Chapter 104: Setting a Direction First

Cao Yang was unaware of the various exclamations and reports back home; after waking up the next day, he gently pushed away Gao Yuanyuan, who was clinging to him like an octopus.

Helplessly, she just hummed and hawed, refusing to let go.

After some back-and-forth friction, sparks flew, and the humming and hawing soon turned into soft cries.

That settled things, and she stopped pestering Cao Yang.

Cao Yang got up, washed up, and began making calls back home.

In fact, his phone had received a great many congratulatory text messages, including from the very people he intended to call.

After all, due to the time difference, they didn't know his situation and were afraid of disturbing him, so they could only send texts.

Cao Yang first called Old Situ, Tian Zhuangzhuang, Hou Ke, Xie Xiaojing, and Han Zong, then returned a call to Gu Changwei, and finally called his parents.

He first spoke about the award, then told them he had bought a detached house in the second phase of the Ziyu Shanzhuang in Chaoyang, which should be ready by the end of next year, and asked them to manage it then.

In this era, parents took their jobs quite seriously; with retirement approaching, they certainly wouldn't be willing to quit, so he had to think of other ways.

For instance, spending a large sum on a house—at twenty thousand per square meter, in an era where the average monthly salary was less than a thousand, it was an astronomical price that his parents couldn't help but take seriously.

As for whether his parents would opt for internal retirement or resign when the time came, he would leave that up to them.

Cao Yang still had to stay in Cannes for a few days; he had to attend the official receptions, the private gathering of mk2 founder Marin Karmitz, and show his face at the reception hosted by Sony Pictures Classics.

A larger circle and wider connections seemed like a good thing, but to maintain them, one couldn't avoid the endless stream of social obligations.

Fortunately, this kind of socializing only happened during film festivals, so it was still acceptable.

These past few days, aside from attending receptions, he spent his time exploring art with Gao Yuanyuan.

Don't let the girl's soft and cute appearance fool you; she was always incredibly proactive, loving nothing more than to jump onto Cao Yang the moment the door closed, wrapping her legs around his waist and letting him carry her.

Moreover, what gave Cao Yang the biggest headache was that whenever the girl was overwhelmed and a bit dazed by the impact, she would always unconsciously cry out.

"Cao Yang, give it to me, I want to have a baby for you..."

At the Sony Pictures Classics reception, Bellman found Cao Yang, apologized to a European actress who was chatting him up, and led him to a quieter spot.

He first clinked glasses with Cao Yang and said, "Congratulations, Mr. Best Director of Cannes; you have accomplished a feat that no one else can surpass: collecting the Best Actress awards from all three major European film festivals."

"Thank you, this is the result of our joint efforts."

Bellman had put in a lot of work for the Cannes campaign this time; he had even used his personal connections and likely cashed in quite a few favors. To say he had little to gain from this would be impossible.

"What are your plans next? Do you want to go to Hollywood?"

Bellman asked; this was his ultimate goal.

Cao Yang nodded and said with a smile, "Of course, isn't that the purpose of our cooperation?"

In truth, Cao Yang didn't have many choices other than going to Hollywood right now.

The domestic commercial film market hadn't taken off yet, and he couldn't endlessly promote people through art-house films; if everyone became a Best Actress, the title would lose its value.

At this stage, three was just right—scarcity creates value.

Once he gilded himself in Hollywood and became a great director who blossomed in both art and commerce, it would be enough to promote two or three more Chinese Best Actresses.

"What do you think Hollywood is?"

Bellman asked straight to the point; he had to educate Cao Yang on Hollywood's values again, as it was a completely different concept from the European art-house circle.

Cao Yang didn't quite understand Bellman's meaning; the question was too broad and could be answered in many ways.

"The center of world cinema?"

Cao Yang ventured a guess, though this was certainly not the answer Bellman was looking for.

"Commercialization, globalization, a mature film production model, powerful market influence, and profit above all else—profit is higher than everything."

Bellman set down his glass, gestured with his hands, and continued, "And countless amounts of money and beautiful women."

He looked at Cao Yang and said with extreme seriousness, "Artistic pursuit? No, no, no. Over there, they only talk about money and women; artistic pursuit is something only the successful consider.

I say this because I want you to know that Hollywood's operating model is different from here; it respects the strong more and is more naked. You need to be mentally prepared."

Cao Yang thought for a moment; Bellman had beaten around the bush so much, but it all boiled down to one point.

"In other words, my first film must be a success?"

Bellman praised him inwardly; talking to a smart person was simple. He had gone in circles, but Cao Yang had pinpointed the core in one sentence.

"Yes, Cao. We are friends and will be the most important partners in the future. The reason I emphasize this again is to let you know that the choice of your first film must be cautious. If the first one fails, the road ahead will be very difficult." "Awards or box office?"

Bellman really wanted to say box office, but he knew that if he wanted box office, investors wouldn't fully trust an art-house director. And for small productions, without a massive amount of money for promotion, the possibility of high box office was almost zero.

As for awards, for a director who had won at all three major European festivals—especially one who had won the Golden Lion and produced three Best Actresses from those festivals—investors would certainly be more willing to trust such a director.

"Awards. At the very least, awards from the three major European festivals. If you can win a major Oscar, you can gain a foothold in Hollywood."

Cao Yang nodded, considered for a moment, and asked, "Bellman, do you think it's better to promote a male star or a female star?"

"My dear Mr. Director, I know you excel at female-centric themes. To be realistic, in Hollywood, although they boast of all kinds of freedom and equality, there is no doubt that male stars are always the ones standing at the pinnacle of the tower; they are the center of power."

Bellman said without hesitation.

"Alright, Bellman, I understand. Regarding the investment..."

"Don't worry about that. With your current status, and since you're shooting an art-house film, there are still many investors and companies willing to follow a project of ten or twenty million. Once a big star is willing to join, the production cost will rise based on the star's value."

Cao Yang indicated he understood, then said to Bellman, "I'll first conceive a rough framework, and we'll set up the project. You and I will both be producers; you go ahead and test the waters in Hollywood with the other matters."

!

Bellman picked up his glass and clinked it with Cao Yang's again, saying, "No problem. I'll go back first and spread the word so that those interested know about this, and then I'll try to contact the major studios. When are you coming over?"

"In about a month. I should be quite busy next; I have to write the script, my graduation thesis, and prepare for the defense."

Bellman was stunned, "You're still a student? You haven't graduated yet?"

"Yes, undergraduate, senior year."

Bellman suddenly let out a very elegant interjection to express his shock.

He had previously assumed Cao Yang was a young teacher at the Beijing Film Academy.

Cao Yang had actually thought about it very seriously, wanting to do as he had before: invest in and shoot a low-budget Hollywood film himself so he wouldn't be constrained or interfered with, and then use it to win an Oscar.

But later, no matter how he thought about it, he felt his idea was too naive. If you want to win an Oscar, as an outsider, do you think Hollywood is Europe?

Never mind winning awards; Hollywood studios wouldn't give you a chance at all. They would absolutely never let a film without their investment get an Oscar nomination.

Hollywood nominally has countless studios, but in essence, the seven major studios call the shots. Other small and medium-sized studios all have intricate ties to the seven majors.

Moreover, Hollywood is extremely, extremely exclusionary toward foreign capital; even Wall Street capital gets fleeced without mercy. You, an outsider, want to turn Hollywood upside down?

If you don't cooperate and don't give them a share of the profits, how could they possibly allow you to make money and gain fame on their turf?

Returning in the evening, Cao Yang took the time to check the trash system to see how much prestige Cannes had added for him.

Host: Cao Yang

Current Prestige: 1,396,785

Available Prestige: 696,785

Immersion Experience: +0

Films Directed: None

Before shooting "Secret Sunshine," his available prestige was over seven hundred thousand. He used three Immersion Experiences for Gao Yuanyuan and one for Wu Qihua, consuming four hundred thousand in available prestige all at once.

Those two awards at Cannes this time should have added two hundred thousand in prestige.

The extra hundred thousand or so in available prestige likely came from the box office after the release of "3-Iron," plus Li Xiaoran's Golden Horse Best Actress award, which likely added about the same as the Golden Rooster, around twenty thousand.

In short, there were still about seven Immersion Experiences that could be redeemed, and he had returned to his previous reserves, so he could safely and boldly go to Hollywood.

He stayed in Cannes for another three days, and after finishing various social obligations, Cao Yang boarded the plane back to Jingcheng.

After getting off the plane, he accepted a brief interview at the airport before returning to school.

This time, it was Hou Ke who came to the airport to pick him up personally; Cao Yang could feel that the school was placing more and more importance on him now.

"Dean Hou, I didn't win the top prize this time, how could I trouble you to come all the way here? I'm so embarrassed."

On the way back, Cao Yang joked.

People are like this; sometimes, if you can joke with someone, they will feel that the relationship between the two has become very close.

"What are you saying? You're being a stranger by saying that. What prize or no prize? Look at what you're saying. You are a precious talent of the school. Isn't it only right for me to represent the school and welcome you back from abroad?"

Then, Hou Ke pretended to say casually, "Cao Yang, you're graduating before you know it. Time really flies. Have you thought about what you'll do after graduation?"

After graduation? Aren't I going to study for a master's degree?

It seemed Hou Ke definitely didn't mean that.

Cao Yang's mind stirred, thinking of what Old Tian had once said. Could it be that they wanted him to stay at the school?

"Why, Dean Hou, do you want to arrange a job for me? Let's get this straight first: I won't do any ordinary work."

Hearing Cao Yang say this, Hou Ke felt confident and laughed, "If it were ordinary work, I wouldn't dare arrange it for a Golden Lion-winning director."

(End of chapter)