Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 235 A New Generation Surpasses the Old
The meeting room was so quiet you could hear the pages turning.

At the end of the long table, the spring sunlight streamed in through the floor-to-ceiling windows, casting a warm yet tranquil glow on the wooden tabletop.

The storyboard for "Painted Skin" had been gathered up and set aside, but the atmosphere did not ease as the meeting ended.

Lu Yang stood there, stunned, Wu Chen's words still echoing in his mind.

He opened his mouth, but after a long pause, he managed to stammer out, "Director Wu...you really...you want me to direct?"

Wu Chen chuckled softly, leaned back in his chair, and said in a calm and unhurried tone, "What? You don't want to? If you don't want to, I can find someone else."

"No, no," Lu Yang hurriedly waved his hands, his voice trembling, "Director Wu, I just didn't quite realize it."

Wu Chen stood up, walked over to him, and patted him on the shoulder: "We agreed before, do a good job, are you under pressure?"

"It would be a lie to say I'm not under pressure," Lu Yang said with a wry smile, scratching his head. "If this script were to be filmed according to its specifications, it would cost at least 50 million to start. Such a large investment, leave it to me."

"Don't worry, I'll be the producer. As long as you don't go astray, I won't interfere with your direction. Prepare well, submit the script for review, and you also need to consider the role."

Wu Chen smiled, his eyes revealing an undisguised confidence.

With him around, the movie won't go wrong. Besides, the investment of tens of millions is only for now; it won't be enough to make it a success even if it's a few years later.

However, domestic investment has been gradually increasing in recent years, and even a good-for-nothing like Lu Xun was able to produce a film called "Nanjing! Nanjing!" which cost nearly 100 million yuan.

However, during filming, Lu Xun's coordination was a complete mess. Not only was he ripped off by the producer, but even the production assistants and prop masters were frantically trying to make money off the crew.

"I understand, Director Wu. But will the other investors have any objections?"

Wu Chen's smile deepened: "You don't need to worry about that. It's not them choosing us, it's us choosing them. Once the script falls into our hands, the situation will be different."

Upon hearing this, Lu Yang immediately straightened his back involuntarily.

At that moment, he truly understood for the first time what it meant to be a "great director".

As they were talking, Wu Chen's phone on the table vibrated, and a familiar name flashed on the screen: Zhang Yimou.

Wu Chenchao nodded to Lu Yang: "Go ahead, take the script to be submitted for review first."

"Okay, Director Wu!" Lu Yang walked out of the conference room with his face full of excitement and an undisguised gleam.

Wu Chen answered the phone, his voice tinged with a smile: "Senior brother!"

The voice on the other end of the phone was slightly low, and although it sounded a little tired, it was still firm: "How's your new movie going?"

Wu Chen raised an eyebrow slightly: "Still in post-production, what's up?"

“Marco Müller from Venice called me again not long ago. I was a little held up by something just now. They wanted to ask if I was interested in submitting my recent film, ‘Black Peony,’ to the Venice Film Festival.”

Zhang Yi paused for a moment, then said casually, "He also hopes that I can serve as the chairman of the jury. I haven't agreed yet, but we'll see."

"Senior, it depends on the situation later. Thierry Frémaux from Cannes called a few hours ago, but I don't know if I can make it to Cannes in May."

Upon hearing this, even Zhang Yi fell silent for a moment.

He was surprised that even Cannes had extended an invitation to Wu Chen.

The invitations from the three major film festivals are only for master-level directors; they are very arrogant towards ordinary directors.

“A new generation surpasses the old!” Zhang Yimou exclaimed for a long time.

"Senior brother, it's all luck, nothing more."

On the other end of the phone, Zhang Yi chuckled softly: "Okay, I understand. I won't give any definitive answers to the Venice side. You can make arrangements according to the film's post-production schedule."

"Thank you, senior brother!"

call ended.

However, Zhang Yi didn't put down his phone immediately. Instead, he dialed Mu Deyuan's number. "Old Zhang, what's up?" Mu Deyuan was leaning back in his office chair, his voice casual.

"It's nothing, I just wanted to see what kind of person you are, that you could teach such an outstanding disciple as Wu Chen." Zhang Yi also joked.

"Oh dear, you're not going to give me face and you've gone so far as to open a dye shop. Did you even have the right to question my photography achievements back then?"

Mu Deyuan spoke of this with considerable pride, but also with some surprise, "But why are you suddenly bringing up Wu Chen? Although I know he just returned from winning the Oscar for Best Picture, we've been keeping a low profile."

Zhang Yi's forehead twitched involuntarily. Is this what you call being low-key?
It's not like there aren't photography students on his team. He even heard that the photography department was going to build their own display case, which really infuriated the department next door.

"Marco Müller just called me, specifically asking me to pass on a message to Wu Chen: Venice wants to invite us to make a film."

Upon hearing this, Mu Deyuan paused for a second, then couldn't suppress his laughter: "Venice, if I remember correctly, you're the only one in the country who's been invited, right? Great, great."

He was all too aware of the virtues of the three major film companies and the significance behind being invited to the film.

"But when I called Wu Chen, he said Cannes had also extended an invitation."

Mu Deyuan, who was halfway through his laughter, froze. "What? Cannes invited them too?"

"hiss!"

Mu Deyuan couldn't help but gasp, then muttered to himself, "Should we go to Cannes or Venice? This is really a dilemma."

"It's not like you're the one going."

Zhang Yi complained, but couldn't help but sigh.

Domestically, the box office for "Get Out" continues to rise.

With 17 million and 18.3 million in box office revenue, the box office is clearly heading towards 100 million. Whether it can reach 200 million depends on the speed of piracy.

However, things are different now, and Wu Chen's movies are now being heavily targeted by pirates.

Just then, the weekly overseas box office figures were finally released.

Amid the global buzz following the Oscars, Get Out began its theatrical run in Europe, Latin America, and Asia on February 26.

In just one week, the first-week overseas box office data released by major global box office authorities has been impressive.

Opening weekend overseas box office: $3170 million.

This figure not only far exceeded Universal Pictures' initial conservative estimate, but also directly broke the record for the highest overseas opening weekend box office for a horror/thriller film that year.

The response has been particularly strong in the European market.

As a film that previously won an award at Cannes, the French journal *Cinema Notes* unusually devoted two full pages to its review, calling it:

"A 'dream of reality' that blends racial allegory, psychological thriller and dream logic, is the most symbolic thriller since Mulholland Drive."

In South Korea, Get Out topped the box office charts with a first-week gross that exceeded market expectations by three times, second only to the local blockbuster released that week.

However, in the minds of many South Korean viewers, this second place is far "higher" than the first place.

On popular South Korean forums such as Naver and DC Inside, netizens are overwhelmingly condemning the attacks.
"Why do our directors only ever make romance and historical dramas?"

"This film was so restrained, there wasn't even much blood, it's ten times scarier than our headshots and dismemberments."

When will South Korea produce a director who doesn't bow or smile?

"The subjects we're best at filming have been snatched up by Chinese directors."

"I'm asking if it's possible that Wu Chen has Korean blood?"

(End of this chapter)