novellhall Chapter 292 A Work That Will Soon Amaze Hollywood
Chapter 292 A Work That Will Soon Amaze Hollywood
Chapter 291 A Work About to Amaze Hollywood (Happy New Year, Please Vote!)
The producer next to him couldn't help but ask, "Chen, is there any data to support your predictions?"
"You know, Hollywood musicals haven't been doing well in the market lately; fast-paced editing is the mainstream."
He looked at Chazelle and said, word by word, "Damien, we're not making a run-of-the-mill musical; we're making a film that will win an Oscar and be remembered by audiences for many years to come."
"What you're betting on isn't what the market likes now, but what the market will remember in the future."
The studio fell silent once again.
Chazelle stared at the rough cut on the big screen, his fingers unconsciously stroking his chin, and fell silent.
He was well aware of Chen Xun's record.
From an extra to an Oscar-winning supporting actor, the projects he worked on, from "Green Lantern" to "The Ancient One," were all box office and critical successes!
Take the most recent example.
"The Last Roll of Film," a student film, won the Gold Award for Best Narrative Feature at the Student Oscars with remarkable ease after being directed by Chen Xun.
It has now been sent to the Oscars for judging.
Chen Xun's market predictions and understanding of audience psychology have been proven countless times.
"good!"
Cha Zelei finally spoke, looking up at Chen Xun. The resistance in his eyes had completely disappeared, replaced by seriousness: "According to Chen's suggestion, we will make a complete rough cut. We will leave the original version unchanged and make two versions. Three days later, our entire creative team will vote to select the final cut."
Upon hearing this, everyone in the room was stunned.
To everyone's surprise, Chazelle actually adopted Chen Xun's suggestion and was willing to cut two versions and use a vote to decide the final cut.
Chen Xun was also taken aback for a moment, then smiled.
"Thank you for your hard work, which has given this film a better chance!"
Chazelle grasped his hand, his eyes shining.
"If anyone understands this script best, it's you besides me!"
three days later.
Screening room.
The moment the lights went completely dark, only the soft hum of the film projector remained in the entire space.
The small space was filled with the core creators of "La La Land".
The film stars director Chazelle, two producers, a cinematographer, a composer, an editor, and actors Chen Xun and Emma.
Everyone was nestled in the soft seats, their eyes glued to the large screen in front of them, even their breathing unconsciously becoming softer.
"Here's my first version."
Chazelle's voice rang out in the darkness, tense: "Duration 128 minutes."
As soon as he finished speaking, the screen lit up.
The familiar Los Angeles sunshine fills the scene, with traffic jams on the highway, and young people in colorful clothes jumping out of cars to dance and sing on the roofs and in the traffic.
In Chazelle's initial version, this four-minute long take was cut by one and a half minutes, making the pace much faster but also losing some of the seamless romance.
For the next 128 minutes, the theater remained completely silent.
Chazelle's first draft was extremely well-made.
His signature long takes, his understanding of musical narratives, and his delicate portrayal of dreams and love are all vividly displayed.
The unique graininess of 35mm film fills the frame, and the high-saturation color blocking of the three primary colors of blue, yellow, and red precisely captures the classic Hollywood feel.
Even in the darkness, you can feel the passion and melancholy of Los Angeles that are palpable in the images.
The film has ended.
Mia and Sebastian exchanged their final glances in the bar.
The screen went dark, and soft lights illuminated the screening room.
Applause erupted, expressing approval of the director's work.
"Great, Damien, the emotions flowed very smoothly."
The producer spoke first, his tone sincere: "The only problem is the pacing. The narrative in the middle is a bit slow, and the emotional impact is a little weak after the montage at the end is compressed. This might be a disadvantage during awards season."
The director of photography nodded in agreement, his tone tinged with regret: "And the 65mm large format lens from the observatory, you cut it into too many small pieces."
"We spent three sleepless nights shooting a long take with heavy equipment, but after disassembling it into quick cuts, the spatial sense and texture of the film were not fully utilized."
Everyone chimed in with their opinions, some affirming, others raising real questions.
Chazelle leaned back in his seat, rubbing his chin with his fingers, and nodded.
He understands these issues better than anyone else.
It's just a matter of choosing between one's own authorial expression and the rules of the market and awards season.
He was constantly torn between the two, unable to find the perfect balance.
"Ten-minute break, then we'll play the second version."
Cha Zelei took a deep breath and looked up at Chen Xun sitting next to him.
In the darkness, Chen Xun's eyes were calm, without the slightest tension or urgency, as if he were just attending an ordinary movie screening.
Ten minutes later, the lights went out again.
"Second version, editing director: Chen Xun, runtime 132 minutes."
This time, amidst the hum of the projector turning, everyone sat up straight.
The moment the screen lit up, the entire audience fell silent.
The same highway opening scene was retained in its entirety in this version, with the four-minute long take preserved.
The camera weaves through the traffic, gliding from one car roof to another, passing over vibrant faces.
The singing and dancing flowed seamlessly without a single break.
The graininess of 35mm film is perfectly presented on the big screen.
The warm yellow sunlight, the sapphire blue sky, and the bright red sports car create a vibrant yet harmonious blend of highly saturated colors, without any excessive digital feel.
It possesses a romantic quality unique to classic Hollywood musicals.
The director of photography, sitting in the back, instantly held his breath and gripped the armrests tightly.
He knew all too well how difficult it was to film that shot.
The midday sun in Los Angeles, the moving traffic, the coordination of dozens of extras—all filmed in one continuous shot, with the slightest mistake requiring a reshoot.
They stayed up for two whole days, filming seventeen takes before selecting this one as the most perfect.
Chazelle cut it into pieces in his first edition, and he felt bad for several days, but he didn't say much.
Now this shot is presented in its entirety on the big screen, with all the staging and details, even the unique breathing quality of film, preserved to the fullest extent.
The film continues.
Chen Xun did not make drastic changes or overturn Cha Zelei's core expression.
On the contrary, he perfectly implemented Chazelle's creative concept of using old tools to tell new stories.
He did not use color grading for the animation, but completely preserved the highly saturated primary color system that Chazelle and the colorists had repeatedly refined.
Even at several key points, the slight halo of overexposed film was deliberately preserved.
For example, the scene where Mia and Sebastian dance under the starry sky at the observatory was captured entirely in 65mm large format.
The vast starry sky unfolded behind the two of them, with blue-purple light and shadows enveloping the warm yellow lamplight. The delicate texture of the film brought the romance to its extreme.
The scene is breathtakingly beautiful.
The most significant change is at the end.
The montage, which was compressed to 3 minutes in Chazelle's initial version, was restored to a full 5 minutes by Chen Xun.
From the moment Sebastian took Mia's hand and kissed her in the bar, all the "what ifs" began to unfold.
They went to Paris together, got married together, had children together, and opened a jazz bar called Seb's together.
All regrets have been resolved!
All the missed opportunities have been rewritten!
The main theme of City of Stars is varied throughout, and the color tone of the visuals changes with the stages of life.
From vibrant red, to gentle yellow, and then to serene blue —
The graininess of the film always envelops the image, like a gentle yet grand dream.
When the montage ends, the scene cuts back to reality.
Sebastian sat at the piano and looked up at Mia in the crowd.
The two smiled at each other across the entire bar.
The screen went dark.
The screening room was deathly quiet.
No one spoke, no one even moved; there was only the barely audible sound of breathing.
After a long while, the applause suddenly erupted, several times more enthusiastic than before, almost lifting the roof off the screening room.
Emma raised her hand to wipe away the tears from the corner of her eyes, turned her head to look at Chen Xun, and her eyes shone with an astonishing light.
She has acted in this scene countless times.
But it wasn't until she saw this version on the big screen just now that she truly felt how powerful the unspoken "I love you" really was.
The composer, his face flushed with excitement, grabbed Chazelle's arm: "Damian! This is exactly the feeling I wanted when I wrote this piece!"
"The music and visuals were perfectly synchronized; it gave me goosebumps!"
The director of photography even stood up, clapping enthusiastically, his eyes reddening: "Perfect! This is what we should be shooting with film! The charm of a 65mm lens is fully revealed!"
Chazelle sat there, neither moving nor speaking.
He stared at the darkened screen, his body trembling slightly.
He originally thought that Chen Xun's version would be a mass-produced modification to cater to the market, losing the authorial expression that he cared about most, and erasing the film texture and retro core that he insisted on.
But he was wrong!
Chen Xun not only didn't lose it, but he also completely unearthed what he had hidden in the lens, what he wanted to say but hadn't fully expressed, thus establishing the soul of the entire story.
He insisted on shooting with 35mm and 65mm film, saying that this was not a retro imitation, but rather using old tools to tell new stories.
Chen Xun's version perfectly embodies this line!
Using the most classic Hollywood musical long takes and the richest film texture, it tells a story about dreams and regrets, love and missed opportunities.
There was no overstepping of boundaries or usurping authority; only the finishing touch.
The lights came on, Chazelle looked up at everyone, took a deep breath, and said, "Alright, let's vote. Anonymous, both versions, choose our final cut."
The staff distributed the ballots, and the only sound in the screening room was the scratching of pens on paper.
Without hesitation, everyone bowed their heads, finished writing their ballots, folded them neatly, and dropped them into the ballot box.
The vote counting process was very short, but the result was both unexpected and reasonable to everyone.
There were 11 ballots in total, and 10 of them were cast for Chen Xun's version.
Even Chazelle voted for Chen Xun!
Only one vote was abstaining.
Chazelle showed no resentment, only sincerity towards his work: "I insist on shooting on film, on paying homage to classic Hollywood, not to replicate an old movie, but to tell a story that can be remembered by today's audience."
"Chen Xun's version did not lose my roots; on the contrary, it made the story grow richer and more fleshed out."
"He made it easier for more people to understand what we're saying!"
He turned to Chen Xun, extended his hand, and said with genuine approval in his eyes, "Thank you, Chen. You've made this film even better!"
Chen Xun stood up, took his hand, and smiled: "Your story was good enough, I just made some minor modifications to enhance it."
The audience erupted in applause once again.
This time, it's for the mutual appreciation between the two creators, and for this work that is about to amaze Hollywood.