Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 88 Startup
March is a very quiet month for both those in the film and television industry and those who follow it.

After the Lunar New Year film season, there are basically no other notable movies being released.

Major companies are starting work, and projects scheduled at the end of last year are now underway at the beginning of this year. Many film crews are making intensive preparations.

However, news from across the ocean shattered the tranquility of the film and television industry, drawing the attention of countless people to Shou Zhe Film Industry.

[Reprinted from Hollywood News: Warner Bros. announced a collaboration with Chinese-American director Chen Shou-che, investing $1.2 million to produce "The Matrix," a film written and directed by Chen Shou-che. The film tells the story of...]

As soon as the news broke, the entire domestic film and television industry turned its attention to it.

People in the film industry are green with envy. They just reached a cooperation agreement with Columbia Pictures, and now they're partnering with Warner Bros., both Hollywood giants, and this time it's one of the true Big Five.

The saying "comparison is the thief of joy" is enough to show that Chen Shou's international influence is greater than they thought.

As Chen Shou gradually increased his influence, those film and television companies were itching to tear him apart.

Ordinary people don't think as much as those in the film industry. They only know that Chen Shouzhe's script was noticed by Hollywood, which invested 800 million to make it into a movie, something unimaginable in China.

Only Chen Shouzhe could achieve this; his scripts were sought after by several Hollywood giants.

Everywhere you look, you hear voices praising Chen Shouzhe, the first mainland Chinese to truly enter Hollywood.

For celebrities, it's simple. Chen Shou is working with Columbia Pictures and Warner Bros., testing the waters with those who have good relationships. Wouldn't it be great if he could play an important role in a movie like in "2012"?
Now, Huang Xiaoming and Li Baibing are appearing at major international film festivals, and they all have representative works.

Even at film festivals, hosts will mention their names and the movies they've starred in. Their commercial value goes without saying, with high-end endorsements and business collaborations.

Having already undergone a capital transformation thanks to Huayi's listing, the two are now thriving and their business is booming.

If I could get a role in the movie through Chen Shouzhe's connections, it would mean being presented to the whole world.

Why do movie stars have a higher status than TV stars? Some people might think that they are all human and should be the same.

However, it's the same everywhere; even within the same department, there are different levels of competence in the workplace.

Movie stars are worth much more than TV stars.

Who wouldn't want to be on the big screen? Even for the top sugar man, who is praised in every way, it is extremely difficult to enter the film industry, let alone the fact that he was in a car accident.

Inside a luxury mansion in the capital, Yang Mi was looking at the company's business reports, while Reba sat next to him, reading the news on his phone.

“You’ve watched it several times,” Yang Mi said.

"Sister Mi." Dilraba immediately turned off her phone.

"Now you see, he has a lot of influence. I know I've wronged you, but if you want to move up in this industry, you have to pay the price. Although he's a cold-hearted person, he treats the people around him well. Since he's messed with you, he'll give you a chance in the future."

"Sister Mi, I..."

"You what?"

"Actually, I'm not scared. I should be thanking you."

"Sigh~ Just don't hate me."

Chen Shouzhe's phone kept ringing. People he was close to called to congratulate him and subtly inquire about how much he had invested.

Chen Shouzhe insisted that he only sold scripts and nothing else.

Those people certainly wouldn't believe it, but Chen kept a tight grip on the situation, and there was nothing they could do, since their reach wasn't that long.

Chen Shou is no longer the young man who can be easily manipulated. Now he has grown stronger, and anyone who wants to take action against him should think twice.

If he ate alone, that would be one thing, but the problem is that he actually shared quite a lot of things, so dealing with him won't be so easy.

They both loved and hated Chen Shouzhe.

They love him because he can bring them benefits, and they hate him because he can't bring them enough benefits.

Human nature is greedy; everyone wants to devour everything, and desires only grow stronger, leading to an ever-increasing urge to consume even more.

The film and television industry is a predatory industry; it's like a pack of insatiable wolves. Even though they've been fed enough, they still feel it's not enough. It's not morality that stops them from eating, but the law that restricts them.

Otherwise, these businessmen with flexible moral bottom lines don't care about countries or nations; they only want money.

After dealing with these guys, there's still a bunch of hungry little ones to feed.

Unlike the cunning adult wolves, these pups are very obedient. Give them some food, and they will behave obediently and even give you feedback.

“I’m telling you, you call me every time I have a movie to watch. Aren’t you tired of that?” Chen Shou said, looking at the screen on his phone.

"If making a phone call is tiring, then why am I even in the entertainment industry? Who cares about face in the entertainment industry? Who hasn't taken their clothes off? Anyway, the excuse is always 'sacrificing for art.'" Zhou Xun's carefree voice came from the phone.

"Stop talking like that. You finally have a boyfriend, don't break up with him again," Chen Shou said irritably.

"Don't worry, he's very supportive of my career. He's an actor too. How are your movies in the US? Do you have any roles?" Zhou Xun asked.

“No, I can’t interfere with the casting over there. Besides, they’re all foreign films, what would you be acting in?” Chen Shou said. “Okay, fine, no problem. By the way, when does ‘Painted Skin 2’ start? I’m planning to get married in the second half of the year,” Zhou Xun said.

"Really?" Chen Shou asked in astonishment.

"Of course I'd lie to you. Just remember to bring a red envelope when you come."

“No problem, my aunt is finally getting married, I’m very happy,” Chen Shou said.

"Give me a definite answer so I can reserve a time slot," Zhou Xun said.

"Okay, I'll arrange it as soon as possible. If we start now, it'll be in the second half of the year," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Damn, you did that on purpose, didn't you?"

“You just got married and you already have a movie role to play, and you’re not happy about it? If that’s the case, I’ll go find Li Baibing.”

Zhou Xun immediately said sweetly, "Director Chen, I was just kidding. The second half of the year, right? I'll talk to my agent and reserve some time. By the way, the salary this time can't be low."

"Don't worry, you'll get your share, but I might not be the director. I'm too busy; I have two movies this year," Chen Shou said, rolling his eyes.

"Really? Are there any characters in it?"

"Alright, here we go again. An animated film and a patriotic film, what do you say?"

"Then forget it, I'll play the role of Painted Skin. Who do you choose as the director?"

"Let's look for it. I don't know either. Maybe I'll discuss it with a few partners."

"Okay, then I'll wait for your good news. It won't have been a waste of my call."

"If it weren't for our relationship, I really wouldn't want to talk to you."

"I'm your aunt and your sister, so we're all separate, hahaha."

After chatting for a few more minutes, we hung up the phone. It really is time to reboot "Painted Skin". Two years have passed. As his second film, he initially wrote two parts when he was writing the script. Later, under the persuasion of his mentor and godfather, he chose to film the first part. The second part has been shelved ever since.

Several actors came over to subtly inquire, but Chen Shou rejected them all.

"Please invite President Tao and President Zhong over," Chen Shou said to his assistant at the door.

A short while later, the two came from their respective offices and sat down in front of Chen Shou.

"Take a look at this. This script has been in my hands for two years. It was written together, but due to limited resources, only the first part was filmed." Chen Shouzhe pulled out a bound script from the bottom of the drawer and handed it to them.

The two of them knew what it meant just by looking at the three large characters written on it.

"Are you going to reboot 'Painted Skin'?" Tao Le asked in surprise.

"Painted Skin" was his first work after joining Shouzhe Pictures. When Chen Shouzhe made his first film, he had not yet joined the company. He was one of the producers of "Painted Skin" and worked as a producer with Director Wang at that time.

"I don't plan to direct this movie; I want to hand it over to someone else," Chen Shouzhe said.

Zhong Lifan frowned and said, "That would affect the movie's box office. After all, you were the director of the first movie. If the director is suddenly changed for the second movie, I'm afraid the audience won't accept it."

"Don't worry about that. As long as the movie is of good quality, the audience is watching a movie, not the director," Chen Shouzhe waved his hand.

Great directors have their advantages, but audiences don't care if you're a great director or not. If you make a bad film, they'll still criticize you. The great poet has also been criticized a lot over the years, and even had his Palme d'Or-winning film questioned.

If you've actually seen the film adaptation of the great poet, you'll easily see that he was the one who made it. However, it's true that someone was keeping him in check back then, preventing him from getting carried away. The great poet's biggest flaw was that he was too self-centered.

When the film "Overlord" was being made, the old man was still around and kept him firmly under control, so he could only follow the script. In the later films, the old man was no longer around, and no one could keep him in check, which made him more prone to letting his true self shine through.

Directors have a great influence on a film, but they have a greater influence on the audience than film actors.

A good actor can greatly improve their public image.

For example, Huang Bo's acting skills are recognized, so when his movies are released, audiences will go to the cinema specifically to see him. This is why movie stars generally have a higher status.

The director isn't necessarily the best; what matters is whether the audience thinks it's good.

"Then let's prepare to submit it for review. What about the production company?" Tao Le asked.

“I’ll make the contact. After all, they might not be willing to go with a new director,” Chen Shou said.

Tao Le and Zhong Lifan nodded. Changing directors meant changing styles, which also meant considerable risk. If Chen Shouzhe was directing, countless people would flock to it, but with a different director, it was hard to say.

After all, there's no guarantee that the film will be successful; it's full of unknowns.

Who wouldn't want to make money while lying down? Now that there are unknowns, it's normal not to follow suit.

Tao Le was in charge of submitting the application for review, Zhong Lifan had someone calculate the project budget, and Chen Shouzhe thought for a moment before picking up his phone and making calls.

(End of this chapter)