Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 353 Share, Director Wu is such a humble person.

In the courtyard of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television in Beijing, withered branches have sprouted new buds, and various personnel are coming and going in the administration building with documents in hand.

In the film and television review office on the sixth floor, several staff members were sitting around a small round table next to the tea room, with new scripts being handed in every day on the table.

"Did you see that? The new script from Starry Night Pictures, 'Bad Genius'."

A middle-aged man wearing gold-rimmed glasses pointed at the cover with his index finger, his tone tinged with curiosity:
"It's a very interesting story. Although it's the same old theme of 'student cheating,' the story is quite unique. Could there really be such cases in Hong Kong?"

"Hehe, you really don't know, do you? If you can write this down, it's probably true." Someone across from me chuckled, blowing on their teacup.

"Did you guys notice? On the list of screenwriters, the first screenwriter is Wu Chen."

"Huh? He wrote this script?" The group of people sat up straight instantly.

"No wonder the writing style is so tight; the pacing doesn't seem like that of a domestic screenwriter."

"So what do you think? Will this pass the third review? I think there's nothing wrong with the script. Although it's a little sensitive, it's child's play compared to other scripts."

The setting is Hong Kong, so there shouldn't be any major problems.

"Wu Chen is the lead screenwriter." The bespectacled man slowly closed the script. "We need to report this to our superiors first. I reckon it might not even need a third review."

"That's even better, easy."

Everyone chuckled.

No sooner had he finished speaking than the office door was pushed open with a "bang".

An older department head stood at the door, his brow slightly furrowed: "What are you all laughing about? Have you forgotten what happened the other day?"

Everyone was startled.

“Remember, review every script—except for a very few that are on the list! Don’t think that other people’s decisions are none of your business. If there are problems, you won’t be able to escape responsibility.”

After saying that, he slammed the door shut and left.

The office was silent for a moment, then someone whispered, "Damn it, we're being blamed again."

"It wasn't our decision!"

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief, exchanged glances, and muttered amongst themselves.

They were just the first hurdle in the review process; they didn't have the power to get "Lust, Caution" through. They were just criticized for it.

Once a script is registered with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, news of it will inevitably spread like wildfire due to the large number of people and their opinions.

Sure enough, just three days after "Bad Genius" was submitted, rumors started flying everywhere.

Some say it was submitted by Starry Night Pictures, others say it was Ning Hao's studio that polished the script, and still others say Wu Chen is credited as the first screenwriter.

Industry media and actors are spreading rumors and gossip.

The titles are varied:

[Wu Chen's next project revealed?]

[Wu Chen and Ning Hao to co-write "Bad Genius"?]

[Starry Night Pictures makes another move: a script featuring a director with a combined budget of over 100 million yuan has surfaced on the State Administration of Radio and Television?]

The hype surrounding "The Martian" had barely died down when "Bad Genius" immediately took off, leaving everyone itching to see more.

"What's going on? Is it real or fake?"

"It's true, I heard Wu Chen is going to direct it himself."

"Nonsense, it was clearly directed by Wu Chen and Ning Hao together."

The news became increasingly exaggerated, but it involved two mainland directors with films grossing over 100 million yuan each, and Wu Chen was also the screenwriter. This news was of great value to the industry.

Han Sanping was one of the first to receive the news.

He had heard some news a while ago that Ning Hao's team was helping someone polish a script, but he didn't expect it to be for Wu Chen.

"Ning Hao's mouth is really tight!" Han Sanping didn't even have time to sigh, and immediately took out his phone and made a call.

For a moment, both Ning Hao and Wu Chen's phones rang incessantly.

"Hehe, Chairman Han, your reaction is really quick." Wu Chen was not surprised at all that Han Sanping was the first to call. After all, when it comes to being well-informed, Han Sanping and others are the truly well-informed.

"You took on this role right after 'The Martian'? And you're directing it?"

“No, Ning Hao will direct this script.” Wu Chen was very direct.

"Ning Hao," Han Sanping said, slightly disappointed, but he had no intention of giving up. Ning Hao also made money, and a lot of money at that.

China Film Group.

"China Film Group can skip this project, Mr. Han."

The film's budget couldn't be that high. Ning Hao's entire screenwriting team helped, and Ning Hao himself also took on the directing duties. His studio should get a share; otherwise, after all that hard work, it wouldn't be fair to get nothing in return.

"Hmm!" Han Sanping nodded, about to say the rest, when Wu Chen continued:

"And then there's Enlight Media. You know about 'Black Peony,' right? Chairman Wang really only took the investment costs; all the profits went to our two companies. We can't really leave Chairman Wang with absolutely nothing, can we? Private film and television companies also need to develop."

“Then there are only three families, including Xingchen,” Han Sanping quickly tried to reply.

"Not just one, there's another one." "Who else? Shanghai Film Studio?"

After racking his brains, Han Sanping couldn't think of anyone else who could compete with China Film Group for business!

"The female lead in this film is Yifei. Since she's participating in this low-budget film, it's impossible for her to only receive a salary; a portion of her salary needs to be converted into a share of the investment."

Wu Chen said with a smile.

After Liu Yifei won the Cannes Best Actress award and received an Oscar nomination, it was clear that this film could not rely solely on her salary. It would be more appropriate to have her salary offset the investment and be converted into a share of the project, making her one of the co-producers.

"Forehead"

Han Sanping was speechless for a moment and immediately fell silent.

The main problem is that now that it's divided among four companies, how much of a share can China Film Group get? If it's too little, it's not interesting.

Moreover, Wu Chen's points are all reasonable. It's reasonable for Ning Hao to ask for a share, and given Liu Yifei's current status, it wouldn't make sense for her not to participate in the film with a share.

As for the lighting, Wang Changtian is indeed meticulous in his work. He means what he says and doesn't back down. In short, he's authentic.

Although he gained fame this time, he didn't make any money, and the films he invested in are still losing money for now.

"Alright then." Han Sanping gave up after considering it in his mind, and then suggested, "Do you think we should involve Bona Film Group in the distribution as well?"
Enlight Media is just starting out independently handling film distribution and may lack experience. You could have the two companies collaborate on distribution to help Enlight Media.”

Wu Chen chuckled inwardly.

Han Sanping, who was out of meat, finally remembered his underling Yu Dong and decided to introduce him to some soup scraps.

However, it must be said that this is indeed a good combination.

"Can consider it."

After saying this, Han Sanping immediately went to find Yu Dong.

Why not leave your name when you do good deeds?

Yu Dong was still pondering how to bring it up with Wu Chen. He was also eager to get his hands on "Bad Genius," and he felt that the film and television resources in Hong Kong alone were not enough for the mainland.

The director over there ate way too much.

Han Sanping's call surprised him. Why was he calling at this time? Did China Film Group have too much of its share and was asking Bona Film Group to share it with them?

"Boss, is it 'Bad Genius'?"

"Well, I've already asked, there aren't any extra shares left." As soon as Han Sanping finished speaking, Yu Dong deflated.

"China Film Group didn't get it either, but you can talk to Director Wu about distribution. Everything has to start somewhere; you need to make contact first. You should try to seize this opportunity yourself."

"understand!"

Yu Dong immediately agreed, saying that although there was no share of the cooperation, getting the news about the joint distribution in advance was a good start.

On the other hand, Wang Changtian of the Light Source was pleasantly surprised.

I bet he was right last time.

You have to give to receive; without giving, how can you gain?
"Chairman Wang, it was indeed my idea for 'Bad Genius'. Ning Hao's team helped polish it, but Ning Hao is the director. It's a 3000 million investment with a 25% share."

"Haha, no problem." Wang Changtian readily agreed.

While it's a bit of a shame that Wu Chen wasn't directing, with Wu Chen as the screenwriter and Ning Hao involved, this is definitely an excellent project in the industry.

It's not like you can ask for a free lunch; this kind of project would never lack investment.

Wu Chen and Ning Hao were constantly on the phone, with the first calls coming from production companies that had confirmed the news, including Shanghai Film Group.

However, after learning that Wu Chen's film did not have any extra shares, he only asked one more question: Did China Film Group participate?

Wu Chen's expression was strange, but he answered truthfully. He vaguely heard a sigh of relief on the phone.

"Can't keep up with all the calls, huh?" Ning Hao called to tease him that evening, and then remarked on his own feelings.

After the news got connected to him, his phone kept ringing, a stark contrast to before.

"By the way, how many shares do you need?"

“15% is enough. I don’t have any spare money for any more.” Ning Hao shook his head with a wry smile.

"No money? I thought you'd ask for 20%."

"I went to buy a house, and the studio is adding this and that. I also need to keep some money in reserve. Unless I borrow from the bank, where will I get so much spare cash? You might as well give the rest to Yifei in a share. By the way, how are you planning to calculate your acting fees?"

"Do you think I can afford it?" Wu Chen couldn't help but find it amusing, and added, "If we're really going to be serious, I'm a top international director..."

"Damn it!" Ning Hao couldn't hold back any longer when he heard this, so he spoke and turned off his phone.

On the other side, Xing Aina was lying on the sofa watching TV when she heard the noise and turned her head to ask, "What's wrong?"

"It's nothing, Wu Chen is just bragging, don't pay any attention to him," Ning Hao said dismissively.

"Haha, impossible, Director Wu is such a humble person."

"."

(End of this chapter)