Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 207 Outpost, Pear Blossoms in the Rain

With the unveiling of the Golden Globe nominations, this year's Oscar battle is gradually unfolding.

Popular films and candidate lists are emerging one after another.

Typically, Oscar observers will select eight to nine films that are considered the strongest contenders for the Best Picture Oscar.

However, this year, the number of such films is twice that of previous years.

Over the past few days, the results of three different film critics' association awards have been announced in New York, Boston, and Los Angeles.

Although these selections are not part of the Oscar process, they make people realize that the Oscar winds are blowing strong.

Three films won the Best Film award.

The New York Film Critics Circle selected Paul Greengrass's "United 93".

The film tells the thrilling story of how passengers fought back against the hijackers during the 9/11 terrorist attacks, ultimately preventing the plane from reaching its destination.

Association president Marshall Feeney even publicly declared, "It's one of the best films of the year."

"United 93 will shake your soul in a way that other films can't."

Other associations were not to be outdone.

The Boston Society of Film Critics chose Martin Scorsese's "The Departed" because it is a film about the underworld and was filmed in Boston.

The Los Angeles Film Critics Association, on the other hand, has taken a liking to Wu Chen's "Get Out," believing it to be a thrilling social allegory that greatly promotes social progress.

With each side offering its own version of events and reasons, the upcoming Oscar nominations have become increasingly unpredictable.

Wu Chen did not go to accept the Best Film award presented by these associations; instead, Jason Blum and Universal Pictures accepted it on his behalf.

After all, there are too many preliminary awards to win, and other directors of films are in a similar situation.

If I were to collect them one by one, I could be flying around the United States for the next two months.

"Wu, you need to stay a couple more days when you come to the Golden Globe Awards. It's too tiring. The work involved in this Oscar competition is just as troublesome as running for president."
Not only do they need to hire specialized companies to help with pre-release publicity, but they also need to connect with people in high society, exchange ideas with experts from film critics' associations, and finally cultivate good relationships, get close to the public, and maintain a healthy image.
Fortunately, our film has a large Black community and a healthy image; otherwise, we would have had to do an extra public relations job.

Jason Blum complained.

These days, Universal's public relations efforts have already begun, and Wu Chen also has filming assignments, so he naturally has to make frequent public appearances.

He had never seriously dealt with the Oscars before, since they were all independent, low-budget films. Now, experiencing it firsthand, he realized that the troubles involved were beyond his imagination.

"Thank you for your hard work. Don't worry, I'll stay a few more days at the Ballon d'Or in January!"

Wu Chen smiled upon hearing this. The Golden Globe Awards are in mid-January. According to the current filming schedule of "Black Peony", there won't be a rush later on. It wouldn't be a problem to give the crew a few more days to rest.

The scenes these days have entered a more complex emotional phase, and both Liu Yifei and Li Qin feel a bit breathless.

The entire crew was on edge.

"Director Wu, it's time for a twenty-minute break."

A staff member nearby reminded him.

Wu Chen glanced at everyone and said, "Let's rest for another ten minutes and have the crew get the aircraft in position!"

"Ok!"

"."

These days, "Curse of the Golden Flower" continues to dominate the box office, raking in 2 million yuan in just over a week. However, its reputation has gradually collapsed as the screening time increases.

"The whole city is filled with golden milk"

"This movie should be the worst of Zhang Yimou's works!"

"."

Comments like these are numerous.

At this very moment, "Still Life," despite its prestigious Golden Lion Award at the Venice Film Festival, suffered a dismal box office performance under the management of Shanghai Film Group, earning only around one million yuan.

The release of 50 film prints represents a huge distribution cost and pressure to recoup losses for a low-budget art film, making a loss inevitable.

Perhaps driven by a "suicide pact," Jia Zhangke first criticized Chinese blockbusters, and then criticized the currently showing "Curse of the Golden Flower" for dominating the screen, leaving no room for good films to survive.

"In an era that worships gold, nobody cares about good people anymore."

His words were laced with sarcasm, directly implying that Zhang Yimou had made a commercial film that catered to the market and was raking in money.

Seeing this, Zhang Weiping showed no leniency:

“I can’t be bothered with him. His film only won a Golden Lion. It’s not like we haven’t won one before. These are all leftovers from our previous films.” His remarks surprised the reporters.

But what followed was even more astonishing. Zhang Weiping, his voice growing increasingly agitated, continued:

"I want him to shut up and stop talking the hell. If he's so capable, let the audience come and watch his movies."

Jia Zhangke and Marco Müller, the president of the Venice Film Festival, are playing dirty tricks; Marco Müller himself invested in "Still Life."

These words immediately caused a stir among the reporters, and the news spread rapidly.

Everyone in the industry was stunned, and news reports kept pouring in:
Zhang Weiping alleges foul play in Jia Zhangke's Golden Lion win: "They were all leftovers from us!!"

[Jia Zhangke is enraged by the alleged shady dealings and plans to sue, calling the whole thing ridiculous.]

【.】

At this point, Zhang Yimou had no choice but to speak out: "His failure is not because of our existence."

The circle immediately became lively.

Both directors are exceptional.

One is a representative of the fifth generation of directors, and the other is a representative of the sixth generation of directors. In terms of international awards, Jia Zhangke has won quite a few.

The tip of the needle is facing the wheat awn.

Everyone inside the Beijing Film Academy was stunned. Zhang Huijun was taken aback upon hearing this and frowned slightly.

"What's going on lately? The Wu Chen and Lu Xun incident hasn't even been over for a few days, and now Zhang Yi and Jia Zhangke are involved? What's wrong with the Photography Department these days?"

"Well, Zhang Yimou graduated a long time ago. This can't be explained like that. In the entertainment industry, it's normal to have some conflicts and disagreements."

Mu Deyuan was also a little confused. One thing after another had happened. Although this time it wasn't the directing department, Jia Zhangke was from the literature department.
The two argued, causing unrest throughout the entire entertainment circle.

Wu Chen is constantly bombarded with questions from reporters when he finishes work, which is nothing new. The reporters were especially eager when he was nominated for the Golden Globe Awards a few days ago.

This time it's just that it's about Zhang Yimou and Jia Zhangke.

"Director Wu, are you aware of the situation between Director Zhang and Director Jia? As a representative of the new generation of directors, what are your thoughts on their dispute?"

"What opinion could I possibly have?" Wu Chen countered.

Actually, this whole thing is about money, but of course he couldn't say it so bluntly.

The reporters persisted, "Director Wu, just say it boldly. We absolutely will not take things out of context."

Wu Chen smiled, looking at the group's hands tucked in and their breath steaming in the cold air. He thought for a moment, then slowly said:
"Well, I think art films and commercial films should each go their own way, not be lumped together. These two types of films are fundamentally different."

After dismissing the reporter, Ning Hao received a sudden phone call.

"You've really pushed people to their limits this time, tsk tsk tsk!" Ning Hao chuckled on the phone.

Wu Chen was puzzled by these words:
"What's pushing you to the limit?"

"You don't know about this?" Ning Hao was taken aback. "Then who else could it be but Lu Xun?"

I don't know what happened, but it seems like someone from "Kekexili" leaked information saying that he has character issues. Coupled with the pressure from "Nanjing! Nanjing!", you can see from the latest reports that he was in tears in front of the media.

In my opinion, the entire casting process for "Dream of the Red Chamber" was a waste of time; this is the perfect candidate for Lin Daiyu!

Ning Hao's words are quite sharp; even Wu Chen couldn't help but laugh.

"By the way, junior brother, can I borrow a few screenwriters?"

"?" Wu Chen sighed helplessly. "I knew you wouldn't call for no reason. Didn't I tell you to find a few more last time? Why aren't we enough?"

"This script is more complex than 'Stone,' and we really don't have enough people. More people mean more strength, right?"

"I'll see later if we can send two people over. When will your script be ready?"

After pondering for a moment, Ning Hao slowly said:

"Theoretically, it should be ready by early next year, but we'll see how it goes."

After hanging up with Ning Hao, Wu Chen went back and looked at the report. In the photo, Lu Xun's eyes were red.

"The claim that the film project failed to pass approval is absolutely false information. It's shameless, despicable, and extremely morally corrupt. It has caused the crew to become demoralized. If there is any further negative impact, I will choose legal means."

"The General Administration is very supportive. There are none of the messy things you're talking about. I don't want to repeat their praise."

However, this project has attracted the envy of many, and some people have malicious intentions. As for the truth, we will find out next year.

(End of this chapter)