When Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi arrived in Bicaro, the film festival was almost halfway through. Because of the film festival, there were many media outlets stationed at the airport taking pictures of the celebrities coming in and out. Some people leave, and some people come. There are new stars every day, and these new stars also give them new things to shoot every day, so that they can continue to make a living. When Lu Yanhe walked out, several media outlets from Asian countries immediately recognized him. "Lu Yanhe!" "Lu Yanhe, can you take a look over here?" …… Several photographers shouted loudly in English. Of course, not everyone’s English is good enough for people to understand right away.
When some European and American reporters saw them cheering so enthusiastically for a young handsome boy, most of them still didn't know him, so they only took two photos symbolically to avoid missing any of them - but in fact, because they didn't know him, they really didn't take him seriously. Lu Yanhe and Chen Siqi were escorted out by Zou Dong and Wang Biao on the left and right. Lu Yanhe took off his sunglasses, waved to the media who called his name, and generously allowed them to take pictures for a while before getting in the car and leaving. "Almost all the Asian media know you now." Chen Ziyan turned her head and said to him, "I didn't tell those media in advance just now. They just recognized you on their own." Lu Yanhe nodded. "Is it because Friends and The 17th Floor are doing well on Maxine? Siqi and I went to Europe this time and met a few Europeans who recognized me. They all knew me after watching these two dramas on Maxine." Chen Ziyan: "Phoenix TV is also very popular in South Korea and Japan. Our ancient costume political dramas still have a large market in Asia." "Okay." Lu Yanhe said, "No wonder more and more actors are starting to act in streaming dramas. This kind of communication power allows audiences all over the world to know you." Streaming media is now a global market. "The Seventeenth Floor" is on Maxine, and it really performs very well. This kind of battle royale drama has audiences all over the world. Audiences who like this kind of theme do not need the drama producers to promote it in front of them. They will regularly search for TV dramas with similar themes. The quality of "Seventeen Floors" itself is very good, so it is not surprising that it is liked by everyone. However, the show did not bring much feedback to the actors. In China, the actors gained popularity and traffic because of the show, but abroad, people watched the show for fun, but it was difficult to form a "star-chasing" force to make a certain character or actor popular. This requires a certain amount of voice to create momentum. It doesn't mean that just having a dozen or twenty fans or moviegoers can make you popular on foreign social platforms. Especially for dramas like "The Seventeenth Floor". It's the same as the well-known saying in the film industry that "it's hard to promote actors in horror films". In genre films, the first protagonist is definitely the setting, not the actor. In fact, urban dramas like "Friends" are more popular with actors. Lu Yanhe is recognized by many Europeans and Americans because of the drama "Friends". - When Lu Yanhe met Wang Zhong and Chen Bige, the first thing Wang Zhong said was, "Why are you so dark?" Lu Yanhe said: "I've been outside in the sun these days and got tanned." Wang Zhong looked a little disgusted and said, "It's too dark." Lu Yanhe couldn't laugh or cry.
“Does it affect your appearance?” "It affects the audience who have watched our short film to recognize you." "That's an exaggeration, director. It's not that bad." Lu Yanhe denied it immediately. Chen Bige: "It's okay, he looks more handsome when he's darker. He used to be like a pale-faced scholar, but now he looks a bit more sturdy." Lu Yanhe immediately raised his chin proudly, "Director, listen to what Sister Bi Ge said." Seeing this, Wang Zhong chuckled and shook his head. "Does our short film have a name yet?" “Well, let’s call it “Night Escape,” Wang Zhong said. When Lu Yanhe heard the name, he was stunned for a moment, then smiled and said, "This name is suitable." It itself comes from an act in the legend "The Story of the Precious Sword" by Li Kaixian of the Ming Dynasty. Later, because of the widely circulated saying "Men are afraid of running away at night, and women are afraid of thinking about the world", it became one of the most famous plays in the opera industry. It is actually taken from "Water Margin", which tells the story of Lin Chong's night escape, which has nothing to do with the story of this short film. But if we put aside its original meaning and only look at the literal meaning of these two words, it is very suitable for the story itself. The story of the short film is indeed a story of a night run. - This time, "Night Run" was shortlisted for the short film competition unit, and everyone felt almost no pressure. It was almost a pure mood of participating in a film festival. Chen Bige's schedule for this visit to the Bicaro Film Festival is quite full. She has two magazine covers to be shot here, as well as other brand campaigns. Lu Yanhe didn't have to do these things this time. He could fully enjoy the charm of this film festival with Chen Siqi. In addition to the work related to "Night Run", he took Chen Siqi to travel through the streets and alleys of Bicaro and to the cinemas at different times to watch many movies. Chen Siqi said: "I feel that not every film shortlisted for the main competition unit is a good work." "That's true. If you know more about the film festival, you will know that although the quality of the film is one of the important factors in the selection of films for the main competition unit, it is never an absolute or critical factor." Lu Yanhe said, "But there must be a reason for it to be selected for the main competition unit. In fact, for the film festival, it is not only the main competition unit that produces good works, but other units also produce good works. The April Rain that we liked before was not in the main competition unit." Chen Siqi nodded. "That being said, we are still somewhat utilitarian. The same is true for you. This time we are shortlisted for the short film competition unit, which is not as solemn as when "Late Spring" was shortlisted for the main competition unit of the Venice International Film Festival." Lu Yanhe smiled. Because Chen Siqi is right. It is indeed the case. Utilitarianism is inevitable and real. Lu Yanhe said: "Indeed, I need to reflect on myself." Chen Siqi: "I didn't ask you to review it. I just wanted to say that it's normal for people to have such utilitarian ideas. Your film festival is set up like this. The highest award is placed in the main competition unit, and the word 'main' is even added to it." Lu Yanhe nodded, "Yes." - On the day of the premiere of "Night Run", there were still some people who showed up. The names of Wang Zhong, Chen Bige and Lu Yanhe put together are still somewhat attractive to film media from all over the world. In particular, Wang Zhong's last film, "Three Mountains", won the Best Director Award at the Sitour Film Festival. This award is still very valuable, as you can see from how quickly Wang Zhong's status in the domestic film industry has risen in the past year. The short film is beautifully shot. Wang Zhong shot the entire film with a deep ancient feel, giving people a sense of quiet and simple beauty.
There are frequent close-up shots of Chen Bige or Lu Yanhe. The faces of both of them are very suitable for the big screen. Their facial contours and lines make them present a special beauty under Wang Zhong's lens. Especially Chen Bige, when she raises her eyes and lowers her eyebrows, she exudes a gentleness that is free of all worldly desires. Lu Yanhe sat in the dark screening room, waiting for the film to end. There was thunderous applause. Lu Yanhe also guessed that this short film would be very popular with foreign audiences because it is very traditional Chinese culture and is beautifully shot, with every shot being beautiful. While Chen Bige was clapping with everyone, he whispered in Lu Yanhe's ear: "Actually, it would be great if the director could make this into a feature film. I feel like I've never shot a film with such beautiful shots." Lu Yanhe nodded and said, "I think so too." Director Wang Zhong received warm recognition and applause. Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige stood beside him and saw that many foreigners looked at Wang Zhong with eyes full of respect and the enthusiasm of fans for their idol. The artistic director of the Picasso Film Festival, Dulshevich, was also present and personally saw Wang Zhong, Lu Yanhe and others off. As he walked, he expressed his love for the short film to everyone, and also asked about "Rouge" which was filmed by Wang Zhonggang and Chen Bige. "Come to Bikalo next year with this movie," Durshevich said proactively. After his previous film won the Best Director Award at the Cité Internationale des Arts Départements, Wang Zhong's next new film will definitely attract much attention from the four major international film festivals. It can almost be said that his new film will be invited to the main competition of the four major international film festivals. It depends on which one he wants to choose. Wang Zhong smiled and said, “I haven’t figured out how to edit this movie yet.” According to Lu Yanhe's idea, this movie is not an art film. Even though the theme it expresses and the shooting style are very similar to art films, it is actually a relatively popular story. It does not have obscure artistic expressions, but tells the story of people and love. Of course, the film material is here, and Wang Zhong can certainly edit it according to his ideas and in the direction and style of an art film, cutting out the straightforward and less blank parts. But at present, everyone's idea is still the same, so that this movie will not go in a more obscure direction. Therefore, if you plan to do this, you need to seriously consider which film festival to premiere Wang Zhong's new film. You definitely can't go to Sitol, as commercial films are the least popular there. Bicaro is actually not much better. According to everyone's positioning of "Rouge", this movie should actually be a movie that may not be praised by the film festival, but will be loved by the audience. Because it is very audience-friendly and uncomplicated, but it is not an ordinary popcorn movie and it also has a strong authorial expression. Dulshevich also expressed to Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige his welcome to visit the Bicaro Film Festival often. Lu Yanhe smiled and nodded. - "Night Run" has received very good reviews from film critics and the media. This was also expected. Few big directors make short films, let alone come up with such a high budget to do so. The quality of "Night Run" is completely worthy of being put into a feature film. When Wang Zhong was interviewed by the media and asked why he made such a short film, he said, "One is to test shoot for the movie Rouge that I just finished shooting, to find out what style of lens to use, because the backgrounds are all with a sense of age, and I need to make some attempts. The second is that I have already written this script, and it has been in the bottom of the box for a long time. I couldn't find investors willing to invest in it before, so I didn't make it. This time, Xin Zixing helped me get the shooting funds, and Lu Yanhe and Chen Bige were willing to support it, so I took the opportunity to shoot it." Many foreign journalists expressed the same idea, saying, "Can this short film be made into a feature film?" This shot with a completely Chinese aesthetic shocked the foreign reporters. This is the result of thousands of years of cultural aesthetics. Foreign journalists don’t know much about it, so they are naturally surprised by the flickering images and light and shadow.
The most direct thing about the movie itself is not the script, but the pictures. The beauty of the camera pictures in "Night Run" is extreme, and the script and characters seem to have become tools for changing the pictures. When Lu Yanhe was asked whether "Night Run" would be made into a feature film, he just smiled and said, "You have to ask the director. I don't know either." However, he thought that if it was made into a feature film, the movie might not have the reputation it has now. It’s still what Chen Siqi said. Even though people don't admit it, they are actually utilitarian - when it comes to this matter, everyone is biased. People don't judge Night Run by the same standards as they would a feature film. It is amazing that a short film can achieve such an extreme level of lens aesthetics, and everyone will think it is amazing, worthy of Wang Zhong. But if the feature film is also like this, with almost no plot, and to put it bluntly it is just a thin story of unrequited love and inability to be together, talking about a sense of fatalism and regrets, I guess there will be a lot of people finding fault with it. - After the screening of "Night Run" ended, Lu Yanhe prepared to return home. Although it is not known whether it will win an award in the future, even if it does, it will be Wang Zhong who will go on stage to receive the award, and he will not need to stay here any longer. Unexpectedly, someone from HP, an American streaming media company, suddenly contacted him and asked him to meet. The streaming media HP is about the same size as Maxine, but HP's business is mainly concentrated in Europe and the United States. Unlike Maxine, which has such a large business presence, HP has invested in the production of film and television dramas in countries and regions all over the world, and has produced many popular non-English works. HP's popular works are basically English works from European and American countries, mainly from the United States and the United Kingdom. There are even very few works from other European and American countries. Lu Yanhe met the man in confusion. He was a blond-haired, blue-eyed man in a suit and tie. He looked like an elite, very gentlemanly and polite. "Tom White." He introduced himself to Lu Yanhe. Lu Yanhe also smiled and introduced his name, "Lu Yanhe." Tom White has a very handsome appearance, the kind of mature, handsome, masculine, elite image commonly seen in movies and TV dramas. The other party said, "I came to the Bicaro Film Festival this time to purchase some good movies for our HP. I happened to see the news and you were here, so I found Shang Yongzhou and contacted you for a meeting." When Lu Yanhe learned from Shang Yongzhou that people from HP wanted to meet with him, his surprise was understandable. "I have known Shang Yongzhou for several years and I know that he had just finished filming "Paths of Glory" with you. I have seen the rough cut of that movie and your performance is not inferior to his, which left a deep impression on me," said Tom White. Lu Yanhe shook his hand, showing a humble attitude of "Please don't say that." "I know that besides being an actor, you are also a very famous screenwriter." Tom White said, "You are the screenwriter of Friends." Lu Yanhe nodded. "We at HP have always wanted to enter the Asian market, but, except for China, which doesn't allow us to stream media, most other countries and regions have already been occupied by Maxine." (End of this chapter)