1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 282: Talking about Maoshan on the Set

When Zhai Yuan walked out of the cinema, he was still thinking that if the movie "The Happy Yellow Handkerchief" had just ended with a yellow handkerchief, the boys and girls in the cinema would not have cried continuously.

But the director arranged for him to be hung up everywhere.

"This movie is so delicate and detailed. I think it's more touching than 'The Call of the Mountain'."

"Can Ken Takakura reform and become a new man after spending time in prison? What will he do if he can't find a job?"

"The story is very plain, but when I saw those yellow handkerchiefs at the end, I couldn't help crying."

The students walked out of the cinema talking about it, still immersed in the plot of the last scene of the movie, and immersed in the separations and reunions, joys and sorrows of the characters in the play. This is the simple emotion of people in this era.

Japanese directors are at the forefront of world cinema in making literary and artistic pure love films, just like their romantic action films.

A simple theme: No need to change, just be yourself.

This style continued in Oriental literary works many years later.

Zhai Yuan felt that at least most of the directors in his company were unable to make this type of movie.

"But it's not certain. Wang Jiawei still has hope. Wu Yusen, Wang Jin and Liu Zhenwei definitely have no chance. Xu Qi may be able to."

Xu Qi's films focus on family and country feelings under the grand narrative, especially the "Once Upon a Time in China" currently released in September.

Moon Lee, who was standing beside her, was also sobbing and wiping away tears as she said, "The relationship between Ken Takakura and Chieko Baisho is so touching. If my boyfriend ever ends up in jail, I'll hang yellow handkerchiefs all over the door and wait for him to come back."

Zhai Yuan gave her a sidelong glance and asked, "Where did you get your boyfriend?"

Moon Lee was stunned, then cried even louder.

Zhai Yuan quickly comforted her with kind words, took Li Saifeng into his arms, and wiped her chest and patted her back.

The lady buying tickets at the counter couldn't stand it any longer and knocked on the table to remind him, "Be careful of the consequences. If this had happened two years earlier, I would have charged you with hooliganism and jailed you."

Zhai Yuan looked up and smiled, hugged Li Saifeng and said, "Let's go, big sister, thank you for the pea yellow."

Out of the cinema, in the car.

Li Saifeng's emotions gradually stabilized. Thinking of the scene where Zhai Yuan had just molested her, she blushed and gave him a cold look.

Zhai Yuan remained calm, handed over a tissue, and asked with concern, "Are you feeling better?"

Moon Lee took the tissue, blew her nose without any image, and said in a muffled voice: "I should have watched a comedy earlier. I was cheated into crying so many tears."

Zhai Yuan didn’t know if there were any comedy films in the mainland at the moment, but even if there were, Hong Kong people would probably find it difficult to get the jokes due to the cultural differences.

He casually said, "It's better to be deceived by a movie than by a man."

Moon Lee raised her eyebrows and looked straight at Zhai Yuan, asking, "Will you lie to me?"

Zhai Yuan raised his eyebrows and smiled: "I'm a little special. I won't cheat you out of money, but I can try to cheat you out of sex."

…………

It was already nightfall when we drove back to the set.

Lights were on in the yard and there were special staff guarding it.

The subject matter of the play "Mr. Vampire" is special, and there are even more people watching the set than the crew of "Huang Feihong", for fear that the image of a zombie would be seen by fellow villagers and rumors would spread that the city of Yanjing is haunted.

Zhai Yuan took the lead and walked into the yard.

Moon Lee followed behind him like a little wife.

A jib camera brought from Hong Kong was placed in the yard, cooperating with the photographer in the detention room in the back room to shoot the scenes from different angles.

"How is the shooting going?"

Zhai Yuan entered the courtyard and saw a few figures lying in the corner, looking inside. He pushed through the crowd and went over to watch the fun.

Wang Xiaofeng stared intently at Zun Long, who was evading and maneuvering in the detention room, and said perfunctorily, "Oh my god, there was a problem with the props and they had to do it once. Lin Zhengying and Lou Languang had to do it twice, one forgot the line and the other laughed. But Zun Long was able to hold the stage and there were no problems."

The martial artist next to him said, "No, it's just that John Lone's moves weren't good enough. Master Yuen Woo-ping also NGed him once."

Wang Xiaofeng complained: "This is a problem that the martial arts instructor did not communicate clearly in advance."

The martial artist from Yuan's troupe was unhappy and was about to retort.

Zhai Yuan patted the martial artist on the shoulder and said, "Shut up, brother. Can't you see that she is in heat now?"

They were whispering by the window.

Inside the house, filming continued.

……

The captain Awei, played by Lou Languang, had just torn off the yellow talisman on Luo Jiaying's forehead when the latter sat up from the bed.

In order to contrast with Lam Ching-ying, John Lone deliberately cut his hair short and looked more ordinary than usual. When he saw Lou Lan Guang coming towards him with a gun in hand and a grin on his face, he waved his hands anxiously.

"Watch out behind you!"

"Behind me? Behind me is my cousin's husband..."

Lou Languang is also a powerful supporting actor, especially in this era, he is willing to work hard to improve himself. When he was invited by Jiuyi, after reading the script, he secluded himself for a long time in private to figure out the role of Awei. He was completely different from the sleepwalking look when he later starred in web dramas.

Reaching out and touching Luo Jiaying who was pretending to be dead behind him, Lou Languang screamed in an exaggerated manner, turned around and kicked Luo Jiaying in the chest, then stepped back and sat down on the nail board covered with sharp needles.

Under the command of Yuan Heping, the props team dragged the wire.

Lou Lan Guang made an expression of pain and flew up from the nail board.

Then he made a mistake in his movements and his whole body was dangling in the air by the wire.

……

"CUT!"

Liu Zhenwei stood behind the photographer, crossed his arms, and helplessly called out, "Brother Guang, you're still saying you can do it? When you jump up, find the right angle, ride on Luo Jiaying's shoulders, and point your penis towards his mouth!"

The prop masters stepped forward and helped Lou Languang remove the wire.

He scratched his head and smiled awkwardly: "Sorry, Director, I'll practice it first and try again later."

Liu Zhenwei shook his head and said, "There's no time for you to practice. Big Eyes, find a skilled stunt double and exchange clothes with him."

Yuan Heping made an OK gesture and called a member of the Yuan Clan: "Ah Zhong, you go ahead."

The martial artist called Ah Zhong was of similar build to Lou Lan Guang. He agreed and walked forward to Lou Lan Guang and said with a smile: "Brother Guang, you can't earn this money, so let me do it."

Lou Languang had no choice but to unbutton his clothes and take off his police officer's uniform, leaving him with only his inner lining and a pair of boxer shorts.

Throwing the clothes into the hands of martial artist Ah Zhong, Lou Lan Guang said angrily: "How can I not do such a simple move? Forget it, I'll give you 200 yuan!" Outside the house.

window.

"Monster! This Loulan Guang is such a waste of time."

Wang Xiaofeng muttered something while lying on the windowsill. Then she turned to look at Zhai Yuan and Li Saifeng with a teasing look in her eyes: "How's it going, Mr. Zhai? You and Saifeng are back so soon. Has it not started yet or has it already ended?"

Although she was only in her twenties, she was a gangster after all, and her jokes were all about sex, which made Moon Lee feel embarrassed.

Zhai Yuan rolled his eyes: "Guess?"

Wang Xiaofeng glanced down at Moon Lee's straight legs, thoughtfully saying, "Looks like nothing happened."

As he was speaking, he pulled Moon Lee aside and interrogated her.

"I gave you the chewing gum, but you haven't opened it yet?"

"No."

"You're so useless! You should be more proactive!"

"I don't see you taking the initiative towards Zun Long?"

"Haha~ When we get back to Hong Kong, I'll go to the Walled City and buy him a bottle of Spanish fly spray. I'll let you know what initiative means."

Wang Xiaofeng frowned and sniffed when she said this, then moved closer to Moon Lee's face and sniffed: "Why does your mouth smell fishy when you talk? Did Zhai Yuan take you to eat seafood?"

……

Once the martial artist was changed, the subsequent filming went much more smoothly.

A Zhong from the Yuan family put on Lou Lan Guang's clothes and performed his movements in one go after turning on the camera.

He took two steps back and sat on the nail board, then when the wire pulled him, he flew into the air and sat steadily on Luo Jiaying's shoulders.

The zombie played by Luo Jiaying has very high professional qualities. Even with her mouth and nose facing Ah Zhong's crotch, the expression on her face remains unchanged, and she opens her mouth and bites forward viciously.

Ah Zhong quickly reached out and pressed his forehead.

Luo Jiaying raised her arms.

The props team pulled the wire rope again, and Ah Zhong looked like he was thrown out and fell heavily on a prop wooden table, smashing the table into pieces.

"CUT!" Liu Zhenwei was very satisfied with the handling of the shot. He turned to Lou Languang and said, "Just add a few close-ups later and it will be fine."

Yuan Heping came over with a frown and discussed with Liu Zhenwei: "I think that Zhong's fall just now wasn't hard enough. Why don't we reshoot it to compare the effect?"

When the two of them got together to discuss.

Zhai Yuan walked in from outside.

"Isn't it heavy enough? I saw from outside that he fell pretty well."

Zhai Yuan picked up a table leg from the ground, patted it in his hands and said, "It's almost done. It will hurt if the plane wood falls, so be careful not to get hurt."

Martial artist Ah Zhong rubbed his waist and said with a smile: "It's okay, Mr. Zhai, we can shoot it again."

Zhai Yuan admired the professionalism of these martial artists. Later, when he opened a film and television company, he could even stop the crew if those fresh-faced stars cut their fingers.

However, this kind of thing has its pros and cons. As the industry progresses, safety is definitely the first priority. At this time, Hong Kong martial artists are risking their lives like this. Although many beautiful action scenes have been filmed, there are also many deaths, injuries and paralysis every year.

"Come on! It's just a scene, not a life-threatening one. Besides, I saw it outside, and the fall just now was really effective."

Zhai Yuan said something to Ah Zhong, then turned to ask Liu Zhenwei, "Is there still a filming location for Uncle Jiu's family that hasn't been finalized?"

Liu Zhenwei nodded and said, "Yes, our friends from the Federation of Literary and Art Circles helped us choose a few old houses, but when the owners heard that we wanted to place a coffin in our house and decorate it in a mysterious way, they refused to lend us the space."

Zhai Yuan said, "I suddenly remembered that there are a few courtyard houses in Yanjing that can be modified at will. I will take you there to see them tomorrow."

Liu Zhenwei said happily: "Great, it would be best if you can decorate it as you like."

Zhai Yuan added, "Also, Zhou Xuejun has contacted the Baiyun Temple and the Dongyue Temple. Tomorrow, he will take you there to visit as well. You can borrow any props you need, and you can also ask the temple masters for some hand gestures for opening the altar."

In the original version of "Mr. Vampire", although the movements of Lin Zhengying's ritual were smooth, they were all made up.

This time we have the help of professionals, so we should be able to do some more research in this area.

Baiyun Temple and Dongyue Temple are both Taoist temples in Yanjing that were rebuilt in the 1980s. Although the Taoist priests there cannot summon wind and rain, they can certainly teach talismans and fortune-telling.

Zhai Yuan instructed: "However, Uncle Jiu's identity should still be set as the descendant of Maoshan as written in the script."

Yuan Heping came up and asked, "Yes, Mr. Zhai, I've always wanted to know where this Maoshan Taoist priest came from. We came from an opera troupe and know a little about religious culture, so how come I've never heard of this sect?"

"Of course it's made up." Zhai Yuan said with a smile, "This kind of fantasy kung fu film should be half-truthful and half-fictional, so that the audience can have a sense of déjà vu and create an atmosphere, just like your "The Thousand Faces of Dunjia" and Hong Xinbao's "Ghost Fighting Ghost", but this time I want to make it more realistic than you."

Truth is the most rare feature of supernatural themes.

As for the word Maoshan, although no one knows it now, after "Mr. Vampire" borrows the talismans and spells from the Taoist temple, this fictional sect will become real, and there will be enthusiastic audiences who will continue to add materials to it.

This was proven true with the original "Mr. Vampire." The film's release catapulted Maoshan into popular culture, while the more authentic Maoshan sect likely fell out of favor. (Disclaimer: The "Maoshan" here does not refer to the Maoshan Sect of mainland China, but rather to the sorcerers and wizards once prevalent in Hong Kong's New Territories, similar to fortune-tellers. The Maoshan Sect is unrelated to the Maoshan School depicted in the film. The distinction between Taoist priests and sorcerers is unclear.)

Liu Zhenwei said: "Since we want to pursue authenticity, why not just give Uncle Jiu a proper Taoist identity? We can borrow things from the Taoist temple anyway."

"Everything else can be true, but this Taoist priest's identity must be fabricated."

Zhai Yuan glanced at Liu Zhenwei without further explanation, but thought in his heart, you have never been sued!
Jin Liangyong wrote about Yu Canghai from the Qingcheng Sect, but he was later stopped from going up the mountain by a group of Taoist priests. I will have to develop the IP of the Maoshan Sect later and change him into an orthodox Taoist priest. Who knows if one day someone will fly to the gate of Jiuyi Entertainment on a sword to hold them accountable?

Yuen Woo-ping said, "What about the monks? Shaolin Temple is still quite popular right now, so it makes sense for monks to catch zombies, right?"

Zhai Yuan waved his hands repeatedly: "Please stop messing around and respect me as the screenwriter!"

You can’t even afford to offend the Taoist priest, so how can you offend the Buddha? Are you kidding me?
Zhai Yuan finally gave a strict order, asking Liu Zhenwei to follow his lines and point out that Lin Zhengying was a Maoshan Taoist priest, so as to facilitate the filming of the sequel of the battle between the Maoshan brothers. No other changes were allowed.

The three of them got together to finish talking about the plot.

Liu Zhenwei called the actors to start filming.

Zhai Yuan asked Yuan Heping who was standing beside him: "How is the progress of the crew of Once Upon a Time in China?"

Yuan Heping replied: "I am here to help the crew. Xu Qi will shoot the drama first. The progress is pretty good. If the fighting scenes go well, we should be able to wrap up in August or September."

Zhai Yuan nodded: "The sooner the better. After Once Upon a Time in China is finished, I want to test the waters in the mainland market first."

A trip to the Yanjing City Cinema tonight gave Zhai Yuan a general understanding of the mainland film market.

Although it is not possible to set up a cinema chain under the current circumstances, we can let the company name of Jiuyi Entertainment take the lead. There is certainly no hope that "Mr. Zombie" will be shown in state-owned cinemas, but "Huang Feihong", a film with family and country feelings, is very suitable.

I wonder what the students in mainland China would think after watching this movie?
(End of this chapter)