novellhall Chapter 283 Industry Newcomers
Chapter 283 Industry Newcomers
Chapter 282 Industry Newcomers
"Chen Xun?"
A voice came from the left.
He looked in the direction of the sound.
An elderly man with white hair, wearing a gray suit, stood not far away, holding a glass of water, watching him.
James Cromwell.
The old man who played the old man in "The Last Roll of Film".
This person also deserves much credit for the film's award.
Chen Xun walked over.
"James."
The old man reached out his hand and shook it; his grip was quite strong.
"I was just wondering if you would come."
James was somewhat surprised to see Chen Xun: "I heard you've been filming 'La La Land' and your schedule is very tight lately."
"Since you've come, I had to come too!"
Chen Xun had great respect for this senior.
Moreover, he also made a cameo appearance in "The Last Roll of Film," which Chen Xun should remember for both reason and emotion.
James smiled, his wrinkles crinkling at the corners of his eyes.
"You have a sweet tongue!"
He pointed to the side, "That's my grandson, from the University of Southern California's film program. He was also nominated today for Best Animated Feature."
Chen Xun then noticed a young man standing next to him, in his early twenties, wearing black-rimmed glasses, a little shy, who nodded at him.
"Hello, Teacher Chen."
Chen Xun was taken aback.
This person does look somewhat familiar.
They must have audited his acting class.
Chen Xunchong nodded.
Families with a long history of acting will likely have no shortage of opportunities in Hollywood.
Chen Xun stood in the corner of the hall, holding a glass of sparkling water, watching the crowd enter one after another.
Young people in suits, familiar faces gathered in twos and threes, and waiters carrying champagne bustling about.
All of this reminded him of how he felt when he first stood backstage at the Oscars ceremony more than a year ago.
"Chen Xun?"
A voice came from behind.
He turned around and saw a white man in his fifties, wearing a dark blue suit, with gray hair and gold-rimmed glasses.
"Mark Jensen,"
The other person extended their hand: "Paramount's production department."
Chen Xun shook hands.
"The adaptation of 'The Ancient One' was excellent, especially the Sinicization, which is considered a classic in the industry!"
"Thanks!"
Chen Xun nodded politely.
"I heard you're currently filming Damien Chazelle's new movie?"
'
"Yes."
Jason nodded, his gaze sweeping across the hall, and lowered his voice: "The Student Oscars have been gaining more and more attention in recent years, and the academy is also increasing its investment."
He pointed to a group of old men standing together not far away: "Those over there, three are judges for the documentary category, and two are judges for the short film category."
"That's why I'm here today."
Chen Xun understood, of course.
This is to discover new talent and, incidentally, see if there are any worthwhile investment projects.
AMPAS members, especially those with voting rights, gather here every year at this time.
Jason patted him on the shoulder and handed him a business card: "Let's chat sometime. We have a few projects next year, and we need someone like you."
Chen Xun took the business card and put it in his pocket.
The awards ceremony officially began at 10:00 AM.
The lights in the hall dimmed, and spotlights shone on the makeshift stage.
A woman in a gray dress walked up, took a microphone, and smiled as she gave a long opening speech.
Chen Xun wasn't paying much attention.
Lee So-yeon sat in the first row, her back ramrod straight, her hands gripping the hem of her skirt, her nails almost digging into the fabric.
James Cromwell, who was standing next to her, tilted his head and whispered something to her.
Lee So-yeon nodded, then shook her head, her expression stiff.
The awards were presented one by one.
In the animation category, a boy who made a claymation short film went up to accept the award. He gave a three-minute speech, thanking more than twenty people.
In the documentary category, a girl who made an environmental film went up. Her eyes were red, and she could barely speak, but the applause from the audience was very loud.
Finally, the host's voice came over the loudspeaker: "Winner of the Gold Award in the Narrative category at the 46th Student Academy Awards —"
Lee So-yeon tensed up completely.
"The Last Roll of Film, directed by Lee So-yeon!"
Applause erupted.
Lee So-yeon stood up, stumbled, and almost stepped on her skirt.
James helped her up so she could stand up.
She walked onto the stage, accepted the replica of the little golden statue, and stood in front of the microphone.
The light shone on her face, revealing a fine layer of sweat.
"I—I—"
She spoke, her voice trembling slightly.
The people below watched her, waiting.
"I want to thank—thank you to the college—thank you to my parents—"
Her speech began to quicken, as if a script she had memorized countless times was suddenly being spoken out uncontrollably.
"Thank you USC, thank you to my mentor, thank you to everyone who has helped me, thank you Mr. James Cromwell, thank you Chen Xun Oppa ————"
When she mentioned "Chen Xun Oppa," someone in the audience laughed.
Lee So-yeon realized she had said something wrong, and her face flushed red.
"I'm so sorry, Teacher Chen Xun—"
She became even more nervous, her hands started to tremble, and she almost dropped the trophy.
"I—I—"
She opened her mouth, only to find her mind completely blank.
All those prepared speeches, those words of gratitude, those lyrical sentences about the dream of making movies—all gone.
She stood on the stage, the lights so bright she could barely open her eyes, while hundreds of eyes below stared at her.
People started whispering to each other.
Lee So-yeon's eyes reddened.
"I thank you everyone."
She bowed, turned around, and quickly walked off the stage.
The applause rang out, though it was a little less frequent than before.
Chen Xun watched her sit back in the first row, head down, shoulders trembling slightly.
James turned to the side and patted the back of her hand.
After the awards ceremony, there will be a time for free networking.
The crowd dispersed, gathering in twos and threes. Some continued chatting, some exchanged business cards, and some carried champagne glasses toward the AMPAS members sitting in the corner.
Lee So-yeon stood by the window, clutching the little golden statuette in her hand, her expression stiff.
James was standing next to her, talking to an old man.
Chen Xun recognized the old man; he was a senior member of AMPAS, a former producer, and had participated in the judging of several Oscar-winning films.
Just as Chen Xun was about to go over, he suddenly saw several reporters surrounding him.
The leader was a tall, muscular white male in his early thirties, holding a voice recorder, followed by someone carrying a video camera.
"Director Lee So-yeon, may I ask you a few questions?"
Lee So-yeon paused for a moment, then nodded.
First of all, congratulations on winning the award.
The reporter smiled, but the smile was clearly malicious, carrying a sense of superiority over this Hollywood newcomer: "I'd like to ask, your short film 'The Last Roll of Film' uses a very novel editing technique. It opens with a countdown to closing the store, and then flashes back to everyday life. This kind of structure is rarely seen in narrative films."
Lee So-yeon opened her mouth, as if to say something.
"I'm curious whether this editing style is to cater to the preferences of the student Oscar judges, or—"
He paused, then his smile deepened.
"Did someone leak the judges' preferences beforehand?"
Lee So-yeon's expression changed.
"I am not."
"Because as far as I know, this theme of memory fighting against forgetting, coupled with this subversive editing, is a plus in this year's judging criteria."
The reporter stepped forward: "One of the lead actors in this short film is Mr. Chen Xun, who not only has the honor of winning the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor, but has also accumulated a lot of resources in Hollywood in recent years."
"Is it possible that he gave you some inside advice?"
Lee So-yeon's face turned as red as if it were about to bleed.
"No, Chen Xun oppa, he just—"
"Just what?"
"only----"
Lee So-yeon couldn't continue.
As a student facing these challenges for the first time, she naturally didn't know how to handle these pointed questions.
Even Jennifer had to hire a public relations team and train for a long time after she became famous in order to be able to handle the media with ease.
Several people nearby stopped and looked in their direction.
Chen Xun put down the cup in his hand and walked over.
The reporter's camera turned and focused on him.
"Mr. Chen Xun!"
The reporter's eyes lit up, her tone filled with barely concealed excitement, "Since you're here, could you share your thoughts on director Lee So-yeon's film? There are rumors that you also participated in the post-production re-editing—"
He handed the recording pen forward.
Is this true?
""
Chen Xun looked at him.
More and more people gathered around.
The old men from AMPAS also stopped, holding their wine glasses, and looked over with great interest.