Chapter 27: It Is Finally Gaining Traction

Before leaving, Hou Keming shared one more piece of news with Cao Yang: after coordinating with China Film Group, everyone agreed to capitalize on the current buzz by scheduling the domestic premiere of the film for March 2nd.

For the Hong Kong and Taiwan releases, Hou Keming had reached out to Jiang Zhiqiang of Edko Films to handle distribution, ensuring it would hit theaters simultaneously with the mainland.

During the lead-up to the premiere, Cao Yang delegated all promotional duties to the actors, as he had already begun pre-production on his new film.

Compared to *On the Beach at Night Alone*, *3-Iron* was significantly more complex. For the past few days, Cao Yang had been discussing the film's visual language with Tian Zhuangzhuang. This time, he wanted to rely more on visual storytelling rather than depending solely on the actors' performances.

Cao Yang had visited the school to see Old Situ, intending to offer him the position of Art Director. There wasn't much for him to "direct" per se; Old Situ was an absolute legend in the field of documentaries, though he rarely dabbled in art-house films. In reality, it was just a gesture of gratitude for Old Situ's past mentorship.

Old Situ refused without hesitation, warning Cao Yang not to pick up bad habits at such a young age. Cao Yang secretly asked Old Tian about it, and Old Tian just curled his lip, saying, "That's how the old guy is. Don't look at the older generation with a young person's mindset. The 'dedication' they talk about and the 'dedication' you understand aren't the same thing."

Fair enough. Old Tian knew Old Situ well, and since he said so, Cao Yang dropped the idea. He had originally planned to have Old Situ as the nominal Art Director while Old Tian served as his deputy to oversee everything, but now, he had to give the Art Director position to Old Tian. Of course, Old Tian would also remain the cinematographer; he was used to that.

An Art Director is actually a very complex role. They are responsible for designing all visual elements of a film beyond the acting, and they must collaborate closely with the director, cinematographer, special effects artists, and costume designers to ensure that every aspect of the visual presentation aligns with the overall style. For instance, since the film was set in Hong Kong, the scenes and props—everything from police stations to correctional facilities—had to be authentic to the setting. This was all part of the Art Director's work.

"Senior Brother, are you interested in this film? I'll give you a 10% share. Naturally, that's only from the domestic box office. I'll cover your salary as Art Director and cinematographer, plus an extra 100,000 yuan. The 100,000 will be deducted from your dividends from *On the Beach at Night Alone*."

Old Tian gave Cao Yang a complicated look. This kid...

"Alright. How did you negotiate with the school this time?"

"Same terms as before. It's a student practical project, included in the curriculum. Youth Film Studio provides the logo, equipment, and personnel, shares the domestic copyright, and takes 10% of the domestic box office."

Old Tian grinned. "Truth be told, back then, with no idea how the film would perform, asking for only 10% of the domestic box office meant the school actually lost out. You know, just the Youth Film Studio's logo alone is worth over a hundred thousand, and your film only cost a few hundred thousand to make. They mostly liked that they didn't have to put up any money and could still arrange for student practice." He couldn't help but ask, "And now?"

"Now?"

Old Tian chuckled, glancing at Cao Yang. "Now, the investment for this film is much larger, and the director is no longer a nobody. Looking just at the surface terms, it seems reasonable."

"Surface?"

Cao Yang didn't quite grasp this. To the school or the leadership, gains and losses weren't simply about how much money was made or lost; there were other intangible factors to calculate.

"If you took these terms elsewhere, almost every film company would fight to invest. In that sense, the school is taking advantage of you again. Your last film won two Silver Bears; the domestic box office is guaranteed to be solid. Let's say 15 million. The producers get a bit over 40%, which is over 6 million. The school gets their 10%, around 600,000. Compared to the investment in the logo, personnel, and equipment, that's nearly 400,000 in profit. From that perspective, they've made quite a bit."

He continued after a moment of silence: "I suspect that unless you have a strong desire to go solo, the school will keep you tethered—making you pursue a master's degree, keeping you on staff, and giving you titles."

"I'm still a student. That's too far off."

"Far? Ha, let's talk about something closer. Do you have candidates for the lead roles?"

Cao Yang took out a pen, wrote down a list, and handed it to Old Tian. "Here's the list. Two from the Beijing Film Academy, one from the Central Academy of Drama. When we have time, we'll have them audition and decide who to use."

Old Tian took it and looked it over. He'd heard of some, but didn't know them personally. He folded the list and put it in his pocket, planning to do some digging so he could give Cao Yang some advice—he had to live up to his role as Art Director.

"What about the lead actress?"

Cao Yang held up three fingers and joked, "First, she must be young; second, she must be beautiful; third, she must have charm."

"Are you picking a concubine? What about Li Xiaoran? Why aren't you using her?"

Cao Yang smiled. She was a fiercely competitive woman, a persistent striver who was both clumsy and passionate, with some rather unusual little quirks.

"She and her agent are trying to go head-to-head with Ziyi Zhang. They're both fighting for a role in the Master's new film, so her schedule is packed. Just wait, the next while will be filled with press releases about the two of them."

"Haha, that's a good thing. At least for our upcoming film, we won't be short on buzz."

Indeed, there was no shortage of buzz. One was riding high, and the other was equally prominent. The media was going crazy as the two clashed.

Ziyi Zhang had been flying high lately. As the Oscars approached, her excitement grew. She was just lamenting that no other Chinese actress could hold a candle to her when Li Xiaoran dealt her a heavy blow.

The Master's thirty-million-dollar blockbuster had a role specifically "customized" for her—a role added explicitly to cater to the international market. How could such a sure thing slip away?

But it actually might! The Master had personally invited others to audition. Ziyi wouldn't have cared if it were an ordinary person, but this person had just won the Berlin Best Actress award. She did some digging and found out this person had been a bit-part player who starred in a student project, only for it to win two Silver Bears!

What was going on? Was there any logic left? If it weren't right in front of her eyes, who would believe it? It was like a dream. It was one thing to get lucky and win the Berlin award, but now she was coming to steal her role!

Consequently, when asked in an interview what she thought of Li Xiaoran winning the Berlin award, Ziyi replied, "Who is Li Xiaoran? I don't know her."

When Li Xiaoran was asked about Ziyi Zhang's shining moment at the Oscars, she responded, "Ziyi has a great eye. Since her debut, she's won so many awards—the Rising Star award at the Asian Film Connection, Best Supporting Actress from the Toronto Film Critics Association, Best Supporting Actress from the Online Film Critics Society, Best Newcomer from the Chicago Film Critics Association... there are too many to list. Unlike me, who only has a Berlin Best Actress award."

Ziyi: "I debuted in the Master's *The Road Home*, which won the Berlin Jury Grand Prix."

Li Xiaoran: "She participated in the 50th edition; I participated in the 51st. Following Director Cao, I didn't just win the Jury Grand Prix, but also Best Actress. Oh, by the way, Ziyi, don't worry about what others think. The Jury Grand Prix is awarded to the film as a whole. In principle, the actress can go on stage too. It's all my fault for being too shy to follow Director Cao onto the stage to accept the award."

Ziyi: "The film I starred in, *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, received ten Oscar nominations."

Li Xiaoran: "I'm a bit confused about Ziyi's role in the film. If she's the lead, her name is third-billed; if she's a supporting actress, she thinks she's the lead. It's a pity that among the ten nominations for *Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon*, there's neither a Best Actress nor a Best Supporting Actress nomination. Ziyi's acting is fine, it's just a shame."

Ziyi: "Let's talk when she actually has a film released."

Li Xiaoran: "Thanks for the recommendation, Ziyi. *On the Beach at Night Alone* officially releases on March 2nd."

Ziyi stopped accepting interviews entirely. *Was I recommending your movie? I meant you haven't even had a film where you're the lead released, so why are you spouting nonsense at me?*