Chapter 0797: Revising the Script

As the saying goes, a man of wealth should not sit under a hanging roof. Zhao Fusheng could understand Jiang Wen's thoughts.

Although he loved the art of cinema, the question was, who would want to put themselves in life-threatening danger to make a film?

Blind Shaft was a good script. Even Zhao Fusheng knew that if this film were made, although it would certainly not be released domestically, it would win many awards abroad.

But the problem was, it was too dangerous!

According to what the mine owner said, if Jiang Wen and the others went down the mine to shoot, they would be risking their lives. His hesitation was normal. If it were Zhao Fusheng himself, he would probably feel the same way.

Thinking of this, Zhao Fusheng looked at Jiang Wen: "Since that's the case, shouldn't we discuss it with Director Li?"

Regardless, Li Yang was the director of this film and also the screenwriter. Even though Zhao Fusheng was also a successful screenwriter, he couldn't bypass Li Yang on this matter.

"That's why I called you here." Jiang Wen nodded at Zhao Fusheng: "With you here, it'll be easier for me to bring this up."

Zhao Fusheng smiled. He understood Jiang Wen's intention—he was afraid Li Yang would be displeased. With someone like Zhao Fusheng, who was both an insider and a representative of the investors, at least Li Yang's reaction wouldn't be too intense.

Soon, Li Yang was invited to Zhao Fusheng's room.

"Old Li, I have something to say." Jiang Wen didn't beat around the bush and said directly to Li Yang: "About the script, have you considered making some changes?"

Li Yang was taken aback, then gave Jiang Wen a deep look, and turned to Zhao Fusheng: "Fusheng came for this too, right?"

Zhao Fusheng nodded, without hiding anything: "Yes, to be honest, I'm also a bit worried."

He had thought Li Yang would be very angry, but contrary to his expectations, Li Yang wasn't angry. Instead, he showed a wry smile: "To be honest, even if you hadn't come to me, I was already considering this."

Zhao Fusheng was startled and exchanged a glance with Jiang Wen. Neither of them had expected Li Yang to have such thoughts.

It was like the big villain you were determined to defeat suddenly said with tears in his eyes: Actually, I want to be a good person.

The tone shifted instantly, didn't it?

"To be honest, the real situation might be even more difficult than what we're facing." Li Yang said frankly to Zhao Fusheng: "Originally, I planned to shoot according to the script, but after some thought, this script needs to be revised. Otherwise, it will be difficult for us to even produce it."

Jiang Wen didn't know what to say. He thought to himself, since you had already decided, why didn't you bring it up earlier? Why wait until Zhao Fusheng arrived to say it?

Zhao Fusheng could understand Li Yang. Deep down, Li Yang was conflicted. His arrival was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making Li Yang finally decide to revise the script.

With a sigh, Zhao Fusheng said to Li Yang: "Since that's the case, let's study it and try to revise the script as soon as possible."

In his heart, he sympathized with directors like Li Yang. They had a pursuit for art but were forced to compromise due to reality. Just like the national master director back then, when filming Red Sorghum, the project didn't pass the review. If Wu Tianming hadn't secretly taken thirty thousand yuan from the petty cash to help the director plant dozens of acres of red sorghum in Gaomi, Jiang Wen might not have had the chance to become famous.

But there was no way around it; the market decided everything. Even Zhao Fusheng couldn't change that.

Fortunately, with the fragmentation of the entertainment market in the future, no matter what genre a film was, it would have its audience. Some movies might not be popular in theaters, but on the internet, there might be people who liked them.

...

...

Revising the script was quick. Actually, it was just a few changes in details, because Zhao Fusheng, Jiang Wen, and Li Yang all had the ability to write scripts.

So Zhao Fusheng just threw in a few random comments and then made an excuse to slip away.

Unless he was crazy, he wouldn't stay with those two any longer. They had almost drained all the knowledge he had. To avoid further embarrassment, Zhao Fusheng decided it was better to leave Bingzhou as soon as possible.

As for the crew matters, once Jiang Wen and Li Yang reached a consensus, the rest was not his concern.

But before leaving, Zhao Fusheng still invited Jiang Wen for a meal alone.

"I won't say much about the quality of this script." Zhao Fusheng said seriously to Jiang Wen: "Old Jiang, although you've passed the stage where you need to prove yourself, I think you need to reach your peak in certain circles. Or rather, you need to establish your position in the industry."

Jiang Wen was stunned. He could see that Zhao Fusheng wasn't joking but was discussing this issue with him very seriously.

"What do you mean by that?" Jiang Wen looked at Zhao Fusheng.

Zhao Fusheng shrugged: "Nothing much. I just think, look at these directors, like Li Yang and others. They actually have the ability to tell stories, but they don't have a leader. So most of the time, they work independently. The things they produce either benefit foreigners or get buried in the vast history. It's a bit of a pity."

Jiang Wen frowned but didn't say anything. He had to admit that Zhao Fusheng was absolutely right.

"If someone could integrate them, maybe it would be different. At least, they could make their voices heard to the higher-ups." Zhao Fusheng smiled calmly.

For smart people, a little hint was enough.

Zhao Fusheng didn't continue. He believed Jiang Wen would understand his meaning.

Old Jiang was an ambitious man. The path Zhao Fusheng had pointed out to him was clear: if Jiang Wen wanted to shoot what he wanted without being constrained, he had to establish his own position.

In his previous life, why was Feng Xiaogang so formidable? In the end, wasn't it because he had established himself as the king of New Year's films by kowtowing to Wang Shuo, securing his status as a top commercial film director?

As for the so-called art films later on, well, in the end, they were just selling nostalgia.

If anyone thought Director Feng was a true literary youth, they must have water in their brains. That guy would do anything for box office revenue, even going after the son of the richest man. If he really didn't care about box office and investment, why would he be so particular about screen count? He could just let the film run its course and then take it offline, since the internet was so developed by then.

In the end, it was all for profit.

After the meal, Zhao Fusheng left directly. He still had to go to Shanghai with Zhang Qian. Chen Tianqiao had called multiple times urging Zhao Fusheng to come as soon as possible.

Legend had finished its internal beta and was about to officially launch.

Sitting on the plane, Zhang Qian looked at Zhao Fusheng, who was reading a newspaper, and hesitated for a long time before saying: "Um, Fusheng, why did you say those things to Jiang Wen?"

He was genuinely curious. In his impression, Zhao Fusheng wasn't the type to be talkative. Why would he stir up Jiang Wen's ambition for no reason?

If Zhao Fusheng meant well, Zhang Qian couldn't figure it out. Didn't he know that if Jiang Wen did that, he might be banned by the authorities?