Huayu 1995

Chapter 225 You came at the right time

It was thanks to Leslie Cheung's extensive experience and significant improvement in acting skills since his early days that he was able to keep up with Su Chao's performance.

It's not that Su Chao's acting skills are now far superior to Leslie Cheung's.

The main thing is the before-and-after comparison... it's fucking terrifying.

It's like a boxing match. You, with a fighting power of 10,000, are toying with a noob with a fighting power of 2,000, when suddenly his fighting power skyrockets to 6,000.

It will trip you up and make you fall over.

"What just happened?"

Tsui Hark asked Poon Man-kit, "In all my years in the entertainment industry, I've never really seen anything like this."

"Your performance is definitely better than before!"

Pan Wenjie and Tsui Hark had disagreements and conflicts, but he preferred to use a gentle approach, making Tsui Hark feel embarrassed to pressure him.

When Tsui Hark was on set, he was like a butler serving a master.

"Come on, come on again!"

Tsui Hark got into the mood, tossed the coat draped over his shoulders behind him, and gestured for the photographer to get back in position.

"..."

Damn it, didn't you say you acted really well? Why are there still NGs? Are you kidding me?

It's hard not to think of that line from "Forbidden City Cop": "He's playing you, Your Majesty!"

I think you can do better!

This part of the movie was originally a bit awkward, but if the actors perform well, it might just be able to turn something rotten into something magical.

"Director, watch this!"

If that's what you're saying, then I don't care about your film.

Is there anything more satisfying than using other people's work to improve your own acting skills?
This is Tsui Hark!
Even if he doesn't rank in the top ten among Chinese-language film directors, he should definitely be in the top twenty.

"Great, the expression from this angle is spot on. Darken the lighting a bit, and the photographer should give it a close-up!"

Tsui Hark did it again and again.

They've probably all forgotten that he's not the director.

Originally, this was supposed to be Leslie Cheung's highlight scene, and Su Chao would have been lucky to even get a chance to show his face and have a few lines. Now, this is truly a duel between two heroes.

The light shone from the side, casting a shadow on one side of Su Chao's face.

His expression was a mixture of anger and regret.

We grieve for our fallen brothers. They had made a pact to return to Taiwan and fight for its liberation, but they all died because of betrayal.

"OK, passed!"

Tsui Hark clapped his hands, and the assistant director shouted, "Cut!"

However, it was just a shot, not the whole scene.

There's still a lot of grinding to be done.

This process took three days, and I almost developed calluses from it.

Su Chao also became acquainted with Tsui Hark.

They even drank together.

Tsui Hark has always had ideas about the subject matter of "Zu Mountain".

However, his main idea was not the subject matter.

It's special effects!

He hadn't even conceived of a script.

Su Chao wrote a script for Milkyway Image, and the movie has already started filming.

He also cast Benny Chan as the director for another script.

Benny Chan was a student of Johnnie To, his benefactor was Tsui Hark, and his spiritual mentor was John Woo. Naturally, Tsui Hark couldn't possibly be unaware of what was happening on his side.

He even turned down other scripts in order to film "My Sassy Girl".

They clearly have high hopes for Su Chao's screenwriting skills.

So, after talking about some stories about the script of "The Legend of Zu", Tsui Hark began to discuss the script under Su Chao's guidance.

Unlike before, Tsui Hark's discussion was quite uncomfortable.

Different philosophies!

Tsui Hark sometimes finds Su Chao very much to his liking, but at other times the two start arguing endlessly.

I both love and hate it~
It's like pursuing a woman who makes him fall madly in love, but she always does something that annoys him.

It goes on and on, and you can't stop even if you want to.

Tsui Hark was heartbroken but couldn't bear to give up, so he gritted his teeth and decided to confess his feelings.

The results of it.

I got fucking rejected.

"I'll pass on the role of screenwriter; I'm not good at this kind of subject matter. I'm just here to learn from you, director."

Su Chao wouldn't bother to credit himself as a screenwriter.

After its release, "The Legend of Zu" was neither a box office hit nor a commercial success. The box office revenue could not cover the costs, causing investors to lose a fortune. It was called the biggest failure among Tsui Hark's works.

The special effects in this movie are amazing.

It was jokingly said that what was thought to be the beginning of fantasy films turned out to be its peak. Even after the real era of special effects arrived, there were still fantasy films and TV series, but the special effects were cheap, the animation was slow, and all the immortals were constantly in love.

What celestial beings and reincarnation? They're all pursuing the love of mortals.

Why bother praying to some kind of deity?

Having attained the body of an immortal, one should no longer feel any friction from weapons or swords.

That's why viewers frequently mourn the passing of "The Legend of Zu Mountain".

But in reality, the plot and characters in that movie were a complete mess.

Just like "The Blade of Fury," which was pulled from theaters after only nine days of release, it certainly wasn't because the dialogue and action choreography were too good.

At that time, there was a proliferation of similar films, leading to audience fatigue.

In addition, apart from the dialogue and action, the movie was a complete mess, and no audience bought into it, so it was pulled from theaters quickly and lost money.

The same applies to "The Legend of Shushan".

His classic aspects lie in the special effects and creativity, not the script.

If Su Chao takes on the screenwriting job, he'll be the one getting criticized.

What a great movie, but they got a terrible screenwriter.

What is the purpose of having foresight and knowledge?
Risk avoidance is one of them.

Su Chao only wanted to play around with "The Legend of Shushan" and had no intention of marrying it.

In addition, he also wanted to use this film to get a glimpse into the current state of special effects in domestic films.

This can also be seen as a plan for getting involved in special effects in the future.

"Qin Song" also has some special effects, but they are far inferior to those in "The Legend of Shushan".

"Shaolin Soccer" used 400 special effects shots, breaking the record for Chinese-language films, while "The Legend of Zu" used more than 1600, with special effects costing HK$4000 million and a total investment of over 1 million.

A willing sucker paid for Su Chao to have the opportunity to learn.

why not?

"You don't even want to be a screenwriter, so why are you talking to me like this? I can't clear my name now!"

Tsui Hark was furious.

If you don't want to date me, why the hell did you kiss me and touch me...?

Right now, all I can think about is you.

Su Chao gave him a lot of inspiration and ideas. If Su Chao was unwilling to be the screenwriter, it would be very unfair for him to just use them.

However, he couldn't bring himself to discard everything Su Chao had said.

"We share the same ideals and goals... We've already chatted, why try to distance ourselves? I've actually learned a lot from you, Director. If you really feel bad about it, you can give me any small role. I think Xuan Tianzong and Dan Chenzi would be quite good..."

Su Chaotian shamelessly blurted out something.

"It's not impossible."

Tsui Hark breathed a sigh of relief. If Su Chao was involved, then there would be no problem for him to discuss the script with Su Chao.

In the past, he might have had doubts about Su Chao's acting skills.

After today's ordeal, he felt that Su Chao, at his age, had the comprehension and a proper attitude, so making a living as an actor was definitely not a problem for him.

As for Xuan Tianzong and Dan Chenzi, one is the male lead and the other is the second male lead.

It's not quite right to give it to Su Chao now.

However, Tsui Hark places too much importance on "The Legend of Zu Mountain" and it may not be started for two or three years.

If Su Chao develops well by then, we'll give him the job.

If his development proves unsuccessful, then today's so-called promises will naturally be meaningless.

In fact, the selection process for movies and actors has always been a two-way selection process.

Su Chao had previously seen Wu Jing and even considered stealing Wu Jing's A Fei.

His album is selling very well now. In the first month, it sold 85,000 copies in Hong Kong and even more than 100,000 in Taiwan. If it sells another 100,000 or so in mainland China, it could reach 300,000 to 400,000 copies in the first month.

It's possible that we could sell six or seven hundred thousand copies throughout the year.

It feels like it's almost in the top ten for the year.

In addition, he also produced scripts such as "My Sassy Girl" and "Phone Booth".

Together with Andy Lau, he founded Galaxy Pictures.

Since things have already developed so well, Ah Fei, the second male lead, is clearly not very appealing.

Jiao Enjun is indeed very handsome, but Su Debiao is just as good-looking.

Why can't he be the male lead?

Why couldn't he just put his arm around Yu Feihong and say to Alyssa Chia, "No, you've come at the perfect time"?

After Su Chao's scene is finished, there are still some scenes to film in Hong Kong. They won't immediately move to Shanghai. Andy Lau himself will also come to Hong Kong to film a few scenes.

Su Chao decided to meet with Lin Xi briefly before heading back.

Lin Xi in November.

It grows like a fresh batch of chives, lush and green to the point of being almost black.

I didn't want it to be like this either; your happiness is my happiness; at least I still have you.

Another successful trip.

(End of this chapter)