Huayu: Hard fight against Zhang Weiping at the beginning

Chapter 609 Happy Comedians

In the Zhang residence in the capital, Zhang Chen was writing furiously on his keyboard.

He has a lot of sketches saved up.

In the past, when mobile internet became widespread, Uncle Benshan had already retired, and Northeast comedy sketches were gradually declining, with only his apprentices struggling to keep it afloat.

However, this also led to the rise of other sketch comedy teams:

The First Heist in History, A Big Talk Show, Eighty-One Tribulations, The Summer of Prison Break, The Young Master and the Young Lady, Once in a Thousand Years, The First Encounter at the Photo Studio...

High-quality works are frequently produced, each possessing the potential to be featured on the Spring Festival Gala.

It can only be said that new talents emerge in every generation.
However, when they emerged, the popularity of the Internet+ had led to a proliferation of entertainment options for the public, and sketch comedy was no longer as popular. Therefore, the influence of their works could not reach the heights that Zhao Benshan once had. But in terms of the quality of the works themselves, they were actually quite good.

Zhang Chen planned to choose one from these for Zhao Benshan.

However, since they are all works by the new generation and are very different from the style of Northeast comedy sketches, there are not many that can be adapted. Zhang Chen's favorites are "Eighty-One Tribulations" and "Summer of Prison Break".

Both works are classics created by the "Nothing Is Difficult in Ten" team. Zhang Chen is most optimistic about "Eighty-One Difficulties" because of its high artistic value.

Can you believe that such a classic line as "spending one's life saving all people and spending one's life saving only one person" actually appeared in a sketch comedy?
But as classic as it is, adapting it to suit Zhao Benshan's style is the most difficult task, so Zhang Chen ultimately chose "The Summer of Prison Break".

"Summer of Prison Break" tells the story of a young man who disturbs the peace by playing the suona and Song Jiang in prison. It is a heavily modified version of "Water Margin". Zhang Chen is not sure if such a work meets the review requirements of the Spring Festival Gala, but he doesn't care about that for now and just writes it first.

……

Northeast, night

Many people assume that since winters in Northeast China are so cold, summers must be very cool.

Hehe, you're overthinking it~
Summers in Northeast China are anything but cool; the sun is scorching!
It was already past midnight, but Zhao Benshan, lying in bed, couldn't fall asleep.

It's all because of the Spring Festival Gala.

His status comes from the Spring Festival Gala, or rather, from the prestigious title of "King of Spring Festival Gala Sketches".

But the current situation is that he doesn't have a good script.

As a leading figure in the national comedy scene, Benshan Media certainly has no shortage of sketch comedy scripts.

But there is a lack of good sketch comedy scripts.

What makes a good sketch comedy script?

It's the kind of script that can be featured on the Spring Festival Gala, that can catch the audience's eye, and that can stand out from all the other programs.

Such a script is rare and hard to come by.

In recent years, the threshold for good scripts has been getting higher and higher, but good scripts have become increasingly rare, which has made Lao Zhao feel a deep sense of crisis.

If you're talking about scripts for local Spring Festival Galas, Lao Zhao has no shortage of them.
Given Zhao's status in the comedy world, no local Spring Festival Gala could refuse his participation if he wanted to.

But these scripts just didn't quite make it onto CCTV.
Zhao Benshan currently has a script called "Donation," which was also written by his old partner He Qingkui, but he always feels that it's not quite right.

After flipping through the donation list again, Old Zhao sighed. If there wasn't a suitable one in the end, he would have no choice but to bite the bullet and go for it.

Just at this moment
Ding ding~
A text message alert sounded on the phone.

Old Zhao checked his phone; it was already past three o'clock. Who would send him a message at this hour?

Upon opening the email, the sender was Zhang Chen, and the message contained only a few words: "The script has been sent to your email address, please check it."
Upon seeing Zhang Chen's name, Zhao Benshan immediately perked up.

His call to Zhang Chen was a desperate gamble, a case of grasping at straws.

Zhang Chen has written wildly popular sketches like "Not Short of Money," and as both a director and screenwriter, he might just create another miracle.

But only a few days have passed, and the script is already finished?
Out of curiosity, Lao Zhao turned on his computer and logged into his email. Sure enough, there was a lone email lying there.

Summer of Prison Break ~
Jailer: Hey, you two, time for dinner.

Er Gou: Sigh.

Jailer: Steamed buns and pickled vegetables.

Er Gou: Brother Jailer, this food is too simple.

Jailer: What else do you want to eat in jail?
Er Gou was sullen~
The jailer turned to Song Jiang and said, "Hey, you've got eight dishes and a soup, a hot pot, a bowl of Moutai, and a whole roasted lamb for you in a bit."

……

After reading just the beginning, Zhao Benshan was intrigued and couldn't help but continue reading.

Song Jiang, Er Gou who plays the suona, Wu Song, Grand Commandant Gao, the historian...

The appearance of these characters is full of laughs, and the plot unfolds layer by layer.

Song Jiang: Hmph~
Historians recorded: Song Jiang looked down on Grand Commandant Gao from the bottom of his heart.
Grand Commandant Gao: I will take your heads!
The historian recorded: Grand Commandant Gao bragged a lot~
Zhao Benshan chuckled when he saw these places.

Interesting~
Interesting~
The story is short; it only took a few minutes to read.

Zhao Benshan, however, felt it wasn't enough and watched it again from the beginning.

Still not satisfied after reading it, Zhao Benshan simply printed out the script and looked at it repeatedly.

The more I read, the more interesting and complex the story became.

Old Zhao has a deep understanding of comedy, and he could clearly sense that this story was not simple.

Zhang Chen is truly remarkable; no wonder the script was written by a film director.

After watching it countless times, Old Zhao finally raised his head.

I haven't seen such a brilliant script in years.

He couldn't wait to discuss this with Zhang Chen.

I glanced at my watch; it wasn't even four o'clock yet, and it wasn't even dawn.

Looking at the sending time, it was almost three o'clock. Zhang Chen had undoubtedly stayed up all night to finish writing it and sent it directly to him. He had probably just fallen asleep not long ago.

However, he had so many thoughts on his mind that he had to get them out of his head.
Since it's not good to bother others, then we'll bother our own people.

Old Zhao had no reservations about his own people, and regardless of the fact that it was the middle of the night, he made a call to Zhang Jiahao.

Zhang Jiahao is the vice president of Benshan Media, and he's the character Hao Ge from the TV series "Ma Dashuai".

"What's wrong, Chairman?"

Although it was the middle of the night, there was not a trace of dissatisfaction in Zhang Jiahao's voice.

"Jiahao, book me the earliest flight to Beijing. You'll come with me!"

"Okay, Chairman."

Zhang Jiahao was originally Zhao Benshan's bodyguard. Later, he handled the "Shenyang Liu Laogen Grand Stage Dispute" well, and Zhao promoted him, eventually making him the vice president of Benshan Media.

……

The next day, Zhang Chen slept until late morning.

He spent the entire day yesterday revising the skit script.

Sketch scripts are different from movie scripts.

Zhang Chen has done extensive film analysis and is very familiar with movies.

Moreover, he writes out the framework, and a team of writers helps him refine it.

He only vaguely remembered many of the skit scripts and had to fill in the lines himself based on his memory. Sometimes he also had to make some adaptive modifications based on the characteristics of Zhao Benshan's apprentices.

No one can help him with this; he has to do it himself, which is a huge amount of work.

Thankfully, it's all sorted out.

Zhang Chen's version of "Summer of Prison Break" retains the essence of the original while making appropriate modifications.

It was already past noon when Zhang Chen got up. He ate lunch outside before heading to the company.

Unexpectedly, upon arriving at the company, he was told that Uncle Benshan had been waiting for him for half a day.

No way, I just sent him the script last night, and he's already in my office today?

Zhang Chen rushed to his office, and it really was Uncle Benshan.

"You... came specifically for the script?"

"Yeah, right." "What a mess. If there's a problem, you can just make a phone call. Why did you have to make a special trip?"

Old Zhao laughed heartily: "I'm getting old, I don't need much sleep, and I didn't want to disturb your rest, so I simply flew over!"

Then she added, "That's because the flight schedule is fixed; if it were a private jet, I could get here even faster."

Zhang Chen immediately chuckled and said, "Don't rush with the private jet. I heard from Cheng Long that it'll be delivered soon, in just one or two weeks."

"That's great! It'll be much more convenient to visit each other in the future!"

"You're planning to have lunch here at my place and then go back to Shenyang to perform at Liu Laogen Grand Stage tonight?"

"That's not true at all~"

Then, Zhang Chen was monopolized by Zhao Benshan for the entire afternoon.

Old Zhao started chatting with him about sketches, and once he started, he couldn't stop.

Why is it designed this way?

How did you come up with this idea?
Every now and then, Lao Zhao would sigh, "If I didn't know that you're focused on movies and don't care about the small domestic comedy market, I would really be worried."

First there was "Not Short of Money," and now you've come up with "The Summer of Prison Break." I'm genuinely afraid you'll become my competitor!

"Doesn't it feel like 'Why did Heaven create both Zhou Yu and Zhuge Liang?'"

"Hey, you're getting cocky just because I called you fat?"

"Isn't it enough for me to be proud of myself to receive a compliment from the king of comedy sketches in China?"

"Haha, come on, I'll treat you to drinks. This skit script is so good, I have to buy you a big drink no matter what!"

"No, no, no, I've already experienced your drinking capacity, I can't keep up!"

Old Zhao's drinking capacity is truly impressive; he's the best drinker Zhang Chen knows, bar none!

"Furthermore, haven't you noticed that although this script is interesting, it has a major flaw? It drastically alters 'Water Margin.' Do you think it can pass CCTV's censorship?"

At this point, Old Zhao also fell silent.

He also noticed the problem, but he was too excited to think about it in depth.

Given the review team's track record, they might actually reject it.

The thought that such a good manuscript might be rejected made Zhao Benshan feel heartbroken.

"Could we ask them to make an exception in the name of innovation?"

"I'm not sure either, it depends on who the director is."

The selection of the chief director of the Spring Festival Gala is usually announced at the end of August, and it's only a few days away.

But no matter who the director is, after the final selection is made, they will meet with Zhao Benshan to confirm that he will perform on the Spring Festival Gala.

If Zhao Benshan says he won't perform, then no matter how well this year's Spring Festival Gala is done, the director will most likely be condemned by the entire nation.

That's how awesome it is!
Zhao Benshan is the undisputed head of the comedy sketches for each year's Spring Festival Gala. He has some say in the review process, but not much.

"Is there any other way?"

"Yes, but it depends on your influence?"

"I?"

"Yes, you probably have no idea how much influence you have now. If you could participate in the performance, maybe the censors would make an exception."

Which role should I play?

Which role would you like to play?

Zhang Chen pondered for a moment, "What about the historian?"

Zhao Benshan laughed and said, "That's what I think too~"

The role of the historian is not large and will not take up too much of Zhang Chen's time, but it is still quite outstanding.

Most importantly, the lines that are most likely to be judged as violations are all spoken by the historian.

If Zhang Chen were to play the role, these problems might not be problems at all.

After the two made the agreement, Old Zhao's confidence soared, but Zhang Chen thought of something else.

Star Entertainment has always been dedicated to the film and television market, not because it is uninterested in other areas, but simply because the time is not right.

But now, he thinks it's worth a try.

Old Zhao wanted to take Zhang Chen out for drinks and had even asked Zhang Jiahao to book a restaurant, but Zhang Chen stopped him: "Uncle Benshan, I have an idea. How about we collaborate again?"

"Cooperation? How to cooperate?"

Old Zhao's eyes lit up when he heard it was a collaboration.

Benshan Media has consistently benefited from its collaboration with Star Entertainment.

The collaboration between the two parties, "My Own Swordsman: The Treasure Hunt," marked Benshan Media's first successful case in the film industry, and even this year's "My Own Swordsman: The Martial World" has achieved good results.

In addition, it has also spawned a TV series IP called "The Legend of the Magpie Sword Sect", opening up a new track for Benshan Media in addition to rural dramas.

Now that Zhang Chen has expressed a desire to collaborate again, Zhao Benshan is filled with anticipation.
"That's right. I've always had an idea to make a variety show called 'Happy Comedians'."

"Happy Comedians? What's that?"

"A variety show, a competitive reality show..."

What is a reality show?

Seeing that Lao Zhao didn't understand, Zhang Chen briefly explained the positioning of "Happy Comedians".
"It's basically about finding comedy troupes to compete against each other~"

"Got it, it's a skit competition~"

"You can understand it that way, but the core is different, and the form isn't limited to sketches; it can include crosstalk, stand-up comedy, and the like..."

Zhao Benshan was taken aback: "Who are you planning to find?"

"Benshan Media is definitely one, as are Deyun Society and Happy Twist. In fact, every region has its own famous comedy troupes, but their fame hasn't reached the level of national recognition yet. These troupes can be invited, as well as some local theaters' stand-up comedy and mime shows..."

In short, any comedy that uses language is acceptable.

The competition format is basically two rounds per stage, with the last-place finisher in each round being eliminated. After twelve rounds, the winner will be awarded the title of 'King of Comedy'!

"That's a big enough name for you. Aren't you afraid that Stephen Chow's fans will fight you to the death?"

"What's the big deal? At worst, I'll just invite Stephen Chow to be a judge."

Old Zhao suddenly looked at Zhang Chen as if he were a monster: "You really dare to think this way. I heard that the person who doesn't even make movies anymore would come to participate in your variety show?"

"If the money is right, I can definitely get him to come. Besides, I wouldn't be doing him a disservice by having him as a guest. I've already thought of the other two guests."

"who is it?"

"Chen Peisi was the first generation of comedy king, and Uncle Benshan was the second generation of comedy king~"

"You little brat, you even included me in your calculations!"

Uncle Benshan said it, but he was satisfied in his heart.

He acknowledges that Chen Peisi was the first-generation king of sketch comedy, and he also acknowledges that Stephen Chow is the king of comedy in Hong Kong.

He didn't feel that partnering with these two people was beneath him.

"There's another question. Benshan Media and Xingchen Entertainment are collaborating on this program, which means they're both contestants and referees. Won't that cause controversy?" Zhao Benshan asked, voicing his concerns.

Zhang Chen waved his hand dismissively: "You don't need to worry about that. Comedy programs rely on solid skills. Funny is funny, and not funny is not funny. If we're not good enough, even if we wanted to manipulate things behind the scenes, we'd only become a laughing stock. Your only concern is what if the team sent by Benshan Media isn't good enough and gets eliminated early on? Wouldn't that be embarrassing?"

"Hey~"

Zhao Benshan, not expecting to be outmaneuvered, laughed and said, "If that's really the case, then we can only blame ourselves for not being skilled enough. Let's go back and practice!"

Zhao Benshan was full of confidence. He knew his apprentices very well. It would be true if you said there was no depth in their jokes.

It's genuinely funny!

I can't guarantee I'll be number one, but coming in last is impossible!
"Okay, that's enough for me."

(End of this chapter)