Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 334 Xi'an Film Studio's New Project
"Chairman Chen, you've put me in a bit of a difficult position."

Ren Zhonglun and Han Sanping came over and called Chen Shouzhe Chairman Chen. This was a rare title; usually, only business partners would call him that. Most people would call him Director Chen.

After all, he is better known as a director, so more people call him Director Chen.

"Chairman Han, Chairman Ren." Chen Shou nodded, neither humble nor arrogant, but not particularly enthusiastic. As for the difficulty, what did that have to do with him? He didn't respond.

"The movie is really good. I've never seen a movie made in two versions before, and it's even being released all over the world at the same time. I hope you can win another Oscar," Han Sanping said.

This kind of project is completely unavailable in China, and Chen Shouzhe wouldn't allow them to get involved. Just now, down there, Ren Zhonglun, Director La, and Director Wang of Xi'an Film Studio were all very envious. If the films they invested in could successfully compete for the Oscars, the benefits to them would be no less than those of mainstream films.

Unfortunately, Chan Shou-cheung no longer works on co-productions. Since "2012," there has been no news of co-productions. The project "The Day After Tomorrow" was abandoned by a domestic company and has never been undertaken again.

Ren Zhonglun and Han Sanping were the instigators at the time, and because their actions were unethical, they were heavily criticized by investors in the industry.

Since then, Chen Shouzhe's Blue Star Company has never produced any co-productions again. All of them are produced independently or in collaboration with major American companies under the Blue Star Company's name, rather than being co-productions.

Domestically and internationally, things didn't stop; several films were even produced, such as Wu Baige's "The Peaceful Boat," which ruined Han Sanping's reputation, and "The Great Wall," which diminished the voice of La Dong.

It's perfectly normal for co-productions to lose money if they're poorly made.

However, the main profits from co-productions don't come from here, but from somewhere else.

Back then, Huayi Brothers successfully went public thanks to the momentum of co-productions, and had already made a lot of money in other areas.

If Chen Shouzhe could turn all his films in the United States into co-productions, just thinking about it would make them drool.

Now he's aiming for an Oscar. If he wins another one, perhaps his status will be comparable to that of a great poet or a national master.

"Thank you, Chairman Han. I hope everything goes smoothly," Chen Shou said.

"The closing ceremony of the Shanghai International Film Festival is the day after tomorrow. If you have time, come over and have a chat. I still have some good wine. I mentioned it at the horse farm last time. I'll treat you when you come to Shanghai," Ren Zhonglun said.

"I can't go. The movie is still being filmed, and I have to go back to film this afternoon. After all, it's Journey to the West, and I need to put in a lot more effort. It's much more tiring than filming other movies," Chen Shou said.

Han Sanping nodded. He had visited the set and learned that Chen Shou had more takes during the filming of Journey to the West than in other movies.

Chen Shouzhe couldn't very well say that his other films were based on existing patterns, and that he could simply film according to the movies in his mind.

Although Journey to the West has been adapted into movies, Chen Shouzhe believes that none of them have been successful. He brought the Journey to the West to this world himself, and he hopes to present a better version of it.

Whether it's the script, costumes and props, or the characters, scenes, and special effects.

From the moment the film project was decided upon, it took six months to prepare, which is neither a long nor a short time. Filming is expected to take three months, making it possibly the longest film he has ever made.

The current investment has already exceeded 200 million, and more money will be spent on special effects, so the total investment is estimated to exceed 500 million. The subsequent promotional expenses are expected to be 100 million US dollars.

Several investors still need to spend money, and Chen Shou is under a lot of pressure. This film is even more stressful than the operation in northern Myanmar.

The film was completely original, without any references; he figured it out bit by bit on his own. The only person he should thank is Wuershan, who provided him with many ideas.

"Alright, come over and sit for a while when you have time." Ren Zhonglun didn't say anything, and he wasn't as angry as before. After calming down, he realized that he had indeed acted unfairly. He wasn't the kind of person like La Dong who wanted everything. He also regretted tripping up Chen Shouzhe. The good news was that he had dragged China Film Group into this mess, but the bad news was that Xi'an Film Group had arrived.

Wang Yunduan arrived with a wine glass in hand, "Old Han, Old Ren."

"What brings you here?" Han Sanping asked.

"I happened to have a project, so I came along along the way," Wang Yun said with a smile.

"Project? What project?"

Ren Zhonglun asked curiously, "Han Sanping has retired. He no longer pursues participation in everything. In the past, it would have been him who asked, and he would have wanted to see if there was any way to get involved."

It was precisely because Han Sanping wanted everything that he influenced Director La, making him feel that he was the same and should also participate, and that everyone should give face to China Film Group.

Now nobody cares about China Film Group anymore, which makes Chairman La feel very embarrassed. Why is it that Han Sanping can do it, but when he was chairman, everyone left him one by one, making him seem inferior to Han Sanping.

Ren Zhonglun didn't necessarily need the project, but he was curious: a project that could get Wang Yun to come in person must be no ordinary small project, so why hadn't there been any news about it before?

"Haha, it's just a small project. Blood mine, have you heard of it?" Wang Yun laughed.

Han Sanping, Ren Zhonglun, and some others who were eavesdropping nearby were speechless. They had never heard of it before, even though it had caused quite a stir a few days ago.

The script for the realistic film produced by Shouzhe Film Studio has been approved, but the director and shooting schedule are uncertain. Some directors have even tried to contact Chen Shouzhe to inquire whether he can direct the film.

After all, Chen Shouzhe's scripts have helped many directors succeed. Just look at Wuershan, Guo Fan, and Huang Bo; they all achieved great success.

They never expected to hear the name of this movie again after so many days, especially from the chairman of Xi'an Film Studio. How could they not care?

"Blood Mine, isn't that a movie from your company? How is it related to Xi'an Film Studio?" Han Sanping asked Chen Shouzhe.

"The movie will be filmed in the Northwest. I talked to Chairman Wang, and he will give us his full support," Chen Shouzhe said.

"Xi'an Film Studio is already helping with the preparations, and filming is expected to take place in September or October," Wang Yun said with a smile.

When he received Chen Shouzhe's call, he had been wanting to come for a long time, but he finally arrived yesterday. After signing the contract, he breathed a sigh of relief and told the company to make preparations.

"Aren't you supposed to be filming Operation Red Sea? Do you still have time?" Ren Zhonglun asked curiously.

"I didn't direct; it was my cinematographer, Shen Yijie, who also wrote the script," Chen Shouzhe said.

Shen Yijie and his colleagues knew that there were only a handful of top photographers in the industry, and Shen Yijie, Chen Shouzhe's personal photographer, was also a recipient of the Huabiao Award.

I never expected that Chen Shouzhe's photographers would start directing. It really proves the saying that a photographer who doesn't want to be a director isn't a good photographer.

"What is Xi'an Film Studio's share this time?" Han Sanping asked.

"Not many." Wang Yun smiled but didn't give specifics, letting them be envious.

(End of this chapter)