Chinese Entertainment: Academic Director

Chapter 466 Unexpected
Both "Joker" and "Slumdog Millionaire" were released in November 2008.

Because "Joker" has enough hype, it has already sparked heated discussions in society, aroused public anticipation for the film, and even caused a sensation.

So when it was released on Thanksgiving Day, it became the film with the most theaters opening in history, with a massive scale of 4375 theaters.

But Slumdog Millionaire is different.

Although this movie was released half a month earlier than "Joker", Fox Searchlight took the traditional approach and held preview screenings first.

Build positive word-of-mouth through preview screenings, and then gradually expand the scale of the theatrical release.

Of course, since Fox Searchlight had decided to use this film to compete for awards long before its release, it had already been generating a lot of buzz.

During the preview screenings, the film aimed to both inform audiences of its upcoming release and increase financial investment to build a positive reputation. This resulted in "Slumdog Millionaire" gaining increasing acclaim and being promoted as a bankrupt version of the Indian "American Dream."

In fact, this kind of publicity is very useful and has successfully aroused public interest.

Since the end of World War II, American hegemony has gradually taken shape, and over the years, the American people have long been regarded as an "upper class" who like to look down on other countries' "American Dream".

It can only be said that the six major Hollywood studios are particularly adept at adopting different award-winning strategies for different films.

While Slumdog Millionaire certainly can't compare to Joker at the box office, it's been neck and neck with Joker in the awards race, especially in the guild halls of fame that precede the Oscars.

As a result, even the most authoritative media outlets, when it comes to Oscar predictions, are finding it a major headache.

In fact, according to the past Oscar judging standards and unspoken rules, Joker is definitely no match for Slumdog Millionaire.

Both "Slumdog Millionaire" and "Joker" meet the criteria for an Oscar.

Both films are profound in their social commentary, revealing the contradictions of reality, resonating with universal emotions, and reflecting current global issues. They are films with strong social critique and humanistic concern.

However, Slumdog Millionaire has an advantage over Joker in that it is a film that reflects the plight of the Indian underclass—the Oscars also appreciate foreign films with a sense of scars.

In addition, Joker is a comic book adaptation, which naturally places it at the bottom of the hierarchy of films.

Another point is that Joker's box office success was too high, which was also an obstacle to winning awards.

Therefore, barring unforeseen circumstances, Joker is no match for Slumdog Millionaire in major awards like Best Picture and Best Director.

However, this year is quite special because of the global economic crisis that began last year.

The plot of "Joker" is particularly relevant to the global depression during the economic crisis.

This is a plus for "Joker".

As a result, even the Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Entertainment Weekly, which are usually considered highly authoritative in predicting the Oscars, have shown unusual inconsistency in their predictions this year.

If even these authoritative media outlets behave this way, what about other related individuals and media professionals?

In particular, domestic media and related personnel usually make their Oscar predictions after consulting publications such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, and Entertainment Weekly.

So when Joker and Slumdog Millionaire went head-to-head for the first time in the competition for the best adapted screenplay, it felt like a victory had been won.

Viewers unaware of the inside story would be surprised to see the guests in the live broadcast room applauding "Joker" for winning a "minor" Best Adapted Screenplay award.

After Cao Yang won Best Adapted Screenplay, the next awards were for animation, first Best Animated Feature, then Best Animated Short Film.

The two awards were won by WALL-E and The House of Bricks, respectively.

It's worth mentioning that the presenters for these two awards were Jennifer Aniston and Jack Black. During the presentation, Jennifer Aniston touched her lower abdomen several times and showed a slightly shy expression.

These actions have led the media to speculate whether she is pregnant.

Jennifer Aniston and her boyfriend John Mayer appeared particularly close and frequently engaged in sweet interactions on the red carpet.

This brings us to the Oscar committee's quirky sense of humor.

At this year's Oscars, Jennifer Aniston's ex-husband Brad Pitt received a Best Actor nomination for his role in "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

Angelina Jolie, who successfully became the wife of a mistress, also received a Best Actress nomination for her role in "Changeling".

Although the two are not married yet, it is quite rare for them to be nominated for Best Actor and Best Actress at the same Oscars as a couple.

So you can imagine that the two of them will definitely show off their affection at the Oscars, and be very high-profile.

That's the Oscar committee's twisted sense of humor.

They happened to invite Jennifer Aniston to be a presenter, and her time on the red carpet was not long after Pitt and Jolie's.

It's worth noting that Jennifer Aniston seems to have been struggling to move on since her divorce from Brad Pitt. Although she has a new boyfriend, those who know, know.

Cao Yang watched Jennifer Aniston gently rubbing her lower abdomen several times and almost laughed.

He didn't think the American sweetheart was implying she was pregnant; it was more likely a sarcastic jab at Angelina Jolie for taking her man away.

Last July, Angelina Jolie gave birth to twins in France.

This childbirth incident was reported by India's Mumbai Mirror, which claimed that Jolie secretly arranged a surrogacy in Mumbai, India... The report was quite detailed and convincing.

As a result, it was widely reprinted by numerous media outlets in Europe and America, causing quite a stir.

It just so happens that the movie Jolie released last year was also called "Changeling," and anyway, the news was quite sensational at the time.

Later, Jolie provided medical records, video evidence, legal documents, and so on to refute the surrogacy claim as pure rumor, but this did not stop Jennifer Aniston from subtly mocking her.

The next presenters were Sarah Jessica Parker and Daniel Craig, who would be presenting three technical awards: Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup.

Cao Yang noticed that, whether intentionally or unintentionally, this year's Oscars invited many big stars from the television drama field to be award presenters.

Sarah Jessica Parker, who dated Robert Downey Jr. for seven years, won an Emmy Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Comedy Series and three Golden Globe Awards for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Musical or Comedy Series for her role in the Sex and the City series.

Tina Fey, who presented Cao Yang with the Best Adapted Screenplay award, has also won an Emmy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Television Series.

And then there's Jennifer Aniston, who won an Emmy Award for Best Actress and a Golden Globe Award for Best Actress in a Drama Series for her role in "Friends".

It seems this was not a coincidence, but rather something the Oscars did intentionally.

This is probably what the Oscar president meant by the surprise regarding the selection of award presenters.

It seems the Oscars are really going all out for ratings, bringing in so many female stars from the television industry.

"The selection of presenters for this year's Oscars is very interesting, and there are also many changes in the awards ceremony. Instead of one or two presenters awarding one award, they are now awarding multiple awards."

In the live broadcast room of Xinlang Entertainment, the host Zeng Zixing looked at the information in his hand and said, "Friends who like Hollywood and American TV series will surely be familiar with these two. One is Sarah Jessica Parker, the female lead of Sex and the City."

Another, even more famous actor, is Daniel Craig, who plays the new 007 James Bond.

Cao's "Joker" received thirteen nominations, including all three of them. Liming, what are your thoughts on the upcoming awards?

Zeng Zixing was afraid of Hong Huang, so he directly called out Zhou Liming, not wanting to hear or daring to hear Hong Huang's "shocking remarks," fearing that she might inadvertently mock Lao Chen again.

Although Xinlang Entertainment is not afraid of Lao Chen, it doesn't want to offend him either; there's no need.

Today was truly an unexpected disaster.

Zhou Liming glanced at the information in his hand; it was the latest information about the Oscars.

Because the Oscars kept the presenters secret this year, audiences only received the latest information and knew what awards they would be presenting once the presenters appeared. "The upcoming Best Production Design, Best Costume Design, and Best Makeup awards are all technical categories. In terms of technical awards this year, I think 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is still the better choice."

"There's a little trick circulating in Hollywood to get favored by the Academy, well, in technical awards, especially for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design."

Cheng Long began to speak.

"Oh? Brother, could you tell me what the little trick is? I'm sure our online friends are curious too," the host, Zeng Zixing, quickly asked.

"Traditional costumes are more likely to win awards, and the longer the skirt, the bigger the award," Cheng Long said with a smile.

"Can't you?"

Hong Huang chimed in, "I agree with Li Ming's opinion. I think 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' has a better chance of winning these three awards."

Although Cao Yang's "Joker" was nominated for all three awards, it is an art film, unlike "The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King" and "Titanic" which were commercially successful, so it is difficult for it to win technical awards.

By the way, how were the scenes of Pitt as a child filmed in the movie?

"A small actor had a green face on his head, and Pitt used motion capture to put the face onto the small actor's body."

Jackie Chan explained, "This technology is already very mature in Hollywood. It was already being used in 'The Lord of the Rings' more than ten years ago."

Director Cao's films "District 9" and "Pirates of the Caribbean" also made extensive use of this technology.

Relatively speaking, this isn't any new technology; it's just that in *The Curious Case of Benjamin Button*, because it's the same person from old age to childhood, the contrast makes it seem magical.

"Oh."

Hong Huang nodded and said, "So, in terms of technology, 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' isn't that innovative, is it?"

After thinking for a moment, Cheng Long tried to speak in a way that Hong Huang could understand: "It's certainly not novel, but there are quite a few innovations, such as the first-ever seamless integration of light and shadow, skin texture, and muscle dynamics between the actor's head and the stunt double's body."

It's said they even used performance graphs to build a database, collecting micro-expression data from all of Pitt's film and television works between the ages of 20 and 40, and establishing an age-expression mapping algorithm... It's very complex and extremely costly.

Hong Huang shook his head and said, "I don't understand, but it sounds amazing. With such amazing technology, it's likely to win a lot of technical awards."

Jackie Chan originally wanted to say it was uncertain, but there was definitely a chance for "Joker" to be made... right?

But considering that the Oscars seem to be generous with new technologies, and "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button" has made many technological improvements, "Joker" is unlikely to be able to compete with "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button".

"Out."

Zeng Zixing said, "It's a pity that Director Cao's 'Joker' missed out on the first award, Best Art Direction, which was given to 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'."

"Unsurprisingly, the next Best Costume Design award will probably go to 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button'."

Zhou Liming said.

Zeng Zixing thought for a moment and said with a smile, "That's not necessarily true. According to what Brother Cheng Long just said, period dramas are more likely to win awards, and the longer the skirt, the bigger the award. I think 'The Duchess' is more likely to win Best Costume Design."

Zeng Zixing then laughed and said, "Just kidding. 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is also a period film. It seems that 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' has a higher chance of winning an award."

"Since I said the longer the skirt, the bigger the award, then I support 'The Duchess,' the skirt in it seems to be even longer."

Jackie Chan joked.

"It's out... Wow!"

Zeng Zixing exclaimed in surprise.

"Haha, I told you so, didn't I? A very famous costume designer in Hollywood told me this, and I didn't expect it to be true."

Cheng Long said with a smile.

“I never expected that ‘The Curious Case of Benjamin Button’ would lose to ‘The Duchess’. This is something I never thought would happen,” Zhou Liming said, shaking his head.

"Don't think of the Oscars as something too wonderful. In this world, no matter what award it is, there are rules and shortcuts."

Hong Huang echoed this.

After a moment's thought, he added, "But the best makeup has to be for 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button,' which depicts the protagonist's life from old age to childhood. The technique is truly impressive."

Jackie Chan didn't say anything. He felt that the best makeup was also from "The Curious Case of Benjamin Button," and the innovative technique was also a new technique.

"I also think 'The Curious Case of Benjamin Button' is a sure thing to win Best Makeup. It's the most predictable award."

Zhou Liming continued.

"what?"

Zeng Zixing exclaimed in surprise again. He looked up at Cheng Long and the others and said, "The scriptwriting department just gave me some information, which we just found. It's an interview with the costume designer and art director of 'Joker' by the Los Angeles Times."

"What did you say?"

Cheng Long asked.

"Let me read this to you: The makeup design in 'Joker' is not only a masterpiece in terms of technology, but also an external medium for the soul of the character."

It breaks the inherent logic of superhero movie makeup, replacing exaggerated theatrical expressions with pathological realism, becoming a key symbol driving the narrative.

For example, the clown's makeup suggests that Arthur has three personalities.

Kind-hearted Arthur, with his smudged foundation and uneven blush, hints at his struggles in fulfilling his social role.

The awakened clown, with saturated paint and sharp red lips, suggests the clown's excited state of violent release.

The Joker in his complete form, with blackened eye makeup and a mouth that splits to his ears, is a cult icon representing the complete collapse of humanity.

There is also pathological evidence.

A pale blue-white background suggests anemia or malnutrition;
Cracked lip makeup reflects the fatigue of a fake smile from a person with depression;

Asymmetrical eyeshadow enhances the neurotic look of facial muscle twitching;

There are many more examples. The stylist for "Joker" said that all of these were done under the guidance of director Cao Yang, who also adopted new technologies and requirements for the makeup in "Joker".

For example, in the makeup for "Joker", a second skin silicone mask was used. Director Cao Yang requested that it be as thin as possible, even suggesting 0.3mm, saying that it would fit facial expressions and avoid the stiffness of traditional rubber prostheses.

However, they ultimately failed to achieve that, only managing 0.4mm, which the stylist said was a regret.

After hearing Zeng Zixing's words, everyone in the live broadcast room was stunned.

What is this all about?

Is there such a "secret" thing about the makeup in "Joker"?

"Out."

After Zeng Zixing finished speaking, his heart started to race.

"It's Joker! Joker unexpectedly won the Oscar for Best Makeup, beating The Curious Case of Benjamin Button!"

Jackie Chan paused for a moment, then said, "If the stylist for 'Joker' is right, then winning Best Makeup is truly well-deserved."

(End of this chapter)