Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 239: Clickbait

Liu Xiaobing didn't leave in complete disappointment; at least he secured the issuance commitment. As for investment, well, he had no share.

The film and television industry watched enviously as Chen Shou started his projects, while those in Hong Kong were also eagerly anticipating them.

They have very little access to good projects in mainland China. Over the years, they have tried countless times to enter the mainland, but the mainland has long since passed the point where they could freely enter.

Everyone in the mainland film and television market knows that Chen Shouzhe's Shouzhe Pictures is the most profitable company, and everyone wants to get on board his projects.

Otherwise, when Chen Shouzhe was promoting A Chinese Ghost Story, many bosses in the Hong Kong film industry wanted to have a chat with him.

Now all we can do is watch Emperor Entertainment enjoy its wealth and prosperity, and even Stephen Chow manages to get collaborative projects from them.

Many people in Hong Kong envied the collaboration between Emperor Entertainment and Chan Sau-che, and naturally contacted Yeung Sau-shing, hoping that he could act as a go-between and introduce them to Chan Sau-che.

"They all get all eager at the slightest benefit. Humph, we won't give them a chance. Even if we only have a 30% share, we won't give them a single thing." Yang Shoucheng said smugly, smoking a cigar at the company.

Huo Wenxi, who was standing next to him, smiled and said, "Director Chen attaches great importance to this collaboration. He said that we can finalize the cast, but he needs to review it in the end. As for those messy things, he doesn't want to see them. If he finds out, there will be no more opportunities to work with Emperor Entertainment in the future."

"Please reply to Director Chen for me and tell him that this situation will not occur. I will definitely use the best actors to complete this movie. The Hong Kong film industry is getting worse and worse. It seems that only these old-timers are still usable. Sigh." Yang Shoucheng sighed helplessly.

The once glorious Hong Kong entertainment circle has now been reduced to a group of old guys. Jackie Chan is already over sixty years old, but he is still working hard to make movies and paving the way for his son.

Unfortunately, his son was a disappointment and has been completely blacklisted by the authorities.

Besides, there are others like this. There are no new faces in the Hong Kong entertainment circle now. Emperor Entertainment used to have one, but he went to become a chef.

Moving closer to the mainland is the only way; we can't let them go overseas, as that would be even more difficult.

Chen Shouzhe gave them a chance, so they naturally had to seize it. Hong Kong-style films were no longer available; it could be said that Hong Kong's film and television industry had long since declined.

"The requirements for film personnel are not low. Director Chen entrusting the casting to us is giving us an opportunity," Huo Wenxi said.

“Well, we’re the only ones in Hong Kong who have the opportunity to contact Shou Zhe Films. Other film companies shouldn’t even think about it. We can’t give them a chance. Let’s start with casting. We’ll send the list to Director Chen and let him decide. If someone isn’t suitable, we’ll replace them immediately,” Yang Shoucheng said.

"Okay." Huo Wenxi nodded.

A film that involves actors from both Hong Kong and mainland China, with Chan Shou-cheung's script and collaboration with Emperor Entertainment Group, is clearly likely to launch the Hong Kong film industry.

The extent to which Hong Kong media exaggerated the situation is probably well known to some mainland netizens.

For example, there's Lynn Hung's 33-hour massacre of a city, Jackie Chan's angry beating of a loser that sent him flying 5 meters, and Jay Chou having sex with his new lover in a dark alley. The headlines are as exaggerated as they can get.

This time, Chen Shouzhe is collaborating with Emperor Entertainment again, and the Hong Kong media will naturally not let it go.

Oscar-winning director chooses Huo Wenxi – is experience truly valuable?
Huo Wenxi was furious when he saw these news headlines.

The titles are definitely problematic when put together; the content reveals they are separate. Chen Shou chose to collaborate with Emperor Entertainment Group and has a good relationship with Huo Wenxi. Experience still matters, as he orchestrated the casting of many veteran Hong Kong film stars.

The story took an instant turn in the media, and surprisingly, newspapers sold well. Even Chen Shouzhe in the capital saw the news, and many mainland actors came to him. Some even privately told him not to work too closely with those in Hong Kong.

Chen Shou couldn't help but laugh when he heard these words. These old fogies are incompetent, they just like to form cliques.

It has to be admitted that the people who fawned over Hong Kong the most back then were these old guys, those shameless bastards.

Back then, the domestic film market was very poor. In order to promote commercial films, the government allowed Hong Kong to enter the mainland market, and they were the first to access these resources.

At that time, Hong Kong capital was very powerful. Mainland films had to have Hong Kong male and female leads, and sometimes a mainland film was entirely made up of Hong Kong actors.

The two sides cooperated, with Hong Kong staff earning tens of thousands of dollars a month, while those on the mainland earned only a few dozen dollars.

It wasn't until commercialization became increasingly successful, coupled with the shattering of the myth in Hong Kong, that people on the mainland realized they had been ripped off. A tattered straw hat cost hundreds of thousands of dollars, and it was even imported from the United States, requiring a safe for protection. Who would believe that?

Even so, people still keep fawning over them.

Now they're telling him not to get too close to Hong Kong. It all comes down to these same people; they were the same scoundrels back then, and they're still the same scoundrels now.

They've already suffered losses, and now they don't want Chen Shou to suffer the same fate.

On the surface, I say I'm doing this for your own good, but behind your back, I'd love to stab you in the back.

Chen Shouzhe was too lazy to pay attention to these gossipy people, and he would spit on them one by one.

However, many actors have come knocking on our door. Where there are projects, there are actors. Regardless of the content of the film, as long as there are projects and opportunities, actors should take the initiative to seize them.

Even if you're a top actor or actress, projects still won't come knocking on your door, and some people still won't be interested.

She can offer me benefits, but what can you do for me? The entertainment industry is very realistic; fame and fortune permeate everything.

The male actors were relatively reserved, but they made phone calls to several male actors who knew Chen Shou, such as Huang Xiaoming, Zhang Hanyu, Huang Bo, and Zhang Tong, to subtly inquire about his activities.

On the actresses' side, Yang Mi, Zhou Xun, Yan Danchen, and even Ma Li all called to ask if there were any opportunities, saying they would audition if they did.

Chen Shouzhe never expected that a co-production film could cause such trouble.

Zhong Lifan did give him a heads-up, explaining why this was the case: it was because of his improved status.

"Don't you realize that you're an Oscar-winning director now? Your movies not only make money, but they can also win awards. Who knows if your movie will even be nominated for an award?"

These words were like a wake-up call. Chen Shou laughed after hearing them: "So that's how it is. It seems that my every move is indeed being watched by more people. How can I keep a low profile for the next movie?"

Chen Shou is indeed a great director, but his past achievements were mainly in the commercial field. Now he has also achieved something in terms of awards, and his status is no longer ordinary. For actors, it would be a fatal attraction if his films could compete for some awards.

The benefits of fame are obvious, but it also troubles Chen Shou: how can the movie "The Divine Doctor" be completed discreetly?

(End of this chapter)