1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 302

"When it comes to Mr. Zhai Yuan, a well-known philanthropist, educator, rising star in the film industry, and Yuen Long District Councillor in Hong Kong, I believe everyone is familiar with him. Recently, Mr. Zhai Yuan submitted his first proposal after taking office. Focusing on his old profession of film and television series, he suggested that relevant units establish a film and television rating system..."

"As we all know, film ratings are an advanced management experience overseas. They can balance the freedom of film creation and establish a protective buffer zone for minors. It is a win-win strategy..."

"Our latest report is that the famous filmmaker Zhai Yuan established the first industry censorship organization - the Hong Kong Film Association, inviting education, film censorship, film and television departments and film industry practitioners to participate in the preparation of film classification-related clauses. There are rumors that the Film Association does not welcome members of the Freedom Association to join. Our reporter interviewed the association's president, Mr. Zhai Yuan, yesterday. He said that the rumor is purely fictitious. The original intention of the association was to improve and perfect the film and television system, not to compete and suppress opponents. The association will reserve the right to pursue the rumor spreader..."

The Hong Kong entertainment industry was extremely lively in April.

The sudden establishment of the Film Association and the rating system that is being drafted are no less than an earthquake to the film and television industry rules that have been operating in accordance with the rules for many years.

Are there any benefits to film ratings?
Obviously the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.

When people in later generations talk about the golden age of Hong Kong films, they often focus on the 1980s, 1990s and 2000s. In fact, Hong Kong films in the 1950s are more worthy of the title of golden age. At that time, Hong Kong ranked third in the world in film production for many consecutive years, second only to the United States and India, and its film exports ranked second in the world, second only to the United States.

The market was huge, so the creative form of "buying trailers" was born. Before the filming started, the producer could get a deposit from the distributor with the cast and script, usually around 50% of the production cost, which directly gave birth to the world's largest Chinese-language film production center at that time.

It was not until the Hong Kong government promulgated the Film Censorship Regulations that it tightened film censorship laws and implemented stricter controls.

Malaysia, which was under the control of British Hong Kong, was under martial law for twelve years.

Most films are reviewed twice or three times under a magnifying glass and are not allowed to be released.

Hong Kong films quickly declined.

Today, the situation has gradually become clearer and the Hong Kong film market has become prosperous again.

But film censorship remains tightened.

There is no fixed rule as to whether a movie can be released; it all depends on the censorship department's preferences.

There was even an outrageous situation where Zhang Guorong and Xia Wenxi's film "Youth in Flames" had its screening license revoked three days after its release, and was required to be re-edited and submitted for review a second time.

It was after the "Youth in Flames" incident that Hong Kong filmmakers began calling for the revision of the outdated "Film Censorship Regulations" from the Cold War era.

According to the original timeline, it was not until the end of 1988 that the Hong Kong government began to listen to opinions and revise the regulations and officially implement the Hong Kong film rating system.

It is now June 1986.

Councillor Zhai Yuan, in collaboration with the foreigners from the Education Department, put forward a proposal that brought forward the introduction of the grading system by two and a half years.

……

"Film ratings are not only a protection for minors, but also a disclaimer for us filmmakers."

Salisbury Road, Tsim Sha Tsui.

A brand new sign of the Hong Kong Film Association is hung in an office building adjacent to Victoria Harbour.

The association's mission is posted on the wall, which states that it promotes and protects the rights of film practitioners and represents the film industry in communicating with the authorities.

Zhai Yuan spoke eloquently in the conference hall, and more than 30 filmmakers were invited to attend.

They are all well-known figures in the Hong Kong film industry.

Zou Wenhuai, Fang Yihua, Shi Nansheng, Wu Siyuan, Fu Lelian, Shi Qiuyi...

Are you an actor? Then you don't even qualify to attend this meeting.
"Since its establishment, 1024 has received numerous complaints. Let me tell you a story about the recent release of 'Mr. Vampire.' A 12-year-old child went to the cinema and was frightened by the scene where the red and white demons collided, giving him a nightmare. The child's parents subsequently sued 1024 Cinema and the 'Mr. Vampire' production team, demanding compensation for the child's emotional distress. The company's legal department is currently following up on the matter."

Zhai Yuan fiddled with the 'President' nameplate in front of him, looked up and smiled, "This kind of thing happens all the time. I'm not going to talk about how strict the film censorship is, but just looking at parent complaints, I'm sure everyone here has encountered it."

The filmmakers present at the meeting smiled helplessly and nodded in agreement.

"So I say the rating system is a disclaimer. There's an R-rated film in the American film classification system. Minors need to be accompanied by their parents to watch it. Buying a ticket is equivalent to signing a consent form. If any accidents occur during the viewing process, the theater chain and the film creators do not have to bear any consequences."

Zhai Yuan continued, "Also, establishing a ratings system would allow for more diverse film productions. Sanhe Film Company releases three Category III films every May, and they actually make quite a bit of money. But in an industry that's so prone to following trends, why are there so few people making these kinds of risqué films?"

All the filmmakers here have the answer to this question.

Who doesn’t know that Zhai Yuan is the big money man behind Sanhe Film Company?
In the absence of a clear grading system in the Film Censorship Office, Sanhe, backed by 1024, became powerful and wealthy.

Even if a Category III film fails to pass the review, they can still make the second and third films and send them for review.

But small and medium-sized film companies don't dare to take such a gamble. Investing a large sum of money to make a film and then having it not be released by the Film Censorship Bureau is like pouring money into the sea.

"So in the long run, the rating system will benefit the industry. I think everyone is willing to attend the meeting today because they hope to promote, facilitate and protect the healthy development of the industry. In addition to participating in the formulation of the rating regulations this time, the Film Association will also have long-term cooperation with the Education Bureau, the Film Censorship Bureau, and the Film and Television Bureau in the future."

Zhai Yuan looked around at the practitioners around him and said, "I have finished speaking. Whether you are willing to join the association or not, you can express your opinion now."

As expected, Shi Nansheng from his own family was the first to raise his hand to express his agreement to join.

Then a group of practitioners backed by 1024 Cinemas also responded.

"The threshold for filming has become lower, and the breadth of subject matter has become wider. Although this will breed a number of bad films, it is generally more inclusive and diverse."

Zou Wenhuai spoke slowly, smiling and nodding at Zhai Yuan: "I am joining this newly established film association on behalf of Jiahe."

As soon as he expressed his opinion, the other half of the practitioners who were still waiting and watching also raised their hands to follow suit.

Finally, there is Fang Yihua, the spokesperson for Zhao Group. Although Zhao Group has reduced production and has hardly been involved in the film industry in the past two years, it is still a giant in the film industry with its own cinema chain.

"People outside say that I'm stingy, so I'm just stingy to the end. I heard that it takes 20 yuan to join the film association? Can you give me a discount, Mr. Zhai?"

Fang Yihua raised her wrist while chatting and laughing, and the last third of the practitioners also raised their hands to vote.

In essence, this is still the attitude of Hong Kong's three major cinema chains.

With the support of Jiahe and Zhao’s family, the film association was officially established.

And that rumor about the Freedom League.

Whether it is true or false, it has indeed made a group of Hong Kong filmmakers feel wary and have begun to think about cutting ties.

Zhai Yuan felt that there was no need to rush and there was no need to break up with the other party now.

The Freedom Federation requires filmmakers to take sides and not to cooperate with mainland China, simply relying on the box office of the Taiwan film market.

Zhai Yuan looked at the faces in the conference room and thought to himself, "Profits are paramount in this industry. A rating system alone won't be enough to make them change sides. When CDs take over the market and their profits are comparable to those of movie tickets, they'll naturally come over."

There is no need to set up an association specifically to attack the Freedom Association.

When you're out there, you rely on your strength. Just like the mainland never had a low-level organization like the Freedom Association, and didn't even bother with them, after their own film market expanded, Taiwan film distributors rushed to release their films in the mainland. At that time, everyone was thinking, "Screw you, this and that, don't delay me from making money..."

…………

Mid April.

Wang Jin placed the first five episodes of "The World's Number One" in front of Zhai Yuan.

Zhou Xingchi's first TV series as the leading actor officially debuts.

The film was shot with Sony's new CineAlta camera, which features high sensitivity, built-in filters, and a split-lens system. The resolution is 480p.

Nine One Entertainment.

The creators gathered in front of the TV to enjoy the new drama.

The rough film has not been carefully edited or dubbed. The fighting scenes are quite exciting under the design of the Yuan family, but without the post-production special effects, it looks a bit awkward.

in the screen.

This is the first time that Stephen Chow has shown his nonsensical acting style, and his portrayal of a gangster is even better than in the original film.

Zhai Yuan nodded silently.

Sure enough, the comedian's talent was buried. He became the top comedy king in the Chinese film industry in later generations. His talent had nothing to do with age. He just lacked an opportunity.

"What do you think of this Zhou Xingchi?"

"He's pretty good. He's very polite on the set, but once we get to know him, he starts making dirty jokes. I don't know how to respond to some of his remarks."

Wang Jin said with a smile: "He has a great talent for comedy. Mr. Zhai has a good eye for talent. He should be a good comedian in the future."

At this time, Xingzai was still like a minion, and Wang Jin was quite satisfied with him.

In the TV screen.

Zhou Xingchi was covered in gold powder and used his Vajra Indestructible Skill for the first time.

Even without the jingle-and-dang post-production dubbing, the performance alone is surprisingly convincing.

When the topic was opened, Wang Jin praised Zhou Xingchi in the tea room, praising his comedic talent and professionalism on the set.

Zhai Yuan recalled that the two men's feud should have started in the early to mid-1990s.

Zhou Xingchi has no intention of becoming a director yet. When there are two people in charge on the set, conflicts are inevitable.

"I'll send the first five episodes to New Vision for post-production special effects. If the market response is good, you can finish filming the remaining episodes, and then hand Zhou Xingchi over to Liu Zhenwei and let him try to shoot the God of Gamblers series, "The Gambler."

Zhai Yuan thought seriously about how to arrange for Zhou Xiaojiang, and finally decided that it would be better for Bodhi Patriarch to cooperate with him.

Looking at all of Zhou Xingchi’s collaborators, almost everyone has a bad relationship with him.

The reason... Well! Give each of them fifty lashes.

Only Liu Zhenwei is an exception.

In order to avoid the risk of the company falling out due to employee issues, Zhai Yuan felt that it was necessary to avoid it in advance.

According to the comedian's personality, as long as there is a rich guy who can suppress him, and someone like Liu Zhenwei who goes along with him, everyone can still work together happily.

But forget about Zhu Yin or anything like that. In the end, it was a mess anyway, so why not let me take on all the conflicts...

…………

In the next few days.

Zhai Yuan discussed and formulated regulations with people from the Film Association, and the number of members joining the association increased day by day, breaking through the 100-person mark.

The draft classification regulations were soon released.

Based on the American system, movies are divided into four levels.

Level 1, suitable for people of all ages, such as "Doraemon".

Level 2A, contains nudity, foul language, violence and other elements, not suitable for children, such as "A Better Tomorrow".

Level 17B, contains clear and obvious nudity, moderate violence, suicide, sexual behavior and other elements, not suitable for teenagers and children under the age of 2, such as "God of Gamblers ".

Level 18, contains a lot of clear descriptions of blood, sexual behavior, and criminal activities, and is only allowed to be viewed by people over years old, such as "Irresistible Passion".

In addition to the four levels, there are other details, such as promotional posters, parental accompaniment, cooperation from the Film Censorship Office, etc., which need not be mentioned in detail.

A draft "Proposal for a Film Censorship Classification System" was quickly submitted to various official departments.

Attached is a poll.

The Film Association interviewed 82 adults, and % of the respondents believed that it was necessary to implement a rating system.

"Once the proposal is submitted, the next step is to wait for official implementation. This process should not take too long. The staff of the Film Censorship Office told me that the rating system will probably be tried out for the first time during this summer."

In the Film Association meeting room, Zhai Yuan clasped his hands together and said, "Thank you for your support in promoting the regulations over the past few days."

After several days of communication, the structure of the Film Association has gradually become clear.

President Zhai Yuan, Vice President Zou Wenhuai, Honorary President Zhao Yifu.

"I just bought this office building from the owner two days ago. In the future, in addition to being the address of the Film Association, we also hope to set up film-related departments on other floors."

Zhai Yuan continued: "The Directors Association, Actors Association, Screenwriters Association... can be gradually established."

Wu Siyuan, the boss of Siyuan Pictures, led the applause.

In the early 1980s, he was trying to set up a directors' association.

At that time, Jiuyi Entertainment had not yet emerged. In order to raise one million yuan for the establishment of the association, Wu Siyuan went to Zhao's, Jiahe, and Silver Princess to raise money.

As a result, I was rejected three times in a row.

Taking advantage of the establishment of the Film Association, Wu Siyuan approached Zhai Yuan again to propose his idea. Zhai Yuan waved his hand and even helped him arrange the venue.

“It’s a blessing for the film industry!”

With the money he earned from the stock market, Zhai Yuan did some good deeds in the film industry. His reputation reached an unprecedented height, and his fans among practitioners were even more than Jiahe.

Zhai Yuan walked out of the Film Association and looked at the office building behind him that he had bought for 200 million Hong Kong dollars, feeling a little sad.

After all, the Hong Kong film industry is too small.

At present, achieving this step is almost the limit, and making movies in the local market is just icing on the cake.

Want to go further.

It also depends on the subsequent release of the CD and whether it can gradually open up the overseas market.

We should also ask for details from the East Asian side. There are still many teachers waiting for the September 1 job creation...

(End of this chapter)