Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 32 The Gap in Industrial Films
Over the years, they have never missed an opportunity to promote themselves to the outside world.

The film is a disaster movie, and with the involvement of companies like China Film Group, it received the green light all the way.

Besides, we are all part of a shared destiny on Earth. In the end, Chen Shou even changed the ending, with countless arks floating on the sea in major cities across China.

Because China will not abandon anyone, while some countries are selfish and spend billions of euros to buy a single seat.

During filming, Chen Shou was in charge of some shots. Fortunately, his English was fine, although his spoken English was a bit stiff. However, he had a strong memory, so he could have basic conversations without any problems.

He filmed one part, Roland filmed another, and the two sped up, finishing the filming within two months.

Most of them were done against green screens, and the selling point was the special effects. Chen Shouzhe was in charge of storyboarding, Roland was in charge of special effects shooting, and Walker was the special effects supervisor in charge of production.

Chen Shouzhe learned so much from the two of them. Don't underestimate a special effect that only lasts a few minutes; the cost can be in the tens of millions.

The special effects during the drive to the airport were already dazzling for Chen Shou.

The special effects artists who came with Chen Shou and were arranged by him to learn absorbed the techniques as quickly as sponges, as these were techniques that were difficult for them to access.

"Chen, this is insane! We've really gone too far!" Roland said to Chen Shouzhe, overwhelmed with excitement at the sight of what they had accomplished in four months.

"It seems I can go back to China with peace of mind. I'll leave the rest to Roland." Chen Shou opened his arms and hugged Roland.

"Thank you for your brilliant idea, it's absolutely fantastic, this movie will go down in history." Roland patted Chen Shouzhe's shoulder hard.

Two months of filming and six months of production have taken place, and now only the final touches remain. It's September now, so they still have plenty of time.

Chen Shouzhe has been studying Roland's special effects shooting techniques and Hollywood shooting methods.

It was completely different from what he learned at the Beijing Film Academy. He used advanced equipment and superb special effects to shoot a special effects blockbuster.

Chen Shou had too many special effects blockbusters in his mind, such as Iron Man and Transformers. Although there were no corresponding comics in this world, there was still a market for making them.

The more filming techniques a director learns, the longer he can go in the future.

He no longer wanted to pursue those so-called awards. After all, awards are honors given to you by others. He preferred to pursue wealth and have fun.

Chen Shouzhe admits that he is an ordinary person, and he only wants to present those excellent works.

I learned a lot from Roland. Chen Shouzhe is about to return to China. The next time we meet will probably be in December, when Roland will lead a team to China for promotion.

"That's amazing." On the plane, Chen Shou said to Huang Xiaoming next to him, because Huang Xiaoming needed to come back to reshoot a scene.

"Director Chen, what did you say?"

"I said that their film industry is much more advanced than ours. Our domestic market is not perfect, and audiences don't have the habit of watching movies for entertainment. It's only in recent years that people's quality of life has gradually improved, and they've gradually developed the habit of watching movies for entertainment. The current market is not big enough to afford these kinds of special effects blockbusters."

“It takes time to catch up. You can’t rush this. The market isn’t operating yet, so it’s impossible to invest as much in special effects as they do. After all, they’re targeting the global market.” Huang Xiaoming knew what Chen Shouzhe meant; the domestic film industry was underdeveloped.

It wasn't just the mainland; the same was true in Hong Kong, and Taiwanese films were completely devastated, with virtually no movies worth watching.

"We'll have our own special effects blockbusters in the future," Chen Shouzhe said, looking out the window. Some things can't be rushed. Returning to China felt like stepping into another world. After seeing the special effects team there, Chen Shouzhe was a little confused. Would movies with special effects in the future have to rely on them for that?
Can't we do it domestically?
"We still need to make money."

Chen Shouzhe summarized one point: there are no difficult things in the world; with money, you can have everything.

He believes that the employees he has left in the US are seeds that will blossom in the future.

"The book is finished, it's time to publish it."

The company is operating normally. Although Chen Shouzhe is not making movies, their company is still operating as usual. The previous plan to buy equipment has been stopped. Besides, the main focus is on the screenwriting team. Different worlds mean different cultures, and this world also has its own culture.

Chen Shouzhe handed over Journey to the West to them a few months ago, asking them to try adapting it into a TV series.

Renowned director Chen Shouzhe's first novel, *Journey to the West*, will be officially released tomorrow.

A news item suddenly went viral. Chen Shouzhe had only mentioned Journey to the West three times. He later took some time to visit the library and mentioned Tang Xuanzang's pilgrimage to the West, but that was the last time.

Many people who listened to his storytelling were very curious, and it gradually gained some popularity. When they heard that Chen Shou was going to publish a book, many people found it unbelievable.

The fact that a director has actually written a book has not only drawn ridicule from people in the film and television industry, but also from the literary world.

A self-proclaimed writer surnamed Liu is barking on Weibo again, clamoring to ban Chen Shouzhe.

One minute he's a famous writer, the next he's a director. This mad dog has been banned several times, but it still jumps out to bite people.

At Guo Degang's home, Chen Shouzhe came to eat with Yu Qian's family. Besides them, there were also many apprentices, such as Yue Yunpeng, who is very popular in small theaters now, Zhang Yunlei, who returned last year, and Shaobing. A dozen people gathered together, making it quite lively. The cook was an apprentice from the He generation named Li Hebiao, and the other apprentices helped out.

"Why don't you do a solo performance at tomorrow's Steel Wire Festival?" Guo Degang suddenly said.

"Okay." Chen Shouzhe agreed without hesitation.

Yu Qian nodded and smiled. Although Chen Shouzhe said he was leaving the crosstalk stage, it was clear that he still loved crosstalk. After all, he had studied it for so many years, and his basic skills had not been wasted.

"Is the filming going smoothly?" Yu Qian asked.

The other apprentices lowered their voices, or even stopped talking altogether, and listened attentively to what they had to say.

There is a word for believers called "fragrant incense." The master is like a fragrant incense burner, releasing his own fragrance. The disciple smells the fragrance, absorbs the aroma, and learns the master's knowledge.

That's roughly what "influence" means.

When the master and senior apprentices stand on the stage to perform crosstalk, the entrance and exit are filled with junior apprentices and students, which is also a process of being influenced.

This isn't a stand-up comedy routine; they're listening intently because they want to know about Chen Shouzhe. After all, Chen Shouzhe has a high status in the film and television industry, and among his apprentices, only Chen Shouzhe can sit and chat with the elderly couple without feeling stage fright.

Even Yue Yunpeng, who is very popular now, wouldn't dare to do that; he could only stand by and pick vegetables with a basket.

"It went very smoothly. This trip was more successful than ten years of studying at the Beijing Film Academy," Chen Shouzhe remarked.

(End of this chapter)