Extracting skills from movies

After having a late-night snack, Du Sheng and his group returned to the hotel for their routine meeting.

Public Relations Manager James is giving an update:
"We have now confirmed that judges Jane Campion, Emmanuel, and Gonzalez are on our side."

The biggest rival right now is undoubtedly Brad Pitt and his "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford."

Du Sheng raised his hand and tapped the pen on the table:
Paul Verhoeven also expressed his support.

Theresa was somewhat surprised:
How did you manage to win him over?

Didn't he have a good relationship with Brad Pitt and director Andrew Dominic?

The reason is actually quite simple: this person is actually a "disciple of the Du family"!
Paul was privately very interested in Bajiquan and even contacted Du Sheng to learn techniques, which led to the two becoming acquainted.

James nodded:

"As a result, at least half of the judges explicitly supported us."

She paused for a moment, then continued her analysis:
"If Zhang Yimou continues to remain neutral, the key lies in whether he can win over Catherine."

Ma Yaowei took over the conversation:
"Director Zhang will not waver; we have already begun trying to contact Catherine."

Du Sheng had been reading entertainment news, mostly about his competition with Brad for the Best Actor award.

The situation was clear: he and Brad had far outpaced the other male actors and become the two main protagonists in this race.

The question is, how can we ensure we win in the end?

Brad Pitt is a seasoned pro at this.

If you can't win over the judges, then destroy your opponents.

As a professional public relations expert, James naturally considered this point as well, and looked at Du Sheng to ask:
"I've already made arrangements for the media. How are your preparations going?"

Ma Yaowei replied:
"No problem, the first batch of photos will be ready soon."

Du Sheng pondered for a moment, then slowly spoke:
"James, you're able to keep track of the situation in time."

I suggest releasing the information on the last day of the resolution process, so that the opponent has no chance to retaliate.

James thought for a moment and nodded in agreement:
"Okay, let's do it."

After the meeting, Du Sheng took Ma Yaowei to the airport.

The Venice trip will last for a few more days, which will give him time to go to London to film.

James, Haders, and others continued to contact major media outlets to create buzz and increase Du Sheng's visibility.

.........

In a conference room at the Sheraton Hotel.

The creative team behind "Assassination of the Gunman" sat around a table in a tense atmosphere.

Brad Pitt and Harvey Weinstein sat in the middle, like two shrewd chess players, controlling the overall rhythm of the game.

"We have two goals this time: the Special Jury Prize and Best Actor."

Brad spoke first, his tone crisp and decisive:

"But my focus is on the Best Actor award."

Director Andrew Dominic wasn't particularly interested in winning Best Director, and the Special Jury Prize wasn't something he absolutely needed to win either.

Harvey Weinstein nodded slightly in understanding.

His assistant, understanding his thoughts perfectly, smoothly followed up with the conversation:

"The biggest threat right now is Du Sheng."

Harvey sneered:
"The old method: ruin his reputation first!"

After speaking, he pulled a thick stack of documents from his bag and handed them to the person in charge of public relations for the film crew:

"Contact the media and release it as soon as possible."

The man glanced at the contents, didn't ask too many questions, got up and left the meeting room to begin carrying out his task.

That afternoon, a French entertainment website was the first to launch an attack:
Exclusive Scoop: During the filming of "Wanted," Du Sheng used his position as an investor to reduce Matt Damon's screen time, leading to his isolation...

There were even child actors appearing on camera to testify, making the video seem quite convincing.

While these claims are not entirely true, they are not entirely fabricated either.

There was indeed tension between Du Sheng and Matt Damon, and the production team seemed to favor Du Sheng, making Matt Damon appear out of place.

Following this, multiple media outlets reported on the story.

Reporters went to interview Matt Damon, but he chose to remain silent.

This lack of response has only fueled further speculation.

Film Journal went all out, directly criticizing Du Sheng for using stunt doubles for all the action scenes in "The Man from Nowhere," and saying that the film deliberately piled up Chinese elements, which ran counter to the artistry and independent spirit advocated by the Venice Film Festival.

Some media outlets have also claimed that "The Man from Nowhere" cost as much as $1 million to produce and is a complete money laundering film.

Faced with the overwhelming attacks, Du Sheng knew very well:

When someone is stabbing you with a knife, explaining "I did nothing wrong" is completely useless; it will only make things worse.

The only effective way to retaliate is to take out a bigger, faster, and more ruthless knife and plunge it straight into the opponent's vital point!

He had anticipated that Harvey and Brad would make a move, and had already prepared a counterattack plan.

Through the European luxury brand Cartier, he established connections with Italy's most influential newspaper, Il Messaggero.

The media outlet's critics immediately launched an attack, slamming "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford" for making jokes about Italy's World War II history and showing no respect whatsoever.

Although it's just a Western, it touches on many sensitive topics.

It is particularly satirical of certain historical events.

But this is just a smokescreen; the real killer move is hidden behind it.

A ten-year-old grievance.

.........

In an ordinary café on the outskirts of Venice, far from the Palazzo del Cinema, sits a middle-aged man.

Gokas, the entertainment editor of The Messenger.

He was waiting for two people: James and Ma Yaowei.

Gokas's sister works in Cartier's marketing department, and this connection led to today's meeting.

James greeted him with a smile:
"Old friend, it's been a long time."

Gokas twitched the corner of his mouth:

"I'd rather never have met you in this lifetime."

James pretended not to hear and got straight to the point:
"Another bombshell tomorrow: Harvey Wayans and Brad 'meet' Benella."

Gokas shook his head:
"I work in journalism, and I can't just write things without evidence; that's a professional bottom line."

He pointed to the article that had just been published today:

"That article was because I felt that 'Assassination of the Gunman' was nonsense. People from the United States are always so arrogant that they even dare to distort our history."

Without saying a word, James took a package out of her bag and gently pushed it over.

Ma Yaowei also took out another packaged item and placed it on the table.

Gokas opened the first package, glanced at it, felt its thickness, and thought:

News doesn't need all the evidence; it can be 70% true and 30% false.

He then looked at the second package.

Ma Yaowei smiled and gestured for him to open it.

Gokas opened it and found more than a dozen photos on the list.

The photos are full of ambiguous pictures of Harvey Weinstein, Brad Pitt, and Benedict Cumberbatch, some of which are quite intimate.

Having worked in the industry for over a decade, he certainly knows that photos don't represent the truth; angles can be staged, and emotions can be designed.

James said calmly:
"Is this enough evidence?"

Gokas first put away the first package, then the second, and nodded, saying:
"Extremely plentiful and explosive!"

He had barely finished speaking when he realized he had spoken too definitively, so he quickly added:
Could it really be a 'threesome'?

James did not give a direct answer, saying:
"Harvey Weinstein admires Benedict Cumberbatch and plans to invite her to Hollywood for a major role in an art film, helping her to compete for an Oscar."

Gokas nodded:

"understood."

If you don't put in the effort, who will help you?
James pressed further:
"Will we make the front page tomorrow?" Gokas replied:

"There is a high probability."

After the two left, Gokas didn't rush to leave. While the memory was still fresh, he quickly wrote a report full of emotion.

Upon returning to the newspaper office, he immediately faxed the manuscript over.

The next morning, the entertainment section of the Messenger newspaper broke the news with a major story.

Inside the jury office at the Palais des Cinemas.

Catherine sat at her desk with a thick stack of lists beside her, outlining her initial thoughts on the various awards in the competition.

She sipped her coffee slowly, pondering repeatedly who should receive each award.

Emmanuel leaned back lazily on the sofa, flipping through the newspaper in his hand, wanting to see what the media thought of the films in the competition.

Catherine has been struggling with something lately.

She originally intended to put "Romance" up for the Best Actor award, but after hearing about the relationship between Zhang Yimou and Du Sheng, she felt that this path would be difficult.

So she adjusted her strategy and turned her attention to the Best Director award.

As for the Best Actor award, the two most popular choices right now are Du Sheng and Brad Pitt.

However, the overwhelming media coverage in the past few days has made her somewhat hesitant.

The film "The Lone Agent," starring Du Sheng, does indeed incorporate a lot of Chinese cultural elements.

As a traditional European filmmaker, Catherine is not fond of Chinese elements, and even somewhat averse to them.

In contrast, she admires Brad's natural, nuanced, and highly expressive acting style more.

In addition, she didn't like Zhang Yimou, who was so stubborn and unyielding, being the chairman.

Choose Brad Pitt?
At this moment, there was a knock on the door.

Emmanuel got up and opened the door, and his assistant came in with a newly arrived newspaper.

She glanced at Catherine, then at Emmanuel sitting beside her, and said softly:

"Madam, I've been keeping an eye on Benila's situation as you requested, and there's been some new information."

Upon hearing the name "Benilla," Catherine immediately put down her pen.

The assistant skillfully flipped to the entertainment section and pointed to a headline news article.

Katherine glanced at the photos; the first one showed Harvey Weinstein and Benilla in a private conversation.

The second picture shows Brad Pitt and Benedict Cumberbatch smiling like old friends who haven't seen each other for years.
The third picture shows the three of them entering a hotel room.

The title boldly proclaims:

Harvey Weinstein, Brad Pitt, and Benilla had a two-hour rendezvous in Venice—Venice is in chaos!

Catherine's expression instantly turned blank.

The following report only added fuel to the fire:
According to sources, Harvey Weinstein, the mastermind behind "The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford," has met privately with Benedict Cumberbatch multiple times, planning to invite her to star in a new film and even intending to help her compete for an Oscar!
This was like a knife to her heart.

She subconsciously touched a small scar on her waist, a "souvenir" left by her "best friend" Beneira ten years ago.

Over the past few years, she had finally managed to overshadow Benedictine, and Frances was practically unknown in the film industry.

But now, Benedict is actually getting involved with Brad Pitt and is even trying to re-enter Hollywood's inner circle through Harvey Weinstein?

Catherine, seemingly casually, looked up and asked Emmanuel:
Who do you think is more suitable for the Best Actor award?

Emmanuel practically blurted out:

"Of course it's Du Sheng."

Harvey always treated women like slaves; what good could come of associating with him?

Catherine nodded, a slight smile playing on her lips, as if she had finally found a reason:

"Du Sheng is indeed quite good."

The assistant next to him knew from this situation that "Assassination of the Gunman" was completely hopeless.

Catherine stood up and said calmly:

"Director Zhang said there would be a meeting this afternoon, and all the judges should be present."

Just as the assistant was about to leave, she called her back:

"Don't tell me anything from Brad Pitt, I don't want to know."

"Yes, ma'am."

The assistant nodded and left.

Emmanuel, remembering Harvey's unfulfilled promises, added fuel to the fire.

"That movie, 'The Assassination of Jesse James by the Coward Robert Ford,' makes fun of Europe's tragic history of invasion and doesn't deserve an award at all!"

Although Catherine didn't respond, her eyes said it all.

The idea that Du Sheng and Brad Pitt should share the Best Actor award this morning has long since vanished.

In her mind, "The Assassination of the Gunman" was a death sentence.

.........

Shortly after noon, the judging panel held a closed-door meeting.

Hosted by Zhang Yimou and Catherine, the event brought together all the judges.

Zhang Yimou began by saying:
"With only two days left until the closing ceremony, we need to reach a consensus, especially on the Best Actor award."

Indian judge Tagore spoke first:

"I think Brad Pitt is the most suitable."

Hanif on the other side immediately retorted:

"Nonsense! Du Sheng's performance is more challenging and has a more distinctive style!"

The two started arguing on the spot, and the atmosphere became tense.

Jane Campion raised her hand in response:
"I support Du Sheng."

Emmanuel followed closely behind:

"I also choose Du Sheng."

Tagore shook his head in anger, wondering if these people had all been bribed.

Fossen continued:
"I vote for Du Sheng."

González added with a smile:

"Of course it's Du Sheng."

The atmosphere in the meeting room gradually brightened.

"..."

Paul Verhoeven tapped his fingers on the table, drawing everyone's attention.

The judges present all knew that he had worked with Harvey Weinstein and Brad Pitt, and they originally thought he would speak up for them.

To everyone's surprise, the Dutch guy started by saying:
“Isn’t Venice supposed to appreciate global diversity? I think Du Sheng’s performance was more nuanced.”

The jury meetings are always a chaotic affair, except for the year Wong Kar-wai's season, which was relatively harmonious.

The situation is now quite clear.

Of the nine judges, six have already explicitly supported Du Sheng winning Best Actor.

The remaining suspense lies in the attitudes of the two chairmen.

Catherine was the first to speak out:
"I agree!"

Zhang Yimou, who had remained silent before, said, seeing that the wind had already shifted:

"Unanimously approved!"

This was chosen by the public; he didn't show favoritism to anyone.

Both chairpersons nodded, leaving only one dissenting vote, and the Best Actor award was decided.

The meeting recorder took notes on the spot, sealed the results, and did not discuss them further.

…(End of this chapter)