Huayu: Starting from joining the mainstream entertainment industry in 96

Chapter 586, Section 584: Barely Satisfactory

It cost a lot of money to get these Western media mouthpieces to promote the "China-US International Film Festival" and "Havoc in Heaven".

According to statistics from Shengying Group and its partners, it cost more than 30 million US dollars to successfully launch this "giant ship" to the world.

This huge sum of money has flowed to every corner of Los Angeles.

In terms of venue and basic operations, booking the Kodak Theatre and its ancillary facilities for a week, plus security, logistics, and personnel expenses, constitutes a basic and substantial expenditure.

In terms of global media relations, this expense can be described as a "lubricant" and a "megaphone".

Inviting journalists from hundreds of core media outlets around the world to Los Angeles, covering their airfare and hotel expenses, and providing them with generous reporting facilities is itself a huge expense.

More importantly, through professional public relations firms, under the guise of various "consulting fees" and "cooperation fees," they established in-depth relationships with mainstream Western entertainment media and authoritative film critics such as The Hollywood Reporter, Variety, the Los Angeles Times, and even CNN, ensuring that the film festival received continuous, positive, and in-depth coverage.

The key role of this money is to motivate these "mouthpieces" to speak out, to recognize the prestige of SAIFF and the quality of the shortlisted films, and especially to promote key films like "Havoc in Heaven".

Without the recognition and endorsement of the Western world, the "international" label of the film festival and the "Golden Angel Award" would be significantly less prestigious.

Regarding the remuneration of the jury and guests, although Richard Walter, Mark Johnson, Charles Teson and others came out of respect for the art of film and interest in collaborating with the new platform, the symbolically high "jury fee" and top-notch hospitality were an indispensable part of maintaining their professionalism and goodwill.

Inviting Billy Crystal to host the event, as well as numerous Hollywood stars to walk the red carpet or serve as award presenters, also requires substantial appearance fees or personal connections.

In terms of publicity and advertising, ads were placed in landmark locations in key cities such as Los Angeles and New York, targeted promotions were made on major online platforms, and exquisite promotional videos were produced and broadcast on global channels. All these visible and invisible publicity networks were burning through the budget at an alarming rate.

But this money must be spent, and it must be spent cleverly.

This is not simply "spending money to buy publicity," but a sophisticated strategic investment.

The goal is to establish an inherent high-end image and international credibility for SAIFF in the shortest possible time, breaking down the barriers to discourse power in international film festivals that have long been dominated by the West.

These 30 million dollars bought time, an admission ticket, and a place in the future rule-makers' seats.

The market quickly responded.

With the successful opening of the film festival, the global premiere of "Havoc in Heaven" received a standing ovation, and it was widely reported by mainstream Western media. The stock price of Shengying Group, which had previously fluctuated slightly due to the controversy caused by Wang Sheng's published industry paper, not only stopped falling but also rose strongly all the way up.

Investors have seen that Shengying Media not only has unshakeable advantages in domestic channels and content, but also possesses strong capabilities in international resource integration and cultural export.

A private media group that can successfully host a high-profile international film festival directly in the heart of Hollywood undoubtedly has greatly enhanced future potential and risk resistance.

The confidence in the capital market reflects the true value of this strategic investment more accurately than any praise.

In the following days, Wang Sheng, as the chairman of the organizing committee, became the busiest "hub" of the film festival.

Moving between various forums, listening to discussions on topics such as "the future of film technology and art" and "global distribution of independent films," and occasionally being invited to give a brief speech, I always managed to attract a full audience with my insightful views.

He hosted a high-profile reception, engaging in friendly conversations with senior executives of the MPAA (Motion Picture Association of America), representatives from partners such as Disney and New Line Cinema, California government officials, and heads of film institutions from various countries, consolidating existing partnerships and exploring new possibilities for collaboration.

Wang Sheng also took the time to have informal meetings with the core members of the judging panel, led by Richard Walter, but strictly adhered to the boundaries, never asking questions or interfering with any part of the award selection process, and fully respecting the independence of the judging panel.

……

Time flew by amidst the packed schedule, and before we knew it, the film festival reached its climax—the closing ceremony and awards ceremony.

Los Angeles time, November 19, 2004, 6 p.m.

Beijing time, November 20, 2004, 10:11 AM.

Television signals from multiple regions around the world are once again focused on the Kodak Theatre in Los Angeles.

In China, CCTV-6 Movie Channel broadcast the entire event live again, with hosts and guests providing simultaneous commentary and analysis in the studio.

In the United States, in addition to entertainment channels like E! providing full live coverage, mainstream news outlets such as CNN also gave prominent coverage and interspersed key awards segments in their entertainment news sections. In Japan, WOWOW, a pay-TV channel that frequently broadcasts international film festival events, purchased the live broadcast rights.

In South Korea, KBS 2TV (Korea Broadcasting Corporation's second channel) broadcast the awards ceremony live. Given Wang Sheng and Shengying Media's close cooperation with the South Korean film industry in recent years, the South Korean media and audiences paid close attention to it.

In other regions, Chinese-language channels or entertainment channels in Hong Kong, Taiwan, and some Southeast Asian countries also broadcast the awards ceremony live or at a later time by purchasing signals or cooperating with reporting.

European media outlets such as the BBC and ARTE dispatched reporting teams and provided live text and photo coverage and follow-up reports on their websites.

The red carpet ceremony was still star-studded, but the atmosphere was more tense and expectant compared to the opening ceremony.

Wang Sheng once again appeared with Fan Xiaopang, both choosing elegant and sophisticated formal attire.

The closing ceremony and awards ceremony officially began at 7 p.m. sharp.

The opening performance featured a song and dance show presented by Chinese and American artists, blending Eastern rhythms with Western modernity, with the theme "Light and Shadow Connect the World".

Then the host opened the show, and Billy Crystal took the stage again, humorously reminiscing about the highlights of the past few days of the film festival, and introducing the highlight of the evening—the presentation of the "Golden Angel Award".

Following the speeches by the organizers and officials, Wang Sheng, Chairman of the SAIFF Organizing Committee, delivered the opening address.

He once again thanked all the participants, emphasized that the film festival's core concept of "dialogue, exploration, and future" had been initially realized, and expressed his congratulations to all the nominees and the soon-to-be winners, as well as his best wishes for the future of the film festival.

Next, the Mayor of Los Angeles took the stage to congratulate the film festival on its success and affirmed SAIFF's contribution to the cultural life of Los Angeles and its importance as a bridge for cultural exchange between China and the United States.

The president of the California Film Commission then delivered a speech, welcoming SAIFF to California and emphasizing California's support and openness to global film production.

Finally, Dan Glickman, President and CEO of the Motion Picture Association of America (MPAA), delivered a speech as a distinguished guest.

On behalf of major Hollywood studios, he expressed his appreciation for the establishment of SAIFF, seeing it as a positive sign of the diversified development of the global film industry, and looked forward to deeper cooperation with China.

The awards ceremony was interspersed with artistic performances, and the winners of each award were announced in turn.

The award presenters were a star-studded lineup, including jury members Mark Johnson, Joan Chen, and Zhang Yimou, as well as renowned directors Clint Eastwood and Alexander Payne, and celebrities such as Matt Damon, Kate Beckinsale, and Jamie Foxx.

Technical awards were presented for Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Art Direction, Best Sound Effects, and Best Visual Effects.

Following this, awards were presented for Best Supporting Actor/Actress, Best Actor, Best Actress, and other performance categories.

Then comes the Best Director award.

Finally, and most importantly, the Best Picture award, the "Golden Angel Award".

Before the Best Picture award was presented, jury president Richard Walter took the stage to speak on behalf of all the jury members.

He thanked the organizing committee for the invitation, briefly explained the working principles of the jury, and highly praised the overall level of the shortlisted films, emphasizing the difficulty and fairness of the selection process.

After the Best Film was announced, Zhang Hanyun, who had connections to the film festival, sang the festival's theme song, "Dream It Possible." All the winners and jury members went on stage, and the first China-US International Film Festival came to a successful close amidst music and applause.

Although Wang Sheng was the chairman of the organizing committee and "Havoc in Heaven" received high praise, the final award was decided independently by the jury led by Richard Walter.

In the fierce competition, "Havoc in Heaven" won the "Best Visual Effects Award" and the "Best Art Direction Award" with its unparalleled visual spectacle, successful modern interpretation of Eastern mythology, and groundbreaking technological achievements.

The most prestigious award, the Golden Angel Award for Best Picture, was won by Clint Eastwood's "Million Dollar Baby," which received the highest number of votes from the jury for its profound humanistic concern and superb storytelling.

Alexander Payne's "Sideways" won the Jury Prize.

This result is not satisfactory.

(End of this chapter)