Flying into a rage

"So, are you planning to watch that documentary this afternoon?" Jessica spoke, as if Cornell hadn't appeared at all, and completely indifferent to any potential rumors that might arise. She could still see Cornell outside, kicking ice and snow.

This composure and gracefulness made Renly look at her with renewed admiration. "Yes, I've decided to go queue up for it. How about you?"

"I'm planning to watch another film, 'Rampage'..."

Finally finding some quiet, the two exchanged their cinematic experiences from the past three days. Compared to Toronto and Telluride, the independent films at Sundance were like stars in the sky. Renly hadn't seen or even heard of many of these works before. Though the quality varied, the spirit of exploration and innovation among these independent filmmakers opened his eyes wide.

After finishing their coffee, Jessica was the first to leave, heading to an earlier screening of "Rampage."

Left alone, Renly didn't immediately drink the remaining coffee. Instead, he seriously recalled Cornell's words from earlier. He wasn't concerned about those groundless rumors; he trusted that Andy would handle them. However, amidst the thoughts, a fragment of information flickered in his mind.

Recalling carefully, Renly finally remembered. "The Next Three Days" being disqualified from consideration—Lionsgate Films had somehow violated regulations during the Academy's public relations process, committing a low-level mistake that had led to a disaster.

The film "The Next Three Days" had only received average reviews from professional critics, and its audience feedback and box office performance were lackluster. Coupled with its thriller genre, it wasn't easy to secure a place in the awards season.

However, the intricacies of the awards season were not straightforward. Just like how Meryl Streep won an Oscar nomination for "The Devil Wears Prada", the perception surrounding an individual's name was built up over time. Such a sense of trust, formed through time, was unshakable, akin to brand value.

The director and screenwriter of "The Next Three Days" was Paul Haggis, the same director who had defeated "Brokeback Mountain" with "Crash", winning an Academy Award. As a distinguished screenwriter, he had also contributed to notable films like "Million Dollar Baby", "Letters from Iwo Jima", "In the Valley of Elah", and "Casino Royale". He was a force to be reckoned with in Hollywood.

Moreover, the male lead of the film was Russell Crowe, and the supporting cast included Liam Neeson—both were actors with strong networks and solid reputations in Hollywood.

Naturally, Lionsgate Films hoped for the film to perform well. Yet, unexpectedly, their zealous pursuit of success had backfired.

Academy public relations essentially involved attending various award ceremonies for promotional purposes; participating in different media events for interviews; and joining various private parties for networking. This had parallels to election strategies.

For instance, the reason "Crash" could topple "Brokeback Mountain" was in part due to traditional white elderly judges who, out of prejudice against homosexuality, refused to watch "Brokeback Mountain". Lionsgate Films seized this opportunity and went all out by printing 60,000 DVD copies of "Crash", sending them to Academy judges. They would also call intermittently, inquiring whether the judges had watched the film and how they felt about it.

However, public relations was an inherently ambiguous term, easily leading to negative aspects such as bribery, buying favors, and clandestine dealings. Thus, the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences implemented policies to avoid any misconduct. But where there are policies, there are also countermeasures.

The Weinstein brothers were undoubtedly skilled at exploiting loopholes in the rules.

In 1998, after "Shakespeare in Love" received Oscar nominations, the Weinstein brothers quickly organized a series of celebration parties for director John Madden, with three highly influential senior Academy judges among the invitees. In fact, this already violated the Academy's rules: production companies couldn't host social events with Academy members for the nominees.

But the Weinstein brothers explained, "I'm sorry that three Academy members were present, but it was a news event. If you want to create news, you have to invite a few celebrities."

Similar gray areas existed, and even the Academy had no choice but to acquiesce.

This time, Lionsgate Films, in their eagerness for success, accidentally gave the Academy something to seize upon, making an example of them to deter others. However, to put it another way, "The Next Three Days" had limited competitiveness from the start. It didn't receive any nominations above the Golden Globe level and losing its eligibility wasn't that much of a regret.

The reason this news caught Renly's attention was that it reminded him of "Buried". He finally remembered why "Buried" hadn't received any nominations in his previous life!

In his previous life, the distribution company of "Buried" was Lionsgate. The company had allegedly engaged in irregular lobbying, resulting in the Academy revoking its eligibility. Thus, in the subsequent Oscar nominations, there was no trace of it, no recognition whatsoever.

In this life, during the Toronto Film Festival, Lionsgate Films was one of the strongest competitors for "Buried". However, they eventually chose Focus Features as the distributor, a decision influenced by Renly.

At that time, Renly hadn't given it much thought, just dealt with things as they came. He didn't even remember such matters from his previous life. He never expected to dodge a bullet inadvertently. Could it be that "Buried" still held onto its Oscar hopes because it changed distributors to Focus Features? That was impossible to know.

Thinking about this, Renly dialed Andy's number.

The one who answered wasn't Andy, but his assistant, Nancy Kinsley. "... Renly, Andy isn't available right now. Would you mind calling back later?" Nancy's voice carried a hint of embarrassment.

In the background of the call, Andy's voice erupted in a furious tirade. "Does he have no brain? I've seen arrogance, but never such stupidity! Who does he think he is? Idiot! Idiot! Idiot!" It was followed by a string of profanity that was hardly pleasant to hear.

Renly was slightly surprised.

Since getting to know Andy, he had always been a smiling, amicable figure—Renly barely sensed any aggressiveness. He had naturally assumed that Andy had an introverted, strategic personality. However, it seemed even those in positions of power had moments of explosive emotion. Besides, Andy wasn't one of those British aristocrats.

"Well, I'll call back later then." Renly didn't ask any more questions and hung up the phone with a smile.

But not even two minutes later, Andy called back. "Renly, what's going on? Is everything okay at Sundance?" That gentle smile emanated from the other end of the phone as if nothing had happened just now.

"Everything's fine; I'm doing well." Renly nodded in affirmation. Compared to Toronto and Telluride, he now had an assistant by his side, which made his life much more convenient. "I called you because I wanted to ask about our current situation. Is everything okay?"

Andy's brows furrowed slightly. "What have you heard?" He knew Renly's personality well; he wasn't one to make baseless statements.

Renly briefly recounted Cornell's question earlier, and then he heard Andy let out a sigh. Andy chuckled helplessly, "Could something really have happened?"

Andy rubbed his temples. He hadn't initially planned on telling Renly since everything had already been dealt with. But after a second thought, he decided to speak up, "Chris Sparling wrote an email praising himself, sent it to the Academy, and shamelessly promoted his work. Fortunately, Focus Features' PR team discovered it in time and intercepted the email to prevent any trouble."

Chris Sparling, the screenwriter of "Buried".

Renly had only met him a few times, exchanged nods and greetings, and hadn't formed a deeper connection. "What did he write?" Considering Andy's anger just now, it was clear that things weren't that simple.

"He basically praised himself extensively, claiming he deserved an Oscar nomination... " Andy's voice trailed off, and he took a deep breath. "In short, it's a self-absorbed and conceited email. More shameless than Nicolas Chartier. I know that people in Hollywood are generally confident and proud, but this is the first time I've seen someone so audacious."

Before Andy became Renly's agent, they had discussed the topic of "actors' confidence". He hadn't expected it to resurface now. Renly chuckled softly, "Excessive arrogance can be interpreted as ignorance."

Nicolas Chartier was the producer of "The Hurt Locker". During the previous year's awards season, "The Hurt Locker" had an intense competition with "Avatar", almost to the point of a showdown. Nicolas had privately emailed Academy voters, hoping they would vote for "The Hurt Locker" instead of a movie that cost $500M.

The Academy strictly prohibited any form of private lobbying emails. When this incident came to light, it caused a major uproar. However, by then, the Oscar nominations had already been announced, and the Academy couldn't rescind nominations. They ended up merely banning Nicolas from attending the awards ceremony to quickly sweep the matter under the rug.

To salvage their reputation, the PR team of "The Hurt Locker" worked tirelessly, effectively counteracting the scandal. In the end, the film managed to win.

Now, Chris's behavior was even worse than Nicolas's, and Renly instantly understood. "You've had a tough time."

A simple sentence brought a faint smile to Andy's lips. Over the past three days, he had been busy handling Chris's mess, feeling like his feet were on fire. He had managed to minimize the damage after working tirelessly. He hadn't slept for seventy hours, and the extreme pressure had rendered three cups of espresso useless in alleviating his exhaustion.

Upon reflection, if he didn't hold expectations for Renly and closely monitor "Buried" during the awards season, if he hadn't intervened in the film's marketing and PR, if Focus Features hadn't painstakingly checked the entire team's communication under his insistent requests...

The current situation would be unimaginable. The fate of "The Next Three Days" could become the fate of "Buried".

Merely describing it in his mind sent shivers down his spine. Even though Andy was accustomed to big scenes, he still broke out in a cold sweat.