Chapter 106: The Epoch-Making

Wu Yuchen looked at the two young men who had stayed until the very end, their eyes shining as they incessantly asked him various questions about the film's shooting techniques. Hearing them say they had already watched it three times in the screening hall, he couldn't help but feel as if he had encountered some die-hard fans.

"Yes, essentially, 'Run Luo La Run' is an action film. The protagonist is constantly running, so the entire film must possess a sense of dynamism. Both visually and aurally, the audience must experience a sense of speed. I wanted to create a pure sense of pleasure derived from speed, conveying a cause-and-effect relationship amidst a frantic chase."

"Time? From a creator's perspective, you must understand that it is a means of manipulating the film; it doesn't just create a sense of urgency for the audience. I think you can also see that Luo La's 20-minute segments are each a continuous process. As the film develops, the audience emotionally transcends the limitations of the time segments entirely."

"The biggest challenge didn't come from the need for jump cuts like in action film intervals, but from keeping all the transitions fluid, allowing the audience to transition from one scene to the next along with the rise and fall of their emotions."

"Why didn't people notice that the principle of spatial-temporal unity in the film was challenged? Because for every spatial-temporal layer, we adopted different shooting methods, which allows the audience to subconsciously distinguish between them."

As Müller and Royce listened to Wu Yuchen's various answers, the look of worship in their eyes grew even more intense. It was very likely that the concepts and techniques regarding filmmaking that Wu Yuchen was sharing now would benefit their future directorial careers immensely.

Wu Yuchen was not impatient; the purpose and main theme of a film festival screening were to advocate for exchange among everyone—not just with the audience, but exchange with peers was also very important. Moreover, at this very moment, it wasn't just these two by his side; other peers who had come to show their support were also standing there, such as Derek Yee, Eddie Fong, and others.

After Müller and Royce seemed to have received an epiphany and left with excited expressions, Derek Yee gave Wu Yuchen a thumbs-up directly:

"I had heard Ann Hui mention before that your style was very sharp, but I didn't expect it to be this formidable! Wu Dao, I feel your style is more like that of Hong Kong."

"Actually, I just saw a film in Hong Kong not long ago that explores this kind of segmented narrative structure. It's a new film just finished by Milkyway Image that hasn't been released yet, called 'Too Many Ways to Be No. 1'."

"I already felt it was quite fierce at the time, but I didn't expect that at the same time, you, Wu Dao, would have shot an even more stunning and vividly realized avant-garde film like 'Run Luo La Run'."

"It really makes me feel like I can't keep up with the times!"

Wu Yuchen said with a smile: "Oh? Then if there's a chance, I must have a good exchange with them!"

Actually, Wu Yuchen had seen "Too Many Ways to Be No. 1". It was a joint effort by Johnnie To and Wai Ka-fai, starring Sean Lau, Francis Ng, and Carman Lee. It also adopted a hypothetical premise and a segmented narrative exploration structure, and it could be considered a masterpiece among Hong Kong cult films.

However, in terms of the film's handling, "Too Many Ways to Be No. 1" left people feeling like it was still just groping and experimenting. It laid the groundwork for 80 minutes before finally revealing itself, leaving the audience feeling obscure and confused, and it was also criticized for being long-winded. By comparison, "Run Luo La Run" was more direct and stimulating, and its expression was clearer. At the same time, in terms of camera usage and detail handling, "Too Many Ways" appeared somewhat rough.

Li Xiaoran was very happy now. The response to "Run Luo La Run", which she starred in, had been excellent over the three days of screenings. After every showing, she would enjoy the cheers and applause of the audience, which gave her the illusion that she had already become a star. Therefore, every day now, she couldn't wait to finish breakfast and drag Wu Yuchen to the screening hall.

After Li Xiaoran and Wu Yuchen arrived at the screening hall laughing and talking, they saw the staff member in charge of their hall running toward them with a newspaper, looking excited, waving the paper in his hand and shouting:

"Wu Dao, Luo La, 'Run Luo La Run' is in the newspaper, 'Bild'!"

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen's heart stirred, thinking of the female reporter, Hanna, who had come to see their film a few days ago. Had it really happened?

Wu Yuchen took the newspaper and looked at it. Under the staff member's guidance, he saw an article in the bottom left corner of the page. The position wasn't central, but being in it at all was quite good.

He immediately said: "Schumacher, can you help us read what's written in the paper?"

Wu Yuchen could communicate with people in English, but the German in "Bild" was beyond him; he had to rely on the staff member to translate it into English for him.

"Of course, no problem!"

Schumacher said as he unfolded the newspaper, then said:

"'Run Luo La Run', an epoch-making anti-Hollywood avant-garde work!"

"——A must-see for women!"

Wu Yuchen couldn't help but smile after hearing the headline. Those in the news business really knew how to attract attention. He didn't dare to claim "epoch-making"; he hadn't reached that height.

"If the protagonist of a film spends 70 minutes running, you would definitely feel bored, but 'Run Luo La Run' unfolds with unbridled imagination, turning a dull and tasteless run into a butterfly effect cycle."

"......"

"The director cleverly uses a cool 'time tunnel' technique, integrating time loops into high-speed imagery, making every action and every judgment the protagonist Luo La makes during her run directly related to the passersby she encounters."

"Every choice Luo La makes is the flapping of a butterfly's wings, subtly changing every passerby she intersects with. And this change is also indirectly affecting her own destiny."

"......"

"In terms of form, the director deliberately adopted an anti-genre approach, which is a form of resistance against the current hegemony of Hollywood films!"

"He scorns classicism and does not follow the Hollywood traditional narrative mode of beginning, development, climax, ending, and epilogue that is currently in vogue. He abandons non-linear narrative structures, adopts a three-act structure, and tells a story that happens within 20 minutes three times with different processes and different endings. With various experimental photographic styles and unconventional character settings, this is undoubtedly another innovation in film form!"

"At the same time, 'Run Luo La Run' breaks the iron rule of Hollywood's 'hero saves the beauty'. Throughout the entire film, the female protagonist is constantly running and actively solving problems, even changing time and space, while the male protagonist passively awaits the verdict of fate. This is undoubtedly a mockery of Hollywood!"

"The dislocation of men and women when facing fate highlights the current world, where the roles and positions of men and women have undergone tremendous changes."

"It is also running, but compared to Hollywood's Forrest Gump, Luo La's courage and fearlessness are more worthy of women to learn from!"

"'Luo La' is a rebellion against the patriarchal society!"

"......"

"This is a must-see film for women of the new era!"

Wu Yuchen listened to this review of "Run Luo La Run". It was all praise, but it really lived up to the "must-see for women" in the headline; the second half of the article was entirely using the film to talk about feminism.

But Wu Yuchen also knew that, in fact, whether "Run Luo La Run" was deliberately anti-Hollywood or just happened to conform to the current trend of the European feminist movement, it really did cater to women in every setting of the film.

The development of the version here in Europe was decades ahead of China, and the feminist movement was in full swing. This cake was just sitting there; Wu Yuchen had no reason not to take a bite using "Run Luo La Run".

Perhaps it was precisely because it touched on feminism that "Run Luo La Run" could get this report. Otherwise, why would "Bild", with Europe's largest circulation, give you a separate review? Could you afford that PR fee?

Seeing Li Xiaoran looking at him eagerly, Wu Yuchen knew her English wasn't good, so he picked out the highlights and told her again. Of course, it was mainly the parts praising her, which made her overjoyed and smiling happily.

The same report was not seen by Wu Yuchen alone at this moment; it had entered thousands of German households, and those who followed the "Berlin Film Festival Tracking" column had all read this article.

The "anti-Hollywood" in the headline attracted many people's attention. Although everyone watched Hollywood blockbusters, many were also deeply influenced by European art films, proud of art films in their bones, and considered Hollywood-style commercial films to be mere mediocrity.

And more female readers were intrigued by "must-see for women" and planned to see this "Run Luo La Run" that was a must-see for women if they had the chance.

Although those who read this article might only account for an extremely small part of "Bild"'s readership, considering its terrifying circulation, that was still a huge exposure for "Run Luo La Run".

Anna was one of the female readers who saw this report and specifically ran to the film festival to watch this film.

"Sorry, Miss, the tickets are sold out!"

"What about the next showing?"

"Miss, I'm sorry, I mean, the tickets for 'Run Luo La Run' for today are all sold out."

Anna showed a disappointed expression, then asked: "Then can I buy tickets for tomorrow?"

"Miss, we only sell tickets for the day. If you really want to see it, please come back tomorrow."

The next day, Anna arrived at the film festival shortly after 9 a. m., but the reply she got was still: "Sorry, Miss, today's tickets are sold out."

"It's only 9:15 now, are your tickets already sold out?" Anna asked in disbelief.

The ticket seller made a gesture and said: "No way, 'Run Luo La Run' is really hot right now!"

"Oh! My God, can't you add more screenings?!" Anna complained.

The ticket seller shrugged: "Miss, I think you should go complain to the organizers~"

The screening halls of the film festival were all arranged at the beginning. Unless there were special circumstances, they generally wouldn't be adjusted, and the number of screenings per day was fixed.

Anna had no choice but to run over early on the third day to queue up, and only then did she manage to buy a ticket for "Run Luo La Run" as she wished. After watching it, she felt that the few trips she had made running back and forth to buy tickets over the past two days were worth it. This was truly a film she super loved. Besides the film's novel form, there was also Luo La's brave and fearless image, which perfectly embodied the characteristics of an independent woman of the new era! She was really super cool!

Wu Yuchen was very busy now. A report brought a lot of attention, directly making "Run Luo La Run" one of the hottest films at the film festival, even faintly overshadowing several big-hit films that came with their own heat, such as "The English Patient".

This not only made every screening packed, but many film distributors had already started to approach him, wanting to discuss various copyright matters. Everyone wasn't blind; whether it was their own viewing experience or seeing the various excitement and enthusiasm of the audience after watching, they could all conclude that this "Run Luo La Run" was very likely to become a blockbuster. Even if it didn't win any film festival awards, it was the kind that could become popular through word-of-mouth!

"Wu, the figure of 1 million is really already very sincere! You know, even those films that won big awards might not necessarily sell for this price!"

"Mr. Anthony, thank you very much for your kindness, but I really don't want to talk about money right now. You know, my focus is on the film festival awards."

Wu Yuchen sent away another film distributor with a smile. To be honest, the price of 1 million US dollars was already sincere for most low-budget films, but not for "Run Luo La Run".

Not to mention the over 100 million box office of "Run Luo La Run" in Europe in his past life, just the fact that his own shooting cost 500,000 US dollars this time—how could he be satisfied with selling it for 1 million?

To tell the truth, it was only because he was a reborn person that he could shoot it for 500,000 US dollars, because he had seen the original film. This kind of purposeful shooting would save a lot of wasted shots and useless filming. What was saved wasn't just the film cost, but also the shooting time; the crew's expenses and various costs would be greatly reduced as a result. This was also the reason why he had always been able to keep the costs of his films low.

If another director were to come and shoot it to achieve the same effect, the shooting cost would have to rise to at least over 800,000 US dollars. If this were changed to Europe and America, where shooting costs were higher, it would cost between 1.5 and 2 million US dollars to shoot. Now you tell me you want to buy it for 1 million? Isn't that bullshit?

Moreover, according to Wu Yuchen's idea, there was no need to rush at all now; he could wait for a better price. He definitely had to wait until the award results came out before talking.

However, just one day later, people from Pathé, the largest film distributor in Europe, came knocking.

Nowadays, when people mention film companies, the first things that come to mind are the Big Eight in America or the likes of Toho, Toei, and Shochiku in Japan. But before World War II, the world's film hegemony belonged to Pathé. Its only competitor was Gaumont, also a French film company.

With the changes in the world situation, Pathé naturally couldn't compete with the Big Eight long ago, but it still had distribution networks in various European countries and had always been one of the most important distributors in Europe. Moreover, Pathé was different from MK2, which specialized in art films; it ate both commercial films and art films.

"Wu, are you interested in chatting about your 'Run Luo La Run', and its award prospects?"

Let's move the updates to the daytime from now on. ===== CHAPTER 107 =====