Chapter 722: Schedule Changed
Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
Early the next morning, Zhang Zian and the elfins woke up to the sound of message alerts one after another. Luckily, they had taken a nap yesterday to overcome the jet lag and had gone to bed early the night before, so they were not overly sleepy.
After unlocking his phone screen, Zhang Zian saw that all of the messages were from acquaintances of the Amazing Fate Pet Shop. Most of them were customers, while some were business acquaintances, either telling him that they saw him in the news, or expressing congratulations. Some were simply curious and asked how much money he received from the film, while others asked him for red packets up front. Someone even told him that she was interested in the entertainment industry and asked if he knew any directors, as she didn’t mind sleeping with them…
In addition to the other messages he received, Lu Yiyun told him that someone from the Binhai television channel had shown up at their door and was waiting in the shop to make an interview appointment. She asked him how she should respond––did he want her to decline or accept?
Zhang Zian replied to her text, asking her to tell the television reporter that he was busy in Berlin and would discuss it after his return.
He ignored most of the other messages, said thanks to those who congratulated him, and blocked those who asked for red packets…
Since he was already awake, he didn’t want to stay in bed any longer. Their ten days in Germany were going to pass by in the blink of an eye, so he wanted to seize the moment and walk around in order to make the trip worthwhile.
He picked up a name card next to his pillow. It was Reina’s name card, with a line of address written in German in the blank space on the flip side. It was the address of her father, but he didn’t know the city. He only knew of a few big cities in Germany, such as Berlin, Hamburg, and Bremen.
Richard could read German, but didn’t know the city, either. It was not a living map, after all.
Today was the premiere of Dog Warrior at the Berlinale Palast of Potsdamer Platz. There was an additional screening for teenagers over the age of 14 at the Cubix 7 cinema on the Alexanderplatz. The screening was close to the same time at both locations. According to the schedule made by the production crew, they were going to walk the red carpet another time at the Berlinale Palast. After Zhang Zian and the crew watched the film with the audience at the first premiere, they would run to Cubix7 cinema right away so that they could try to catch the curtain call.
The schedule was tight. He had no time to visit Reina’s father today, so he would have to wait a few more days.
He woke Famous up, gave it a bath, and changed its bow tie.
The red carpet photos yesterday were already spreading all over the internet. Under the gaze of countless cameramen, each flaw in one’s appearance was magnified enormously. A single flaw could make one look bad––especially Famous, who was at the height of his exposure.
After Famous finished its bath, Nie Yuan, the crew’s team lead, mentioned everyone in the WeChat group and asked them to be present at the premiere. He asked them to gather downstairs so they could take a ride to the Berlinale Palast and have breakfast on the road.
Zhang Zian put the other elfins back into his phone, changed his suit, then took the elevator to the lobby downstairs with Famous.
Everybody else was already there except for him. After counting the people present, Nie Yuan announced, “We have a last minute change to our schedule today. After the premiere, we are not going to Cubix7 cinema. We’ll head to the European Film Market instead to cheer for the crew members there. Hopefully we’ll get a good price for our overseas distribution rights while we’re there.”
Nobody else objected to this decision, yet Zhang Zian and Famous were shocked. How could the schedule be changed at the last minute?
“Why are we not going to Cubix7 anymore?” Zhang Zian could not help but ask. “Isn’t there an additional screening for the 14plus? Is it rescheduled or relocated?”
Nie Yuan frowned as soon as he saw him. They didn’t get along during the filming of the movie, especially after the guy in charge of craft service, who was Nie Yuan’s relative, was fired and secretly accused Zhang Zian of sabotaging the film in front of Nie Yuan. It was too bad that Nie Yuan’s relative was a troublemaker, but a relative was a relative. What offended his relative, offended Nie Yuan.
Ever since that happened, Nie Yuan and Zhang Zian had been keeping things strictly professional and had nothing to do with each other in private.
“The team has reached a common decision. As part of the team, you need to have team spirit and execute the decision along with everyone else.” Nie Yuan waved impatiently. “In addition, some team members are going out of their way for attention. You’d better keep it down today in order not to leave a bad impression with our international friends and to not impair the image of our team.”
He talked as if he was making an official statement. He was obviously referring to the attention that Famous received by wearing its sunglasses.
Lin Feng nodded along as Ni Yuan spoke.
Zhang Zian smiled coldly.
“Xiao Zhang, come over here.” Feng Xuan, the vice team lead, pulled him to the side secretly and whispered, “Xiao Zhang, we just received a notification from the committee. The additional screening at Cubix7 may have to be canceled.”
“Oh? Why?” Zhang Zian asked. “Is there some confict between the Competition unit and the 14plus committee?”
The films in 14plus and Competition did not overlap. Some films might be appropriate for both units, thus the two committees might fight for them. Dog Warrior was selected by the Competition team and could only be screened in the 14plus unit as a non-competing film.
“Not that.” Feng Xuan shook his head. “The two committees are competing in a friendly way, with the common goal of selecting the best films to be shown to the audience. There isn’t any conflict. The reason for the cancelation of the additional screening is that the interpreter for this film fell sick last night and is hospitalized. They can’t find anyone else to replace the position.”
After hearing Feng Xuan’s detailed explanation, Zhang Zian finally understood.
As a matter of fact, the main audience for the Kplus and 14plus films was teenagers––teenagers in Germany. Yet, the films selected for Kplus and 14plus were not necessarily German films. Most of them were in English or other languages from around the world. This had caused a serious problem, as the kids in Germany might not be able to understand the dialogue and the English subtitles. They might struggle to read some of the English subtitles, but they probably would not be able to understand the plot very well.
To solve this problem, the Berlin Film Festival committee assigned simultaneous interpreters for films in Kplus and 14plus units who translated the English subtitles into German and read them to the kids.
The simultaneous interpreters were not college students randomly found on the street, but rather experienced personnel in the film industry that were chosen by the committee. Some of them were actors and actresses, while others were TV or radio hosts. Not only did they have beautiful voices, but they were able to translate a foreign language accurately into German.
The interpreter’s job required extensive professional qualification. As there was only one interpreter on set, he or she needed to start their preparation a few days in advance. After receiving the blue-ray DVD of the film, they had to watch and meditate over it repeatedly so that they could not only accurately express the ideas presented in the subtitles, but also find the right timing, add the lip-sync, and even put emotion into the dialogue of the film… It was so challenging that an interpreter could be replaced at the last minute.
The interpreter’s job was done in order to help the kids understand the films better.
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