Traditional rule-based supernatural tales present you with a few rules, allowing you to break free without violating them; while Sheng Wenzhi's novels first force you to break the rules, forcing you to desperately search for a way to escape. After paying a heavy price, you discover that you couldn't escape at all and had already become part of the rules.
The former is for pure enjoyment, while the latter, in pursuit of ultimate horror, after countless twists and turns and terror, only delivers a despairing ending where the protagonist's efforts are all in vain. Individual efforts are proven futile, and all resistance and testing of the rules ultimately become boomerangs piercing the protagonist's body... It's purely written as a form of revenge against society.
Although it is written in a way that is truly painful to read, Sheng Wenzhi's novel is actually a dark and twisted version of "Strange Tales of Rules".
Shang Ye tentatively asked, "What do you think about adapting it into a movie?"
"..." Ji Juntao neither outright rejected nor agreed, "It's quite good. You haven't played this type of lead role before, so it's not bad. As for the cost and special effects, how much could a general store possibly have? But—"
"But what?"
Ji Juntao glanced at Shang Yechu and said slowly, "Have you thought about the censorship issue?"
Shang Yechu frowned: "Of course I've thought about that. Wouldn't it be better to add a scene at the beginning or end where the protagonist is in a mental hospital or having a dream? If that doesn't work, we can have the protagonist sitting in a holographic experience pod experiencing a newly launched horror game."
Although ghosts are prohibited, in practice, horror films, like time-travel dramas, still have a lot of room for maneuver. As long as a veil is drawn around the subject, they can be presented in a way that's almost like self-deception. Audiences will also show tolerance and understanding.
"How could I not know that? That's not what I meant. A lot of the scenes in here are R-rated." Ji Juntao twirled the paper. "There's no rating system in China, so we have to be even more careful. This, this, and this..."
Ji Juntao picked up a pen and marked some lines on the paper. "These scenes are risky to pass censorship. If we want to film them, we'll definitely have to make changes."
"Thump!"
A muffled thud came from Shang Yechu's study.
Ji Juntao looked back and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Maybe something fell off the shelf." Shang Yechu chuckled dryly, raising her voice slightly. "Could you not change it, but instead hint at it in a more subtle way?"
“That really tests a director’s skill.” Ji Juntao rubbed his chin. “If it’s not done well, it won’t scare the audience; instead, it will become a boring moment.”
The study fell silent.
"Do you really think this novel can be adapted into a movie?" Shang Yechu was somewhat surprised. Everyone knows how bad horror movies are at the box office. Even Shang Yechu was only thinking about establishing his own school of thought, not about making a fortune from this movie.
"Why are you asking me about the novel you chose?" Ji Juntao put the printed paper back on the coffee table. "I think... it should be fine? This novel is quite good. It's not like those horror movies from recent years where the brother-in-law kills the sister, the younger brother-in-law falls in love with the sister-in-law's best friend, and takes revenge by giving the murderer hallucinogens. Horror novels usually don't scare me. But this book even gave me the creeps."
"Should?" Ji Juntao rarely used this word, and Shang Yechu found it strange. "It sounds like he doesn't have much confidence."
Ji Juntao's tone was somewhat uncertain: "It's scary enough. Isn't the scariest part of a horror movie the better? Foreign films like 'Silent,' 'Puppet,' and 'Dead Dream' are still getting a lot of discussion even after more than a decade. The commentary on Pi has tens of millions of views."
While Ji Juntao has a keen eye for talent, he's not omnipotent. He naturally has extensive experience identifying successful genres like romance and serious dramas, knowing which scripts will be hits and which will launch stars. However, the horror film market in China is a complete wasteland, with everyone flopping to the ends of the earth, leaving Ji Juntao with no reference points.
Therefore, Ji Juntao could only deduce linearly that the scarier the horror film, the better the film, and the more likely it was to be a box office hit.
Besides, the domestic horror film market has been desperately thirsty for more. It's basically in a phase where anything that's not too bad is considered exceptionally good. Unfortunately, even films that are at least "not too bad" are extremely rare.
The plot of "The Rules Grocery Store" is certainly not bad. If a reliable person is found to direct it, even if the box office is not good, it will still generate a lot of buzz.
Shang Yechu also thought of this: "It's good to generate discussion. The Taiwanese film 'The Woman Who Resents' was not even released in mainland theaters last year, and its box office was only tens of millions. But the discussion on Weibo and Green Petal has been very active."
"The film industry is still more prestigious than the television industry," Ji Juntao said, tapping his palm. "But the script for 'Moonlight Window' is alright..."
Ji Juntao has fallen into his old habit of wanting both things at once. Shang Yechu has plenty of experience in dealing with this.
"When can't we film a modern romance?" Shang Yechu began to bewitch Ji Juntao. "The prototype of 'Moonlight Window' is obviously Su Ge and You Jinghua. Tang Fen and Ye Ya are already entangled in a complicated relationship. If I go and film this movie, do you want me to spend the rest of my life competing with Su Ge for a man in the eyes of passersby?"
The words "stealing a man" clearly disgusted Ji Juntao, freezing the hesitant expression on his face.
The words may be rough, but the principle is sound.
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