Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 595 The wind has turned against them; they have no choice.
The following morning in Los Angeles, a cold wind mingled with a light drizzle.

In the Beverly Hills villa district, a California media van was parked at the entrance, and the front-page headline was already running on the printing line.

Last night, the Producers Guild Awards (PGA) produced the biggest upset of this awards season.

"The King's Speech," which had gained almost nothing in the preliminary rounds, unexpectedly came from behind and won the most prestigious award, Best Producer of the Year.

This means that the myth of The Social Network, the biggest hit of the review season, has been shattered.

This outcome has also cast a shadow over the prospects of "Black Swan".

Both films belong to the avant-garde and sharp category in terms of artistic style, yet they have now been defeated by a most traditional film.

More importantly, the PGA adopted the same "preference voting system" as the Oscars for Best Picture;
Its winner often foreshadows who will be the "least hated" movie in the final competition, thus reaping a large number of "safe votes".

Historically, PGA results have often influenced the Directors Guild and Screen Actors Guild awards; history has provided ample examples of this.

Because these three unions happen to gather a large number of judges, once a problem arises here, it will be difficult to salvage the situation.
The North American media started celebrating last night.

They don't care which movie is better; they just need a dramatic story and plot twists.

These days, the headlines of entertainment sections in major mainstream media outlets such as The Hollywood Reporter and Variety are firmly occupied by related reports.

"The King's Speech pulls off a surprise PGA Tour win! The Oscar landscape shifts dramatically!"

"The Weinstein Miracle? — When a Traditional Film Triumphs Over Artistic Avant-garde Films like 'Black Swan' and 'The Social Network'"

"Did the producers' guild choose safety or abandon art?"

Media headlines flooded in, a crucial moment in the awards season suddenly changed, and all the companies behind the competing films held emergency meetings.

The battle for Oscars has completely fallen apart.

At Paramount headquarters, Rebecca Sarkin gathered all members of the public relations team early in the morning.

The recipients of these awards are directly related to at least tens of millions of dollars in future box office and copyright revenue.

"Can anyone tell me why this has happened at the PGA?" Rebecca Sarkin asked in the conference room, her voice laced with suppressed anger.

"What makes them think they're in the lead? Our polls and data show The Social Network is ahead, and we're right behind. It doesn't make sense!"

The people below remained silent.

After a long pause, the head of the public relations department spoke up:

“We reviewed the whole process. Weinstein’s strategy changed.”

Instead of focusing his efforts on the film critics' associations in Los Angeles and New York, he concentrated all his resources on a few key union awards.

The PGA's judging panel is very complex and more easily influenced by 'emotional appeals' and 'favoritism'.

He successfully packaged *The King's Speech* as a classic Hollywood story of overcoming adversity and inspiring people, which was exactly what those old guys loved.

After listening to this, the group of people were at a loss for what to do.

Meanwhile, in the conference room of Sony Classics, the atmosphere was even more heated.

"A bunch of old bastards! Do they even know what movies are? Are they still living in the last century?!"

"That fat bastard Harvey! That's all he does! Using a mediocre British period drama to blackmail the judges!"

"Where did all our money go? Why couldn't anyone have given us a heads-up?!"

Meanwhile, it was nighttime in China.

News of the events in North America had already spread far and wide. The once smooth-sailing awards season had suddenly taken a dramatic turn, and some film critics had already started making noise online, with various predictions taking a complete 180-degree turn.

Film critic Bi Chenggong even posted on Weibo:

"The PGA's results are shocking, but also understandable. They reveal a harsh reality: on the Oscar stage, artistic avant-garde artists often have to pay the price for their avant-garde spirit."

The Social Network's accurate capture of the pulse of the times and Black Swan's ultimate exploration of audiovisual language have certainly won the hearts of film critics.
However, it may lose to the more classical, safest, and least offensive "steady and reliable" style of "The King's Speech" in the eyes of a wider range of academic judges.

"A crisis has emerged; now it's up to the Golden Globe Awards and the major unions to decide." At this moment, Wu Chen also received a transoceanic call from Rebecca Sarkin.

Will it affect the Golden Globe Awards in a few days?

Wu Chen asked casually.

Now even the media's direction is changing, and it's hard to say that the Hollywood Foreign Press Association members are unaffected.

"It's hard to say," Rebecca said, her voice tinged with weariness and anxiety.

It just so happens that this year's PGA Awards came before the Golden Globe Awards, which is quite rare in previous years.

It's hard to predict whether the Golden Globe Awards will stick to their established choices.

“We have increased our public relations efforts for Black Swan,” Rebecca Sarkin added.

This film is making a lot of money so far because of its low cost. It might break 4 million now, or at least more than 3 million.

It's perfectly normal to spend a little more money.

Wu Chen could sense Rebecca's anxiety.

After carefully considering the current situation for a moment, he slowly spoke:
"The PGA results were indeed unexpected, but not the end of the world. In fact, they revealed Weinstein's true intentions."

He knew that in terms of artistry and timeliness, "The King's Speech" could not compete with "The Social Network" or "Black Swan".

Therefore, he chose the smartest path—he subtly shifted the core of the film's publicity from 'British royal history' to 'the struggle of an ordinary person.' This is a very clever psychological tactic.”

Rebecca Sarkin on the other end of the phone nodded slowly. She hadn't expected that Wu Chen could grasp the most crucial information so quickly.

"The struggle of an ordinary person" and "the struggle of royalty" are two different things.

She saw a breakthrough point for the counterattack.

"Besides, I think we're not the ones who are most anxious," Wu Chen chuckled.

"You mean The Social Network?" Rebecca's eyes lit up.

"Of course. They can't afford to lose. Theoretically, this is their core strength, and in this respect, we are all slightly inferior."

But having lost on their core base, if they cannot reverse the downward trend, they will most likely suffer a complete defeat.

Wu Chen continued his analysis, "Our situation is different from theirs. We still have Keira Knightley as our core supporter in the Best Actress category."

Moreover, Weinstein's next major target will undoubtedly be *The Social Network*.

After listening to Wu Chen's analysis, three strategies clearly emerged in Rebecca Sarkin's mind:

First, strengthen the "artistic avant-garde" label of "Black Swan", adjust the public relations strategy, and focus on the opponent's attempt to mislead with the concept of "struggle";
Second, solidify Keira Knightley's lead in the Best Actress category;

Third, we contacted The Social Network to seek a collaboration.

“By the way,” Wu Chen added, “when negotiating with The Social Network, we might as well ask them to help us make efforts with the Directors Guild and the Screen Actors Guild first.”

Because they had no other choice, only in this way could we maintain unity on the front lines and launch a counterattack against "The King's Speech."

Wu Chen smiled.

Since the other party has no other choice, the demands must be more stringent; otherwise, how can both sides be satisfied?

“I think that’s what they should do.”

Rebecca smiled too.

She hadn't expected him to refuse; at worst, they could just part ways and go their separate ways.
The biggest losers will definitely not be them.
Shortly after, Jason Blum called, sounding somewhat surprised, "Wu, do you understand the situation now? Everything has happened so fast, and the wind seems to be blowing against you."

"Yes, Paramount called, but it's alright now, we have a solution."

"what?"

Jason Blum was slightly taken aback.
(End of this chapter)