Age of Legends

Chapter 369 Each Strives for the Right Path, Yet Across a Thousand Miles, We Share the Same Wind (Part Six)
Inside a Western-style coffee and tea restaurant in Fuzhou, Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei walked in, followed by Wang Bowen, Chen Xuran, and a young man wearing a loose T-shirt who looked like an artistic new generation with a slightly roguish air.

Wang Bowen waved to the two of them: "Over here!"

After the graduation banquet that day, Zhang Chen's relatives and family chatted non-stop, and Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran became supporting characters. They had originally discussed some ideas and arrangements with Zhang Chen, but they had to postpone them and instead arranged to introduce someone to Zhang Chen the next day.

"His name is Xu Ming. He's not much older than you, Zhang Chen. He's a distant relative of your Aunt Xu Ran. But Xu Ming is really talented. He's a great young man, just like you. He graduated from the Cinematography Department of Beijing Film Academy this year and won the Best Director Award at the Capital University Student Film Festival for his student film 'Spring Grass.' He happens to be in Fuzhou, so we arranged for you to meet him."

Wang Bowen introduced Xu Ming to Zhang Chen and Wang Shuowei. Wang Shuowei, however, disliked Xu Ming's behavior. The reason was simple: his cousin was Zhao Tao. While Wang Shuowei was usually quiet and unassuming, he was actually a bully in high school. He didn't provoke others unless he felt he should, so he wasn't afraid of trouble either. Now that Zhang Chen was there, and Old Wang had brought them to meet this thuggish young man, Wang Shuowei immediately disliked Xu Ming.

Xu Ming naturally sensed it too, but he only glanced at Wang Shuowei and focused his attention on Zhang Chen. He couldn't ignore Wang Bowen's feelings, so he stood up and shook hands with Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen then realized that this unassuming young man was actually half a head taller than him. Zhang Chen was already quite tall at 1.8 meters, but he was still shorter than Xu Ming.

He looked more like one of those underground rappers in Rongcheng. He had been sitting there looking a bit arrogant, but now that he was shaking hands and talking, he had lost that roguish air: "I've heard about your situation from Uncle Wang, and I've also read your report and that essay. It's quite good. It's a completely different style from 'The Death of Red Hare.' One takes an unconventional approach, while the other uses rhetorical questions with smooth logic and layered structure. He is indeed the kind of person who could write the script for 'The Seven-Day Agreement.'"

"Hello, hello, your godfather also showed me your work." Zhang Chen nodded.

Seeing that Xu Ming spoke well, Wang Shuowei's impression of him improved slightly. Just as he was about to speak to him, he saw Xu Ming merely wave at him casually and then sit down again. Wang Shuowei was immediately furious; he felt completely ignored!
Wang Shuowei plopped down in a huff, but Wang Bowen didn't seem to notice. Chen Xuran poured Wang Shuowei some tea and asked him what he wanted to drink, whether he wanted coffee, which calmed him down a bit. Aunt Chen was so considerate.

Wang Shuowei ordered two cups of coffee, and Chen Xuran also poured tea for the two of them. Then she said, "Some people at the station are also investing in film production. We've gained some fame, and we have people who want to invest and resources. Why don't we get involved ourselves?"

This is why Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran sought out Zhang Chen to discuss their plans. After their success in television program production, Wang Bowen attracted considerable attention from investors, and even within the television station itself, there was a growing interest in investing in and producing its own film and television programs in line with the current reforms of the national television station's commercial operation.

Chen Xuran's network and social connections are also expanding rapidly, even reaching some first- and second-tier celebrities and circles. Chen Xuran is not very interested in real estate projects now, since Huang Huifen is in charge there; she is more interested in pursuing a career as a producer.

Xu Ming is a distant relative of Chen Xuran, but he is also quite talented. As Chen Xuran and Wang Bowen expand their social connections, and because of these connections, they plan to bring in capital to produce film and television while also supporting Xu Ming, who is currently a newcomer.

So I'm here today to ask for Zhang Chen's opinion.

Xu Ming learned about Zhang Chen's extraordinary abilities from Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran, and also knew that Zhang Chen was probably the one who could greatly influence his future fate. That's why he was so polite to Zhang Chen earlier, and he really wanted to befriend him.

However, Zhang Chen knew that Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran were thinking too far ahead. The film and television market in 2001 was not yet mature. Although Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran were expanding their social networks and resources, Zhang Chen genuinely believed that the two of them were not yet capable of independently producing a good film. On the other hand, Chen Xiao's connections were sufficient for making documentaries, but if he rashly entered the film industry, things were uncertain. Zhang Chen did not believe they had the ability to break the current pattern. If they really wanted to do it, they would have to wait a few more years until the internet, advertising, and box office were integrated; only then would it be easier to operate.

So Zhang Chen shook his head: "I don't think we should make movies directly. If we really want to, we can start with TV series and advertising integration. That might be a promising approach."

Zhang Chen wasn't surprised at all that Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran had sniffed out the wind and approached him to discuss projects. In 2001, the film industry was in a chaotic period, with television professionals venturing into filmmaking; nine out of ten projects lost money. The films that made it to theaters were the result of countless amateurs failing miserably. Those who truly succeeded all had access to various resources and connections; the story of a grassroots success story was still a long way off.

So Zhang Chen still insisted: "Movies are about the sentiment you want to touch, but business is business. If you really want the facts, I suggest you make 'Seven Days' or 'Emotional Mediation Room' into a TV series. At least that would guarantee the ratings and ensure that TV stations will buy it."

This is the safest suggestion. If these two popular provincial TV programs are adapted into emotional drama series, there will definitely be a market for them. At least many satellite TV stations have the funds to buy them. With product placement, making money is definitely possible.

But Chen Xuran was still somewhat unwilling: "Wouldn't that just turn it into a TV series? We need to come up with something of higher quality."

This is the hierarchy of contempt. The big screen of movies naturally looks down on the small screen of TV dramas. In addition, movies nowadays have a certain "prestige," and filmmakers can get the most exposure and stand in the center of mainstream media and public opinion. Once they stand out, they are followed by thousands of people, and the whole country will talk about what the Spring Festival film season and the New Year's films are.

Television professionals often get carried away and want to move into the film industry, hoping to earn that kind of recognition. They readily look down on the quality of television dramas, believing that films are of higher quality.

That's not bad, because movies often mean big capital, big resources, and the hype surrounding such a large investment of capital, so of course it's all very popular.

Who wouldn't be envious?

But only Zhang Chen knew that it was a huge charcoal furnace. Now that Chen Xuran and Wang Bowen had thrown themselves into it, as long as it wasn't mining, no amount of money would be enough to swindle them out of their wealth.

They need to be woken up. Zhang Chen wouldn't dare have the slightest idea that having a good script and screenwriting skills is enough to make a name for oneself. He knows better than anyone that not every good script will be discovered by a discerning patron and then have a chosen one promoted and brought to fruition. More often than not, an outsider can criticize your work to a pulp, and if they find it truly excellent, they might even strip it bare.

Their own Wanxiang.com hasn't even been launched yet, and they don't have enough capital and resources. If Wang Bowen and Chen Xuran really go in, then they'll both be trapped and never be able to get out.

(End of this chapter)