With the opening of the 77th Cannes Film Festival on May 14, the "Cannes red carpet" has once again become a keyword in domestic social networks. This year, on the red carpet tens of meters in front of the main screening venue, Lumière Hall, celebrities and Internet celebrities from all walks of life competed as always, providing netizens with a lot of after-dinner conversations.
If the Cannes Film Festival itself is a celebration of cinematic art, the Cannes red carpet reflects more of the event's vanity fair side. Who can walk this red carpet and how to walk it is a science.
Red carpet photos from previous Cannes Film Festivals. Photo/Cannes official account
There is a permanent red carpet during the film festival, and the opportunity to walk the red carpet is not scarce
Compared with other film events and fashion events, the entry threshold for the Cannes red carpet is indeed relatively relaxed. For example, the red carpet at the Oscars is only accessible to members of the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences and its guests, as well as nominated film actors and production crew. The invitation mechanism for the Met Gala, the "Oscars of the fashion industry", is stricter: not only must you have money (some sources say that the market price of an invitation letter is as high as $25,000), but the attendance list needs to be reviewed by the chairman, Anna Wintour, and once approved, it cannot be changed.
As for the Cannes red carpet, according to the gold content, there can be a recognized "chain of contempt": the festival jury and the filmmakers who come with their works> the regulars invited by the festival, the spokespersons and guests invited by the brand's official invitation, > others. Where does "other" come from? Every year, Cannes will give a certain number of invitations to well-known filmmakers, brands, filmmakers, etc., and these invitations can be freely transferred. Since it is not a real-name system, some people aim at business opportunities to act as "red carpet intermediaries", selling excess invitations to people who want to be gilded on the red carpet, and even providing one-stop services for pick-up, makeup, and shooting. In 2019, the Qianjiang Evening News conducted a survey on Cannes red carpet offers, and according to the agency it interviewed, the minimum is less than 100,000 yuan to walk the red carpet - the invitation letter for non-opening and closing ceremonies is 30,000 yuan, and the car transfer and red carpet photographer need to add 60,000 yuan.
Why are there redundant invitations? In fact, the opportunity to walk the red carpet in Cannes is not scarce. Throughout the festival, the red carpet is held in front of the Lumière Hall of the Palais du Cinémathèque. As the most important and largest screening venue in Cannes, it hosts not only the opening and closing ceremonies, but also the screenings and premieres of several major films. Lumière Hall has its own dress code, and moviegoers must wear formal attire to enter.
Therefore, the red carpet was originally just a necessary way to watch a movie, but now it has put the cart before the horse.
Posters from previous Cannes Film Festivals. Photo/Cannes official account
"Northeast Big Flower" got the official lens, and the strange shape is still "cost-effective"
As the red carpet industry chain surfaced, people gradually disenchanted the Cannes red carpet. After seeing its gold content, public opinion on the Internet has also changed from sneering at the "blanket star" in the past to witnessing the endless stream of Internet celebrities from all walks of life on the red carpet. It is becoming more and more difficult to "become famous all over the world" on the Cannes red carpet.
But after spending money and energy on the red carpet, you can't always be quiet. From this point of view, quirky styling is a rather "cost-effective" choice on the red carpet, and there are still some looks that break through this year and cause heated discussions among netizens in a strange way.
The most unexpected and laughable thing is a pair of men and women dressed in ancient costumes, some netizens jokingly called them "the Jade Emperor and the Queen Mother". And they held up a poster of the movie "Blossom Sisters" halfway through the red carpet, as if they came to promote the movie. Shun Teng searched for information and learned that "Queen Mother" is a foreign blogger and the director and actor of "Blossom Sisters". And the appearance of these two people turned out to be not immortals, but cosplay Han Gaozu Liu Bang and Lu Hou......
Photo/Visual China
On the day of the opening ceremony, Internet celebrity Li Meiyue wore a Northeast big flower gown and held a folding fan with "Northeast Big Flower Conquers the World" written on it, and walked on the Cannes red carpet. Li Meiyue is a Vietnamese-Chinese-British-American mixed-race who is currently developing in China. His character on the short video platform is a lover of big flowers in Northeast China, and he wears this "Northeast Native Specialty" to take videos and check in all over the world. Maybe it's because the big flowers in the Northeast are so brilliant that people can't take their eyes off them, and Li Meiyue even got a few shots of the official live broadcast of Cannes.
Photo/Visual China
The official livestream of this year's Cannes Opening Ceremony featured an unexpected one. Almost no close-ups of Chinese celebrities were given (including Cannes regular Gong Li), but Li Meiyue and another domestic blogger - Qianhui. The close-up of Chie is even more than a minute long. According to Qianhui's social media account, she was "invited as an award nominee", but did not mention what the award was. She appeared in designer Bu Kewen's evening dress, and her bright smile and generous posture were indeed quite eye-catching.
Picture/Qianhui social account
The red carpet track is rolled into twist, and the work is the best "shortcut"
The official live broadcast of Cannes is hosted by France Télévisions. As for which shots to choose, there seems to be no fixed guideline, it all depends on the preferences of the choreographer. At the event the next day, Tang Yanxi, who walked on the red carpet as the spokesperson of L'Oreal, mentioned the title of "the first domestic entertainment artist with an official feature". From the source of the invitation to the competition to the official camera treatment of the competition, it seems that the Cannes red carpet track will continue to roll.
However, if you want to get official exposure in Cannes, the work is the best "shortcut". On the 16th local time, the main creators and leading actors of "The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City", which was shortlisted for the midnight screening unit, appeared in Cannes, director Zheng Baorui, actors Louis Koo, Lin Feng, Liu Junqian, Hu Zitong, Zhang Wenjie and others not only enjoyed a 20-minute official live close-up at the premiere, but also posted photos of the afternoon photo call session and the red carpet of the premiere ceremony on the social account of the Cannes Film Festival, becoming the first Chinese filmmaker to appear on the official social account of this film festival. The official website of the Cannes Film Festival even prominently promoted "The Siege of the Walled City of Kowloon" in a prominent position on the homepage, describing the film as "a new work that is enough to make film lovers shudder".
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" debuted in Cannes. Photo/Cannes Film Festival official account
"The Siege of the Kowloon Walled City" debuted in Cannes. Photo/Cannes Film Festival official account
In fact, this year is the "Chinese Year" in Cannes, and many Chinese filmmakers have appeared in Cannes with their shortlisted works. According to the media "Entertainment" report, Jia Zhangke's new film "Merry Generation", which was shortlisted for the main competition unit, and Guan Hu's new film "Dog Formation", which was shortlisted for the "A Concern" unit, will premiere on May 18, and Chen Kexin's "Sauce Garden Lane" will debut on the 24th, Chen Kexin, Zhang Ziyi, Wang Chuanjun, Lei Jiayin, Yang Mi, Dapeng, Li Xian, and this Sha will attend the premiere.
Walking through the noisy red carpet, we are looking forward to Chinese filmmakers shining on the stage of film.
Text | Reporter Hu Guangxin
Editor: Shao Ziheng