Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 654 Harvey's Provocation
Guo Fan and Fan Xiaopang flew to Hollywood the next day. Zhang Chen was supposed to go with them, but he couldn't because the Chinese New Year was approaching and his skit hadn't been rehearsed yet.

After finishing a remote meeting with the overseas team regarding public relations for film awards, Zhang Chen leaned back in his office leather chair and rubbed his slightly throbbing temples.

During this period, he focused most of his energy on the international promotion of Star Entertainment's films and public relations for Hollywood awards. He had to deal with a large number of documents and communications every day, and his nerves were constantly on edge.

At that moment, looking out the window at the bustling crowd below, he suddenly realized that he hadn't paid attention to the needs of domestic audiences for a long time.

He picked up an entertainment newspaper from the table, which listed the audience's expectations for him, or more precisely, for "The Summer of Prison Break".

News of his collaboration with Uncle Benshan on another skit had already spread through the media, and audiences were full of anticipation.

Audiences hope he can bring them another eye-catching work, not only movies, but also the sketches that once caused a sensation.

Zhang Chen's lips curled up slightly as he made a decision: to focus his attention back on China and prepare for this year's sketch comedy program.

Although sketch comedy is not his main profession, and his focus has always been on film creation, he feels that it is very meaningful to bring joy to audiences across the country through sketch comedy, and this is what he needs right now.

After all, movies convey emotions and stories more through the screen, while sketches can interact with the audience more directly and bring instant joy, which is a unique feeling.

Moreover, audiences across the country had already learned through various media outlets that he would be collaborating with Benshan Media again this year.

His previous skit "Not Short of Money," which he co-created with Benshan Media, caused a national sensation as soon as it aired on the Spring Festival Gala stage. The classic lines in the skit were discussed everywhere and even became popular phrases that year.

With the success of "Not Short of Money" as a precedent, this collaboration has naturally aroused great anticipation among audiences across the country. Many viewers have left messages on social media expressing their longing for the new skit and hoping to see Zhang Chen bring another surprise.

Zhang Chen is well aware of the audience's high expectations and understands that this collaboration carries a heavy responsibility.

He immediately picked up his phone and called Zhao Benshan to discuss matters related to the skit rehearsal.

On the other end of the phone, Zhao Benshan's voice was as cheerful as ever: "Zhang Chen, I'm so happy that you've decided to collaborate on a skit again! The audience is really looking forward to it."

Zhang Chen said with a smile, "Teacher Zhao, it's mainly because the audience's expectations are too high. I also want to try again and bring some joy to everyone. It's just that I have some film-related work in Beijing recently, so I may not be able to go to the Northeast for rehearsals often."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Benshan chuckled and said, "I already thought of that. I've already brought all the actors from the 'Summer of Prison Break' crew to Beijing. Let's find a place in Beijing to rehearse, so you can balance your work on the movie and the skit. Isn't that great?"

Hearing this, Zhang Chen was filled with gratitude: "Teacher Zhao, this is too much trouble for you and the actors to make a special trip to Beijing."

Zhao Benshan laughed and said, "We're all doing this for the sake of the work, so it's too formal to say such things. I've already had the team find a rehearsal space, and we can start rehearsing tomorrow. What do you think?"

Zhang Chen quickly agreed: "No problem, Teacher Zhao, I will definitely be there on time tomorrow."

After hanging up the phone, Zhang Chen felt a weight lifted from his shoulders and was filled with anticipation for the upcoming rehearsal.

The next morning, Zhang Chen finished dealing with the company's urgent matters ahead of schedule and drove to the agreed rehearsal venue.

It was a large rehearsal hall located in Chaoyang District, Beijing. It was spacious and bright, with several benches and simple props. The floor was covered with a non-slip carpet, which was obviously prepared specifically for rehearsals.

Zhao Benshan and the cast of "Summer of Prison Break" were already waiting there. When they saw Zhang Chen come in, they all greeted him warmly.

Zhang Chen responded with a smile, his gaze sweeping over the actors present. Each of them wore an expectant and serious expression, which made him feel the team's cohesion even more.

Rehearsals officially began. Zhao Benshan first handed the script of the new skit to Zhang Chen and explained in detail the story outline, character settings, and core jokes of the skit.

Zhang Chen carefully read through the script, nodding occasionally to show his approval of its content.

Afterwards, everyone began their first full rehearsal according to the role assignments in the script.

Although Zhang Chen's role doesn't have the most screen time, it requires him to work with other actors to complete several comedic scenes, demanding high levels of skill in both dialogue delivery and physical comedy.

At first, Zhang Chen thought that rehearsing the skit would be relatively easy, after all, he had rich experience in film and television shooting and was no stranger to acting.

But once rehearsals actually started, he realized he was wrong.

When he and the actors were performing according to the script, a problem with the transition of a line disrupted the rhythm of the entire scene, and the intended comedic moment failed to achieve the desired effect.

Zhao Benshan immediately called a halt and patiently said to Zhang Chen, "Zhang Chen, sketches are different from movies and TV series. They are like stage plays; they must be successful the first time. There is no chance to do it again."

“When performing on stage, if a mistake is made, such as forgetting lines or not performing the movements correctly, it will affect the effect of the entire skit and interrupt the audience’s emotions. Therefore, every detail must be perfect and must be polished repeatedly to ensure that nothing goes wrong.”

Zhang Chen suddenly realized that when he was filming movies before, he would reshoot scenes he was not satisfied with until he achieved the best effect.

However, rehearsing a skit is completely different. From the tone and speed of the lines to the range and timing of the physical movements, everything needs to be precisely controlled. Moreover, it requires close coordination with other actors. If any part goes wrong, the entire rehearsal may fail.

Over the next few days, Zhang Chen devoted himself entirely to rehearsing the skit.

Every morning, he would arrive at the rehearsal hall early to familiarize himself with the lines and movements. During rehearsals, he would listen carefully to the suggestions of Zhao Benshan and other actors and constantly adjust his performance style. When he returned home at night, he would practice repeatedly in front of the mirror, pondering the details of each expression and movement.

During this process, Zhang Chen deeply realized how difficult it is to perform sketch comedy.

On one occasion, he needed to work with another actor to complete an exaggerated physical action. Due to his inaccurate grasp of the strength and angle, he tried more than ten times in a row but failed to achieve the desired effect. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, and his face showed some fatigue.

When Zhao Benshan saw this, he didn't urge him. Instead, he came over and patted him on the shoulder: "Zhang Chen, don't rush, take your time. The key to sketch comedy is 'precision.' You have to know when to exert force and when to hold back. Think about the purpose of this action, which joke it's meant to highlight. Once you've figured it out, the action will naturally be in place."

Zhang Chen calmed down, carefully considered Zhao Benshan's instructions, readjusted his mindset, and when he tried again, he successfully completed the action, earning everyone's approval.

As rehearsals progressed, Zhang Chen's understanding of sketch comedy performance deepened.

He observed that while the comedians exaggerated their performances—such as amplifying facial expressions, increasing speaking speed, and enhancing the range of their physical movements—these were all done to better highlight the comedic moments and bring joy to the audience in a short period of time.

Moreover, these actors have very solid basic skills. Whether it is their ability to deliver lines, their physical coordination, or their ability to react on the spot, they have all reached a very high level.

During a rehearsal break, Zhang Chen chatted with Zhao Benshan and couldn't help but exclaim, "Teacher Zhao, I used to think that performing skits was relatively simple, but after personally participating in the rehearsals this time, I realized that there are so many intricacies involved."

"No wonder sketch comedy actors like Guo Donglin and you can outperform many film actors after transitioning to the big screen. Although sketch comedy actors' performance style may seem exaggerated, their basic skills are really solid. Whether it's their understanding of the character or their performance on set, they are all outstanding."

Actually, his teacher Fu Donglai had said this to him a long time ago, but he had never really felt it. Now he finally does.

Upon hearing this, Zhao Benshan smiled and said, "Zhang Chen, your insight shows that you have truly put your heart into understanding sketch comedy."

“We sketch comedy actors face the scrutiny of the national audience every year. Whether it’s the Spring Festival Gala or other stages, we can’t afford to be careless. So we must work hard on our basic skills.”

"Moreover, sketch comedy requires strong on-site control and the ability to adjust one's performance in a timely manner based on the audience's reactions. This ability is also very important in filmmaking, only the form of expression is different."

Zhang Chen nodded, expressing his strong agreement.

Through this period of rehearsals, he not only improved his sketch comedy skills but also learned a lot of valuable performance experience from these sketch comedy actors. This experience will be of great help to his future film creation and directing work. Laughter and discussions filled the rehearsal hall as everyone worked hard to create an excellent sketch comedy.

Looking at the actors rehearsing diligently around him, Zhang Chen felt a surge of confidence.

He believes that with everyone's joint efforts, this new skit will live up to the audience's expectations and bring joy to audiences across the country once again, just like "Not Short of Money" back then, becoming an unforgettable classic in the hearts of the audience.

At the same time, he became even more convinced of his idea: whether it is a movie or a skit, as long as it can bring value and joy to the audience, it is worth trying and putting in the effort.

……

Three days after the Oscar nominations were announced, long queues suddenly appeared at the ticket windows of cinemas across the country.

The box office figures for "Ocean's 2" and "Avatar," which had already entered the later stages of their run and whose box office was gradually stabilizing, have surprisingly begun to rise against the trend, showing a delightful rebound.

The cinema managers looked at the constantly updated box office figures on the back end with incredulous smiles on their faces.

Holding a statistical report, Manager Zhang of a cinema said to his employees, "I really didn't expect that these two movies, which have been in theaters for so long, would actually see a box office rebound. It's simply a miracle!"

The staff excitedly chimed in, "Yes, manager, as soon as we opened today, many viewers came specifically to buy tickets for 'Ocean's 2' and 'Avatar.' Some viewers said they didn't have time to see them before, but now that they've heard they've been nominated for Oscars, they have to come to the cinema to support them; others are watching them two or three times, saying they want to carefully appreciate what makes a film that has been recognized by the Oscars so good."

Manager Zhang nodded and remarked, "The influence of Oscar nominations is truly well-deserved. These two films are of high quality and performed well at the box office before. Now, with the 'golden signboard' of Oscar nominations, they have attracted a large number of viewers to the theaters, driving another increase in box office revenue."

This is true not only for offline cinemas, but also for online ticketing platforms, where data is equally impressive.

The ticketing pages for "Ocean's 2" and "Avatar" saw a surge in traffic. On the screening selection page, many prime-time screenings showed "some seats sold out," and some screenings at popular cinemas were sold out a day in advance.

Discussions about the two films have heated up again on social media.

Netizens shared their viewing experiences on platforms such as WeChat Moments and Weibo. Hashtags such as #Ocean2OscarNominationBoxOfficeRebound# and #AvatarReignitesViewingFrenzy# trended on social media, with both views and discussions exceeding ten million.

One netizen commented: "Pacific Rim 2 is really good. The special effects are amazing and the plot is also very exciting. It deserves to be nominated for an Oscar. I've already watched it twice and I'm planning to take my parents to see it again!"

Another netizen said: "I had heard that the visual effects of Avatar were amazing, but I was too busy with work to see it. Now that I know it was nominated for an Oscar, I bought a ticket for the IMAX theater. I must experience this masterpiece."

Just as "Planet 2" was receiving critical acclaim for its Oscar nomination and its box office was soaring, a wave of ridicule against it suddenly struck.

In an interview with a media outlet, renowned Hollywood producer Harvey Weinstein publicly expressed his disdain for the Oscar nomination of "Ring 2," his words filled with sarcasm and provocation.

Harvey sat in his luxurious office, facing the reporters' cameras with an arrogant smile, and said, "The fact that 'Pacific Rim 2' was nominated for an Oscar? This is simply the biggest joke in Oscar history! I heard that the Chinese director named Zhang Chen even hired a public relations team to manipulate the Oscar award, which is utterly ridiculous."

He paused, his tone becoming even more contemptuous: "What does a Chinese person know about the Oscars? The Oscars are the pinnacle of Hollywood, the highest honor in world film art. It's not something anyone can just buy with money."

Finally, Harvey even said something extremely insulting: "Zhang Chen, if you really want to know how to win over Oscar, then come and kiss my ass. Maybe if I'm in a good mood, I'll take pity on you and tell you some 'secrets'."

These remarks immediately caused a huge uproar in the global film industry.

Major entertainment media outlets widely reprinted Harvey Weinstein's interview with sensational headlines such as "Harvey Weinstein Publicly Mocks Zhang Chen: Chinese People Don't Understand the Oscars" and "Harvey Makes Shocking Remarks, Provoking Zhang Chen to Ask for a 'Kiss'," attracting widespread attention.

Chinese netizens were outraged after seeing Harvey's remarks.

People online condemned Harvey, accusing him of making racist, arrogant, and prejudiced remarks that disrespected Chinese directors and Chinese films.

One netizen angrily said: "Harvey went too far! Director Zhang Chen's 'Ocean's 2' is of such high quality that it was nominated for an Oscar based on its strength, not on so-called 'public relations operations'. What right does he have to mock Director Zhang Chen like this and say such insulting things!"

Some netizens also commented: "Who does Harvey think he is? The Oscars aren't his private property, so why does he say that Chinese people don't understand the Oscars? His behavior is typical of hegemony, and he doesn't deserve to be called a filmmaker at all!"

Zhang Chen's fans were outraged and spontaneously organized themselves to launch campaigns on social media such as #BoycottHarvey# and #SupportZhangChen# to support Zhang Chen and oppose Harvey's inappropriate remarks.

However, Harvey's provocative remarks received support from a large number of his followers.

Among these people were some Hollywood producers and directors, as well as many entertainment media reporters and film critics. They all stood up to speak out for Harvey, echoed his views, and jointly denigrated "Pacific Rim 2" and Zhang Chen.

A producer who has worked with Harvey Weinstein for a long time said in an interview: "Harvey is right. 'Ultraman 2' doesn't deserve an Oscar nomination at all. The Oscars value the artistic merit and depth of a film, while 'Ultraman 2' is just a commercial film built on special effects, with no artistic merit whatsoever. Zhang Chen's hiring of a PR team to manipulate the awards goes against the spirit of the Oscars, and this behavior should be condemned."

Another entertainment journalist wrote in a column: "Harvey is a legendary Hollywood producer. He knows the rules and standards of the Oscars inside and out, and his judgment is absolutely correct. It is unrealistic for Zhang Chen, as a Chinese director, to want to gain recognition at the Oscars. Now he wants to take shortcuts through public relations, which is simply wishful thinking."

Some film critics even wrote lengthy articles analyzing the "shortcomings" of "Pacific Rim 2" from a so-called "professional perspective," claiming that the plot of "Pacific Rim 2" was "clichéd" and "lacking in innovation," and that the special effects were "flashy but impractical," and that it did not meet the Oscar selection criteria at all, and that being nominated for an Oscar would be "a desecration of the Oscars."

The support from these people emboldened Harvey.

In subsequent public events, he brought up the matter again, not only failing to restrain his words and actions, but also intensifying his mockery of Zhang Chen and "Pacific Rim 2", even threatening to use his influence in Hollywood to prevent "Pacific Rim 2" from winning any awards in the Oscars.

Harvey and his supporters' actions further exacerbated the conflict.

Filmmakers and audiences around the world who support Zhang Chen and "Pacific Rim 2" have stood up to refute their views and defend "Pacific Rim 2".

Many internationally renowned directors and actors have given high praise to "Pacific Rim 2" in interviews, believing that it has made great breakthroughs in special effects technology and narrative techniques, demonstrating the strength of Chinese films, and that its Oscar nomination is well-deserved.

One director stated, "Harvey's remarks are extremely irresponsible. He cannot arbitrarily dismiss the works of directors from other countries simply because he has a certain status in Hollywood. This behavior is disrespectful to the art of film."

"Planet Ocean 2" is an excellent film, and its nomination proves that the Oscars are becoming increasingly diverse, placing greater emphasis on outstanding works from different countries and cultural backgrounds.

Faced with the ridicule and attacks from Harvey and his supporters, Zhang Chen's team remained calm and restrained throughout.

Zhang Chen's spokesperson, Zhong Lifang, stated in a media interview: "We will not be affected by Mr. Harvey's inappropriate remarks, nor will we participate in this meaningless war of words."

Director Zhang Chen has always focused on film creation, and the fact that "Pacific Rim 2" was nominated for an Oscar is an affirmation of him and the entire creative team.

We believe the Oscars are fair and impartial, and that the final decision will be based on the quality of the films.

Meanwhile, Zhang Chen's team did not stop their public relations efforts for the Oscars. As planned, they communicated with the Oscar judges, showcasing the creative concept, production process, and artistic value of "Universe 2," proving that "Universe 2's" nomination was not accidental, but based on its own solid strength.

This controversy sparked by Harvey's remarks has once again brought "Pacific Rim 2" into the global spotlight.

Despite the controversy and doubts, more and more people have started to pay attention to "Pacific Rim 2" because of this incident, and have gone to the cinema to watch the movie, which has further boosted the box office of "Pacific Rim 2".

However, this controversy also put Zhang Chen in a corner. Many talk shows even used it as a joke, and everyone wanted to know how Zhang Chen would respond.

Zhang Chen did not respond publicly, but instead quietly made a phone call: "How's the investigation going with what I asked you to do?"

(End of this chapter)