Global Film Emperor

Chapter 373 Sometimes it's time to stir things up.

But just as Mickey stood on the street waving to flag down a car, Lu Ze suddenly had a flash of inspiration and came up with a plan. He then grabbed Mickey's hand that was waving to flag down a car.

"What? Aren't you taking a taxi?"

"Let me ask you a question: how does a film increase its popularity?"

"Why ask such a stupid question? Anyone outside the industry knows it's about the quality of the work, the fame of the main creators, and the post-production promotion."

"Think about it further back."

"Investment amount, pre-production publicity, director and actors' fame?"

How should we promote it in the early stages?

A taxi stopped, and Mickey waved to the driver. After the car passed, he thought for a moment, then turned to look at Lu Ze. He wasn't stupid; he immediately understood what Lu Ze meant.

"You mean... a publicity stunt?"

Hype is an essential skill for every film and television company. This is not something pioneered by domestic film and television companies, but rather a practice that has been adopted by foreign film and television companies and localized to suit the national conditions.

Movies are nothing more than hype about big budgets, gimmicks, cast, and trailers. Of course, trailers are basically the essence of the movie. In comparison, TV series are even more clumsy at hyping things up: they hype up couples, character settings, and popularity. After a lot of awkward hype, they serve up a dish that even the chef doesn't know what it tastes like and stuff it into the audience's mouths. Of course, this doesn't refer to all films, but I think no one would disagree that it applies to a large portion of them.

Hype is no longer as despicable as it was in the era of "The Fighter Rooster". It has gradually shed its derogatory connotation and become an unspoken rule of the game that everyone tacitly agrees to. If you don't hype it up, someone else will, as long as you're not afraid of starving to death.

Lu Ze also had his persona promoted during his time at Qian Shijia, such as being a serious and dedicated acting fanatic, an old-fashioned person who spends his free time raising flowers, walking cats, and playing with grafting. These impressions have been deeply ingrained in the fans' minds.

Of course, there are drawbacks too. If your public persona differs too much from your real life, it's easy for things to fall apart if the truth gets out. Whether they're Lu Ze's seniors, peers, or juniors, too many have stumbled on this issue. Only Lu Ze seems unscathed. Why? Because his public persona is genuine…

So the real meaning of hype is not to make something fake seem real, but rather to amplify any point that benefits them, whether it's true or false, to cover up the fake with the real, or vice versa. It doesn't matter. Just like Lu Ze's thoughts at this moment, they really can't bear to rent a car. This matter is real, and there's absolutely no need to add anything fake to it. They just need to hype it up and make the event popular. Losing some face doesn't matter. He only needs two words.

topic.

In today's entertainment era, serious news no longer attracts attention. Instead, nonsensical news and interesting stories are more likely to capture people's attention. The resulting hot topics will not have a negative impact on Universal Brothers Pictures or Lu Ze and Mickey personally; on the contrary, they will bring many benefits.

This is hardly negative news, nor will it have any negative impact on the public. In short, it exposes the current financial difficulties to the public and makes oneself the subject of ridicule.

The purpose of doing this was not to gain sympathy by playing the victim and thus profit from the public. The ultimate goal was simply to make the public remember the two of them, or "Universal Brothers Pictures". As for whether exposing the shortage of funds would affect business negotiations, Lu Ze was not worried.

After all, they still have three million euros left, and Universal Brothers can still afford the basic production costs. No one will take advantage of Universal Brothers' lack of funds. Moreover, Lu Ze is very confident that the difficulties are only temporary. Once "Rebirth" is released, all the difficulties will be resolved.

"Given the current situation, does it make a difference whether we rent a car, take a taxi, take the bus, or even hike there?"

"It seems... there's no difference."

"Why bother taking a taxi? It's thirteen kilometers from here to the theater. The taxi fare would be enough for dinner. We're not in a rush, so why take a taxi? This is the bus stop, right? Do you have any change? It's the Berlin Bolshoi Theatre, get on the bus."

...Sometimes, Mickey really admires Lu Ze's occasional brilliant ideas. He can even come up with such a bizarre way of attending the meeting. There is no precedent for nominees taking the bus to the film festival. Reporters would report on this kind of thing without even having to bribe anyone, right?

As for whether he would be looked down upon by the other invited colleagues, to be honest, Lu Ze wouldn't have thought that way if it weren't for their attitude towards Mickey. Since they were already being looked down upon, let them look down on him. Anyway, the reason they were hostile to Mickey was just because they couldn't bring themselves to reconcile with him. The reason they couldn't bring themselves to reconcile was that Mickey had only just turned his life around and it wasn't enough for them to bow down to him.

As for whether the film festival organizers will be dissatisfied with Lu Ze and his companion, there is absolutely no need to worry. As long as someone comes to accept the award and the nominees arrive on time, the organizers will not interfere with other minor matters. After all, Lu Ze and his companion are not walking the red carpet; they can simply enter the venue through the VIP entrance.

Nowadays, major film festivals are becoming increasingly commercialized. As long as you pay, even internet celebrities can walk the red carpet. Although the closing time must be reserved for big names, most of these big names are female stars. Male stars, except for those who have to attract attention, will generally not participate. After all, walking the red carpet with a bunch of internet celebrities is indeed a bit beneath them, not to mention that Mickey and Lu Ze are not eye-catching either.

So the two boarded the bus without a care in the world, feeling no unease whatsoever. They just felt the bus was too crowded, and since they were dressed so formally, they looked like two idiots on a weekend bus. Every now and then, passengers would glance at them as if they were some rare animals.

Forty minutes later, the vehicle arrived at the station. Most of the passengers got off, wanting to witness the annual grand event and see the celebrities. Since the road was not closed, Lu Ze and his companion bought two bottles of mineral water while waiting at the red light.

Then a bizarre scene unfolded. At the end of March, in a still somewhat chilly month, while all the celebrities were dressed to the nines and emerging from various luxury cars, these two, carrying mineral water bottles, strolled casually through the crowd of reporters as if taking a walk, and showed the invitation to the burly man in a suit standing in front of the door.

The reporter had only one question in mind: where did these two people come from?
As entertainment reporters, they are not as unfamiliar with most directors and foreign actors as bus passengers, so they will naturally review the list of nominees in advance before setting off.

Although the two favorites arrived at the venue as if taking a stroll, leaving the official host somewhat confused, they still quickly pointed the microphone at them.

"Welcome to Berlin, both of you. As a regular at the Berlin Film Festival for the third time, Mickey, could you say hello to the viewers at home?"

"Hello everyone."

Mickey's answer was somewhat unexpected by Lu Ze. He seemed a little shy, completely unlike his usual carefree self. He waved to the camera and then said nothing more, leaving Lu Ze to pat him on the back and laugh along with him.

"I'm sorry, I didn't notice earlier. May I ask how you arrived at the scene? I don't think I saw a car with you two parked there."

The beautiful host smiled gently, lightly tucked a strand of hair behind her ear, and asked a question that had nothing to do with the film festival. This prompted equally curious reporters to snap photos, and the hand holding the recorder inadvertently moved closer to the two of them.

Mickey wasn't usually this concerned with saving face, but for some reason today, he didn't answer the question. Instead, he nudged Lu Ze with his elbow, letting the man who came up with the bad idea answer for him.

"Um... In response to the call of the Environmental Protection Association to conserve energy and reduce emissions, I saw a new energy bus that goes directly to the theater outside the hotel, so I took the bus here. I'm sorry, we have an appointment, so we may have to go in first."

"I didn't expect you two to be environmental enthusiasts. This deserves encouragement. I should learn from you both. Okay, please come in. I wish you both great success at this film festival."

After thanking the host, the two stepped into the venue ahead of time. The red carpet entrance and the VIP entrance were two separate doors, but they were not far apart and were at a 90-degree angle. As soon as Lu Ze entered, he saw a famous German YouTuber coming in from the red carpet entrance.

Mickey's pace was a bit faster than Lu Ze's, as if he was about to run away. Lu Ze grabbed his neck and looked Mickey up and down with a puzzled expression. Mickey didn't seem like the type to be a bully at home, so why was he so weak at a film festival?
Why are you running away?

"Nonsense, that host used to be my girlfriend. I found her quite materialistic, so I had a one-night stand with her. That woman is crazy; she almost chased me back to England. If I had known she was the off-site host for this film festival, I wouldn't have wanted to be interviewed by her even on the red carpet. Damn it, I'd better get out of here."

Looking back at the entrance, the two men met her gaze. The female host, with her back to the crowd, subtly licked her lips and gave Mickey a wink, sending a shiver down their spines. They turned around in a flash, lowered their heads, and strode stiffly toward the venue.

"..."

(End of this chapter)