1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 275: Start Again

The powerful combination of Yuan Heping and Xu Qi did not disappoint Zhai Yuan.

The two of them only spent half a day together studying, but the following fight scene by Liang Xiaolong and Yuan Xiangren already had 70% of its spirit.

In the heyday of action movies, the action director was required to have complete control over the filming of an action scene, including participating in post-production editing, and his role was even more important than that of the director.

A big part of the reason why the four martial arts instructors who work overtime are so strong is that they are deeply involved in the filming of the movie, and some of them themselves come from a filmmaking background. They can start from the perspective of the creator, and it is not just as simple as designing actions.

……

Under the firelit night sky, there was danger lurking everywhere.

Yan Zhendong (Liang Xiaolong) tumbles and rolls like a northern boxer. His moves are not fancy, but he completely suppresses Master Yue (Yuan Xiangren).

In less than three moves, Master Yue was beaten to the point of vomiting blood and drawing his sword.

Sect Leader Yue rolled over on the ground, assuming a low defensive stance with his sword held horizontally, blood from the corners of his mouth dripping down his beard.

Yan Zhendong acted like a proud master: "Master Yue, if you can't win three moves, draw your sword. If you continue, someone might die. Forget it."

……

"Okay, Cut!" Xu Qi shouted, then turned to ask Zhai Yuan and Yuan Heping: "How is it?"

Zhai Yuan nodded: "Almost, let's do it according to this idea."

Yuan Heping went over to discuss with Xu Kui again. Xu Kui asked the makeup artist to re-apply makeup to the actor, clapped his hands and shouted, "OK, let's shoot another take for the previous scene as a backup. Shoot a close-up of Master Yue getting hit and vomiting blood. The stand-in actor will get ready to take position. Later, we'll shoot a shot of Master Yue flying out and falling into the fire..."

The staff of the Hong Kong crew have clear division of labor. They are all veterans who have been immersed in the film industry for many years. They are usually cheerful and joking, but they show strong professionalism as soon as they start working.

A director from the mainland who visited the filming site sighed: "They dared to start filming without even planning the action. I was afraid that the actors would make mistakes and these tens of seconds of film would be wasted."

"Yes, it all depends on the temporary collision on the spot. No wonder Hong Kong movies cost millions of dollars to produce. I guess a lot of film is wasted."

"Chen Zhen and this unknown martial arts teacher are both very good. They got into the role very quickly and there is no trace of academic performance."

"The director and photographer are also amazing. They used the camera very skillfully, shooting with two cameras in front and behind, leaving room for editing for the stand-ins and props..."

Limited by the shooting conditions at that time, the film production in the mainland was relatively simple, so most of them were drama and art films.

But the directors’ vision and ideas are not at all behind, and they can analyze dozens of seconds of shooting shots in detail.

Zhou Xuejun smiled and asked Zhai Yuan: "What do you think of our directors? Let me introduce them to you. This is Director Xing of "Mountain Chrysanthemums", and these two are Director Liu and Director Chen of "Black Triangle". You should be familiar with Director Xie Jin, whose film "Garland under the Mountain" was shown in the Hong Kong Shuangnan Cinema Line."

To be honest, Zhai Yuan didn’t have a deep understanding of the older generation of mainland filmmakers. It was only the fifth-generation directors such as Yimou and Kaige that became his familiar area.

However, I was still a little surprised when I heard the name Xie Jin.

The Reflection Trilogy is too famous, and "The Garland under the Mountain" is the best of all domestic war films. At this time, Xie Jin was a leading figure in the mainland film industry.

Zhou Xuejun put his arm around his shoulder and added in a low voice: "Director Xie Jin is an old leader of our Federation of Literary and Art Circles. His words are more effective than mine."

Zhai Yuan raised his eyebrows, and wanted to be reserved and polite, but when he heard this, he immediately threw the bicycle steel bar in his hand and handed over a cigarette: "Hello, Mr. Xie, hello, I have watched your plays since I was a child, and my decision to enter the film industry today is largely influenced by you."

Zhou Xuejun almost thought that he had learned face changing, and thought that there was no need to be so deliberate.

Zhai Yuan knew very well that although the identity of a Hong Kong compatriot was useful, the county magistrate was not as good as the current one. Besides, he was just a worthless county magistrate and was at most a wealthy local gentry.

"Huang Feihong" was fine, but if you want to shoot "Mr. Vampire", a movie with feudal superstitious themes smoothly in the mainland, you have to deal with the Federation of Literary and Art Circles and ask them to help smooth the relationship.

Xie Jin, who was in his early sixties, took the cigarette. Zhai Yuan wanted to light it for him, but the old man quickly waved his hand to refuse.

At this time, all the Hong Kong businessmen and foreign capital coming to the mainland were arrogant and conceited. Suddenly, someone like Zhai Yuan appeared and behaved like that, which made everyone feel uncomfortable.

Zhai Yuan didn't take it seriously and asked with a smile, "Does Teacher Xie have any new films coming out this year?"

Xie Jin was smoking a cigarette and spoke with a southern accent: "I just got a script together. I don't think I can finish it this year. Let's see if I can finish it next year."

Zhai Yuan asked: "What type of movie?"

Xie Jin said: "It is adapted from Gu Hua's novel of the same name, Furong Town. I don't know if you have seen it. It is a period drama."

Zhai Yuan nodded silently: "I heard about it. Have the actors been selected?"

"This drama is about a female perspective. The female lead has been confirmed to be Liu Xiaoqing, but the male lead is still being selected."

Xie Jin smiled and said, "There is a newcomer named Jiang Wen who is about your age and looks older than you. I think he is quite suitable."

Zhai Yuan thought to himself that it was definitely him, and he shouldn’t change to anyone else!

The play "Furong Town" is to be marketed in the Asian market, and currently only Liu Xiaoqing can shoulder this responsibility. At this time, most Asian audiences are unfamiliar with mainland actors, but Liu Xiaoqing has become the hottest mainland star in the Chinese-language film market because she has played in two Qing Dynasty historical blockbusters directed by Li Hanxiang.

As for Jiang Wen, although he is still a newcomer, he has been spotted by a group of directors including Xie Jin. Whether he is invited to make a movie depends on his mood. It is definitely a good start.

"When will our play start filming?"

"I don't know the details yet. We have to wait for the funds from Huangpu Film Studio to be allocated."

"Tsk! Teacher Xie, I really want to learn about film from you." Zhai Yuan thought for a moment and said, "How about this? I'll invest some money in this movie, and you can give me a chance to visit the set and learn. It would be best if I could have a name on it or something."

There were smart people all around him, and they could all understand the meaning behind his words. It was obvious that he wanted to be deeply tied to Xie Jin or the Federation of Literary and Art Circles.

Many people felt that Zhai Yuan's actions were unnecessary.

The mainland film market is not profitable. Jet Li's "Shaolin Temple" is said to have grossed tens of millions or even over 100 million yuan, but in fact it has little to do with the film producers. The recovery of the investment is entirely dependent on box office sales from overseas.

While everyone is trying hard to get into the Hong Kong market, Zhai Yuan turns around and tries to squeeze into the mainland market, which is somewhat wrong.

But at the same time, they also cast envious glances at Xie Jin.

The old guy's luck has turned, and he actually hooked up with the God of Wealth of Hong Kong.

When Xie Jin heard that he wanted to invest money, his eyes lit up: "The producer of this play was originally Director Tang of Huangpu Film Studio. Mr. Zhai is willing to pay, so I asked her to put the producer's signature on you."

Zhai Yuan nodded and said, "What's the budget for this play?"

Xie Jin said: "The budget is 600,000 yuan, half of which has been raised so far, and the remaining half is waiting for Huangpu Film Studio to approve the money. However, the studio cannot come up with so much money at once. I estimate that there will still be a deficit of 100,000 yuan. We have to wait for them to borrow money from the bank while we shoot."

Yuan Heping, who was beside me, didn't know the market conditions in the mainland, so he was a little surprised to hear the price.

Six hundred thousand RMB to make a movie, or an experimental short film?
Zhai Yuan explained to him: "The actors and sets in the mainland are relatively cheap, the production costs are basically spent on filming, and the prices are also low."

Now is the era of planned economy, mainland actors generally only get the standard salary of their unit, with a labor fee at most. Huangpu Film Studio is richer than Yanjing Film Studio, and offers higher remuneration, giving an extra five yuan a day for accommodation and two yuan for supper.

Generally speaking, the average filming period of a movie is one year, and the leading actor earns about 1,500 yuan, which is equivalent to the total income of an ordinary working class person for three to five years.

This is not low by comparison, but compared with the tens or millions of dollars that actors from other places receive, it seems a bit meager.

"Let's not bother Huangpu Film Studio. It's going to be very troublesome for them to get a loan from the bank."

Zhai Yuan whispered to Yuan Heping for a few words, then turned to Xie Jin and said, "I will invest 300,000 yuan in this film first, and I will make up for it later if the investment is not enough."

Upon hearing this, the eyes of the surrounding mainland directors all lit up.

Xie Jin had not expected Zhai Yuan to be so wealthy. His bottom line was still at 100,000 yuan, but Zhai Yuan tripled the price and took up half of the production costs.

After a moment of shock, he said, "Then let's sign a contract and split the profits after the movie is sold, right?"

Zhai Yuan said righteously: "No need, I will hand over my share to the country!"

Everyone was in awe!

…………

A fight scene in "Huang Feihong" lasting several minutes was filmed until dawn.

At daybreak, the crew brought in several sprinkler trucks, planning to shoot a shot in which Yan Zhendong stands alone in the rain with a desolate look on his face after killing Master Yue, with the bonfire behind him wet and extinguished by the rain, symbolizing that the justice in his heart is gradually eroding.

Zhai Yuan couldn't bear it anymore, yawning and saying goodbye to everyone.

Behind him, a group of mainland film producers and directors came to see him off, each of them wanting to say something but stopping themselves.

As soon as Zhai Yuan left, everyone turned their eyes to Zhou Xuejun, rubbing their hands in anticipation: "Old Zhou, you are familiar with Boss Zhai, can you also attract some investment for our factory..."

Zhai Yuan was completely unaware of all this.

While riding back to the hotel, I was still thinking about "Furong Town" and called Xiang Jiang. Shi Nansheng sounded sleepy on the other end of the line.

"What's up, boss? You're calling so early."

"I'll give you a mainland public account, and transfer 300,000 Hong Kong dollars from the company account..."

After explaining everything to Shi Nansheng, Zhai Yuan threw himself on the bed, yawned and stretched.

"How much did you get? I might as well ask Xie Jin to introduce Jiang Wen to me next time."

Zhai Yuan invested 300,000 yuan in "Furong Town" without asking for anything in return, which is a noble act.

In fact, he is not optimistic about the box office of this movie, so just getting the credit of producer is enough.

As soon as this film was released in Hong Kong, it broke the highest box office record for mainland films in Hong Kong.

But the total box office was only over 7 million.

As for the mainland, there is no need to mention it. The current sales model of mainland movies is that the bulk of the revenue does not come from the box office share, but from the sale of copies by the studios. One copy requires at least 100,000 viewers to recover the cost. In order to maximize the use of the copies, there will be special film runners running around, taking the copies to various places for screening. If the copies are damaged during the screening, all the previously counted data will be lost.

All the mainland movies that claimed to have box office revenues of over 100 million yuan in later generations were actually math problems calculated based on the number of moviegoers and ticket prices, which is actually far from that simple.

Zhai Yuan once asked Zhou Xuejun: "I heard that Shaolin Temple has made hundreds of millions in the mainland?"

Zhou Xuejun rolled his eyes and said, "What bullshit! If a movie could really make hundreds of millions, our Federation of Literary and Art Circles would be able to shit and piss on the head of the Merchants Bureau, and the mainland film industry would have become a key support project long ago, and film studios wouldn't have to go to banks for loans to make films."

This logic was much clearer than Zhai Yuan's own guesses, and he felt relieved immediately.

It turns out that if you want to make money by making movies in the mainland, you will have to wait a few more years.

The 1990s was a dividing line, 2008 was a big dividing line, and 2012 was a super dividing line...

Later came the era of big rice washing. The mainland film industry began to flourish, white gloves emerged one after another, and three generations of people with the surnames Zhao, Fan and Jia took over and started the laundry business.

Just endure it.

Zhai Yuan was lying on the bed, thinking randomly. He decided to make himself familiar with the mainland first and wait for the carriage of the future to arrive so that he could take a ride.

…………

5 month 24 day.

The filming of "Once Upon a Time in China" is progressing in an orderly manner.

Another film, "Mr. Vampire", was almost ready, and Xu Guanying rushed over from Hong Kong at a leisurely pace to meet his master Lam Ching-ying and his senior brother Tsun Lung.

"Xu Guanying is here, why hasn't my Guan Zhilin come yet?"

In Zhai Yuan's mind, Xu Guanying is far less important than Aunt Thirteen. After the crew was gathered, he took a group photo with all the members of "Mr. Vampire".

The photo was taken two days ago when Shi Nansheng called him back and asked him to take a photo and mail it back to Hong Kong.

The specific reason was not mentioned.

Zhai Yuan pulled Xu Guanying over and asked, "Brother Guanying, what big things have happened in Hong Kong recently?"

Xu Guanying smiled and said, "The newspaper said that you, Mr. Zhai, were killed in the mainland... It means that it is unlucky."

Zhai Yuan thought for a moment, and considering Shi Nansheng's evasive behavior in asking him for the photo, he immediately guessed most of what was going on.

This woman is sacrificing me just to promote Xu Qi's "The Invisible Woman"?
Zhai Yuan didn't know whether he was the first filmmaker to be "killed" in the Chinese-language film industry in the era before the rise of the Internet.

"Attention all units, the filming of Mr. Zombie will officially begin tomorrow. Hey, go buy some incense, candles, gold ingots, roosters, and red cloth for paying homage to the gods. Today, worship the four directions first..."

After taking the group photo, Liu Zhenwei acted like a director and ordered the staff around.

Offering thanks to gods before the start of filming is also a tradition among Hong Kong filmmakers. The employees around are used to it and have no reaction.

How does Zhai Yuan take care of people? His keen insight instantly sensed that something was wrong.

Glancing at Zhou Xuejun beside him, he indeed looked a little embarrassed and seemed to be hesitant to speak.

Zhai Yuan immediately stepped forward and kicked Liu Zhenwei on the butt: "Oh, God of Chou Me! Don't practice feudal superstition in front of me. Thorough materialism is fearless!"

(End of this chapter)