Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 601 An Unexpected Joy, the Settling of Time (Two chapters today, one break, I'm too tired.)

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills.

Harvey Weinstein stared at the media offensive launched by Paramount and Sony Classics on his computer screen, his face so dark it looked like it could be wrung out.

His former confident and affable smile, which he used to wear with ease in the world of fame and fortune, has vanished, replaced by a volatile temper that has been provoked.

"damn it"

His most prized public relations strategy—packaging "The King's Speech" as a story of ordinary people's struggle—is now being ruthlessly deconstructed and attacked.

Paramount, on the other hand, did indeed grasp the most fatal core point.
Class empathy.

This argument quickly gained traction online, generating a massive and resounding response.

"Oh my God! What does the 'struggle' of a future king have to do with an ordinary person like me? I actually shed tears for him, what a complete fool I am!"

"Others are already born in Rome, while I'm still worrying about next month's rent. I'm ashamed of my previous sentimentality!"

"That's right! I hope to see more modern stories that are closer to our lives, rather than a royal fairy tale from a hundred years ago!"

"."

Although the people making these voices are not Oscar judges, the judges live in this public opinion arena and are inevitably influenced by these voices.

Weinstein knew that a visible crack had appeared in the emotional barrier he had carefully constructed.

In Beijing, Wu Chen would sometimes check the news about the battles in Hollywood during his spare time.

Although the strategy of joining forces has shown initial success and the situation looks very promising, he is also clear that Weinstein is by no means a paper tiger.

The other side's counterattack has begun.

"The artistic skill of 'Black Swan' is undeniable, but it's a film for the elite and film critics; there's a wall separating it from ordinary viewers."

"The core story of The Social Network is built on betrayal and immorality."

Weinstein's strategy was simple and effective.
Drag your opponent into the mire and see who has fewer stains on their record.

"Who can win?" Liu Yifei, wearing a pink cartoon nightgown, curled up on Wu Chen's shoulder like a cat and asked curiously.

"do not know"

Wu Chen had no idea what would happen after he stepped in.

If things had followed the original trajectory, The Social Network should have been utterly defeated and routed by The King's Speech by now.

They really thanked me.

Wu Chen chuckled inwardly, then suddenly remembered something and looked at Liu Yifei.

Didn't your class have a reunion during the Chinese New Year?

"Yes, it's the day after tomorrow! What about you guys?"

"There's one in the dorm, the day after tomorrow. By the way, do you want to come with me?"

After Wu Chen's suggestion, Liu Yifei was somewhat tempted, but then she shook her head and said, "Never mind, I won't go to your dorm party."

However, the Oscar nominations are coming out the day after tomorrow, so I wonder if "1939" has a chance.

Wu Chen was also a little curious about the result, although he knew the possibility was quite low.

With the Spring Festival approaching, the domestic film and television industry has also entered a short period of rest.

The Spring Festival film season has not yet become popular, and cinemas in third- and fourth-tier cities are still in the process of opening up.
The two blockbuster films of the Lunar New Year season, "Let the Bullets Fly" and "If You Are the One 2", have been completely taken off the screens. "Let the Bullets Fly" ultimately won the box office with 670 million yuan, but unfortunately it still failed to cross the 700 million yuan mark.

Industry insiders also sighed.

"What a pity, Director Wu's 700 million is still ahead of us, and ahead of that is Avatar's 1.3 billion."

"I reckon this record will have to wait until this year's *Interstellar*."

"."

On the other side, Zhang Weiping felt very uncomfortable looking at these comments.

Once upon a time, how could discussions about the box office charts be complete without mentioning the films he produced?

He was holding back a lot of determination, and when interviewed by the media, he couldn't help but repeat his old tune once again: "Our domestic box office target for 'The Flowers of War' this year is one billion yuan!"

Amidst the commotion, photos of the 02 class reunion of the Beijing Film Academy's Acting Department were prominently featured on the front pages of major entertainment news outlets that very day.

It has to be said that some people are born to be the center of attention.

Even though Liu Yifei wasn't in the center of the group photo, Wu Chen still spotted her immediately when he looked through the photos.

"I told you your jewelry was a waste of time. To be honest, I didn't even notice it," Wu Chen said, looking at the photo.

Hearing this, Liu Yifei was overjoyed and leaned over, leaving a warm lipstick mark on Wu Chen's face.

"This is a reward for you. You're quite the smooth talker."

“I’m serious,” Wu Chen touched the lipstick mark on his face, “If a high-end jewelry brand asks you to be their spokesperson, you should remind them so that their millions of dollars in endorsement fees don’t go down the drain.”

"Hehehe! Ugh, that's such an exaggeration!"

Liu Yifei immediately smiled, her eyes crinkling.

And so, in a relaxed and pleasant atmosphere, the time came to January 25th.

The next morning, the winter wind was still biting, but the media circle in mainland China was unusually lively that day.

The entertainment sections of major portal websites have a surprisingly uniform format.

The nominations for the 83rd Academy Awards have been announced, with "Black Swan" receiving eight nominations, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography.

[A three-way competition has emerged, with "The King's Speech" leading the pack with 12 nominations, while "Black Swan" and "The Social Network" each have 8 nominations!]

[Golden Bear winner *1939* and Palme d'Or winner *Uncle Wenmi Who Can Recall His Past Lives* both lost out on Best Foreign Language Film!] [A pleasant surprise! *1939* received nominations for three technical awards: Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, and Best Sound Editing!]

【.】

This year's Oscar nominations contain a significant amount of information for mainland China.

The nomination of "Black Swan" was expected, given its fierce competition during Hollywood's awards season.

What's truly surprising is "1939".

Although, as many expected, it lost out on Best Foreign Language Film due to its subject matter, it garnered three very significant technical nominations, especially...
Best photography.

This news sent the entire Beijing Film Academy's photography department into a frenzy of excitement.

Internationally, awards specifically for photographers are extremely rare.

The three major international film festivals do not usually have regular photography awards.

The Beijing Film Academy's Cinematography Department has an Oscar for Best Cinematography, but that award was ultimately won for "Get Out," a foreign language film.

The significance and weight of being nominated for a purely domestic film are incomparable to that of a purely domestic film.

"Hahaha! I knew it! If '1939' wasn't nominated for Best Cinematography, then there would really be a problem! In terms of cinematography, no film worldwide that year could surpass it!"

Mu Deyuan was excitedly on the phone with a professor from the photography department, boasting and spitting as he spoke.

If it weren't for the fact that it's winter break, his office would probably be packed with colleagues by now.

“Yes, yes, yes, Song Ri definitely deserves credit, but you definitely didn’t. What did you teach? Showing off!” Mu Deyuan was clearly very dissatisfied with Park Song Ri’s mentor on the phone, and the two were already arguing.

"What do you mean by showing off? How can I not have contributed? I definitely have! The theory of one-shot filming, although I'm not very good at it in practice, I'm very familiar with the theory! I taught it to me!"

The other side was not to be outdone and immediately started arguing.

The film crew of "Love Story in Beijing" was spotted near the China World Trade Center.

Looking at the news on his phone, Zhang Yi sighed deeply: "Sigh, I was so close to winning Best Actor!"

Everyone laughed when they heard that.

"Zhang Yi, do you have any shame? You haven't even been nominated for a Golden Globe!"

However, after laughing, everyone couldn't help but gasp.

"Director Wu is really strong. He's a big favorite again this time. I just don't know if he'll win in the end."

"I heard Paramount is making a comeback in Hollywood. They should have a better chance this time, maybe they won't just get one like they did with the Golden Globes?"

"It's really awesome, but it's a pity that '1939' was probably rejected because of its patriotic theme."

"."

At that moment, Tong Liya seemingly casually nudged Chen Sicheng beside her with her elbow and whispered, "Did you send Director Wu a congratulatory message?"

These words were clearly directed at Chen Sicheng, who suddenly came to his senses: "Now that they mention it, I almost forgot!"

He had just taken out his phone when he saw Zhang Yi still bragging, and he didn't forget to remind his brother: "Zhang Yi, don't forget to send a congratulatory text message!"

"Oh, yes, yes!"

Zhang Yi also hurriedly took out his phone.

At this moment, Wu Chen was having dinner with his roommates.

Xiang Zhuo started to cheer, pointing at Park Song-il: "Damn, Song-il, what kind of divine fortune do you have! You've already received an Oscar nomination for Best Cinematography?"

You have to pay for this meal! And if you win the prize, you'll have to pay for a month's worth!

"Yes, yes, yes! I'll buy it!"

Park Song-il didn't refuse at all, his face flushed red, and he couldn't stop smiling.

His cheerful demeanor amused both Xiang Zhuo and Chu Tianshu.

"It seems Song Ri is genuinely happy. But it's worth it! There are only a few major awards that photographers can win, so every single one counts," Chu Tianshu said with a smile.

"Brother Chen, thank you. Thank you for leading our photography team."

Park Song-il raised his glass and looked at Wu Chen with sincere eyes, "Hehe, it seems that my dream of getting into the photography department back then is slowly coming true."

This sudden outpouring of genuine emotion surprised Wu Chen.

For a moment, even Xiang Zhuo and Chu Tianshu couldn't help but fall into memories.

From watching and discussing movies together in the dorm to witnessing or participating in Wu Chen's filming of one film after another, from "The Dark Side" to "Interstellar," it all seems like only a blink of an eye.

Wu Chen snapped out of his daze, smiled, and patted him on the shoulder:

"So now, are you still thinking about becoming a cinematographer on Chow Yun-fat's film set?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a burst of laughter erupted in the private room.

Everyone in the dormitory knew what Park Song-il's dream was back then.

Park Song-il shook his head, his eyes revealing a calmness and determination beyond his years.

"They say that the dreams of our youth are most precious when they come true. But now I have a new idea."

"Alright! If we really let you go on stage to accept the award, we won't let you off without saying a few nice things! Come on, cheers!" Wu Chen raised his glass with a smile.

"cheers!"

"cheers."

At that moment, the crisp sound of clinking glasses echoed in the private room.

The steam rising from the hot pot blurred the winter night outside the window.
Although the burning passion of youth has faded with the passage of time, it seems to resonate around us in another form.
(End of this chapter)