Chapter 77 Opening a Dungeon
After coming out of the guide building, Zhang Chen found an Internet cafe and wanted to check the shortlist announced for the Hundred Flowers Award.
Generally, the nominees for the Hundred Flowers Award are announced at the end of August, and the awards ceremony is held in mid-September.
But Zhang Chen happened to be filming in Hainan some time ago and didn't pay attention to these at all.
Soon he found out that "Dark Invasion" was shortlisted for the Hundred Flowers Award for Outstanding Feature Film.
Looking at the other lists, they are all familiar works and the actors have heard of them.
Unlike the Golden Rooster Awards, which are all literary and artistic films, many of which I have never even heard of.
While making inquiries at the same time, Zhang Chen also discovered something. Zhang Yimou became popular again.
This time it is not because of the movie, but because of the eight minutes of BJ at the Athens Olympics.
That was simply scolded by the entire Internet, and not a single person stood up to Lao Mouzi.
No wonder Lao Mouzi said in a later interview that he regretted two things the most: one was that Lin Miaoke should not have lip-synced the opening ceremony in 2008.
The other thing is that during the eight-minute BJ in the Athens Olympics, the 14 girls should not dress like that. It is too frivolous and can easily cause misunderstandings by foreigners.
The closing ceremony was in the early morning of the 30th, which was last night. Zhang Chen stayed up late to watch it. He vaguely remembered Xiaotong in the promotional video, and Tang Yan and Zhu Yawen's wife Shen Jiani were in the cheongsam performance.
But he couldn't find any at first, but later he specifically looked for the replay.
Guan Xiaotong was found and she was very cute, but neither Tang Yan nor Shen Jiani recognized her. In the end, Tang Yan recognized her through her legs.
To be honest, I felt that the eight minutes of BJ Olympics were quite satisfactory and nothing special.
Erhu, pipa, martial arts, drumming...
They are all traditional culture, but they are just wetted by water.
Maybe it was because the time was too short, only eight minutes in total, and the Athens Olympic Organizing Committee made it difficult for me to wear small shoes.
Zhang Yimou's idea is probably to use the limited time to display the most superficial Chinese culture, just to let foreigners understand.
The real big move is the 2008 Olympic Games opening ceremony, which will fully demonstrate our connotation and let foreigners feel what it means to be shocked from the East.
From the perspective of future generations, there are indeed many flaws in these eight minutes, but they are not to the point of being condemned by the entire Internet.
The main reason was that everyone’s expectations were too high at that time and they were eager to get out.
Actually, it is not possible that someone else could have done better than Lao Mouzi.
But at this stage, the criticism is definitely greater than the praise. It is putting it mildly that the director of the Billion Dollar Club has fallen from the altar.
Maliciously slandering Chinese culture...
This is the mainstream criticism.
Zhang Weiping stopped jumping at this time.
As expected, the greater the ability, the greater the responsibility, and the high place is too cold.
These have nothing to do with Zhang Chen, he began to arrange special effects production and post-production.
At this time, there were actually many specialized post-production companies in Beijing, and the fees were not high.
But Zhang Chen finally handed it over to a company under China Film Group Corporation, which is also at the digital film and television base in Huairou. Anyway, Zhang Chen has to travel here frequently recently, so it is easier to arrange them together.
In this version of "Shark Beach", Zhang Chen made some modifications, added a lot of shots, and explained some details to make the logic smoother.
For example, why the shark stares at the heroine.
Although the original version stated that the shark was attracted by the whale carcass, it did not explain at all why the shark continued to attack the heroine.
Zhang Chen added some small details here.
For example, she inserted the fishhook into the shark's mouth, which makes logical sense because the shark wanted revenge.
The production of special effects shots is a patient and meticulous job.
Zhang Chen communicates frequently with the special effects production staff. He will go to the special effects production center almost every two days to ensure that the effect he produces is what he wants.
The special effects production center also worked overtime to ensure quality and quantity, as Director Chen promised.
I have been in contact with programmers for a long time and have some understanding.
Programmers can really work overtime. It is common to work more than ten hours a day. Because they sit a lot, they generally have thicker lower limbs, big buttocks, thick legs, etc., but their hair is not. It's not as exaggerated as what is said online, and the hair volume is still there.
And some are quite humorous, such as Pang Bo...
In the blink of an eye, September came, school started, and Zhang Chen was ready to leave.
He is preparing to leave for Los Angeles to attend the 30th Saturn Awards ceremony.
The full name of the Saturn Awards is the American Film and Television Saturn Awards. It is an annual film and television award organized by the Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Film Academy. Different awards are awarded every year to the best science fiction, fantasy and horror films and TV series of the year.
This award was established in 1972 to reward and promote outstanding works in the science fiction and horror categories in the film and television fields of that year, as well as outstanding works with breakthrough and innovative significance.
"Dark Invasion" was shortlisted for two Saturn Awards for Best Horror Film and Best Director.
This is rare in the country.
Due to restrictions on subject matter, domestic filmmakers generally focus on the three major European film festivals or the Oscars.
At least it has to be a Category A film festival.
Cannes, Venice, Berlin, Tokyo, Locarno, San Bastian...
There are people participating in these film festivals and achieving results in China, but there is no Saturn Award. According to evidence It seems that the only Chinese-language film that has been shortlisted for the Saturn Award is Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon.
To put it bluntly, it’s because of the subject matter.
China is inherently lacking in competitiveness in the fields of science fiction, horror, and fantasy films.
In terms of scale and influence, the Saturn Awards are definitely not as good as the three major European awards and the Oscars, but in certain fields, such as science fiction films, horror films, and fantasy films, the Saturn Awards are the Oscars. Although it is just a B-category film festival.
This time Zhang Chen’s schedule is very tight. In mid-September, the Saturn Awards will open, and in late September, he will have to attend the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festival.
On the 11th, Zhang Chen and Lao Li boarded a flight to Los Angeles. The Saturn Awards were held in Burbank, Los Angeles.
The two chatted a lot along the way.
Richest man Li's film company is called Haixin Film and Television, and it can be described as a mess during this period.
"Dark Invasion" was a huge success, with the richest man Li accounting for 60%, and he really made a lot of money.
In addition, Zhang Chen later praised the coal bosses very much during Nortel's Q&A class, and indirectly helped them advertise, and many people came to them to invest.
Although Zhang Chen reminded them, the richest man Li decided to enter.
But it’s not that he has no brains at all. At least he still remembers what Zhang Chen said, and the subject he chose is either a horror movie or a comedy.
In fact, there weren't that many horror films on the market. Isn't this the success of "Dark Invasion"? A lot of them followed suit.
The two movies invested by Mr. Li are also following the trend, even the names are following the trend, "Dark Crisis" and "Darkness Invasion".
Damn it, if I just looked at the name, I would have thought this was an orthodox sequel.
In addition to horror films, he also invested in two comedy films, and then Zhang Chen’s predictions began to come true.
I ran out of money halfway through filming.
One part uses various methods to blackmail their money.
The other two films are still being filmed, but no one knows what the results will be.
Lao Li wanted to learn from Zhang Chen again, but Zhang Chen had nothing to teach him.
I have warned you all, but if you are still stubborn and insist on entering, then just wait and pay the tuition.
For laymen, even if I tell you the ropes, you still can’t guard against the endless black money methods. This is a process that must be experienced.
When I landed in Los Angeles, I was picked up by someone outside. It was Zhang Chen’s cousin Zhang Hongwei, who was studying in the United States.
Studying in the United States is normal. Who doesn’t have two rich relatives?
The two hugged.
“I didn’t expect that after not seeing you for a few months, you have become a great director, but when we met during the New Year, you were still just a Nortel student.”
Zhang Hongwei lamented the impermanence of fate. During the New Year family gathering, there was still no clue.
But then a hit movie was released, which not only made him, but also the whole family feel a little unreal.
"You two, I must tell you some common sense when you arrive in the United States, so as not to cause trouble."
After greetings, Zhang Hongwei started to talk about business. This is not a trivial matter. Life-threatening.
When the two of them heard Zhang Hongwei’s words, they immediately became serious, especially Lao Li, who was going abroad for the first time.
“First of all, you must be careful what you say here, especially when facing black people and ethnic minorities.
Maybe you liked to joke with each other and say anything when you were back home, but that's not the case here.
For example, in China, saying 'nigger' might just be a joke, but here it is not.
This is a serious insult and discrimination.
Not only nigger, but also nigger, nigga, negro, nigger and other words, all of which cannot be said.
Don’t think that it will be okay if you say it in the room or with your own people. Don’t say it. Don’t say it in any place. The consequences will be serious.
Because after hearing you say this, it is very likely that a black man will pull out a gun and shoot at you the next moment. "
Hearing what Zhang Hongwei said, Lao Li shuddered unconsciously.
"In addition, guns, gangs, and cults are all legal here, and JC is also related to domestic are different too. If you meet JC, do whatever he asks you to do, and don’t do anything he doesn’t tell you, otherwise you may die at the hands of JC. "
"Okay, that's about it. By the way, try not to talk about religion, race and other topics, and don't make casual comments. ”
Seeing that Lao Li was so frightened, Zhang Hongwei also shut up.
Zhang Chen comforted him: "It's not as exaggerated as he said, but it is indeed different. Different cultural differences lead to different perceptions. Many things that we think are normal in China are not normal here, especially what he said You must be careful about JC, otherwise if JC feels that you are a threat, he may kill you directly."
It was originally a comfort, but now Lao Li became even more worried.
After giving these instructions, Zhang Hongwei took everyone to the booked hotel.
Arrived at the hotel, settled down with Lao Li, Zhang Chen returned to his room, and then talked about his own affairs with his cousin.
“Have the headhunters found it for me?”
"We've found it. We already have a few candidates. If you're still free in the next two days, you can make an appointment."
"OK."
Before coming, he specifically asked His cousin helped him contact a headhunting company.
If you are in the entertainment industry, of course you have to open a copy.
American Entertainment or Korean Entertainment.
Zhang Chen initially chose Meiyu, which is the world’s largest market after all.
This is still an era when flowers bloom inside the wall and fragrance outside the wall. Zhang Chen is ready to walk on two legs. If he can achieve results outside the wall, his rise in the mainland will be faster.
(End of this chapter)