Chapter 53

Before Wu Yuchen could speak, the elderly man who had just spoken said:

“This is indeed an opportunity, but there’ll likely be competition!”

Another elder also spoke up:

“Young people should have the spirit of bold advancement—don’t fear competition! Xiao Wu, I think you should seriously consider it.”

Wu Yuchen nodded; he had known from the moment he heard the news that competition was inevitable.

Two million for three to five films—he guessed at least a million of that would be reserved by Beiyingchang. There was no way around it; they were the local power, and they had partnerships with the Film Channel, having even helped establish it.

What he could compete for was probably just the remaining million, and even that might be split into several portions.

At that moment, the old lady also smiled and said:

“Xiao Wu, if you want to give it a try, why not give me the video tape first? I’ll take it to show people. But I can only ask on your behalf—this might not work out. I’ll let you know if I hear anything.”

Wu Yuchen understood perfectly: showing the tape was to prove his directorial ability; otherwise, why would anyone believe an unknown could direct a film?

Wu Yuchen clasped his hands together and bowed respectfully to the old lady:

“Teacher Ruan, just for telling me this news and offering to help me, I’m already deeply grateful. Whether it succeeds or not, I’ll always remember your kindness. Thank you so much this time!”

The old Mrs. Ruan accepted his bow, then smiled and said:

“I’m just curious what kind of feature you’d make~”

After spending over a month together, she had developed a very favorable impression of Wu Yuchen—not only was he talented, but he worked hard and could chat easily with the older folks, unlike her own grandchildren who grew impatient after just a few words.

After watching Wu Yuchen’s short film “Car 44,” she was stunned—and felt such talented young people deserved more support. She was willing to help connect him, but whether he could seize the opportunity was up to him.

On the way back from the Gong Prince's mansion, Wu Yuchen kept reflecting on today’s events—it was one surprise after another.

First, Tu Honggang had given him a twenty-thousand-yuan red envelope, and now Mrs. Ruan had passed on the opportunity from the Film Channel.

Wu Yuchen checked his shoe soles—no dog poop stuck to them.

He shook his head and began seriously considering the Film Channel’s opportunity.

Honestly, if the Film Channel dared give him all two million, he wouldn’t mind surprising them with “Raise Your Hands!”—their most popular film.

The subject matter would pass censorship without a hitch and was wildly popular with the masses.

Many might dismiss it as unawarded and box-office poor, but ordinary people genuinely loved watching it!

The film had plenty of laughs—Uncle Pan’s bow-legged Japanese soldier made everyone laugh the moment he appeared.

“Raise Your Hands!” repeatedly ranked as the Film Channel’s highest-viewed film of the year; without promotion or support from urban theaters, it remained the number-one film in rural screenings across China for nine consecutive years, with over one million screenings in rural circuits.

Its significance to the Film Channel was like “My Fair Princess” to Hunan TV.

Some people criticized it as trash, portraying Japanese soldiers as idiots—but Wu Yuchen wanted to say: Why is it acceptable for “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” to depict German soldiers as bumbling fools and call it a classic, but my “Raise Your Hands!” using the same formula becomes trash? That’s double standards!

But the Film Channel would never give him two million—even if they saw the script for “Raise Your Hands!”—so he stopped fantasizing about it.

As for films like “Blind Shaft,” “Blind Mountain,” or “Xiao Wu” by the Sixth Generation directors—none of them were even worth considering. Submit the script, and they’d reject it outright.

The Film Channel invests to produce films for the general public to watch on TV—not to fund banned films.

Wu Yuchen’s top criterion for selecting a project was clear: it must pass censorship. Otherwise, forget it. Second, it must be low-budget—something that could be made for one million or even five hundred thousand.

He also had to consider his own goals: he didn’t expect this film to ever screen in domestic theaters, since the investor, the Film Channel, intended to broadcast it on television. For Wu Yuchen, the only real benefit would come from entering international film festivals to win awards and sell rights.

When thinking of low-budget, high-return films, Wu Yuchen’s mind immediately turned to two sci-fi films hyped by marketing accounts: “The Man from Earth” and “Coherence.”

“The Man from Earth” cost just over ten thousand dollars, yet online rumors claimed it grossed three hundred million. Three hundred million? That film never even screened in theaters!

“Coherence” cost fifty thousand dollars and was also falsely touted as earning hundreds of millions—it actually grossed only $140,000.

Of course, Wu Yuchen didn’t deny their artistic merits; they likely made huge profits through DVD sales and online streaming, and might attract savvy buyers at sci-fi film festivals.

The true low-budget films with massive box-office returns were “The Blair Witch Project” and “Paranormal Activity,” with production costs of $60,000 and $15,000 respectively, each grossing over $200 million globally. But the former relied on marketing, and the latter was a horror film—neither suited the Sixth Princess’s tastes.

“The Man from Earth” was out of the question—the story would be hard to localize, and might even cross the line.

“Coherence” was still worth considering—maybe the Sixth Princess liked sci-fi? It could be a surprise move; he could shoot it for just over a hundred thousand.

After considering the surprise tactic, he turned to the standard approach: films aligned with positive mainstream themes—red-themed stories or tales celebrating human warmth.

He ruled out red-themed films—they had no market abroad. For human warmth, he thought of Liu Ye’s “The Mountain, the Man, and the Dog,” about mutual understanding between father and son across generations.

“The Mountain, the Man, and the Dog” was wildly popular in Japan, accumulating 800 million yen in box office—but the producer had sold overseas rights for just $60,000.

Wu Yuchen sighed—he didn’t have enough money.

The original version cost over two million to shoot; while the novel rights were negotiable, filming required going deep into the mountains—costing at least a million.

Most truly low-budget films had simple shooting locations; any complexity drove costs up.