Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 40 People from CCTV
The film "Kung Fu" needs some time to be approved and filmed. In addition, it takes time to build a pigsty village. The filming location is definitely not Hong Kong, as there are no suitable conditions there. The filming location is Huangdian Film City.

Why are there so many paparazzi at the entrance?

Chen Shouzhe arrived at the company and asked Tao Le.

Tao Le wanted to roll her eyes at him. Didn't he have any idea why so many paparazzi had come? They were definitely here to keep an eye on him.

Even he didn't know that Chen Shou had quietly resolved the female lead's issue. If it had been handed over to him, he would have had more room to maneuver and could have secured a lot of benefits.

Unfortunately, Chen Shou couldn't control himself and just gave it away like that.

"They're probably here to keep an eye on you," Tao Le said.

"Staring at me?" Chen Shouzhe was still a little confused, but after thinking about it carefully, he realized that it could only be because of Yang Mi's matter.

There are almost no secrets in this circle. You can find out anything you want to know, unless you haven't done it yourself. But he did, so there's nothing more to say.

He didn't think about these issues for the time being and continued to handle company matters, such as recruitment and filming equipment.

The main reason is that Chan Sau-yee has a lot of scripts that he can't film alone. This time, through his collaboration with Emperor Entertainment and Stephen Chow, he has seen another way: he can release some collaborations to directors who are good at filming, and the company can invest in them.

As long as you don't act rudely, it's fine. Sometimes, bringing in some allies can bring even greater benefits.

The "Painted Skin" incident made him realize how important it is to control public opinion, as is the case with his allies; the association's director had already been dismissed.

Did they really think those producers would let him go? He's a nobody, a good-for-nothing. Get as far away as possible now. You won't see his name in the association anymore. Don't worry, he's still alive.

But if you push them too far, car accidents are actually quite common.

A life is sometimes worthless; there are plenty of people in the world who are short of money.

The more Chen Shouzhe understood the rules, the more ruthless he became. Kindness is often taken advantage of, and he was also warning those people: if you can use these methods against me today, I can use them against you tomorrow. Let's see if you dare to change your mind, since he's currently barefoot.

“I’m going to the United States next month. The movie there is already finished, and now all that’s left is post-production and promotion,” Chen Shou said.

“That’s your problem,” Tao Le said.

"The domestic ones are up to you. Keep an eye on Kung Fu, after all, you're one of the producers," Chen Shou said.

"Thank you so much, you've given me a great resume," Tao Le said with a smile.

Chen Shouzhe was worried about the people in Hong Kong, so he appointed Tao Le as the producer, specifically to keep an eye on the funding.

He didn't contribute a single penny, claiming it was a 200 million production, but the actual cost was 180 million, with the remaining 20 million being Stephen Chow's salary.

Directors in Hong Kong are notorious for their swindling skills. They can make a straw hat worth hundreds of thousands of dollars and lock it in a safe. They can make a straw hat imported from abroad, which is just a cheap item that costs a few dollars on the street, look like American equipment from Afghanistan.

A few years ago, they used this method to swindle a lot of mainland capital, and even demanded that their people be the main figures or something. Looking back now, it's all history.

They have no idea how to make historical films, and they haven't even read any history books. What kind of historical epic can they make?

It's not that Chen Shouzhe doesn't trust Zhou Xingxing; he's also a greedy person, and who knows if he might pull this trick on him.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing," Tao Le suddenly called out to Chen Shouzhe, who was about to go home.

"what's up?"

"Someone has approached us about Journey to the West, wanting to buy the copyright."

Who bought the copyright to Journey to the West?

"They've got quite a background, they're..."

"Oh? It's them. Let's schedule a meeting tomorrow."

"That's what I said too, after all, it's not good to offend anyone."

Chen Shou nodded and drove back to the horse farm for dinner. Sure enough, after learning that his master's wife was pregnant, he could see his master almost all the time at home. Even if friends came to see him, he didn't really want to go out. "If you want to see me, come to the horse farm. I don't have time outside."

Chen Shou was kneading walnuts in his hands when he watched Yu Qian stir-frying vegetables while wearing a scarf. His teacher's wife next to him was picking vegetables with a big smile on her face, her belly not yet very obvious.

"Stir-fried mutton with scallions again? I've gained weight these past few days," Chen Shou said with a smile, rubbing a walnut.

"Go away and hand me the meat," Yu Qian said irritably.

Chen Shou handed over the meat with a smile, then ran off with a grin. "There are rumors about you everywhere. Is there really anything going on between you and Yang Mi?" The master's wife's gossip-loving heart burned fiercely.

"No, don't listen to the rumors. By the way, Journey to the West might be made into a TV series," Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Really? I haven't even finished reading it yet." The teacher's wife exclaimed with wide eyes. Yu Qian paused in his cooking, clearly listening intently.

"Someone came to ask about copyright issues today, and it's likely that it will be made into a TV series," Chen Shouzhe nodded.

"That's great! It's such a shame that such a good novel isn't made into a TV series." His wife was successfully diverted from the topic and started talking about Journey to the West.

She bought three books, including a children's version that was recently published. It's suitable for parents to read to their children. Compared to the other two versions, the children's version has many more illustrations, all drawn by Chen Shou himself.

Furthermore, the depiction of the monsters is so realistic that anyone in the film and television industry can tell it's drawn exactly like the storyboards for movies and TV series, indicating that this novel is very suitable for film and animation.

Before the story could even gain traction, people had already approached them wanting to film a TV series about it.

"We'll know tomorrow whether we can film it or not," Chen Shouzhe said.

"Who asked you to buy the copyright? Aren't you going to direct it yourself?" the teacher's wife asked curiously.

“The filming of TV series is too long, and it takes many episodes to make, so I won’t be the director. However, if it really happens, I will probably be the producer to oversee the quality of the film.”

At this moment, the master brought over a plate of stir-fried mutton with scallions and placed it in front of the mother and daughter.

"Did you hear that? They're going to make a TV series based on Journey to the West," the master's wife said.

"Which company wants to buy the copyright?" the master asked casually.

"China Television" (CTV)

Yu Qian's eyes lit up, while his teacher's wife looked at Chen Shou with a blank expression.

"The full name is China Television Drama Production Center, a production company under CCTV. They are basically responsible for producing CCTV's television dramas," Chen Shouzhe said.

"Oh, that's great! At least CCTV won't mess things up," the teacher's wife said excitedly.

"Yes, I also believe in CTV's capabilities." Chen Shou nodded.

"As for roles, see if you can help out your fellow disciples," Yu Qian said casually.

"Yes, there will be casting auditions later." Chen Shouzhe remembered those classic characters.

He had seen both versions of Journey to the West. In terms of accuracy, Zhang Dahuzi's version was definitely more faithful to the original. However, the 86 version was the one that truly made Journey to the West a household name. Although it underwent many modifications, it was more in line with the aesthetics of the Chinese people.

Many plot points have been modified to make the monkey even more endearing.

In comparison, Chen Shouzhe actually prefers the 86 version. The reason why a classic becomes a classic is not because of how well it is reproduced, but because of its production and dissemination.

As for whether the fellow apprentices are suitable for the role, that depends on their fate. Given their unconventional appearance, it would be difficult for them.

After finishing his meal, Chen Shou went back to write something. The horse farm was his recharge station. Sitting in the empty horse farm, he enjoyed the rare night sky, listened to the chirping of insects and birds, and watched the animals, far away from the hustle and bustle.

The next morning, people from CCTV arrived at the company.

Chen Shouzhe was already waiting for them. There were quite a few people there, six in total: a director, a producer, a screenwriter, and a leader from CTV. He shook hands with each of them and had tea brought in.

"Director Chen's Journey to the West is so excellent that, after our evaluation, we think it can be made into a large-scale TV series," said a leader from China Central Television.

"Actually, I've had plans to adapt the novel into a film or television series for a long time," Chen Shou said with a smile.

His words caught the leaders, director, and screenwriter somewhat off guard.

"So Director Chen had this planned all along."

"That's for sure, but don't worry, Shouzhe Film Industry doesn't have that much energy to produce TV dramas right now, but we can cooperate with CTV," Chen Shouzhe said.

"How to cooperate?" All six people were ready. After multiple internal evaluations, they felt that "Journey to the West" was very suitable for adaptation into a TV series, and if done well, it would become a classic.

"It will be produced by CTV, but Shou Zhe Film Studio needs to have certain copyrights. After it is broadcast, Shou Zhe Film Studio will have to pay a copyright fee. In condition, I will provide the script and the TV series copyright, and I will also participate in the production myself."

(End of this chapter)