apart from his being nominated for Best Supporting Actress and 'Joker' being nominated for Best Supporting Actor, all the other nominations overlapped."

In other words, "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" and "Joker" will be in full competition, and the director of "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" is David Fincher, a very influential director in Hollywood, who is qualified to be your opponent.

This is a publicity stunt; the academy will emphasize this point to boost viewership.

Jeff Robinoff explained with a laugh.

Cao Yang nodded. David Fincher is a genius director, a very insightful person, and very famous in North America.

He thought for a moment and asked, "Jeff, I guess the second gimmick is the competition between 'Joker' and 'Batman'?"

"Haha, that's right. The nominations for Joker almost completely overlap with those for Batman. Most importantly, Batman has a Best Supporting Actor nomination, so Joker must also have that nomination."

"You collaborated with Nolan on 'The Batman,' and Nolan became a highly sought-after director in Hollywood thanks to 'The Batman,' so 'Joker' and 'The Batman,' and you and Nolan, are a great selling point."

Jeff Robinoff explained with a laugh.

“Okay, Jeff, I understand.”

Cao Yang shook his head. This is the Oscars, the Oscars that are considered "high-class" in China.

For ratings and to create hype, the Oscars are the most adept at creating buzz. There's no room for "personal connections"; it's all about business and ratings.

(End of this chapter)