Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 17 Securing the Investors

Chen Shouzhe originally planned to submit the script for review first, and then wait for investors to come to him. After all, he had the current domestic box office record in his hands, so how could he not need investors?

However, Yu Qian stopped him, telling him to go to China Film Group first to show sincerity and maintain the relationship.

In terms of interpersonal skills, Chen Shouzhe is definitely not as good as Yu Qian and the others, especially in his handling of affairs; he has become a little arrogant.

After Chen Shouzhe understood and made adjustments, he took the script and went straight to China Film Group the next day.

The New Year had just passed, and China Film Group had only been back at work for two days. There were quite a few people there, of all ages and appearances. They all looked at Chen Shouzhe with scrutinizing eyes, and some even showed obvious hostility, which left Chen Shouzhe completely bewildered, as he had clearly not offended anyone.

Although Third Master had said that he could go directly to him, Chen Shouzhe still went to see Director Wang first.

Seeing that Chen Shouzhe was led inside by Director Wang's secretary almost without waiting, the expressions of those who were scrutinizing him grew increasingly unpleasant.

"Chen Shouzhe is here." Director Wang didn't know why Chen Shouzhe had come to see him. He had made an appointment in advance, so he had his secretary go out and bring him in.

"Happy New Year, Director Wang! I'm here to wish you a Happy New Year." Chen Shou couldn't possibly bring a gift into the state-owned enterprise; that would be tantamount to suicide. However, he could give something in private. That's why some wines are so expensive—they come in handy in situations like this.

"You wouldn't come to my temple without a reason. Tell me, what brings you here?"

Director Wang smiled. He already had this year's performance targets, and he might even reach a higher level by the end of the year. Chen Shou was his benefactor, after all, he was the producer of a 1.5 billion yuan box office hit. His achievements speak for themselves, and no one could ignore them. At the year-end meeting, he sat next to Third Master and received envious stares from a bunch of people.

"First, I came to wish you a Happy New Year. Second, I'm bringing you a script. I had nothing to do during the New Year, so I tinkered with it and put together a script. Do you have time to help me with some corrections?" Chen Shouzhe took the script out of his bag.

Upon hearing that Chen Shouzhe had prepared a new script, Director Wang's eyes lit up. He hadn't expected Chen Shouzhe to be so well-prepared; it was a New Year's gift, after all.

"I knew you wouldn't come empty-handed. I really like this gift. Let me see it." Director Wang took the gift.

"Painted skin?"

The name sounded a bit fantastical, and he had a rough idea in mind. Sure enough, as he watched, his guess was right. When he saw Chen Shouzhe's storyboard and the moment he tore off the skin, his eyes lit up.

Special effects are needed, and special effects mean it won't be cheap. This movie will have a higher investment than "Goodbye Mr. Loser". But China Film Group likes this kind of big-budget, big-cast production, which can also represent Eastern fantasy and is a good film for foreign audiences. Compared with Chen Shouzhe's previous film, this kind of movie can open up the overseas market better.

"Did you go see Chairman Han?" Director Wang asked.

"Not yet," Chen Shou said, shaking his head.

"Let's go together."

Director Wang handed the script to Chen Shouzhe, and after putting it away, he personally led Chen Shouzhe to Master Han's office.

Han Sanping was reading documents in his office when his secretary opened the door. Director Wang came in and looked up. He was about to continue reading the documents when he saw Chen Shouzhe behind him. He was a little surprised and put down the documents.

"What brings you here?" Han Sanping said with a smile.

"Happy New Year, Chairman Han. I've come to ask you for a favor," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"You need something from me? What is it?" Han Sanping asked seriously. He wouldn't agree to anything underhanded or shady.

"Director Chen has written a script that I think is quite good, so I brought him here to have you take a look," Director Wang said.

"Oh? The script, let me see it." Han Sanping immediately perked up and put down the documents in his hand.

Chen Shouzhe took out the script and handed it to him. The secretary poured them both a cup of tea, and the two sat on the sofa and waited quietly.

"A movie about spirits and monsters is quite characteristic of our country. How do you plan to make it?" Han Sanping asked after reading the script.

"We haven't estimated the production costs yet. I'll have the studio staff calculate it as soon as possible, and then submit the script for review," Chen Shouzhe said.

"It seems you already have a plan. It's February now, so if you submit it now, it will be ready in March. How do you plan to film it?" Han Sanping asked.

"Let's get the project approved first." Chen Shou didn't think too much about it himself.

“Come to China Film Group again once the budget is finalized,” Han Sanping said.

"Okay." Chen Shou happily accepted the script. That was enough; it meant that China Film Group was going to invest.

After exchanging pleasantries for a while, Chen Shouzhe left China Film Group.

His studio is located in Chaoyang District. He rented an entire floor and has already recruited quite a few people, so it's starting to take shape.

"You guys need to finalize the budget as soon as possible, and submit this script to the Film Bureau for review in the company's name." Chen Shou returned to the studio and immediately began arranging the work.

Once a project is approved, there's a lot to prepare. Unlike Charlotte, "Painted Skin" has many costumes and props to prepare, as it's an ancient fantasy film.

Following his memory, Chen Shou began to draw designs for armor, costumes, storyboards, and so on.

A new script appeared right after production started, meaning the company was finally making a new film. The staff were incredibly excited; with films came work, and with work came money. Last year, the company's big hit film had earned some long-time employees bonuses, making them extremely envious. After the New Year, they hired many more people, all ambitious and hoping to make it big by following Chen Shou, this rising star director.

The budget is calculated from many aspects, such as venue, costumes, actors' salaries, etc. Only after calculating all aspects can a rough budget be obtained.

The bigger the scale of a film, the harder it is to control the budget, especially for blockbusters with special effects. It's no joke that a single film can bankrupt a company.

The script was submitted for review, but it wouldn't be approved so quickly. While preparing for the film's pre-production work, Chen Shou also started to consider casting options.

The main plot of "Painted Skin" revolves around four people: Wang Sheng, Pang Yong, the fox demon Xiao Wei, and Pei Rong. The casting of these four main actors needs to be done carefully.

As the new year ends, various industries begin their work for the new year. Before February is even over, some media outlets have noticed the Film Bureau's announcement, which prominently features a new darling.

[Announcement from the Power Supply Bureau: The film script "Painted Skin," submitted by Shouzhe Pictures, has successfully passed review and is permitted for filming!]

Is Chen Shouzhe making a new movie?

The first thought of countless industry insiders upon seeing the announcement was that Chen Shou, the domestic box office record holder, was about to start filming a new movie.

The news about the movie was immediately reported by major media outlets, and soon major film and television companies received the news, making Chen Shouzhe's phone very busy.

Some people somehow got his phone number and called him directly.

Chen Shou selectively answered a few calls, such as from Wang Changtian of Guangxian.

"Good morning, Chairman Wang," Chen Shouzhe said.

"Hehehe, good morning, Director Chen," Wang Changtian laughed on the other end of the phone.

"Is Chairman Wang interested?" Chen Shou asked.

"Of course I'm interested. Has the budget for this film been finalized?"

"It's already finished. Because it's a period film and includes some special effects, the budget will be a bit higher."

"I understand. Approximately how much is needed?"

"The budget is 100 million."

"One hundred million? That's not much. We'll discuss it at your company later."

"Okay."

How many companies are involved this time?

"We've decided on three companies: me, China Film Group, and Enlight Media."

"Okay, tomorrow then."

The two chatted for a while and then hung up. Xi'an Film Studio called, also inquiring about investment. A budget of 100 million was not low. Xi'an Film Studio was poor, and they hadn't earned much from Charlotte's Trouble, so they needed to consider it.

After that, Wanda, Shanghai Film Group, and Huayi Brothers all called to inquire.

Aside from Wanda, who talked a lot, Chen Shouzhe didn't offer any guarantees for the others, not even mentioning the budget.

Chen Shouzhe went to China Film Group first and met with Master Han.

"A budget of 100 million isn't much. How much will China Film Group get?" Master Han asked with a smile.

Chen Shouzhe was in a dilemma. This old man clearly wanted more, but other companies were also eyeing the market. Xi'an Film Studio was considering it, so he didn't need to pay attention to them for the time being. After all, Enlight Media and Wanda Media had connections and had already decided to follow suit, so he couldn't give them too little. In addition, he wanted a portion of the share, so the amount he could give to China Film Group was very limited.

"My own investment plus the director's fee accounts for 30%, and China Film Group also accounts for 30%," Chen Shou said, forcing a smile.

"30%?" Master Han thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "Then 30% it is. I will get them to make the payment as soon as possible."

"Thank you, Chairman Han!"

"I should be the one thanking you."

After securing China Film Group, Xi'an Film Group also approached them and decided to follow suit. Chen Shouzhe only offered 10%, but they didn't mind the small amount, as they were genuinely poor and spending ten million was already a painful expense for them. Moreover, the money wouldn't arrive quickly, given that it was a state-owned enterprise.

The remaining shares were allocated to Enlight Media and Wanda Media, each receiving 15%. Both felt it was a bit low, but Han Sanye was too domineering, giving them all to China Film Group with a single sentence: take it or leave it.

However, to their surprise, Yu Qian and Guo Degang did not join this time, leaving only five out of the previous seven.

(End of this chapter)