Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 152 Winter Campus, people cannot be so shameless!
In late January, the cold wind in Beijing was still blowing, the branches of the sycamore trees were bare, the sky was gray and the ground was cold, but it could not stop the passionate gazes of filmmakers from all over the world from converging on the Oscar-leading awards, the Golden Globe Awards in Los Angeles.

This year's Golden Globe Awards are particularly eye-catching in China.

Not only was Zhang Ziyi nominated for Best Actress in a Drama, but "Kung Fu Hustle" and "The Promise" also made it onto the Best Foreign Language Film nomination list.

Chen Kaige and his wife flew to Los Angeles early, trying to use this international event to reverse the poor reputation of "The Promise" in China.

"I believe in the Hollywood Foreign Press Association!" he said solemnly in an interview with the Associated Press, his expression serious and his posture comparable to pre-war mobilization.

Zhang Ziyi frequently appears at major Hollywood cocktail parties, red carpets, and dinners, with her aura fully on display, looking like an invincible actress with the best actress in her hands.

However, the final result was that Li An won four major awards for Best Drama Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Song with "Brokeback Mountain", while the others won nothing.

Apparently, this year the Hollywood Foreign Press Association is determined to support Lee to the end.

When the news reached China, public opinion was in an uproar, and Li An's name once again dominated the headlines of major media outlets.

"I heard Director Chen flew back overnight and didn't take a single interview after returning to China."

Xiang Zhuo exhaled a puff of white mist, walked on the frozen campus path, and chatted with Wu Chen and others as they walked.

Park Song-il suddenly interrupted: "Why rush? Don't we still have Oscar to back us up?"

Wu Chen looked at Park Song-il in surprise, "What's going on? You're an Oscar judge, and you got selected?"

Several people laughed.

"Let's go to the cafeteria for lunch."

"Wait a minute, I'll call someone."

As soon as Wu Chen opened his mouth, Xiang Zhuo and the others approached him with a teasing look, "Is it Senior Sister Liu Yifei?"

"Go, go, go."

"Brother Chen, let Senior Sister Liu Yifei invite a few more senior sisters to eat together." Xiang Zhuo suggested, "Like Senior Sister Zhou Yang, Senior Sister Wang Jia, and the others."

"You have a lot of ideas." Wu Chen couldn't help laughing when he heard that.

However, Liu Yifei did not refuse the proposal and called several friends together. After a long while, Liu Yifei appeared with Zhou Yang and Wang Jia.

The winter sun shines obliquely on Liu Yifei. She is wearing a short goose yellow down jacket with a beige turtleneck sweater underneath. She is wearing a dark gray velvet skirt, and black boots that make her legs look slender and light.

Her long black hair falls down along her shoulders and sways gently when she walks, like a touch of warmth in this cold color.

She smiled and waved at Wu Chen, her lips curved and her eyes full of smiles.

The cafeteria was bustling with people, and the heat and the aroma of food intertwined to create the most homely corner in winter.

Several people sat around a table and the atmosphere was lively.

"By the way," Xiang Zhuo suddenly said, biting his chopsticks, "Senior Sister Zhou Yang, Senior Sister Wang Jia, didn't you go to the casting for Director Zhang's new film? Didn't they say that besides Chow Yun-fat, Gong Li, and Jay Chou, there was still a second or third female lead?"

Hearing this, Zhou Yang and Wang Jia looked at each other and sighed at the same time.

"I went." Zhou Yang spread his hands, "But in the end, I was rejected. I heard it was given to a student from the Central Academy of Drama again."

"Ah?" Park Songri and others opened their mouths wide.

"Teacher Cui and the others were still mumbling today, saying that Director Zhang didn't even consider the people from Beijing Film Academy at this time, but was only thinking about the Central Academy of Drama next door," Wang Jia whispered to them, took a bite of the dish, and continued with a smile on his face:

“So Teacher Cui and Teacher Wang still like Director Wu. I went to his office today and heard them comparing it.

They say Director Zhang and Director Chen don't think about the school at all, but Director Wu is the best, he basically reserves one or two roles for the school."

As soon as she finished speaking, Liu Yifei paused while drinking soup from the small bowl.

She didn't say anything, but just raised her head. Her eyes were sparkling as if filled with stars, and the corners of her lips unconsciously raised a very slight arc.

Everyone continued to eat and laugh until the restaurant gradually quieted down and then a few people dispersed one after another.

Wu Chen stood up and walked out of the cafeteria side by side with Liu Yifei. The cold wind blew in their faces, but the sunlight in the campus had not completely faded. The setting sun shone on the white walls of the teaching building, and a touch of light gold reflected on the yellowed grass beside the playground.

The campus in winter is filled with indescribable tranquility and poetry.

Liu Yifei was wrapped in a goose yellow short down jacket and walked beside Wu Chen. The few strands of hair hanging by her ears swayed slightly in the wind, and her feet made light sounds on the floor tiles.

The sunlight shone on her side face, making her look as clear as a painting.

She looked at the nearby teaching building and the heating pipes covered in white mist, and suddenly whispered, "I didn't expect that I'd be graduating so soon."

After hearing this, Wu Chen also stopped and looked around.

It seemed like before he knew it, he was already a junior.

"It's okay, I've been admitted to graduate school. Not only me, but Song Ri and Xiang Zhuo are also going to graduate school."

Wu Chen shrugged. It was still a long time since he left school.

"Ah? There are so many people studying for a master's degree in your dormitory." Liu Yifei was puzzled.

"Song Ri wanted to be a photographer, and Lao Mu planned to let him continue pursuing it. He originally wanted Song Ri and I to study for a master's degree together with him, but Lao Mu's move caused dissatisfaction among other teachers in the department, so Song Ri ended up going to Professor Li's place.

As for Xiang Zhuo, he's my producer now, and he's planning to pursue a master's degree in management. "But it still feels different," Wu Chen chuckled.

"That's right!" Liu Yifei nodded and suddenly changed the subject. "By the way, I have to go to the recording studio in the evening."

"Huh?" Wu Chen was stunned. "Recording studio? What for?"

"A friend of mine is here these days to record the theme song for The Return of the Condor Heroes, 'Unparalleled Under Heaven.'" She blinked, "I'm planning to treat her to a meal."

"Oh!" Wu Chen responded casually. If nothing unexpected happened, it should be Zhang Jingying.

"She sings beautifully. I'll introduce you to her next time. Maybe you'll need a theme song for a movie and could ask her for help."

As she spoke, she saw the training room not far away, so she ran forward a few steps and turned back to wave at Wu Chen.

"I'm going to go train first, Junior Brother!"

The new calendar and the old calendar always seem to have different rhythms in the perception of time.

It’s like the younger generation always remembers the time of the new calendar, but the older generation always keeps track of when New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day will be.

Wu Chen deliberately returned to his hometown early this year and stayed at home until the seventh day of the New Year, but when he left, his parents always looked worried.

"Xiaochen's career is getting bigger and bigger. Now when he comes back, he doesn't say he encountered any difficulties, but only knows how to report good news." Yuan Xiaoqin sighed.

"If he really encounters any difficulties and tells you about it, you can't help him and you can't sleep. Your son will be heartbroken too." Wu Yangming said softly as he watched Wu Chen's receding figure.

After the New Year atmosphere faded, it was already early February.

Wu Chen returned to school and stayed there for a few days before setting off for Los Angeles.

The first cut of Get Out was done because Jason Blum called.

On the morning the plane landed, sunlight shone through the mist into the editing studio at Blumhouse Pictures.

Jason Blum wiped the corners of the coffee spill with a paper towel and excitedly handed over the edited copy: "The current version is 118 minutes long."

Wu Chen sat down, put on headphones, and focused his eyes on the screen.

The atmosphere of the film is truly outstanding.

The first half builds up a sense of fear with realism and details, especially the scene where Viola Davis is "crying while laughing", which is chilling.

Anthony Mackie's role is also very layered.

"I feel like the supporting roles are better!" Jason Blum muttered as he sat aside and looked at the computer screen.

Soon, Wu Chen's notebook was filled with comments.

Two hours later, the lights came on. Wu Chen let out a sigh and called the editor:
"The overall structure is fine, but the pace needs to be edited faster."

Wu Chen said, "The rhythm between the first and second acts is not tight enough, we need to speed it up.

Especially the scene from the first time the protagonist enters the manor to before the dinner, this section contains a lot of detailed shots. Although the atmosphere is strong, it makes the audience feel uneasy. "

The few minutes after the hypnosis scene in the middle can be shortened appropriately to focus on the audience's psychological transformation - to make them feel "trapped" rather than "watching".

As for the climax, it could have been extended a bit—increasing the sense of chaos and the desperate atmosphere of escape would have given them a chance to breathe freely at the end."

Wu Chen discussed it seriously with the editor, and they finally reached a consensus, which was to compress the beginning and end, strengthen the middle, and especially enhance the sense of transition.

At the same time, on the other side of the world, the Berlin Film Festival is about to come to an end.

The team of "The Promise" finally announced the "good news" in the last few days: they found a new North American distributor, and Warner took over independently.

When this news reached China, it saved the reputation of the Palme d'Or director.

Brother Chen Kai seemed to feel that he had done it again. He had initially rejected all interviews from domestic media, but after securing the release, he couldn't help but accept a short interview that he hadn't seen in a long time.

Facing the camera, he said confidently, "I believe that The Promise has its audience in the international market. We have never given up."

Changing the subject, when the reporter mentioned the online short film "A Murder Case Caused by a Bun," Chen Kai's face froze again, and he angrily said:

"We have already sued him! We must sue him and we will resolve this issue to the end.

People can’t be so shameless as to do this!”

This speech immediately became the headlines of major entertainment media the next day.

Chen Kaige angrily criticizes the parody video: "People cannot be so shameless!"

["The Promise" has been confirmed to be independently distributed in North America by Warner Bros., but the release date is unknown!]

On the other hand, at China Film Group, Han Sanping was sitting in his office watching the news. He snorted coldly and was quite speechless.

Damn, after all this trouble, I still can’t find one of the publishers recommended by Wu Chen.

If I had known the result would be like this, I would have asked Wu Chen for help. It's unknown when the film will be released in North America. As for the Oscars, he had given up long ago.

Given the current situation, even winning an Oscar would be a miracle.
(End of this chapter)