America achieves both fame and fortune

Chapter 883 Applause Can Also Be a Business

The Dolby Theatre, the Oscars ceremony was nearing its end.

The music and thunderous applause carried from the front stage to the backstage.

Martin followed the staff through the backstage corridor.

As Julianne Moore, who had just won Best Actress, walked towards him, Martin stopped and politely said, "Julian, congratulations."

Julian, still reeling from his excitement, bowed slightly and grasped Martin's hands with both of his, saying, "Thank you, thank you..."

Martin smiled and nodded, then walked to the backstage entrance.

The grand finale award of the evening—Best Picture—will be presented soon.

Director and producer Hamilton then came over and had the PwC representative hand Martin an envelope, instructing him, "Go on stage immediately when the music starts."

Martin was about to nod when he noticed the envelope in his hand. He carefully examined the text on the cover and asked, "The list of Best Picture winners... there can't be a mistake, right?"

Hamilton exclaimed, "How could there be a mistake? This is the Oscars!"

It's no wonder Martin was worried. The radical gorilla faction was causing a ruckus before the awards ceremony, and in an environment where black people get gifts for making a scene, who knows if they might repeat the blunders of the past.

The Black film "Selma" was nominated for Best Picture.

It's fine if the Oscars and the Academy want to cause trouble, but Martin doesn't want to be a victim.

Hamilton noticed that Martin was acting slightly strange, but Hollywood stars were all a bunch of weirdos, and he couldn't be bothered to pay attention.

Music was coming from the front desk.

Hamilton urged, "Martin, it's time for you to come up."

Martin, holding the envelope, strode onto the stage, waving repeatedly to the audience. After reciting the script he had memorized, he turned to the big screen, watching the movie clips and subtitles, and said, "Let's see who's nominated for Best Picture."

The big screen flashed images and subtitles: American Sniper, Boyhood, Selma, The Grand Budapest Hotel, The Theory of Everything...

Martin opened the envelope, glanced at the name on it, and said, "The Best Picture is *Boyhood*!"

Amid cheers, a dozen or so people stood up in the third row.

Richard Linklater, the director and producer of "Boyhood," brought the cast and crew onto the stage.

Martin took a small golden statuette from the emcee and presented it to Richard Linklater, then stepped aside.

The crew was thrilled to win Best Picture; they felt like the stars of the show.

With more than a dozen people crammed in there, Martin simply retreated backstage.

The awards ceremony has now concluded.

Despite being nominated for several awards, including Best Actor, the Interstellar cast did not win any Oscars tonight.

It's obvious that Oscar doesn't like Nolan.

If Nolan wants to win Best Director, he needs to fight a long battle; perhaps he really needs a ten-year plan.

Martin took photos with several winners backstage, joined Leonardo DiCaprio and Nicholson, and went to Beverly Hills for the "Oscar Night" party.

During this time, Nicholson ran into Michael Keaton, who co-starred with him in the 1989 version of "Batman," and pulled Martin aside to chat with him for a while.

Michael Keaton, reflecting on those days, frankly stated that his acting career was almost destroyed by the role of Batman, and that the current superhero movie stars are in a much better situation than he faced back then.

Leonardo DiCaprio met Mexican director Alejandro Iñárritu.

The latter tried his best to promote his new project to Leonardo, wanting Leonardo's Roadshow Pictures to invest in it and also to cast Leonardo as the male lead.

Not long after, Leonardo brought over a book.

The three of them went to a less crowded rest area.

Martin asked curiously, "Did someone express their love for you and send you a book?"

Leonardo tossed the book to Martin: "That Mexican director gave it to me. He's planning to adapt this novel into a movie, invited me to play the lead role, and even asked me to invest in it."

Nicholson leaned over and glanced at the cover: "Michael Penk's *The Revenant*? Never read it."

Martin certainly remembers this movie, Leonardo's ultimate film on his long road to the Oscars.

Of course, Leonardo has now won the Oscar for Best Actor.

Martin opened the novel and quickly skimmed through the first few chapters. The novel tells the story of a group of fur hunters in the 19th century who went on a hunting expedition deep into the western part of North America.

This is the source material for Leonardo DiCaprio's movie.

Martin closed the novel, handed it to Nicholson beside him, and asked Leonardo, "Are you planning to work with him?"

Leonardo DiCaprio stated directly, "I don't like that Mexican director, not at all, but when it comes to film collaborations... whether you like it or not isn't the issue."

Martin said, "And if you invest, you're the one with the most say; the director will listen to you."

Leonardo snapped his fingers: "Martin, you've hit the nail on the head." He turned to look at the Mexican director with the afro: "This guy does have some talent. I think this film is good, especially the male lead."

Nicholson, who was quickly flipping through the book, chimed in, "This male lead is perfect for you. It's completely different from your previous image. You've worked with Scorsese for too long, and the roles you've played are somewhat similar. Changing your style is a good idea. Otherwise, you'll definitely lose to that bastard Martin."

Leonardo laughed and said, "That's what I think too."

Martin said, "You two bastards just want to see me make a fool of myself?"

Nicholson tossed the book to Leonardo: "I'm just trying to be helpful, why don't you marry Lorraine?"

Martin ignored him and simply gave him the middle finger.

For Leonardo DiCaprio's Roadblock Pictures, the investment for adapting this novel into a film was not a problem at all. As long as Leonardo DiCaprio starred in it, the six major studios would fight tooth and nail to get it distributed.

In Hollywood today, there are very few people who can be called superstars.

Even at his peak, Johnny Depp could only reign supreme in "Pirates of the Caribbean." Once he left the protection of the pirates, he immediately lost his magic.

Will Smith has devoted himself to raising his son in recent years, working as hard as he does with his son, and has long since lost the glory of his early 2000s.

Brad Pitt can be considered a superstar, but he's from the San Fernando Valley.

As for Robert Downey Jr., he's more like an appendage of Iron Man in the real world.

The day after the Oscars, the Los Angeles media acted as if they had lost their parents, frantically defending Black people and "Selma," arguing that "Selma" should at least have received a Best Actor or Best Director nomination and was more deserving of the Best Picture Oscar than other films.

In Los Angeles, a city that is almost saintly, political correctness seems to have become mainstream, and other LGBTQ groups have followed suit and launched their own movements.

Protests and rallies continue in the city's bustling areas.

Martin and Elizabeth accompanied Lily to an art exhibition, and on their way home, they encountered a protest rally, causing a long line of cars to be stuck on Sunset Boulevard.

Although there was a group of normal people confronting the demons and monsters, their numbers were much smaller, and they were clearly at a disadvantage.

Lily propped her chin on her hand, peering curiously through the car window, and said to Martin, "The Pandora's box you've opened is insane. Other industries are a bit better off, but people in the art world are going crazy."

Martin asked curiously, "Crazier than Hollywood?"

Lily said, "Artists are inherently crazier than filmmakers."

“I can vouch for that,” Elizabeth said, grabbing Lily’s hand and raising it. “For example, Miss Lily Carter.”

Martin said, "When working, you must have bodyguards with you."

"They've been following us the whole time." Lily's carving knife twirled in her hand like a fluttering butterfly. "I can protect myself."

Martin had already arranged bodyguards for them, so he wasn't worried.

A commotion came from outside. Lily put away her carving knife and turned to look at the area where the protesters were crowding. More LAPD members had arrived, but they didn't seem to have any good ideas in front of the numerous media reporters.

This was originally the result of mainstream social forces.

Lily asked curiously, "Why do the mainstream forces repeatedly push these factions, creating chaos across America and making us a laughingstock for the whole world?"

Martin kissed her forehead, then kissed Elizabeth again: "You tell me."

Elizabeth simply stated, "My personal understanding is that it's necessary on both political and economic levels. The former requires votes, while the latter, in the case of Hollywood movies, increases revenue through ticket sales and merchandise purchases by certain groups. Another crucial function is its ability to effectively divert social conflict."

Lily wasn't stupid. After being reminded by these words, she quickly came up with some ideas: "The widening gap between the rich and the poor, the further concentration of wealth and power at the top, and the increasingly difficult lives of the middle and lower classes, while they make up the vast majority in number, incite gender antagonism at the social level. The relationship between special groups and ordinary people can effectively divert social contradictions."

Martin feigned a sudden realization: "What you said actually makes some sense."

Lily rolled her eyes and said, "Ordinary people focus on these trivial matters, so naturally fewer people pay attention to the actions of the rich and politicians."

Elizabeth added, "While Martin, you opened Pandora's box, these demons truly rose to power after the Michelle Blake incident."

Martin's phone rang at that moment.

Elizabeth picked it up from her seat and handed it to Martin: "It looks like Thomas."

Martin answered the phone: "What's up?"

Thomas said, "The Cannes Film Festival organizing committee sent you a letter of intent, which was faxed to the company half an hour ago. I called them to inquire about it."

Martin said, "I'm on my way home. Come straight to the manor."

Thomas replied, "Okay."

More than half an hour later, Martin met Thomas at his home.

The latter handed him a fax with the logo of the Cannes Film Festival organizing committee on it.

Martin put it aside: "What exactly is it?"

Thomas quickly said, "The Cannes Film Festival organizing committee would like to invite you to serve as the president of the jury for next year's festival."

"Next May," Martin asked, having attended the Cannes Film Festival and even won the Best Actor award. "Do I have the time?"

Thomas, whose schedule was roughly booked until 2016, said, "I should be able to squeeze out ten days."

Martin nodded, then asked, "When will Cannes give you a definite answer?"

Thomas said, "Normally, the organizing committee should announce the next jury president within three months of the Cannes Film Festival's conclusion this year."

Martin thought for a moment and said, "We'll give Cannes a definite answer once we've finalized the schedule for next May."

Thomas replied, "I will communicate with Cannes."

If the schedule allows, Martin wouldn't mind serving as the jury president for one Cannes Film Festival.

He has attended the Cannes Film Festival several times. Many aspects of the festival are very interesting, and its commercial appeal and level of excitement are comparable to the Oscars.

Moreover, the Oscars are now incorporating some of the strengths of the Cannes Film Festival.

The most typical example is selling tickets for the red carpet event.

Compared to the Oscars, the Cannes Film Festival openly sells its services, with every red carpet event, from the opening and closing ceremonies to the premieres of films in the competition section, having a clearly marked price.

The most interesting part is actually the famous applause segment of the Cannes Film Festival.

Just as film reviews and word-of-mouth can be marketed, applause has also become a business at the Cannes Film Festival.

In the beginning, films that received five or even seven or eight minutes of applause from the audience after screenings always garnered attention from the media and movie fans, and achieved good commercial returns when they were publicly released after the film festival.

Some things are inevitable, and applauding films has become a business at the Cannes Film Festival.

Just as where film studios are concentrated, there will always be a group of extras, during the Cannes Film Festival every year, a special group will appear who are responsible for receiving red envelopes and applauding.

While applause for love is common, turning applause for film into business makes the Cannes Film Festival truly deserving of its title as one of the top three European film festivals.

Whether it's a bad movie or not, as long as you're willing to spend a little money, you definitely won't lose in terms of applause.

Today, if the audience applauds for no more than ten minutes after a movie screening, the film crew is too embarrassed to greet their colleagues.

After seeing Thomas off, Martin thought to himself that if it had been Cannes instead of Atlanta, organizing people to applaud during the film festival could have earned him some start-up capital.

Shortly after the Oscars ceremony, "The Shallows," which had been playing in North American theaters for seven weeks, exhausted its last remaining theatrical market potential and was pulled from theaters across North America.

The North American box office also settled at $1.38 million.

The film's overseas market continues to expand, and its global box office is steadily approaching $3 million.

Martin rented a temporary office on South Bourgeois Street and held several project preparation meetings for "Joker," which included Daniel Radcliffe and Lois Lane.

The project has a budget of $1 million, with Louise as producer and Martin attempting to direct and star in it.

As soon as the film studio was established, Martin used his financial resources to assemble an experienced filming and production team.

For the first assistant director position, he still chose Steve Downton, with whom he had worked before.

This person, who hasn't considered directing a film independently yet, is considered a top assistant among WMA's director clients.

Because of the film's production concept and theme, Martin needed another kind of real-life experience.

The trio of bastards had already made an agreement on this.

(End of this chapter)