Fooling Huayu for Thirty Years

Chapter 678 Zhang Yimou Wants an Oscar! Nini knocked on Ma Xun's car window!

"Brother, this time we've gathered the most outstanding young men and women from all over the country, the most suitable for our film."

When Zhang Weiping saw Ma Xun arrive, he was incredibly enthusiastic.

They directly introduced him to these 'talent candidates'.

Needless to say, this is "The Flowers of War".

After Ma Xun saw them, he thought these people were really... very inexperienced.

For example, Nini, right? And then there's Li Chun, who's caught up in some rumor.

Of course, there are many girls, but fewer boys.

These people are all very inexperienced. However, judging from this perspective... Ma Xun should normally just look at these candidates in the same way.

There's really no need to take a second look, because everyone knows that out of so many people, only a few will ultimately remain.

Even if some people are cast, they might be removed during filming and post-production editing.

Whether they were deleted or something, no one can guarantee that they will all appear in this movie.

However, Ma Xun still glanced at Nini a few more times.

You really can't blame him for this. On the one hand, Nini is indeed the most recognizable girl in this group.

In the film and television industry, when casting actors, looks are absolutely a factor; only those with pretty faces can be cast as lead roles.

However, there is another crucial criterion: recognizability.

If an actor is only pretty but lacks distinctiveness, then they will most likely only be a pretty face and will find it difficult to land a leading role.

In some cases, recognizability is even more crucial.

For example, some special roles require the actor to be innocent enough, because the key to the role is 'innocence'. So, even if she is not pretty, as long as she is recognizable, that's fine.

The little yellow duck that Zhang Yimou later selected is a typical example.

Nini is indeed prettier than Little Yellow Duck, and her eyes are also very distinctive, with a distinct 'cat-like' quality.

Okay, this is called a cat-like beauty, and these kinds of beauties are often quite sexy.

Cats may be only slightly less alluring than foxes.

That's right, the current Nini doesn't have the characteristics of the so-called "catfish-type actress" that came later. She is very young, has a cat-like quality, and you can even see a wildness in her.

Ma Xun noticed so much in just a few glances, and he suddenly realized that Nini was also looking at him.

Their eyes met, and it's unclear how long they remained locked in that gaze.

In the end, however, Ma Xun chose to deliberately avoid looking at her.

Well, this could be considered an initiative, but could it also be said that he lost a move?

Needless to say, Ma Xun definitely won't admit it.

How could I lose?

It's just that I don't want to see too much. If I see too much... look at the expression on Zhang Weiping's face now.

It's clearly a message: Brother Ma, your reputation for being a womanizer is really... hehehe...

This is just a joke.

So, just take a few less glances.

Ma Xun had no idea that those few glances he had given the girl earlier had made her remember him.

Under Zhang Weiping's guidance, Ma Xun then met Zhang Yimou.

Ma Xun knew very well that this collaboration between the two Zhangs was their last.

Then the two of them started arguing, and it was quite a spectacle of two men arguing.

Now, Ma Xun noticed a peculiar situation.

“Brother Zhang, we were working together before…” Ma Xun decided to start by talking about what had happened before, since they had worked closely together before.

Ma Xun's rallying cry was indeed very impressive.

However, there are actually quite a few issues involved in this so-called cooperation.

But Zhang Weiping interrupted him with a smile, "Our previous collaboration was indeed very successful!"

Ok?
Since he said that, Ma Xun thought about the special circumstances of this business deal... so he still asked a question.

"Brother, Director Zhang, I remember that Jiang Zhiqiang, the boss, was also involved in this film, 'The Flowers of War'?"

Yes, this movie has a lot to do with Jiang Zhiqiang.

First, we need to understand what kind of business Jiang Zhiqiang is in.

On the surface, he is a producer and a major investor in the film industry, and many blockbuster films are related to him.

However, Jiang Zhiqiang has one special feature: he has connections in the American 'award circle'.

Simply put, it's the movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

The movie "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" can be said to be the most successful Chinese film in the United States.

Of course, some people might say that this isn't a Chinese film, it's from Columbia.

Jiang Zhiqiang has always insisted that "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a film made by Chinese people themselves, but the distribution rights in North America belong to Columbia Pictures.

That's a fairly professional statement, so we can consider "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" as a Chinese film.

But in reality, Jiang Zhiqiang had a partner who was quite well hidden. This person was, of course, an American named David Lindy.

This person used to be a senior executive at Columbia, but later left Columbia and started a company with Jiang Zhiqiang.

David Lindy has close ties with many American awards, especially the Golden Globe and the Oscars.

This guy has connections.

After understanding these points, it's not hard to see why Jiang Zhiqiang's name is now frequently appearing in many blockbuster films.

In essence, Jiang Zhiqiang was just a film reseller!

However, this middleman was a bit better than the average middleman; he was able to help many films win awards in the United States.

Well, actually, many film traders in Asia use winning awards as bait when they are doing film business.

However, most of the awards are from Europe, where the three major film festivals and many other film festivals are in dire need of films. China has a lot of films, and relatively speaking, their quality is quite good.

It's not as good as Hollywood, but it's much better than many other countries.

Just like Indian movies, Bollywood actually produces a lot of mindless films that are completely illogical and jump around for no reason. Also, although Bollywood seems to release a lot of films every year, in reality, 9% of them are low-quality pornographic films.

Looking at it this way, Chinese films are actually quite impressive.

What makes Jiang Zhiqiang so rare is that he was able to win an award in the United States, and he has a track record of success.

It was a very successful one.

It's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," and then Director Li became very successful in the United States.

These are all extremely tempting things for Chinese directors.

Ma Xun was well aware that the greatest significance of "The Flowers of War" for Zhang Yimou was... to win an award in the United States! You see, Zhang Yimou has always had an Oscar dream.

He has already achieved great success and fame, and even has the title of Imperial Advisor.

Although the movie "A Simple Noodle Story" brought him another wave of criticism, there was already a lot of criticism to begin with.

Every single Chinese film critic has criticized Zhang Yimou!
We're not discussing whether Zhang Yimou is worthy of criticism; the key point is that this phenomenon has actually given Zhang Yimou enough internal constructive thought.

Let him curse; he doesn't care at all.

When Zhang Yimou wins an Oscar, he may achieve legendary status at the Golden Globe Awards.

So, what Old Zhang must have been thinking was: all the insults would turn into flattery!

That's definitely what he was thinking, although Ma Xun was certain that the result would be different from what he expected.

But right now, we don't need to dwell on these things at all.

The key question is... why is Jiang Zhiqiang, an important character in "The Flowers of War," absent from the screen?

You two Zhangs invited me here, so what exactly do you mean by this?
Zhang Yimou and Zhang Weiping exchanged several glances.

Finally, it was Zhang Weiping's turn to speak.

"Brother, we've always had a very pleasant working relationship, haven't we?"

"Of course."

"So this time... we've discovered that you actually have such great strength in the United States!"

What does this mean?
Ma Xun basically understood. He laughed and said, "Brother, Director Zhang, to be honest, I don't have much experience with the Golden Globes or the Oscars, but I can help with releasing movies in the United States."

It was phrased euphemistically, but the meaning was conveyed.

Now, the key is Zhang Yimou.

"Mr. Ma must have some connections within Columbia Company."

Hey! That hits the nail on the head!
Jiang Zhiqiang was able to win American awards because he used to have connections at Columbia Pictures!

Although Columbia Pictures can no longer be considered one of the top American film companies... well, actually, this company has always been a rather peculiar presence among the Big Eight.

However, this company has been around for a long time, and its relationship with the Golden Globes and Oscars is truly long-standing.

There must be many people within the organization who have connections and networks.

Therefore, if Ma Xun can help this film, then... Zhang Yimou's chances of winning an award will greatly increase!
Will Ma Xun help?
He really didn't like the movie, but under these circumstances...

Ma Xun laughed it off, "I've only heard about the 'The Flowers of War' project so far. I really don't know anything about the specifics..."

He stopped on purpose.

Zhang Weiping understood, and Zhang Yimou understood as well, and immediately presented the script.

Ma Xun then started reading... It should be said that a script is usually between 4 and 10 words long.

Of course, there are other scripts, such as storyboards, which are for the director, and scripts for dialogue and characters, which are specifically for the actors.

The larger the production crew, the more detailed the division of labor becomes, and many things are broken down into smaller parts.

Ma Xun is currently looking at the script for the storyline, which actually uses the least amount of material.

During filming, the storyboard is not followed according to the plot, but rather according to the script in the director's hands.

The plot and everything else are handled by the screenwriter, who can change it at any time if there are problems.

And now...

After reading it, Ma Xun frowned. "Let me make a condition."

"Please speak," the two Zhangs said almost in unison!

Ma Xun was very straightforward and said directly, "Why does the female lead have to do that with that American guy? I feel uncomfortable watching it."

Okay, then, delete this scene.

That thing? I understand!

Actually, Ma Xun Ding doesn't like this movie because... if you think about it carefully, you'll understand how awful it is!

Have you heard of Miss Saigon?

What about Madame Butterfly?
Ma Xun dares to say that "The Flowers of War" is just like the two films mentioned above!
Later, many content creators on the internet analyzed the film and concluded that Zhang Yimou was a scoundrel who made it to win awards!
If Zhang Yimou can meet the conditions that Ma Xun is now proposing, then this film, "The Flowers of War," will be different from the two films mentioned above.

Of course, in essence, Ma Xun still didn't want to make this film.

This condition...

"I..." Zhang Yimou was about to utter the word "no".

Zhang Weiping interrupted immediately, "Haha... Brother, we're not in a hurry right now, are we?"

“…” Ma Xun nodded.

Understood, you guys take a look.

That's enough for now, there's no need to stay any longer.

Ma Xun left the new scene and returned to his car.

Honestly, Ma Xun believes that Zhang Yimou is unlikely to revise the script again.

Zhang Yimou did indeed comply under Ma Xun's coercion.

But it's different now.

Zhang Yimou is now known as "Zhang the National Master," his fame is so great, it's the pinnacle of his life.

How could I possibly listen to Ma Xun?
So, this business...

Just as Ma Xun was thinking this, his car window was knocked on a few times.

Ok?
Nini?

“This young lady…” Ma Xun rolled down the car window and had just started to speak when Nini interrupted him.

“Mr. Ma, right? I heard your request from before.”

Ok?
"You were eavesdropping?" Ma Xun raised an eyebrow.

Nini readily admitted, "That's right, I overheard it, and in my opinion... By the way, I'm the female lead, you know?"

“…” Ma Xun nodded.

And Nini then said, "Do you want to sleep with me? That's why you don't want me to film that kind of scene with a foreigner?"

This girl is quite outspoken!

Ma Xun laughed after hearing this, "I say, young lady, isn't your thinking a bit too strange?"

"Is it strange? Everyone in the industry knows that once you become Mr. Ma's person, you can rise to the top in the industry."

Nini clearly came prepared!

(End of this chapter)