Huayu: The Big Players Behind the Scenes

"Old Zhao, you're here too?"

Han Sanping looked at the officer, laughed, and stepped forward, "I knew it! How could the August First Film Studio be missing from a scene like this that requires such a grand spectacle?"

"I came here at Director Ying Zhuang's invitation, but you are having a meeting downstairs, so I didn't want to show my face. I decided to come up first to avoid you."

The officer's name was Zhao Xuehua, the director of the feature film department at the August First Film Studio. He was an old acquaintance of Han Sanping and was also the subject of Zhuang Huai'an's visit to the General Political Department in the first two chapters.

The three sat down and exchanged pleasantries. When Zhang Yimou, who had gone to see the guests off, returned, the group greeted him again.

"Director Zhuang,"

Zhao Xuehua smiled and said, "The script and shooting plan that you entrusted to the August First Film Studio for approval have been approved by the leaders of the General Political Department's Cultural Department. Considering that this film is intended for cultural export, this is considered as the General Political Department supporting the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China. We will not participate in the investment or production."

He took a document from his briefcase and placed it on the table. The three of them glanced at it and saw a bright red stamp on the cover with four large characters printed on it.

Transfer approved!

The three of them immediately beamed with joy.

What kind of place is the August First Film Studio?

The General Political Department is the leading force in the military, the only film studio in the military system, and the king of mainstream themes!

This may seem unrelated to ancient warfare themes like "Red Cliff," but it possesses one crucial ability.

Military troupe deployment!

Zhuang Huai'an felt a sudden sense of relief. To be able to obtain this approval with a subject matter outside the mainstream, his aunt's connections must be really strong!

Of course, it also owes much to the support of the leaders of the Central Committee.

Zhao Xuehua asked, "The Battle of Red Cliffs is a grand scene. Where does Director Zhuang plan to film it?"

"Of course, it's the Yangtze River basin," Zhuang Huai'an smiled. "But the site of Chibi has always been controversial, so I plan to go to my hometown in Jiangxi Province, with the Poyang Lake area as the main battlefield, and extend to places like Jiujiang."

"It's really good."

Zhang Xuehua strongly agreed, "Hero City is where the August 1st Army Day was raised. We also have a branch there, which makes personnel transfers easier."

"Poyang Lake appears to be a drinking water catchment area. Is this feasible?"

Han Sanping joined the discussion and offered his opinion: "A few months ago, the higher authorities criticized the damage to the ecological environment of Shangri-La during the filming of The Promise. With such a precedent, it is questionable whether the local authorities will dare to approve it."

"Don't worry, brother, someone will take care of this." Zhuang Huai'an's lips curled up. If his father couldn't even handle such a small matter, he would have lived in vain.

"That's fine then." Han Sanping nodded without asking any further questions.

After a few rounds of tea, Zhao Xuehua got up to say goodbye. The three of them escorted him downstairs before returning to their office to continue chatting.

"Senior brother, I've prepared all the foreplay for you. You can handle the rest yourself. If you need anything, let Wolong... uh, Zhiyong Mouse take care of it. Don't bother me."

"Do you have other plans?" Zhang Yimou asked curiously.

"Indeed," Zhuang Huai'an said with a mischievous grin, "I'm going to find your old flame and prepare for the sister film to Mars."

"Go away! You brat, spouting nonsense again!" Old Mouzi spat at him. "You can only talk sweet nothings in front of me. Try it in front of her!"

"Let's give it a try!" Zhuang Huai'an retorted, "Not only will I say it, I'll embellish it, and say whatever comes to mind!"

Zhang Yimou immediately sensed something was wrong. "Big Fool An, what are you doing!"

"Never mind that, it's time to show you the power of the screenwriting god!"

Zhuang Huai'an glared at him. "You think you can fool me with a flying saucer? You've offended me and you think you can just run away!"

After a few lighthearted banter, Han Sanping steered the conversation back on track, "Speaking of which, people are having a lot of heated discussions about the casting for this movie. What are your thoughts?"

"Let's talk about the audition in a few days. I've already made up my mind. I don't care about big names or small actors, I only care about how well they fit the role."

In this version of "Red Cliff," the characters only serve to drive the plot forward. The core focus is on the large-scale battlefield scenes. As long as the acting and dialogue are not too bad, who plays whom is secondary.

"Nothing else," the old master said. "The core characters are Cao Cao, Zhou Yu, and Zhuge Liang. With Bao Guoan and Tang Guoqiang's outstanding performances as precedents, it might be a bit tricky."

"Indeed," Han Sanping nodded, "the performances of these two have basically defined the characters, making it too difficult for newcomers to break through."

That's a great point. In the old version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, which character wasn't a master of their craft?

"And there's another important point,"

Zhang Yimou suddenly realized, "At the time of Red Cliff, Zhou Yu was in his early 30s and Zhuge Liang was only in his 20s. These two roles need to be both handsome and have good acting skills. Currently, there seem to be very few actors in mainland China who can meet these requirements..."

"I don't care about that," Zhuang Huai'an waved his hand. "Senior brother, casting is your business. I only have one request: don't bring in lousy actors or actors like Liang Caowei."

Zhang Yimou couldn't help but ask, "Did they offend you?"

"No, I just don't like it, and I don't want to be a sucker," Zhuang Huai'an sneered. "An ungrateful Hollywood loser coming back to the mainland to beg for food and still wanting to be paid according to overseas standards, only that idiot Zhang Dapao would agree to such a condition."

Upon hearing this, Zhang Yimou was slightly embarrassed. In fact, it was his idea to invite Lu Xun to star in "Curse of the Golden Flower," but he didn't say it.

If you criticize Zhang Dapao, you can't criticize me, okay?

Zhuang Huai'an grew increasingly angry and continued his tirade, "As the leading film company in mainland China, can't China Film Group issue a salary cap or something? Do those crooked guys from Hong Kong and Taiwan deserve to take so much money?"

"You think I haven't thought about this?"

Han Sanping said with some helplessness, "The film industry is a market economy, and it has to take into account who the audience wants to see. This is something that China Film Group can't interfere with."

In fact, the reason why Hong Kong and Taiwan actors are so superior today is precisely this: they are adored by the audience.

Lapa Island is for promoting harmony.

Hong Kong is quite simple. Its film market has been thriving since the 80s. Many mainland viewers' first exposure to Hong Kong films was through video rental stores, which created a very strong foundation of Hong Kong stars. People were also willing to spend money to try out these films.

As seen in the comments section, many people mentioned watching educational films like "Invincible Wind and Fire Wheels," "Ten Cruel Tortures," "Peach Ripening," "The Lamp Monk," "The Mirror of Love and Lust," and "The Carnal Prayer Mat" to get their first taste of life.

Of course, upright people like me watched mainstream films like "Little Soldier Zhang Ga," "Tunnel Warfare," and "The Shining Red Star" through rural film screening teams.

This also cultivated my upright, righteous, noble, pure, and honorable character!

Well, on the other hand,

The popularity of Hong Kong and Taiwanese actors is inextricably linked to China Film Group and Shanghai Film Group, as these two companies were among the first to accept Hong Kong directors to work in the mainland.

China Film Group is driven by market demand, while Shanghai Film Group is simply poor.

This is the overall environment and the major trend.

As mentioned before, Zhuang Huai'an managed to stop them for three years on his own, which was already the limit. If it went on any longer, the authorities would have to step in and educate the children for the sake of harmony.

There's nothing we can do in this situation; we can only wait until the tide recedes to see who is the real gem and who is the real treasure.

That's why so many people admire the so-called "Nine Separations of Purple Fire Year".

There's some explanation for this.