Chapter 359: The First Oscar Nomination

Bright sunlight fell on the palm trees near the Beverly Hills Hilton, where a black Bentley sped by, circling from the left to arrive near the hotel's main entrance and came to a smooth stop.

A large crowd of reporters gathered at the hotel entrance, and as soon as the Bentley's door was pushed open from the inside, they swarmed up, frantically snapping photos of Murphy as he stepped out. Some quick-moving reporters even rushed up to him, though they were promptly blocked by the security arranged by the committee, it didn't stop them from passing their microphones forward.

"Director Stanton, do you think you can get your first Oscar nomination?"

Question after question was hurled at Murphy as if they cost nothing.

"Some critics say that 'Gone Girl' was the best film of last year, what do you think?"

"At a public event the day before yesterday, you said that James Franco and Charlize Theron both deserve Oscar nominations for best actor and actress, why?"

"How many Oscar nominations do you think 'Gone Girl' can get, and how many Oscars do you think it will win?"

This was the Oscar nominees' luncheon, which, unlike in previous years where it was held at the Beverly Wilshire, was this year placed at the Beverly Hills Hilton.

After all the work done recently and millions of dollars spent on promotional PR, Murphy certainly wanted to see for himself if he could achieve the desired results.

He didn't answer any of the reporters' questions; now wasn't the time. Led by a staff member, he entered the banquet hall where the nominees' luncheon was being held and looked around before quickly spotting Bill Roscius along with James Franco and Charlize Theron at a table and walked straight over.

"You guys are early."

He pulled out a chair and sat next to James Franco, while Bill Roscius shook his head, "You're just late."

James Franco, leaning back in his chair, commented, "He always likes to make a fashionably late entrance at these high-profile events."

Murphy spread his hands but said nothing.

"I think," said Charlize Theron, dressed in a white gown and smiling, "Murphy doesn't want to steal our thunder."

Her smile was radiant, showing she was in a great mood.

It was no surprise, considering from all reactions, Charlize Theron had a high chance of getting a Best Actress nomination for her role as Amy, perhaps the highest among all the awards 'Gone Girl' was applying for.

Due to her character's design, the role of Amy was particularly standout, whereas James Franco faced a much tougher battle for a Best Actor nomination.

In PR campaigns, Stanton Studio and CAA focused their major efforts on five nominations: Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Editing, and Best Original Screenplay.

In Murphy's mind, securing three out of these five would constitute a victory.

Throughout the award season, 'Gone Girl' didn't win any major pre-Oscar indicators like critics' circle awards or guild awards but received a series of nominations, which also significantly benefited its Oscar chances.

As for Charlize Theron winning the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Drama last month, Murphy hardly cared, as the Globes had little crossover with the Oscar voters and were merely self-proclaimed indicators of Oscar trends.

The real indicators for the Oscars are the various guild awards since their voting members overlap significantly with the Oscars.

To have these individuals choose 'Gone Girl' during nominations, PR and promotion were crucial.

Often, the quality of a film is very subjective and easily influenced by others' opinions because there are no set standards to judge it by, unlike some European film festivals. The Oscars, decided by thousands of academy voters, could be swayed in public opinion.

Publishing relevant PR pieces, especially articles by famous critics, appearing on TV interviews, participating in television shows, and attending various pre-Oscar awards could all genuinely influence the voters' final choices.

Having breakfast with Ang Lee, the director of 'Brokeback Mountain', lunch with Philip Seymour Hoffman from 'Capote', and drinks in the evening with George Clooney from 'Good Night, and Good Luck', sounded like a dreamy schedule but was just a typical day for an Oscar voter during the award season.

Stars, gourmet food, comfortable settings, and pleasant conversations were just the "opening remarks" of the Oscar PR activities meant to win votes. Ambitious players like Murphy knew these investments were meaningful as gaining the academy and jurors' favor could significantly return in economic gains if the film won or even just got nominated.

Re-releases of the film, DVD sales, merchandise, and even investments in other films of the company could all naturally follow from the "reputation" effect.

Since Harvey Weinstein joined the Oscar fame game in the 1990s, the game's limits have undoubtedly been pushed down significantly.

Many say behind the Oscars that "no award is truly credible," "everything has a price and reward

," "to win, anything can be sacrificed," "Harvey Weinstein completely changed the rules of the game for film awards"... The escalating PR activities have completely changed the way films are promoted during the award season, becoming more "aggressive" and "effective," resembling a political campaign more than ever.

Every Oscar winner has one thing in common—they utilize their advantages and rights to the fullest within the rules!

Thus, active PR and lobbying can always garner some votes from the jurors; if not, it simply means that others had better conditions.

Of course, all this presupposes that the film must possess the basic competitive strength.

Murphy's PR and lobbying efforts may not be the most outstanding among the competitors, but they were quite sufficient. 'Gone Girl' had some thematic issues but nothing too severe, and the quality of the film was reliably high. When the nominations were announced, securing several major ones shouldn't be a surprise.

'Gone Girl' ultimately received four nominations at the 78th Academy Awards for Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Original Screenplay.

Although the number of nominations wasn't high, each was for a major category, especially securing nominations for Best Director, Best Actor, and Best Actress, which greatly exceeded Murphy and Bill Roscius's expectations.

The biggest winners at this luncheon were still 'Crash' and 'Brokeback Mountain.'

The former secured six Oscar nominations, including Best Director and Best Picture, while the latter, with its massive topicality and support from the gay community, snagged eight nominations.

Clearly, this year's Oscars were a battleground between 'Crash' and 'Brokeback Mountain.'

Murphy vaguely remembered that 'Crash' took Best Picture, while 'Brokeback Mountain' earned Ang Lee the Best Director award.

Many had thought it a scandal that 'Brokeback Mountain' lost Best Picture, and at the time, he thought so too. However, now, knowing the PR landscape, 'Crash' had a greater chance of winning due to its more Americanized theme and appeal to white voters.

In recent times, many notable critics had consistently criticized 'Brokeback Mountain', claiming it would be a scandal if the film won Best Picture. Although the gay community staunchly supported the film, and North Hollywood had even seen a massive rainbow flag parade in support of 'Brokeback Mountain', the Oscar jurors traditionally stand apart from the general public.

Whether someone was manipulating the critics behind the scenes was unclear, but it could definitely influence some jurors' choices.

Moreover, 'Crash' had set a new record during the PR period by mailing over 160,000 copies of the film on DVD, and the packages included a small gift under the guise of film information.

This was an unprecedented move in Oscar PR history, and according to Murphy's estimate, 'Crash' had spent over two million dollars just on this aspect.

To say the least, from the academy's jurors and staff to North America's somewhat famous critics, and even influential media and reporters, the producers and distributors of 'Crash' had covered everyone, at least ensuring they had a DVD of the film and a gift in their hands.

These things should not be underestimated. Human nature is often the most unpredictable, and a seemingly insignificant favor could influence their biased choices.

'Crash's PR spending far exceeded that of 'Gone Girl' and 'Brokeback Mountain'. High investment doesn't guarantee a win, but it is a basic condition of today's Oscar game.

"Thank you, Murphy."

In the lobby of the Hilton Hotel, Charlize Theron looked at Murphy gratefully, "I really don't know what to say."

"Then don't say anything," Murphy joked casually, "Just give me a discount on your salary the next time I invite you."

Charlize Theron laughed heartily, clearly very happy, but she didn't take Murphy's bait.

Murphy was just joking. He nodded to Charlize Theron and prepared to leave with Bill Roscius, but a woman suddenly appeared in front of him.

"Hello, Director Stanton."

She was a young woman dressed quite fashionably and evidently there specifically to see Murphy.

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