tearjerker director

Speaking of Oscars, we have to talk about the series of Oscars’ sentinel awards.

There is an unspoken rule in Hollywood, or rather the unspoken rule of the Oscars.

In the early years, many domestic filmmakers didn't understand it at all. They just thought that Oscars should be artistic and fair. As long as the film is good, it is natural to win the award.

But in reality?

The Academy Awards do have artistry. After all, the awards they award are to relatively literary and artistic films.

Unless it is an epoch-making work that is extremely cool and explosive at the box office, otherwise, it is indeed the case.

The Oscars had announced before the awards ceremony that in order to shorten the length of the show, they would move the four awards to commercial breaks. The compromise aroused fierce resistance from the industry.

Although some people denigrate the Oscars every year, whether it is "politically correct" or "the influence is declining," for the vast majority of ordinary viewers, the Oscars have long become a standard and an authority.

The influence of the Oscars in China has been around for a long time. As early as the Republic of China, a large number of old and American films were introduced, including many Oscar-nominated films.

Years of exposure and the expansion and development of Hollywood movies have made the Oscars' recognition in China much higher than the three major European film festivals, even though it always represents the United States rather than the world.

As for the Oscars, which is "a film standard", what are its award criteria? It does not seem to attach as much importance to film art and authorial style as European awards such as Cannes, but it also seems to have no intention of blindly catering to public aesthetics.

In the words of someone who was nominated for the Oscar for Best Actress, the Oscar is "a classic of American vulgarity." Some people also conclude that "nominations depend on strength, and winning depends on luck."

Between popularity and applause, Oscar maintains a delicate balance in its own way, and every choice it makes, behind "unexpected upset" or "expected", etc., there are implications, games, and outputs. It is the value of Oscar, Hollywood, and old American society.

Closer to home.

The Oscars can be said to be an artistic award, but they are also a business.

Anyone who wants to win an Oscar needs public relations.

Like this time, Dean Films' public relations methods were very simple and crude. They directly sent things to the judges that were euphemistically called to let them watch the movie.

What if you have a DVD but don't have a DVD player?

Because there are many Oscar judges, this also leads to the fact that the Oscars are somewhat like the old American election voting.

Do you think you need to canvass votes for the election?

If a movie wants to win awards and be nominated, it also needs to attract votes.

For many Oscar judges, it is impossible for them to watch all the movies that are eligible to be voted on. In many cases, they vote with their feet.

At this time, how to let them know about the movie is the first step. Secondly, the long-term public relations have also whetted the appetite of these judges.

Not all Academy Award judges are big stars, not all rich people, and not all short of money.

In fact, many of them do not live a wealthy life, or even live in poverty.

Therefore, if you don’t give valuable gifts to others, it means that you don’t respect me as an Oscar judge.

In Hollywood, this is almost not even a hidden rule, it is an open rule.

In the words of Oscar veterans, if you don't do public relations for others, it means you don't pay enough attention to Oscar.

So, it's almost out in the open.

The Oscar selection method is borrowed from the American election, which is a preference voting system. Among the various film awards in the world, only the Oscars and the Producers Guild Awards adopt this system. Therefore, the Guild Awards for Best Picture are often regarded as the outpost of the Oscars.

The specific operation method of the preference voting system is to select the first, second, and third films in your heart for each award. Among these films, the first place with a preference of more than 5% will be nominated, and if the preference exceeds 50%, it will be nominated. % of the films will stand out and win corresponding awards.

Except for the best film award, which can be participated by all members, the other awards can only be voted by the "judges" of the industry. For example, the voters for best photography are all photographers, and the voters for best director are all directors. This has resulted in some professional awards being relatively "exclusive" and some cross-border newcomers being relatively disadvantaged in the selection process.

Every industry has unspoken rules, not to mention Hollywood's annual summary conference like the Oscars. Not to mention winning awards, being nominated can double your fame and fortune. Not only can the film's box office be quickly boosted, but the actor's value can also be doubled.

No one will miss this opportunity to "clear their name"!

Therefore, in fact, almost every film that intends to win Oscars has the company behind it investing in varying degrees of public relations.

And public relations costs are rising every year.

There are many public relations methods, and it can be said that Dean Films has long been familiar with this aspect.

The first thing to do is to expand the popularity. Mailing DVDs and booking screenings are normal operations. Inviting celebrities to the venue to build momentum will be an extra point. It is not surprising for producers to hang out at various cocktail parties to increase their presence. In famous media such as "Variety Show" , "Hollywood Report" to grab attention is also essential.

There are also some methods that are more "advanced". For example, DVDs are sent with some small gifts, as well as high-end dinners and luxurious accommodation after the screening. Some even invite judges to private parties to create scandals and discredit their opponents.

Li Yi actually doesn't like these, but he has no choice but to have two movies selected this time. Although Li Yi is not the only Chinese director to win an Oscar, this time, both films are favorites to win the award, which can be said to be unprecedented.

Naturally, the influence is not small. In addition, for these two movies, Dean Pictures and Li Yi spent a total of 30 million U.S. dollars, so they still have to make a show of it.

Of course, because the Oscars are a voting system, it targets most of the judges and some judges with higher weights, so in fact, it is just spending money.

Drinking parties are also essential.

And on the eve of the awards season, it can be said that all kinds of flattery and smear powder are on the stage in the media.

Li Yi is a big favorite this year, and he has two films selected and more than 14 nominations. It can be said that he will naturally make many competitors jealous.

What's more, Hollywood is also very xenophobic, so he is the one who discredits him the most.

The first one is a cliché.

Suddenly overnight, "Hollywood has declined so much, Chinese directors monopolize the Oscars!" appeared on the Internet and in the media one after another!

Yes, that's an exaggeration.

And the audience is quite large, mainly because the Hollywood market has begun to stabilize and is on the decline, while the Chinese market is expanding and is already close to North America in terms of total annual box office output.

As for Li Yi's own identity, the most critical point is that Li Yi is of Chinese nationality and has not joined America. This makes him naturally not "one of our own"!

Therefore, naturally many people don't like to see Chinese directors like Li Yi win the Oscars.

This is why, in this era, if Li Yi wants to win more important Oscar awards again, such as Best Director and Best Picture, the difficulty has suddenly been raised to the extreme.

At the same time, domestic movie fans and netizens are also excited.

No matter how many people are belittling the Oscars and exalting the three European majors, no one can deny that the three major European majors have compromised with Hollywood, and their influence and authority are far inferior to the Oscars in the eyes of most netizens in China. prize.

Domestic film critics have also begun to provide comprehensive interpretations and evaluations of Li Yi's two films.

The number one Li Chui and Du Xianghai were naturally unwilling to be seconded: "When "The Shawshank Redemption" was released, I remember that some netizens ended the poster with Andy rushing out of the sewer and standing in the ditch enjoying the freedom brought by the rain, as a symbol of a new beginning. .Now I have a better understanding of this movie after watching this poster nearly a year later. I don’t know how many times I have watched this movie, but what remains unchanged is my admiration for the classic. If there is a movie that can make people If you never tire of watching it, "The Shawshank Redemption" is an eternal classic that teaches people to live with hope.

Andy spent 1947 years in Shawshank Prison, from 1966 to 19.

During these 19 years, Andy went from fear, to adaptation, to even naive fantasy about this place, until Tom was killed and Andy came to his senses.

But from beginning to end, Andy's desire for freedom has never changed, and what has always supported him is his inner hope.

When Andy first entered prison, he was like an unreasonable alternative. He did things that many people didn't dare to think of: asking the warden Hadley for beer, applying to the senator for funds to expand the library, and even releasing "" The Marriage of Figaro” and, of course, the prison-break redemption.

In fact, Andy has been sending a message that we are the same as people outside, we also have rights, and we should enjoy them.

These thoughts are unimaginable by everyone who has been "institutionalized". Andy is like God at this time, redeeming the souls of these people, just like Mozart rang in the square, "I think that is so beautiful, It can’t be described in words. It’s so beautiful that it makes your heart ache. The voice flies higher than anyone else’s dreams in this dark place. At that moment, every laggard in Shawshank felt free.”

Combined with the scene where Andy Reed and the others drank beer after repairing the roof, no one would think it was a prison. "It feels like repairing the roof of your own home, and you are the creator." This is the first time Andy has made them feel free. Therefore, when I just said that Andy is like God, it is better to say that Andy brings them hope of freedom. There is no God in this world. Freedom is the belief that everyone should have, and there is no other.

When he first entered the prison, Warden Norton asked everyone to "give their spirit to God." When a person hands over his spirit, he loses his soul. It is no longer the body that is imprisoned, but the heart, " Institutionalized” blues is like that.

As Red said, Shawshank Prison is the only place Bruce knows. Here he is an important person and an educated person; outside Bruce is nothing, just a paroled prisoner, and everyone can teach him a lesson. . Bruce just walked out of Shawshank prison, but he didn't know that his soul had been sentenced to life imprisonment for fifty years.

Just like the fat man, who was beaten to death on the first day because he could not adapt to Shawshank prison; after Bruce was paroled, he could not adapt to the inner prison, and the only result was death. Although survival of the fittest is the way to survive, people's thoughts must be free and their behavior can be forced to be primitive, but the spirit must get out of the body. This is the true meaning of survival of the fittest.

The most complicated one is Red. He has spent 40 years here. On the one hand, he clearly knows about "institutionalization", but on the other hand, he has to accept this reality. "In the beginning, you hate the high walls around you, and gradually you get used to living in them. Over time, you have to rely on them to survive. This is institutionalization." This shows how terrible institutionalization is. It will slowly erode your willpower. No matter how clear you are about the truth, you are powerless. The more you struggle, the less powerful you are. Just like a drowning person, the land is right in front of you but out of reach. You can only watch helplessly. sinking.

Until I met Andy. Strength can be regenerated, which requires deep faith and hope to support it. It was Andy who gave Red the hope buried under the rubber tree. The harmonica made Red believe that Andy has this ability. Rhett also understood the meaning of Andy's words - "Get busy living or get busy dying." Rhett, who was wandering between life and death, chose the former. He must live, truly live, not a body that can only move.

Reed, who failed twice on parole, spoke his mind for the third time: Society? To me that's a word used to cover up, a word used by politicians. Changed? It's just a bullshit word. At this time, whether he could go out became less important to Rhett. He had seen through all this, and he also understood that the high wall only closed the body, and the soul was controlled by himself. No matter where he was, there was life. Red once again proved that as long as you yearn for freedom, you can get it, and parole was passed. All this is by no means accidental. A person's thoughts are the direction. If you have hope, nothing can stop the pace of freedom, whether it is being rejected several times or the five hundred yards of smelly ditch; but if the heart is dead, life will That's it.

Seeing Andy escape from Shawshank and bathing in freedom in the rain, have you ever felt the madness of hope and freedom?

I believe that such a crazy core of freedom can definitely touch the hearts of countless people. Such a movie, even without an Oscar, would still be great! "

In fact, "The Shawshank Redemption" was released much earlier than "The Untouchables", which to some extent has become an advantage.

Some good wines get better with age, and the same goes for a good movie after time.

At least at this time, in China, some netizens have posted two movies, "The Shawshank Redemption" and "The Untouchables", allowing netizens to vote on which one they like more, which character they like more, and which one they think. Can a movie win at the Oscars?

As a result, "The Shawshank Redemption" had the absolute upper hand!