Best Director in Literature Department of Huayu

Chapter 106 Filming Start and Low-Key Promotion (4K, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

With the first scene a resounding success, the entire crew began to move forward at an incredible pace.

Over the next few days, a series of extremely absurd and amusing scenes unfolded daily around the abandoned motel on the outskirts of New Orleans.

According to local government and union regulations, productions like "Dallas Buyers Club," with an eight-million-dollar budget, are required to have adequate facilities, on-site safety personnel, and a large number of support staff.

So the local New Orleans union sent dozens of strong men.

And what's the result? I come here every day just to find ways to kill time.

"Boss, do we really not need to assemble that four-meter-tall butterfly fabric today?" a young local stagehand asked his supervisor, looking somewhat confused.

The supervisor, holding five playing cards, threw out a full deck of red cards without looking up: "What are we assembling that thing for? Didn't you hear what the director said? The amount of sunlight that leaks through the clouds today is the amount that will be shown on our screen."

"You've got too much free time, haven't you? Go, smash that neon sign in the hotel corridor that's been broken for three months a bit more. The director said he wants that 'almost scrapped' street scene feel."

The man playing cards with him gestured to his chest: "Oh, what a wonderful sight to see such a kind man like Lin!"

As soon as he finished speaking, several union members nearby burst into laughter and joined in with gestures, saying, "Let's bless this kind-hearted director."

In other film crews, their behavior would most likely have gotten them kicked out by the assistant director.

But the biggest part of the job on the set of "Dallas Buyers Club" was waiting, waiting for the director to suddenly need them.

Most of the time, Lin Ruiyang didn't need to do anything. It was the photography crew who were exhausted these past few days because no one knew where the actors would run off to the next second, and the photographers had to follow them around the whole time.

By the end of the third day, Jeff, who was in charge of photography, collapsed in his car.

"Forest."

"If we keep filming like this, I might have to apply for workers' compensation before the movie is finished."

Lin Ruiyang couldn't help but laugh: "Then I'll increase your meal allowance."

"I need a masseuse."

"make a deal."

Yang Mi, whose family had just entered winter break in China, finally breathed a sigh of relief.

She only finished the promotional tour for "New Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio" in Shanghai on January 16th, and then plunged into the final exams at the Beijing Film Academy. Only after receiving her report card a couple of days ago did she have time to comfortably wrap herself in a blanket and sleep until she naturally woke up every day.

However, even though she was on leave, she continued to keep an eye on the domestic film and television industry, which was almost completely overwhelmed by all sorts of bombshell news.

Just a few days ago, the nominations for the 78th Academy Awards were officially announced to the world. Instantly, a massive information tsunami swept across mainstream Chinese media and online communities.

At this moment, Yang Mi's slender white fingers flew across the keyboard as she browsed the latest entertainment headlines from various sources.

"After releasing so many press releases, she still didn't get a Best Actress nomination..."

""

Yang Mi looked at the in-depth analysis on the screen that had been wildly reprinted by countless media outlets and sighed softly.

At this time, the most discussed female star on major portal websites and online communities is Zhang Ziyi, who has stepped onto the international stage. She successfully won a nomination for Best Actress at the Hollywood Golden Globe Awards in January.

During that period, the praise in China was overwhelming, and everyone thought that she would naturally make history and become the first Chinese to be nominated for an Oscar for Best Actress.

However, as soon as the nominations were announced, the news that "Zhang Ziyi regrettably lost the Oscar for Best Actress" quickly became a hot topic, along with the less favored "The Promise".

The comments section below was filled with heated arguments, with some feeling that racial barriers still exist and others believing that "Memoirs of a Geisha" itself was not good enough.

Ultimately, the prevailing opinion was, "Be content. A Golden Globe nomination is already the ceiling for Chinese actresses. Zhang Ziyi's defeat this time is still a great achievement!"

Right next to this debate about the ceiling for Chinese actors, another completely opposite extreme name is sweeping around with unparalleled glory, plunging the entire Chinese film and television industry into a near-frenzied worship and pride.

That is Li An and his "Brokeback Mountain".

While mainland media focused extensively on Zhang Ziyi's failure to be selected and the setback of "The Promise," Taiwanese media's front pages were almost entirely dominated by "Brokeback Mountain."

United Daily News: "Li An Leads the Oscar Race! Chinese Directors Are Just One Step Away from Making History!"

TVBS Weekly: "From Eat Drink Man Woman to Brokeback Mountain, Lee An has been crowned a world-class director."

Apple Daily: "Brokeback Mountain sweeps the Oscars with eight nominations; Lee's legendary status is imminent."

For several days in a row, television entertainment programs discussed the same topic: has Chinese-language cinema finally ushered in its own era?

During an entertainment talk show on Dongfeng TV, the host held up the newly released Oscar nomination list and remarked to the camera, "If Chinese-language cinema has been searching for a director who can truly enter the mainstream world film system for the past decade, then the answer seems to have appeared now."

Film critics in the audience also shared their opinions: "Actually, the seeds were already sown with 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon,' but at that time many people thought that Anthony Wong was a special case."

"It wasn't until Brokeback Mountain received eight Oscar nominations that people realized he wasn't just entering Hollywood, but defining Hollywood as a top director."

The host nodded: "So now many people are discussing a question. What happens after Li An?"

Many guests at the scene laughed awkwardly after hearing this, because it was a question that no one could answer.

Over the past few decades, many Chinese-language directors have ventured into the international film scene, but only one has truly reached the core of Hollywood's power structure.

After the program aired, related discussions spread rapidly.

Meanwhile, at Fox Searchlight headquarters, the publicity department was also paying close attention to the public opinion following the Oscar nominations.

Inside the meeting room, several publicity managers were looking at the media monitoring report for the past week.

"I think that's about right."

Someone nearby asked with a puzzled look, "What do you mean, 'almost'?"

"Dallas Buyers Club." Everyone was slightly taken aback.

The publicity director pushed the folder in his hand to the center of the table: "For the past month, the world's media has been focused on the Oscars."

.

"Now that the nominations have been announced, the audience will be in a relatively fatigued phase until the awards ceremony, which is precisely the best opportunity to release information about new projects."

Several executives in the room exchanged glances. They understood this principle, of course: awards season is never just awards season; it is also the starting point for Hollywood's next publicity cycle.

Many film companies choose this window to announce future projects in advance and start attracting attention.

"How's the filming progress on Lin's side?"

"It's pretty much as expected; it will definitely be completed within a month."

"Very good." The publicity director snapped his fingers and distributed several draft press releases to everyone.

"Since Lin has shown a level of control on set that far exceeds expectations, let's give him a push."

He then added, "Don't over-hype it, don't touch on the Oscars, and definitely don't try to ride on the coattails of 'Brokeback Mountain.' We're only going to do one thing: let the industry know that the director of 'The Devil Wears Prada' has started a new film."

Everyone nodded in agreement. For a label like Searchlight Pictures, which leans towards art films, the pace of promotion has always been restrained.

Especially for low- to mid-budget films with realistic themes, premature praise often backfires.

The following day, a very low-key industry newsletter quietly appeared in the North American new movie news section of The Hollywood Reporter and Variety magazine.

Just as the publicity director had planned, Searchlight released extremely restrained information to the North American media: "Fox Searchlight has quietly launched the independent film 'Dallas Buyers Club,' directed by Lin Ruiyang, director of 'The Devil Wears Prada.'"

The film reportedly has a tight budget of $800 million and has recently begun filming secretly in New Orleans.

The film, starring Matthew McConaughey and Jared Leto, tells a highly impactful story. To perfectly embody the patient characters in the script, both actors underwent drastic and transformative weight loss before filming began.

However, even for industry-focused media outlets like Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, this news only occupied a small, insignificant corner.

After all, no one in Hollywood these days has the time or energy to pay attention to an eight-million-dollar independent film that has just started production.

The entire industry's attention is focused on one thing: the Oscars finale on March 5th.

In the days following the release of the news, Dallas Buyers Club barely made a ripple. Occasionally, agents or producers would see the report, but they would only glance at it casually.

"McConnor actually started losing 40 pounds last year?"

"Another award-winning actor."

"I hope I don't starve myself into the hospital."

Similar comments are not uncommon. After all, in Hollywood, it's nothing new for actors to gain or lose weight drastically for awards.

What truly caught the attention of a few industry insiders was the name in the director's column.

Lin Ruiyang's film "The Devil Wears Prada" is about to be released during the summer season, and now he is already busy filming a new project. Such work efficiency is rare even in Hollywood.

Meanwhile, in New Orleans, Lin Ruiyang was completely unaware of the outside world.

He was squatting in a filthy public toilet, or more precisely, squatting with the photographer Jeff.

The two people stared at the monitor, repeatedly watching the scene that had just been filmed.

In the scene, Ma Xiu is facing a mottled washbasin mirror, his hands trembling violently as he braces himself on the counter. Due to extreme anger and fear of death, the veins on his neck bulge out one by one.

"The highlights are a little overdone, but the rough realism is right." Lin Ruiyang pointed to the upper right corner of the screen.

"Jeff, for the next scene, the one where Ron breaks down in the car, keep everything in sync with the speed of the setting sun."

Jeff stretched his arms wearily, then sighed with a forced smile, "Lin, you're gambling my career on the Louisiana weather. But Matthew's condition just now was truly astonishing; I almost thought he was going to die next to that toilet."

Lin Ruiyang patted Jeff on the shoulder, got up, pushed open the door, and walked out of the bathroom.

Approaching us was Matthew, who had already changed his clothes. He was wearing an oversized old jacket, which made him look even thinner and more emaciated.

"Lin, how did you feel about that close-up of him turning his head just now?" Matthew asked with some difficulty.

He practically expended all his body fat for this role, and now every word he speaks requires immense physical exertion.

"Fantastic, Matthew. Believe me, you're like Ron the Conqueror on camera." Lin Ruiyang gave the most direct affirmation.

At 11 p.m., a very inconspicuous repost appeared on the homepage of the entertainment gossip section of Tianya Community and the Baidu Movie Box Office Bar.

The poster is a Chinese film enthusiast who has been studying in Los Angeles for a long time and regularly browses the industry sections of foreign media magazines.

Initially, the post's title was relatively restrained: "Discussion: Fox Searchlight's new film starts filming in New Orleans, and the director's name appears to be Chinese?"

However, with the involvement of several seasoned film enthusiasts and students from the Beijing Film Academy, the post underwent an incredible transformation within just two hours, with the number of replies skyrocketing.

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"Wait, Ryan Lam? Why does that name sound so familiar?"

"Holy crap, could it be Lin Ruiyang from the Beijing Film Academy? Wasn't there a rumor that he went to the US to film that star-studded fashion blockbuster, 'The Devil Wears Prada'? How come that movie hasn't even been released yet, and he's already started a new film?!"

"Found it! Foreign media reports say that the director of 'The Devil Wears Prada' has started filming his new movie."

"Holy crap, it really is him?"

"The key point is that 'The Devil Wears Prada' hasn't even been released yet, right? They're already making a second film before it's even been released?"

The sentiment on the forum quickly shifted.

At this moment, the focus of everyone's discussion was his strange leap from glamorous and fashionable commercial blockbusters to an eight-million-dollar independent film.

"That's not surprising, is it? Many directors take on low-budget art films after finishing commercial films."

"Eight million dollars isn't even considered a mid-range production in Hollywood, especially with an AIDS theme. The box office ceiling for this thing is clearly visible."

The post quickly made it to the front page, but despite the discussion, its popularity remained limited.

After all, for most domestic audiences, "The Devil Wears Prada" has not yet been released, and "Dallas Buyers Club" is more like an industry news story happening on the other side of the ocean.

It's nowhere near as interesting as the repeated absences of Zhao Benshan from the Spring Festival Gala rehearsals, or the last-minute cuts of performances by stars like Na Ying and Sun Nan. The recently premiered "My Own Swordsman" has also become a hot topic.

Two days later, the post's popularity gradually waned.