I am a historical film director in the entertainment industry.

Chapter 21 Walking the Red Carpet

“Cheng, this is probably your first time attending a film festival. There are many things you don’t know. To trade overseas rights, you first need to have a comprehensive evaluation of the work. You need to attract the attention of overseas audiences and buyers through screenings and promotional activities. If you contact those film distributors before the film is even screened, you will suffer a great loss. If the film is in the competition section, you should wait. If the film wins an award, the overseas rights can be sold for a higher price.”

After hearing Scarlett's words, Cheng Sheng finally realized how naive he had been.

It turns out there are so many intricacies involved in overseas copyright transactions.

If it weren't for Scarlett Johansson, my movie would probably have been priced at the lowest possible level.

It would be a huge loss to sell this without knowing the details.

"Thank you. If it weren't for you, I might have suffered a great loss," Cheng Sheng said gratefully.

"You're welcome."

With Scarlett's reminder, Cheng Sheng stopped looking for publishers.

Instead, they spent two whole days enjoying Venice.

9 month 1 day.

It is also the day when all schools in the country start school.

That day, Cheng Sheng and his crew prepared to walk the red carpet.

Several coal mine owners stood on either side of Cheng Sheng, their expressions very serious, like employees being inspected by their superiors.

The other main actors stood behind Cheng Sheng and the others.

Logically, Cheng Sheng should have walked ahead of the movie's main characters, but the coal mine owner was the financier.

Among all the film crews walking the red carpet, Cheng Sheng's crew had the largest number of people, about thirty, even though Cheng Sheng had left a small portion of them at the hotel.

If they really come, it will probably take them several minutes just to walk the red carpet.

This year, two Chinese-language films were nominated for the main competition at Venice: Chia Chang-ko's "The World" and Cheng Sheng's "The Great Tang Dynasty: Origins".

Normally, if a Chinese film is shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival, the media would make a huge fuss, as it would be a great event for the country.

However, this year is a bit special. Chia Chang-ko's film "The World" is an underground film and cannot be shown in China.

Cheng Sheng's film, on the other hand, is a historical film, and it would be a miracle if such a film won any awards.

No media outlet is optimistic about Cheng Sheng, so there hasn't been much media coverage for the time being.

Unless Cheng Sheng's film wins an award, the media will only say one thing after the Venice Film Festival: "Young man, keep up the good work."

Cheng Sheng was scheduled to walk the red carpet at around 4 PM.

Don't underestimate this timing; generally, walking the red carpet and the film premiere in Venice happen at the same time.

Four o'clock is a very good time. Generally, only films that are favored by the judges will have their film crews scheduled for this time.

The timing of the red carpet appearance and premiere is a very good sign for Cheng Sheng, indicating that his film may have a chance to win an award.

The entire crew was energized upon receiving the news, especially the nominated actors, who were all full of spirit.

At four o'clock, the group stepped onto the red carpet on time.

The surrounding area was ablaze with flashing lights and clicking cameras.

Media reporters from all over the world gathered on both sides of the red carpet.

This was the first time the coal mine owners had ever seen such a grand scene, surrounded by people of all races, including white and black, and a few with Asian features.

This suddenly instilled a sense of pride in the coal mine owners.

I really want to shout into the camera: Family, we have won glory for our country!

Fortunately, they weren't stupid; they knew that doing so wouldn't bring glory to the country, but rather bring shame to their nation in Venice. The broad-shouldered, burly coal bosses appeared solemn on the surface, but their hearts were far from calm.

"Old Yang, we didn't waste our money. Director Cheng is amazing. We've really nailed this time."

"Yes! I'll invest in Director Cheng's next movie. It's just a few million, right? If it can make me this glamorous, I'd give him ten million."

"Hey, Lao Feng, isn't that a CCTV reporter? Will we be on the news? If we are, that would be a real honor for our ancestors."

Several coal mine owners whispered among themselves, feeling that this moment was the most glorious moment of their lives.

This time, he really showed up.

It can be said that it has both substance and appearance.

They'll have plenty to brag about when they get back.

The investment of several million dollars brought him to his peak moment, which seemed like a very worthwhile investment.

The coal mine owners weren't the only ones excited; the actors following behind were too.

Although Zeng Li had participated in similar activities in China, this was her first time abroad, especially since her first film had been nominated for an international film festival.

That's right, Zeng Li had only acted in TV series before, this is her first time acting in a movie.

As the female lead and a competitor for the Venice Film Festival Best Actress award, Su Chang was immediately taken aback by the situation. Her expression became somewhat stiff, and she even subconsciously avoided the spotlight.

If this were some domestic female celebrities, they would have already started posing seductively for the camera.

Walking the red carpet at the world's top international film festivals is an honor that most actors can only dream of.

Bai Baihe, Tong Yaya, and Wang Zhi, as newcomers, performed even worse. Their bodies were stiff, their walking became uncoordinated, and they almost fell down if they hadn't been supported by someone.

Tong Yaya and Wang Zhi were basically extras in the movie. They were only able to walk the red carpet because Cheng Sheng specifically requested them. Otherwise, given their roles, they wouldn't have had the chance to walk the red carpet at all.

The media on both sides were also shocked as they watched Cheng Sheng and his group.

This is probably the first time they've ever seen so many people walking the red carpet together!
After walking the red carpet, there's one last part: being interviewed by reporters.

Afterwards, according to Venice's custom, Cheng Sheng's film needs to hold a premiere press conference.

However, because the premiere and red carpet events were scheduled to take place at the same time by the jury, the production team of "The Great Tang Dynasty - Origins" had no time to prepare.

Therefore, none of Cheng Sheng and his entourage attended the premiere.

After walking the red carpet, Cheng Sheng and the others arrived at the screening room.

Looking at the sparse audience, Cheng Sheng roughly estimated that the attendance rate was less than 40%.

Given that the jury scheduled the film for this prime time slot, the number of viewers was rather meager.

This is probably why the jury didn't help promote the film, and Cheng Sheng and the others, being visiting Venice for the first time, didn't promote it either, instead spending two days having fun.

This is why nobody knew about the movie, and therefore nobody came to see it.

There weren't many viewers, but more than half of them were film critics, fellow filmmakers who came to support the film, and distributors from various countries.

The reason why so many professional film critics recognize this film is mainly due to the jury's high regard for it.

Although the jury did not disclose the film's content to the outside world, the fact that the jury favored the film still reached the ears of some interested individuals.

Since the jury has a positive view of it, this movie must have its merits.

Film critics are curious about what kind of movie would be so highly regarded by the jury.

(End of this chapter)