Huayu Entertainment: Tianxian really wants to improve

Chapter 378 The strongest Christmas season in North American film history!
Gu Bei and Harvey, sitting in the audience, stared at each other, their eyes filled with tension.

On the road to winning awards,

Gu Bei and Harvey have completely opposite paths and philosophies.

As the Oscars have evolved, public relations have become an integral part of every aspect of the awards season.
The reason why Harvey is singled out and disliked is...
Because other people's public relations are about winning votes, Harvey's most famous tactic is to smear people. His love affair with Shakespeare was the biggest joke in Oscar history.

Gu Bei, on the other hand, took the route of sentimentality.

The Golden Age Dual Series: Artists and La La Land

The goal was to infect as many retired white male judges as possible.

This time, the acceptance speech was intended to inspire the judges who are still working on the front lines of Hollywood.
What they most want to hear is a bright future for the industry, the grand narrative that "workers in the slums of the British Empire would stand tall with pride after hearing about the empire's achievements."

At other times
Gu Bei proclaimed the return of the golden age.
I doubt anyone would believe that.

But it just so happens that it is December 2009, just before the 2010s, and Hollywood, which has just emerged from the financial crisis, has too many signs that the future is bright.

First and foremost is Gu Bei himself. As an unparalleled genius director, he has shown everyone in the industry what true talent is all about.

Gu Bei specifically chose niche genres such as music films, silent films, and musicals, and made unprecedented innovations in editing, performance techniques, and handheld cinematography in these niche genres, further enhancing the sense of impact.

Secondly, there's the legendary ALEXA camera. Although it hasn't been officially released yet, photographers and directors have already tried it out and expressed the view that digital photography will soon replace film photography.

At this point in time
It's exactly like the point in time when silent films transitioned into sound films.

The most crucial point,
That's Avatar, which just came out.
After Avatar shocked the entire industry,
They will likely change their skepticism towards Gu Bei's statement that "this is the golden age" to one of belief.

The limitations of their time prevented them from seeing the future clearly; they only felt that the future would be very bright.

I doubt many people could have imagined this.
The golden age that awaited them was not theirs.

It's the era of superheroes!
Amid cheers from the crowd, Gu Bei walked off the stage and headed straight for his table, only to find that Leonardo DiCaprio, who had just presented the award, had taken his seat.

Gu Bei asked helplessly, "Leonardo, don't you have a seat?"

"Anyway, your name will definitely be on the Best Picture list later."

Leonardo shrugged, indicating why he was sitting there.

"Give way!"

Gu Bei simply squeezed into a chair with Leonardo.

Anyway, the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards aren't that formal.

"Do you really think this is going to be an era of change?" Leonardo asked Gu Bei curiously, referring to what he had just said in his acceptance speech.

"I don't know, but I hope so!"

Gu Bei neither admitted nor denied it, saying, "Digital photography is maturing rapidly, and how well digital cameras are used can bring about significant changes to film narratives."

Avatar also has 3D gravity effects, you've seen that too, right?

Once 3D is accepted by audiences, it can bring new narrative methods to films, which are foreseeable major changes that may take cinema to new heights.

Upon hearing this, Leonardo nodded in realization: "Then it seems I also need to get back to work as soon as possible and participate in this major transformation."

No, you actually believe that?

Gu Bei sighed inwardly.

The maturity of digital cameras has shortened the time required for directors to develop their skills.
However, what it brought to films worldwide was a decline in visual quality and lighting.

All the movie footage seems to have become a boring template, as if it were shot by the same photographer.

Needless to say, 3D movies, after leaving behind a bunch of poorly made 3D films, eventually returned to their previous niche status.

Just as the two were talking,
Award presenter Charlize Theron took the stage.
"The winner of Best Picture is..."

She opened the envelope and smiled. "La La Land, and congratulations to the runner-up, the Bomb Disposal Team!"

Leonardo looked at Gu Bei: "I told you so!"

Gu Bei raised an eyebrow but remained silent.

La La Land and The Hurt Locker are the current frontrunners for awards season, so it's not surprising that the Los Angeles Film Critics Circle Awards gave them these two options.

Gu Bei delivered his acceptance speech once again, and then concluded his evening's activities.

After celebrating with Leonardo DiCaprio and the La La Land crew, he was driven back to his Beverly Hills mansion by his driver.

After going home,

Gu Bei dialed Liu Yifei's number, but the line was busy.

"If I had known, I should have made this display case bigger."

Gu Bei stuffed the newly acquired trophy into the display case, leaned against the edge of the desk, and admired the display case.

Through the glass of the display case, he could see the gaps between the trophies, which, with the increasing number of trophies, had become somewhat crowded.

"Jingle Bell!"

Just as Gu Bei was getting a little bored,

Liu Yifei finally called back.

"What are you doing?" Gu Bei asked, sounding a little aggrieved.

"you've been drinking?"

Liu Yifei heard Gu Bei's tone,

They quickly noticed that Gu Bei was different from usual.

"A few drinks, please!"

Gu Bei touched his cheek, which was a little hot. "Leonardo presented me with an award today, and we had a few drinks. I didn't know that this guy eats vegetarian and organic food, but he still doesn't quit smoking and drinking. What's the point?"

Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh when she heard Gu Bei's complaints. Gu Bei's characteristic of being sarcastic when he was drunk had never changed.

Then, she said with a smile, "Congratulations! I saw it on Weibo before. You won the New York and Los Angeles Film Critics Awards, and you even won the Best Director and Best Picture awards in both!"

Upon hearing this, Gu Bei continued to complain, "Information is so readily available now that I can't even give you a little surprise anymore!"

He hadn't expected that the news, which had just broken out in North America, had already spread throughout China. "Hahaha!"

Liu Yifei smiled, then suddenly remembered the phone call she had just received, and said to Gu Bei, "I just received a call from Sister Ziyi. She encountered some breaking news."

"What news?"

Upon hearing this, Gu Bei guessed that it must be the infamous Ink-Splashing Gate incident.

"Last night, a reporter was staking out Maggie Cheung, but instead filmed someone splashing ink on Sister Ziyi's poster while saying something. This incident made the news this morning."

Liu Yifei briefly explained, confirming Gu Bei's guess, "And now it's causing a stir on Weibo. Sister Ziyi wants me to ask you for help."

When Liu Yifei narrated her story, she did not show any bias; she simply told it in a calm and unbiased manner, clearly unmoved by Zhang Ziyi's ice-breaking phone call.

After Gu Bei heard this,

I admire Liu Yifei's composure even more now.

Liu Yifei has experienced this kind of mudslinging many times, so she knows best how wronged people feel when they are in the midst of such news.

Zhang Ziyi called Liu Yifei instead of Gu Bei, clearly hoping to evoke Liu Yifei's sympathy by sharing a similar experience.

But Liu Yifei was still able to recount this matter so calmly.

This shows that she wasn't easily moved by Zhang Ziyi because of their shared experiences.

It's truly remarkable that someone of that age can maintain such composure!
Gu Bei said approvingly, "It seems you've also noticed the strangeness of this matter."

Liu Yifei said very honestly, "No, I just don't know the details of what happened, so I don't want to influence your judgment."

"The timing of this event is very strange."
Now is precisely the time when Zhang Ziyi is about to join the cast of Snow Flower and The Secret Fan.

Since the project was announced in November, there has been no further news, clearly indicating that there is still a power struggle within the production team. This incident is an attempt to break that power struggle.

"You mean someone is slandering Sister Ziyi?" Liu Yifei asked.

"This may just be a warning. If the goal is not achieved, further actions may be taken."

Gu Bei analyzed, "The production company of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan was jointly established by Zhang Ziyi, Wendy Deng, and the wife of the MGM CEO."

Zhang Ziyi was one of the producers herself, and they wanted to poach the project from her.
It's probably impossible that the project itself didn't have any problems.

"This is so complicated!"

Liu Yifei couldn't help but complain.

This project was clearly initiated by Zhang Ziyi, yet it's possible that it could be taken away from her. The complex relationships behind it would probably take hours to unravel.

"No matter how you look at it, this kind of thing always comes down to money!"

Gu Bei said calmly, "Not every production company is as profitable as Rose Pictures! So... when are you planning to make The Hunger Games movie? The book fans have been urging you for ages!"

"next year!"

Liu Yifei also felt a sense of urgency from Gu Bei.

I was originally hoping for The Grandmaster and Mission: Impossible 4, but I've already met my work goals for next year.
But now it seems,
Many things in the world are already certain, but everything is constantly changing.

You should do it as soon as possible!

"I'll go and inform Karen so that her production team can start preparing."

Gu Beijian finally managed to trick Liu Yifei into falling into his trap, and a smile appeared on his face.

After a pause,

Gu Bei then said to Liu Yifei, "If Zhang Ziyi calls you again, just tell her that I said Weibo won't allow rumors to spread on a large scale."
However, we cannot completely prohibit user discussion; this is neither technically feasible nor conducive to a good user experience.

Gu Bei was able to protect Liu Yifei through Weibo.

It's because Gu Bei understands Liu Yifei.

Knowing what is a rumor,

Many of the rumors about Liu Yifei are absolutely false.

As for the details behind Zhang Ziyi's ink-splashing incident, and the power struggles between various parties involved, Gu Bei wouldn't believe a single word of Zhang Ziyi's own account.

This woman dared to take matters into her own hands at the age of twenty and went on stage with Zhang Yimou to accept the Jury Prize at the Berlin Film Festival. That classic and timeless photo makes you think she was one of the directors!
More importantly, why should she be able to enjoy the same treatment as Liu Yifei?

"Ugh?"

Liu Yifei suddenly realized what was happening.

It seems like I've assigned myself another job, and it's one that will last at least three years!
On the second day of the Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards, Gu Bei's acceptance speech about this era sparked discussion. Apart from some rebuttals, most people remained optimistic about the future.

With Christmas just around the corner, film critics, drawn to the film, have been showering La La Land with praise.

Roger Ebert gave it a perfect four-star rating: "If artists use retro forms to express modern ideas, then La La Land uses modern forms to express retro ideas."

Despite the abundance of modern elements in the film, it still feels like a story set in Hollywood's golden age. Bruce Wayne seems to be telling us that the world hasn't changed at all!

A.O. Scott of the New York Times also commented: "In the first act of the film, the protagonist Sebastian is still working in a nightclub, and the scene where he fights for the music he loves is telling Bruce's story of his love for jazz."

But at the end of the film, Bruce Wayne has Sebastian, the protagonist, speak for all of us, expressing our heartfelt feelings about the world!

The film received unanimous praise, much like Gu Bei's treatment in Venice, and perhaps even better, because North American film critics were able to better understand the scenes in La La Land.

Even Rolling Stone magazine gave La La Land a perfect four-star rating, calling it "a musical rhapsody on the big screen" and its most recommended film of the year.

Amidst this lively and bustling atmosphere, Christmas quietly arrives.

Thanks to La La Land's strong attendance last week, and the fact that cinemas gradually realized that people only watched Avatar in 3D theaters, they simply vacated a bunch of theaters without 3D playback equipment and gave them to La La Land and Sherlock Holmes.

In just the fourth week, La La Land surpassed the scale of artist screenings, reaching a total of 3150 theaters.

This screening scale is perhaps a little smaller than Avatar's 3456 theaters and Sherlock Holmes' 3626 theaters.

But this movie has no A-list stars and no family-friendly appeal.

It's already a miracle that we were able to secure such a large-scale screening.

On the very first day of 2010, the media ran a huge headline: "The strongest Christmas season in North American film history!"

(End of this chapter)