The Toronto Film Critics Association Awards have long been promoted by the media as a precursor to the Oscars, but in reality, there are many award ceremonies with similar claims. The New York Film Critics Circle, the American National Society of Film Critics, the Broadcast Film Critics Association Awards, the Screen Actors Guild Awards, and the Golden Globes all carry the title of "Oscar barometer."
The main reason for this is that the juries of various critics' associations overlap, and their tastes in selecting major awards are not far apart. Some even specifically try to predict the Oscars, deliberately referencing the criteria for Oscar nominations in their own decisions.
It's similar to top high schools predicting the types of questions in national exams every year. While the success rate may not be 100%, it's still likely to be 50-60%.
Of course, the major awards of these associations generally focus on actors, screenwriters, directors, and other professional categories. When it comes to Best Picture, the success rate tends to be lower.
However, due to the high success rate of the Toronto Film Critics Association in recent years, it has garnered much attention from the media. Once the awards were announced, it immediately occupied the majority of the space in Hollywood newspapers.
"The Toronto Film Critics Association has awarded Best Picture to Chicago! Best Actress goes to Renée Zellweger!"
"Chicago grossed over $100 million, while also winning Best Picture, Best Actress, and Best Cinematography!"
"Chicago receives rave reviews, with multiple awards, breaking the curse of the former cinematographer!"
Ethan focused on the third report, which stated: "Recently, the Toronto Film Critics Association Award, known as the 'Oscar precursor,' announced that Chicago unexpectedly took home three major awards: Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Actress. Not only that, the film also received Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress awards from the New York Film Critics Circle, the Broadcast Film Critics Association, and other associations thanks to the excellent performances by Renée Zellweger and Catherine Zeta-Jones."
"Undoubtedly, this breaks the lie of former cinematographer Dion. It also confirms what director Rob Marshall said. With all these awards backing Chicago, it is now just one step away from winning an Oscar. Let's look forward to the Golden Globe Awards in mid-January and see how far Chicago can go!"
"Mid-January." Ethan raised an eyebrow. Since 2003, the Golden Globes had changed their award ceremony date, as it used to take place just a few days before the Oscars. It seemed that as the Golden Globes grew in influence, they began to challenge the Oscars.
While the newspapers said this, anyone with a clear mind knew that Chicago would undoubtedly win multiple awards at the Golden Globes, as the Golden Globes have a specific category for musical and comedy films, and this year, Chicago was the only musical to shine.
Even if the judges were blind, they couldn't possibly award this prize to another film based solely on Chicago's music.
So the Golden Globes were essentially a done deal, with the only suspense left being next year's Oscars.
Such good news was naturally exciting, especially for the other members of the cast and crew. Soon after, Ethan received a call from director Rob.
On the phone, Rob sounded excited. Though he wasn't very old, this was his first true blockbuster, so his desire for recognition was strong.
After chatting briefly with him, Ethan received a call from Scarlett.
The girl had been busy lately and hadn't messaged him for several days. Every time she spoke, it was full of sharp words, but Ethan hadn't had time to look for her either.
"Big Knight, I didn't expect you to win Best Cinematography on your first film. Congratulations!" Scarlett's voice sounded lazy, as if she had just woken up.
"It's just an association award," Ethan said, sipping milk while lounging on the couch.
"Just? Wow, looks like my Big Knight doesn't care about this. Are you thinking about the Oscars?" Scarlett asked playfully.
"Of course, do you think there's a chance?" Ethan responded.
"Hmm..." Scarlett hesitated for a moment. "How about we make a bet?"
"What do you have in mind?" Ethan wondered what kind of interesting wager she was about to propose.
As expected, Scarlett's wager was still not suitable for children: "I was very satisfied with the punishment from last time, so if you win an Oscar, I'll play the role of a service staff at the hotel during the Oscars... How about that?"
Ethan whistled. "No problem! It's a deal, but whatever I ask you to do, you can't refuse."
"Don't worry, I won't refuse! But only if you win," Scarlett laughed lightly, seemingly questioning Ethan's chances.
"It seems some people won't cry until they see the coffin."
"I like that saying, but I'm not that kind of person. I'm definitely going to win this time." Scarlett didn't keep him guessing: "I know how the Oscars work. They'll definitely separate the awards, and I think Chicago has a higher chance of winning Best Picture. Maybe it'll also win Best Art Direction or Best Costume Design. Best Cinematography will definitely go to another film."
Ethan raised an eyebrow. Scarlett's guess was quite accurate. Originally, the Oscars had given Chicago those awards, but Best Cinematography went to Road to Prediction.
Aside from that, Catherine Zeta-Jones won Best Supporting Actress.
Renée Zellweger didn't win anything at the Oscars, but just a year later, she won Best Supporting Actress for Cold Mountain. It could be said that both of Chicago's leading actresses had similar award fates.
But knowing the original outcome made the change in results all the more exciting. Ethan smiled at Scarlett and said, "Let's wait and see, Saint Lady. Maybe after the Oscars next year, you'll be calling me 'Master.'"
"Master?" Scarlett elongated the word in a seductive tone, sending shivers down Ethan's spine. "I didn't know Big Knight had such a preference. No problem, as long as you win Best Cinematography, for the next year, you'll be my master."
"Good, it's settled then." Ethan hadn't expected this surprising turn, and just thinking about Scarlett calling him 'Master' in person made his mouth dry.
After finishing the conversation with Scarlett, Ethan received another call from Anne Hathaway. She had managed to call him during a break from the film set, though Scarlett had occupied the phone for a while, preventing her from getting through.
"Ethan, are you busy?" Anne's voice came through, filled with warmth.
Ethan put down his empty milk carton. "Yes, a bit, just like you. The people from the crew have also been calling me."
"Ha-ha, isn't that great? My Ethan is now a famous cinematographer in Hollywood," Anne laughed.
"That's right, but this is just the beginning. By the way, Anne, will you have time to attend the Oscars? I really miss you," Ethan naturally didn't ask Anne Hathaway about her exact schedule, as women are sensitive about such things, and directly asking could have the opposite effect.
So he did the opposite and expressed his desire to see her, hoping that it would make her happy. In this mood, she would let her guard down and might even mention her plans.
Just as Ethan hoped, Anne Hathaway appreciated the sentiment: "I miss you too, but the movie is still in its early stages, and director Clint Eastwood is very strict. I might not have time to attend the Oscars."
"Well, that's really a shame," Ethan expressed his disappointment perfectly, then added, "Take care, I'm looking forward to seeing your film."
"Don't worry, Ethan, I will." Anne Hathaway blew him a kiss before hanging up.
"Whew..." Ethan sighed in relief. It seemed he wouldn't be seeing Scarlett or Anne Hathaway at the Oscars, and that was for the best.
In the following days, Ethan focused on handling advertising proposals for Supreme Creativity. After the failure with IPG, the company had been in a slump, and even with many management changes, it couldn't recover its reputation.
Rumor had it that the board was considering changing the company's shell.
On the other hand, Hengmei Advertising was still at a standstill. The two presidents were desperately trying to attract business while sabotaging each other, causing the client base to be unstable.
In contrast, Ogilvy Advertising was as steady as a rock, and Supreme Creativity had been making slow progress, recruiting more creative personnel and sales, running business across various companies every day.
By this time, Supreme Creativity had expanded beyond New York, thanks to successful advertising campaigns across the U.S. The company had gained five new clients in just a few months, all top-tier companies in the industry.
Seizing the opportunity, Ethan instructed the sales team to continue pursuing high-quality clients, offering generous rewards for success.
Once these tasks were handled, Ethan received a call from Monster, offering him the role of Art Director. This time, unlike Chicago, he would be involved from the very start, with the film's storyboard and the entire process.
The shooting base was still in New York, but some scenes would be filmed in Germany as well.
Early the next morning, Ethan arrived at the crew's office. Before entering, he saw a disheveled woman leaving the office.
She had long blonde hair, but her face was hidden. She was wearing a gray, worn-out T-shirt and shorts, even in the winter, which struck Ethan as odd.
Was she staff? But Ethan's sharp eye noticed that her walk had an unusual air to it, unlike that of a regular crew member.
An actress?
But which actress would dress so sloppily?
With a sense of curiosity, Ethan knocked on the door and entered the office. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the director of the film, Patty Jenkins.
She was discussing something with the crew members, holding a stack of storyboards in her hands.