In the small home theater, the jade dragon on the screen jumped off the cliff, and the figure sitting in the dark silently showed a thoughtful look, and then nodded lightly.

This jump can be called the finishing touch.

Leap of Freedom or something else......

The picture on the screen goes off and the lights in the home theater come on.

A man in the back row walked over, sat down next to the Silent One, and asked, "Roger, can you write?"

"Yes. Roger Albert's mouth seemed to have a problem, and he didn't speak very sharply: "Jett, this is Ang Lee's new film?"

Jett said: "Yes, the Cannes Film Festival premiere, distributed in North America by Embassy Pictures. ”

Roger Albert frowned: "Embassy Pictures? Aren't they only distributing small-budget overseas films? This film can't be made without $10 million, right?"

Jett replied, "Embassy Pictures was acquired by Ronan Anderson and has expanded a lot, not only to distribute films in North America, but also to establish overseas distribution channels. Seeing that Roger Albert was a little confused, he explained: "It's Ronan Anderson of Shahai Entertainment, the producer of the "Human Eradication Project" series and "The Grim Reaper". It was also this "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" that he bought. ”

"It's him. Roger Albert's mouth was inconvenient, and there was an abnormal tremor in his voice: "This young man has a good eye, and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" is a masterpiece. ”

Jett added: "Rumor has it that the marketing of "Blair the Witch" is also from him. ”

Roger Albert shook his head: "These are all small means, and being able to make a good movie is the real ability." ”

Jett disagrees, but won't be stupid enough to say it, Roger Albert is behind the times,

Of course, it's just lagging behind, and no one can deny the powerful influence of Roger Albert.

What a remarkable achievement to win a Pulitzer Prize as a film critic?

Jett turned back to the topic: "Roger, when are you going to write a column about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?" he emphasized: "The people who commissioned the manuscript said that they would accept both praise and criticism. ”

Roger Albert stood up: "You go to the living room and wait, I'll go back to the study now, I'll give it to you today, and I'll see you tomorrow." ”

Asking Embassy Pictures to ask Roger Albert to write through an intermediary was specially asked by Ronan to do it, and the top batch of film critics is really difficult to influence, and money can not play a big role.

These people cherish their reputation very much.

Ronan also didn't expect to make well-known film critics tout "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" without any lower limit, and pay some price to ask Roger Albert for a draft, mainly because he remembered one thing, Roger Albert was a standard Ang Lee in his previous life.

And Roger Albert also wrote articles that praised "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

Perhaps this is the masterpiece of a former publishing company.

So, Ronan should pay no less price and do not demand and influence the content of Roger Albert's comments.

There is a tacit understanding between the film industry and the film critic industry, and the day after Ronan learned that Roger Albert should come down, he saw Roger Ebert's op-ed on "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" in the newspaper.

"The best martial arts movies are not about fighting, but about personal self-transcendence. A true chivalrous man is free from the limitations of space, the limitations of the flesh and the fear of the heart. Fights in Western movies are often based on the premise that both parties hate each other. And in martial arts movies, it is more about showing people's control of power. ”

"Ang Lee's Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is the best martial arts movie I've ever seen, and it has touched even the most discerning audiences. At the beginning of the film, there is a sequence of chase shots of the characters jumping from one room to another as they jump from one room to another, which critics applaud, as such scenes are rare in other films. I thought it had something to do with the stretching of the body in the picture. It's so light, flexible and a breeze. ”

"The fighting part in a martial arts movie is like the song and dance part in a song and dance movie: after a certain dialogue, the next step is a corresponding dance. The action director of this film is Yuan Heping, whose masterpiece is "The Matrix", and he advocates form over practicality. It's not who wins, it's who looks more skilled. ”

"But what makes Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon unique is the depth and poetry of the story, which is not only gorgeous action scenes, but also full of emotion, extreme romance and spiritual essence. ”

"I know there are some people who will scoff at martial arts movies, just as some people have an aversion to Westerns. Jack Warner once told his producers, 'Stop letting me see movies written in feathers.' But like all ambitious films, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" transcends the confines of the genre and stands in a class of its own. It's brilliant, escapist, and extremely moving at the same time. ”

Out of five stars, Roger Ebert gave it a four-and-a-half rating and a thumbs up.

Roger Albert is enough to influence a lot of people during awards season!

After the first day of the test screening, Rotten Tomatoes collected 42 related film reviews, with a positive rating of 98% and an average critic score of 8.8!

This film, dressed in martial arts and telling Western thoughts, has been unanimously affirmed by the mainstream media in North America.

Among them, Ronan's targeted propaganda played a huge role.

"Ang Lee's genius is that he does not narrate from the perspective of Orientals, but from the standpoint of Western culture, and narrates from the perspective of Westerners looking at Eastern culture. ”

Similar advertorial promotions began to appear in the North American media as early as when "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" participated in the Toronto Film Festival.

As for the effect, it's not too good.

The film has received excellent media reputation and film criticism, and Oscar public relations are also rapidly unfolding.

The most basic public relations work is to strive for more Oscar judges to see the film with their own eyes.

It is all too common for Oscar judges to vote indiscriminately without seeing the participating films, and according to incomplete statistics, the proportion may be close to 50% or more.

There are so many films that enter the Oscars every year that no one can expect the judges to have seen them all.

The core judges of the Oscars are undoubtedly the old men of the colleges, most of them have taken a back seat, and they have more time.

But there are more judges who are actors, directors, screenwriters, producers, cinematographers, and people in various behind-the-scenes professions who are working in Hollywood.

This group of people is already busy with work, even when they are not busy, they still have to make appointments, drink, and take drugs, where do they have so much time to watch movies.

Although the Academy expressly stipulates that members are only eligible to vote if they have seen the relevant films.

But this kind of rule, even the most core old men do not abide by it.

Voting with your eyes closed, or choosing a familiar film to vote is the norm.

If you can let these people watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and have a sense of familiarity, it is very likely to win their votes.

In the nomination ballot, Best Foreign Language Film is similar to Best Picture, in that not all judges are eligible to vote, but rather members of the Academy in the Producers' Union and Directors Guild are responsible for voting.

The PR firm hired by Ronan began a phone bombardment in order to get the judges to vote.

"Hello, Mr. Bryant. I'm your old friend, Helena......"

Sitting in her office, Helena Ayala was making the eleventh call of the day, and although her voice was a little hoarse, her smile was still bright, and her tone was even more natural: "Did you receive the DVD of Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon that we mailed you? When are you going to see it? It's a really good film, can you watch it as soon as possible?"

Even across the phone, Helena smiled: "What? You don't have a DVD player? Sorry, I'm very sorry." It's our work that isn't done well. You're at home now, aren't you? I'll send someone to bring you a DVD player right away. No, no...... This is the equipment we provide for you to watch "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", there is no charge, and when you don't use it, it's not too late to return it to us. ”

Hanging up the phone, Helena copied down the corresponding address and handed it to a staff member next to her: "Kirk, go to the warehouse immediately to pick up a DVD player and deliver it to this address." ”

"Okay. The staff hurried out and went out.

Helena picked up the phone again, dialed the phone of another member of the Producers Alliance, and after a brief greeting, she said: "What do you think of Ang Lee......'s films?

Satisfied, she hung up the phone, and Helena glanced at the phone book and dialed another number......

The word PR is very simple to say, but it is quite cumbersome to do, and it must be mastered, otherwise the effect may be counterproductive.

Beautifully crafted DVDs were sent out from Embassy Pictures and into the homes of countless judges.

At the critical moment, Ronan also stood up and shouted for Ang Lee and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

As a person who bought the rights to North America, Vanity Fair, which has a lot of influence in the industry, briefly interviewed Ronan at a weekend film show held by Embassy Pictures for "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon".

Ronan has been hiding behind the scenes, rarely sticking his feet in front of the scenes, but he will not miss every opportunity to expand the publicity.

"What's great about Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon is that it adds a lot of humanity and artistry to the plot of a power struggle that might otherwise seem cold. It is precisely this strategy that blends the best of different film genres that has successfully touched the hearts of various audience groups. It is both a martial arts film, an action movie, an art film and a romance film. ”

"Director Ang Lee also hopes that everyone who has seen this film will reflect on the relationship between time and space, the human body and consciousness......

In a tense and hectic situation, "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" spent its first screening weekend in North America.