I think that the producer is the one that sets the style of how a serial is filmed. The director then takes the producer's vision of the film and puts it on camera. If I'm correct, a director is just responsible for capturing what's on camera, whereas the producer is the one that works on the final presentation and editing of the film. Correct me if I'm wrong. And I agree with you that ZJZ is not a good story-teller. How he tells his story is analogous to someone reading out loud in monotone (lacking excitement). That's bound to put the audience to sleep.
But Li Guo Li, on the other hand, is capable of making films that are upbeat and fun to watch. Just check out Fairy from the Wonderland. It's also beautiful to look at without lacking the excitement factor. I think Li Guo Li's vision of LOCH is going to be more in tune with TVB in the early 80's, and it'll also most likely be accompanied by an awesome soundtrack. Strawberry, have you heard the Chinese Paladin and Fairy from the Wonderland soundtrack? They're really good!