Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 215 The Battle Heats Up, Nominations Announced

The day after Wu Chen returned to China, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences announced the shortlisted films eligible to compete for the 79th Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film in the early hours of Beijing time.

Nine films, including Spanish master Pedro Almodóvar's "Volver" and the German film "The Lives of Others," were shortlisted.

"Curse of the Golden Flower" and "The Banquet," representing mainland China and Hong Kong respectively, both failed to advance beyond the semi-finals and were eliminated.

"Not surprising, and not bothered."

On the set of "Assembly", Feng Xiaogang appeared calm in the face of the swarming media, but his heart was filled with mixed emotions.

Not only did "The Banquet" fail at the box office, but its North American rights were also lost to Weinstein, and it didn't even get a nomination. If he didn't have to maintain his composure, he would have been cursing him out long ago.

"Director Feng, what are your thoughts on Wu Chen's 'Get Out' being nominated for an Oscar?"

A young reporter asked the question with great enthusiasm, hoping that Feng Xiaogang would break down at this moment and add a bit of excitement to the interview.

"hehe."

Feng Xiaogang smiled, gave the reporter a deep look, and then slowly said:
"First of all, I am very happy that Director Wu won the Golden Globe Award. I also wish Director Wu an Oscar nomination and that he wins the award. He represents a breakthrough for mainland Chinese filmmakers on the world stage."

The reporters, who were not satisfied with the response, were somewhat discouraged, not expecting Feng Xiaogang to be so much more composed now.

Zhang Yi's side went even further:
"It's a minor disappointment that 'Curse of the Golden Flower' wasn't nominated. We hope director Wu Chen can conquer the Oscars; we fully support him."

At this point, the Oscars public relations battle in North America had entered a heated phase.

The publicity machines behind major companies like Warner and Miramax are in full swing.

[US Magazine Commentary on the Golden Globes: Winners May Be Disappointed at the Oscars]

This year's Golden Globes couldn't dictate the Oscars; a triumph on one front and a disappointment on the other!

This year's election will be the most divisive one in history!

【.】

Behind each seemingly objective commentary lies the result of careful manipulation by several major companies.

Multiple media outlets published editorials, downplaying "Get Out's" Golden Globe success as a "genre film's lucky break," and even implying that its sustainability at the Oscars was questionable.
It seems the goal is to minimize, or better yet, the impression of "Get Out" winning the Golden Globe Awards.

Wu Chen has received calls from Jason Blum and Universal Music in the past few days.

"The fighting is too intense; this year's competition is going to be chaotic."

Jason Blum said with a wry smile that so far no film has a high chance of winning; each has its own problems.

"Many competitors are coming on strong. Fortunately, we have a lot of support from the Black community, and they are working very hard!"

"Thanks for your hard work!"

Wu Chenguang knew from North American media reports how fierce the public relations battle was these days. It was either you attack me or I attack you. Even if I only had one leg, I would hold you back and prevent you from gaining too much of an advantage.

As long as the advantage is not significant, there is always a chance to overtake.

Will it be an Oscar nomination?

Han Sanping also called to inquire.

These past few days have not only been increasingly tense in North America, but also sparked much discussion in China.

In the past, domestic directors didn't have many opportunities, but this year is different. Wu Chen's "Get Out" performed well in several Oscar precursors and won awards frequently.

At present, the opportunity is great.

Many film critics and media outlets in China have written articles to analyze and predict the future of the film industry.

"A nomination should be a sure thing, but it's hard to say exactly how many awards I'll receive. As for winning an award, that depends on how well the public relations campaign goes over the next two months."

Wu Chen's confidence relieved Han Sanping.

"A nomination gives you a chance."

After hanging up the phone, Wu Chen glanced at the shooting schedule: "Prepare for the next scene, the 'in the mirror' scene is coming up."

By this time, the film crew had already decorated the studio to resemble a dark, old-fashioned backstage area.

The dim light from the tungsten filament lamp shone on the worn bronze mirror, and the outline of a figure faintly emerged from the mirror.

The subtle scents of cosmetics and incense create an atmosphere that's almost palpable, as if the very act has begun and the soul is already there. This is Liu Yifei's solo performance, a pivotal moment in her challenge of playing two roles.

"Makeup in front of the mirror, rehearsing!"

Wu Chen stood behind the monitor and gave the order in a low voice.

Liu Yifei slowly entered the frame before the camera.

She had already changed into Du Liniang's costume, with rouge between her eyebrows, and sat in front of the dressing table with an empty look in her eyes, as if she had just woken up from a deep dream, or as if she was still trapped in the dream.

"Camera zoom in," Wu Chen whispered, his voice reaching the cameraman's ears through the walkie-talkie.

In the shot, Liu Yifei raises her hand and gently draws a flower on her forehead. The vermilion ink spreads on her fingertips, resembling traces of bleeding.

Her movements were extremely light, as if she were depicting an unfinished fate from a past life, or as if she were mourning her own silence.

"Don't move the camera, keep the emotions in check."

Wu Chen whispered a reminder, his gaze fixed on Liu Yifei's complex eyes, and he frowned slightly. "Click!"

Liu Yifei shook her head and saw Wu Chen walking over.

“Senior sister, you and ‘her’ are two different people here. First of all, your eyes should have a sense of unfamiliarity, as if you’ve never seen them before.”

As Wu Chen spoke, he pointed to the mirror:

You are you, and she is she. When you portray yourself and her, you need to present different states. For example, when you smile, the left corner of your mouth curves up, but when you portray her smiling, remember to let the right corner of your mouth curve up.

Wu Chen patiently recounted this scene.

The difficulty of this part lies in the subtle shifts in the "two people's" states in front of the mirror.

If this part of the performance is done well, regardless of other aspects, the female lead role can be considered a success.

Liu Tianchi, watching intently, couldn't help but sigh softly, "This kind of scene isn't something every script offers. I hope Yifei will seize the opportunity."

Zhang Jiqing asked with a hint of doubt, "This kind of scene is rarely seen in movies?"

“Few.” Liu Tianchi nodded. “Mainland China has very few movies that are truly built around a strong female lead, let alone twin stories with such rich psychological complexity.”

This role was specifically chosen for awards. If Director Wu were to release it, actresses from all three regions of China would go crazy for it.

Liu Tianchi's insights into the roles she plays are naturally deeper than most people's.

Zhang Jiqing nodded slightly upon hearing this.

Just as filming for "Black Peony" slowed down slightly due to the more challenging scenes, an official from the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television announced a funding program for young directors developed by the Film Bureau.

The plan initially didn't generate much buzz, but when netizens saw the name at the top of the list, they all burst out laughing.

"No, Wu Chen, what else are you sponsoring?"

"Haha, Director Wu said he'd give me 500,000 yuan for filming, why wouldn't I take it?"

"Sure, even the accomplished Director Wu is treated the same as everyone else. If it's 500,000, it's 500,000, not a penny more."

"."

Netizens made fun of it.

That same evening at 10 PM Beijing time, the nominees for the 79th Academy Awards (Oscars) were finally announced.

This preliminary battle, which has lasted for nearly half a year since the Toronto International Film Festival in September 2006, has begun.
From the Critics' Circle Awards, the Guild Awards, the Media Awards to the Golden Globes, it has finally reached its final stage.

Approximately 400 journalists from the United States and overseas witnessed the unveiling ceremony, after which global media coverage surged.

The announcement of the nomination list brought a series of good news, but also some unexpected surprises.

The relatively unpopular "Dreamgirls" garnered 8 nominations, leading all the popular films, but it was unexpectedly eliminated from the two core awards, Best Picture and Best Director, causing an uproar at the scene.

The Golden Globe winner for Best Motion Picture – Drama, Get Out, followed closely with seven nominations. However, with its nominations for Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Actor, it became the undisputed "big winner."

Following closely behind are "The Queen" and "Pan's Labyrinth" with 6 nominations each, and "Infernal Affairs" and "Letters from Iwo Jima" with 5 nominations each.
As for Zhang Yimou's "Curse of the Golden Flower", it also won an Oscar for Best Costume Design.

As soon as the nomination results were announced, the homepages of major domestic portal websites were quickly dominated by the "Oscar nomination list".
(End of this chapter)