Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 43 Delivered to the Door
The movie piracy leak couldn't have been done by the cinemas!
Many of them originate from the source, but where is the source?
Those who know, know; it's just that we can't say it.

As producers, they are the ones who least want piracy, and so are theaters; they hate pirates to the core.

If piracy occurs, it means audiences won't go to the cinema, so how will theaters make money? Sometimes they are even harsher than film producers in cracking down on piracy.

The remaining work was left to these bigwigs. Chen Shou was going to CTV. The actors who participated in "2012" understood the importance of the film even more, and all their schedules were reserved for promotion. They had been waiting for a long time. In November, the film's promotional work officially began.

The script and filming locations were already finalized by CTV before casting began.

As the producer and lead screenwriter, Chen Shouzhe naturally served as the main person in charge of the interviews.

Unlike auditions for other films, this time the auditioning actors needed to wear makeup to resemble the characters in the TV series.

Inside the audition building of CTV, Chen Shou felt as if he had entered a celestial realm, surrounded by all sorts of people, including three Jade Emperors.

It has to be said that the actors in the national team sometimes don't show their true abilities, but their acting skills are unparalleled.

They were all honed on stage, especially one over eighty-year-old first-class actor who actually came to audition for the role of Taibai Jinxing, which scared Chen Shouzhe and the others quite a bit, fearing that he might fall.

Fearing something might happen, after discussion, we decided to let the elderly person go home to rest.

In terms of costume design, Chen Shou followed the style of the 96 version of "Journey to the West". Tang Sanzang was required to be handsome and have a scholarly air, not the kind of celebrity face. The same was true for female celebrities. They had to be stunningly beautiful, but mainly dignified and generous, not the kind of V-shaped face that we see now.

Casting was still very difficult, taking a full two weeks. Chen Shou went to CTV every day, taking it even more seriously than when he was making movies, in order to present the classic in his heart.

The CTV team noticed that Chen Shou-che was exceptionally meticulous and extremely careful with his lines. In everyone's opinion, no one understood "Journey to the West" better than Chen Shou-che.

Many actors who had already been cast consulted Chen Shouzhe about portraying their characters, their personality traits, and their underlying thoughts.

Chen Shouzhe patiently explained to them that although the actors had read the novel, their understanding was not thorough. When Chen Shouzhe told them that Tang Sanzang was actually unwilling to go on the pilgrimage, and that Sun Wukong had been subdued but still looked down on Tang Sanzang, etc.

It broadened the horizons of the actors, and when they read "Journey to the West" again, they found different answers and were filled with awe for the novel.

"What are you here for?"

When Chen Shou returned to the horse farm, he noticed that many people were looking at him strangely. When he got back to his room, he found that someone was already waiting for him.

"I've come to thank you," the person in the room said nervously, standing up.

Chen Shouzhe saw that Yang Mi was in a hurry, so he went over and took her hand.

"You, what are you going to do?"

"You're too hot-tempered!"

"Hey, this is the bathroom, can we go somewhere else?"

"Woo!!!"

Looking at the dim light of the bedside lamp, Chen Shou took out a cigarette from the bedside table, lit it, and leaned against the headboard. A woman in front of him was getting dressed.

"When will the movie be filmed?" Chen Shou asked.

"Filming won't start until March next year," Yang Mi said softly, leaning against the wall with one hand.

"Next March, the preparation time is a bit long. Oh well, since it's been handed over to Stephen Chow, let's film according to his plan. We might have to go there to film Journey to the West, and I'll visit the set then," Chen Shou said.

"You're going to visit the set?!" Yang Mi was startled.

"Are you afraid of me?" Chen Shou asked, frowning as he took a drag of his cigarette.

Yang Mi dared not say anything. Chen Shouzhe had returned around 8 o'clock, and it was now almost 10 o'clock. They had been arguing on and off for two hours, which was something she had never experienced before. She seriously suspected that Chen Shouzhe was deliberately retaliating against her.

"It's not good to be on set," Yang Mi said in a low voice. "It hasn't even happened yet, and you're already thinking so far ahead. Do you want to go back?"

"Yes, I brought my assistant. She's waiting for me in the car."

“Be careful on the road. There will be plenty of opportunities for big-screen movies in the future. But you can’t take on multiple roles in Stephen Chow’s movies at once. Also, your agent, I’ve looked into it a little. As the studio’s number one artist, you only have such a small share of the company?” Chen Shou said.

"Are you investigating me?"

"Although it's a business relationship, we know each other well. After getting to know you a little, I found that you're really stupid. As the studio's number one artist, you only have such a small share. Do you know what your behavior resembles?"

"like what?"

"A hen that only lays eggs."

How could you say that about me?

"It's a very vivid analogy. You can lay eggs and hatch chicks now, but when the chicks grow up, you'll be old and won't be able to lay eggs anymore. Then your fate will be to be eaten, because you're not the boss at all. Your fate is in the hands of your agent and her sisters, right? They're the ones in charge."

You actually handed over the ownership of a company that can only rely on you to lay eggs to others. I really don't know how stupid you are. I own 100% of my company because I believe in its commercial value.

You should know Li Baibing, right? I have a pretty good relationship with her. She came from Huayi and became a capitalist through Huayi's listing. She opened her own studio with her sister. Her studio will definitely be ten times better than yours in the future. In fact, when you get old, you'll be slaughtered like a hen.

I'm giving you Li Baibing's phone number. Just say it's from me. You can learn from her how to run a celebrity's studio, instead of handing over ownership to an outsider. If you continue like this, you'll be abandoned sooner or later.

Chen Shou still had some conscience; after all, she was very obedient and he was satisfied with her. So he investigated and found that this woman was a bit stupid, ambitious but lacking in independent thought, and was being manipulated without even realizing it.

Thinking that I could have more fun with her in the future, I decided to give her some pointers so she wouldn't end up being taken advantage of and still helping the seller count the money.

After hearing Chen Shouzhe's analogy, Yang Mi's face turned pale and then red, and she suddenly realized something.

"Are you saying that Jiajia and Ruoxiao lied to me?"

"It's not exactly deceiving you, it's just that you're getting too little. The company is using your name; without you, your studio is just an empty shell. What kind of tricks can they pull off? Right now, you're just a hen in their hands, being played with. Once you're no longer of value, they can kick you aside at any time. Isn't your studio already training new people? Starting to use you, the hen, to hatch chicks?"

"Then what should I do?" Yang Mi was clearly flustered. She hadn't expected the person she trusted most to treat her like this.

"Do as I say, go and consult Li Baibing. For my sake, she'll teach you how to do it. She has experience in opening a studio," Chen Shou said.

"I, I know."

Watching Yang Mi leave, Chen Shouzhe felt his legs go weak; that vixen was too powerful.

However, this kind of woman is fine for casual flings, but not for a lifetime. She's really big, and because of that, she seems a bit dim-witted.

Yang Mi leaned against the wall, forcing herself to calm down. She realized that she didn't know much about the company, and that she had been led by others from the beginning without ever inquiring about the company's operations herself.

I've never cared about equity or anything like that, but whenever I bring up these issues, they brush me off as if they're deliberately hiding something.

"Am I really a hen?" Yang Mi sat in the car, holding her phone and pondering.

The assistant was driving. She hadn't expected that Yang Mi and Chen Shouzhe really had a relationship, but as an assistant, she knew very well that she had to keep quiet. This kind of situation was very common in the entertainment industry.

Yang Mi didn't rush to find Zeng Jia. First, she secretly learned about the operation of other celebrity studios and found that those celebrities were all big bosses. They either relied on large companies to operate their own brand value or used the resources of large companies to develop their own studios.

His own studio was entirely a solo effort, relying solely on himself, with Zeng Jia and the others handling the rest. He knew nothing about his own studio, feeling like a money-making robot, with his efforts and rewards being completely disproportionate.

"Is it really true, as he says, that I'm just a hen that lays eggs?"

(End of this chapter)