NABC Chapter 39: Low Profile and Release Date
Chapter 39: Low Profile and Release Date
The bus drove through the somewhat desolate streets of Beijing after the start of spring, and finally came to a steady stop in front of the iconic gate of the Beijing Film Academy.
Just as Fatty had predicted, the banners on the gate, such as "Congratulations to Guo Xiaodong, a 96 alumnus of our school, for winning the Berlin Film Festival Best Actor award" and "Congratulations to Lin Ruiyang, a student of our school's Department of Literature, for his award-winning work 'A Farewell'," were shining brightly.
Several banners were lined up and hung from one end of the school gate to the other. The longest one in the middle read, "Congratulations to the crew of 'A Separation' for winning three awards at the Berlin Film Festival."
Fatty underestimated the situation when he said it would last until March. Judging from this trend, it won't be a problem to stay until the end of the semester.
Before the bus had even come to a complete stop, Lin Ruiyang saw Principal Zhang Huijun standing on the steps through the window. Several department leaders stood beside him, and further to the side were several school newspaper reporters carrying video cameras, their lenses already pointed at the bus door.
"Good lad, you didn't embarrass our Beijing Film Academy!" Zhang Huijun walked up to greet everyone, but his eyes were searching through everyone's hands.
"Principal Zhang, I really don't deserve your personal visit." Lin Ruiyang took two quick steps, adopting a very humble posture.
"You deserve it! Three film stars from one family is something that has never been seen since the founding of Beijing Film Academy. You have not only brought honor to the Department of Literature, but also earned a good reputation for the entire school."
Zhang Huijun patted Lin Ruiyang's shoulder forcefully, the force conveying the satisfaction of an elder who had recognized a promising talent.
The welcoming ceremony was not held in the auditorium in a grand manner, but was moved to a small conference room next to the school history museum. This change in scale, however, showed a sense of closeness among insiders.
The fat man lined up the three silver bears in the middle of the table. A young teacher next to him couldn't resist taking out his phone to take a picture, but was glared at by the old professor next to him and awkwardly put his phone away.
Zhang Huijun sat down in the main seat and first pulled Guo Xiaodong to his side.
"A graduate of the class of '96, majoring in acting, and a Berlin Film Festival Best Actor."
He glanced at the head of the performing arts department sitting opposite him: "This is a good benchmark. From now on, when performing arts students ask how far they can go with acting, just tell them to look to Guo Xiaodong."
After expressing his feelings about Guo Xiaodong, Zhang Huijun turned his gaze back to Lin Ruiyang.
"But what surprised me the most was Ruiyang." Zhang Huijun pointed to the three silver bears on the table.
"It's not surprising that a literature major produces a director, but to be able to shoot a film so insightfully in a place like Berlin during one's sophomore year... Lao Liu, your literature department really struck gold this time."
Liu Yibing sat to the side, grinning from ear to ear: "Principal Zhang, this wasn't picked up; it's the spirit nurtured by our department's 'miscellaneous studies'."
"By the way, is Changwei still in Berlin?" Zhang Huijun turned to ask the director of the school office next to him.
"Yes, Senior Brother Gu has to participate in several local art exchanges in Berlin, so he probably won't be back for a few days," the director quickly replied.
Zhang Huijun nodded, his expression revealing undisguised pride:
"Chang Wei is from the Photography Department, Class of '78, a veteran; Rui Yang is from the Literature Department, Class of '03, a rising star. At this year's Berlin Film Festival, our Beijing Film Academy really made a name for itself, with two generations of our staff making their mark at the Palais des Festivals."
Ruiyang, as the advance team member, you've had a heavy burden these past two days; the media outside are watching closely.
"Professor Zhang, I plan to give a unified response to the media at the seminar, and I won't be giving individual interviews. Winning the Berlin award is the credit of the entire production team, not just my achievement. Let the three lead actors get more exposure; they are the true owners of the Silver Bear."
Zhang Huijun looked at him for two seconds, then turned to the school office director next to him and said, "This kid knows how to get along with people better than his teacher."
Tian Zhuangzhuang chuckled beside him: "Old Liu's student, how high-profile do you expect him to be? He didn't even go on stage at the Berlin closing ceremony, and the European media gave him the nickname 'Silent Lin.' You'd be better off having him write another script than dealing with the media."
Everyone chuckled upon hearing this, and the atmosphere in the conference room completely relaxed at that moment.
"It's okay if you don't like going on stage, but sharing your professional and academic experience is essential."
The welcoming ceremony lasted for more than an hour, and it mostly consisted of elders giving advice to the younger generation.
As everyone dispersed, Lin Ruiyang was about to go back to his dorm to catch up on some sleep when his phone suddenly vibrated violently in his pocket.
"Ruiyang, the three Silver Bears in Berlin have caused an uproar at China Film Group. I haven't even finished receiving all the congratulatory telegrams and faxes on my desk, and you're already back at school?"
"What, aren't you going to come and report to me in person?" He answered the phone, and Han Sanping's signature loud voice came through the receiver.
The tone sounded like a reprimand, but the rising intonation at the end clearly indicated happiness.
"Mr. Han, I was just about to call you. Your plane landed a few hours ago, and the school has arranged a welcome party..."
"What good food is there for a welcome dinner?" Han Sanping interrupted him.
"Come to my office the day after tomorrow afternoon. We need to finalize the film's release as soon as possible while this momentum is still going strong."
"No problem, Mr. Han, I'll be there on time." Lin Ruiyang replied, exchanged a few more polite words, and then hung up the phone.
Although Han Sanping didn't elaborate on the phone, Lin Ruiyang knew that Wang Hai must have already compiled the results of the battle in Berlin and sent them over.
Two million RMB yielded nearly five million USD in copyright revenue, not even counting the film's box office. These tangible financial figures are far more compelling to this film industry leader than any artistic praise.
Lin Ruiyang put away his phone and returned to his dormitory. After closing the door, he instantly felt a distance between himself and the noise of the outside world.
He sat at the table, the outline of "The Devil Wears Prada" still flashing on the computer screen.
"Old Lin, what did President Han say?" The fat man pushed the door open and came in, carrying two bags of pan-fried dumplings.
"I saw those reporters still hadn't left when I was at the school gate just now."
"I'll go over tomorrow afternoon to discuss distribution. As for the domestic market, President Han definitely wants to strike while the iron is hot." Lin Ruiyang took the pan-fried buns, but his mind was still on the script.
Over the next two days, Lin Ruiyang became the busiest yet most reclusive person on the Beijing Film Academy campus.
Aside from attending mandatory events like seminars, he would politely decline other invitations whenever possible, and if all else failed, he would ask his teacher for help to decline.
As for the media outlets that tried to dig into his personal privacy, he politely declined them all, citing that he was working on his next script.
Only Lin Ruiyang himself knows that his real battle is on the other side of the Pacific Ocean.
He needed to polish the script—the one that would impress Fox executives—before flying to Los Angeles. There, no one would give him special treatment just because of his awards.
On the afternoon of the third day after returning, in the office of China Film Group.
Han Sanping pointed to the summary report submitted by Wang Hai on the table and laughed heartily:
"Two million RMB can buy out an overseas project for nearly five million USD. Not only can you produce the film, but you can also sell it like hotcakes. In our circle, this is something that makes those old guys even more envious than winning an award."
"The buzz is uneven, but I plan to release 'A Separation' in March. It's an art film, and it's currently riding high on its awards at Berlin, so releasing it at that time is the safest bet."
Lin Ruiyang agreed, saying that March is indeed more suitable for art-house films than prime-time slots.
He understood that by entrusting domestic distribution to a professional company like China Film Group, he could free up all his energy to work on the script that was still unfinished.