Chapter 347 Cannes Opening

"Wow! This studio is so big!"

At this time, Jiang Qinqin and others followed the "Batman" crew and exclaimed in admiration.

The large model of Gotham City's appearance was built in Cardington Studio, which was once an aircraft hangar and is located in north London. Cardington's huge No. 2 aircraft hangar is 812 feet long and 180 feet high. The area of ​​the studio is equivalent to 16 Olympic-sized swimming pools and can accommodate 8,338 London double-decker buses, which is beyond the reach of ordinary studios.

There are few Chinese studios, and there are even fewer as large as Cardington Studio. Therefore, it also caused the crew of "Departures" to be amazed and broadened their horizons.

Although Wu Yuchen brought "Departures" to participate in the Cannes Film Festival, there are still two weeks before the opening of the Cannes Film Festival, so he flew to London first, and then directed the crew and local staff to build the studio. Wu Yuchen did this to make full use of his time.

While the studio was being built here, Wu Yuchen also led a team to the Montemore Tower, a property built by the Rothschild family in the 1850s. It was the Rothschild family that was said to control the world's economic artery!

Montemore Tower is located in the north of London. It is a country villa manor. All the interior and exterior scenes of Wayne Manor will be filmed here.

Wu Yuchen had no time to take care of Jiang Qinqin and the others. During this time, he let them visit or play in London. However, they all chose to follow the "Batman" crew to visit for a few days. After all, it is rare to have such a close contact with such a world-class production!

"Just seeing these studios, and their various props, sets, and preparations in all aspects, I immediately felt the gap! Our Chinese-language films still have a long way to go!"

"This is all made with money! The cost alone is over 100 million US dollars. Which Chinese film can be made like this?"

"That's not the case. They are willing to invest so much money because they can make it back. The American market is already large, and Hollywood also has influence all over the world.

Think about Director Wu shooting a "Pirate King 2", the cost is over 200 million US dollars, but "Pirate King 2" has a high box office! 1.38 billion box office, the second in film history! How much money can it make?"

"So, they dare to invest so much! But only Director Wu has this ability, and their money is not blown by the wind. They dare to invest more than 200 million because they recognize Director Wu!"

"That's right! Look at the whole crew of foreigners who are obedient to Director Wu~"

After visiting, several people were also moved and chatted with each other.

It has been more than half a year since Pirates of the Caribbean 2 was released last year. Basically, it has been released in all regions where it should have been released, and it has almost been withdrawn from theaters. The final global box office was fixed at 1.38 billion US dollars, successfully surpassing The Lord of the Rings 3, and currently ranks second in film history.

Up to now, it can be said that Wu Yuchen's influence is really no weaker than Cameron. Although the truck driver shocked the world with Titanic, he has been resting for seven or eight years. This period is the time when Wu Yuchen rose. Not only did he win many Oscar statuettes, but many movies also achieved good results, especially the Pirates of the Caribbean series. This second place in film history is still talked about.

"Pass! Okay, let's stop here today and call it a day."

After finishing a day of shooting, Kate, the heroine of Batman, walked towards Wu Yuchen.

Kate is British. She didn't follow the crew before, so she just waited for the crew to come to London.

She smiled and said to Wu Yuchen: "Wu, do you want me to take you to London?"

Wu Yuchen shook his head immediately after hearing this: "Kate, now during the filming period, work is the most important, let's forget it~"

Kate smiled gently, and then teased Wu Yuchen: "Are you because of work, or because of the woman next to you? Let me guess, is she your official girlfriend?"

Wu Yuchen did not deny it, but asked: "Why do you care about this?"

"Of course I care, otherwise I'm afraid I will suddenly break into your room at night and cause you some unnecessary trouble. In this case, I won't bother you~" After saying that, Kate smiled and walked away.

Wu Yuchen smiled at Kate's back. He was quite satisfied with this kind of woman with a sense of propriety. He didn't want his gossip in Hollywood to be known by Jiang Qinqin.

It took Wu Yuchen more than ten days to shoot all the scenes in Wayne Manor, especially the ones involving outdoor scenes. This also made him feel relieved. Everything was completed as planned. Cannes will open in three days, and he can also fly to Cannes with the crew of "Departures".

On May 11, the 58th Cannes International Film Festival officially opened.

Compared with the Berlin and Venice Film Festivals, the Cannes Film Festival is really much more lively, and it deserves to be called the top of the three major European festivals.

Of course, for Wu Yuchen, who has participated in the Oscars many times, this is already a small scene. However, Jiang Qinqin beside him was particularly excited and excited. The last time she came to the three major European festivals was when she was shooting "Car 44".

On the red carpet in Cannes, when Wu Yuchen walked up slowly with the crew of "Departures", the audience on both sides screamed and cheered, and the reporters also desperately pressed the shutter and took pictures.

"Wu! I love you!"

"Wu! Wu! Wu!"

"Director Wu, look this way!"

Wu Yuchen walked slowly with everyone, waving to both sides.

After the red carpet, Jacob, the chairman of Cannes, came over and said to Wu Yuchen with a smile: "Wu, the audience in Cannes really loves you, I hope you can fall in love with Cannes too!"

Wu Yuchen smiled: "Mr. Jacob, the enthusiasm of Cannes makes me very happy, I think this trip to Cannes will definitely be very pleasant~"

At this Cannes Film Festival, Wu Yuchen and "Departures" are the biggest favorites. When Wu Yuchen decided to participate in Cannes, it was destined. Cannes itself is the most commercial film festival among the three major ones. This time, Wu Yuchen, a director who is both commercial and artistic, was invited, which was also very exciting. Therefore, Wu Yuchen was naturally given the best treatment, and he was absolutely promoted as the center.

And the effect was also very good. This film festival attracted more audiences. There is no doubt that Wu Yuchen's success in the business field and his appeal have been fully demonstrated on the red carpet.

It is only 2005, and the Chinese film industry has not yet started the Cannes carpet star road. However, there are quite a few Chinese films coming to Cannes this year, some for competition and some for promotion.

"Wow! The great director is here!"

Seeing Wu Yuchen coming over, Cheng Long smiled and walked up to greet him, and then hugged Wu Yuchen intimately.

"Brother Long, this is my first time in Cannes. Can you introduce me to what fun things there are?" Wu Yuchen said with a smile.

Cheng Long did not come to Cannes to participate in the competition, but to bring his new movie "Myth" to participate in the screening. The Cannes Film Festival is not only a gathering place for participating films every year, but also a large number of screening films, and come here to sell films.

Cheng Long came to Cannes this time to sell the European copyright of his "Myth".

"Don't be modest, you are the last to appear. If you want a guide, the organizer will definitely arrange it for you!" Cheng Long patted Wu Yuchen and said.

Then Cheng Long pulled a beautiful woman next to him and introduced her to Wu Yuchen: "Director Wu, this is my heroine, Kim Hee Sun."

Kim Hee Sun, who was wearing a dress and showed off her good figure, immediately bent down, with an excited look, took the initiative to stretch out her hands and shook hands with Wu Yuchen, and kept saying Chinese words such as "Hello" and "Love You".

Kim Hee Sun admired Wu Yuchen, a world-famous super director, very much. At this time, she was extremely respectful and used all the etiquette.

Wu Yuchen also shook hands with Kim Hee Sun: "Miss Kim Hee Sun, I am also very happy to meet you."

Cheng Long did not care about Kim Hee Sun, winked at Wu Yuchen, and said in a low voice: "The first beauty in South Korea, absolutely the best!"

Wu Yuchen was stunned by Cheng Long's words, and then looked at Cheng Long with a strange look, Brother Long, what are you doing? Recommending me a woman you have played with? Damn, I don't want to be a fellow traveler with you!

However, Wu Yuchen estimated that Cheng Long also had good intentions, just like brothers who went to the club together, and recommended the number just now to the brothers after playing a top-notch game, and you must try it next time!

Wu Yuchen coughed lightly and indicated to Cheng Long that Jiang Qinqin and others were following him. Cheng Long also immediately went up to greet them.

After Wu Yuchen let go of Kim Hee Sun who was reluctant to leave, he accepted the greetings from others.

In fact, it was not just Cheng Long here. After Cheng Long, there were also Gu Tianle, Ren Dahua, Johnnie To, Hou Hsiao-hsien, Shu Qi and others who came to greet Wu Yuchen.

In addition to "Departures", the Chinese-language films participating in Cannes this time also include "Election" from Hong Kong Island, "The Best Time" from Taiwan, and "Tianhong" from the mainland.

"Director Wu! My name is Wang Luodan! I'm from the 2001 acting class of Beijing Film Academy!"

Wu Yuchen looked at the junior sister in front of him who was full of youth, sunshine and enthusiasm, and smiled and praised: "Not bad, not bad, you come to Cannes at such a young age, you have a future!"

Wang Luodan immediately smiled happily after receiving such a compliment from Wu Yuchen.

Standing next to Wang Luodan was Wang Xiaoshuai, who had just greeted Wu Yuchen. "Qinghong" was a work he had prepared for several years, and Wang Luodan was the heroine he found. This time, he also hoped to achieve something in Cannes.

In the previous life, the heroine of "Qinghong" was Gao Yuanyuan. However, due to Wu Yuchen's influence, Gao Yuanyuan had no intersection with Wang Xiaoshuai, so she was not the heroine of "Qinghong" this time. It was really not Wu Yuchen's deliberate interference.

The opening film of this year's Cannes is not any of the participating films, but the Hollywood blockbuster "Star Wars Episode 3: Revenge of the Sith"!

The three major festivals have always been shouting the slogan of anti-Hollywood and anti-commercialism, but in fact they all hope that commercial productions can bring popularity to the film festival, especially Cannes.

Although the Cannes Film Festival rarely includes American "blockbusters" with good box office in the competition unit, in order to increase the influence of the film festival, the Cannes Organizing Committee usually chooses a roundabout means, such as finding a Hollywood blockbuster to premiere at the Cannes Film Festival. In addition, some Hollywood stars are also the protagonists of the red carpet.

From this, it can be seen that Cannes attaches great importance to business, and it is no wonder that it can make Cannes the most influential among the three major festivals.

In the evening, Jiang Qinqin still couldn't hide her excitement after returning home, and chatted with Wu Yuchen all the way: "Husband, what award do you think we can get in the end?"

"How can I know this? Maybe we won't get anything~" Wu Yuchen teased Jiang Qinqin.

"Ah? Impossible! Absolutely impossible!" Jiang Qinqin said firmly.

Wu Yuchen scratched Jiang Qinqin's nose: "Oh, so confident?"

"I have confidence in you!" Jiang Qinqin emphasized.

"Then what award do you think you can win this time?"

"I think..."

Jiang Qinqin thought for a while: "At the very least, you should get the Best Director award!"

"Oh! Why don't you think about getting the Best Actress award yourself?"

"Oh, I'm telling you the truth! How can I, a supporting role, get the Best Actress award?"

Wu Yuchen smiled and stopped teasing Jiang Qinqin: "There will definitely be an award, otherwise I will say bad things about Cannes. But it's hard for me to say what award it will be. Best Director, Jury or Palme d'Or, it's all possible."

Jiang Qinqin hesitated for a moment, then said: "Husband, why don't you do more public relations, so that you have a better chance of winning."

Jiang Qinqin is not a novice, and she has been with Wu Yuchen for so long, and she has heard him talk about various public relations for the Oscars.

Wu Yuchen smiled and shook his head when he heard this: "You, don't think too much, just take this trip as a good relaxation."

When Wu Yuchen participated in the Berlin Film Festival many years ago, he did do public relations.

But this is a different time. At that time, he was still weak and needed awards to improve his status. Now he doesn't care much about the Palme d'Or and the like. At most, he can satisfy his stamp collecting habit, but there is no substantial benefit.

Now with Wu Yuchen's identity and status, even if he doesn't win an award for making a movie like "Departures", there will be a large group of people who will complain for him and scold the Cannes judges for being blind.

And since the powerful chairman of Cannes has personally invited him to come, it is equivalent to guaranteeing that he will be rewarded with a big reward. He already has an advantage. In this case, he doesn't want to make too many moves. He wants to leave some suspense to see what award he will get in the end.

Even if he doesn't win the Palme d'Or, isn't there still the Oscars next year? With his influence in Hollywood, if he competes for an Oscar with "Departures" next year, the Best Foreign Language Film award will basically be in his pocket, which will be enough to satisfy Jiang Qinqin's desire for awards.