Latest update October 21st, 2015 12:41 PM
Veteran Screenwriter Shu Huan Talks About Screenwriting In China
Shu Huan is the screenwriter of LOST IN THAILAND, a story of two businessmen searching for their boss in Thailand, was a box office miracle in China (over $200 billion). This film ushered China into a new era of homemade blockbusters and an explosion of local tastes. Shu also wrote LOST IN HONGKONG, a new comic film to be released soon in 2015.
The screenwriters deserve more attention than they are given.
Screenwriting in China
The first film I wrote was CALL FOR LOVE starring Xu Zheng in 2006. It got an investment of $322,000; with advertisement, we had a budget of $644,000. The film did fairly well, scoring $1.93 million in total. The film market back then was plain and calm. A large number of screenwriters were writing TV series and I could not even name one professional screenwriter.
Even for writers like Liu Zhenyun and Wang Shuo who only co-operate with director Feng Xiaogang are not technically professional screenwriters. Professional ones should be able to adapt to different genres instead of tailoring scripts for one or two.
It is very different now. First of all, the Chinese film market is experiencing a huge surge. Secondly, screenplays have been given more attention. With the rapid development of TV series, quite a number of A-list writers have dive into the TV industry, but the picture of screenwriting in China is still a blur. The screenwriters’ paychecks vary tremendously. Some may only get $5,000 to $8,000 for one script. I have even seen one contract saying that the company would not pay until the film is finished shooting. It’s hard for writers to defend their rights in today’s environment. A lot of work may have been put into a script and then the project is shut down without much explanation. Though China produces 500 to 600 films a year, only less than half get the chance for national theatrical release. Each year, there are about 30 films that can succeed at the box office.
Currently, all the major production houses have already begun to put emphasis on scripts and gradually build their own project development team, but most knockoff companies and speculators still don’t pay much attention to screenplays even though. If the industry wants to develop, then screenwriters should be respected.
The training of screenwriters
I learned more about screenwriting after my graduation from the Central Academy of Drama (CAD). CAD sees itself as a top learning institution, focusing on masters rather than techniques, so not many practical techniques about how to actually write a script are taught at school. I also work with a number of writers that once majored in computer science or finance.
After all, I respect a certain creative rules. I am always slower than planned, but this is my way: to let it simmer. I am also trying to balance these two things. One way is to expand my team by partnering with more great writers – we are now a team of over a dozen screenwriters.
New film project
My focus in 2015 is a film about a journey in India, a co-production with Oriental DreamWorks, which is based on a German comic novel. This film might later be remade into a Hollywood movie.
The way DreamWorks works is quite different from that in China. They take the story very seriously. For example, if learning one famous actor is interested in a story, a Chinese company would decide to sign a contract right away, but not Dreamworks. They put the story before anything else.
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