Chapter 50: Joining Forces

Yang Qian cooperated very well, and almost never argued with Cao Yang throughout the entire process.

Although there were some shots he felt would be more meaningful if edited in, editing is a process of trade-offs; what you consider good and what the director considers good can be different things.

Everyone’s understanding of things may be different; if you don't want to argue, just seek common ground while reserving differences.

Editing is a dull and tedious process; every day is just watching, cutting, and splicing. Fortunately, Cao Yang’s work efficiency was fast, which shortened this process quite a bit.

After editing, color correction is still required.

During filming, due to factors like equipment and lighting, the film’s colors may have deviations. Color grading can correct these deviations to ensure the overall tone of the film is consistent.

At the same time, it is necessary to make the visuals align with the film’s theme and emotions to enhance the artistic effect.

For example, shots in a movie that need to form a contrast require the tone to be slightly enhanced to make the contrast more prominent.

Once these tasks were handled, all that remained was the soundtrack. A couple of days ago, Hou Ke brought several soothing pieces of music as requested by Cao Yang, as well as three Western Regions songs sung by others.

In "Empty House," original sound is used most of the time; only a few segments have a soundtrack, which is very simple and crude.

After selecting and adding the appropriate soundtrack, Cao Yang screened the few short segments with music several times and found that although it was different from the original, there was no sense of dissonance, and it was actually quite good.

Just like short videos in later generations, where one or several clips from a TV show or movie are selected, different soundtracks are added, and they are edited together—is it dissonant?

So, most of the time, a soundtrack is just there to complement the plot and render emotions; it’s just that some music, when chosen correctly, can hit that point better—those who can achieve this are almost all masters of film scoring.

"Empty House" is finished.

After coming out of seclusion, Cao Yang suddenly thought that since the movie was finished, it shouldn't be considered breaking his promise to Old Situ anymore, right?

Forget it, now is not the time to think about this; better to get a good night’s sleep first.

After resting for a day, Cao Yang returned to school.

Sure enough, just as he stepped out of Old Situ’s office, Hou Ke seemed to have been waiting specifically for him, pulling him along while asking, "Is the post-production done?"

Cao Yang didn't even want to answer; is there anything at the Film Academy you don't know about?

"It’s finished. I’ll rush out English subtitles to go with it over the next two days. I’ve notified Sony Pictures Classics and mk2; they’ll send people over in a couple of days, and we can watch the original cut together then."

This matter couldn't be hidden anyway, so it was better to lay it out in the open. The school would likely be happy to see it happen; if the movie is well-made, this would also be a great boost.

Sure enough, Hou Ke didn't mind, nodded thoughtfully, and said, "This is a good thing. Then let’s wait two days; Sony Pictures Classics is quite capable."

During the time Cao Yang was in seclusion working on post-production, "On the Beach at Night Alone" had already been released in North America. As an art-house film, and a Chinese-language one at that, its box office was naturally limited from exploding.

This is actually unavoidable; at this stage, perhaps only kung fu films are a genre of Chinese cinema that ordinary American audiences are interested in.

According to box office trends and predictions by professional institutions, it will likely be between 5 million and 7 million USD, with the bulk of the box office coming mainly from areas with high Chinese populations.

The reason for such a large fluctuation is mainly that Li Xiaoran went to the US for promotion, and the effect was immediate; the attendance rate in several places increased significantly.

Don't look at the low box office; this has already greatly exceeded Sony Pictures Classics’ expectations. Their internal projection was around 3 million, and with the South American box office, they could basically recoup their costs.

The remaining box office from East Asia and Southeast Asia would be pure profit, and this doesn't even count long-term earnings.

Sony Pictures Classics didn't expect that just from North America alone, they would recoup costs and even make a profit, so they very naturally upgraded Cao Yang’s status by two tiers.

As long as you can bring them profit, you are their most respected master.

Sony Pictures Classics took Cao Yang’s call very seriously and promised to send professionals over.

mk2 also agreed to send people over. They don't see results as quickly as the American box office; they have specialized art-house theater chains in Europe, focusing on long-term screenings and a slow, steady stream.

Upon learning that Cao Yang had come out of seclusion, Yu Feihong sent Cao Yang another "1206."

I don't know why, but whenever she is with Cao Yang, Yu Feihong’s competitive spirit is particularly strong, and she always wants to be recognized. Just like horse riding—even though they had only been galloping for a short while, Cao Yang only said, "Your acting is on par with Li Xiaoran," and Sister Feihong screamed almost simultaneously, trembling as she fell off the horse.

The effect was immediate.

If Cao Yang didn't praise her acting, she could sometimes even fight him to a draw.

Yu Feihong shook Cao Yang’s arm and asked, "Tell me the truth, what do you think of my acting?"

Cao Yang looked at her. You’re endless, aren't you? I remember every time you asked this, you looked at me with your chin held high; what’s going on this time? Why aren't you being haughty?

"Your acting in 'Empty House' is outstanding."

Cao Yang spoke the truth. As for other film and television works, they’re alright; compared to the young actresses of later generations, there are still aspects worthy of affirmation.

"Director Tian said my acting was a pity; I never understood what he meant, and asking him didn't yield an answer."

"Maybe he just said it casually."

Just from this one sentence, Cao Yang didn't know what it meant either. To understand it, one would at least need to infer it from the preceding and following context.

"Stop messing around."

!

Yu Feihong swatted away Cao Yang’s mischievous hand and continued, "I don't think he was just saying it casually at the time. She first said that if I won an award, I would also be called a 'Cao Girl,' and then said it was a pity for my acting."

"Cao Girl?"

Yu Feihong gave a soft "Mm," and swatted Cao Yang’s hand again, "Don't mess around yet, wait a moment..."

Cao Yang didn't listen; while continuing, he thought for a moment and said, "Do you want to hear the truth or Old Tian’s wild guessing?"

Yu Feihong became even more confused, biting her lower lip, "Wha... what do you mean?"

"The truth is that your acting in 'Empty House' is indeed very good. If you don't win an award for such a good performance, it is indeed a bit of a pity."

"What... what did Old Tian mean?"

Cao Yang kissed her forehead, his hands not stopping.

"Don't..."

"Old Tian meant that Liu Ye’s performance was also very good, and he had more screen time than you... He felt that if an actor were to win an award, Liu Ye’s chances were higher than yours, which is why he felt it was a pity for you."

"Is... is that so?"

"Don't listen to Old Tian’s nonsense. He was just speaking from the perspective of the film. Sometimes, when it comes to winning awards, as long as you reach that standard, external factors are more important."

"What awards or not, big sister wants to reward you now..."

Yu Feihong’s eyes were hazy; with a flip, she transformed into a female knight, still as heroic and spirited as ever.

A short while later.

"Quick, tell big sister, how is big sister’s acting?"

"Good, very good, as good as Li Xiaoran’s."

Ah...

The female knight fell off her horse again.

(End of chapter)