It’s very challenging for a film to compete for awards.
Sheng Tang has worked on numerous commercials and countless art films. She has won three significant "Best Actress" awards, so she knows all the rules.
Competing for film awards requires public relations.
It’s not bribing the judges but using one’s skills and connections to get one’s film in front of the judges and make them take it seriously.
The goal is for the film to stand out from countless other submissions and be noticed by the judges.
First, you need to manage online presence, elevating the film’s ratings; manage film critics, enhancing the film’s reputation.
If a highly-rated and well-received film doesn’t catch the attention of the Qinglan Award judges, they would be questioned about their professionalism for missing a good film.
The second step of public relations involves establishing good relationships with the judges.
This isn’t about buying votes but about creating goodwill. It’s tricky because simply inviting the judges doesn’t guarantee their attendance.
This process requires intermediaries and various favors.
Lastly, the submitted film needs constant promotion to ensure high exposure during the award season.
After a series of public relations efforts, whether the film gets nominated depends on its quality.
Many domestic film awards can be obtained directly through public relations, but the Qinglan Award and Golden Elephant Award are different.
These two awards are highly prestigious, and during each award season, the control is stringent. The judges will never accept bribes and ruin their careers; the credibility of the awards is strong, and the judges’ decisions aren’t easily manipulated.
Therefore, the films selected for Best Actor and Best Actress by other awards might be shocking and subjected to ridicule, but such things don’t happen with the Qinglan Award and Golden Elephant Award.
They are similar to the "Oscar." You might not like their chosen Best Picture, but you have to acknowledge that the selected films deserve the award and have their merits.
"... How many awards are you aiming for in Qinglan Award?" Sheng Tang asked.
"Three," Gu Jiahui replied, "Best Plot, Best Director, and Best Supporting Actress."
Sheng Tang: "That will cost you a substantial amount, no less than thirty million as a baseline."
"I’ve made a pure profit of sixty million, spending half is very worthwhile. This film is now considered my personal work, and all the rights are in my hand.
As long as it wins awards, it’s an achievement for my company. I can expand the investment market and even establish an independent production department," Gu Jiahui said.
The film’s rights are in his hand, Sheng Tang is an artist under his company, he is managing the public relations for Best Plot and Best Supporting Actress awards, and then asking the director to help with re-editing, thus also aiming for Best Director.
"Do you have any objections to aiming for Best Supporting Actress?" Gu Jiahui asked her.
In this film, Sheng Tang plays both the lead and supporting actress.
However, given her age and resume, even if Gu Jiahui pulls off an extraordinary public relations effort, the judges wouldn’t award her "Best Actress."
The competition for Best Actress is too intense, and Sheng Tang’s standing in the film industry isn’t sufficient, so they can only try for the Best Supporting Actress award.
"Of course, I don’t have any objections," Sheng Tang said, "We should aim for what’s achievable."
Gu Jiahui nodded.
Sheng Tang remembered that in her previous life, this film won Best Plot and Best Supporting Actress. She wondered if there would be any changes in this lifetime since it’s a different world now.
"Director Wang." She met Director Wang Sheng in the editing room.
Wang Sheng looked as slim and smooth-talking as ever, "Mr. Sheng, you’ve come? Perfect, perfect. I’ve almost finished editing, and I was planning to ask President Gu to come and take a look tomorrow."