Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 113 Wrath: Reshoot or Quit

They had just finished filming one movie when they moved to a different theater, and took a break in between.

Many veterans in the industry are criticizing Chen Shouzhe, saying that he can't make any good movies with his current approach.

But they don't seem to realize that while the national director was preparing for the Olympics, he was also filming a movie, and in the process, he even created a person.

Why doesn't anyone mention the Imperial Advisor?
It's because he's young and easy to bully.

Aside from being older than Chen Shouzhe, some people have no other redeeming qualities.

As far as Chen Shouzhe was concerned, they were just going to die a little earlier than him, so why should he care what they said?

After leaving the Zhao family, we arrived at the foot of the snow-covered Changbai Mountain, and chose this as the filming location.

The actors gradually took their places, and the August First Film Studio had been preparing since the beginning of the year. If it were Chen Shouzhe's company preparing, it would have taken at least two or three years before filming could begin.

It was thanks to the large logistics team that once everyone was in place, there was basically nothing lacking; whatever they needed, they had it. These people were experts in their fields. In fact, when filming battle scenes, Chen Shouzhe even found real military experts through the August First Film Studio to assist him in filming and to capture the war scenes as realistically as possible.

The reason why the Battle of Chosin Reservoir is criticized by many people is mainly because the people who filmed it never asked how the war was actually fought. They were influenced by some Western countries and actually thought that it was a war of sheer numbers.

The term "human wave tactics" is a derogatory term used to slander our country's military.

Our country has never used the so-called human wave tactics. The other side invented this term to cover up their own defeat and undermine our internal forces, making everyone believe that we won the war by sacrificing human lives.

The reason we suffered from insufficient firepower was because we won the battle using tactics, but lost so many of our compatriots because our firepower was inferior to the enemy's.

On a real battlefield, it's impossible to charge with human lives. The so-called human wave tactics might have worked in ancient times with cold weapons, but with firearms, there's a term called tactical infiltration.

So when Chen Shouzhe watched the filming of Chosin Reservoir, he felt very awkward. It was like our side had a large group of people charging forward. They actually thought that the human wave tactic was a good tactic. I guess those directors didn't even understand the three-thirds system. They had only heard of the human wave tactic that the other side invented to make excuses.

With the help of real military experts and professional guidance, the filming went very smoothly, and Chen Shou even got to experience the feeling of using a real gun.

Although filming was tough, everyone except some of the actors gained weight.

There was no way around it; Northeastern cuisine is too hearty, and with the freezing weather, everyone was burning a lot of calories. It was only under Chen Shouzhe's strict supervision that Jiang Wen didn't gain weight.

Otherwise, if he eats pickled cabbage and pork every day, he'll get fat even if he doesn't want to.

Chen Shouzhe likes sweet and sour pork and occasionally has a barbecue. The filming conditions in Northeast China were very basic. The winter was too cold, and the actors also suffered a lot. Sometimes the snow was too heavy to film, so they had to stay in the hotel.

However, Chen Shouzhe received a message that made him very angry, so he went directly to knock on Jiang Wen's room door.

Jiang Wen was playing cards with Xia Yu and others in the room when Chen Shouzhe knocked loudly on the door, startling them. Thinking it was someone else, they quickly opened the door, where Chen Shouzhe stood with a gloomy expression.

"Director Chen is here, perfect timing, let's play a few rounds."

When Zhou Yun opened the door, he noticed that Chen Shouzhe looked very unwell and was startled. He hurriedly asked, "Director Chen, what's wrong?"

"Sister Yun, you all go out. I have something to discuss with Director Jiang," Chen Shou said, staring at Jiang Wen.

Xia Yu, Jiang Wu, and the others looked at Jiang Wen, then at Chen Shouzhe.

"What's wrong? Is something the matter, Director Chen?" Xia Yu noticed and quickly asked.

"It's nothing, I just need to see Director Jiang. Is it convenient for you?" Chen Shou waved his hand.

Jiang Wen's smile vanished. She glanced at Xia Yu and the others and told them to leave.

When Zhou Yun left, he closed the door behind him. Chen Shouzhe seemed to have ill intentions. They believed nothing would happen, but Chen Shouzhe's expression was too grim, indicating that something had gone wrong.

The group of people didn't go far; they all pressed themselves against the door to eavesdrop. From the outside, you could see a row of heads listening from top to bottom.

"So you've done this behind my back, Director Jiang. Are you trying to ruin my movie, or are you going against the country?" Chen Shou sneered.

"Stay here, I have no idea what you're talking about, hahaha, what's wrong?" Jiang Wen laughed awkwardly.

"What did I say? You put Zhang Mo into the movie crew? You fucking drug addict who's still in jail is in a movie? Good grief, if no one told me, you were going to keep me in the dark, right? Do you even respect me?" Chen Shou lit a cigarette and angrily threw the cigarette pack at him.

Jiang Wen's smile froze, and he didn't know what to say for a moment.

The people standing outside the door fell silent; they could hear Chen Shouzhe's words even without him pressing his ear against the door.

The crew of "Bullets Fly" were also there. They knew that Zhang Mo was one of the actors. When Zhang Mo was arrested in July, they suggested whether to delete him or replace him. However, Jiang Wen did not replace him, but instead kept the matter a secret. They did not expect that Jiang Wen would not even tell Chen Shouzhe.

Now that she's been found out, it's not just a matter of being in the wrong. If things escalate, Jiang Wen will face a large sum of compensation and be kicked out of her home.

"Calm down first," Jiang Wen said with a smile.

"You'd better give me an explanation, or I won't let you off easy." Chen Shouzhe picked up a lighter, lit a cigarette, and took a deep drag.

“The movie was filmed before July, but he was arrested in July. We didn’t know this was happening before he was arrested, so I decided to keep it and see how things go later,” Jiang Wen said.

"Didn't you see the announcement in September?" Chen Shou stared intently at him.

"I've seen it." Jiang Wen picked up the cigarette case, took out a cigarette, put it in her mouth, and looked up.

"And then? You didn't tell me, you kept it from me, right? As the biggest producer, you kept it from me?" Chen Shou stared intently at him.

“Many people have come looking for me. His father, Xiao Gang, and the Zong Lei brothers have all come. After all, we all come from the same compound. That kid is very talented, so I wanted to keep it a secret until the movie is released.” Jiang Wen took a deep drag on his cigarette and said.

"So, you're from the Beijing film circle, huh? So you want to go against the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, huh? You're giving my movie a terrible opportunity, and you're dragging me into it. The public opinion will be directed at me, right? After all, it's my movie, not yours, Director Jiang?" Chen Shou sneered.

"I didn't mean to 'wait and see,' I just wanted to wait and see if there was a chance to ease the situation."

"No, there's no chance. Either you pay for reshoots, or you get out of here. There's no third option. I've already made things clear with Emperor Entertainment and China Film Group. These are the only two choices you have. Think it over carefully. I hope the film can be released smoothly next year. If I don't get a result, then I'll have to take over the film." Chen Shou turned and walked towards the door.

Jiang Wen frowned but didn't say anything. Chen Shou opened the door and went out. Zhou Yun and the others were standing at the door. He didn't say anything and turned back to his room.

Zhou Yun and the others saw Jiang Wen smoking inside, and after thinking about it, they went in anyway.

"Damn it, what kind of mess is this?" Jiang Wen stubbed out her cigarette in the ashtray, gritting her teeth.

"What do you plan to do?" Zhou Yun asked softly.

"You guys go out first, I need to make a phone call," Jiang Wen said.

Zhou Yun and the others went out, and Jiang Wen picked up his phone and started making calls, clearly telling the group that it was hopeless. The movie wasn't originally his; if it were, he might have given it a shot. After all, it seemed that the Great Poet's side was unwilling to edit it and instead chose to keep the Dragon Prince.

Great poets can do it, so why can't Director Jiang?

The problem is that this movie isn't his; it belongs to Chen Shouzhe. He is an investor, that's true, but Chen Shouzhe is the controlling shareholder with 40%. Add to that China Film Group's 10% and Emperor Entertainment Group's 20%, and the other two companies will definitely side with Chen Shouzhe. No matter how good their relationship with Emperor Entertainment Group is, Emperor Entertainment Group absolutely doesn't want to offend Chen Shouzhe, not to mention that there are already problems, and there's no need to damage their own interests because of other people's affairs.

"Hey, Guoli, I'm sorry, it's beyond saving. I have to reshoot the movie."

"Damn it, do you think I don't want to? That's not my movie, it's someone else's. I've tried my best, but it's no use. You'd better find a way yourself. Editing and modifying? I can't do that. I can't do his part. I can only reshoot it, but the other production companies won't agree."

"That's it. I'll reshoot the movie next year. It was originally scheduled for a summer release, but if it's delayed because of my filming issues, I'll have to take responsibility."

"That's it, I'm calling to let you know."

Jiang Wen made many phone calls, and the smoke in the room never stopped.

He understood that Chen Shou was not discussing it with him, but insisted on making changes and replacing the person, otherwise he would really have to pack his things and leave.

There's no need to let an outsider tarnish your reputation.

Chen Shou was still angry and was on the phone, first calling his master and then his godfather.

After all, that person's father and his master/godfather have a very close relationship, especially the godfather, who is also his uncle. He might try to find him through that connection, so he blocked him from coming after him.

There's no room for negotiation; we have to replace him or the director.

"Director Chen, do you really want to release it like this?" Tao Le, who was staying in the film industry, received a call from Chen Shouzhe and was somewhat troubled after hearing what Chen Shouzhe said.

“Didn’t you get the news? Someone’s already planning to strike first. We can’t give them any leverage. They all wish I were dead. They’ve finally found an opportunity to ruin my movie. Do you think they’ll let it slip by? You’re releasing this in the company’s name now,” Chen Shou said.

“I understand, I’ll send it right away.” Tao Le realized the importance of the matter.

If not handled properly, the company's reputation will be greatly affected.

This is why Chen Shouzhe wanted to kill Jiang Wen; this guy was incredibly audacious to do something like this, even going against him.

(End of this chapter)