2001 Media Godfather

Chapter 77 The Most Difficult Road (5000 words)
The so-called "understanding" includes Su Manqing's acting experience, personal characteristics, personal life, market positioning, and so on.

This includes privacy, of course.
Tong Meng was very indignant because she knew that even she was a sham, so what else was she hiding from her?
"I'm not leaving!" She sat down cross-legged and refused to move.

"You little vixen! Do you believe I'll hire a paparazzi to expose you?"

She started rambling on, counting on her fingers, "Make sure your bra is always one size too big, brush your teeth eight times before kissing scenes, eat chive dumplings before kissing scenes, and so on."

"Stop!" Su Manqing's face flushed red with embarrassment. "You win!"

He then sat down dejectedly and glared at Chu An. If Chu An hadn't brought up the matter of probing, none of this would have happened.

Chu An was speechless.
Once the glamour fades, celebrities are really just that kind of people.

Maintaining a serious demeanor, he sternly reprimanded Tong Meng and Lin Wanxing, "Get out!"

Tong Meng protested, "She said it's not necessary!"

Chu An glared at him. "She is her. I need to protect my clients' privacy, understand?"

"Tch!" Tong Meng exclaimed, clearly displeased. "I don't want to hear it either!"

Pulling Lin Wanxing along, she tried to leave, but Lin Wanxing, still wanting more gossip, didn't want to go—it was all about Su Manqing. She whispered to Mengjie, "Why are you eating chive dumplings?"

These words made all three of them laugh. Tong Meng was defeated by her, saying, "You're still young, don't ask such questions."

Lin Wanxing has never filmed a kissing scene since entering the industry, so she really has no experience.

There's nothing we can do about it; after all, we have a doting older brother who's always watching over us.
But Chu An said from behind, "Some people will really stick their tongues out if you don't disgust them."

The Emperor sticking out his tongue was met with disdain from netizens. Do you think this is an isolated incident? While most actors follow the rules, many can't help themselves. Generally, to avoid negative public reaction after broadcast, a normal scene will be deleted.

What gets broadcast either doesn't have backup scenes, or there's something fishy going on.

After the two left, Su Manqing finally breathed a sigh of relief and saw that Chu An's tone had softened a bit. "Thank you."

Chu An took the notebook, sat down, and said, "You're welcome."

After saying that, he opened the notebook, the ballpoint pen hovering over the page. "So...who did you brush your teeth with eight times? And who did you eat chive dumplings with?"

Su Manqing's expression changed instantly; she realized that this person was no good either!
Well, it was just a minor incident, Chu An couldn't help but try to ease the tension.

Normally, in this kind of preliminary investigation, Chu An would ask questions and Su Manqing would answer.

Don't be fooled by Su Manqing's previous reluctance to say these things; they were mostly jokes and banter among friends after the filter was removed.

Su Manqing had experienced this kind of assessment more than once. Once she got into the zone, she was naturally open and honest with everything she knew.

Because an artist's public image and public relations strategy are ultimately based on the person. Many things that ordinary people consider private often determine success or failure at the most crucial moments.

Let's not go to extreme examples, but take the "230 million yuan earring incident" as an example. If that actress's agency or PR team had known about the situation beforehand, without even going into too much detail, they wouldn't have let her wear such conspicuous items.

Anyway, Su Manqing was quite cooperative.

However, Su Manqing discovered that Chu An's questionnaire survey was quite different from the planning work she had encountered before.

Aside from asking a few teasing questions at the beginning to lighten the mood,

Chu An simply asked a few routine questions, such as his general acting experience, what honors he had besides the well-known awards, and his connections in the industry.

After asking these questions, Chu An stopped and let Su Manqing fill in the details herself.

Because the atmosphere had been quite pleasant, Su Manqing was quite relaxed and talked about whatever came to mind, chatting for over an hour.

Finally, Su Manqing shrugged and lazily leaned back on the sofa. "That's about it."

Chu An nodded. "It's already very detailed."

"However, I still have a few minor questions."

Su Manqing glanced at the time; it was already past three o'clock, and she was feeling sleepy, but she didn't think much of it. "Ask away!"

I got scammed!

These were not just a few small questions, but Chu An spent more than two hours asking them.

Moreover, the details were so detailed that Su Manqing wondered if this had anything to do with career planning.

For example, Chu An asked her which foreign directors, actors, and film investors she was on good terms with or had disagreements with during her time as president of the jury at Cannes.

Which of last year's Cannes awards were her favorites, and which were not?

Chu An even wanted to know which European and American colleagues she encountered on the plane during her trips abroad.

"What's the point of all this?"

Chu An meticulously recorded Su Manqing's answers, replying without looking up, "I don't know if it's meaningful yet."

Su Manqing rolled her eyes; she was starting to think Chu An was being a bit pretentious again.

It's just a career planning exercise, and besides, Su Manqing doesn't think Chu An can come up with any unique solutions.

After all, Su Manqing was no longer a newcomer.

Her acting roles, public image, and audience perception have long been fixed, leaving little room for maneuver.

At this point, Chu An finally showed a satisfied expression. "Then that's settled. You can go back now?"

Su Manqing checked her watch again; it was already five o'clock.

I really wanted to ask, "Do you have any room left? Would you mind taking in one more person?" But I held back, put on my coat, and got up to go out.

Then, he called Tong Meng, who was sleeping soundly with Miss Wanxing in her arms, and left Chu An's house.

Chu An wasn't sleepy at all. Strictly speaking, President Chu was a workaholic; working through the night was the norm for him whenever he had something to do.

While my mind is still clear, I organize the fragmented information I just recorded.

Su Manqing, a big star in the eyes of others, had no secrets from Chu An.

Simply put, just as Su Manqing thought, there was really not much room for maneuver.

A classically trained actress, she was discovered during her university years and gradually rose to fame. In the early 90s, she won the Best Actress award at the Berlin International Film Festival for a rural film, which boosted her popularity in China. Subsequently, she won Best Actress at the Venice Film Festival and served as the president of the Cannes Film Festival jury, which propelled her career to its peak.

She became the most popular female star in China, without exception.

Her work primarily consists of art-house films, which is the main reason why she hasn't received good opportunities in Hollywood. Simply put, despite proving her artistic value, she lacks commercial potential in the face of lackluster domestic box office performance.

As for other aspects, in Chu An's eyes, Su Manqing had a flaw: her management team was not suitable for going overseas.

This involves the direction in which talent agencies serve their artists.

Generally speaking, there are three main advantages that attract artists to sign with them, and these advantages also represent three directions for the development of talent agencies:
The first type is service-oriented talent agencies. Similar to the talent agency team of "Sister Hua" in another timeline, they provide artists with nanny-like services, taking care of their daily lives.

They may lack industry resources or promotional abilities, but they can save artists a lot of energy in their work and free them from worrying about trivial matters in their lives.

This kind of agency is suitable for people like Su Manqing, who are famous enough and have no shortage of resources. The management team only needs to take good care of her life.

The second type is resource-based brokerage companies, similar to Huayi Brothers in another timeline.

The connections, financial resources, and project expertise of Beijing's elite are unmatched by outsiders. This naturally allows them to gather a large number of artists around them, enabling them to make a living off them.

The third type is the publicity and public relations-oriented brokerage company, similar to Zhang Moumou, who almost ruined Zhang Yimou's career.

Although Zhang was not officially an agent, he worked for a brokerage company.

Skilled at hype and public relations.

Such people can still make a living within the industry.

Chu An is currently in a similar situation.

If he were to set up a talent agency, he wouldn't be able to provide the kind of comprehensive support he needs. He's still too inexperienced in the industry, so the only viable path for him is in public relations.

Of the three types mentioned above, Su Manqing's team undoubtedly falls into the first category. They take excellent care of Su Manqing, allowing her to survive within the industry using her own resources.

However, they lacked both resources and public relations skills.

This situation is not a problem in China. As long as Su Manqing speaks up, scripts can be arranged from Tiananmen Square to Jianguomen.

But that's not enough to succeed in Hollywood.

You seem to be from another timeline, like Zhang Ziyi, Li Yuchun, and Fan Bingbing, who all relied on the power of resource-based talent agencies to open the door to Hollywood through investment-for-investment deals.

Su Manqing.
Her international fame is not enough to support her career path.

Now that's a bit tricky.

Chu An originally thought that as long as he could find one or two publicity points and get Su Manqing's company to seek Hollywood partners, both domestically and internationally, they could create a topic that Western audiences would like.

Then, leveraging the current buzz, help her choose a project that aligns with both market trends and public opinion, thus maintaining attention. That should basically complete the task.

Earning those two million was absolutely effortless.

But looking at it now...
That's not the case at all!

Unable to resist, I sent Su Manqing a text message to complain, "You're really trying to break into Hollywood, aren't you? Just forcing your way in!"

Su Manqing was dozing off in the passenger seat. She glanced at her phone with sleepy eyes and immediately smiled helplessly.

"What? Are you going to break the contract?"

Chu An said, "It's too difficult to turn a niche character actor into a Hollywood superstar."

Su Manqing thought for a moment, "I believe Teacher Chu."

Chu An's message immediately popped up: "I need the Los Angeles Writers Guild's script release information for the next two years, as well as the work information of mainstream European art film directors for the past two years, preferably more detailed information on British directors."

"Also, the list of Best Actress winners at the three major European film festivals over the years, and a ticket to the Sundance Film Festival."

Su Manqing immediately perked up and sat up straight. Among the materials Chu An needed, the key information Su Manqing saw was—art films.

He thought to himself, what does he want information about art films for? You know, Hollywood has never been the battleground for art films.

But after thinking about it, since Chu An had already been chosen, he had no choice but to cooperate.

He frowned and replied, "Everything else is easy to handle; it's all public information. But the Sundance Film Festival..."

What are you going to Sundance for?

Chu An: "It's just an idea; there's no detailed plan yet."

Su Manqing: "If I remember correctly, there's only one week left until the opening of Sundance, right? In such a short time, where am I supposed to get you the qualification to participate?"

Chu An: "So we need to be quick."

Chu An's request was not unreasonable and did not exceed Su Manqing's capabilities; it was just that Su Manqing had overcomplicated things.

The Sundance Film Festival and the New York Film Festival are two major awards for independent films in the United States. Sundance, in particular, is a premier event for low-budget films worldwide and an important platform for emerging directors and actors to showcase their talents.

The New York Film Festival usually opens in early summer, in May or June. It's too late; there's no leverage there.

Sundance, on the other hand, falls at the end of January or the beginning of February.

With her Best Actress awards at both Berlin and Venice, and the presidency of last year's Cannes Film Festival jury president, Su Manqing doesn't need any connections or maneuvering to attend the Sundance Film Festival.

To put it bluntly, this is something that Su Manqing did to grace us with her presence; even Sundance would have to buy several front-page advertisements for it.

"Finding that lousy director from the previous film shouldn't be a problem."

After reading the message, Su Manqing understood the situation and realized that she had been nervous. She quickly replied, "What do you mean by 'bad movie director'?! He just didn't make this one well!"

Chu Anmiao exclaimed, "Yes! You even managed to catch this one!"

Su Manqing didn't want to reply to him.

Who?
The next day, Lu Mingze came to Chu An's place as usual to report and advance the preparatory work.

Chu An only slept for three hours before getting up to continue working.

He didn't get involved with Lao Lu, since Su Manqing's situation was rather troublesome. He simply said he had other things to attend to and didn't mention Su Manqing's matter.

This is also a matter of professional ethics. Although it's not some taboo subject, and everyone loves gossip, there are still different situations to consider. Avoid disclosing client information unless absolutely necessary to prevent trouble.

Old Lu didn't ask why. He and Chu An were the same kind of people, both workaholics who were single-minded when they got to work.

"I've scheduled a few auditions for the female lead for the day after tomorrow. Will I still come here then? There's no space at the studio."

Chu An was still analyzing Su Manqing's information when he casually said, "Okay."

Then they just put the matter aside.

For the next two days, Lao Lu didn't see Chu An leave his room.

On the morning of the third day, Lu Mingze, Ma Lan, cameraman Dong Wende, and the team's art director, lighting technician, makeup artist, and stylist all gathered early in the courtyard. They occupied the living room, set up the costumes, lights, and cameras, and waited for the female celebrity to arrive for her audition.

It wasn't even nine o'clock yet.
The courtyard gate was pushed open, and Lu Mingze, smacking his teacup, felt a surge of pride. "It has to be me!" he thought. With a single call, he could summon anyone, no matter how famous they were, for auditions. And to show their sincerity, they'd have to arrive early.

Look, we agreed to meet at 10 o'clock, but we arrived at 9 o'clock.

Once everyone had reached the living room door, Old Lu made a token effort to shift his position, put on a smile, and glanced towards the door.

This one look was quite remarkable. There she was, with long hair flowing down her shoulders, wearing a haute couture light pink coat that accentuated her impeccable figure, exuding the aura of a superstar, Su Manqing, walking gracefully towards them.

Old Lu sprang up and quickly went to meet him.

"Teacher Su, what brings you here? I've arrived too."

I was thinking, I didn't even ask you to audition! Why did you show up uninvited?
"You don't need to try! Qiao Jingjing, you're the one!"

What a joke!
That's Su Manqing!

This is like Gong Li taking the initiative to act in TV dramas when she was at the height of her career; that would be considered a step down from her station.

This made Su Manqing a little embarrassed.

She was supposed to come tomorrow as agreed. But Chu An called her last night, saying that he had a plan, but she still needed to come and confirm its feasibility.

So Su Manqing arrived early in the morning. She was curious; they said it would take three days, but the work was finished in just two?
And then I ran into someone so ugly, yet so full of dreams.

What kind of audition? Su Manqing has no idea what they're doing here, okay?

Fortunately, Chu An heard the noise and opened the door, saying, "Come in and let's talk."

Su Manqing secretly breathed a sigh of relief and smiled politely at Lao Lu, "Director Lu, you're busy. I need to talk to Teacher Chu."

As they were talking, Chu An ushered them into the inner room, leaving everyone bewildered.

Before closing the door, Chu An didn't forget to shatter Lu Mingze's dream, saying, "How dare you let her play Qiao Jingjing for you?"

Lu Mingze, “.”

It wasn't until the door closed that I realized, oh, they weren't here for an audition?
But he didn't hold back with his words, cursing Chu An through the door, "Damn it, he has no ambition at all!"

The silhouette of Su Manqing pushing open the door just now—that was Qiao Jingjing in his heart.

里屋
Su Manqing looked around at the simple furnishings in the room, then glanced at Chu An, whose hair was a mess and whose face looked haggard.

Another smile bloomed: "Teacher Chu is so efficient."

Chu Anke had no interest in appreciating it and threw a written proposal in front of Su Manqing. Su Manqing opened it and immediately became agitated.

The plan began with having Su Manqing star in another art film. Moreover, Chu An assigned Su Manqing an impossible task.

With a furrowed brow, he said, "Teacher Chu, do you know how difficult this is?"

Chu An slumped onto the sofa, pouting, "Of course I know!"

"Winning the Cannes Best Actress award and achieving the unification of the three major European Best Actress awards is something that no white actress has ever done, let alone a Chinese one."

Looking at Su Manqing, "That's why we need you to do it!"

"Because I simply can't think of a way to enable an Asian face with cultural differences and no foundation or resources to gain a foothold in Hollywood."

Su Manqing's "foundation" is too weak, so even if Chu An wanted to create buzz for her, he wouldn't know where to start.

It's important to understand that this isn't in China, where he can easily incite a large number of people to follow the trend by posting a few things online.

If he could influence Western public opinion, he wouldn't need to be in the entertainment industry; he could just be a dirty rock, dominating everything.

Therefore, we can only use the simplest and most solid method.

We can only choose the most difficult path.

"Miss Su," Chu An said apologetically, "I've done my best, but there are no other solutions for the time being."

Su Manqing, “.”

She was starting to regret it, because just last night, she had officially turned down the offer to star in that Hollywood crime film and chosen to trust Chu An.

结果
You want me to win the Best Actress award at Cannes?

This is an impossible task!

It's not that Su Manqing lacks the ability, but Cannes would rather have her become the youngest jury president than allow an Asian face who has already won Best Actress awards at both Berlin and Venice to achieve unification at the three major film festivals.

(End of this chapter)