American fame and fortune

By the time Martin returned from a promotional tour overseas, the 87th Oscar Nomination Luncheon was over.

The list is a bit unexpected, Christopher Nolan was not nominated for Best Director!

In contrast, Martin, who was closer to the academy despite not exerting much effort, easily received a Best Actor nomination.

In addition, "Interstellar" did not receive a best picture nomination.

The polarized reputation, coupled with Nolan's successful resume as a director of superhero movies, have seriously affected "Interstellar"'s award winnings.

Nolan's ambition was to challenge for the Oscar for Best Director, but he was poured a bucket of ice water on his head by the Academy.

In addition to Martin's nomination for Best Actor, "Interstellar" also received nominations for a bunch of technical awards such as Best Art Direction, Best Score, and Best Visual Effects.

"I didn't expect such a result."

In the office of Davis Studio, Nolan picked up the tea cup, drank the black tea, and said to Martin: "I thought I would at least get nominations for Best Director and Best Picture."

Martin told the truth: "I thought that was the case. I haven't paid much attention to Oscar PR recently."

Nolan put down the tea cup and said, "I didn't care much about Oscar before. When I did, I found that Oscar didn't care about me either."

He didn’t have much experience in Oscars, so he humbly asked Martin for advice: “Are there anything special that we should pay attention to when preparing for the Oscars?”

Martin did not answer immediately. Instead, he thought carefully for a while and said: "First of all, don't rush. There are indeed some lucky people who won the Oscar very quickly, but it is best to ignore such a small probability event."

Nolan knew that this situation was no longer suitable for him: "Hollywood business director is my biggest brand."

"But this kind of sign can easily lead to Oscar prejudice." Before the Oscar nominations were announced, Martin would not have said these words even if he had a good relationship with Nolan. Now the situation is different: "For example, Spielberg used ten Needless to say, George Lucas, who won his first Best Director award just a few years ago, has quit the Directors Guild and is unlikely to win another Oscar.”

There are many such examples without Martin having to mention them all, but Nolan can think of a lot of them.

Martin said: "My personal suggestion, Chris, is not to care about which class you are competing for. It's best to formulate a long-term plan and let the film take into account the situation at the time before deciding whether to really make an effort. Those at the core of the academy do not like people. Ignoring the Oscars and not happy to see people focusing on winning awards is a very sensitive group.”

Nolan thought of Leonardo and Martin Scorsese a few years ago. The "Aviator" produced by these two people was criticized by countless people.

He said: "We must pay attention to the Oscars, and we cannot compete for awards just for the sake of winning awards."

Martin said seriously: "This attitude is very important."

Nolan asked again: "Is there anything special about competing for the Olympics?"

Martin thought for a while. After all, he had collaborated with Nolan many times and the relationship between the two parties was very harmonious. He simply said: "Whether you win or not depends not only on yourself, but also on the competitors of that year."

"Competitors." Nolan repeated. As a director who is good at marketing, he quickly understood the essence: "I know what to do."

"Chris, you better come up with a ten-year plan," Martin said.

Nolan responded: "I will."

Martin has said everything he can. How to do it depends on Nolan himself.

As we all know, there is a chain of discrimination at the Oscars, and Nolan’s discrimination level is only one level worse than Leonardo.

According to Martin's understanding, Nolan's chances of winning will be greatly increased only if he makes movies that are not so Nolan-style.

There is another point that Martin did not tell Nolan, but the two of them knew very well that Nolan did not have a good relationship with the Jewish forces in Hollywood.

During the filming of "Inception", a kidnapping case occurred in Morocco, which caused tension between the two parties. Nolan once had a very strong opinion against Jews and even switched jobs from CAA to WMA.

Martin also doesn’t know if the fact that “Interstellar” didn’t receive nominations for Best Director and Best Picture has anything to do with this.

The two chatted for nearly three hours before Nolan said goodbye and left.

Martin also thought about the Oscars. He had won the previous Best Actor statuette for "The Martian". It is impossible for him to win another Oscar this time with the same type of "Interstellar".

A character with a mental illness like "Split" is very much in line with the academy's appetite.

On the contrary, "Joker" will be a bit troublesome. After all, it is a superhero movie, and he also won a Best Supporting Actor for this role.

For this film, some special preparations are required, preparations that should be noticed by the whole society, especially the academy.

Martin thought of "The Dark Knight" back then, and many of the operations he and Nolan had at that time can still be used.

He needed someone to accompany him and someone to follow and take photos. Martin immediately found a suitable candidate, called Nicholson and Lorraine respectively, and asked Leonardo again.

All three said it was fine and that they could take action after this Oscars.

The North American awards season is gradually coming to an end. Martin has been nominated for Best Actor in various awards, but has won very few awards.

In particular, the most popular Screen Actors Guild Award, Best Actor was taken away by British actor Eddie Redmayne who played Hawking.

In this way, the outcome of this year's best actor is basically certain.

Although it is certain that he will not receive anything at the awards ceremony, Martin still actively participates in various Oscar activities to express his yearning and recognition for the Oscar.

This is an attitude.

Tom Hanks, vice chairman of the college's executive committee, called and visited.

Along with him was Hamilton, the producer and director of the 87th Academy Awards.

Martin prepares to receive them in the studio.

…………

The car in which Tom Hanks and Hamilton were riding left South Boway Street, and Tom Hanks hung up the phone with Martin.

After he finished playing, Hamilton said: "Think about it, more than ten years ago, when I served as the director of the Oscars for the first time. How could I take the initiative to invite people like I do now? At that time, all the big names in Hollywood were going to the Oscars. Proud of it.”

Tom Hanks feels it very clearly: "Times have changed. There are more and more entertainment methods, and the platforms for stars to use for self-promotion are also increasing. The appeal of the Oscars has been declining."

Hamilton said: "Martin Davis is the first to present the Best Picture award, so I hope there will be some eye-catching effect."

"Yeah, I hope his appeal can continue to the Oscars." There are some things that Tom Hanks would not say to the director Hamilton.

For example, in the past two years, Martin has not really put much effort into public relations during the awards season. As a result, the competition during the award season promotion period is not fierce enough, and thus there is a lack of highlights. Even though the Academy hinted last year that the bottom line of the rules will be relaxed, the crews who have invested heavily are still relatively few.

Tom Hanks understands what the problem is. After the collapse of Harvey Weinstein, the finances of Weinstein Pictures were exposed. In the past, everyone inside and outside the industry thought that he had won so many Oscars and had many films that shrouded the Oscars. The company It's definitely profitable.

Information released by the results shows that, except for a few Oscar-winning films, the profits of other Oscar-winning films are not high. The Weinstein Films has an alarmingly high debt due to various reasons, including high investment in winning awards.

Even if Harvey Weinstein is not finished, the Weinstein Films debt crisis will erupt in a few years.

Film companies compete for the Oscars for commercial gains, and Oscar revenue is lower than expected, so the investment of film crews competing for the Olympics will naturally be reduced.

If the investment is low, the movement will naturally be small.

"I miss Harvey Weinstein a little bit." Hamilton suddenly said: "Although Harvey is a complete bastard, when he is here, the awards season will become lively from November, and every Oscar will be full of controversy. , attracting national attention.”

Tom Hanks said: "There will be another Harvey."

People like Harvey are also missed within the academy.

But in the final analysis, it is still a matter of funds.

The car stopped at the door of Davis's studio. The two entered the studio. Martin was waiting in the front hall and led them directly to the VIP reception room.

After the two parties shook hands and exchanged a few words, Tom Hanks said directly: "Martin, the main reason why I came to see you this time is about the Oscars ceremony."

Martin smiled and said: "Kathleen Kennedy said hello to me yesterday."

Compared to Hanks, he has collaborated with Kathleen Kennedy several times, and the relationship between the two parties is also good.

Hamilton took over and said, "We plan to invite you to be the presenter for Best Picture."

Martin thought carefully about the list of nominees for this year's Oscars, and confirmed that there was no such thing as "Moonlight", and responded: "It's my honor."

Tom Hanks said: "The Academy has always paid attention to your support for the Oscars. Among young actors born in the 1980s in Hollywood, no one is more suitable to present this award than you."

Since Martin agreed, he simply said: "Send me a schedule back. When the rehearsal time is confirmed, let me know so I can adjust the schedule."

Hamilton stood up and said: "Our plan is finalized and we will send you an email immediately."

Martin shook hands with him: "Okay."

Hamilton said goodbye and left the reception room first, but Tom Hanks did not leave.

Martin was a little curious. He had an average friendship with Hanks and didn't have much contact with him.

Tom Hanks showed his iconic honest smile: "On behalf of Tom and Catherine, I invite you and your female companion to attend an informal banquet at the college tomorrow night."

Martin accepted the invitation.

Tom Hanks left the reception room and left with Hamilton.

The next afternoon, Martin got off work early, went home and changed his clothes, and then took Elizabeth Olson to a business club near the college to attend the college's informal dinner.

The academy has invited many people, including top directors such as Spielberg and James Cameron, and superstars such as Leonardo and Tom Cruise.

If you are not a big shot in a Hollywood industry association, you have no right to appear here.

Elizabeth stayed with Martin, assisted him in socializing gracefully, and handled various relationships in an orderly manner.

There are people or things that Martin can't remember, and Elizabeth can always remind him immediately.

In the middle of the dinner, Kathleen Kennedy suddenly came to Martin and said that she and Tom Sherak wanted to chat with him.

Martin led Elizabeth into the lounge at the side of the banquet hall.

Tom Sherak and Hanks came up to shake hands.

Martin said a few polite words, sat on the sofa chair, and looked at the three people in the lounge curiously.

Tom Sherak is chairman of the academy's executive committee, and Kathleen Kennedy and Tom Hanks are vice-chairmen.

The three of them came to talk to him together, and Martin was also very curious.

Tom Sherak smiled and said, "That's right. The Oscars have been reforming in recent years. There have been achievements but also difficulties. The executive committee has been soliciting opinions from members."

He knew that Martin knew about the current situation of the Oscars, and he said it very directly: "Martin, what is the specific situation? I believe you also know that you have always found a way to promote and market it. What do you think of the current situation of the Oscars?"

Martin fell into a brief silence and glanced across the faces of the three academy presidents.

Since they took office, they have taken various measures to arrest the decline in Oscar's influence. The results have indeed been achieved, but it is too difficult to reverse it.

Martin has no choice. This is a problem of the times.

To put it bluntly, there are so many entertainment options for people to choose from, so why choose an Oscar that is not to your liking?

After a while, Martin said: "The early publicity and impact of this Oscar are not as good as last year."

Tom Hanks added: "There are fewer film crews willing to invest heavily during the promotion period. In the past two years, various Hollywood companies have been cutting their budgets for the Olympics."

Kathleen Kennedy, who is most familiar with Martin, said: "In the current business environment of the film industry, without enough investment, there will not be enough influence."

Martin nodded: "If you think about it this way, it is still a matter of funding after all."

Tom Sherak acknowledged this: "Funding cannot solve all of Oscar's problems, but it can solve some of the difficulties."

The Academy's main income comes from Oscars and membership dues. The latter is actually not much, because many members are eligible for lifetime membership exemptions.

Oscar revenue is closely tied to influence.

Martin thought for a moment and said: "Tommy just mentioned that the lack of influence of the Oscars is related to the lack of investment by the crew during the promotion period. The three of you know the overall situation of the industry better than I do. In today's economic environment, if you want Hollywood companies to increase this The investment is unrealistic.”

"Disney has been cutting back on the awards budget," said Kathleen Kennedy, who has been the CEO of Lucasfilm since Walt Disney acquired the company.

Tom Hanks said: "Hollywood has been greatly affected by the economic downturn."

Hearing these words, Martin's thoughts became clearer: "We have always attracted international capital in the production and budget of film projects. Overseas funds are already a very important source of investment for Hollywood. Can we also go in this direction when competing for the Olympics? effort?"

Martin remembers clearly that in order to win an Oscar, a certain Korean film set an unprecedented expense for a single film during the North American awards season - more than 30 million US dollars!