Chapter 596 Interview with Cow B Syndrome

Italy.

Venice, the water city.

It has to be said that this year's Venice Film Festival is full of many Chinese elements, and domestic media reporters are paying close attention to and reporting on it.

"Parasite" has been shortlisted for the main competition unit, competing for several major awards.

"Outing", a new film from Taiwanese director Tsai Ming-liang, was also successfully shortlisted for the competition unit.

Coupled with the fact that the famous mainland director Jiang Wen serves as a judge in the main competition unit, this series of operations can be said to be full of gimmicks.

On the opening ceremony red carpet, Liu Yifei, Qin Hao, Hu Ge and others all appeared and were chased by media reporters from all over the world.

After the red carpet, director Alfonso Cuarón's film "Gravity" had its world premiere after the opening ceremony. After the premiere, the audience burst into applause, and the media and guests gave overwhelming praise.

Currently, this movie produced by Warner is scheduled to be released in North America on October 10 and in mainland China on November 4. Hollywood media reported that it will target next year's Academy Awards.

After the opening ceremony, the world-renowned director Zhang Yimou naturally could not escape the interview session.

The first question asked was about Zhang Yimou's views and evaluation of the opening ceremony movie "Gravity".

A beautiful reporter from Italian local media Mediaset asked, holding up a microphone with its logo.

It is the largest broadcaster in Italy, owning multiple TV channels and website portals, and is also one of the official media designated for this year's Venice Film Festival.

"This is a very exciting sci-fi 3D movie. I think it is very exciting. Director Alfonso Cuarón's use of images and music, selection of scenes, storytelling and control of rhythm all make the audience shine."

Zhang Yimou looked at the reporter who was interviewing him, and after a little thought, he gave praise.

"Hello, Zhang, I'm a reporter from La Stampa Italia. What do you think of Alfonso Cuarón, the director of Gravity?"

A young blonde reporter holding a microphone got this rare interview opportunity.

"Well, Alfonso Cuarón is a very talented director. His ability is unquestionable. He will also participate in the Oscars next year, which is rare."

The next few questions all revolved around "Parasite", and Zhang Yimou answered very cautiously.

Before this year's Venice Film Festival even started, Italian local media considered Zhang Yimou's "Parasite" as one of the strong contenders for this year's Golden Lion Award.

Along with "Parasite", another popular work in the main competition unit is "Rome Beltway", directed by Italian director Gianfranco Rossi.

"Night Moves" directed by American director Kelly Reichardt, "The Wind Rises" anime film by Hayao Miyazaki, and "Jealousy" by French director Philippe Garrel.

It is worth mentioning Hayao Miyazaki's "The Wind Rises". After this movie was released in the island country, it was regarded as his masterpiece by netizens.

Especially on the red carpet of the opening ceremony, Studio Ghibli General Manager Koji Hoshino announced that 72-year-old Hayao Miyazaki had decided to retire. The announcement of this news made the film even more popular.

However, for domestic netizens who follow Hayao Miyazaki, the old man’s retirement and comeback so many times has almost become a joke.

These movies are all very popular, so reporters would of course like to take this opportunity to interview some big news that may be explosive.

Seeing that Zhang Yimou didn't let anything slip, the reporters turned their attention to Liu Yifei and others nearby.

Today, Liu Yifei is wearing a white dress and has delicate makeup, looking extremely beautiful.

Before the filming of "The Revenant" began, Gu Wei announced in a high-profile manner that this was a film that would participate in the Academy Awards. Coincidentally, the opening film "Gravity" will also participate in next year's Oscars, and it is a 3D special effects blockbuster.

As we all know, Gu Wei and Cameron are currently known as the two directors in the world who understand 3D technology best. After a little thought, the reporters asked her about the comparison between Gu Wei and Alfonso Cuarón.

"Well, director Alfonso Cuarón is very talented, and Gravity is a very exciting 3D movie, but I still think my boyfriend Gu Wei is better. Directors Spielberg and Nolan have both watched The Wandering Earth and gave it very high praise, which is the best proof."

Miss Liu's complacency in interviews was fully demonstrated at this moment. She praised Gu Wei and "The Wandering Earth" and Zhang Yimou next to her raised his mouth corners and couldn't hide his smile at all.

Hearing this answer, the interviewing reporter was extremely excited. "The Wandering Earth" and "Gravity" were both released simultaneously in North America in early October, so the hot spot is about to come.

The reporters received a satisfactory answer, and then asked a few more questions to their companions Qin Hao, Hu Ge and others. The interview, which lasted more than half an hour, was finally over.

After the interview, everyone chose to go back to the hotel to rest.

When it comes to the water city of Venice, there is no shortage of expensive hotels with a long history.

After the annual Venice International Film Festival opened on August 8th local time, popular hotels where celebrities stay have once again become the focus, including both ancient castle palace-style hotels and modern minimalist holiday estates.

Zhang Yimou and others stayed at the Oman Canal Hotel, which consists of two adjacent buildings. One of them is the Papadopoli Palace built in the 16th century. It is located on the riverside and has beautiful scenery.

The boutique hotel chosen by Jiang Wen and his wife is located on Lido Island, which is where most celebrities live and is also the hotel that media reporters focus on the most.

Probably because of this reason, Italian media reporters kept catching Jiang Wen for interviews.

Jiang Wen also welcomed everyone who came, and he could also promote the new movie "One Step Away". In his opinion, it was beautiful, and there was still a lot of media promotion expenses left over.

...

In the following days, Song Ge and Zhang Yimou were responsible for the screening of "Parasite" at the Venice Film Festival. The company rented a screening hall and held two shows every day, one in the morning and one in the afternoon.

"Parasite" director Zhang Yimou and lead actress Liu Yifei attracted filmmakers from all over the world, and the screening room was almost full every day.

In addition, Liu Yifei has to attend luxury events from time to time, and Qin Hao, Hu Ge and others have to accept interviews from time to time, so the entire team has no time to rest.

After a busy day of activities, everyone dragged their tired bodies straight to the hotel. The room booked by the "Parasite" crew was on the third floor. There were seven or eight people in the group and each of them had a separate room. What stood out was their wealth.

Liu Yifei's room was located in the middle. After entering the room, she changed out of her dress and took a shower.

Miss Liu, who had cleaned up, sat on the sofa in front of the window. She could see the boats coming and going outside, looking leisurely and contented.

After checking the time and silently calculating what time it was in China, Liu Yifei picked up her phone and called Gu Wei.

The time difference between the capital and Italy is 7 hours. When it is four o'clock in the afternoon in Venice, it is already eleven o'clock in China.

"Hello, hello, can you hear me?" Miss Liu said immediately after the call was connected.

"Are you done with your work?" Gu Wei, who was in the company, raised his hand to check the time and asked casually.

"Uh-huh, what are you doing?"

"Working overtime. There are only two shots left for The Revenant. We can finish it today." There were all kinds of noises in the editing room. Gu Wei said as he opened the door and walked to the rest area.

"So soon? Didn't it say it would take another week?" Liu Yifei asked in surprise. At the same time, she thought that once the film was edited, Gu Wei would be able to come to Venice earlier.

"I worked overtime for a few days. Before going to the Venice Film Festival, I have to take some time to meet the future chairman of China Film Group and the people from Happy Twist..."

In the rest area, Gu Wei sat on the sofa and kept talking, occasionally glancing at other people who were busy.

"Ah, I thought you could come earlier." Liu Yifei was a little disappointed, and her tone seemed a little tired after a busy day.

"Are you tired?" Hearing that his girlfriend was not in good condition, Gu Wei asked with concern.

"It's OK, but the activities are concentrated in these two days, so it's a bit rushed."

Liu Yifei didn't say it because she wanted to finish her work first, and then have time to wait for her boyfriend to come over and go shopping together, so as to avoid him worrying about her and disrupting his plans.

"Thank you for your hard work, honey. After the award ceremony, let's have fun together in Venice for two days."

Hearing Gu Wei's corny name, the young lady smiled and all her fatigue disappeared.

"Will it delay the premiere of The Wandering Earth?" Miss Liu suddenly asked, suppressing the smile on her face.

"It's okay, just treat it as a trip, it's not a big deal to play for a day or two..."

As they were chatting, Gu Wei recalled Miss Liu's speech in the interview two days ago. She was indeed an interviewee of a severe case of the awesome syndrome.

Domestic news media have reported a lot on this in the past two days. For a while, the topic of "Gravity" in China has been gaining popularity.

"Oh, I just wanted to praise you, but who knew the media would over-interpret the report." Liu Yifei's face turned red.

"Haha, that's great. With your praise, The Wandering Earth will definitely be a big hit at the box office." Gu Wei replied happily. ...

After finishing the call with Liu Yifei, Gu Wei smiled knowingly and strode towards the editing room.

Time passed quickly and the hands kept ticking.

Around 1:30 in the morning, Gu Wei's voice rang out in the room and everyone cheered.

"Everyone has worked hard. Let's go for a midnight snack together tonight. Everyone will have a day off tomorrow."

"Haha, thank you boss."

"Pack up and get ready to go."

"We have a vacant co-pilot seat. Pretty ladies who have signed up will be given priority."

Listening to the chattering and joking of people, Guo Fan also breathed a sigh of relief.

He had just finished filming "The Wandering Earth" last month when he was pulled by Gu Wei to film "The Revenant". After more than two months of high-intensity work, he was now enjoying a rare moment of relaxation.

"We'll go together later. Also, you should get ready for the global premiere of 'The Wandering Earth' so that we can attend together." Gu Wei came to Guo Fan, patted him on the shoulder and said.

"Director Gu, I...is this appropriate?" Guo Fan was shocked by the sudden news and asked immediately.

"Suitable. You will be the deputy director of this movie. The official announcement will explain it before the release." Gu Wei said with a smile.

"Ah, thank you, thank you Director Gu." The event felt like a dream at this moment.

From being recommended by Wang Jinghua to successfully joining the filming of "The Wandering Earth", and from being a small team leader to the current nominal deputy director, in just less than two years, Guo Fan can be said to have fully experienced the improvement of his status.

Now in the company, many employees directly call him Director Guo, and Zhang Yimou, Ning Hao and Lu Yang's attitude towards him has also changed greatly from before.

All these changes started from the last time Gu Wei took him to a party.

"No, maybe I have to thank someone more." Guo Fan couldn't help but think of another director.

The place for late-night snacks is a food stall that occupies a large area with tables inside and outside. It is not far from the company and most of the employees usually come here to party and drink after get off work.

The temperature in the capital dropped in early September, and it was even a bit chilly at night.

A group of more than 30 people sat at four tables. Gu Wei waved his hand and asked them to order whatever they wanted, and the atmosphere immediately became lively.

Although it was late at night, there were quite a lot of people eating at the barbecue stall. Fortunately, there were many people in Gu Wei's group, and except for him and Guo Fan, the others had hardly been on the news. In addition, because of the darkness of the night, no one recognized them.

After everyone sat down one after another, the boss came over to take the order. At a glance, he recognized Gu Wei.

"Director Gu, can we take a photo together after we finish eating?" The boss was from Zibo, and he looked big and strong.

"I really like the movies you've made, especially 'Interstellar' and '2012'..." The boss took advantage of the time to order food to start chatting with Gu Wei directly.

I have to say that he is a real movie fan. From "Tuya's Wedding" to the upcoming "The Wandering Earth", there is almost nothing that he is not interested in.

The enthusiasm of Shandong people was fully demonstrated at this moment. Facing true fans, Gu Wei naturally would not put on airs.

Before the dishes were even served, two group photos were taken, which made the boss's face turn red and he insisted on waiving the bill.

Seeing that something was not right, the two people's voices attracted curious glances from the diners not far away. Gu Wei decisively opened a bottle of beer, and the two clinked glasses, which made the other party give up the idea.

After a while, the ordered barbecue and stir-fried dishes came up one after another very quickly.

The main dish of this shop is grilled beef and mutton skewers. After the skewers were served, Gu Wei took a bite and had to say that they tasted really good.

Especially the grilled red willow beef skewers. The top piece is the beef ribs, followed by fat and lean meat pieces. You can eat three parts from one skewer. The cooking skills are top-notch, no wonder the business is so good.

Looking around, even at two o'clock in the morning, there were still many tables inside and outside the house.

The meal lasted until about four in the morning, and when everyone finished eating and leaving, customers were still arriving in the restaurant.

The slightly pale night sky coupled with the scent of fireworks creates a picture of peace and prosperity.

.........

The next day, the official Weibo account of Xingchen Films announced the news that the post-production of "The Revenant" was completed.

Netizens and fans are naturally looking forward to when the film will be released in mainland China, and filmmakers in the circle have sent invitations to dinner.

Anyone who knows a little about the industry knows Gu Wei's upcoming schedule. Partners such as Shanghai Film Group, Light Media, Bona Film Group, Emperor Entertainment Group, and Wanda all want to take advantage of these two days to make an appointment with Gu Wei to inquire about new projects in Hollywood.

When Spielberg and Nolan came to the capital some time ago, no one thought that the other party came just for a movie viewing party.

In the villa, Gu Wei slept until the afternoon. After getting up and cleaning up, he saw invitations from major film and television bosses on his mobile phone.

After thinking for a moment, he replied to Ye Ning. The reason for the invitation given by the other party mentioned the ticket purchasing software, which was also what Gu Wei was currently concerned about.

After cleaning up, Gu Wei found some food from the refrigerator to eat. Since someone was going to treat him later in the evening anyway, he was too lazy to order food to be delivered.

Sitting in the office, he looked up and replied, then continued to browse the news.

There are countless news on the Internet, and the most concerning one is that people in the circle are once again criticizing the high pay, saying that the actors' pay is rising faster than the housing prices in first-tier cities, which is of no benefit but only harm to the development of the industry.

It's not just one person who is criticizing. Many directors and producers have united together and clamored to boycott this abnormal phenomenon.

Gu Wei watched it from beginning to end and felt that these people had not experienced a big scene. In two years, when the actors' box office revenue could account for more than half of the cost of the work, they would probably not be able to bear it.

Once Internet companies come in, everyone will know what true "high pay" is. It won't be long before next year will be the dividing line for a surge in domestic entertainment pay.

After checking the time, Gu Wei put down his hands and drove to Wanda Sofitel Hotel.

Under the guidance of the waiter, Gu Wei went directly to the box.

"Director Gu is here."

As soon as he entered the door, a sweet greeting sounded immediately. Gu Wei looked carefully and wondered who else it could be but Jing Tian.

"Hey, the filming of "The Man from Macau" has been completed." Gu Wei asked casually without paying attention to the other party's movements.

"Yeah, we just finished filming, and the movie's release date has come out." A look of disappointment flashed across Jingtian's face, and he said with a smile.

"Uh, pretty fast." Gu Wei replied somewhat embarrassedly.

Afterwards, he sat in the main seat under the arrangement of Ye Ning and Lu Zheng.

Gu Wei didn't expect that these two would be here today. After sitting down, he glanced at Ye Ning and his meaning was very clear.

"Director Gu, you didn't attend the wrap party for New Police Story 2013 some time ago. It just so happens that you are leaving for Venice in the next two days, so President Lu wanted to treat you to a meal as a way of wishing you success in winning the award in advance." Ye Ning said cheerfully.

Hearing this, Gu Wei didn't say much. After learning from Ye Ning that the progress of the ticket purchasing software was normal, he just treated it as an ordinary dinner.

While eating, he chatted with Lu Zheng and Jing Tian.

Jing Tian is indeed a cheerful person. After seeing Gu Wei and Ye Ning finish their business, he pulled him aside and kept talking about the crew of "The Man from Macau".

He talked about his feelings about his first collaboration with Wong Jing, Chow Yun-fat and others, and the improvement in his acting skills during this period.

Hearing about the improvement in his acting skills, Gu Wei looked at the other person curiously. He didn't know whether his acting skills had improved or not, but the density of his speaking had indeed improved rapidly.

The meal lasted two hours, and Jingtian still felt a little unsatisfied even after it was over.

Seeing this situation, Gu Wei decisively refused the next game and found an excuse to slip away.

.........

(End of this chapter)