A widower's entertainment

Xinghua Hutong, Beijing.

The New Year of 1996 was as lively as ever. On this joyous occasion of bidding farewell to the old year and welcoming the new, the Oscar nominations in the United States were announced. As many film critics and media outlets commented, "The Sixth Sense" was indeed a strong contender for the Oscars. Otherwise, the film would not have won several awards in the lead-up to the Oscars.

Now that the Oscar nominations have been announced, as expected and without any surprises, the film "The Sixth Sense" has once again brought the name of the Eastern screenwriter, Lin Youcheng, to the Oscar nomination list. This seems to be only natural, since "The Sixth Sense" is indeed a very good film.

Now, "The Sixth Sense" has been nominated for six Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Supporting Actor, Best Original Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Sound. It is truly a film with a strong presence on this year's Oscar nomination list. In addition, even the big favorite for film awards, "Braveheart," failed in terms of box office performance. After all, with a budget of 72 million, it has only grossed 200 million worldwide so far, just breaking even.

This is why "The Sixth Sense" has such a strong presence on the Oscar nomination list. The film not only received rave reviews and was loved by audiences, but also achieved remarkable box office success. It was a low-budget film that earned a very high box office, a result that made all Hollywood film companies extremely envious. Otherwise, Columbia Pictures would not have tried to express its intention to cooperate with Lin Youcheng through Li An at the Berlin Film Festival.

There's no other reason than that Lin Youcheng's film scripts are exceptionally good, and his films have all been very successful.

Warner Bros. has specially invited Lin Youcheng to attend this year's Oscars ceremony. The company has been actively promoting Oscar-winning films, and the media has also shown great confidence that Lin Youcheng has a high chance of winning his second Oscar for Best Original Screenplay.

Because, in the eyes of Hollywood filmmakers, the most important reason for the success of "The Sixth Sense" is its script. The storyline of the whole movie is quite moving, and the ending is surprising. Such a script is fully worthy of the Best Original Screenplay Award. It should be noted that "The Sixth Sense" had already won several other preliminary screenplay awards before this, which is also an affirmation of the script written by Lin Youcheng.

Leaving aside the possibility of winning another Oscar, Lin Youcheng's inclusion in the Oscar nomination list again has truly amazed many filmmakers in China, or rather, not only Chinese filmmakers but also filmmakers from other countries.

After all, this marks Lin Youcheng's fifth consecutive nomination for the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay, truly demonstrating his continuous efforts to create and rewrite Oscar history.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was also amazed. The Oscars, the pinnacle of the film world, are truly unattainable for many filmmakers in China, but for Lin Youcheng, being nominated has become commonplace. The key point is that Lin Youcheng has always been a screenwriter in China, so how could they not be amazed?

"Youcheng, you've been nominated for an Oscar again. Aren't you planning to go this time?"

"I don't plan to go."

Hearing Tian Zhuangzhuang's words, Lin Youcheng shook his head. Although Warner Bros. had invited him and even hinted that he might win the award again, he still did not plan to attend the Oscars ceremony.

It can be said that Warner Bros. extended a very sincere invitation to Lin Youcheng, firstly because Lin Youcheng had a great chance of winning an award, and secondly because Warner Bros. knew that Lin Youcheng had previously attended the Berlin Film Festival, so they naturally thought that Lin Youcheng might also attend the Oscars ceremony.

However, it is obvious that Lin Youcheng went to the Berlin Film Festival because of his daughter Lin Zhaomei. Otherwise, he would not have gone abroad so close to the Chinese New Year. He does not have any particular thoughts about the Oscars. If the Oscar judges really want him to win the award again, then he will receive the Oscar statuette even if he does not attend. If they do not want him to win the award again, then even if he attends in full regalia, it will not change the outcome.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was quite impressed with Lin Youcheng. Even though he was nominated for an Oscar, he didn't take it too seriously and didn't even attend the awards ceremony. He said with a smile, "You're really something! You don't even give the Oscars face."

"Whether or not you attend the awards ceremony doesn't really make a big difference. If the award winners are determined by whether or not you attend, then there's even less reason to attend."

Lin Youcheng shook his head and said, "Besides, going there is also a lot of trouble."

Upon hearing this, Tian Zhuangzhuang said, "Didn't you go to the Berlin Film Festival earlier?"

"That's different."

Tian Zhuangzhuang understood Lin Youcheng's meaning and why Lin Youcheng went to the Berlin Film Festival. He simply sighed and said, "Zhao Mei's short film 'Destiny' is really well made. Actually, thinking about it now, that story could be made into a feature film. Two different life destinies are very suitable for a feature film."

Lin Youcheng was naturally aware of this, after all, films like "The Birth of a Gangster" and "Run Lola Run" were feature films. However, this was Lin Zhaomei's first time directing a feature film, and she might not have been able to grasp the pacing of a feature film as well as well, and there were still shortcomings. Moreover, even though it was a short film, "Destiny" still had a considerable impact at the Berlin Film Festival, otherwise it would not have won the Best Short Film Award.

Even after films like "Run Lola Run" appeared, the short film "Destiny" would still be discussed to some extent. After all, "Destiny" is no longer like "The Birth of a Gangster," which was only unknown in Hong Kong. "Destiny" has been featured at the Berlin Film Festival, and Warner Bros. is now interested in distributing the short film and has also sent it to other overseas film festivals. All of this is publicity for "Destiny" and also for the young short film director, Lam Siu-mei.

It's worth noting that Jia Zhangke's short film "Xiaoshan Goes Home" won an award in Hong Kong, which attracted film companies to invest in it. Not to mention, "Destiny" won short film awards at the three major film festivals, so naturally, film companies here would be willing to provide Lin Zhaomei with investment support for the filming. As for how much of this was actually for the sake of Lin Youcheng's father, that's another matter.

However, it is obvious that Lin Zhaomei will not lack funds for investment, after all, her real father is also her real financial backer.

Lin Youcheng said with a smile, "It's okay. If she wants to film a feature film called 'Destiny' later, that's fine too."

“It’s good that you made your first short film. Take it one step at a time.” Tian Zhuangzhuang shook his head when he heard Lin Youcheng’s words. He knew that Lin Zhaomei was able to make the short film “Destiny” because of Lin Youcheng’s support. Moreover, judging from Lin Youcheng’s words, even if Lin Zhaomei wanted to make a feature film now, her father would support her. This made Tian Zhuangzhuang say, “Zhaomei is really amazing. Her first short film won an award at the Berlin Film Festival. We couldn’t even dream of that when we were in school.”

"Don't say that. You made quite a few films when you were in school. Zhao Mei told me that you made history at the film academy."

Tian Zhuangzhuang waved his hand and said with a wry smile, "I'll pass. I don't even know if I'll have the chance to make movies again."

These words made Lin Youcheng a little embarrassed, as Tian Zhuangzhuang had been banned from filming for ten years, and the time before the ban was lifted was still a long way off.

Lin Youcheng then changed the subject, saying, "You've worked hard on 'The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner.' CCTV bought the rights for the first run, and Beijing TV is planning a second run."

Tian Zhuangzhuang put a lot of effort into the filming of the TV series "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner". Although he was a consultant, he provided a great deal of help to Kong Sheng, who was directing for the first time. Otherwise, the filming of the TV series would not have gone so smoothly. Lin Youcheng was also very aware of this.

Actually, if it weren't for Tian Zhuangzhuang's own unwillingness to film TV series, Lin Youcheng could have directly funded Tian Zhuangzhuang to film TV series. After all, directing is largely a craft, and if you don't film for a long time, your skills can easily become rusty.

This is why Lin Youcheng was initially willing to support his daughter Lin Zhaomei in making short films. Directors should make films themselves; only by actually making films can they understand the ins and outs of filmmaking, and only then can their skills improve.

When Tian Zhuangzhuang heard Lin Youcheng mention the drama "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner," he couldn't help but smile, his eyes full of satisfaction. After all, he had put a lot of effort into the drama, and of course, the most important reason was that the script was quite excellent and solid. He said, "It's very good. We're just waiting for the drama to air. Kong Sheng is also looking forward to it."

In fact, Tian Zhuangzhuang himself was also looking forward to the broadcast of the TV series "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner". After all, this was the first film he had put his heart into after being banned from making movies. Although TV series shooting and movie shooting are very different, they are ultimately stories that unfold in front of a monitor. He had been following the series closely and naturally hoped that the series would be loved by the audience.

Knowing what Tian Zhuangzhuang and Kong Sheng were thinking, Lin Youcheng said with a smile, "It will definitely be good. After all, CCTV watched it before buying the show."

Lin Youcheng had also seen the finished product of "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner," a collaboration between Kong Sheng and Tian Zhuangzhuang. The quality was excellent, with outstanding cinematography, plot editing, and acting. Of course, this was also due to the meticulous preparation and research of the two in the early stages, resulting in a very high overall quality.

Tian Zhuangzhuang was aware of this as well, and said with a smile, "I wonder if it will be as popular with the audience as your 'Crossing the Guandong'."

Lin Youcheng felt that the two dramas were not comparable. "Crossing the Guandong" is a period drama, full of the real life and atmosphere, and can definitely be considered a drama that the whole family can watch together. As for "The Great Song Dynasty Detective", the storyline is undoubtedly quite exciting, but it is an ancient costume detective drama. Of course, in Lin Youcheng's opinion, the ratings of this drama will definitely not be bad.

"Don't worry, this drama will be the pioneering work of domestic period detective dramas. The audience will definitely like it, and the ratings will definitely be good."

In Lin Youcheng's view, this drama is not only the pioneering work of ancient costume detective dramas, but may also be the pinnacle, after all, it was created by Kong Sheng and Tian Zhuangzhuang.

Tian Zhuangzhuang naturally hoped that, as Lin Youcheng said, since he couldn't film movies on his own, he was now helping Lin Youcheng film this TV series. He had put his heart into it and naturally hoped for a good result. Of course, he also didn't want to let down Lin Youcheng's script, "The Great Song Dynasty Forensic Examiner," or the character of Song Ci.

The most important reason that initially moved Tian Zhuangzhuang to help direct the filming of this drama was because the script was so excellent.

Tian Zhuangzhuang genuinely admired Lin Youcheng. Whether it was literary novels, film scripts, or television scripts, the stories he wrote were all quite brilliant. Thinking of Lin Youcheng's film "The Sixth Sense," which was nominated for the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay again, he couldn't help but say, "Youcheng, if you really win the Oscar for Best Original Screenplay for 'The Sixth Sense,' you'll have won two Oscars for screenwriting. You'll probably be the first screenwriter in Oscar history."

Lin Youcheng shook his head and said with a smile, "No, Woody Allen won the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay twice a long time ago, and other screenwriters have also won it."

In fact, Lin Youcheng knew very well that, in truth, Woody Allen was the number one Oscar screenwriter. In another timeline, he was nominated for the Best Original Screenplay Award 16 times, making him the person with the most nominations for this award. He also won the Best Original Screenplay Award three times, in 1977, 1986, and 2011.

The US is now saying that Lin Youcheng is the first person to achieve this, because he has been nominated for the Best Original Screenplay award for five consecutive years, which is truly historic.

After all, like Woody Allen, who has been nominated for this award multiple times, but in different years, he has never been nominated for the award for five consecutive years. However, in terms of both the number of nominations and the number of wins, Woody Allen still has the edge.

However, if Lin Youcheng were to win the Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay for "The Sixth Sense," he could become one of the two Oscar winners for Best Original Screenplay, just like Woody Allen.

As for what will happen after that, whether Lin Youcheng will surpass Woody Allen's nomination, that's another matter entirely, and nobody knows. (End of Chapter)