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Chapter 137: Best Cinematography
🕑 Added 2025-01-01 08:56:35 +0000 UTCAlthough Hayao Miyazaki didn't attend the ceremony, the awards continued without delay. The next presenter was a familiar face to Ethan, Keanu Reeves.
At this moment, his face was clean-shaven, his hair styled in a neat, ear-length curly cut, and his suit was impeccably tailored, making him look incredibly handsome.
Perhaps it was influenced by his role in a later game, but when Ethan saw him, he couldn't help but think of Night City, Johnny Silverhand, and his wild, foul-mouthed persona.
The award he was presenting was for Best Visual Effects, and there was no doubt the award would go to The Two Towers.
Ethan watched as the Lord of the Rings crew walked past him, clapping and congratulating them.
The awards continued, with most of the presenters keeping their speeches brief and efficient, except for major categories like Best Actor and Actress.
Soon enough, the first award related to Chicago was announced.
"Best Art Direction goes to John Myhre and Gordon Sim for Chicago."
"Congratulations!" The crew cheered and clapped. However, Rob Marshall, who was sitting next to Ethan, only clapped a few times, looking quite nervous.
"Don't worry, Rob. You'll be standing on that stage soon enough," Ethan reassured him.
Rob nodded, pursing his lips. "I hope so."
Meanwhile, John Myhre and Gordon Sim made their way onto the stage to give their acceptance speech.
"This is amazing. Working on Chicago allowed us to make so many great friends, and it was truly an invaluable experience. The director, Rob Marshall, deserves the most credit. We must also thank the art department, set designers, painters, and props department. Of course, I also want to thank our cinematographer and second director, Ethan, for all his help."
For the first time, the camera cut to Ethan, who was sitting next to Rob. The national audience got their first official look at him. He politely nodded and smiled, placing his hand over his chest.
"It's Ethan!"
"It's the boss!"
In the training room, the customer service staff, Tokyo actors, and Taylor were sitting, watching the TV. A few teachers and Kane were also there.
When they saw Ethan, everyone erupted in excitement. They were so happy it was as if the person on screen was them.
Even though they were still far from the stage, seeing their boss invited to appear on this platform was an overwhelming achievement, and they felt proud. They had watched Ethan grow from obscurity to the Oscars, and his success was a huge source of inspiration for them.
It was a sense of hope that energized them, and no matter how hard their work was, they didn't feel tired.
Ethan's face flashed on the screen, then quickly returned to the stage.
After John Myhre and Gordon Sim finished their speech, the other awards continued.
Following a musical performance by Catherine Zeta-Jones, the Best Costume Design award went to Colleen Atwood for Chicago.
She stood up excitedly, hugging and kissing the crew members. Ethan, of course, wasn't missed. After going through the usual routine, Colleen, dressed in a pink dress, made her way to the stage.
Her acceptance speech was read from a note, indicating that she had prepared for it for a long time. It was similar to John Myhre's speech, thanking the director and the crew.
However, this time the camera didn't show the Chicago crew, so the girls didn't get to see their boss's appearance.
Twenty minutes later, the Best Supporting Actress award went to Catherine Zeta-Jones.
Ethan clapped as he watched her, noticing that her figure had become more rounded; she was likely close to giving birth.
While thanking the crew, Catherine Zeta-Jones specifically mentioned Ethan: "As everyone knows, I looked my best last year when I was in Chicago, captured by Ethan's lens. I must thank him. If it weren't for him, I wouldn't have known I could look so beautiful."
The camera turned back to Ethan, who smiled and waved at the crowd, embracing Rob in the process.
Seeing him on screen made Anne Hathaway, sitting in the front row, incredibly happy. Scarlett, three rows behind her, was also delighted.
Of course, Jessica Alba and Avril, off-screen, were thrilled as well.
Avril was so excited she even started cheering, jumping around in her room.
Even though Ethan hadn't won yet, just seeing him on screen made her happy.
But after that, the Oscars became rather dull in Avril's eyes since there were no more awards related to Chicago or Ethan.
Finally, after several performances, the host returned to the stage and said, "To be honest, I've been fantasizing about the next presenter for a while."
The stars burst into laughter, curious as to who he was referring to.
"Let's welcome Oscar winner Julia Roberts!" Steve Martin didn't delay and immediately announced the next presenter.
This solved the audience's mystery and made them laugh even harder.
Julia Roberts was known as one of Hollywood's finest actresses, with iconic roles in Pretty Woman, Runaway Jury, and Erin Brockovich.
So, Steve Martin's remark was well-founded, as many male stars in Hollywood had fantasized about her.
When the music played, the circular stage door rose, and Julia Roberts slowly walked out in a black evening gown.
She stood in front of the microphone, slightly nervous, and took the card from her hand. "It's an honor to present the Oscar for Best Cinematography. Personally, I think it's an extraordinary honor, because I know exactly how I look when I leave for work at 5 AM."
The female stars in the audience laughed knowingly. They had all experienced similar moments of puffiness, and that's when makeup artists and cinematographers worked their magic.
Julia Roberts paused for a moment before continuing, "The nominees are…"
A short film appeared on the screen. The first shot was that familiar mirror dance.
"Ethan Li, Chicago."
The applause was thunderous. Scarlett tightly squeezed her fingers in nervous anticipation.
"Edward Lachman, Far from Heaven."
"Mihály Károlyi, Gangs of New York."
"Bowen Edelman, The Pianist."
"Conrad Toll, Road to Perdition."
After reading the nominees, Julia Roberts lowered her head slightly, leaning toward the microphone. "And the winner is…"
She slowly tore open the envelope.
At that moment, Ethan's mother, Carmella, felt the wait was agonizingly long. Honestly, when Ethan told her he had been nominated for an Oscar, she had difficulty believing it.
Just a year ago, their family had been struggling with lingering debts, but now those were long settled. They had moved to a better neighborhood, and the ladies in the area treated her with respect, calling her Mrs Carmella It was a new experience for her.
Carmella knew this success was thanks to her son, so she silently prayed to God.
Beside her, Regias and Louis followed her lead, clasping their hands together to pray for Ethan.
Meanwhile, Ethan, sitting at the ceremony, was focused on Julia Roberts holding the card. He watched her carefully as she read out the winner's name.
"Ethan, Chicago."
A brief silence followed, and then screams erupted behind Ethan as the crew stood up to congratulate him. Rob embraced him, excitedly shouting, "You did it! Ethan!"
"Awesome! Ethan!"
Ethan smiled and slowly stood up, nodding at a few familiar faces. He calmly left his seat and walked toward the stage.
As he passed Renée Zellweger, the two shared a warm hug and a kiss on the cheek.
When he finally stood on stage, receiving the golden statue, he felt everything had become real.
His speech was short. Although winning Best Cinematography was exciting, it wasn't a major award at the Oscars. Its significance lay in proving Ethan's abilities.
"I have to say, I'm lucky," Ethan said, holding the microphone. "First, I must thank someone's departure, which gave me the opportunity. And then, thank you to Director Rob Marshall for truly believing in me."
Laughter erupted from the Chicago crew, who knew exactly what he was referring to. It was as he had once said: mentioning this on the Oscar stage was incredibly satisfying.
"I also want to thank Colleen, John, props, lighting… every shot is a result of everyone's hard work. I couldn't have done this alone. I love cinematography, the play of light and shadow, the beauty of the actresses, and watching them sweat and give their best again and again in the frame. To me, what's in the lens is life."
Ethan made sure his watch was prominently displayed on his wrist. "God gave us life as a gift, and our accomplishments are our way of giving back."
The applause was deafening as Ethan walked off the stage.
It had to be admitted that his Oscar win involved a great deal of luck, including the public relations efforts of Miramax and his own innovative techniques.
But considering his youth and experience, everything balanced out. Hollywood's traditions of seniority were present in the awards as well.
Fortunately, Ethan had been nominated for Best Cinematography, a less glamorous award. The Academy voters occasionally broke from tradition in such categories, giving Ethan a chance.
No matter what, luck had smiled on Ethan, and he was now the proud owner of his first Oscar, solidifying his status as one of Hollywood's top cinematographers.
