Chapter 333: People in Awkward Journey

Broad Sodium Film Industry, in the boss's office, Yu Dong was smoking a cigar while discussing a script with a short‑haired, smiling man.

In fact, when he met Jiang Heng before, what he said was somewhat embellished.

At that time his friend showed him not a script but a story outline.

Moreover, the outline had a source, coming from the Hollywood film "Stranded, True Feelings".

It tells of an advertising businessman who, to celebrate Thanksgiving with his family, boarded a plane bound for Chicago.

At the airport, a vulgar man named De Er made him intolerable, and unfortunately they ended up seated next to each other on the plane; a sudden blizzard forced the flight to change its route.

By chance, Neil and De Er wound up sharing a room, and their belongings were stolen by a thief.

Having no choice, the two took a train together…

Alright, the script Yu Dong is looking at now was later titled "People in Awkward Journey", and the person negotiating with him was named Liu Yiwei.

But after "People in Awkward Journey" was released, the producer, supervisor, screenwriter and others listed no Liu Yiwei, and the studio ultimately labeled him as "original".

In fact, he originally had a chance to be the supervisor; he produced the story outline, and he signed Xu Zheng and Wang Baqiang.

Yet he eventually declined, supposedly because it was too cold—perhaps Old Liu really didn't lack money! Historically, "People in Awkward Journey" was produced by Wuhan Huaqi Company, but this time the first person to contact Liu Yiwei was Yu Dong.

He had long wanted to take part in film production, especially after seeing Guo Fan shoot "A Chinese Ghost Story", which intensified the desire.

In the entertainment world, without the title of producer or production head, a big shot's reputation is always a bit weaker.

Yu Dong is ambitious; he wouldn't spend his whole life as the head of a distribution company—he definitely wants to move into production.

But he wouldn't dare to jump straight into making blockbusters.

Jiang Heng is renowned in the film industry; he boasts of being a Broad Sodium Film Industry shareholder and boss who can stand shoulder‑to‑shoulder with Jiang Heng, so he naturally wants to stay sharp and not lose face.

If a film he produces loses money or turns out poorly, wouldn't that tarnish his brand? So for over a year Yu Dong has been scouting good scripts and ideas, hoping to create something eye‑catching, which is why he clicked instantly with Liu Yiwei.

As for now, the script, director and main cast of the film have been mostly settled, only a few details remain to be finalized.

"Old Liu, would you be the supervisor?"

"Me?"

Liu Yiwei thought for a moment, then agreed.

Yu Dong immediately sighed, saying the script was still excellent, only the creative team was a bit weak.

Liu Yiwei chuckled, "Boss Yu, saying that is like holding a golden rice bowl and begging for food; the major shareholder of Broad Sodium Film Industry is Director Jiang, and for the company's first film he ought to lend support, right?"

Yu Dong gave a nervous smile and didn't answer right away.

He was naturally conflicted, feeling he couldn't stay perpetually subordinate, yet he had been at Broad Sodium Film Industry for many years.

In terms of distribution, Broad Sodium Film Industry is already number one domestically.

After all, even Hollywood blockbusters these days don't always have outstanding box office.

Broad Sodium Film Industry releases about two Jiang Heng blockbusters a year, plus many Hong Kong films and low‑budget productions.

Going independent and starting anew, it's unclear how long it would take to build another "Broad Sodium", or perhaps the goal is unattainable.

Yet he still wants to prove himself, but asking Jiang Heng for help always feels awkward.

Fortunately, Liu Yiwei could give him a way out: "Director Jiang has done cameos in other companies' films; if he doesn't appear in yours, people will think you two have some conflict!" Yu Dong heard this and instantly broke into a delighted smile.

"Indeed, as you say, I should go find him. What role should I ask him to cameo as?"

Liu Yiwei smiled, "Any random character on the train or plane works; if nothing fits, he can even cameo as himself!"

Yu Dong's eyes lit up at the suggestion; having Jiang Heng cameo as himself was indeed feasible! After the discussion, Yu Dong called Jiang Heng and explained the script outline and cameo plan.

Jiang Heng was currently in Hangzhou, having just finished filming the segment where Xu Zion is reincarnated and meets White Lady and Xiao Qing again.

Because Xihu is Hangzhou's most famous tourist spot, the crowds are huge.

Even a world‑renowned director like Jiang Heng can only get an hour to shoot on the Broken Bridge, and it must be early morning when there are few people.

Thus the crew arrived early to set up, and fortunately finished filming after just two takes.

The crew still had to travel to Yunnan and Guizhou for location shoots, but since they were in Hangzhou, they decided to rest a bit.

Jiang Heng gave the crew a half‑day off, and he spent the time touring Xihu with Jing Tian.

When he received Yu Dong's call and heard the story outline, Jiang Heng instantly realized, "Isn't this damn 'People in Awkward Journey'?"

The film's box office wasn't high, but its comedic beats were cleverly set, and Xu Zheng and Wang Baqiang performed well.

It was this film that gave Chinese cinema two comedy stars capable of holding their own at the box office.

But the impact of "People in Awkward Journey" didn't stop there; "Lost in Thailand" also grossed over a billion, and Huang Bo shone brightly in it.

In fact, Jiang Heng had interacted with Xu Zheng and Huang Bo, because "Crazy Stone" was invested and produced by Outstanding Rising Film Company.

But regarding many classic films of the past, Jiang Heng didn't have much opinion.

He already has a Super Microcomputer for shooting special‑effects blockbusters, so he's not keen on snatching others' projects.

Of course, if a script or project comes to him on its own, Jiang Heng is happy to accept it.

He just didn't expect "People in Awkward Journey" to end up in Yu Dong's hands.

He immediately spotted a problem, "Old Yu, when do you plan to start shooting?"

"Uh!"

Yu Dong fell silent, because the story takes place during the Spring Festival travel rush, so the ideal shooting window is from November to January or February of the following year.

But it's only May now; asking him to wait half a year doing nothing feels a bit unwilling.

His plan is to shoot some rural exterior scenes in the Northeast, especially the northernmost prefectures, where the ground is just beginning to sprout green shoots.

If the timing is delayed another night, it might truly be too late; they can't rely on CGI, can they? The total investment is under ten million, so where would the money come from!

"Director Jiang, I want to start shooting now, first go to the Northeast to find suitable spots and film the exterior scenes! There are a few brief Wuhan exterior shots, but they're very short; could you check with the special‑effects company?"

Jiang Heng thought for a moment, recalling the "People in Awkward Journey" film he had seen, and it seemed fine.

Only the cameo part might require some hassle.

Because he's about to fly the crew to the Southwest, and if Yu Dong leads a team to the Northeast they'd be separated by half of China! He thought and said, "Not a big problem; for the cameo, just pick the scene on the plane."

Yu Dong listened, extremely delighted, "Then I'll discuss with the screenwriter, arrange a plot where you didn't get first-class and sit in economy!"

(End of chapter)