Exciting 1979!

Chapter 482 Wei Ming Became a Third Party
Following the instructions of Mr. Yuan Wenshu, the former director of Shanghai Film Studio and chairman of the Golden Rooster Awards jury, Wei Ming carried the Palme d'Or trophy all the way onto the stage so that everyone could see it.

He was inexplicably ashamed, but if it weren't for the fact that the trophy had to be handed over to the Children's Film Studio for safekeeping and was quite expensive, Wei Ming would have felt that smashing the trophy on stage would have been more in line with the theme of his speech.

"Hello everyone, I'm Wei Ming, a new director."

applause.

"At the invitation of Yu Lan, director of the Children's Film Studio, she hoped to make a film that Chinese children would enjoy, which led to the film adaptation of 'The Shepherd's Spring'."

"I fondly remember watching 'Little Soldier Zhang Ga' and 'Chicken Feather Letter' under an open-air screen when I was a child. So I especially hope that today's children can watch some good things. This is also my original intention for engaging in children's literature creation. I am very happy that last year there were excellent children's films such as 'The Legend of the Heavenly Book,' 'The Spring Water is Tinkling,' and 'Saihu.' We also established a children's film studio. I hope that 'The Shepherd's Class' will also be liked by children."

"Mr. Yuan asked me to talk about what I gained from this trip to Cannes. First of all, the Cannes Film Festival awarded me the Golden Camera, which is a reward for a new director who is making his first film."

"Then there's the Best Artistic Contribution Award, which is supposedly given to the film for its excellent soundtrack. I was also fortunate enough to participate in the soundtrack work."

"There is also the FIPRESCI Prize, awarded by the International Federation of Film Critics, which represents the recognition of this film by the film critics community."

"Finally, there's this, the Palme d'Or. It's awarded only once a year, and occasionally there are two. In 80, Akira Kurosawa's 'Kagemusha' shared this honor with the American film 'All the Jazz'."

"This award has no prize money, but the trophy is made of gold and crystal, so it is very valuable. Also, it is easier to sell the copyright after winning the award, which is conducive to its widespread dissemination."

"Now, The Shepherd's Spring has sold its rights to five continents around the world, all to major companies. It will soon be released in the United States, France, Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. In order to recoup the expensive purchase cost, they will also promote it with great effort. This may be the Chinese film that has been screened in the most countries besides Bruce Lee in Hong Kong."

Wei Ming paused, and applause rang out again.

He was telling the truth, but it sounded like he was showing off. However, it only made people envious and admiring, and left them speechless.

It's been so many years since the reform and opening up, but the combined overseas performance of the major film studios is still not as good as that of "The Shepherd's Class".

"While The Shepherd's Class has achieved remarkable success abroad, I also have a concern that major film studios are starting to explore the preferences of foreign film festivals and then specialize in making films that they like, while ignoring the preferences of their own audiences. I hope The Shepherd's Class is not setting a bad precedent."

"It's certainly something to be happy about when foreign judges like your work, but what we filmmakers should be most proud of is being able to satisfy our own country's audience."

"What kind of movies can satisfy the audience? It's martial arts films like 'Shaolin Temple' with visual spectacle, family films like 'Happy Family' that are close to the lives of farmers, and emotional films like 'Mom, Love Me Again' that convey the most simple maternal love. I would like to see more of these kinds of movies."

"Next, 'The Shepherd's Spring' will be officially screened in China. I hope it will also be a film that the vast majority of people will enjoy. Thank you everyone, that concludes my speech."

Applause erupted again from the audience. Some agreed, but others disagreed. "Oh, you won an award and achieved fame and success, so why shouldn't others strive to win awards?"
Sitting in the front row, Yuan Wenshu whispered a few words to Lin Shan, the editor-in-chief of Popular Cinema, who was sitting next to him. He meant that Wei Ming's speech could be published in full in the next issue of Popular Cinema, which was a very insightful suggestion.

In fact, Wei Ming had a lot more to say, such as the reform of the film studio system and the innovation of film technology. However, judging from the information he gathered from Lao Bao, there would be no major moves for at least a few years. So he decided to focus his efforts in Hong Kong and see if the co-production model could be effective.

The awards ceremony continues; it's time for the Golden Rooster Awards.

The Golden Rooster Awards have a large number of awards, which means that more people working on and off stage can receive honors, and even being nominated is a form of recognition.

However, the jury was a bit too individualistic, and many awards only nominated one or two films.

Some nominations are even vacant during the nomination stage, such as the Best Actor nomination.

Wei Ming was so angry he wanted to curse. Why didn't Yan Shunkai from "The True Story of Ah Q" deserve a nomination?

Doesn't Mr. Yu Shizhi in "Teahouse" deserve a nomination?

There's also Zhang Fengyi, a newcomer who was afraid of Tiger Girl, but "Rickshaw Boy" gave him a very high starting point in film.

Wei Ming was even worried, thinking that giving a tie would be acceptable in this situation, but the Golden Rooster Awards didn't even give him a nomination.

Moreover, some awards may be nominated but not awarded.

For example, the Best Costume Design award was nominated for both "My Memories of Old Beijing" and "Rickshaw Boy," and the costume designs in both films set in the Republican era were indeed remarkable, but no one gave it to them.

There was also a Best Screenplay award, with only Ms. Chen Rong from "Middle Age" receiving a nomination, and she herself was present at the event.

When Sister Chen saw that she was the only one nominated, she thought she had it in the bag, but she came all the way here and got nothing. This thing is really discouraging.

I don't know what their standards are. Isn't it the best one from the past year?
There must be one of these, right?
After a few minor awards that were hard to describe, the most prestigious ones were presented. First of all, the Best Actor award was left vacant, which goes without saying.

After three years at the Golden Rooster Awards, Xi Zi remains the only Golden Rooster Award-winning actor.

Then came the most anticipated Best Actress competition, with only Siqin Gaowa (for "Rickshaw Boy") and Zhu Lin (for "Middle Age") receiving nominations.

In their previous life, Siqin Gaowa and Pan Hong were tied, which led to the first time that two actresses shared the Best Actress award at the Golden Rooster Awards.

However, Lin Jie's talent and experience were still lacking in this life, and the award ultimately went to Siqin Gaowa. Lin Jie's long-cherished wish to win both the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards for Best Actress within a year was dashed.

This setback made her even more dedicated to her next film, "Human, Ghost, and Love," determined to make up for it next time.

However, Wei Ming suddenly thought of a question and decided to ask Yuan Lao later.

The awards ceremony continued, and the Best Director award went to Wu Yigong for "My Memories of Old Beijing." He is also a representative figure of the fourth generation of directors and the future director of Shanghai Film Studio.

The famous line "Are you here to take a dump?" comes from this movie, and the original author of the movie is now Taiwanese.

Three films, "My Memories of Old Beijing," "Middle Age," and "Rickshaw Boy," were nominated for Best Feature Film. Ultimately, the other two films, except for "My Memories of Old Beijing," won the award.

This is quite embarrassing; even if more films were nominated, it wouldn't make "My Memories of Old Beijing" seem so awkward.

With the 6th Hundred Flowers Awards and the 3rd Golden Rooster Awards now concluded, Wei Ming quickly asked Yuan Wenshu a question.

"Mr. Yuan, is 'The Shepherd's Spring' a co-production between mainland China and Hong Kong? Will this affect its eligibility for the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards?"

In his memory, neither Siqin Gaowa in "Like Water Flowing Years" nor Liu Xiaoqing in "Reign Behind the Curtain" had ever been nominated for domestic film awards for co-productions.

Films like "Shaolin Temple" and "Heroes from Shaolin Since Ancient Times" were completely ignored by the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Film Festivals.

This question made Yuan Wenshu pause for a moment. He hadn't considered this issue before, and in order to maintain harmony during the judging process, he simply ignored these potentially controversial works.

But now there is a problem. "The Shepherd's Spring" is a co-production between mainland China and Hong Kong. However, apart from funding, this film is 100% made in mainland China. If the Golden Rooster and Hundred Flowers Awards ignore this film next year, neither higher-level leaders nor ordinary viewers will likely agree to it.

Yuan Wenshu said, "I don't think this should be a problem. We'll come up with a specific set of rules to explain it later."

Hearing this, Wei Ming nodded. He could then invest in "Human, Ghost, and God" with peace of mind. Otherwise, it might cause Sister Lin to miss out on the awards.

So he approached Xu Sangchu, the director of Shanghai Film Studio. Xu Sangchu was eager to agree immediately. He was very enthusiastic about market-oriented reforms and was happy to accept new things. He spearheaded the production of the highest-grossing films in the early 80s, including "Romance on Lushan Mountain," "Happy Family," and "The 405 Murder Case."

But he is also an old factory director who is about to step down, so he still needs to go back and discuss it with his colleagues.

There were some activities arranged by the local authorities afterward, and Wei Ming treated Sister Chen Rong to the best Fujian cuisine in Fuzhou, which made her feel a little better.

She also shared her son Liang Zuo's recent situation with Wei Ming.

"Xiao Zuo is in a relationship now, and they'll probably get married next year. But he finds working at the Education Bureau boring and is thinking about transferring to another job."

Is he still writing novels?

"I wrote some short stories, but I put most of them in a drawer because I wasn't satisfied with them."

“Liang Zuo is quick-witted, but his writing style is rather colloquial and humorous. He could try writing TV drama scripts or crosstalk scripts,” Wei Ming said.

Because Liang Zuo had achieved great success in both of these fields, Wei Ming suggested that he develop in that direction. If he could have entered the industry a few years earlier, he might have been able to leave behind more excellent works. However, Wei Ming hoped that he could live a few more years.

Chen Rong listened. His father, Lao Fan, wanted their son to teach at a university, but Chen Rong knew that their son preferred creative work. Moreover, with their connections, it wouldn't be difficult to introduce their son to some crosstalk performers and TV drama directors.

After spending another day in Fuzhou, Wei Ming, Zhu Lin, and Gong Xue secretly left the team and couldn't wait to fly back to Beijing.

Two months later, Zhu Lin returned to his home in Nanluoguxiang and showed Gong Xue the alarm device on the door between the front yard and the inner yard.

“You stay outside, I’ll go in first,” Zhu Lin said, locking the door behind her. “Okay, you can try knocking on the door.”

Gong Xue patted the door: "No reaction."

Zhu Lin: "That's too light. You have to imagine yourself as a thug or robber."

Gong Xue increased the force, and then she heard the wailing of sirens. Even the outer courtyard lit up with colorful lights, which terrified her.

Seeing that the desired effect had been achieved, Zhu Lin quickly turned off the shutter and opened the door.

"Impressive, isn't it!" she said proudly. "These were all made by Peking University students, and a set was also installed in Beichizi."

Gong Xue cautiously entered the inner courtyard, not daring to touch the door.

"Don't worry, the defense can only be activated when it's locked from the inside. It's okay to touch it normally. Also, remember to change the batteries regularly." Zhu Lin taught her how to operate it, and it was quite simple.

"That's really impressive," Gong Xue praised.

Zhu Lin touched the pool water: "Haha, the temperature is just right, want to go for a swim?"

Gong Xue: "Are you sure you don't want to go home first? I think your aunt and uncle must be getting impatient."

“Oh dear, I almost forgot, my mom also bought several issues of Popular Cinema to support me this time, but she submitted the issue of Middle Age, so it was a waste of her money,” Zhu Lin laughed. “Then I’ll come over again tonight. Remember to lock the door, or I can ring the doorbell.”

Gong Xue: "Well, Xiao Wei should be back by then too."

Once again, the trio can form a group, with one queen and two queens; this time, it's truly two Best Actress winners. Wei Ming went straight to the Children's Film Studio after landing and delivered the Palme d'Or trophy to Director Yu Lan's office.

"It's a pity this is just a temporary office, and there's not even a proper display shelf." Yu Lan held the Palme d'Or trophy with great affection.

Factory Director Wang Yang, who was standing nearby, laughed and said, "Then why don't you leave it with me for now?"

Yu Lan: "No way!"

After a few jokes, let's get down to business.

Wang Yang said to Wei Ming, "Let me convey the instructions from the Film Bureau and China Film Group. The third quarter print order plan has already ended, and in principle, 'The Shepherd's Class' can only be released in the fourth quarter. However, the public opinion is so strong that everyone hopes to see it as soon as possible. So in a few days, we will hold a special print order meeting for 'The Shepherd's Class' and invite film companies from various provinces to Beijing to watch the film. It is expected that audiences across the country will be able to see it in July."

July is a good month; students are on holiday, which can boost the box office.

The purpose of showing the film to film company representatives was to allow them to decide the number of copies to order based on the film's quality, so that a 35mm print production plan could be developed.

The personal taste of film company representatives can sometimes have a significant impact, leading to misjudgments that result in too many copies being made and not enough viewers watching, or too few copies being made and theaters being overcrowded.

For example, the movie "Mom, Love Me Again" already had 300 copies, but it still wasn't enough, so they added another 50 copies, and it was a hit for nearly half a year.

The film "Shaolin Temple" left the delegates in awe after watching it, resulting in an unparalleled 480 35mm prints, making it the only film to date with more than 400 35mm prints.

Wei Ming asked, "Which film has the most copies planned so far this year?"

Wang Yang said: "Currently, the highest is Emei Film Studio's 'The Legend of the Martial Arts,' with 390 copies, which will also be released in July. The second place is Changchun Film Studio's 'Wudang,' with 381 copies, which will be released in August."

Wei Ming was amused. He had originally thought it would be a battle between Biaozi and Yanzi, but he hadn't expected to be the third party in this situation.

However, kung fu action films are currently very popular. In the first half of the year, a film called "Shaolin Temple Disciples," which followed the trend of "Shaolin Temple," was ordered for 380 copies. Wei Ming's art film really can't say that it can definitely surpass the other film in terms of audience numbers and box office.

Factory Director Yu Lan said, "Besides the copying issue, there will probably be a seminar on 'The Shepherd's Class' in the literary and art circles later, and you will have to attend it as well."

A seminar, in my past life I felt that if my work could get the authorities to hold a seminar, it would be a great honor and a sign of success.

Now, he just finds it annoying, but he still can't not participate.

"Hey, where's Kaige?" Wei Ming saw Feng Xiaoning and Ge You as he left.

Feng Xiaoning told him about Chen Kaige's trip to the Northwest to collect folk songs.

Hey, "Yellow Earth" is coming! "Eight and One" and "Yellow Earth" were regarded as the signs of the rise of the fifth generation of directors, but now it seems that the sign has become "The Shepherd's Class"?

Before going to Nanluoguxiang, Wei Ming went back to his home in the Overseas Chinese Apartment. His mother was overjoyed, but then regretfully said, "If only your father were here too."

That sounds rather ominous.

Wei Ming laughed and said, "He's not coming back next month?"

Wei Hong: "But I'm leaving next month, brother, will you come with me this time?"

Next month, Wei Hong will personally go to Stanford for an interview. Usually, international students would stay in the United States at this time to earn some living expenses for the new semester during the holidays, since airfare is too expensive.

However, after passing the interview, Wei Hong planned to come back to see the other classmates off one last time, and then go to Hong Kong with her brother to make a name for herself in the Hong Kong stock market.

Wei Ming: "What day of next month?"

"Number five."

"If the follow-up work on 'The Shepherd's Class' is finished, I'll go with you. If not, you can go by yourself. But don't worry, I have people to help you there."

After Wei Ming left, Wei Hong at least asked him where he was going, but Xu Shufen didn't ask at all, just waiting for the day she could become a grandmother.

Wei Ming thought of Melinda. She hadn't taken any precautions when they were in France, and after irrigating for half a month straight, he wondered if his seeds would be able to take root in her land.

He was quite uneasy about this, and even somewhat resistant to it.

He wanted to be a responsible and good father, but if Melinda really got pregnant, he was unlikely to be able to accompany her to the UK to give birth and raise the child.

The thought that the child might grow up as a child from a single-parent family filled Wei Ming with self-reproach.

But he couldn't refuse Melinda; she wanted a child, and Wei Ming found it even more unacceptable to have a child with another man, so he could only diligently cultivate the seed.

I have to keep feeding them tonight. My two older sisters aren't young anymore, and sometimes they don't use protection, thinking they might as well get pregnant and save themselves the trouble of getting pregnant sooner.

Next, Wei Ming was invited to attend a seminar and copy ordering meeting for "The Shepherd's Spring".

After watching the movie, representatives from film companies in various provinces were deeply moved.

"No wonder it won the Palme d'Or!"

"A masterpiece!"

"I can still hear the sound of the suona in my head."

"Our Hebei Film Company is fully supporting our fellow townsman! We'll send 25 copies!"

"We'll send 20 copies from Shandong first!"

"We in Nanjing support Director Wei, five of us are welcome!"

"Our Suzhou..."

"Our Yangzhou..."

Jiangsu province is very strong, having placed the most orders among all provinces and municipalities, with a total of 40 copies!
Ultimately, the 35mm print of "The Shepherd's Spring" received 404 orders, the highest number for the year.

Wei Ming: I thought it would reach 480, the same as the number of chapters.

404 is acceptable; it's more than a dozen times more than the most popular novel this year, "The Legend of the Martial Arts," but it's not very auspicious.

Wei Ming immediately boasted to Biaozi about it, expressing his high expectations for the three-on-one battle during the summer.

"Biaozi, do you want to go to Hong Kong again during the summer vacation?" Wei Ming suddenly asked.

"Ah, Hong Kong! I miss it so much!"

Wei Ming: "What about Xiao Fengjiu?"

“Yanzi is busy, isn’t she? She and my mother-in-law are taking good care of her,” Biaozi said. Huang Qiuyan had had her fill of filming “Wudang” and now only wanted to take care of the children.

"Alright, I'll invite you over under the guise of work." Hong Kong must be in a lot of chaos right now, and Wei Ming is worried that he won't be able to take care of Xizi by himself, so Biaozi will be Xizi's bodyguard.

Old Wei and Uncle Ping An can also be used as a reason to take them to Hong Kong.

By June, the popularity of The Shepherd's Class was still going strong, and given that many people wanted to read the original book, The Fierce Animals was announced to be reprinted.

Moreover, the cover will be changed this time, and after this reprint, the total print run of Wei Ming's collection of short stories and novellas, which has been popular for several years, will reach 300 million copies!

Three million, if there are royalties... well, it doesn't seem like that much money, but it's an astronomical figure for other writers.

Wei Ming really wants to fight for the rights that writers in most countries around the world have.

However, I don't have any new works at the moment, so my words are somewhat aimless.

The wrap-up work on "The Shepherd's Class" is finished, and Wei Ming has bought himself and Wei Hong plane tickets to San Francisco.

Before leaving the country, he packed up the new song he had prepared for David Bowie and a new English thriller and sent it to Melinda. She knew exactly how the contract would be signed, and it shouldn't be difficult for him to earn another million dollars from the song if it turned out well.

Then he went to the Beijing People's Art Theatre to accompany Sister Lin to see a performance of "Death of a Salesman" directed by Arthur Miller, starring Ying Ruocheng and another Zhu Lin. This was also the first performance of this classic American play in China.

As for "Mr. Donkey", it is expected to be staged in the second half of the year.

Currently, besides preparing for "Mr. Donkey," Sister Lin is also diligently studying Peking Opera, and Huang Shuqin also needs to do thorough preliminary preparations. Neither of them is in a hurry.

After Gong Xue left, she lived alone in Nanluoguxiang, singing, reciting, acting, and fighting. She bought several sets of costumes and all her belongings. She would listen to Peking Opera excerpts when she went to sleep.

Wei Ming was afraid that she would become too obsessed with survival, so before leaving he told his mother to call Zhu Lin often: "Go see her when you have time and cook her something nice to eat."

Xu Shufen thought Zhu Lin was pregnant, and answered very quickly, "Hey, hey, hey."

~
In the waiting hall of Beijing Yanjing International Airport, Wei Ming and Wei Hong were talking when someone suddenly greeted them, in English.

Wei Ming turned around and saw that it was Arthur Miller, whom he had met at the Beijing People's Art Theatre a couple of days ago. The old man was almost 70 years old but still very energetic.

At that time, Yu Shizhi introduced them to each other, and Miller was very curious about this young Palme d'Or winner.

Arthur Miller is hailed as one of the three great American playwrights of the 20th century. Wei Ming was also very curious about him, wondering if, as Marilyn Monroe's ex-husband, he knew about Monroe's affair with Kennedy at the time.
……

(Bonus chapter for 8000 and 9000 monthly votes in May, all paid off in May, guaranteed daytime update~)

(End of this chapter)