I was just thinking about taking the arts exam and you said I've been playing supporting roles

Chapter 358: First to be released during the Spring Festival season, pre-sales begin!
"Huffing and puffing~"

Chen Jin lay on the bed, panting heavily.

A day apart feels like three autumns, let alone being separated for almost two months.

After the two tasted forbidden fruit for the first time during Singles' Day, their happy days didn't last long before Chen Jin came to the United States.

This is also a kind of torture for young men and women who have tasted the sweetness of love.

Those who achieve great things must control their excessive thinking driven by their lower body; Chen Jin still possesses great perseverance. If it were an ordinary young man, with a girlfriend who would cooperate in unlocking all positions, he would have long been indulging in a life of pleasure and debauchery... oblivious to what the outside world was like.

Just like Liu Bei met Sun Shangxiang, he was so happy with her that he forgot about Shu!

But Director Chen persevered and threw himself into his work, turning his desires into strength.

But now that my girlfriend is right here, how can I not have a few rounds? It would be a waste of these two months of rest and recuperation.

"I want to discuss something with you!"

Zhu Yanmanzi lay on Chen Jin's chest, her face flushed, teasing a certain spot with her hair.

"what's up?"

Chen Jin grabbed her mischievous hand.

"I'm thinking of trying to direct a few movies myself next year!"

Zhu Yanmanzi gathered her hair, and with her face bare, she leaned against the wall, propping her head up, and stared at Chen Jin.

She was afraid the other party wouldn't agree, so she used a bit of seduction.

"Sure, have you chosen your notebook yet?"

Chen Jin's hands never stopped, and it was impossible to tie her hands and feet.

She's an actress, so it's normal for her to have her own ideas.

Although Chen Jin hoped that she would follow the National Theatre of China's theatrical system.

But making movies doesn't conflict with the system.

The disparity between the two is why Zhu Yanmanz is so determined to prove herself.

"not yet!"

"You've handed me quite a few notebooks; I'll take a good look at them after the New Year!"

"Students at the Central Academy of Drama will be allowed to go out and film in the second semester of their sophomore year!"

As Zhu Yanmanz spoke earnestly, Chen Jin suddenly thought of something.

Do you know Chen Zhixi?

"Chen Zhixi? Isn't she our senior in the acting department?"

Zhu Yanmanz blinked, somewhat puzzled as to why Chen Jin would bring up this person out of the blue: "What's wrong?"

This senior isn't popular either?
She heard it was because Chen Zhixi was quite active at the Central Academy of Drama.

"Learn from her. She was the producer Xu Zheng hired for 'Lost in Thailand.' If you don't want to be a director, you can start as a producer!"

"Investing in and producing my own films!"

Chen Jin's words surprised Zhu Yanmanz, who asked with some doubt, "Me? As a producer?"

"Is that okay?"

Producer?
Zhu Yanmanz never even considered this kind of operation.

"Why not? I'll provide the money, you provide the labor, and I'll give you a share of the profits!"

"I'll take responsibility if the movie flops, you can focus on making it!"

Chen Jin put his arm around her and smiled, saying, "Most importantly, this way I won't have to worry about you being targeted; you'll be the one sleeping with other people!"

"Haha, this is great!"

Zhu Yanmanzi was actually hesitant to accept scripts for a long time because of this reason.

Of course she knew that Chen Jin was a virgin; she knew that from the moment they met.

So she was actually reluctant to work on other productions, but the consequence was that she had no roles to play, except for Chen Jin's own films.

Her autonomy was severely restricted, while her targets were becoming increasingly powerful, which made her eager to make changes.

Chen Zhixi graduated from the Central Academy of Drama's acting department and became one of the most successful producers in China. She has invested in many blockbuster works such as "Lost in Thailand" and the "Chinatown" series. Chen Jin is thinking of collaborating with her.

She wanted to bring her to her company; she didn't want to let such a talented person slip through her fingers.

"I can get you some scripts and help you find investors!"

"You can also choose some yourself, and send them to me if you think they're good..."

This was the first time Chen Jin had discussed filmmaking with Zhu Yanmanzi so seriously.

It's clear she's still very interested.

It's quite an achievement to cultivate your future partner into both a business partner and a soulmate; the prerequisite is that you don't work together.

A life lacking novelty is devoid of passion.

"But being both a producer and lead actor is much more tiring than simply filming!"

"You need to be mentally prepared for this!"

Chen Jin reminded him.

"It's okay, I just want to find something to do. Theater... I won't give up on it!"

Zhu Yanmanzi's spirits were lifted by producer Chen Jin's suggestion. Chen Jin originally wanted CETC to invest in some of the most popular films in the future.

Now that someone from our own side is keeping an eye on things, things will definitely be much better.

Furthermore, he could also provide Zhu Yanmanzi with some female-centric movie scripts. Without his interference, she would feel a sense of accomplishment if she succeeded.

Soon, perhaps comforted by Chen Jin, or perhaps exhausted from the repeated beatings, and also from the journey... Zhu Yanmanz nestled in Chen Jin's arms and began to snore softly.

She curled up like a kitten, clinging tightly to Chen Jin even as she fell asleep, refusing to let go.

Chen Jin looked at the quiet and lovely person in his arms, but then he entered the system.

Let's check what movies are suitable for her in the future, and also take a look at the news to solidify our understanding.

Anyway, there's no need to experience it.

All the previous trial cards were used up by the "John Wick" series, including the Golden Horse Award Best Actor reward.

So next, Chen Jin needs to win some more awards to try out some specific movie experience cards.

"We can get her a lead role in 'Silent Witness'!"

"And there's Zhang Yimou's 'Coming Home,' which has a second female lead who was originally a newcomer..."

"Lucy would be such a waste right now..."

Chen Jin kept flipping through the pages.

Zhu Yanmanzi's current fame is insufficient to support a blockbuster like "Lucy" with a global budget of over 4 million US dollars, unless she wins an international Best Actress award. In that case, they could capitalize on her popularity to create such a film for her and test the European and American markets.

But now, it's definitely not suitable.

"Breakup Buddies", "See You Later", "The Breakup Guru", "Tiny Times"...

Chen Jin clicked through the articles one by one, browsing related news, searching for a suitable work for Zhu Yanmanzi.

Without experiencing the film firsthand, relying solely on investment, "Silent Witness" is already a project. However, next year's high-grossing blockbusters are basically all prey for other film studios, so it won't be easy to snag a bargain.

Chen Jin didn't know the plot of "My Old Classmate," otherwise it would have been suitable for Zhu Yanmanzi to produce.

"Fleet of Time is acceptable, as it's copyrighted!"

Riding on the popularity of "So Young" to release another film can solidify Zhu Yanmanzi's image as a fresh and innocent campus goddess, but if she wants to transform her image, she definitely needs an art film or a commercial blockbuster.

Otherwise, her role and image would be fixed.

"Let's start with these three films this year and let her try producing them!"

With "Silent Witness," "Fleet of Time," and "Coming Home," the year's schedule is perfectly packed. "Silent Witness" is about to start filming, followed seamlessly by "Coming Home." In the meantime, people are preparing for "Fleet of Time," which will be filmed during the summer vacation... If things go well in the second half of this year, we'll invest in an art film to compete for Best Actress awards both domestically and internationally.

"Black Coal, Thin Ice" is a tentative title.

Zhu Yanmanzi might not be suitable for the female lead; she can't portray the mature woman's character. The original cast might be better.

Also, barring any unforeseen circumstances, the graduation project from the Literature Department of Beijing Film Academy should come knocking on their door.

Dog Thirteen!
The Berlin Crystal Bear makes a special mention of it.

A very profound film.

Films about Chinese families, father-daughter relationships, gender relations, and young people.

In a daze, Chen Jin drifted off to sleep.

He wasn't ready to film "Black Coal, Thin Ice" yet, mainly because Chen Jin felt that the role wouldn't be easy for her to play; she was still too young, not because she was afraid of not being able to play it well.

The character fit is not good enough.

Diao Yinan was indeed preparing for the filming, and the original plan was to have him serve as the assistant director, but after filming in Hollywood, Chen Jin canceled the plan herself.

For a local team, it's more appropriate to use a local assistant director.

……

On the other side, China.

When Zhang Yimou woke up, he was looking at the list of Golden Globe Award winners that had just been released yesterday.

His primary focus, of course, is on the winner of the Best Foreign Language Film award.

After watching "A Separation," Zhang Yimou couldn't help but shake his head.

He was certainly aware of this film; it was a huge hit at last year's Berlin Film Festival and a sensation in the film industry.

Iranian director Asghar Farhadi rose to fame overnight and made a complete breakthrough into the European film circle. This year, he was directly invited to serve as a jury member in the main competition. A few days ago, Zhang Yimou talked about this film when he was chatting with the leaders of the Shanghai International Film Festival.

Although he is confident in his work "The Flowers of War", Zhang Yimou still cannot say that he has an absolute chance of winning against such an opponent.

It could even be said that they are at an absolute disadvantage.

Zhang Yimou is well aware of the difficulty of winning this award, and even spending money on public relations might not be enough.

After all, this film has been proven in Berlin and has a higher profile and popularity than "The Battle of Nanjing".

In awards like the Golden Globes, which rely on journalists' votes, the fame of a film gives it a natural advantage in the voting.

Moreover, since "A Separation" won Best Foreign Language Film at the Golden Globes, which are considered a bellwether for the Oscars, it should be nominated for an Oscar as well... and might even win it back-to-back.

There are precedents for this in history, especially for Best Foreign Language Film. The Golden Globes and the Oscars are held by the same organization at least 20 times.

Otherwise, how could it be called a weather vane?
That's because of the many overlaps in the awards presented by the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

Just like "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and "Parasite"... the overlap is so high, it's bound to be a huge hit.

And in fact, Zhang Yimou's guess was correct.

This year's Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film also went to "A Separation," and it was also nominated for Best Screenplay.

For a film like "Jinling," which hasn't been validated by film festivals, to win Best Foreign Language Film is basically a pipe dream.

"It seems that Xiaowei's previous public relations strategies were all wrong..."

Zhang Yimou couldn't help but sigh when he recalled his collaboration with Zhang Weiping a few years ago.

He wasted more than ten years of his time trying to win the Olympics!

Nouveau riche and Chen Jin, a film industry professional, are indeed incomparable.

Zhang Yimou has always been dedicated to filmmaking, that doesn't mean he was unaware of some of Zhang Weiping's actions.

He simply wanted money and wanted to use his connections to buy himself an award, but the amount he spent was too much and it hurt his wallet, so he could only sign relevant contracts with distributors when trading films.

Weinstein isn't stupid; he certainly wouldn't dare guarantee an Oscar or Golden Globe nomination, though a nomination would be easy.

That's why Zhang Yimou has been nominated so many times, but has never won the championship.

The reason actually lies in Zhang Weiping himself.

If you want to win an award but don't want to spend a lot of money, who will pay attention to you?

Weinstein was in it for the money, not for philanthropy.

Now, despite his youth, Chen Jin's strategy coincides with that of "A Separation".

Previewing the three major awards a year in advance can significantly increase the chances of winning the Golden Globe and Oscar if the award is successfully won; North America also takes these three trends into account, especially for outstanding works.

If the three major events don't make any moves, then the chances of winning the Oscars are unlikely to be very good, and the public relations efforts will probably be a waste of money.

Therefore, the three major awards became the key.

Zhang Yimou had won the Three Great Awards multiple times and hadn't paid much attention to them, but now their influence is incomparable to what it used to be; their influence in North America has greatly increased, and they are no longer limited to the Eurasian region.

The global integration has intensified in recent years. Despite geopolitical resistance, the global film industry is feeling immense pressure and is banding together for mutual support.

On the contrary, the three major awards are more closely linked to the Oscars and the Golden Globes.

That's why Chen Jin, after seeing these future news reports, placed her greatest hopes on the Berlin Film Festival.

If you succeed, then you've gotten a super lucky break.

If it doesn't work out, we can always go back to the original route.

Either way, Chen Jin is not at a loss.

Zhang Yimou had some reservations before, but after seeing the success of "A Separation," he seems to have had a profound realization. In the end, he has returned to the old path, but unlike before when he relied solely on his looks and works to compete, he now has Chen Jin helping him with matters in North America.

This new "partner" is much better than Zhang Weiping; he doesn't interfere with his life or movies at all, and is no different from a hands-off manager.

"I wonder when that kid will be back?"

"Pre-orders will only be open for a few more days!"

Zhang Yimou muttered to himself, then took out his phone while wearing his glasses and sent a message to Chen Jin.

The promotional campaign for "Jinling" has been fully launched in the past few days.

From the nationwide rush to watch movies on the first day of the Lunar New Year, to the grand release of Zhang Yimou's first major domestic investment film, and now the release of promotional trailers for "The Flowers of War" about thirteen women of the night, as well as some behind-the-scenes footage and interviews with Christian Bale.

Every week brings a new round of relentless bombardment.

During this period, apart from the Spring Festival Gala and Guo Degang, the movie "Jinling" and watching the Spring Festival Gala movies were the most popular.

With this continuous promotion, online viewers actually started asking when tickets for "Jinling" would go on sale.

Many people are eager to grab movie tickets for the first day of the Lunar New Year.

It was the first time watching a movie during the Spring Festival Gala, and netizens were quite excited, especially the girls, who were completely captivated by Chen Jin's previous promotional tactics.

They all follow the same routine: taking their boyfriends and family to the movies, then chatting and posting the ticket stubs on social media.

Dida and Liaoliao have been interacting quite well recently, capitalizing on the massive traffic surge during the Chinese New Year.

Everyone close to Chen Jin was actually looking forward to his return to China.

He wasn't mentioned in "Jinling" this time, but everyone knows that the film bears his deep imprint.

With titles like "Investment in China Electronics Technology Group Corporation," "Second Male Lead," and "Zhang Yimou's Leading Man," it's impossible not to think of this man.

Chen Jin's deliberate low profile over the past two months has brought online discussions about him to a minimum; this self-cooling down has also made the Golden Horse Awards controversy a thing of the past, leaving only... the many speculations among netizens about his starring role in "Jinling".

Some say he played a military officer in "Jinling" and overshadowed the male lead.
Some say that this is the first time Chen Jin has not played the male lead in a movie, and it is impossible for her to compare with the world-renowned Hollywood superstar, Christian Bale, who played the male lead!

Amidst the various opinions, "Jinling" launched its first-ever pre-sale for a Spring Festival film in China, amidst this buzz.

Chen Jin is also paying attention to this landmark event.

Looking at all of China's future films, the record for pre-sales has been set during the Spring Festival season without exception.

Chinese people have a natural tendency to join in the fun; they like to participate in new trends.

Watching movies during the Spring Festival has become the biggest trend this year, fueled by hype and promotion!

Everyone, especially young people, actually wants to... participate!
(End of this chapter)