Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 505 Oscar Nomination, Blind to Talent
It is understood that "1939" is still expected to be shortlisted for the 60th anniversary Berlin Film Festival.

"Singing turns to acting? Zhang Liangying, fresh from the Grammy Awards, is spotted dining with Liu Yifei in Beijing."

"."

A few days ago, Shu Chang and a few others had a dinner party that caused a stir. It seems that the female lead of "Love is Not Blind" has found her match, and no one has objected.

Zhang Liangying had just returned from the Grammys, at the height of her popularity, and this "cross-industry collaboration" became a natural starting point for a story in the eyes of outsiders.

A few lines of text, accompanied by a candid street photo.

Zhang Liangying walked out of the restaurant with a smile, while Liu Yifei stood beside her holding up a scarf to shield her from the wind. The image quality was so blurry that it resembled a candid news report from an old era, yet it was enough to prompt gossip editors to type out a bunch of headlines.

Especially given the current trend of several top singers in the music scene frequently venturing into the film and television industry—if leading actresses can't take the lead roles, surely supporting actresses should have a chance, right?

As a result, various "insiders" began to weave legends, and the heat of gossip was like a dry spark in the wind, which could be ignited with the slightest breeze.

The news is outrageous.

When Liu Yifei returned from the dinner party in high spirits, she still had her scarf on. Upon hearing Wu Chen's words, she froze for half a second before launching into a tirade of complaints.

"Your imagination is amazing! How could you make that connection?"

"For chick flicks like this, the requirements for the roles aren't high; if the appearance fits the bill, it's pretty much the same, so this guess is reasonable."

Wu Chen smiled and replied, while Liu Yifei looked somewhat puzzled.

Is "Love is Not Blind" a chick flick?

"Most of the films and TV shows that feature female characters as the core, with men playing supporting roles, and have a relatively light and cheerful atmosphere, belong to this category."

Wu Chen nodded.

This is why Xue Xiaolu is suitable to direct, because her later "Seattle" series belongs to the same type.

Directing it will be a breeze.
Liu Yifei nodded as if she understood, and then casually tossed out the list of candidates in her mind: "Then what do you think, if the male lead is Luo Jin?"

She leaned on Wu Chen's shoulder, tilting her head back to wait for his reaction.

"Luo Jin!"

Wu Chen pondered for a moment, "Okay, we need to bring out his cold and sarcastic style and gentlemanly demeanor in the direction, which is a good match for Shu Chang. Guo Jingfei is also a good choice for a lighthearted and healing approach."

"I was chosen by Director Xue to play a supporting role."

Liu Yifei and Wu Chen discussed the matter earnestly, and then mentioned the personnel they had selected so far: Zhang Jiayi and Wang Yaoqing.
In February, the air at the Beijing Film Academy was thick with anxiety as the semester drew to a close.

In the corridor, students carrying thick photocopies moved back and forth, some sighing as they flipped through them: "I'm doomed, I'm probably going to fail this course."

"So what if I fail? A life without failing a course is incomplete."

Instead of offering comfort, his companion threw out a sarcastic remark that suggested he had seen through life and death.

In contrast to the students' sighs and complaints about the exams, the atmosphere in the performing arts department office was quite festive.

Wang Jinsong held the covered bowl, gently blowing away the tea leaves floating on the surface of the water, enjoying the envy of everyone around him.

"Old Wang, you've taught well."

"Ifi, aren't you going to consider people from other levels?"

"Hey, Yifei is in the class of 02, so she's bound to be more familiar with people in her class, which makes sense." Wang Jinsong took a sip of his drink, making everyone in the office laugh, and he didn't forget to tease and complain.

That's good enough.

"Look how smug you are."

When Xue Xiaolu occasionally met with them, she never forgot to mention the movie "Love is Not Blind," and it was no secret that the male lead had gone to someone from the Beijing Film Academy.
This is cause for great joy, at least for the Beijing Film Academy's acting department.

The films directed by their own directors no longer exclusively feature actors from the Central Academy of Drama; this trend became particularly pronounced after Wu Chen joined the company.
Meanwhile, news from across the ocean is being transmitted back via the internet.

While "1939" was still in its final post-production stages, the Oscar nominations were announced.

Anne Hathaway stood on the stage in a silver-grey dress, and the new college president, Tom Sherak, opened the envelope, reading out the clear English words one by one.

High-definition signals transcend time zones and are delivered to the scrolling news sections of major domestic portals.

[The 82nd Academy Awards nominations have been announced, with "The Martian" receiving six nominations, ranking third in terms of the number of nominations.] [Oscar nominations revealed: Cameron and his ex-wife are a no-brainer, while Wu Chen is nominated again for Best Picture.]

[Jiang Wen loses out on Oscar for Best Actor; "The Martian" receives six nominations, including four technical awards]

【.】

David Lyndon from Universal Pictures called immediately, his tone tinged with helplessness:
"Four technical awards—we did our best, but the competition for Best Director was too fierce, especially with Cameron's *Avatar* also in the sci-fi category."

This year, Universal's nominees for awards are all films from Fox, Weinstein, Paramount, Warner Bros., and Sony, except for "The Martian".

Judging from the results, Global Times did its best.
"clear."

Wu Chen nodded.

Of the six nominations, only one was for the grand prize, and the number of nominees for Best Picture had increased from five to ten. Looking at the other nine competing films, he couldn't help but shake his head.

"Disaster"

To break through, it must first fight its way through other sci-fi films like Avatar and District 9, and then it must fight to the death against films like Up in the Air, The Hurt Locker, and Inglourious Brigade.

This situation presents significant challenges, especially since the Oscars and Golden Globes have never shared the same aesthetic logic.
"These judges are blind."

Meanwhile, Jiang Wen was indignant about missing out on an Oscar nomination for Best Actor. He felt he had performed so well and deserved it.

Zhou Yun couldn't help but chuckle upon hearing this.

In fact, the media, industry insiders, and even the audience were not surprised that Jiang Wen did not receive an Oscar nomination for Best Actor.

Many actors breathed a sigh of relief; if they had received another nomination, where would they have put their faces?

Chen Kaige was also somewhat disappointed.

Mei Lanfang ultimately failed to win the coveted Best Foreign Language Film award.
This year's nominations have an inexplicable, strange flavor.

The nomination list does not exclude science fiction films, with "Avatar," "The Martian," and "District 9" all vying for the Best Picture category. However, no science fiction actors are among the four acting categories.

Shouldn't good films also have good actors?

That's at least by definition.

"A somewhat bizarre nomination year."

"Avatar, The Martian, District 9—the situation looks bad!"

"."

Even in mainland China, there's been a lot of discussion about the nominations, let alone in Hollywood itself.

The media and audiences are somewhat pessimistic about the chances of the science fiction film winning an award.

"The Oscar results will definitely be far different from the Golden Globes results."

"Cameron can't win against his ex-wife."

"The chances of all three sci-fi films being box office flops are not low."

While the world is embroiled in debate over the nominations, a different kind of tension is building within Starry Sky Visual Effects.

The lights in the editing room are on from morning till night, and "1939" has been played on the screen at least ten times.

Wu Chen, Park Song-il, and several core editors stared at the transitions between shots again and again, the cold light from the color grading console making their faces appear even more focused.

When the last frame froze, the long silence seemed to be suddenly released.

No one discovered any further editing flaws.

"Director Wu."

Wu Chen looked at everyone, a smile appearing on his face, and nodded heavily.

"That's it, let's do the custom cut."

(End of this chapter)