mijobooks Chapter 38 Country
Chapter 38 Country
The lobby of the Westin Hotel.
When Lin Ruiyang and Wang Hai arrived, the two representatives from Focus Pictures were already seated, their coffee steaming.
Sitting on the left is James Schamus, the man behind the scenes who would later elevate Li An to the Oscars. He is now elegantly adjusting his glasses, his eyes behind the lenses piercingly sharp.
"Lin, last night at the closing ceremony, I witnessed a miracle at the Berlin Film Festival," James said first.
"Your ability to bring actors to that soul-stirring level reminds me of Woody Allen in his early days, but your perspectives on the underworld are different."
Lin Ruiyang was in no hurry to respond. He could sense that the other party was trying to use this sense of agreement to lower the subsequent business offer.
"Mr. James, if you just want to talk about art, we can sit in a café in Potsdamer Platz all day."
He moved the untouched cup of coffee in front of him half an inch to the side.
"But your flight is tonight, and mine is too. So, let's be direct."
"Lin, two million US dollars, full North American rights." James gave his bottom line without hesitation. "This is the highest price Focus Features can offer right now."
"Mr. James, buying out the copyrights to the three Silver Bears for two million sounds more like a charitable act. Since we're all in this for business, two million six hundred thousand dollars for the full North American rights. As for how to operate it, that's up to your company."
At the exchange rate at that time, the revenue from the North American copyright alone, amounting to only two million six hundred thousand US dollars, was enough for "A Separation" to generate several times the profit.
James stared at Lin Ruiyang for a while, seemingly assessing how much confidence this young man, who was not yet twenty, actually had.
After a moment, he smiled and held out his hand: "Deal."
"Lin, you're not only a genius director, but also an excellent salesman."
Wang Hai listened with sweaty palms, and only breathed a sigh of relief when the two shook hands.
With a production cost of two million RMB, the film earned millions of US dollars in overseas revenue, which was nothing short of a miracle in the Chinese film industry in 2005.
Meanwhile, in a lounge not far from Tegel Airport, Liu Yibing and Tian Zhuangzhuang sat facing each other.
The two bigwigs had been in Berlin for nearly a week, and although they looked a little tired, the joy in their eyes was impossible to hide.
"Old Liu, you have a good eye." Tian Zhuangzhuang waved the newspaper in his hand, which prominently featured a large picture of Lin Ruiyang accepting an award with three actors.
"When the news of three filmmakers from one family gets back to the Beijing Film Academy, your literature department's admission will probably be overwhelmed with applications."
Liu Yibing chuckled: "Let them criticize me. Didn't some people in your directing department say back then that he refused to switch departments to learn the correct theoretical system?"
Looking back now, we realize that the diverse knowledge we gained in our literature department was the foundation for our achievements.
"Don't show off to me." Tian Zhuangzhuang shook his head helplessly.
"Wang Jinsong has already called about the seminar. He said the Department of Performing Arts wants to co-organize it with you. Judging from this, they seem to want to use Ruiyang as a flagship brand."
"The sign should be put up, and it's time to wake some people up."
On the return flight, everyone except Lin Ruiyang and Fatty fell asleep. The three silver bears were carefully stored in a carry-on suitcase and placed on the overhead luggage rack.
When the fat man approached, Lin Ruiyang was staring intently at the outline of the script for "The Devil Wears Prada" on the screen.
The cabin lights were dimmed, and most passengers had their window shades pulled down, except for the reading light above his head, which was still on.
"Old Lin, the welcome party when we get back will definitely be big," the fat man said with certainty.
"The banner at the school gate is definitely up. Last time, the one in Venice, with its red background and white lettering, stayed up for a week before being taken down. This time, it'll probably stay up until March."
"If it's hung up in March, it'll be a banner for the new school term." Lin Ruiyang saved the script outline and closed his laptop.
"I told you to drink less coffee before you board the plane."
The fat man chuckled twice and leaned his head back in his chair.
Lin Ruiyang looked away and reopened his laptop. The script outline on the screen was less than ten pages long, mostly consisting of scene breakdowns and notes on character motivations.
In Lauren Weisberg's original novel, Miranda Priestley is a near-stereotypical workplace bullying monster.
The first four screenwriters failed to break free from the revenge narrative framework, turning the story into a workplace allegory about an assistant who is tortured by a female tyrant for a year and then awakens and rebels.
This kind of narrative is easy to film and easier to please the audience and create an emotional resonance, but it is not the true face of the fashion industry behind the story.
For those readers who have been working in the fashion industry for over a decade, what they see in Miranda is not evil, but a loneliness that comes from paying a price yet still standing atop the mountain.
Lin Ruiyang typed a line in the remarks column: She is not a villain in the workplace, she is the workplace itself.
In the finished film I saw in my previous life, Meryl Streep portrayed the character's arc with an almost obsessive precision.
On screen, she is cold, harsh, and unapproachable, but at every crucial moment, Meryl Streep shows the audience that this woman does these things without enjoying them.
Most people only want to see her as a demon, because that's what the audience, or rather, onlookers outside the industry, are more interested in seeing.
This subtle contradiction is precisely what he needs to show Ms. Gabler in the script draft through specific scenes.
Lin Ruiyang closed his eyes, and amidst the roar of the plane, he seemed to see Elizabeth Gabler's scrutinizing eyes in the Fox Building in Los Angeles.
As the plane began its descent, the window shades were gradually opened, letting in a flood of pale, grayish-white sunlight. The moment of landing sent shivers up from beneath our feet, and a few scattered claps rang out in the cabin.
Although this is standard practice for long-haul flights, at this moment it sounds like a period is being drawn to the end of this journey to Berlin.
As Lin Ruiyang pushed his luggage cart out of the arrival gate, he was immediately met with a blinding forest of camera flashes.
Wang Jinsong led several young teachers from the Literature and Performing Arts departments to stand at the front row, behind them a straight red banner with gold lettering that read: "Warmly welcome our teachers and students back from Berlin with honors!"
"Director Lin! Look here!"
"Does the simultaneous awarding of three Silver Bears to the same film crew signify that the pinnacle of Chinese-language film acting has arrived?"
"Director Lin, as a literature major, what are your thoughts on this successful crossover?"
Reporters in the media area nearly collapsed the stainless steel railings, and recording pens were thrust out like a jungle in front of Lin Ruiyang.
Lin Ruiyang glanced at the three lead actors beside him. His face was still swollen from the long flight, but he unconsciously straightened his back in front of the camera.
After everyone politely greeted the camera, they were led onto the school's bus amidst a crowd.