This director loves making friends.

That's why Hong Kong cinema was so wild during that period.

All you need is a famous director and actors approved by the production company; you don't even need a script, and the eight major Taiwanese film companies will be scrambling to buy it...

Who wouldn't go crazy in that situation?

There's no risk involved; it's like picking up money off the ground.

Looking at the 600 million "trailer" money that Qin Keqing had just received in his account, he finally understood why Hong Kong was producing films like crazy during this period.

Take that fat guy Wang Jing, for example. Since the beginning of the year, plus the upcoming "Super School Bully," he has had six movies released in just over six months.

I finally understand what Wang Jing meant when I made a cameo appearance in his film crew: "The script isn't important. Once the movie has a name and we sign good actors, we won't have to worry about investment. We can just write the script as we film..."

In the past two years, almost any reliable director has been in high demand, let alone that fat guy Wang Jing.

Qin Keqing still thought it was absolutely insane.

The eight major film companies in Taiwan were even easier to fool than the later coal bosses, and they were just as quick to transfer money.

However, it is precisely because there are "suckers" willing to pay the bill that Hong Kong films have been making films and selling trailers like crazy. As a result, the films are not only poorly made and of questionable quality, but they have also really treated the eight major film companies as "suckers," taking money and not delivering on their promises.

Qin Keqing probably knew about this part of history.

Hong Kong cinema is about to suffer a "backlash".

In May of this year, the Taipei City Film Industry Association established the Overseas Liaison Group for Domestic Films, a joint effort by eight major Taiwanese film distributors. Although the Hong Kong side did not take it seriously and kept giving them perfunctory responses, this so-called liaison group of the eight major film distributors also had its own selfish motives.

However, once their core interests are truly involved, the resistance becomes so fierce that... well, Hong Kong still doesn't take it seriously.

Qin Keqing recalled that the trigger seemed to be the trailer for Stephen Chow's "Ji Gong" that Longxiang Pictures bought for 3000 million yuan.

Apart from "A Chinese Odyssey," which he produced after leaving Win's Entertainment and establishing his own company, all of Stephen Chow's movies have been huge hits in Hong Kong.

The story of Ji Gong is no exception.

Qin Keqing probably doesn't remember exactly how much box office "Ji Gong" will sell next month, but it seems to have done quite well. He even had a cameo role in the movie.

However, "Ji Gong" flopped in Taiwan, and after deducting the marketing costs, Longxiang Pictures lost everything!

Coupled with past grievances and the "arrogance" of Hong Kong, this triggered a collective boycott by the eight major film distributors against the high-priced buyouts of Hong Kong films, and they brought up old issues again: capping high salaries, capping high prices, and refunding money (for films not paid on time)...

Hong Kong's attitude remains unchanged; they still don't take it seriously: the entire Taiwanese market is dominated by Hong Kong films, and without buying Hong Kong films, there are no films to screen. How long can they boycott it?

Seeing Hong Kong's attitude, the eight major film distributors had no choice but to resort to their ultimate weapon: in order to reduce their dependence on Hong Kong films, they jointly pressured the Taiwan News Department, which ultimately amended the legal provisions, allowing Hollywood and other countries to relax the maximum 14-copy limit.

In Hong Kong... they still didn't pay attention.

During this period, the Hong Kong market never restricted Hollywood.

However, in the decade before 1993, Hong Kong films were the box office champions every year, and only a few big-budget Hollywood films, such as "E.T." and "Indiana Jones," could barely squeeze into the top ten of the annual box office charts.

Moreover, there are only one or two films released each year, and in some years, the top ten films at the annual box office are all Hong Kong films.

So, from the perspective of Hong Kong filmmakers, what good will it do if the Taiwanese market loosens its restrictions? Look at Hong Kong, what can Hollywood do? Aren't they still getting crushed?

Hollywood movies in the past, well, they were just so-so. Plus, they were in English, so they couldn't compete with Hong Kong films in Hong Kong, Taiwan, Southeast Asia, South Korea, and Japan.

Unfortunately, times have changed.

While Hong Kong films were still relying on the small-scale workshop model of "quick shooting and editing, star-driven production," Hollywood was carrying out a digital special effects revolution, delivering a revolutionary audiovisual experience.

This year's Jurassic Park will be a pivotal moment, marking the maturity of CGI special effects and establishing an insurmountable threshold for visual spectacle.

After Taiwan opens its market, the rampaging Tyrannosaurus Rex in "Jurassic Park" will destroy all the foundations that Hong Kong films have built there.

To be honest, Hong Kong is too small; the market size is limited, and it heavily relies on the Taiwanese and Southeast Asian markets.

After Hollywood conquered these markets, how could Hong Kong cinema not decline?

Hong Kong simply cannot support the massive film industry it has today.

Hong Kong filmmakers are certainly aware of their reliance on the Taiwanese and Southeast Asian markets. Trailers are mainly sold to these two places, while South Korea is generally only interested in trailers featuring a few people such as Jackie Chan and Jet Li.

They don't buy trailers at all; they prefer to buy the rights to the finished films.

Hong Kong filmmakers are too blindly optimistic. Based on experience, even if Taiwan completely opens up its market, Hollywood films still cannot compete with Hong Kong films.

They thought Hollywood was still the same Hollywood.

Qin Keqing suddenly thought of a phrase, though he wasn't sure if it was appropriate to use it here: "If you fall behind, you will be bullied."

If we don't upgrade our industry, we'll basically be crushed by Hollywood movies, unless we learn from Hollywood and catch up with digital special effects technology now.

If we follow suit now and make a slight compromise with the eight major film distributors in Taiwan, asking them not to lobby for the market to be opened up and to allow for a buffer period, perhaps Hong Kong's film industry could be transformed.

pity……

What is the current situation in Hong Kong's film and television industry?

impetuous!

Short-sighted!

No planning!

In addition, with all those rushing in to make quick money in recent years, who would be willing to spend a lot of money to import digital special effects technology, spend almost a year, and spend a lot of money to shoot a special effects blockbuster with an uncertain future?

With that money and time, you could easily make ten or twenty movies, earning even more and more steadily.

Furthermore, with 97 fast approaching, the British Hong Kong authorities wouldn't waste time and effort promoting relevant industrial policies; they'd rather Hong Kong be in a state of decline in all aspects by then.

The title of "troublemaker" is well-deserved.

They might even bring in some dogs to feed them, and boast about how great things were back then, and how great things are now...

This is not impossible.

It is something that will definitely happen.

As someone who has been through it all, Qin Keqing is well aware that around 2000, and even for a longer period afterward, such pronouncements were rampant, leading many ordinary Chinese people to believe that Hong Kong's decline only occurred after 97.

Leaving aside other aspects, let's just talk about movies.

Early on, there were many voices mourning the "dead" Hong Kong films, attributing the death of Hong Kong films to the decline of Hong Kong cinema after 97, and the decline of Hong Kong cinema was in turn attributed to 97...

Given Qin Keqing's current status and abilities, he certainly cannot save Hong Kong cinema. The Asian financial crisis of 97 destroyed the last remaining market for Hong Kong cinema, namely Southeast Asia.

From then on, Hong Kong films almost exclusively relied on domestic box office revenue, which was no longer sufficient to support such a large scale.

Actually, Qin Keqing didn't want to save him either.

It can't save Hong Kong films, nor can it delay their "death," but it's possible to slow their "decline," as long as it can temporarily preserve the Taiwan market and prevent it from opening up too soon.

But Qin Keqing didn't want to do something so thankless.

Even if it's delayed, what difference does it make? The outcome is already predetermined.

Is there anything we can do?

Since there's no future for him anyway, and nobody listens to him, he might as well take advantage of it, be a visionary, and become a "wise man" of this era.

It's very simple; a few articles will suffice.

In the future, whenever the death of Hong Kong films is mentioned, everyone will subconsciously think of that former "wise man," but unfortunately, no one listens to him!

This is something that will make you famous throughout history.

This could also have reduced the number of unwarranted attacks against China at the beginning of the century.

And who knows, he might even become a spiritual leader for some "defeated soldiers".

Qin Keqing felt that this was something worth doing, something that would be beneficial without costing anything.