Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 5 Crouching Dragon and Phoenix Chick?

The head of the production department at China Film Group Corporation is surnamed Wang. He has a good relationship with Professor Hou and is responsible for production review.

"Old Hou, is this your movie?" Director Wang was very friendly to Teacher Hou in the office, clearly indicating that the two had a good relationship.

"It's not my film, it's my student's film. His name is Chen Shouzhe, a 10 graduate of the Directing Department of Beijing Film Academy. He's interested in getting into the big screen, so I brought him over to meet you," Teacher Hou said directly, without beating around the bush with Director Wang.

"Oh! You're one of your students, just graduated this year?" Director Wang looked Chen Shouzhe over carefully, his previous enthusiasm gone.

If it were Professor Hou wanting to make a movie, he might lend a hand. He knows what kind of movies these academic directors like to make, and he'd probably settle for a million or two at most.

He was just a recent graduate, which gave him some trouble. After all, China Film Group had quotas, but there were quite a few veterans waiting in line.

China Film Group doesn't lack the desire to support newcomers, but no matter what, relationships exist within the industry. The entry of an outsider means a smaller slice of the pie, and no one wants their share to be taken by someone else.

“Yes, Director Wang, I just graduated this year,” Chen Shouzhe said, standing behind Teacher Hou.

"Did you bring the script?" Director Wang asked.

"I brought it." Chen Shouzhe hurriedly took out the script and handed it to Director Wang.

People who can sit in this position are already engaged in film-related professions.

He first read the script and even chuckled at some of the interesting scenes, finding them amusing. However, he was somewhat surprised when he saw the budget.

"This movie doesn't need that much money, does it?" Director Wang asked.

"We can compress it further. I won't need any payment then; it'll all be included," Chen Shouzhe hurriedly said.

Are you planning to direct it yourself?

Looking at Director Wang's intriguing gaze, he knew his script was alright, but he didn't trust himself as a recent graduate and director.

“Yes, Director Wang, I want to direct it myself. I wrote the script myself, and I also drew the storyboard.” Chen Shou didn’t know where he got the courage at this moment. If China Film Group didn’t invest, he wouldn’t have given the script to someone else to film.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Director Wang looked at the script in his hand, tapping his fingers on the table in front of him, clearly deep in thought.

China Film Group has a quota for supporting newcomers, but giving it to a newcomer will inevitably cause dissatisfaction among some veterans. Don't be fooled by those people who haven't even made a decent film; they're very arrogant, and sometimes we don't dare to mess with those old guys.

"Old Wang, what do you think? If you think it's good, then invest some. He even told me that if we can film it, he hopes to use China Film Group's equipment," said Teacher Hou.

"Oh!!" Director Wang glanced at Chen Shouzhe. He knew this was Chen Shouzhe's way of currying favor. If the equipment was used by China Film Group, it would mean that some of it would return to China Film Group, unlike others who wanted to get it for free.

“This year’s quota isn’t much either. I’ve roughly looked at the costs, and based on your setup, if you invite those celebrities, it will definitely cost more than 20 million. Since you’ve already mentioned 20 million, then let’s go with 20 million. China Film Group can give you 4 million, which is 20% of the total,” Director Wang said.

"Thank you, thank you, Director Wang." Chen Shouzhe breathed a sigh of relief and quickly stood up.

"The script hasn't been reviewed yet, right? China Film Group can submit it for you," Director Wang said with a smile.

"Really? Thank you so much, Director Wang." Chen Shouzhe was even happier. With China Film Group involved, the script would be approved much faster. Suddenly, Chen Shouzhe thought of something and said, "Director Wang, could you do me a favor?"

"anymore question?"

"I would like to ask you to be the producer."

As they walked out of China Film Group, Teacher Hou patted Chen Shouzhe on the shoulder: "Not bad, your decision to invite Lao Wang to be the producer was correct. We have six million now, but it's still not enough. Even including your director, screenwriter, and actor fees, there's still a gap of over ten million. Who are you planning to contact?"

"I want to try my luck with private companies." Chen Shouzhe can only try contacting all the investors he can think of now.

Teacher Hou nodded. There were some things that Chen Shou had to experience on his own, since he needed someone's help and no one could succeed easily.

He has been taught how to fly; whether he can fly or not depends on himself.

That evening, back at the horse farm, I told my master about my visit to my godfather's house and the China Film Group Corporation that day.

"There's a performance in the ancient capital in a few days, you can come with me then." Yu Qian only mentioned it briefly, and Chen Shou went back to continue writing.

Early the next morning, he went out with his little schoolbag on his back, and this time he came to Guangming.

Enlight Media is a private enterprise, unlike Huayi Brothers, which is a leading private enterprise. Enlight Media started as a publicity company and only launched its own films a few years ago. Now its main business is investment and distribution.

Chen Shouzhe naturally wouldn't miss the chance to try his luck here. He remembered all the major media companies he had contacted back in school, and he had already made appointments yesterday.

"Hello, I'm looking for Chairman Wang."

"Hello sir, do you have an appointment?"

"Yes, I made an appointment yesterday. My name is Chen Shouzhe."

"Please wait a moment, Chairman Wang is in a meeting." Chen Shouzhe waited in the tea room. Knowing he would have to wait a long time, he simply took out his notebook and continued writing. There were quite a few other people waiting there like him, and they didn't pay much attention to Chen Shouzhe.

They were called in one by one, and by the time it was Chen's turn to guard the room, it was almost noon.

"Mr. Chen, Chairman Wang requests your presence." The secretary came over, opened the door, and called Mr. Chen over.

Wang Changtian, the CEO of Enlight Media, was only able to be booked by Chen Shou because he was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy. If he had any other identity, Chen probably wouldn't have even given him a second glance.

"Hello Chairman Wang, my name is Chen Shouzhe."

Wang Changtian was clearly surprised by Chen Shouzhe's age. He hadn't expected Chen Shouzhe to be so young and thought he was there to submit his resume.

He couldn't help but pick up his work schedule, which showed that he was a graduate of the Beijing Film Academy's directing department, seeking investment.

Wang Changtian couldn't help but smile. If investors came to him, could he possibly find any good investments?

However, newcomers should be encouraged. Although Lao Wang is bad, he wouldn't do anything to a young person.

Chen Shou was also sizing up this person. It was said that a female celebrity's husband had offended him, and then he manipulated things so that the top female celebrity fell from grace.

This shows how powerful Light's advertising tactics are; they directly ruined a top-tier female celebrity.

"Hello, Director Chen." Wang Changtian politely extended his hand to shake hands with Chen Shou.

"Hello, Chairman Wang, I apologize for bothering you," Chen Shou said, slightly nervously.

"I heard you came here seeking investment?" Wang Changtian glanced at the time; it was almost time to leave work, and he wanted to finish quickly as he had a lunch appointment.

“Yes, Mr. Wang, this is my script, a comedy.” Chen Shou handed the script to Wang Changtian.

Wang Changtian took the script and started reading it. At first, he just flipped through it casually, but later he found it interesting. His secretary came in and reminded him that time was almost up, so he put the script down.

"Did you write this script?" Wang Changtian asked after putting down the script.

"Yes," Chen Shou nodded.

“A budget of 20 million is a bit too much. Comedy films don’t need that much. If you’re looking for a distributor, I have no problem with that, but you’re looking for investment. How much have you prepared?” Wang Changtian asked.

“My godfather invested two million, and China Film Group has already invested four million. Director Wang of China Film Group’s production department has agreed to be the film’s producer.” Chen Shouzhe revealed his trump card.

"Your godfather?" Wang Changtian was drawn to the word "godfather." The secretary next to him looked at Chen Shouzhe with a strange expression. After all, with the rise of coal bosses, "godfather" was not a good word in the circle.

"I forgot to introduce myself. I'm a crosstalk performer from Deyun Society. My master is Yu Qian, and Guo Degang is my godfather," Chen Shouzhe quickly explained.

"Oh, so you're Teacher Yu's top student. Does that mean Deyun Society and China Film Group both invested in it?" Wang Changtian asked in surprise.

"Yes, yesterday my teacher, Professor Hou, from the Beijing Film Academy, took me to the China Film Studio..."

Chen Shouzhe understood a principle: connections and leveraging influence should be used at the right time. If you don't tell anyone, how will they know? Do you expect others to guess?
There's a female celebrity who used this "guess what" game to create a confusing background for others, letting netizens guess, and ultimately marketed herself as a princess.

The circle doesn't reject using personal connections or leveraging influence; it's normal for people to exchange favors and maintain relationships.

Wang Changtian looked at the script in his hand, then at Chen Shouzhe. The big brother, China Film Group, had already invested in it. Although it wasn't much, comedies were prone to high box office returns, and it looked pretty good, with an interesting plot.

"I have a dinner engagement right now. How about I get back to you in a couple of days?" Wang Changtian didn't agree immediately but chose to consider it.

"Thank you, Chairman Wang!!"

After leaving Guangming, Chen Shou found a fast food restaurant on the street and ate something simple before heading straight to another company.

Wanda Pictures.

Wanda Pictures, established last year, operates in the cinema industry. Backed by the richest man in the world, Wanda has swept through cinemas across the country with its extravagant spending power, quickly becoming a leader in the industry.

I started getting involved in the investment field last year, but it hasn't made much of a splash.

They are currently operating downstream cinema chains, while the production companies are upstream. It's a mutually beneficial arrangement, but the cinemas receive a relatively higher share of the box office revenue, given their own costs.

Chen Shouzhe has already made an appointment with their general manager. Compared to Enlight Media, Wanda Pictures doesn't have many people. After all, they mainly focus on cinemas, and even if someone approaches them for investment, they are very cautious.

Seeing Chen Shou, Ye Ning, the general manager of Wanda Pictures, was somewhat disappointed; he was too young.

He read Chen Shouzhe's script very casually, but Chen Shouzhe's mention that China Film Group and Enlight Media had already invested in it piqued his interest.

China Film Group is a state-owned enterprise, and Enlight Media is one of the top film distribution and marketing companies in China, second only to Huayi Brothers. Since both of them have already invested, Wanda Films might as well give it a try.

Like Wang Changtian, Ye Ning didn't immediately promise him a lot of money. She just said she would consider it for a few days. After all, Wanda had invested in some movies that had all flopped, and now they were like someone who had been bitten by a snake once and was afraid of ropes for ten years.

(End of this chapter)