The Fleeting Years of Chinese Entertainment

This wasn't the first time Zhu Yawen had been scolded by Lin Mo. After all, the crew was full of "big shots" who were people that he and Lin Mo couldn't afford to offend. They could only use him as a scapegoat to show those big shots.

However, it is true that his acting skills are the worst... of course, only in comparison.

So Zhu Yawen could only curse herself inwardly, thinking she deserved it.

"I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, it's just that Teacher Wang acted so well, I accidentally..."

Lin Mo knew that Zhu Yawen had already tried her best, and there was no point in saying more.

Fortunately, after a period of adjustment, the filming process went more and more smoothly.

Zhu Yawen wasn't as unreliable as she was in the early stages, and her acting talent gradually became apparent.

As for Jiang Wenli and Chen Hong, Lin Mo didn't even need to say anything. They didn't mind that Lin Mo's filming techniques were still immature, which was already a huge relief for him. Besides, their acting was fine; at least Lin Mo couldn't find any fault with it.

Lin Mo's filming didn't involve any sudden inspirations; he simply followed the established procedures, so the probability of making mistakes was quite low. In addition, he had some memories of watching movies from his previous life, so he didn't do much unnecessary work during the filming process.

This made several of the crew members who had connections to Lin Mo look at him with new respect.

"Cut! Passed."

"I hereby announce that filming for 'Parasite' has successfully wrapped!"

The crew members applauded in a very respectful manner, after all, they had indeed had a very fulfilling two months, and Lin Mo had done a pretty good job as director.

"Director Kobayashi, I hope we can work together again sometime."

"Director Kobayashi, you did a great job! You're already on par with most directors in China."

"Director Lin, thank you so much for choosing me to play this role. I am truly grateful to you."

……

After filming is completed, the next step is naturally editing and post-production.

Needless to say, as a student of Beijing Film Academy, it would be foolish not to use the resources available to me.

The school was very generous and didn't charge Lin Mo a penny. A group of senior students who were helping him also patted their chests and said that they would definitely get it done within a month.

Seeing their enthusiastic expressions, Lin Mo knew they would definitely work overtime, after all, everyone has a lot of passion when they are young.

Regarding censorship and screening permits, Lin Mo had the least to worry about at this time, since China Film Group, the leading state-owned film and television enterprise in China, was backing him up, so Lin Mo was very at ease.

However, with a film budget between 30 and 40 million, Lin Mo didn't have much money left of the 37 million he had prepared.

It could be said that he was now back to being penniless, but this time Lin Mo didn't plan to tell his family. It wasn't his style to worry his parents for no reason.

The main reason is that Lin Mo was afraid of being beaten by his parents, since they had just told him to keep some reserve funds. By switching sides, he was like a gambler betting all his savings.

So... we should tell Mr. and Mrs. Lin at home, at least until he comes back from his trip to the three major European film markets.

It's already September, and the Oscars, Berlin, and Cannes next year aren't far off.

By the time the film's post-production is finished, it will be at least October. The Oscars and Berlin Film Festival usually start around February, while Cannes is a little later, around May.

Lin Mo, who has some memories of his past life, naturally chose the safest approach, only applying to the Oscars and Cannes, while temporarily not considering Berlin and Venice.

Most importantly, aside from the Oscars, Lin Mo can only run for one of the three major European awards.

Moreover, although the Oscars need public relations, the current situation is obviously not as problematic as it would be in later years. After all, the mainstream of major international awards is still the three major European awards, and the Oscars have not yet surpassed them.

Therefore, the public relations budget won't be too large, but ten million RMB should still be needed, which is just over one million USD. It doesn't seem like much, but Lin Mo thinks it should be enough for this day and age.

Even if it wasn't enough, Lin Mo didn't have the ability to raise more money. Raising another ten million would already be a loss of face for Lin Mo, as he was prepared to ask his two teachers to go with him to curry favor. Any more... Lin Mo would rather give up!

Films nominated for the Oscars also need to be screened a week in advance in designated cities in North America, a condition that naturally requires "support" from China Film Group.

However, if Lin Mo wants to compete for both the Oscars and Cannes at the same time, then his film cannot be released in other regions for the time being. After all, the requirements of the three major European cinemas are quite strict. It can be released in China, but not abroad.

Therefore, the only award target for next year is Cannes, and the Oscars will have to wait until the year after.

However, the Oscars have relatively lenient requirements. Once he wins the Cannes Film Festival, he can have his film released in all regions, including the preview screenings in North America. He can follow the same path as Ann Lee's "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon," winning the three major European Film Awards and then releasing his film in the fall.

However, in order to achieve the goal of "remaining silent until the moment of truth," Lin Mo said he was willing to wait for the next dozen or so months.

So...

During the film's post-production, Lin Mo, who had been officially assigned to the directing department of the Beijing Film Academy, started causing trouble again.

The state-owned enterprises that invested in Lin Mo's film were also somewhat bewildered by Lin Mo's sudden and impulsive behavior.

Especially China Film Group, which had the largest investment, originally thought that after the three major European elections were over next year, they could sit down and share the spoils. Unexpectedly, it will be delayed for several months, and they will even have to gamble the profits from selling the films on the box office profits of the release. After that, how much money can Lin Mo's film copyrights sell for?

If the film wins a lot of awards, everything will be great, and profits can be maximized. But what if Lin Mo fails? Whether the cost of releasing the film globally can be recovered becomes a problem.

Although they had already invested the initial 30 million, they also hoped that Lin Mo's idea would come true and that the film's reputation would rise to a higher level, so that they could make more profits. However, this would greatly increase the risks involved.

If it weren't for Xie Xiaojing and Wang Jinsong's desperate efforts to vouch for him, China Film Group would have considered having Lin Mo kicked out.

"Xiao Lin, don't do that next time. If you have any ideas, say them in advance. Don't wait until the movie is finished before you speak up, making it sound like you're threatening someone."

"I'm sorry, teacher. This is my first time doing this, so I'm a bit inexperienced and slow to realize things. I need to do some patching up."

Xie Xiaojing looked at Lin Mo, who seemed a little embarrassed, and he was also a bit at a loss.