Chapter 287: Everything You Could Ever Want

Chapter 287: Chapter 287: Everything You Could Ever Want

As soon as Irene walked into the conference room of Echo Pictures, she saw Winnie Williams looking through some documents with her head down.

Sitting beside her was Julie Costello Walzer, a long-time partner of the Coppola family and the core producer of the family’s film company. She handled all matters of film production, big and small, and was known in the industry as a ’reliable steward.’

"Aunt Julie, long time no see." Irene walked forward with a smile and gave her a warm hug.

It wasn’t until recently that she learned Winnie, the head of the Oscar campaign PR team she had been trying so hard to collaborate with, was actually Aunt Julie’s niece.

If not for this familial connection, Winnie’s team would have been snatched up by other award-contending blockbusters long ago; Irene wouldn’t have had the chance to lock in a partnership with priority.

"Silly child, you’ve just come back from Warner Bros. and rushed over without a moment’s rest. You’ve worked hard." Julie patted her on the back, her eyes full of affection.

"Winnie has already drafted the PR plan; she’s just waiting for your nod."

Irene sat down across from the two of them and pushed the limited release plan she had brought back from Warner Bros. onto the table:

"The limited release is set for December 6th, with two art-house theaters each in New York, Los Angeles, and Chicago. These are all venues that can precisely reach film critics and members of the Academy."

Winnie picked up the plan, scanned it quickly, and nodded in approval. She then pulled a thick PR proposal from her bag:

"A limited release is just the foundation; the key to an Oscar campaign lies in winning hearts. The nearly six thousand members of the Academy are scattered across various fields—directors, actors, screenwriters, and technical professionals. It’s impossible to win over every single one, so we must apply our efforts with precision."

She flipped to the first page of the proposal and pointed to the annotations: "First, we’ll create a batch of customized CD gift boxes. Not just the film soundtrack, but also your director’s notes, behind-the-scenes footage, and an audio recording from you personally. Talk about your original intention for filming this movie and your understanding of the characters.

We’ll focus on sending these to the older Academy members over seventy. Most of them are nostalgic and value the emotional core of a film; a warm gift like this is much more effective than a simple brochure."

Irene nodded upon hearing this; Winnie’s thinking coincided perfectly with her own.

"Secondly, fully utilize the networking advantages of the Coppola family," Julie added.

"Many members of the Academy are old acquaintances of your grandfather and father, as well as partners I’ve worked with for years. I’ve already compiled a list of about two hundred people who carry significant influence.

We can organize a small private screening at a private theater in Beverly Hills, booking the whole place to invite them to watch the film, followed by a tea party where you can personally interact with them. These people not only have voting rights themselves but can also influence their small circles; they are key opinion leaders."

"PR can’t rely solely on hard pushing; you also have to learn to borrow momentum," Winnie looked up at Irene.

"We’ve already arranged exclusive interviews with The New Yorker and Vanity Fair, focusing on your creative struggles and breakthroughs as a female director, as well as Hilary’s professional story of losing weight and learning boxing for the role.

In recent years, the Academy has increasingly valued diversity and humanistic concern. These topics can trigger emotional resonance among Academy members and boost the film’s reputation and buzz."

Julie added: "I will also contact some non-profit organizations, such as Women in Film and boxing promotion agencies, to hold charity screenings.

On one hand, this can convey the film’s core value of never giving up, and on the other, it can generate positive public opinion, allowing Academy members to see the social significance of this film.

The Oscar doesn’t just honor artistic achievement; it also values the social impact of a work."

As Irene listened to their plans, she felt increasingly confident.

Winnie’s PR strategy was precise and meticulous, Julie’s network could provide strong support, and combined with the film’s own inherent quality, although the competition for the Oscar was fierce, the chances of winning were high.

"There’s one more key point." Winnie’s tone became serious.

"Avoid direct conflict. There are many big award-contending films this year, such as The Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers, Chicago, Gangs of New York, and *The Pianist*—all are formidable enemies.

If others don’t provoke us, we shouldn’t take the initiative to tear them down. Real emotion and simple performances are our best endorsement. Academy members dislike over-marketing; being low-key and pragmatic will actually earn us points."

The meeting lasted for over two hours, and all matters regarding the Oscar campaign were arranged in an orderly fashion.

After seeing Julie and Winnie off, Irene remained alone in the conference room, lost in thought as she flipped through the thick PR proposal.

Winnie’s team could at most help them get an Oscar nomination, but they didn’t dare guarantee a win in the end.

This was normal; after all, there’s no objective first place in literature or art. There are a thousand Hamlets in the hearts of a thousand readers, and it’s inherently difficult to unify aesthetic tastes.

Furthermore, the competition among works this year was extremely intense. Chicago’s innovation as a musical and its star-studded cast had already shone brilliantly at the Golden Globe Awards, reaping both critical acclaim and popularity—a heavy favorite to win.

Not to mention The Pianist; from its subject matter to its filming background and its real-world significance, it seemed tailor-made for the tastes of Oscar judges.

Especially the Jewish community; they would likely pull out all the stops to solicit votes. After all, this was a group of people who couldn’t wait to talk about their past sufferings every single day, even if Irene was completely uninterested in their history of suffering.

Irene closed the PR proposal, placed it on the table, and unconsciously tapped the cover with her fingertips.

The conference room was very quiet, with only the slight hum of the central air conditioning. Outside the window, the Los Angeles twilight deepened, and neon lights lit up one by one, outlining the city’s prosperity and indifference.

She suddenly smiled. What was wrong with her? Why had she suddenly fallen under the spell of the Oscar?

Even if Million Dollar Baby didn’t win any awards, so what? She was still so young, only twenty-one years old.

She had thirty years of excellent future films stored in her head. Even if she didn’t succeed this time, she could even make an Oscar-contending film every year in the future; she didn’t believe she couldn’t conquer those judges.

At the very worst, even if she missed out on the Oscar statuette every time, she still had commercial films that could make her enough money to practically buy her way to one.

Thinking of this, she pulled three novel synopses from the cabinet: Twilight, The Hunger Games, and Taken.

These three novels were tied to her entire future commercial layout. Along with the Saw movie currently being filmed, she already had four secret weapons that would continue to make money in the future.

So don’t rush, Irene. You’ve already done very well. Everything you want will come true.