Chapter 929 - Best Original Score

Next up was the award for Best Original Score.

"The winner is Michael Giacchino, 'The Lord of the Rings'!" announced the presenter.

"It's me! It's me!" Giacchino leaped up from his seat, his curly hair bouncing wildly with the movement, but that didn't matter—he was on the verge of losing his mind.

"Oh my God! It's me—" He rubbed his eyes vigorously, wiping away the tears that had welled up. Memories of his first meeting with Laila and their subsequent collaborations flooded his mind, making the tears flow even more. "Laila, thank you thank you!"

Laila smiled and hugged him. "Go on, go get your trophy. That's your glory."

Giacchino nodded vigorously and, under the gaze of everyone around him, walked up to the stage to accept the golden statuette he had dreamed of for so long.

"Before coming here, Laila asked me if I had prepared an acceptance speech. I said yes, but at that time, I didn't think I would win this award," he said, his voice choked with emotion. He glanced in Laila's direction, but the bright stage lights made it impossible to see her. He could only vaguely guess where she was sitting.

"Unfortunately, it seems I've forgotten everything I prepared to say."

The audience erupted in good-natured laughter. His expression made it clear how overwhelmed he was, so forgetting his prepared speech wasn't surprising. Who hadn't been in such a situation before? Many in the audience had likely felt the same excitement when they won their first award. And many more had never even had the chance to touch that trophy, so perhaps they wouldn't have performed any better than he did.

Giacchino scratched his head and chuckled awkwardly before continuing, "I want to thank so many people. My family, for their unwavering support. My friends, cheered me on when I was ready to give up. And my colleagues at the company, who have always been kind and helpful."

"But most of all, I want to thank my director, Laila! Without her trust, I wouldn't be here today. We've worked together for many years, and she was the first—and only—director to entrust me with scoring a classic film. I'll never forget what she told me. If possible, I hope to keep composing for her films forever!"

He stepped down from the stage amidst applause, but his words left many in the audience with a revelation.

Why was Laila able to gather so many talented people under her wing? How did she consistently nurture newcomers with limitless potential?

These were questions they had pondered before, but the conclusion was always the same: they couldn't replicate Laila's New Talents Program, which sought out and developed promising newcomers.

Funding was one issue. They couldn't afford to throw large sums of money at untested talents. True, Laila's newcomers had produced several profitable films for Phoenix, with low-budget horror films being the most notable.

But this success couldn't be duplicated. There simply weren't enough talented young people to go around, and given the choice between Laila's New Talents Program and other companies' offers, most young talents would choose Laila without hesitation. Her program had been running for years, genuinely caring for and providing opportunities to young newcomers.

So, even as they watched Laila's team win award after award, other industry players and film companies could only look on with envy, unable to come up with a viable alternative.

In truth, if they wanted to, they could have done something similar. But smaller companies wouldn't "waste" money on nurturing newcomers, nor did they care much about winning Oscars.

As for larger companies capable of replicating the New Talents Program, they were too preoccupied with other projects to focus entirely on such an initiative. Recruiting one or two, or even ten or eight newcomers, was too insignificant for them to bother with. They'd rather spend their resources assembling a more experienced and renowned team to produce films.

Giacchino returned to the crew amidst applause, grabbing Laila's hand and struggling to speak for a moment. He had so much gratitude to express, but at that moment, words felt inadequate to capture his emotions.

Laila patted his back reassuringly. "I know, I understand. Go sit down now. This is life, and you wouldn't want your son to see you all teary-eyed, would you?"

Giacchino's face flushed, and he finally settled back into his seat.

The ceremony continued, and the next award was another one related to Laila—Best Film Editing.

Film editing is second only to directing in importance. A skilled editor can salvage a bad film, while a poor editor can ruin a masterpiece.

Laila had always handled the editing herself. Partly because of the experience she had accumulated in her past life, and partly because she didn't trust anyone else with the task. Even experienced editors might not share her vision, and the results could be unpredictable.

The nominees for this award had already been announced, and Laila was up against several strong contenders, including the highly acclaimed 'No Country for Old Men' and 'There Will Be Blood'.

But...

"The winner is Laila Moran! 'The Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King'!"

The presenter announced Laila's name with heightened enthusiasm. She was thrilled to be the one to present the award to Laila, knowing how much attention it would bring her. Even if she were offered the chance to present Best Picture in exchange, she would never agree!

Tomorrow's headlines would undoubtedly feature photos of her presenting the award to Laila—an opportunity for global exposure that money couldn't buy.

Just how much the media adored Laila was evident from the public's fascination with her. Anything related to her spread like wildfire. Take, for instance, the time she wore a ring, and suddenly everyone was talking about it.

A ring? Anyone with some wealth could own one. Even if it was from Roy, so what?

People get married and divorced all the time. They were just engaged—was it necessary to make such a spectacle?

The presenter handed the trophy to Laila with the most elegant posture and perfect smile, her eyes briefly flicking to the ring on Laila's finger.

That glance nearly made her gasp aloud.

Was she seeing this right? Was that diamond too large and too dazzling? And the color—how could it be so dreamily beautiful?