1991: The Era of Hong Kong Dramas

It's about 20 kilometers from Tsim Sha Tsui to Clear Water Bay.

Liang Rongjun rushed over in a hurry and arrived in thirty minutes.

He arrived at the entrance of TVB, but was stopped by security. He wasn't in a hurry. After registering at the duty room, he also asked some questions.

"Sir, I'm a record producer at Cinepoly Records. Do you have a screenwriter here named Fok?"

"Surname Huo? You must be mistaken. I don't remember such a person," a security guard said.

"No? What about Wai Ka-fai?"

"Of course Producer Wai knows!"

The security guard clapped his hands, suddenly realizing, "You mean Xiao Huo, the lead actor? He just joined TVB, I accidentally forgot."

"Little Huo?"

"Yes, yes, screenwriter Huo became the main creator and co-writer of the anniversary drama before she was even twenty years old."

"Creative team, editors..."

What's going on? If you're so talented, why would you buy songs? And aren't screenwriters supposed to write stories?

Before Liang Rongjun could react, the security guard enthusiastically pointed him in the right direction towards the early 20th century street, saying, "They're filming The Great Era. They're not shooting on location today. Go there to find him!"

……

It's quite a coincidence that today's rehearsal is for the scene where Law Wai-ling dies tragically.

Luo Huiling is once again entangled with Ding Xie, and the engagement ring she and Fang Jinxin exchanged is taken away. In the struggle, she is accidentally shot in the heart by the police who arrive at the scene.

Huo Sheng still remembers that when Luo Huiling was on her deathbed, she was still determined to get her ring back. At that moment, the song "Easily Hurt Woman" played, which became a memory for many people.

Wai Ka-fai sat behind the monitor, flipped through the script, looked up at the sky, and suddenly blurted out, "It doesn't feel deep enough."

Huo Sheng understood him and smiled, saying, "Want to add something else?"

"Add some atmosphere."

"How's the snow?"

Wai Ka-fai's eyes immediately lit up: "Brilliant!"

The two of them, speaking in unison, confused Yuan Yingming. "Guys, what kind of snow falls in June?"

"That's the contrast I wanted."

Wai Ka-fai put down the script, tapped on the monitor screen, and said, "I want the audience to remember the way Law Wai-ling died. Think about it, snowing on a hot day, who wouldn't remember?"

Yuan Yingming opened his mouth, seemed about to say something but then swallowed it back, finally sighing, "Fine, you guys decide. Stagehand, go get some foam scraps and get a few more blowers."

At that time, computer special effects were not yet widespread at TVB, few people understood them, and the costs were high. To create a snow scene, there were essentially two rudimentary methods.

They either used a blower to blow up the paper scraps or threw foam balls from a height.

This resulted in actors performing with plastic balls stuck to their mouths.

But this is still progress.

Huo Sheng had read in his previous notes that when Shaw Brothers filmed snow scenes in the 1960s, they used salt and fertilizer to cover the ground to imitate snow. It wasn't until the 1970s that they switched to foam pellets, leaving the ground covered in small white balls after filming, which took the crew half a day to sweep up.

In mainland China, they have consistently used chemical fertilizers to create snow scenes. When filming "Assembly" in 2000, they used 100 tons of chemical fertilizers, which caused the actors to collectively suffer from poisoning, vomiting, and diarrhea.

As he was thinking this, the venue staff received a notification that the area had begun to be cleared.

The props team laid a white cloth on the ground, set up a blower on the roof, and several staff members carried large bags up the shed. It was unclear whether the bags were filled with foam or paper scraps.

Huo Sheng took a few steps back to make room; it would be difficult to get this stuff in his nose.

Yuan Yingming, with a long face, directed the camera positions from the side. Setting up the scene back and forth, while efficient, also delayed filming time.

At this moment, Yammie Lam came out after finishing her makeup.

Her face was pale, her lips were covered with a layer of grayish-purple lipstick, and her eye sockets were heavily shadowed, making her look like she had just recovered from a serious illness.

She was wearing Luo Huiling's old coat, clutching a prop ring in her hand. She walked to the center of the stage, stood down, and looked down, seemingly lost in thought.

Huo Sheng looked at her and suddenly remembered hearing Lau Ching-wan say that Yammie Lam was a method actor, deeply immersed in her roles. After each crying scene, she would need a long time to recover, and sometimes she would still be in character even after work, sitting alone in the dressing room lost in thought.

Such people are always good actors, but their lives are usually quite bumpy.

At that moment, the clapperboard fell, and Yuan Yingming shouted "Action!"

Adam Cheng suddenly rushed forward, snatched the ring, and shoved her. Lam Kit-ying staggered a few steps as he pulled her, but she held onto the ring tightly in her hand.

Her lips trembled, and her eyes reddened, but she didn't cry out. That suppressed emotion wasn't acting; her whole being was sinking down with the character.

"boom--"

The prop gun fired a shot, and Lan Jieying's body jolted as she slowly slid down. She knelt on the ground, her fingers groping for the stolen ring.

The camera zoomed in, revealing her face covered in sweat mixed with tears, which dripped down her cheeks.

"Click!"

One pass.

Yammie Lam remained kneeling on the ground, not getting up.

Her assistant rushed over to help her up, but she seemed oblivious, her head still bowed, her shoulders trembling, her whole body curled up in a ball.

The stagehands had already started cleaning up the debris on the floor, and the blower had been turned off. Huo Sheng calmly watched for a while, then turned and went to the stagehands to pour himself a cup of hot water. He walked over and waited for her to finish her scene.

After a long while, Yammie Lam slowly raised her head, her eyes red and her makeup ruined.

"Sister Lan, that scene was really well done." Huo Sheng smiled and handed her the water.

"Yeah?"

Lan Jieying took the water, her lips twitched slightly, which could be considered a smile.

"Yes, just like Luo Huiling herself, she is even more profound than I intended to express."

Lan Jieying looked down at the ring on her hand but didn't reply.

Huo Sheng wasn't in a hurry. He looked up at the light that was still on in the ceiling. The light was bright, making the debris on the ground look white, just like snow.

Following his gaze, Lam Kit-ying murmured, "Law Wai-ling's life is truly miserable."

Huo Sheng looked away, glanced at her, and said, "Sister Lan, once the filming is over, that's it. Don't keep thinking about it."

Lan Jieying raised her head, glanced at him, and forced a smile: "I'm fine."

"That's good."

There was a moment of silence.

"Sister Lan."

He suddenly spoke again.

Lan Jieying turned her head to look at him.

Huo Sheng smiled, but then abruptly changed the subject: "Getting too immersed in a role isn't all bad. At least it allows you to experience and pay more attention to whether there are people in real life who are really like Ding Xie."

Lan Jieying was slightly taken aback.

"Some people seem very loyal and nice to you, but they just want to achieve their own goals."

Huo Sheng spoke calmly, as if discussing the weather, "To avoid being hurt by them, it's best to stay away."

The topic took such a dramatic turn, completely unrelated, that it left Yammie Lam somewhat bewildered.

Who resembles Ting Hai?

Who wants to harm her?

But Huo Sheng clearly didn't intend to continue, so he nodded and left, signifying the end of the conversation.

While it's true that we should respect other people's fates, we can't control the lives of so many people. But Yammie Lam was really dedicated; she worked incredibly hard for "The Greed of Man," which was actually a way of helping him.

He's offering a few words of advice now, and he doesn't know if it will be of any use, but he wants to express his feelings.

The rest of the filming went smoothly, with Huo Sheng staying in the studio to deal with Wei Jiahui's occasional whimsical ideas.

Ever since the production team became rich, Wai Ka-fai has become incredibly demanding, constantly asking for additional camera angles and changes to the plot, completely disregarding everyone's well-being.

Huo Sheng was a little helpless, but he understood. He talked with Wei Jiahui and Yuan Yingming about their ideas for the next shoot, and then prepared to go back and revise the script.

After taking only two steps, they saw some random people standing furtively in the studio, looking around suspiciously.