A widower's entertainment

Chapter 439 [Crazy] (Please Subscribe)
The Mao Dun Literature Prize, a well-known literary award in China, is awarded every four years. Despite some controversies, it remains one of the most important literary awards in the country.

The current selection process includes any work published within the selection year that demonstrates a complete artistic conception and creative requirements for a full-length novel, with a word count of over 13. Works published before the selection year that have stood the test of time and are of high quality may also be considered, provided they receive the approval of at least half of the judging panel members. Each judging panel determines the number of awards for each year based on the actual state of full-length novel creation, generally awarding 3-5 works. To maintain the authority of this literary award, the principle of "quality over quantity" should be upheld.

This is arguably the main reason why the Mao Dun Literature Prize is so difficult to win. Moreover, the selection process for this literary prize still suffers from the same problem: a few judges, with their own subjective evaluation criteria, quantify and score writers and their works, and then rank them.

Regarding Zhang Wei's statement that "Atonement" has a high chance of winning the Mao Dun Literature Prize again, Lin Youcheng is more inclined to let things take their course. After all, it's like a film festival jury judging an award; ultimately, it depends on the jury's choice.

Lin Youcheng's side didn't pay much attention to this matter either, since the results would naturally be announced later.

After filming for "Crossing the Guandong" wrapped up, Zhou Xun naturally joined Lin Youcheng's company and came to the capital. Lin Youcheng provided Zhou Xun with a place to live and told her that when "The Great Song Dynasty Detective" started filming, she would also be able to film there. Although she wouldn't be the main character, since it was an episodic detective drama, there would be no shortage of female roles.

Lin Youcheng is now recommending another role to Zhou Xun: a part in the cast of "I Love My Family." As a TV series that premiered last year and will continue to air for 80 episodes this year, it's no surprise that many actors have appeared in it, including Ge You, who famously slouched in the show.

Although Lin Youcheng was well aware of Zhou Xun's acting talent, he believed that it would be fine for her to take on some supporting roles to hone her experience.

Of course, in addition to this, Lin Youcheng also recommended director Chen Aige to Zhou Xun. Originally, Zhou Xun was going to work with Chen Aige to film the role of a young dancer in the movie "Temptress Moon". Now that Lin Youcheng has recommended her, Chen Aige will naturally work with Zhou Xun more often.

It can be said that because of Lin Youcheng's connections, Zhou Xun now has more opportunities to work with other film directors such as Zhang Guoshi and Li Shaohong. After all, with Lin Youcheng's recommendation, Zhou Xun will naturally be considered for suitable roles.

The production team of "Crossing the Guandong" is still in post-production, but now Tian Zhuangzhuang and director Kong Sheng have already begun preparing to film the drama "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner". As the investment company for this drama, Lin Youcheng is naturally the producer, and undoubtedly has considerable decision-making power over the selection of some roles.

The role of Song Ci was still played by Chen Daoming. It can be said that when Chen Daoming received the script, he accepted it without hesitation, knowing that it was written by Lin Youcheng. As for the role of the female lead Ying Gu, Lin Youcheng chose Jiang Wenli, who was also very happy to accept the role. As for the other roles, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Kong Sheng will also make some choices.

Because of Kong Sheng, many of his colleagues from the Qilu Television Production Center came to Beijing with him. This can be considered as Lin Youcheng poaching a lot of people from Shandong Film Studio. Of course, this is all thanks to the team Kong Sheng found, as well as some people from Yanjing Film Studio recommended by Tian Zhuangzhuang. It can be said that this production team is not weak at all.

Of course, the most important reason is that even though it was Kong Sheng's first time directing, he still had his own ideas. In addition, there was the great director Tian Zhuangzhuang overseeing things, so it can be said that many things went very smoothly.

While the TV series "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner" was still in preparation, the American film "The Night of the Comet" achieved an incredible box office success.

It's fair to say that in the entire United States, and even in the entire North American film market, the highest-grossing film is definitely not "Coherence," but the most discussed and most amazing film is Warner Bros.' "Coherence."

It’s amazing!

Unfortunately, this low-budget sci-fi film was shot in just one week. Thanks to the influence of screenwriter Lin Youcheng from the East and the real news of a comet hitting Jupiter, the film received a lot of attention, and its box office performance also rose accordingly. This naturally left many people in the film industry stunned.

It's because the production cost of this movie was really too low!

Other film companies were also discussing the film like crazy. Everyone in Hollywood knew very well that "Coherence" was a fantasy science fiction film that relied entirely on its excellent script. It was incredible that such a low-budget science fiction film was made.

Of course, it's clear that audiences were also very shocked by the story of "Coherence". It can be said that audiences thoroughly enjoyed the movie. In order to sort out the story, many viewers went back to the cinema to watch the movie again and see if they had missed any details. As a result, the movie's box office performance naturally increased.

These discussions about some details and plot points of the film can be described as quite heated.

It's like there are audiences discussing "Coherence" right outside a movie theater in Los Angeles.

"Hey, who made the last call? Was it Amy who was knocked unconscious in the bathroom? It shouldn't be..." "I don't think so either. Kevin said he found the ring in the bathroom, so someone must have been in that bathroom, but no one showed any surprise! That means the Amy who seemed to have been knocked unconscious in the bathroom must have been moved before anyone discovered the whole thing. But Amy herself was unconscious, so the only possibility is that the Amy who seemed to have been knocked unconscious woke up and left on her own. If it was the Amy who was knocked unconscious, the first thing she would do upon waking up is scream in panic. How could she silently continue with her life and then call Kevin around dawn? That's absolutely impossible. So the Amy who made the call wasn't the Amy in the bathroom, and the Amy in the bathroom wasn't the Amy who was suffocated in the car."

"I agree with your idea, so the final ending should be that there are a total of four Emmys in the movie, and three Emmys in the final timeline."

……

Clearly, as with any discussion, there are too many details that need careful consideration and analysis. And it's obvious that the audience is completely immersed in this unique and novel film, "The Night the Comet Came".

Although science fiction stories are not very common, the unique setting of a comet connecting parallel worlds is truly incredible!
To put it simply, imagine you're rolling a die, possibly rolling any number from one to six. With each roll, the world splits into six different worlds. In one world you rolled a one, in another you rolled a two, and so on. These different worlds go their separate ways the moment the die is rolled, never to intersect again, like ants on two pieces of paper, never to meet. However, that night a comet arrives, building many bridges between the different pieces of paper, connecting them to each other. The ants on the paper, unaware of this at first, crawl from one piece of paper to another, and then to yet another… getting lost in these parallel worlds.

This is what makes this story special. Because of the camera's angle, the viewer's perspective will follow the film as it travels through different worlds. But the camera always follows one ant, which is the protagonist, Amy. Understanding which worlds Amy has visited, who she has met, and which worlds these people came from, is key to understanding the plot of the film. These are all things that are very worthy of repeated discussion and exploration by the audience.

Many media outlets and newspapers have been reporting on the unique science fiction film "Coherence," and it's fair to say that the film has sparked considerable discussion. This is because it's the first time they've seen such a low-budget, small-scale thriller science fiction story that uses high-IQ science fiction elements to twist the plot, and they are truly amazed by the story.

Lin Youcheng, this screenwriter from the East, possesses an astonishing imagination. He managed to craft such a story, imagining eight friends gathering for dinner on a night when a comet streaks across the Earth's sky. Suddenly, the power goes out, and they realize something even more incredible has happened: the comet has split their reality into multiple dimensions, each with its own house and dinner party. They try to mark their houses by putting random items into boxes, and their counterparts in the other dimensions do the same. Gradually, they begin to question their relationships with each other and the very nature of their reality.
The New York Times went so far as to comment, "Lin Youcheng, an Eastern screenwriter, has written an incredible science fiction story. Like a comet hitting Jupiter, this low-budget science fiction film has also crashed into Hollywood like a comet. It's amazing!"

It's fair to say that the reason this film had such a powerful impact is because its production cost was so low!

Of course, industry insiders are well aware that Warner Bros. spends far more on script adaptation rights fees than on filming and production costs. Even so, this low-budget, high-grossing film has truly made producers from various film companies envious and jealous.

Because it's truly unbelievable!
Although Lin Youcheng's previous film scripts were very profitable, many of them were low-budget productions, such as the imaginative romance film "Every Day". It can be said that Lin Youcheng initially established himself in Hollywood with this low-budget fantasy romance film. Because of the success of this film, other film companies later sought to collaborate with Lin Youcheng.

The films that followed, such as "The Departed," "The Hunt," "The Truman Show," and the recently released "Seaside City," all had relatively low production costs. However, "Coherence" was made at an incredibly low cost.

What's more important for Hollywood film companies to discuss and pay attention to is that this novel and unique film is so successful precisely because of its excellent script.

This must have driven Hollywood film companies crazy, who desperately wished that "Coherence" was a film they were collaborating on.

It can be said that Lin Youcheng's previous films had already proven his screenwriting ability, but now, after the highly realistic and impactful film "City by the Sea," this special science fiction film "The Night the Comet Came" really drove a group of filmmakers crazy. In 1994, it truly opened the eyes of many Hollywood filmmakers.

Yes, it was truly an eye-opening experience!
Back in 1994, there weren't any particularly imaginative science fiction stories or amazing low-budget film examples. Now, "Coherence" is a real success story that has them in awe.

Of course, some film critics have criticized "Coherence" for being too rough and having a limited range of scenes, but that is precisely what makes the film special.

Even amidst the amazement, one cannot help but admire the imagination of Lin Youcheng, the screenwriter from the East; the entire story's plot is truly unbelievable and breathtaking.

Such discussions continued unabated, with various voices appearing in American newspapers, including the Los Angeles Times and the New York Times, all discussing Lin Youcheng, this incredible Eastern screenwriter.

Of course, for a host of Hollywood film companies, their hearts are pounding wildly as they watch the box office performance of "Coherence".

That's right, they're all crazy, crazy about cooperating with Lin Youcheng!
They had no other thoughts in mind but to collaborate with Lin Youcheng on a low-budget film like "The Night the Comet Came"!
No Hollywood company could remain indifferent to the success of "Coherence"; it's fair to say that the film's success drove many film companies to the brink of madness with envy!
That's right, it's going crazy, going insane!
(End of this chapter)