Huayu 1995

Chapter 165 You're really blind (Seeking monthly votes at the end of the month)

"Andy Lau... he's certainly got a lot of money!"

Johnnie To's expression was strange.

Back then, to celebrate the birthday of Wong Jing's father, Wong Tin-lam, Benny Chan directed and Johnnie To produced the film "A Moment of Romance".

When Andy Lau took off his helmet in front of the camera, he would always subconsciously fiddle with his hair. As a result, Johnnie To complained to Andy Lau, "That's how your idols are, so concerned about their image."

Andy Lau didn't say much, but when it came to the next shot of him taking off his helmet, he called "cut" himself, stopping the shot so the stylist could fix his hair before filming the next scene.

Johnnie To was furious and accused him of being arrogant.

The male lead in the second film was changed to Aaron Kwok.

Therefore, many people believe that the two have fallen out.

But it's not actually that exaggerated.

Is there ever a time when Johnnie To doesn't swear?

"I believe you need to be rich before you can talk about artistic ideals..."

Su Chao doesn't mind showing his greed. If he were to appear too greedy in mainland China, he might be criticized or even disliked by important figures.

But not in Hong Kong.

This place has elevated materialism to a positive level.

Putting aside everything else, just look at the Miss Hong Kong pageant winners.

The selected beauties either became mistresses or concubines, and they openly competed for favors, even enjoying provoking the original wives.

News reports also mentioned who received expensive jewelry as gifts.

They felt no shame whatsoever.

Therefore, Su Chao's words immediately drew nods of agreement from everyone.

"Come on, let's wish all our movies great box office success!"

Situ Jinyuan picked up his wine glass.

"What are you thinking? Every single one of them is a bestseller, but 'The One' has no chance of making money."

You Dazhi snorted.

His seat is next to Johnnie To's. He was Johnnie To's assistant director in his early days and is now the executive director.

When Su Chao shook hands with him, he noticed that the shop had "Dark Flower".

The price wasn't too high, but Su Chao didn't make a move.

Because this film is probably the one with the strongest Milkyway Image style, it would seem strange for an outsider to write about it.

But not in "Dark War".

So Su Chao is waiting for "The Dark War" to go on sale.

Several shops here carry "Dark Wars," at varying prices, but none of them are cheap.

This is also a "benefit" of the system.

The lead actors, directors, and screenwriters all have the opportunity to obtain scripts. They can compare who has the most discounted scripts and then buy the cheapest one.

As soon as Situ Jinyuan finished speaking, You Dazhi retorted, which created a somewhat disharmonious atmosphere.

Su Chao kept quiet and observed silently.

Logically speaking, Milkyway Image must have more than one faction. Since it has been divided into factions, it would be strange if there were no conflicts among the people there.

However, since the business was just starting out, everyone was very united, so they just made a few complaints and that was it.

"It probably didn't cost much to make 'The Longest Nite', right?"

However, there was one person who wouldn't let the conversation drift away, and that person was... Su Chao.

"A 16mm Fujifilm camera would probably cost over two million."

You Naihai answered Su Chao.

"It's expired..."

Wai Ka-fai smiled and then explained the significance of expired film, such as sensitivity, color layer, and sprocket deformation.

"We're... a bit too poor, aren't we?"

Su Chao was speechless.

No wonder this group of people chose such low-class places to eat.

There are 20 or 30 people at two tables.

The dishes were also quite ordinary.

No wonder the movie we see in later generations has such poor resolution that it's so blurry that you can't even see the faces clearly.

"Things should get better in the future."

Wai Ka-fai was speechless.

You little rascal, do you have to be so honest?

"Art and commerce should be pursued simultaneously."

Su Chao's purpose is self-evident.

"Um……"

Johnnie To actually responded, which surprised Su Chao.

He felt that Johnnie To was the one who was inflexible.

Knowing when to stop, Su Chao ceased promoting his new script.

He spent most of the rest of the time quietly listening to what others had to say.

Later he learned that Milkyway Image had many scripts waiting to be filmed.

I also got to know directors and screenwriters such as Leung Pak-kin, Chiu Chung-kei, and Tsang King-cheung.

As the event was nearing its end, Wai Ka-fai patted Su Chao on the arm:
"Don't leave yet, there's still one more game."

The waiter came in, cleared away the clean plates, and then served the dishes again.

While waiting, Wai Ka-fai finally started talking about Su Chao's new script.

After chatting briefly about the story, he asked Su Chao:
"What are your plans for this script?"

If they weren't looking to collaborate, there was absolutely no need to show it to Wai Ka-fai. Such a mature and excellent commercial script—asking him to critique it is utter nonsense.

Wai Ka-fai can probably only change some minor details.

The entire structure is completely immovable.

“The new company doesn’t seem to lack scripts…” Su Chao scratched his head, sighed, and said, “But I don’t want to give up. I want to try working with Wong Jing.”

When you're asking for a favor, you can't talk about benefits. "Oh, Wang Ri~"

Johnnie To said something, still with that strange expression.

He doesn't seem to like to speak in complete sentences, which is why many people can't understand what he's saying and end up getting yelled at by him on set.

However, Su Chao is a reborn individual who has experienced the information-rich internet age, so he is not entirely ignorant about this.

Wong Jing's father, Wong Tin-lam, directed classic films such as "All's Well, Ends Well" and "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

He also mentored apprentices, one of whom was Johnnie To.

Wong Jing and Johnnie To are considered to be fellow students and grew up together.

Johnnie To has always respected his teacher, saying that without Wong Tin-lam, he wouldn't be where he is today.

"A Moment of Romance" was made to support his master in his old age.

However, he held Wong Jing in utter contempt.

Therefore, Wang Ri was used to mock Wong Jing.

Wang Jing's childhood name was Wang Ri, reflecting his father's hope for a bright future.

But if you pronounce this name quickly, it sounds like an insult. Damn, it's so embarrassing to hear.

Later, the character "祥" was added, and his name became Wang Rixiang.

I, Rixiang, am still acting strangely.

When he grew up, he changed his name to Wong Jing, which sounds powerful and like a movie protagonist.

“Wong Jing can definitely make it. Your script doesn’t have much depth, so he’ll probably like it, but he’s unlikely to share the benefits with you.”

At first, Wai Ka-fai wanted to politely decline Su Chao's script.

Now I suddenly feel like I don't really want to let go.

The same goes for Johnnie To.

Looking for Wong Jing? You're really blind!

"Sigh, there's nothing I can do. I'm unfamiliar with this place, so I can only ask someone to help me."

It's not just about production, it's also about theaters.

Even if Su Chao's film were released, no one would buy it in theaters.

Making movies in Hong Kong is no easy task, especially now that the film market has shrunk.

Are you looking for investors?

Johnnie To suddenly asked a question.

"Yes, we need some investment. I plan to set up a company with Andy Lau to invest in it."

This matter is not yet finalized, but Su Chao has already spoken with Liu Dehua. Liu Dehua indicated that although he is currently very poor, he can still come up with a few hundred thousand or even a few million.

"Andy Lau~"

Wai Ka-fai suddenly realized why Su Chao said he had written two songs for Andy Lau.

It turns out we have such a deep friendship.

"You're really something..."

Johnnie To has no choice but to agree; at this point in time, Andy Lau can invest in your film.

Did you save his life?

After losing so much money investing in movies, many people in the industry thought that Andy Lau would never invest in movies again.

Given their current financial situation, the fact that they dare to collaborate with a newcomer to invest in a film only shows that this newcomer is very "persuasive".

“If you can find investors, and with Andy Lau’s help, I can introduce you to director Benny Chan to help you make the movie and then find a theatrical release channel for it.”

When Wei Jiahui heard Su Chao mention Liu Dehua, he had an idea.

Milkyway Image will not be involved in the production.

The script that Su Chao brought was completely different from the company's style.

"Chen Musheng is acceptable."

Johnnie To thought about it and agreed with Wai Ka-fai's idea.

"Director Benny Chan...that's wonderful."

Su Chao certainly knew Benny Chan. He was Johnnie To's assistant director in his early years and later directed "A Moment of Romance".

He will direct Hendrik Willem Van Loon's films "Who Am I", "New Police Story", and "Rob-B-Hood".

“We can invest some money in you, but not too much, as the company's finances are a bit tight.”

Wai Ka-fai values ​​Su Chao quite a bit, especially since Su Chao's understanding of the film "The Birth of a Gangster" is in line with Milkyway Image's.

Such talent will have no shortage of opportunities for collaboration in the future.

As the group chatted, the second wave of people arrived one after another.

Six actors attended: Francis Ng, Sean Lau, Carman Lee, Wong Cheuk-ling, Cheung Tat-ming, and Elvis Tsui.

If I'm not mistaken, he's the lead actor in the movie "The Birth of a Gangster".

These are the people who are in the public eye, so they are easier to get to know.

Cheung Tat-ming is the stupid emperor in "Forbidden City Cop".

His acting skills are actually quite good.

Surrounded by a group of beautiful concubines, the single tear that slid down his cheek was nothing short of divine.

Huang Zhuoling is a very charming young woman.

In "Running Out of Time," she plays a senior inspector who tries to force a relationship on Lau Ching-wan, but he avoids the topic altogether.

The others are all quite well-known.

Xu Jinjiang is a painter.

Liu Qingyun is an ordinary citizen.

Francis Ng and Ni Yongxiao are considered uncrowned film emperors.

Li Ruotong... is at the peak of her beauty.

They found it rather strange to see Su Chao, a complete stranger.

After all, just looking at his face, you would think Su Chao is an actor. It's a real pity that someone as handsome as him doesn't act.

I only truly respected Su Chao after I learned he was one of the screenwriters.

She could easily make a living based on her looks, but she stubbornly insists on writing screenplays.

(End of this chapter)