Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 104 Unprecedented Wealth, the Sixth Princess's Appointment
There are many literary works, but few are suitable as major IPs.

First, it needs to have a sufficient number of fans; second, it needs to be suitable for production into film and television works, animation derivative products, etc.

When Alibaba proposed the concept of "big IP" and "fan economy," film and television companies began to take action.

But when they learned about the biggest IP project through big data, they were all dumbfounded.

The first one is undoubtedly Journey to the West, the second is Ghost Blows Out the Light, and the third is Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.

The top three are all by Chen Shouzhe. He is the author of all three works, the copyright holder, and owns his own film and television company.

Now Alibaba has realized that their big IP plan has completely benefited Chen Shouzhe.

To paraphrase a saying by Taurak, money falls from the sky while you sit at home.

This immense wealth completely buried them, who were running a film company.

For a time, countless companies sought cooperation with them. Some wanted to buy a unit for development, some wanted to develop in cooperation, and some even quoted a price as soon as they walked in.

The most outrageous one is the Lok family. They plan to use a shareholding approach, keeping the film company as long as the copyright is given to them, they will exchange their shares in Lok Family Film Company for it, so that everyone can grow bigger and stronger together.

Chen Shouzhe naturally received many phone calls, some from people who came through connections to inquire, and Zhang Qiang from Alibaba was still looking for him.

After the Shanghai International Film Festival ended, Chen Shou returned to the capital and began preparing for the film. First, the budget for "A Chinese Ghost Story" was already finalized at around 60 million yuan. The special effects were a bit expensive, but the rest was negotiable, as film costs are getting higher and higher these days.

Chen Shou is not bringing anyone this time. The filming location has been arranged with Xi'an Film Studio, and staff members have already set off to select a location.

Chen Shouzhe assembled his own team, which included screenwriters, photographers, post-production staff, home management, purchasing agents, special effects artists, and more. The team could be set up at a moment's notice and worked together seamlessly. All of them were selected by Chen Shouzhe from schools like the Beijing Film Academy and the Central Academy of Drama.

After the script passed the review, Chen Shouzhe removed the pinned post from his Weibo account but kept the post on. Zhang Hongsheng called him and asked him to delete it, but he didn't; he only removed the pinned post.

It's said that those old guys caused him a lot of trouble, and he only called Chen Shouzhe because he was so annoyed with them.

He'd seen people curse before, but this was the first time he'd ever seen someone write a poem to curse others, and curse so viciously. Apparently, several of them ended up in the hospital, forever branded with shame.

"If they're not satisfied, I'll keep yelling at them," Chen muttered as he hung up the phone.

Zhong Lifan, who had just knocked on the door and entered, overheard Chen Shouzhe's words and asked in surprise, "Who are you going to scold?"

"Who else could it be? Those old geezers, those damned bastards who deserve to be cursed," Chen Shou said.

Zhong Lifan smiled but didn't respond. She came over and sat down in front of Chen Shouzhe, saying, "These are the people who are more suitable. It's really hard to choose the male lead. We need someone with that innocent, bookish air about them. We can only issue an audition notice."

"Alright, we'll pick one when the time comes," Chen Shou sighed.

Her brother is gone, and there are few actresses who can compare to Wang Zuxian from another world when it comes to the role of Xiaoqian. So they can only choose someone who is similar to her.

Chen Shouzhe started taking his team on TV shows to promote the product. This time, the promotion was very thorough, with both China Film Group and Enlight Media putting in a lot of effort.

China Film Group can't offer much, but it has the advantage of prestige, being the top state-owned enterprise in the film and television industry. Enlight Media, on the other hand, comes from a media background and has an advantage in distribution.

The invitation from the Sixth Princess arrived as promised.

Chen Shou led the five main creators to the familiar studio, which he had been to several times before, and the host was also a familiar face.

"Director Chen, we meet again." The host greeted Chen Shou with a handshake.

"Yes, it's great to see you again. It feels like this place has almost become my home," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Let's talk about this in a family-like way," the host said, then looked at the other people.

"We should still prioritize them," Chen Shou said.

"No, this time it's your turn," the host said.

Chen Shouzhe was somewhat taken aback: "Why?"

"Because your current popularity is no less than theirs." The host smiled.

"Director Chen is really popular lately," Huang Xiaoming, always quick to offer a comment.

"I've heard about it too." Gong Huang smiled, and Zhang Hanyu and Zhang Fengyi smiled as well. Only Liu Yifei looked blank, clearly unaware of how popular Chen Shouzhe was both inside and outside the entertainment circle.

"Let me make this clear first, I might not answer your question, and don't try to trick me." Chen Shou had a bad feeling after hearing this. "Hehe, we'll see." The host smiled.

The interview with the sixth princess was as simple as ever. Each person had a stool. If there was a bar and some music, it would be just like a bar.

"Hello everyone, this is the Movie Channel program. I am your host, Guo Wei. Today, we have invited the main creative team of 'The Martian'. Please welcome Director Chen Shouzhe, Gong Li, Zhang Hanyu, Zhang Fengyi, Huang Xiaoming, and Liu Yifei."

The six people went up on stage one by one and sat on the stools.

The interview began, mainly asking about the film. I answered questions based on prepared scripts, and we checked them against each other beforehand.

However, the second half is more open to the guests, who will ask questions and answer freely, which may involve personal life issues.

"I'd like to ask Director Chen, what are your thoughts on the current state of the domestic film industry? I've seen many directors online calling for a film rating system. Do you think we should have one?"

"I didn't expect you to ask this question, it's a bit difficult to answer. If I were from a director's perspective, I would definitely prefer a rating system so that sensitive films can be watched by adults with independent thinking. But as an ordinary viewer, I think the authorities have their reasons for not choosing a rating system. Our national circumstances are different, and we can't use their rules as our rules." Chen Shou was a little surprised by this question, but he could talk to the Sixth Princess about it.

"So you still agree with the rating system?" the host continued.

"I disagree." Chen Shou shook his head.

"why?"

"That would attract many people with ulterior motives."

"Which people?"

"Do you really have to ask that? I choose not to answer, hahaha." Chen Shou waved his hand and said.

"Okay, I'll ask you about that privately later." The host was clearly still unwilling to give up.

"I won't answer even if you ask. I can only say that there are advantages to a one-size-fits-all approach. There are many bad people, and the public is easily swayed by emotions. We should make more positive and uplifting movies, like my 'The Martian,' which is very positive and supports our country's space program." Chen Shou also took the opportunity to promote his film.

Gong Li and the others couldn't help but cover their mouths and laugh when they heard the second half of Chen Shou's story. Liu Yifei almost had her gums sticking out, so she quickly covered them.

"Okay, you've dodged it again. Next question: I heard you're preparing a new movie, which caused quite a stir a few days ago because your script didn't pass censorship. You even wrote a poem about it. What's your take on the censorship issue?" the host said with a smile.

"If it weren't for your beauty, I wouldn't have answered this question," Chen Shou said with a wry smile.

"Then I thank Director Chen for the compliment, but compared to your praise, I still want to know your answer," Guo said with a smile, her eyes narrowed.

"It's normal for scripts to fail censorship, but the reasons they give make me feel like they're inherently arrogant, like they hold the power of life and death. They won't tell you what's wrong; they'll just say it's bad, inappropriate, but they can't explain why. They spout moral platitudes but are full of petty tricks and deceit. There's never a single answer. There are some movies I don't understand how they passed censorship. Later, I looked into it, and they were either made by their relatives or by themselves. It's like a stagnant pool." Chen Shouzhe didn't care anymore and started ranting.

The beginning was normal, but then he started criticizing, which surprised everyone present. However, when they realized it was Chen Shouzhe, it made sense.

He's all friendly in private, but he's actually just like the bald guy—if you touch him, he'll kill you.

"Is it true?" Guo Wei asked curiously.

"Do you want me to give examples? There are quite a few. Many films with skewed perspectives can pass censorship. Many movies, TV series, and programs are not good now, and this is inseparable from these people. In their world, nothing bad is allowed. No matter how many bad guys there are in a movie, they must be punished in the end. Only truth, goodness, and beauty can be achieved. The same is true for sketches now. If they don't have a sublimation at the end, they are not good sketches. They don't even have the most basic joy." Chen Shou said, spreading his hands.

The reason why reality is more surreal than movies, TV shows, and novels is because these people have made these works beautiful and fantastical.

How wonderful it is to have peace and prosperity, a truly happy society.

Under such embellishment, once a tile falls off and the moss-covered wall is exposed, it can easily cause public opinion to escalate, and even lead ordinary people to only believe the outcome they imagine, while no matter how much is announced, no one will be willing to believe it anymore.

“A few years ago, a group of people criticized me, saying that my movies had no art. Now I want to do something artistic, but they are getting anxious. What can I do? By the way, I am going to shoot a patriotic movie in the second half of the year. I hope it will pass the censorship smoothly. I am afraid that they will say that my movie has bloody scenes. At that time, I will have to talk to the August First Film Studio to change all the gun props to water guns and sprinkle some goji berries on the ground to say that it is blood.”

"puff!"

Upon hearing Chen Shouzhe's last sentence, Liu Yifei couldn't help but laugh. The others smiled knowingly. They wouldn't dare to offend those people like Chen Shouzhe did. Among those present, only Chen Shouzhe and Gong Li could offend them. Gong Li naturally wouldn't offend them, while Chen Shouzhe wasn't afraid of them.

The interview is over. How it will be edited and broadcast is up to the Sixth Princess.

"Are you really that bold to say that? Aren't you afraid of offending them to death?" Gong Li said.

“I’ve already offended them to death. Feng Xiaogang has been cursing me for so many years and nothing has happened to him. They’ve targeted me more than once or twice. They insist that everyone listen to them. They’re a bunch of useless old codgers. I’m not Feng Xiaogang, and I don’t need that kind of thing.

(End of this chapter)