The Grand Director

People should still have a little ambition.

So it was best to use Brotherhood of Blades as a stepping stone, secure China Film Group's support, and make a project he could control.

Given Shen Shanden's current situation, if he forcibly pushed Brotherhood of Blades, even with Han Sanping's full support, he would still find it difficult to control the production crew.

A bird in the hand was worth ten in the woods.

With a China Film Group-backed movie in hand, following the Blockbuster Strategy route, there was no way it could lose money.

Once he had a few works under his belt.

Whether in terms of personal ability or prestige, once he reached a certain level, he could launch Brotherhood of Blades.

And use it to sweep away all the misconceptions and memes surrounding the costume blockbuster genre.

The room fell silent for a moment.

No one could guess what Han Sanping was thinking.

But the way Han Sanping's secretary looked at Shen Shanden practically screamed admiration, as if he were looking at some divine being.

He was far too good at handling leaders.

Shen Shanden added more fuel to the fire. "Director Han, there's a saying: haste makes waste. You have a sense of crisis, but that doesn't mean everyone else does."

"We need to wait for a consensus to form. And please have faith in my abilities. We need to wait for the relevant parties, and we also need to wait for the audience to jump into the fire pit."

"Once they get burned, once they get scalded, once they pay the price, they'll know what pain is. I think The Warlords and Red Cliff will be the turning point. Both projects are bound to get terrible reviews."

Hearing this, Han Sanping stopped struggling.

He tacitly accepted that The Warlords and Red Cliff were doomed.

Goods had to be compared before their worth became clear.

Those two counted as blockbusters for now, but compared with Brotherhood of Blades, they were indeed garbage.

Their storytelling, scale, and spirit were not even on the same level.

Han Sanping said, "Tell me what you have in mind."

He had grown wise with age. Shen Shanden's smooth routine made it obvious that he had planned everything in advance.

Shen Shanden casually reached into his bag and pulled out a script. "Director Han, this is another script I wrote, The Grand Director. It's about a boy struck by disaster who enters The Palace and becomes a eunuch, then rises to the very top through a series of fortunate opportunities."

"The Grand Director is an experiment, also known as Eunuch's Promotion Chronicle. It focuses on the protagonist constantly leveling up, and it will also train my ability to portray characters. After all, a key plot point in Brotherhood of Blades is the growth of the main cast."

"At the same time, I'm approaching it from a different angle. Unlike works that define eunuchs as villains, and unlike Western narratives that seek out humanity or indulge in spectacle and voyeurism, this focuses on the functionality of the eunuch system. It was one link in the checks and balances against the bureaucratic system, while also being constrained by that bureaucracy."

"Leveling up, history, wuxia, action—it'll be insanely satisfying! The budget isn't high either, just ten million."

This "not high" was in comparison to Brotherhood of Blades.

In terms of difficulty, modern urban comedies were easier to make than costume films.

Comedies were also more likely to succeed, making them suitable for small investments with big returns.

Lost on Journey and Love Is Not Blind would make money as soon as they were filmed.

Shen Shanden had no psychological burden when it came to copying.

The reason he was making The Grand Director, a costume production, was because he needed to stay tightly connected to the Brotherhood of Blades project.

It had begun because of that project, and he needed to continue down that project's path.

If he said he was using a comedy to hone his skills, it would not make sense logically.

Of course, once Shen Shanden succeeded, none of that would matter.

After Shen Shanden finished his introduction, he saw Han Sanping staring at him with utter disbelief in his eyes.

"Director Han?" Shen Shanden asked, confused.

Han Sanping had truly, truly, truly been overwhelmed this time.

This was no longer merely being well prepared—he had even prepared another script!

He had simply been waiting for outside pressure to arrive so he could take a step back!

Han Sanping thought about how Ode to the Great Ming had stunned him. He had heard so much about it lately that he now felt a little like a clown.

Han Sanping tapped the table. "You said you wanted to film Brotherhood of Blades, then immediately pulled out The Grand Director. Who are you trying to fool?"

Shen Shanden felt wronged. "Director Han, look at the script. It's only a rough prototype. The Grand Director was inspiration that came to me while I was creating Brotherhood of Blades."

"I started from the institutional framework to portray the Imperial Guards system, and then I wondered whether I could portray the eunuch system as well. That was how The Grand Director came about."

"Besides, Director Han, as a newcomer, I have to make thorough preparations, because I can't afford to lose."

That was true.

Han Sanping thought of the pressure he was under, as well as the lack of capable people available to him.

A promising talent like Shen Shanden would have a hard time even entering the industry without someone protecting him.

And even if he got the chance, he might not be able to maintain that drive.

Besides, Shen Shanden was not the only one who wanted to improve. Han Sanping wanted to improve too.

After Shen Shanden analyzed The Warlords and Red Cliff, Han Sanping thought it over and realized it really was true.

His heart went cold.

If those two projects really reached the point where he had to personally prop them up to prevent losses, then at best, he would neither gain credit nor take blame.

Han Sanping's secretary was stunned.

Shen Shanden was far too good at feeding people intoxicating nonsense!

Han Sanping flipped through the script.

Seeing this, Shen Shanden immediately handed over the project Planning proposal for The Grand Director.

Han Sanping: "."

The project proposal had already been completed, and he called this an inspirational prototype?

Han Sanping wanted to hit him, but after skimming the proposal, his expression shifted. "You're investing three million yourself?"

At this point, Shen Shanden stopped joking around and said seriously, "I'll stand or fall with this project. I'll sell everything I own, mortgage my house if I have to, and make everyone understand that I'm serious about making films."

Unfortunately, Han Sanping was almost immune to Shen Shanden's grand declarations. "Tell me the truth."

Shen Shanden said, "Director Han, I want complete and absolute control over this project. I want the film's production to fully carry out my will. My standing is too low and my voice too weak, so I have to take concrete action to move people."

Han Sanping's heart shook.

He dared to take responsibility!

His coordination skills were outstanding!

His ability to unite people was exceptional!

Han Sanping's evaluation of Shen Shanden rose another level. Before, he had only thought Shen Shanden was talented and insightful. Now, he saw that Shen Shanden was someone who could truly get things done.

"Good."

Han Sanping agreed.

He would let Shen Shanden make The Grand Director first.

Having achieved his goal, Shen Shanden took his leave. Han Sanping stopped him and asked, "Xiao Shen, do you still remember your promise to me?"

"I'll definitely make films properly," Shen Shanden said earnestly.

Han Sanping nearly laughed in anger. This kid really had some nerve. "I meant becoming a trailblazer!"

"You need to understand that I can take a step back, but I can't be forced into retreat."

At that.

Han Sanping's tone remained as steady as ever, but it seemed as though a chill had filled the room.

Shen Shanden's "trailblazer" was still only a title, but Han Sanping truly was the gatekeeper of Chinese Cinema.

He was not afraid of controversy. In fact, controversy was exactly what he wanted. Hadn't plenty of people opposed the construction of the China Film Group building? He had still pushed it through by force.

Some people were not truly opposed; they opposed things just for the sake of opposing them, for benefits. At times like this, he could not back down.

Very soon.

Shen Shanden witnessed Han Sanping's way of doing things.

When it came to small and mid-budget productions, Han Sanping made decisions almost entirely on his own. He approved The Grand Director that morning, and by noon, the project had officially been established.

Shen Shanden personally invested three million, while China Film Group invested four million. Two million of that would be transferred first, while the other two million still had to go through the process.

That afternoon, Han Sanping personally chaired the internal project approval meeting and defined The Grand Director as a pilot attempt rooted in the costume blockbuster genre, intended to advance the Blockbuster Strategy.

Since it was a pilot, they should not fear mistakes. They should let go and work boldly.

He had even eliminated future trouble in advance.

Not only that, it was also a retreat in order to advance.

The earlier preliminary review, to be precise, had been the preliminary review for project approval.

Brotherhood of Blades was not an existing IP, nor had China Film Group already had the initial idea of making a blockbuster as an upgraded work for Chinese Cinema.

Shen Shanden had brought the project to them. China Film Group itself had never had this project.

The approval discussion was about whether to establish the project.

Once the project was established, the next step would be the project team's initial evaluation meeting, followed by an expert discussion meeting, and then the final review meeting.

And defining The Grand Director as a pilot attempt meant that once The Grand Director was successfully released, the Brotherhood of Blades project would officially begin as well.

As for what counted as success, Han Sanping held the power to define it.

It looked like he had retreated, but he had actually taken a substantial step forward and skipped over the internal wrangling.

Shen Shanden had now gotten a glimpse of Han Sanping's decisive, sweeping methods. All he could say was that names could be wrong, but nicknames never were.

After a busy day, he returned home.

In just one day, Shen Shanden was no longer the man he had been before.

A ten-million production in 2007 was absolutely a mid-budget film.

Even Ning Hao, with Crazy Stone under his belt, had only made Racing at that level.

What was more, Shen Shanden already had his name attached to a massive production worth over a hundred million, just waiting to be claimed.

He was no ordinary rookie director anymore!

Shen Shanden pushed open his front door and found Da Mimi packing her things.

It was not the weekend.

"Where are you going?"

Da Mimi said nothing. Tears welled in her eyes as she put her acting skills to use.

"How much longer are you going to lie to me?"