Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 93 Finding Connections

When I woke up in the morning, the people next to me were still fast asleep.

It's not a matter of recovery ability; the physical structure of men and women means that men are more tired than women, so how can they get up so early in the morning?

Chen Shou was simply used to waking up early, so he was already up around five or six o'clock.

In terms of combat effectiveness...

There's a saying that goes, "There are only oxen that die from exhaustion, not land that gets ruined from plowing."

Looking at the sleeping person, Chen Shouzhe knew he had to pay the price.

It was a variety show, on Blueberry TV, and Chen Shou had never dealt with it before.

The only possible connection is with Nayoung. Blueberry TV's current flagship variety show is a music talent show, and Nayoung is a judge on the show. Moreover, Nayoung's company has a deep cooperative relationship with Blueberry TV.

The competition for the only female role will definitely be fierce, and given Na-young's connections, it's unlikely she'll have much say.

Chen Shouzhe's first thought was Shanghai Film Group. In the Wu region, no enterprise had a stronger voice than Shanghai Film Group, the second largest state-owned enterprise.

"Looks like we'll have to get them back on the ship." Stepping out onto the balcony, Chen Shou took out a cigarette and put it in his mouth, looking at the vegetation outside the yard that had sprouted green shoots.

"morning!"

Perhaps she was too engrossed in her thoughts and didn't notice the person coming from behind. When she turned around, she saw a girl with long, pure hair, wearing a fleece nightgown, with her fair legs exposed. She looked incredibly charming.

"Good morning, do you have work today?" Chen Shou asked.

"Yes, I have to go back to the film set later," Dilraba said softly.

"TV drama?"

"Yes, it's called Backlight, and it's produced by Tencent."

"Tencent? They've already started making moves. Sure enough, with Alibaba coming in, there's no reason for other companies not to." Chen Shou nodded. He didn't pay much attention to these companies, focusing instead on production. Tao Le and Zhong Lifan handled most of the work.

What did you think of that variety show?

Chen Shou checked it yesterday and had to admit that shifting one's attention could indeed prolong the time, but it wasn't very comfortable.

I took a quick look and found it quite interesting.

"I've seen it, it's very funny and entertaining." Dilraba nodded.

“I took a look, and the female MC is very outgoing and gets along well with everyone else. You have to let loose and have fun to be a good actor. Also, the production team might create some romantic pairings. Don’t be nervous. People can act in dramas, but as filmmakers, we don’t care about these things. What the audience sees on screen is just the characters the actors portray. As long as the camera is on, it’s all acting. That’s what makes a real actor.”

Reba breathed a sigh of relief. After spending time with Chen Shouzhe, she knew that he was a jerk, domineering, and very generous.

"I'll try my best to ask for you," Chen Shou said.

"Thank you."

After having breakfast, Chen Shou drove himself to the company. Apart from the housekeeper, there was no one else in the villa.

I picked up my phone, hesitated for a moment, and then made the call.

"Chairman Ren?!"

"Director Chen, Chairman Ren is in a meeting right now, please wait a moment."

The call went through, but someone else answered.

"No problem, I'll call back later."

"Ok."

Chen Shouzhe glanced at the company's work yesterday, which mainly focused on publicity. "The Martian" is less than three months away from release, and the movie will be released in July. He will be filming "Painted Skin" in August, and "Tiger Mountain" in October. He also has to produce an animated film.

Good news also came from the Journey to the West side: it will be broadcast on CCTV-1 on June 1st. The special effects are being produced by Xiaoxiaomeng, and Chen Shou has assigned a team to work on it. He occasionally goes there to check on the post-production.

The technology now is definitely much better than before, and the pursuit of excellence is bound to make it different. However, since it's the first time the audience is watching it, there's no comparison, so the question of whether it's a classic or not doesn't really exist.

In addition, there was an email from Luxembourg, informing him that casting for both films had already begun, and Roland even asked him if he wanted to go and participate in the casting process.

Compared to Roland's invitation, Warner Bros. clearly didn't want Chen Shouzhe involved in anything. They just wanted him to provide the script and the money; Warner Bros. was a Hollywood giant in terms of production, so they didn't need him.

In Hollywood, directors are merely tools; producers are the absolute core of the entire production team.

Around 9:30, his phone rang. Chen Shou glanced at the notification and answered it immediately.

"Director Chen, I'm sorry, I was in the morning meeting just now."

A familiar laugh came from the other end of the phone. Ren Zhonglun, as expected of a university professor, was so kind that you could feel his gentleness even from a distance.

“Chairman Ren, I apologize for my abruptness. I just have something I wanted to ask you,” Chen Shouzhe said. “Go ahead,” Ren Zhonglun’s eyes lit up on the other end of the phone. It was good that he needed something; he still owed Chen Shouzhe a favor, and Chen Shouzhe’s need meant that they could continue to cooperate and continue to work together.

As for why Chen Shouzhe owes him a favor, "2012" is currently the highest-grossing film in China, but Chen Shouzhe brought Shanghai Film Group with him, and Shanghai Film Group has given Chen Shouzhe nothing, and even ignored him when he was besieged.

No matter what, Shanghai Film Group was in the wrong. From then on, China Film Group was still able to get Chen Shouzhe's investment share, while Shanghai Film Group, as the second largest, was completely kicked out.

Now is another great opportunity, and he must make the most of this big commercial film director.

"Are you familiar with Blueberry TV?" Chen Shou asked.

“We’re familiar with each other,” Ren Zhonglun said immediately, even if they weren’t, they had to be familiar with each other.

“I heard that Blueberry TV is preparing a variety show, and I have an artist studio under my management,” Chen Shou said.

“I can ask for you,” Ren Zhonglun said directly.

"Then I'll have to trouble you, Mr. Ren."

"Don't be so polite. We're like family. Come visit me in Shanghai sometime, it'll be on me."

"I'll be going to the Shanghai International Film Festival in two months," Chen Shou said.

Upon hearing this, Ren Zhonglun immediately stood up and laughed, "Great! That's wonderful!"

The Shanghai International Film Festival has been held for seventeen sessions. Chen Shouzhe had not participated in any film festivals before. Last year, Chen Shouzhe's influence was great, and major film festivals invited him. However, he declined the invitations because he was making films, just like the otaku. This time, he took the initiative to participate in the film festival, which made Ren Zhonglun, the host, very excited.

“I’ll be bringing ‘The Martian’ with me then, Mr. Ren, you must reserve a booth for me,” Chen Shou said with a smile.

"Absolutely no problem, I'll definitely save some for you. By the way, if you have time, you can attend a few forums; they're all about industry development, and also..."

"We'll see when the time comes. I still have a lot of work to do right now. I don't know what unexpected things might happen if I agree to it right away." Chen Shou interrupted Ren Zhonglun, saying that if they continued, they would probably have to go on stage to present an award.

Gong Li had invited him before. Gong Li was the chair of the jury at this year's Shanghai International Film Festival, and it was because of this that Chen Shouzhe agreed to go and take the opportunity to promote the film.

“Okay, let’s talk now that you’re here. I’ll ask about the variety shows on Blueberry TV for you,” Ren Zhonglun said.

After hanging up the phone, Chen continued working. The next day, someone from Blueberry TV called.

"Is this Director Chen?"

"Hello, I am Chen Shouzhe."

"Hello Director Chen, I am Yu Hangying, the deputy director of the Blueberry TV program center."

"Hello, Director Yu." Chen Shouzhe had already inquired and found out that this was the executive producer of the new program.

"I'd like to ask Director Chen, who did you recommend?" Yu Hangying asked. Although he was the director of the TV station, he had a lot of influence. He was a big director in the country, and being on good terms with him would benefit both the TV station and herself.

“She’s a girl under our company, her name is Reba,” Chen Shou said.

"Hot, right?" Yu Hangying's heart sank as soon as she heard that. She had never heard of her before, so she was obviously a newcomer, and a woman at that.

The show has seven people, six men and one woman. It's clear who stands out the most, because of this position, many actresses have already started to offer their services to her.

In particular, several co-production companies brought in a large number of actresses.

Chen Shouzhe also set his sights on the biggest piece of the pie. If it were an ordinary director or TV station, they could completely ignore it. But the people Chen Shouzhe found were extraordinary.

"Director Chen, to be honest with you, the companies co-producing this project include Daye, Huayi, and Wanda," Yu Hangying said.

"So Huayi will disagree, right?" Chen Shou said with a smile.

"That's not the case. They've recommended many celebrities over there," Yu Hangying said.

“It won’t end without Huayi Huayu. Wanda and Daye are both producers, so it’s fine. I have business dealings with both of them. As long as you’re okay with it, I’m fine with it too.”

Yu Hangying was unaware of the conflict between Chen Shouzhe and Huayi. Hearing Chen Shouzhe say this, she felt that they still needed to discuss it and decide whether to choose Huayi or Chen Shouzhe's side.

Huayi is the leading private enterprise and listed company in the film and television industry, so it naturally comes with great momentum and has more celebrity artists to cooperate with. They choose to cooperate with Huayi precisely because they value its celebrity resources.

But Chen Shouzhe interfered, wanting the biggest piece of the pie. It wasn't that they couldn't afford to offend Chen Shouzhe; after all, their TV station didn't care. Chen Shouzhe was just a director, and his influence was nothing in front of the TV station.

However, the people Chen Shouzhe had contacted needed to save face, and since they had already given him instructions, it wasn't easy for them not to deal with it.

After hanging up the phone, Chen Shou sighed. Whether it would succeed or not depended on Blueberry TV's decision. The program had only been in the planning stages for a short time. Huayi was indeed very powerful at the moment, with the company's stock price rising continuously. The two brothers were riding high and were even flirting with Jack Ma.

"Looks like it needs to be put into the plan." Chen Shou rubbed his head. One person's strength is ultimately limited, and he needs an external force to help him.

Chen Shouzhe made several more phone calls, determined to snatch this piece of the pie from Huayi no matter what. He had been beaten before, and now he had to try and take it.

Huayi Brothers is not very interested in movies these days and has turned its attention to the real estate market, where it is doing quite well. The tycoon is also constantly buying paintings from overseas, showing off his wealth.

(End of this chapter)