Chapter 58: Proposal

"Little Wu, I have already heard about this matter. 2 million, of which 1 million was given to the Beijing Film Studio, and 700,000 was given to the August First Film Studio to shoot a red subject matter film. Little Gu has also fought for you. You must not have any emotions." Old Lady Ruan was talking to Wu Yuchen on the other side of the phone.

"No, no, I am very grateful to Teacher Ruan and Director Gu for having this opportunity to shoot a feature film. I only have gratitude in my heart!"

"Hehe, then I won't nag anymore. You cherish this opportunity well and strive to shoot a good film!"

After hanging up the phone, Wu Yuchen thought about the information Old Lady Ruan gave him just now.

Good heavens, one Beijing Film Studio, one August First Film Studio, how could he, a small shrimp, snatch food from the mouths of these two families!

Being able to give him 300,000, it seems that Director Gu is capable enough!

"What? Ask for leave to shoot a feature film?!"

Xie Xiaojing was choked by the wolfberry tea in his mouth. After putting down the thermos, he was shocked.

Wu Yuchen smiled honestly and nodded, and then told Xie Xiaojing the ins and outs, which made Xie Xiaojing click his tongue in wonder.

He knew that Hou Keming recommended Wu Yuchen to the *Dance of Martial Arts* production team at that time. On one hand, it was to cultivate and train him, and on the other hand, it was indeed to let him get along well with several older comrades.

But Xie Xiaojing didn't expect that Wu Yuchen's degree of getting along well far exceeded their imagination, and he could even get an investment opportunity for a feature film from it. If those students in the director class who had already graduated heard this, envy, jealousy, and hatred would be hard to describe their mood.

After listening, Xie Xiaojing stood up directly: "Okay, don't go to class either. Take your scripts and come with me to see Dean Hou now."

In the office, Hou Keming and Xie Xiaojing each held a script and looked at them, which were *Donkey Gets Water* and *Coherence*.

As for the *The Two of Us* script, the two of them had already gathered together to finish reading it as soon as they came in, and there was no problem of crossing the line that they were worried about.

After Hou Keming closed the *Donkey Gets Water* in his hand, he let out a long breath, and then said to Wu Yuchen with a smile:

"I said why did you change your nature, kid, and come up with such a bright and correct script as *The Two of Us*. It turns out you used all that ironic energy on this *Donkey Gets Water*!"

"Teacher Hou, what are you talking about? All three are my favorites~" Wu Yuchen defended.

Hou Keming shook his head with a smile, and then said:

"I also like this *Donkey Gets Water* of yours. It may not be easy to shoot as a film now, but it can be arranged as a stage play first! You take time to perfect the script when you go back, and then hand it to your Teacher Xie. Let our students at Beijing Film Academy practice it as homework first."

"No problem, but Teacher Hou, I must focus on *The Two of Us* first. I will make up for *Donkey Gets Water* when I have time."

Hou Keming knew that he was reminding himself when he heard this, so he said:

"Okay, we approved your leave. The story of *The Two of Us* is also good. Shoot your first feature film well! Is there anything else you want to say? Speak up now."

Upon hearing this, Wu Yuchen immediately said:

"Teacher Hou, this 300,000 of mine is really not enough. The equipment for shooting..."

Hou Keming pondered for a moment after hearing this, and then said:

"Last time you shot *Bus 44*, one was a short film, and two was because you were a student, so it was free for you to use.

But you are different now. After all, you have 300,000, so you can build your own crew. If the equipment of Qingying Studio is always free for you to use, it will break the rules."

Wu Yuchen nodded upon hearing this. He also understood that it was only used for 3 days last time, and no one cared. The outside world would also praise the school for being generous to students. But if it was always free for him to use in the future, it would definitely attract a lot of gossip.

"How about this, the equipment of Qingying Studio, on the premise of not affecting our normal teaching use, will be rented to you at half price. It can be considered our encouragement for students in school to create!"

"Thank you, Teacher Hou! Thank you, school!" Wu Yuchen immediately bowed and thanked him. This could really save him a lot of money.

Wu Yuchen had a rough plan for the shooting of *The Two of Us* in his heart. Although it was impossible to shoot for 3 years like the original version, it would still take more than half a year.

Because in the plot of *The Two of Us*, it was the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn, and winter that the tenant girl and the old lady spent together. Winter accounted for almost half of it, which was what he could shoot directly now.

After the winter scenes were finished, the spring and autumn scenes could be shot in March or April. The autumn scenery could be shot in spring through shooting methods such as color adjustment and lighting. After the summer scenes were shot in June or July, the film would be finished. It would be sent to the Tokyo Film Festival for exhibition in September.

According to Wu Yuchen's plan, the shooting time span would be about half a year, and the actual effective shooting time should also be 1-2 months. Plus post-production, so the money for the half-price equipment rental of Qingying Studio could be saved a lot.

After Wu Yuchen left, Hou Keming sighed: "The younger generation is formidable!"

Xie Xiaojing next to him also nodded: "I thought he would have some achievements in the future, but I didn't expect it to come so fast!"

This student not only exceeded expectations in talent, but also had nothing to say in terms of ability. The key was that he also knew the sense of proportion of advance and retreat, and would not rely on his talent to do things that he knew were impossible. Under these circumstances, as long as there was some luck, he could ride the wind and soar to the clouds.

Therefore, both of them were extremely optimistic about Wu Yuchen's future.

In the afternoon, Wu Yuchen walked into the movie channel office building again and knocked on the door of Director Gu's office.

"Hehe, Little Wu is here. The matter has been finalized. Come over to sign this afternoon, and make a rough shooting plan for the film in these two days. We will go through the process, and it is estimated that it will be down in a week or two."

"Thank you, Director Gu, for your help this time!"

"It's still because your script just meets our requirements, and everyone thinks it's not bad. It's just that there is not much money, so you still have to be careful!" Director Gu also knew that 300,000 was really not much for a feature film. After all, this was the film era.

"Director Gu, don't worry, I will definitely shoot it well! But speaking of money, I have an immature proposal." Wu Yuchen said respectfully.

"Oh? Tell me about it." Director Gu showed curiosity.

"Director Gu, I personally have 20,000 yuan here, and then add my director's salary, all invested in the *The Two of Us* project. I wonder if I can exchange it for the foreign copyright of *The Two of Us*?" Wu Yuchen said the idea he had been brewing in his heart.

The original production cost of *Postmen in the Mountains* was over 3 million, and the foreign copyright was sold for 60,000 US dollars.

He, Wu Yuchen, shot *The Two of Us* for 300,000, and invested 20,000 himself plus his director's salary. It wouldn't be too much to exchange for a foreign copyright, right? ===== CHAPTER 59 =====