Chapter 859: Script

After waking up from a nap, Lu Yan He let out a yawn.

Emerging from the inner room, he saw that Zou Dong was already sitting on the sofa reading a book.

"Morning, Brother Dong."

Now that Lu Yan He was staying in hotels abroad, if it was a suite, Zou Dong would always sleep in the outer room.

"Morning," Zou Dong asked. "Should I have the hotel send breakfast up now?"

Lu Yan He shook his head and said, "I'll go down to the restaurant with Yan Liang in a bit."

Zou Dong nodded.

"In this hotel's restaurant?"

"Yeah," Lu Yan He nodded. "This hotel is decent. Darren booked it; many celebrities and artists stay here, and the privacy protection is quite good. I'm too lazy to go out."

Zou Dong said alright, then added, "There's a shoot this afternoon. After it wraps, we'll head to the airport to prepare for the flight back home."

Lu Yan He said alright.

Originally, Lu Yan He hadn't planned on returning home at this time.

Because there were many PR activities coming up for *Storm Calmer No. 1*.

However, this trip back was to record a gala event hosted by CCTV.

Perhaps because the Hexi Film Festival had been so successful over the past three years, the official Film Bureau had specifically organized a non-competitive film festival event this year, inviting many filmmakers from all over the world to attend. This gala was similar in nature to a welcome party.

For this reason, they had invited Lu Yan He many times. Lu Yan He's side had also spent a long time coordinating schedules before finally managing to clear the time to attend.

For activities like this, Lu Yan He would always attend if he had the time. This was the first time he had gone to such great lengths to shift his schedule. Chen Ziyan said that this platform was one that needed to be supported. Lu Yan He understood, so even though his schedule was so tight and busy, he still agreed.

He was currently the most well-known Chinese filmmaker internationally; if he didn't attend, the status of this event in the eyes of the media and the public would be diminished.

It wasn't just Lu Yan He; filmmakers like Liu Bige, Yan Liang, Li Zhibai, Wen Shengming, and Chen Pinhe, who had come to attend the Golden Globe Awards, all needed to rush back home.

The gala recording is scheduled for 39 hours from now.

But only Lu Yan He, after recording the gala, would need to perform a "limit-breaking" operation: taking the earliest flight to record a talk show—

This had been set long ago, and the time couldn't be coordinated otherwise. Moreover, this was also for the PR of *Storm Calmer No. 1*.

Lu Yan He met up with Yan Liang at the restaurant.

Yan Liang said, "That guy Li Zhibai still isn't awake."

Lu Yan He: "How could he possibly wake up this early? He likes to sleep in, not to mention that last night, nine times out of ten, he was over at Jiang Yuqian's place."

Yan Liang shook his head.

"Maybe he's even putting on that pitiful expression of being pestered by a lunatic to fish for sympathy."

"So disgusting."

The two of them curled their lips simultaneously, expressing disdain.

After sitting down, Lu Yan He asked Yan Liang, "Have you been reading any other scripts lately?"

Yan Liang nodded and said, "I've mainly been looking at some scripts that could aim for awards."

"Aim for awards?" Lu Yan He was a bit surprised.

Yan Liang nodded. "Bai Jin going to the UK to study gave me some inspiration. The reason she chose to go to the UK now is because *Friends* airs every year, maintaining her exposure; she doesn't have to worry about her popularity and attention declining because of her studies. I have *Friends* and *Speed of Life and Death* coming up, so I want to take on an award-contending script. It doesn't matter if I win an award or not; firstly, it's to experience what it's like to create in that kind of crew, and secondly, it's to prevent the industry from forming a stereotype about me. If I only ever appear in these commercial genre films, maybe when a director thinks I'm suitable for a certain role, they might directly assume I don't do serious or artistic films and abandon the idea."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"But if, after filming my cameo in *Men in Black* next year, I still haven't found a suitable script, I'll continue to take commercial films," Yan Liang said, clear about his own planning. "My schedule will definitely be reserved primarily for commercial films."

Lu Yan He said, "Actually, if you went to act in a romance movie now, it should be quite suitable too."

"A romance movie?" Yan Liang hesitated and said, "Is my image suitable for acting in a romance movie?"

Lu Yan He: "What's unsuitable about it?"

Yan Liang was surprisingly self-deprecating, saying, "I don't think I have the kind of looks that are suitable for dating girls in movies."

"What kind of looks are suitable for dating girls? You're being self-deprecating," Lu Yan He said, speechless. "Besides, if you think that way, then there's no point in you taking on artistic or serious films either; anyway, constrained by your image, acting in anything would be the same."

Yan Liang was left speechless.

Only then did Lu Yan He continue: "Romance movies don't just have one look. In *Friends*, you have a gentle, honest image; in *Speed of Life and Death*, you have an image bursting with hormones and tension; in *Flypaper*, you have a somewhat mysterious and sharp image. These images will leave a deep impression in the public's mind. You say you're not suitable for romance? How many people were moved by the romance between Tang Yu Xiaobao and A Nu in *Chinese Paladin*?"

Yan Liang said, "That's true, but the romance movies that come to me are basically that kind of 'handsome man and beautiful woman' romance—at a glance, it's a handsome guy, a character setting that attracts people and is liked wherever he goes."

Lu Yan He laughed.

"What kind of scripts are you taking on?"

Yan Liang shrugged. "Just like you said, the scripts that come to me now, the better ones, are basically genre films like *Flypaper* or *The Gold Rush*, roles that don't have any requirements for my image. Whatever role you succeed in, those kinds of roles will come looking for you next."

Lu Yan He nodded.

"The market is just like that; there's no helping it."

"Are you planning to write a romance movie for me?"

"The romance movies I've written have all been given away, and they wouldn't suit you anyway." A thought suddenly popped into Lu Yan He's mind: *The Fault in Our Stars*. This movie actually didn't have very high requirements for the male lead. Lu Yan He hesitated for a moment.

"What's wrong? Is there really one that suits me?" Yan Liang asked.

Lu Yan He thought to himself: *The Fault in Our Stars* had already been rejected by Soren, who chose the second *Men in Black* instead. This movie would be fully funded and produced by Linghe itself, just like *Flypaper*, but Lu Yan He still hoped that this movie could be distributed globally—

If Yan Liang starred in it, it didn't seem impossible.

"There is a script, but the focus of that script is entirely on the female lead. The other characters don't have much presence, and the male lead is relatively a 'vase.' Of course, the character setting is very good—positive and sunny from beginning to end, a character who helps the female lead complete her transformation. However, the 'tool-like' nature is still very strong. I was originally thinking of finding Liu Zefan to act in it," Lu Yan He said. "This movie script is entirely told from the female lead's perspective throughout the whole film. After *Speed of Life and Death* is released, you will definitely become even more popular on the foundation of *Flypaper*. Believe me, it would be a pity to have you act in *The Fault in Our Stars* at this time."

Once Yan Liang heard this, he even had a name, and it sounded familiar.

"Isn't this the movie you were going to cooperate with Soren on?" Yan Liang asked.

"Yes, but because I wanted to use an all-Asian cast for this movie, Soren wasn't willing. I negotiated with Soren before; this movie will be produced by our Linghe, but I also proposed that if *Men in Black* breaks $500 million in global box office, they must help *The Fault in Our Stars* with large-scale global distribution."

Yan Liang was a bit surprised: "Even so, you still want to do it?"

"Do it. I still want to try and see if a movie with an all-Asian cast can replicate the results of *Home Alone* and sell well globally." Lu Yan He thought for a moment and asked, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

Yan Liang shook his head.

"No. Anything you want to do, I feel like you can succeed. I already have that kind of filter," Yan Liang laughed. "If you think I can act in it, then I'll do it. However, you mentioned Liu Zefan before; have you talked to him about this? If he has already agreed to act in it, then forget it; don't let him feel like I stole his role."

Lu Yan He struggled with it for a moment, then shook his head.

"Forget it. I'm not sure about this movie in my heart; it's very likely the box office won't be very good in the end," Lu Yan He said. "If you act in it, on one hand, your salary definitely won't be low, which will increase our production costs and increase the risk of failure. On the other hand, this movie isn't worth the risk for you. Even if it really succeeds, the focus of this movie is on the female lead, not you."

Upon hearing this, Yan Liang said, "Why don't you let me see the script first? You are very certain that *Speed of Life and Death* will make me popular in Europe and America, so my joining might also bring a positive influence to this movie, right?"

Lu Yan He shook his head. "If it were a movie with a style similar to *Speed of Life and Death*, that would be true, but the styles of these two movies are too different," Lu Yan He said. "I'm actually worried that *The Fault in Our Stars* will become your box office failure after the success of *Speed of Life and Death*."

Yan Liang asked suspiciously: "If the script for *The Fault in Our Stars* makes you so uneasy, why do you want to film it?"

Lu Yan He paused in his heart.

He didn't know how to explain it to him, because in a parallel universe, this movie exploded with over $300 million in box office.

This was a story that had been verified by the market.

And unlike *Home Alone*, he knew very clearly where the selling point of *Home Alone* was, but he didn't know where the selling point of *The Fault in Our Stars* was.

In Lu Yan He's view, this movie was entirely a very melodramatic youth tragedy: two cancer patients having a romance destined to be short-lived in their final days.

Lu Yan He even found the family aspect of this movie more profound.

At this moment, Yan Liang suddenly brought it up.

"Do you feel on one hand that this script is a good script, but on the other hand, you're worried that the audience won't accept it or buy into it?"

Lu Yan He thought to himself that saying it like that wasn't actually wrong.

"Pretty much," Lu Yan He said. "First of all, it's a very moving love story, giving people love and courage in the face of death; this is the biggest core of this movie. But on the other hand, it's very painful. In the end, the male lead dies, and the female lead likely won't live long either, because both of them have cancer. This is an objective fact that cannot be changed, so it's destined to be a tragedy."

Yan Liang asked suspiciously: "Are you worried that this tragedy will affect everyone's choice to watch it?"

"Tragedy won't attract people to watch this movie," Lu Yan He sighed. "I'm increasingly doubting why I must use this movie to make this attempt."

"What attempt?"

"The attempt to have an all-Asian cast star in a Hollywood movie," Lu Yan He said. "Without the global promotion and distribution capabilities of a Hollywood company, I can't imagine it selling well."

Yan Liang was silent for a while and said, "How about I look at the script first? Yan He, I rarely hear you be so unconfident. Usually, every time you bring out a script, you are very clear about what kind of results it might achieve in the end, and you are very confident in it achieving those results. I really want to see what this script is actually like."

Lu Yan He agreed and nodded.

Yan Liang didn't believe Lu Yan He's excuse about the "salary being too high" at all. To him, the main reason Lu Yan He was so hesitant and repetitive was that he himself lacked confidence in *The Fault in Our Stars*.

Was Liu Zefan's salary very low?

Impossible; the gap between Liu Zefan's salary and his definitely didn't exceed one order of magnitude.

Yan Liang knew that Lu Yan He definitely still wanted to give them the best and most suitable scripts.

However, Yan Liang feels that since such a script exists and Lu Yan He is somewhat worried, regardless of anything else, his current international fame or box office appeal is certainly much stronger than Liu Zefan's.

He could definitely be of some help to this movie.

It just so happened that there would be a long time in the air when they returned home later.

"*My Sassy Girl* has already finished filming and is in post-production, striving for a Valentine's Day release."

In the afternoon, after completing a shoot for an endorsed brand, Lu Yan He set off for the airport, and Wang Biao synchronized some company news with him.

Lu Yan He nodded.

Wang Biao added, "Also, Chen Zong sent over five scripts, all of which the company is preparing and planning to film. He wants to ask you to take a look at these five scripts."

Lu Yan He was astonished.

"Five?"

"Yes," Wang Biao said. "The few movies produced by Linghe previously have all achieved relatively ideal box office results, so the company's cash flow is now quite abundant. Chen Zong plans to continue developing low-cost genre films like *Summer Night Villa Horror* and *Childhood is an Adventure on a Summer Night*."

These few low-cost movies had indeed achieved good box office results.

Lu Yan He had originally thought that one or two would lose money, but who knew that none of them had lost money at all. The promotion and marketing for these movies were done very beautifully. Of course, the source was that the cost control was done very beautifully.

Lu Yan He took the electronic reader from Wang Biao's hand.

"I remember them saying that besides *Corpse Phase* needing a sequel, *Summer Night Villa Horror* was also planning a sequel, right?"

"Yes, but the sequel for *Summer Night Villa Horror* doesn't have a complete concept yet; they are currently looking for screenwriters to submit drafts," Wang Biao said. "The only thing confirmed so far is that Wang Jing will return to star, but whether she will play a new character or continue the character from the first film hasn't been decided."

Lu Yan He said, "I remember there was also a male actor named Zou Xuan and a female actor named Jiang Ting who became popular in this movie, right?"

Wang Biao nodded.

"Yes, they both signed with Shihuo, but because they are preparing for art exams and the college entrance exam, they don't have much exposure," Wang Biao explained.

Lu Yan He said, "The company could actually tailor a spin-off movie of *Summer Night Villa Horror* for them, since their characters are relatively popular."

Wang Biao: "Then should I go tell Chen Zong?"

"Yeah," Lu Yan He nodded. "The idea of submitting drafts is good; whoever has the best idea gets their story used."

Wang Biao also said, "But now many film and television companies have copied our approach and started doing draft submissions, which has instead made the screenwriting circle complain, because originally there was no such requirement for taking on projects, and as a result, an extra step was added for no reason. And many companies aren't like us, which has signed many new screenwriters to cultivate and pays them a base salary. They invite screenwriters from outside to submit drafts without paying money or wages; only if they win the draft can they sign a contract and formally write the script."

"Then their approach won't last long," Lu Yan He shook his head. "Everyone needs to eat, and no one is a fool. The ecosystem has been ruined by them."

"Of course, those already famous screenwriters aren't subject to these constraints; it mainly affects those newcomers who aren't famous yet and are struggling to find opportunities," Wang Biao said. "It's when they are most precarious."

Lu Yan He said, "Then for those newcomers, if they pass the draft submission, will they directly become credited screenwriters?"

Wang Biao shook his head. "I'm not clear on the specifics; I've just heard many people complain about this."

Lu Yan He said bluntly: "If those newcomers can stand out through draft submissions and become credited screenwriters, I actually feel that the ones complaining might not be those newcomer screenwriters."

Wang Biao was stunned.

At the same time, domestically.

A talk-based cultural program.

Famous screenwriter He Shi was one of today's guests.

Everyone was discussing screenwriters' creation, output, and understanding of scripts, with various opinions.

Someone remarked that the most successful screenwriter in the country right now should be Lu Yan He, and several veteran screenwriters smiled, unable to deny it.

When it was He Shi's turn to speak, he put down the fan in his hand and smiled slightly.

"Low output is because I write the scripts myself. Sometimes I bring students, but even when I bring students, many of the scripts are still written by me."

"Scripts aren't that easy to write. Of course, in our line of work, there are many people who 'hang a sheep's head but sell dog meat'—it looks like it's just one person's name, but in reality, there are over a dozen people helping them write behind the scenes. This isn't a rare thing."

"It's just like the craziest era of filmmaking in the Peninsula before; a director could make over a dozen movies a year. You say it's exaggerated? Look again; do you think it could have been filmed by that one person?"

The camera focused on He Shi.

Someone immediately smiled at him and said, "Old He, are you hinting at someone?"

He Shi waved his hand. "How would I dare hint at anyone? I'm just speaking the truth. Many people present are involved in script creation; who doesn't know what the normal creation speed of a script is? Even if it's a genius, twice or three times faster than us? High output like a sow—I guess they think we're all pigs to be fooled."

"Hahahaha." Someone laughed a few times and said, "Teacher He, according to you, then the matter of someone finding a ghostwriter is a nail in the coffin? Why not just name names?"

He Shi shrugged. "What I'm talking about is just a phenomenon, not pointing at any specific person. Whoever has a guilty conscience can stand up, claim it, and then explain."

"You." Someone immediately said, "These words just now only represent his own point of view; don't drag us all into it."

"You're too cowardly," He Shi mocked. ===== CHAPTER 860 =====