Who are you calling "little fresh meat"? I'm the king.

Chapter 959 Returning to the Company (33)

Shen Yan was telling the truth…

He doesn't have many projects on hand right now, just two TV dramas: "Go to Where the Wind Blows" and "Something in the Rain"...

"Go to Where the Wind Blows" is confirmed to start filming in September, with Liu Shishi as the female lead;

"Something in the Rain" is probably going to have to wait until next year, because "The Wonderful Night at the Film Studio" is filming at the end of the year...

The contract includes four films, including "Zaijiutang"—the original version of "Pan Heng Makes Ink";
There's also "Night at the Museum," "Detective Chinatown 2," and "My People, My Country"...

This work arrangement is clearly insufficient for top-tier celebrities!

Generally speaking, top stars' schedules are even booked five years into the future…

If Shen Yan were to open up more film offers, he could potentially secure at least a dozen more film contracts!

no need…

At his level, he's already past the stage of making movies for box office success.

Unless one of the films starring the lead actor has a particularly poor box office performance...

But... that didn't happen!

Actually, with "The Man Inside Me" grossing 31 billion yuan and receiving a 6.7 rating, it's fair to criticize it...

In addition, the box office of "How Long Will I Love U" is approaching 30 billion...

It only has a 7.2 rating on Douban!
If we were to launch a smear campaign, it could indeed stir up some controversy...

After all, he's an Oscar-caliber director…

But Shen Yan won the Palme d'Or!
They wiped it out in one fell swoop.

Just like Xin Zhilei is now being exposed for being ostracized by Shanghai actors during the filming of "Blossoms Shanghai"—they all spoke Shanghainese, which Xin Zhilei couldn't understand at all, so she could only smile apologetically on the sidelines…

If she hadn't won the Venice Film Festival Best Actress award, who would care about these things?

……

"Brother Yan, what does winning the Palme d'Or mean?"

"The way you asked that question... does it mean I'm awesome? What else could it mean?"

"...What's different about winning the Palme d'Or?"

"...It's not much different..." Shen Yan scratched his head: "I've already won the Golden Lion and an Oscar..."

"I heard that Parasite is preparing to compete for the Oscars?"

"Hmm... I do have that plan. I guess I'll be going to the US frequently again starting in November!"

"What are the chances of winning the prize?"

"How would I know? Winning awards isn't just about your own film, it's also about the competition... I'm still not entirely convinced that 'La La Land' didn't win Best Picture... but 'Moonlight' was definitely the right film, you can't argue with that..."

Why do you always talk about the wealth gap?

"Because this is so obvious. Even though human civilization seems to have developed to a very prosperous stage, if we look back 30 years, has the gap between the rich and the poor narrowed over such a long period of time? No, on the contrary, it has become more and more serious!"

Upon arriving at the company, Shen Yan held a press conference…

A lot of questions were answered in one go!
"I saw a quote on a forum a while ago: 'Power and wealth, like AIDS, are only spread through blood and sexual intercourse...' I think it makes a lot of sense!"

"Could you recommend a few film masters, or your favorite film directors?"

"Hitchcock... his films have had the biggest influence on me! A long time ago, I read 'This Is More Than Just a Movie,' which detailed the entire process of Hitchcock making 'Psycho,' revealing the innovative strategies behind its low-budget production..."

What about Chinese-language directors?

"I quite like the films by Edward Yang and Zhang Yimou..."

Where is Ang Lee?

"I'll pass on Ang Lee, I don't like him..." "Huh? Why?"

"Can't I not like him? He's not a god!" Shen Yan was speechless...

Ang Lee once said, "When directing and making films, the most important thing is not to express yourself. Putting yourself so heavily on that is ego, it's a burden, not art."

That's not right. If someone creates a work not for self-expression, then why bother making a movie? Just watch a documentary!
In addition, this year's Golden Horse Awards were a complete mess!

……

I joined the company, and then encountered a bunch of surprises…

Each employee received a bouquet of flowers, and the office was decorated like a victory celebration...

Two vice presidents were carrying champagne, while Ji Xiang pushed a cake over...

This touched Shen Yan a little!
"Let's cut the cake first. There will be a formal celebration banquet tonight. I've already arranged for the administration to book a large venue at the nearby Four Seasons Hotel..."

"Wow, that's generous!" Shen Yan took the knife and cut the cake...

There was no cake-throwing segment...

Shen Yan doesn't like doing it this way!

After a brief celebration, Shen Yan and Ji Xiang went to the office…

After looking at the Palme d'Or trophy, Ji Xiang simply picked it up and insisted that Shen Yan take some pictures of him…

The latter can only fulfill his wish!
After fiddling around for a while, Ji Xiang said, "I checked, and the production company for 'A Gentleman's Pursuit' is United Artists, which has nothing to do with 21st Century Fox..."

“Lianmei…” Shen Yan nodded: “That really has nothing to do with it!”

United Artists, a film company co-founded by Charlie Chaplin, was once one of the eight major film studios in the United States. Its representative works include Chaplin's "The Gold Rush," "The Great Dictator," and "Modern Times," Griffith's "Towards the East," Billy Wilder's "The Apartment," and "West Side Story."

Unfortunately, it was later acquired by MGM...

However, MGM was later acquired by Amazon!
Oh, the reason Ji Xiang investigated the production company of "A Gentleman's Pursuit" is mainly because this film is the only one in film history to have won both the Palme d'Or and the Academy Award for Best Picture. If this film is related to 21st Century Fox...

That would make the public relations work for "Parasite" much easier!
Unfortunately, there's no connection...

"If that doesn't work, we'll just throw more money at it..."

"Don't worry, we've already contacted the relevant person in charge of public relations..."

Who did you contact?

"Tom Quinn and Tim Liggle... the two heads of my new company, both of them used to work at Miramax... they know Harvey's stuff very well!"

Harvey Weinstein was arrested, but his experience and strategies—such as sending DVDs to judges, hosting internal screenings and receptions, hiring professional online trolls to smear his opponents, inviting critics to write film reviews, and buying out multiple entertainment media columns for intensive coverage—were used to generate buzz for his film.

Even with these methods, there will still be an heir!

In the original timeline, Tom Quinn and Tim Liggle delivered an Oscar to a terrible film like *Arnora*...

Parasite follows their methods: using Cannes as a springboard and leveraging streaming media, it employs creative streaming marketing strategies to transform award buzz into marketing capital, thereby boosting the reach of niche and non-mainstream films…

Fox Studios, the distributor, spent $1200 million to prepare "Parasite" for its Oscar campaign!
Shen Yan personally contributed another $800 million…

Even if it costs money, I'll buy Best Picture and Best Director!
Shen Yan is determined to win this award!

"By the way, China Film Group will also be involved in the 'My People, My Country' project..."

What about China Film Group?

"China Film Group may be undergoing a leadership change, and President Fu is going to take over..."

"Oh!"

Shen Yan nodded…

President Fu is Fu Ruoqing, the chairman of China Film Group…

(End of this chapter)