Huayu: A Commercial Director

Chapter 62 Zhang Yimou Visits the Set

Ultimately, the company is currently short of money, but Chen Shou said that the company is involved in three projects, plus one overseas.

The most important one is definitely "The Martian", followed by "Kung Fu Hustle", and then "Journey to the West".

Chen Shouzhe was present throughout the entire set construction process, and filming had already begun on some parts, such as planting potatoes.

Zhang Hanyu was the most exhausted. He needed to undergo physical training while also filming scenes of potato planting inside the already constructed Mars base.

Filming is expected to take four months, with the remainder to be produced using green screens. For example, the final rescue scene requires the cooperation of Gong Li and Zhang Hanyu, and many of the equipment used is unfamiliar to many people in China.

During this period, many directors from China came to visit the set. They were curious about Chen Shouzhe's science fiction film and also wanted to see how science fiction films are actually made.

When they saw the set-up soundstage, motion capture equipment, spacesuits, and so on, they finally understood why this movie had a budget of 400 million yuan. They even thought that if this movie were made overseas, it would definitely cost twice as much.

Fortunately, it's in China, so the consumption issues can make up for a lot of the shortage.

"These are all the latest equipment, right?"

Zhang Yimou came to visit the set, after all, he got Gong Li's contact information from him. The two had a past relationship, but later separated due to their own problems. They are good friends in private.

Seeing Chen Shou tinkering with these machines, Zhang Yimou also got itchy to try it out. Film directors should keep up with the times, and no director would dislike these devices, especially one who is a cinematographer.

"It's considered the newest in China, but not so much abroad," Chen Shou said, shaking his head.

"You've invested a lot. Most companies can't afford this, and even big companies wouldn't dare to invest like this." Zhang Yimou admired Chen Shouzhe's ambition, but he also knew that this was a crucial battle. If Chen Shouzhe's movie failed, his special effects company would also be crippled.

He really hopes Chen Shouzhe can succeed. He is also transitioning to commercial films now. Which film director doesn't crave high box office returns?

Sometimes, making so-called art films is nothing more than self-pursuit, while commercial films are recognized by the audience. Art has an element of self-deception, and commercial films are not something you can just make whenever you want. Many directors confidently make commercial films, only to suffer huge box office losses.

Zhang Yimou can understand why Chen Shouzhe was targeted.

He can only make money for a portion of the audience, but he also raises the bar for moviegoers.

Originally, everyone was just making random films to make money, since the audience had no choice. Now, Chen Shouzhe has emerged, a director who likes to make blockbusters. The audience will naturally be attracted to him. The market is only so big, and no matter how much you try to avoid scheduling conflicts, they will still clash. When their own poorly made films encounter him, won't they become cannon fodder?

Being exceptionally outstanding is normal to be targeted; not being envied is a sign of mediocrity.

Sympathizing with the weak is sometimes a form of self-superiority. As for the strong, no one wants to worship them, but rather wants to replace them.

When people see luxury cars on the road, they think those looking at the cars are envious of them, but little do they know that it's not envy at all, but a desire to take their place.

Films should be diverse and vibrant; otherwise, it would be a sad thing if directors were to be categorized into different genres.

We can't expect him to make art films his whole life. Does that mean he can't make commercial films?

If those people could make commercial films, they would have done it already. The problem is they just can't, which is why they talk to you about art that no one else understands.

People who like niche art may not necessarily like it much; more often, they want to highlight their uniqueness, appear superior, and satisfy their vanity.

Zhang Yimou watched Chen Shouzhe fiddling with the equipment, so focused and absorbed. This was exactly what he loved. Otherwise, with his commercial value, what wouldn't make money? Why would he buy a whole bunch of equipment to bring back to China and make science fiction and special effects movies, which were a blank in the domestic market?

For a long time, our largest domestic market has been plundered by others, so why can't we plunder other people's markets?

If we want to open the door to foreign countries, do we have to rely on those rural movies?

Aside from going to film festivals, who cares about ordinary people?

"It's not that they lack the conditions to do it, it's that they don't need to. It's so much better to stay in their comfort zone. Why bother with all this fuss? It's so much better to just keep the money and live a carefree life," Chen Shou said casually to Zhang Yimou while looking at the machine.

“Yeah, why bother working yourself to death? Just buy other people’s parts and assemble them.” The Russian nodded.

“Movies aren’t necessities; having them or not doesn’t matter much. But in other industries, it’s different. Once you’re cut off from supplies, you can only pay whatever price they ask for. How can you compete like that? Movies don’t matter; as long as it’s decent, that’s fine. Why spend so much money on equipment? You might not even be able to make one movie a year, just letting it gather dust and losing money,” Chen Shou said with a smile. “You’re right. They’ve been in their comfort zone for too long. When foreign films are box office hits in China, they’re criticizing the government for inaction, not realizing that they’re the ones who are truly inactive and disappointing,” Zhang Yimou nodded.

"I heard you've joined the Le family?" Chen Shou asked.

"Yes, that's why I came here this time not only to see you, but also to see Gong Li, who is the female lead in my new movie," Zhang Yimou said.

"Oh, is there a scheduling conflict?"

"It's alright, she took your movie first, and then she'll film mine later."

"That's good, Gong Li won't have to take on multiple roles at once." Chen Shouzhe was relieved.

"No, she has professional ethics and wouldn't do something like taking on multiple roles at once."

Directors are afraid of filming multiple projects at once, because filming requires actors to get into character. Once they join another production, they are in a completely different state, and no matter how good an actor is, they cannot switch between roles flexibly.

Just like writing a novel, when you're writing two different stories, you often end up writing the wrong names for the two main characters.

Even because the previous novel has just ended, there may be situations where the names of the main characters in the novel are mixed up.

Actors find it difficult to get into character and also need time to get out of character. Some actors who are immersive in their performances may even become so engrossed in a film that they cannot extricate themselves from it.

These kinds of actors are terrifying; they can be called acting fanatics. They need to immerse themselves in the role to deliver a performance.

Chen Shouzhe naturally admires Gong Li's acting skills, but he doesn't want to be involved in two films simultaneously, even though his own film is a science fiction film.

"I will finish filming Gong Li's scenes as soon as possible, which should take about a month."

"You don't need to rush because of my movie, just follow your own pace."

"It's alright. The movie is mainly about an astronaut surviving alone on Mars. It's all Zhang Hanyu's solo performance. The rest of the content will be done quickly. It's just that the pre-production setup will take a long time. Our country's work efficiency is high, and it's faster than I expected."

Chen Shouzhe originally planned to spend a month on training and set construction, but he finished the sets in just half a month, and the filming location has been moved from the Northwest to the China Film Studio.

We're currently filming Zhang Hanyu's scenes, but the potatoes are still growing and it will take some time. We can't just wait around during this period. We can finish filming Gong Li and the others' scenes inside the spaceship first, and then move on to special effects production. This will save a lot of time.

Although his special effects team was newly assembled, they had already honed their skills on "2012" and were quite proficient in this area. In addition, Chen Shou brought back special effects talents from the United States at great expense, so once they entered the filming process, they would be very fast.

While Chen Shou was chatting with Zhang Yimou, the actors at the training base were all exhausted.

Wearing a 20-kilogram spacesuit is a physical burden. The aerospace engineering department had prepared real astronaut suits for them to try out, the kind used for extravehicular activities.

120 kg.

Upon hearing this number, several actors immediately knelt down, unable to bear it any longer.

Let them design it later; just the shape is enough. Don't take it too seriously. If they use all of it, who can resist?

Liu Yifei was the youngest among those present. She was overjoyed to be able to work with so many award-winning actors and actresses, but it was a pity it was a science fiction movie.

"I'm getting old, I can't even compare to a little girl anymore," Zhang Fengyi said as he took off his spacesuit, revealing his muscular physique.

"I feel like my health is the worst among these people," Huang Xiaoming said with a wry smile.

"Don't date too much," Zhang Hanyu joked.

Huang Xiaoming blushed slightly because his girlfriend had visited him on set just a few days prior.

On the other side, Liu Yifei was squatting in front of Gong Li, humbly asking for advice on acting. Gong Li liked her quite a bit and was willing to teach her.

(End of this chapter)