The world begins with Hong Kong movies

Chapter 338 Don’t like it

Wu Feng's takeover of ATV and the emergence of Fengrui Films brought about significant changes to the entertainment industry in Hong Kong and the arts and culture scene in mainland China.

At least, the number of mainland artists working on Hong Kong Island at this time was much greater than in normal times, and their influence was also significantly different.

ATV received over a hundred additional staff members seconded from major mainland film studios and arts organizations.

Most of them are lighting and photography technicians, as well as costume and prop technicians, and a small number are actors and other behind-the-scenes members.

The situation is different at Fengrui Films. In addition to a large number of behind-the-scenes staff, there are many more directors and assistant directors from mainland China.

In fact, there are quite a few directors and assistant directors in major film studios in mainland China, but most of them lack practical experience.

In film studios, without a solid background, getting a directing job before the age of forty is considered quite lucky.

Most of them continued to do odd jobs and accumulate so-called film set experience.

Of course, such accumulation is not without its uses.

Basically, the entire process of a film crew is familiarized before directing, so that when they actually have the opportunity to take the reins, they will not make any basic mistakes.

This is also a characteristic of the older generation of directors; they may not have such a dynamic mindset, but their directing skills are truly solid.

Fengrui Films is looking for directors with solid skills!
The company has no shortage of excellent scripts; what it lacks are talented directors!
Directors on Hong Kong Island are said to be very good at making entertainment films.

In reality, apart from a few directors who have formal film school training, the rest of the directors are most skilled at using toilet humor, just to varying degrees.

Basically, none of them have the ability to film good historical or war movies!
That's right. Fengrui Films has borrowed nearly ten directors from major film studios in mainland China. Some of them have adapted well and are already able to direct low-budget films. That's a skill.

At Fengrui Films, there are complete scripts and a well-established shooting mechanism. As long as the director doesn't have too many personal ideas or ulterior motives, shooting low-budget commercial films is quite easy.

The film performed reasonably well after its release, and more importantly, sales of videotapes and DVDs were also decent, generating some revenue from merchandise sales.

Wu Feng initially didn't have high expectations for directors from mainland China.

For a low-budget film, breaking even or even losing a small amount is considered acceptable, but the situation turned out to be much better than expected.

The directors seconded from mainland film studios were all in their thirties, in their prime, and had no directing opportunities at mainland film studios for a short period of time, but had rich experience on set.

People like Zhang Yimou were just incredibly lucky, and they were also genuinely talented, which is why they were able to stand out so quickly.

In fact, sheer luck played a major role in it.

Whether at the Guangxi Provincial Film Studio or the Guanzhong Film Studio, they encountered benefactors who strongly supported them; otherwise, it wouldn't have been so easy for them to make a name for themselves.

Other young and middle-aged directors, however, were not so lucky.

They have become accustomed to a life of routine and rarely have the drive to act recklessly unless they encounter significant setbacks.

If it weren't for Wu Feng's meddling, some of them would probably have left the film and television industry altogether, their skills going to waste.

The situation is different now. There are quite a few mainland film studios, or rather, people in the arts and culture circle, on Hong Kong Island, and they have a certain influence.

On Hong Kong Island, it's easy to band together for mutual support.

This exchange meeting of mainland artists and cultural figures came about in this way; it can be considered an internal exchange model.

Of course, not just anyone is qualified to attend this internal exchange meeting. You must be someone who has a firm foothold in Hong Kong Island, or a celebrity who already has considerable fame in mainland China.

Zhou Ye and his wife both met the requirements and were naturally invited, so they came.

As soon as I entered, I saw many familiar faces.

Not to mention colleagues from the same film studio, I was also familiar with friends I met while working at ATV, and they all actively participated in the exchange meeting.

Surprisingly, they saw several well-known figures in the arts and culture circles in mainland China.

For example, Zhang Yimou, who has been enjoying immense popularity and even immense success recently, was also present.

Seeing Gong Li beside him, the couple understood what was going on.

Since the film "Red Sorghum" became a huge hit at the awards ceremony, Zhang Yimou has encountered a serious public opinion storm.

It mainly involves his relationship with Gong Li, as well as his relationship with his ex-wife.

In short, Zhang Yimou took Gong Li to Hong Kong Island to find some peace and quiet.

Regardless of what others think of him, Zhang Yimou was surrounded by many people from the mainland's arts and culture circles at this time.

The weight of a renowned director at this moment is clearly quite heavy.

Although Zhou Ye and his wife were somewhat envious, they had no intention of actively approaching them, as the gap in their social standing was too large.

As the couple greeted acquaintances, they chatted quietly: "Director Zhang is so famous, why didn't he join Fengrui Films?"

"Perhaps the terms weren't agreed upon!"

Zhou Ye quickly guessed, "To be honest, the type of films that Director Zhang makes don't have much of a market in Hong Kong!"

"But he's one of the top three directors in Europe!" His wife was a little confused and asked doubtfully, "Fengrui Films is indeed quite famous, but they're not that big of a name, are they?"

"Besides, I heard that the copyright for 'Red Sorghum' sold very well overseas, so it must have made a profit!"

"I don't know about that!"

Zhou Ye was somewhat bewildered; he truly didn't understand the intricacies of the matter.

"I might know some inside information about this!"

Just then, a voice rang out from the side, startling the couple.

They quickly turned their heads and saw that Bald Bear Xingxing was grinning at them.

Even so, the couple shuddered; the guy's face did indeed look rather fierce.

"It's Brother Xiong! You scared me!"

Zhou Ye hurriedly spoke up, and although he was older than Xiong Xingxing, it didn't stop him from smoothly calling him "Brother Xiong".

That's just how realistic the film and television industry is.

At that time, Xiong Xingxing was much more famous than him.

He was among the first group of mainland action actors to join Fengrui Films. He not only participated in the filming of many action and kung fu movies, but was also a major action actor for ATV.

Because of the influence of "Unrestricted Fighting Tournament", ATV started filming the "Ong-Bak" series of TV dramas, which required a large number of action actors.

With his outstanding skills and distinctive appearance, Xiong Xingxing was always a supporting actor or one of the main actors in ATV's action dramas.

In the Hong Kong entertainment industry, Xiong Xingxing would definitely be considered a top-tier third-tier star, and it would be fair to say he's a second-tier action star.

The main reason is that he was doing very well at ATV and also had a good reputation at Fengrui Films.

While the hierarchy within Hong Kong's entertainment industry isn't as clear-cut, it's an undeniable fact that established film actors earn more than television stars.

No one expected that the Ong-Bak game character based on Xiong Xingxing would become so popular.

The sales figures for the surrounding posters, as well as various small cards and trinkets, were quite good, and Xiong Xingxing naturally made a lot of money as a result.

"Haha, sorry, I overheard your conversation and couldn't help but speak up!"

Xiong Xingxing touched his bald head, feeling rather embarrassed to speak.

"It's ok!"

Zhou Ye quickly waved his hand and asked curiously, "Judging from what Brother Xiong said, it seems that he knows the inside story. Can you reveal a little bit about it?"

Now, even his wife, who hadn't said much until now, showed a curious expression.

"There's nothing I can't say!"

Xiong Xingxing waved his hand, but still subconsciously looked around. Seeing that not many people were paying attention, he walked to a corner before speaking, "Fengrui Film and Television originally intended to cooperate with Director Zhang!"

"However, this idea was rejected outright by the big boss shortly after it was proposed!"

"Oh, why is the big boss like this?"

Zhou Ye's curiosity was now at its peak.

"The big boss made it very clear!"

Xiong Xingxing subconsciously licked her lips and explained softly, "If Director Zhang hasn't succeeded yet, the collaboration still has a very promising future!"

"But now that Director Zhang is so successful, there's not much possibility of collaboration anymore, at least not in the short term!"

Seeing the puzzled looks on Zhou Ye and his wife's faces, he couldn't help but smile wryly and said, "To be honest, the big boss doesn't really like the movie 'Red Sorghum'!"

Ignoring the shocked expressions on Zhou Ye and his wife's faces, Zhou Ye continued, "The film's artistic merit is certainly not bad, but the self-deprecation it makes of mainlanders is an undeniable fact!"

"Especially that scene where they urinate while mixing drinks. If we Chinese watched it, we'd just chuckle. But in the eyes of foreigners, it's barbaric and uncivilized. If mainland Chinese liquor wants to sell well abroad in the future, it's just a pipe dream!"

Zhou Ye and his wife were stunned. Could it be understood like that?
But then I thought about it again. Foreigners don't understand certain customs and habits of the mainland. Their impression of the mainland comes from movies, so they naturally think that the mainland is like whatever they see.

However, this understanding conflicts greatly with their years of education, and they were at a loss for words.

At this moment, Xiong Xingxing continued: "The big boss said that Director Zhang has succeeded with 'Red Sorghum,' and it's been a huge success!"

"Going forward, we will definitely continue with this shooting model and continue to be successful—that's for sure!"

Upon hearing this, Zhou Ye and his wife nodded subconsciously, but their hearts were also filled with unease, as such a situation was very likely to occur.

"Our company mainly focuses on producing commercial films, so it's not really a good time to work with Director Zhang right now. We can work together when Director Zhang decides he wants to make a commercial film!"

After saying this, Xiong Xingxing quickly parted ways with the couple.

(End of this chapter)