Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 89 passed review.
The production company behind "Painted Skin 1" is the same as that of the first film, but without the Deyun Society and Daqian World.

China Film Group, Xi'an Film Group, Wanda Pictures, Enlight Media, and Shou Zhe are the five companies that jointly produced this film.

The first call wasn't to China Film Group, but to Wanda.

"Didn't we just talk on the phone this morning, Mr. Chen?" Ye Ning was clearly surprised to receive a call from Chen Shouzhe. The two had spoken that morning about whether they could participate in "The Matrix."

"What happened in the morning is what happened in the morning. Now that it's almost noon, it's a matter for noon," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"That must be good news," Ye Ning said with a smile.

"Well, there's something I need to tell you. I'm going to reboot the 'Painted Skin' series. I've already had the script for the second movie submitted for review."

Upon hearing this, Ye Ning on the other end of the phone immediately perked up.

"Great! I've been waiting since last year, and now I finally have good news. How much will the investment be?"

"The budget hasn't been finalized yet, but I should let you know in advance that I'm not directing the film. I mentioned this when I was at the Beijing Film Academy. If Wanda doesn't want to be involved, I won't have any objections," Chen Shou said, giving a heads-up beforehand.

“Yes, why wouldn’t Wanda go?” Ye Ning readily agreed.

“Okay, let’s sit down and talk again after the script is approved. I’ll treat you to dinner then,” Chen Shouzhe said.

"Haha, do you need to treat me? Of course I'll treat you! How many families are coming this time?"

"Following the first rule, there will be five companies. If anyone withdraws, no one will be allowed to join."

"What about your master and godfather?"

"Let's wait until 'The Martian' is released before we talk about it. Investing in film and television is a bit risky."

"I understand. It's fine if we make a profit, but I'd feel bad if we lost money." Ye Ning nodded on the other end of the phone.

Many families turn against each other because of money. If you can help them make money, that's fine, but if they lose money, it's only a matter of time before they become enemies.

The elderly couple didn't say anything, but they couldn't stop the people around them from saying things.

The closer the relationship, the less you should involve money in the conversation.

"Let me tell you this first, I'll ask the other companies later," Chen Shou said.

“Then go ask her. Wanda will definitely be your most loyal partner,” Ye Ning said.

"Row."

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shouzhe also spoke to Wang Changtian of Enlight Media. Wang Changtian hesitated for a moment. If it were Chen Shouzhe's movie, he would have followed without hesitation, but since the movie director was not Chen Shouzhe, he naturally hesitated.

But when he thought about the success of "Kung Fu Hustle", he realized that he had missed a lot. Starting with "2012", Chen Shou hadn't participated in many subsequent projects with Enlight Media. In the end, he still had to grit his teeth and say that he would follow up.

It's estimated that the share won't be too large; Chen Shouzhe will definitely get more for the sequel.

Immediately afterwards, I called Xi'an Film Studio and heard that they had already heard about the change of director.

"If you want to change directors, I can recommend one who has directed martial arts films," said the director of Xi'an Film Studio.

"Who's the director of martial arts films?" Chen Shou asked.

"He also graduated from the directing department of your Beijing Film Academy. His name is Wuershan, and he won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director."

"Urshan, okay, I'll think about it."

"Xi'an Film Studio followed."

"Thank you."

"We should be thanking you. By the way, is 'The Martian' coming out this year?"

"Yes, it has been submitted for review and will be released during this summer's movie season."

"That's great, I'll wait for your good news."

For his last call, Chen Shouzhe made a call to Vice Chairman Wang of China Film Group, who was the producer of "Painted Skin 1". Upon hearing what Chen Shouzhe said, he naturally said that there was no problem.

Several production companies have been contacted. As for the remaining roles, filming is estimated to begin in August. It's currently March, the project will be officially launched in April, casting will take place in May, preparations will be in June and July, and filming will start in August.

Chen Shouzhe and Tao Le discussed it at noon and even watched a movie directed by Urshan.

“I think it’s perfect for him; he’s very suited for this kind of supernatural fighting genre,” Tao Le said.

“He started making movies in 2004 and won the Golden Horse Award for Best New Director in 2011. Compared to other newcomers, he is more mature,” Chung Li-fan said.

"Who of you will go and make contact?" Chen Shou asked.

“I’ll do it,” Tao Le said.

“We’ll see more and more of these kinds of situations in the future, and we need more directors,” Chen Shouzhe said.

“Young people these days are too impetuous,” Zhong Lifan shook her head.

“Look at all the major art schools, if they can train one out of a hundred, we’ll still be making a profit,” Chen Shou said.

"It's like your crosstalk, right? Out of a thousand, only ten survive," Tao Le laughed. "Maybe out of a thousand, not a single one will make it," Chen Shou shook his head. Everyone has a mouth, but not everyone can perform crosstalk. Directors are even less of a story; every year, so many directors graduate, but in the end, it's still the same people.

On the contrary, more and more actors are transitioning into directors, but the actors who take over their roles are getting worse and worse.

It's good to have someone in the company to look after things, so they can focus on other tasks, like the employees of Xiaoxiaomeng who have already returned from their holidays.

"Everyone, the enjoyable holiday is over, and it's time to start the happy work life again," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"We can't wait any longer." After a nine-day holiday, they're already missing the workday.

Sometimes people can't let themselves relax too much. After resting for too long, they'll want to find something to do. A day at home is a treasure, three days at home is like grass, and nine days at home, their neighbors almost called them unemployed.

"A new project has arrived, an animated film," Chen Shouzhe said.

"An animated film?" Many people's eyes lit up.

"This is the composition, this is the script. Take a look. I'm the director. Have you calculated how long it will take? The company's fourth batch of employees has been recruited. They're going to the US to study now. Some of you will also be going to the US for a period of time in the second half of the year. Just form a group to do it. There are other tasks to be done," Chen Shou said.

Little Dream has been expanding. Warner Bros. is going to launch the "Matrix" project at the end of the year, and Chen Shouzhe has already reached an agreement with them to send people in to learn about it.

We learned their technologies by adopting a Western-to-East approach, and then used those technologies to benefit our own country.

Upon seeing Chen Shouzhe's composition, the group immediately began a meeting and got into work mode.

Chen Shouzhe also worked with them. As the boss, he preferred to be with these people. They were very simple-minded; they just occasionally liked to watch things that were not suitable for children.

Two weeks later, good news arrived.

[Film Bureau Announcement: The science fiction film "The Martian," written and directed by Chen Shouzhe, has passed censorship and is permitted for release.]

As soon as the news broke, not only the film and television industry but also many media outlets jumped into the fray.

This is Chen Shouzhe's second science fiction film, and this time it's hard science fiction, not the soft science fiction film he made with a budget of tens of thousands of US dollars.

The first science fiction film brought in huge profits, and this time the film is a real financial investment. Another important point is that it is entirely a Chinese production.

From the production company to the special effects to the actors, everything was handled by Chinese personnel.

As the first science fiction film produced by Chinese personnel, it naturally attracted the attention of countless people both at home and abroad.

Domestic film companies already know about it and are inquiring about when it will be released, wondering if they should avoid releasing it.

Foreign companies, on the other hand, were curious about the feasibility of this film made by Chinese people, especially Warner Bros. If Chen Shouzhe succeeded, then according to their agreement, another film they had signed a contract for would be directed by Chen Shouzhe.

The moviegoers are very genuine and expressed their anticipation for the film's release. Chen Shou has laid a solid foundation, and the audience is very interested and will go to the cinema to support it.

On Weibo, the film's stars, including Zhang Hanyu, Gong Li, Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Fengyi, and Liu Yifei, posted messages expressing their anticipation, and many movie fans also left comments.

“I’ve started the promotion. The advertising deals are finalized with a car company and a mobile phone company,” Zhong Lifan said.

"Wow, we've recovered a lot of advertising revenue all at once. Okay, I'll leave it all to you to handle." Chen Shouzhe simply nodded and handed it over to Tao Le and Zhong Lifan to manage.

Seven production companies jointly released a poster announcing the release date.

It will be released worldwide on July 6th. Emperor Entertainment Group still couldn't beat China Film Group in Southeast Asian distribution, and China Film Group won the distribution rights.

In the European and American markets, Chen Shouzhe had Columbia as a partner, so naturally Columbia would publish his work.

It was also released globally on July 6th.

Through Columbia's publicity, people know that Chen Shouzhe is a screenwriter, director, etc., and many people are curious about what kind of science fiction movies China can make.

Once the release date was announced, many film and television companies announced changes to the release dates, or even moved them forward.

The summer movie season runs from June to the end of August. Chen Shouzhe chose a date in the middle, so they could either choose June or August to try and avoid it.

There are quite a few movies being released, but they are all concentrated in late July and early August.

Two novelists who transitioned to directing also had their films released this summer: one is the third installment in a series, and the other is a film produced by Bona Film Group and directed by Han Hang.

They all felt it was in the latter half of the series, so they didn't change the release date. The fourth installment of the series produced by Enlight Media, starring Liu Yifei, was even scheduled for release in August, so it wasn't changed either.

However, everyone tacitly avoided "The Martian," and no one knew if it would become a box office hit. Of course, there were also some stubborn people who wanted to get a piece of the pie.

With more than three months until the film's release, the sudden appearance of a shark is bound to scare people.

As for the other films, they were supposedly released globally in a sensational way.

All I can say is, it's utterly shocking. With such a small investment, so few production companies, and a few screenings in foreign cinemas, all that hype and advertising, it's all just a load of rubbish.

Even before the promotional campaign has reached its peak, various companies are already sharpening their knives, all eyeing this domestically produced sci-fi film.

If Chen Shouzhe succeeds, he will usher in a new era of science fiction blockbusters in China, just as the national director opened up the era of commercial blockbusters with a single film.

Major film and television companies are watching and waiting for July to arrive, when the Film Bureau issues another announcement.

(End of this chapter)