Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 7's project launch caused a sensation.

With the funds deposited into a dedicated account, Chen Shouzhe established his own film and television studio, Shouzhe Studio.

China Film Group didn't expect Chen Shouzhe to be able to raise enough funds, and Director Wang acted even faster, and the script passed the review and could be filmed.

The Film Bureau's official website immediately published a notice that the film script "Goodbye Mr. Loser" submitted by Shouzhe Pictures had successfully passed the review and was marked as a comedy.

Nobody cared about this comedy, and no news media reported it. How many people in the film industry even knew about it?

Everyone knows that movies can make money, but how many people actually make money from them?

This inconspicuous news was quickly overshadowed by other news, quietly hiding in a corner where no one knew about it.

Chen Shou began to busy himself with casting. Apart from the supporting roles for his fellow disciples, which were relatively easy to find, the most difficult roles were the male and female leads and Yuan Hua, the second male lead.

The role of Charlotte is definitely not going to be filled by Deyun Society. His godfather, Guo Degang, even wanted him to give Yue Yunpeng a push, but Chen Shouzhe refused. He's okay with a supporting role, but forget about the lead.

It just so happened that Master Yu Qian knew a drama troupe that mainly performed comedies. Yu Qian thought it was pretty good, so he took Chen Shouzhe to buy tickets and go see it.

As Chen Shou watched the performance on stage, the male and female leads seemed to perfectly match his image of Xia Luo. To put it another way, they were a thinner version of Shen Teng and a younger version of Ma Li.

"Master, it's them." Chen Shou nodded.

After the performance, Yu Qian took Chen Shouzhe backstage. Everyone in the troupe knew Yu Qian, so they were able to get in by simply showing their faces.

"Teacher Yu, what brings you here? Let me know and I'll bring you your tickets." The drama troupe director clearly recognized Yu Qian and greeted him warmly upon seeing him.

"Director Yan, you're too kind. How could I possibly accept tickets from you? We don't give out tickets for crosstalk performances," Yu Qian joked.

"It's an honor for us that you can come," Director Yan said with a smile.

"Director Yan, let me introduce you. This is my apprentice, Chen Shouzhe."

"Hello, I am Yan Fei."

"Director Yan, could you introduce the main actors in today's play?" Chen Shou asked directly.

"Oh, you're looking for Shen Teng and Ma Li?" Yan Fei found it a bit strange.

"It's like this, Director Yan. My apprentice is a graduate of the directing department at the Beijing Film Academy. He's currently planning to shoot a movie and needs to cast actors, so I brought him here to take a look," Yu Qian explained.

"Making a movie?" Yan Fei looked at Chen Shouzhe in surprise, while also feeling envious. He also wanted to make a movie, but his troupe had no money and no one would invest in him.

Seeing that Chen Shouzhe, who is younger than him, has already made it to the big screen, it's no wonder he's envious.

"I'll go call them over." Yan Fei went to call them and soon brought Shen Teng and Ma Li to Chen Shouzhe.

Shen Teng and Ma Li exchanged bewildered glances. They recognized Yu Qian as a crosstalk performer, but who was Chen Shouzhe? They sized him up.

"Okay, it's confirmed that it's you two." Chen Shou looked around and felt that the two in front of him were very suitable. The play just now had already proven that their acting skills were not a problem at all, and there was no need for an audition.

"No, Teacher Yu, who is this?" Shen Teng was still a little confused and looked at Yu Qian with a puzzled expression.

“This is my apprentice, a film director. He wants to invite you to participate in his film. Are you free?” Yu Qian said with a smile.

"A movie? Great!" Shen Teng said with a smile.

"Really? What movie is it? We wouldn't dare take it if it's not good," Ma Li joked.

"I brought the script with me. Take a look at it first. If you think it's suitable, tell the company and we'll start filming as soon as possible," Chen Shouzhe said.

Shen Teng and Ma Li then realized that Chen Shouzhe was not joking. Looking at Chen Shouzhe, who was younger than them, they were surprised to find that he was actually a film director. The two looked at Yan Fei. If Yu Qian hadn't brought him, they would have thought that Chen Shouzhe was a fraud.

"Why are you looking at me? If we could make movies, I'd definitely let you guys make movies," Yan Fei said, shrugging.

The two took the printed script, staring at the five large characters on it, momentarily unable to understand them. It was called Charlotte! Trouble?
When they opened the script, they discovered that the protagonist's name was Charlotte.

The two became increasingly engrossed in the story, finding it truly fascinating. They traveled back to their high school days, plagiarized various songs, and built themselves into a superstar. In the end, they died of AIDS, traveled back in time, and only then realized how wonderful their wives were.

It has both funny and touching moments; the story is simple, but the characters are vivid.

"Old Yan!" Shen Teng was the first to finish reading and looked up at Yan Fei.

"It seems you've made up your mind. What about Ma Li?" Yan Fei asked.

"I think I'm fine with it, the female lead?" Ma Li said happily. "The script has passed the review and the project has been approved. Please come to my company to sign the contract as soon as possible," Chen Shouzhe said.

"No problem, we can sign right now." Shen Teng said excitedly. A movie lead actor, no matter what kind of movie, who doesn't yearn for the big screen? Performing in plays every day, isn't it all for this moment?

Ma Li nodded excitedly. She never expected that someone as plain-looking as her would ever have a leading role.

Both agreed, so the company had no reason to object and signed them directly, with both receiving very low salaries.

Chen Shouzhe also reduced their pay, since they were all unknown stage actors.

The rest of the actors were found smoothly.

China Film Group is also ready. A good producer can save a lot of trouble. Sometimes, the right person should do the right thing, and it's best to leave it to the professionals.

From the script review onwards, everything progressed quickly. Once the money was in place, the actors were in place, and the filming permit from the Film Bureau was issued.

[Movie: Goodbye Mr. Loser, a comedy film.]

Production companies: China Film Group, Daqian World, Enlight Media, Wanda Media, Deyun Society, Shouzhe Studio.

Director: Chen Shouzhe.

Producer: Wang Kai.

Executive Producer: Hou Chenggong.

Main cast: Shen Teng, Ma Li, Yin Zheng, Liu Yan, Tian Yu...

Many industry insiders found this license strange, while media reporters were outraged.

Aside from familiar names like China Film Group and Enlight Media, Wanda Cinemas is a theater chain that rarely participates in film production, yet it has started investing in movies again. Big players are indeed big players.

They didn't quite understand the other three companies. They knew about Deyun Society, which had recently been embroiled in a business suspension and rectification crisis and was almost ruined.

They knew that Daqian World was Yu Qian's company, but since Yu Qian himself majored in directing, it didn't matter.

The name "Shouzhe Film Industry" combined with the director's name, Chen Shouzhe, clearly indicates that this is the director's company. So, who is this director?
Reporters familiar with Deyun Society immediately recognized Chen Shouzhe and, like cats spotting fish, sensed the fishy smell.

"After the closure, Deyun Society made another move, with Yu Qian's apprentice Chen Shouzhe serving as director to shoot the comedy film 'Goodbye Mr. Loser,' turning a crosstalk performer into a movie director overnight."

"Recently, the film 'Goodbye Mr. Loser,' which is mainly controlled by China Film Group, has attracted attention in the industry. The film is directed by Chen Shouzhe, a crosstalk actor from Deyun Society and an apprentice of Yu Qian."

"A comedian turns to directing..."

Reporters from all walks of life who were originally at odds with Deyun Society have all jumped in. The storm that happened last month had just ended, and now, Deyun Society's crosstalk performers are going to direct a movie.

This immediately reminded many people of Guo Degang, the troupe leader, since many of the movies he's been involved in are terrible.

As expected, the news immediately attracted the attention of countless people online, most of whom were mocking it, and not a single person was there to watch the spectacle.

"Goodness, is the threshold for making movies so low these days? I just watched the video, and the director is only in his early twenties."

"I guess he's not the director; the director should be Guo Degang."

"Putting a young person on the stage is a bit shameless."

"Any Tom, Dick, or Harry can be made into a movie. Goodbye Mr. Loser is obviously a flop."

"Are China Film Group and Enlight Media out of their minds? How could they invest in a movie like this? Don't they know that all movies produced by Deyun Society are bad?"

"It seems like it can't be a bad movie without Guo Degang, right?"

"Found it. Chen Shouzhe, Yu Qian's apprentice, graduated from the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy, a proper professional background."

"Formally trained? Do crosstalk performers need academic qualifications?"

The media and the internet were already buzzing about it, but somehow the news that China Film Group had invested four million in Chen Shouzhe got out of control.

Suddenly another group became dissatisfied: how could a director who had just graduated receive an investment of four million?

Why?
(End of this chapter)