Exploiting Hollywood 1980

"Oh, my God, this is more exciting than sitting in the cockpit of a Navy F-14 Tomcat and landing."

The Boeing passenger plane flew over Kai Tak Airport, passing by countless yachts and large outdoor advertisements with San Miguel Beer in the harbor. It then passed by Mong Kok Stadium, passed over the overpass at low altitude, and when it finally entered the airport, there was another direction. A 180-degree turn to the right.

Before landing on the airport runway, the direction of the aircraft's nose was actually at an angle of 45 degrees with the runway. Before landing, it made another sharp turn to the left to correct the angle, and finally landed steadily.

Because Ronald had the experience of taking a propeller aircraft driving training class, he felt more deeply than Diane sitting next to him. This is a bit like the Soviet Alliance transport aircraft, which landed in the famous "Afghan style" in order to avoid ground-based Stinger missiles on the battlefield.

After ordering roast goose in English at the restaurant, Ronald and his group had a Cantonese meal before rushing to the Peninsula Hotel where they were staying. This is one of the favorite hotels for business people coming to Xiangjiang.

After Ronald checked in, he called script assistant David Simkins. David told him on the phone that he had signed an option contract with the playwright John Patrick Shanley for 10% of the price.

Within a year, Ronald and Yi had priority to produce his screenplay. Wait until the project is approved before paying the full amount.

Satisfied, Ronald plans to negotiate distribution contracts for this script with major studios after returning home, and then raise funds. He wanted to daydream about a mid-budget film production like this.

"There is a premiere tomorrow, and we will publish some news in English newspapers like the South China Morning Post. After all, Western films are still a minority here." Niceta, who arrived on the same plane, contacted his wife Paula, and Crewe Si has also arrived, and we will meet up tomorrow.

Although there is a market for English-language films here only among people who have received English education, there are quite a few people who know English in the film industry here.

Many people in the film industry have received university education, and with a university education in Hong Kong, speaking English well is a necessary condition for getting a job after graduation.

Paramount staff here, based on Ronald's special request, arranged for some directors and producers to attend the meeting after the premiere the next day. And these practitioners who can speak fluent English also want to have the opportunity to communicate with Hollywood's commercial and blockbuster directors.

"I don't know the impact of the new wave on movies. No one in Hollywood is talking about the new wave now. Those innovative techniques have become a part of Hollywood commercial film production, as common as drinking water."

The words are not speculative,

The practitioners and film critics here are fluent in English, but their ideas are old-fashioned. They still hold on to the thoughts of the emerging filmmakers in China in the 1960s, trying to communicate with Ronald.

Ronald asked them carefully about their careers and works, and found that most of them were film critics, while the other half had only made some experimental works, which had extremely poor box office.

Film is an art that needs to be tested by the market. If we still hold on to these clichés, what is there to talk about?

Ronald asked the incompetent translator next to him how many locally produced films were shot in English. The answer is almost none.

Ronald knew immediately that he might have the wrong person. The local partners may be concerned about the language barrier, so they arrange for people with strong English skills, and most of these people write for English newspapers and magazines, or do film research in universities.

Those who are really on the front line making local films are almost never encountered.

I say almost, because there is another director whose English is not that good, who is actually making movies.

His name is Tsui Hark, and he and his girlfriend formed their own film studio. Also made many movies. Because I have experience in making movies, I had a pleasant conversation with Ronald.

After the exchange, Tsui Hark specially invited Ronald to have dinner.

Ronald knew that this was a unique way of communication among Chinese people, so he readily agreed.

"What I like most about Hollywood is the advanced special effects there. I really like making special effects movies. Unfortunately, the market here is too small. The special effects movies I shot in the past few years did not do well at the box office, so my boss didn't want to make them. "

"It's true. It's because of the large North American market that Hollywood was able to produce films like Alien and Star Wars that focus on visual effects."

Ronald was convinced and was very satisfied to find a director in Hong Kong who also liked special effects. The two chatted while eating.

"A few years ago, he hired a Visual Concept Engineering Company (vce) from Hollywood, founded by a former employee of Industrial Light and Magic, and spent a lot of money to make a special effects film, "Shu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain." However, They charge too much. "

Tsui Hark’s girlfriend, Ms. Shi, is also a producer. She speaks good English and talked about the magical movie that made her boyfriend regretful a few years ago.

"I've seen this movie. When I was filming 'Monsters in Chinatown,' the director John Carpenter specially showed this movie to us so that we could learn about the Chinese culture and visual characteristics. "

Diane interjected from the side, struggling with her chopsticks and trying various delicious meat dishes.

"There are many special effects companies like this in Hollywood. In fact, they also have crude methods. My friend Cameron has been making special effects like this for two yuan and thirty-five cents since the beginning. He only recently received a big investment. You should do it right away. We can see the sequel to Alien that he made."

"aliens? I've wanted to see it for a long time." Tsui Hark said that he is tracking the development of the latest special effects technology in Hollywood.

"But this kind of special effects movies are very expensive, and Hollywood studios don't dare to try it easily." Ronald used chopsticks to pick up some roast meat and gave it to Diane, and then asked the waiter to bring a pair of knives and forks, asking her to slow down. Eat slowly.

"Bosses are the same everywhere. For a movie produced by my boyfriend, the boss even said that he would burn the copies to get the insurance money." Miss Shi seemed to have remembered the stinginess of the boss of Xiangjiang Film and said with a curl of her lips.

"Producer?" Ronald didn't quite understand the meaning of this position.

"This is a special production arrangement in Hong Kong. When the boss doesn't have much confidence in the director's ability, they will often arrange for another director to go to the set to ensure that the director will not overspend or run over time. By the way, he will be there when needed. It’s time to take over the director’s job.” Tsui Hark explained.

"It's interesting. We have a director's union in Hollywood, but we don't have this kind of arrangement." Ronald used chopsticks very well, and the vegetables in this restaurant were also well cooked, and there was no residue at all when he ate them.

"But your boss is kidding, how is it possible to burn the film and get the measly insurance money?"

"No, he's serious."

"Huh?" Ronald was very emotional after hearing this. There is such a producer who disrespects film creation.

"This is stupid behavior, even if you only consider business, it is very stupid. I believe that the quality of the movies you...produce will not be too bad. The video tape business in Hollywood is very good now. Even if it cannot be distributed in the market, go directly to the video tape market You can also make money.”

Tsui Hark and Miss Shi laughed awkwardly, Ronald didn't know why.

"There are pirated copies here, and the video tapes usually have to be released before anyone is willing to produce and distribute them," Ms. Shi explained in a low voice.

It turns out that piracy of video tapes is rampant in Hong Kong, and the anti-theft technology of VHS recorders was quickly cracked here. All kinds of video tapes are sold very cheaply. Unless it is a blockbuster movie released in a few theaters, there is not much money to be made in the video tape market.

The release also requires a distribution fee and a copy production fee. After all, it may be more cost-effective to burn the negatives on fire and get the insurance money.

"Hey, Lao Woo, come here, this is the great director of Hollywood, Ronald Lee."

Tsui Hark saw an acquaintance coming in and quickly called him over.

Upon introduction, Ronald discovered that this slightly balding man was the director of the movie Tsui Hark just mentioned. john woo.

"I'm a little depressed now." Lao Wu poured a glass of wine and drank it in one gulp. "This movie has accumulated my hard work, and it really feels bad that it can't be released.

"Don't be discouraged. No one knows whether the box office will be good or bad before it is released. There is no need to underestimate yourself." Ronald listened to Miss Shi's translation and comforted him.

"Can you go and take a look at the copy? If you can give a positive review, maybe the boss will change his mind." Tsui Hark's eyes suddenly lit up and he said to Ronald.

"I don't understand Cantonese, but it doesn't matter if I take a look." Ronald agreed since he had nothing to do anyway, "But you have to show me the set in Xiangjiang. I really want to see how John Carpenter can direct it. How the movies you admire are made.”

"Leave it to me. I can also show you a special type of work that is not available in Hollywood, martial arts."

…

"Well, it's a very special image style." Ronald finished watching this movie called "A Better Tomorrow". He couldn't understand the Cantonese dialogue, but this kind of slow-motion gunfight scene was filmed Very stylish.

In Hollywood, not many people film shootout scenes. Often when filming a decisive battle between the protagonist and the bad guy, the gun fight is abandoned and fist fights are used instead. Because gunfights are often boring, unless you are a director with profound skills, you will not be able to shoot gunfights that make the audience feel good.

"The gunfight scene is impressive, and the actors' performances have a special style. I hope to see more movies directed by Mr. Woo."

Ronald wrote his own evaluation on a piece of paper and handed it to Tsui Hark, "I hope it can help. To be honest, your image style is very special and I like it very much."

"What did the ghost say?" John Woo took the paper from Miss Shi and wanted to see what comments Ronald wrote.

"Speaking of your kind words, there is hope now." Ms. Shi was very happy. With the evaluation of a Hollywood director like Ronald, the boss would no longer have any doubts about the release.

"Hahaha", Old Woo smiled from ear to ear after reading the review, "Thank you..."

Ronald smiled and shook his hand. The works of these people all looked like B-level exploitation films, which made Ronald feel very familiar and comfortable.

…

"This is the studio of Golden Harvest Company. They are about to start shooting a movie. It is the third sequel of the previous blockbuster movie."

Tsui Hark kept his promise and invited Ronald to the set to see how the filming was done.

Ronald looked at them as if they were performing some kind of ceremony. A pig's head was placed in front of something covered with a red cloth, and a large group of people followed behind to worship the pig's head.

"What are you doing?" Ronald and Diane were surprised.

"This is a traditional ceremony in Xiangjiang. Every time before starting the filming, you have to worship God in front of the camera."

Ms. Shi explained beside her.

"Worship the camera? Why worship the camera?"

"If you ask them, they'll probably just tell you it's a custom. But I've researched the history of this tradition."

Miss Shi was also well educated and spoke very good English. She began to tell the history of worshiping gods.

It turns out that in the earliest days, Xiangjiang was not a film production center. Many of the cameras here are second-hand products that have been eliminated by several companies in Xujiahui.

When the camera is old, there will be some irregular and seemingly random accidents. For example, scratching the film causes a box of film to be scrapped, or the camera is accidentally exposed, etc. At that time, people who were engaged in photography were not highly educated, and sometimes they did not understand why, so they gradually merged with local worship and formed a custom of worshiping the camera before turning it on.

“Isn’t this just a variant of cargo plane worship?”

Ronald remembered reading a book by Feynman, the Nobel Prize winner in physics, which mentioned a phenomenon of cargo plane worship.

During World War II, the American Navy used some islands with indigenous people as logistics transit bases. In order to obtain the cooperation of the indigenous people, they often took out some canned meat, beer and other food from the logistics and exchanged it with the indigenous people.

But these aboriginal people cannot understand modern technology. They think it is created by white people using magic.

So after the war, they whittled wood into radio antennas and put them on to look like headphones. Then they kowtowed to the plane made of wood and put on the clothes left by the navy as shaman sacrificial attire. They also started to imitate the navy. The call took off and developed into a religious ritual.

This kind of worship of the camera is also a ritual formed without understanding the inner principles.

"Hey, brother, are you there too?"

The worship ceremony is over, the camera pulls down the red cloth, and filming is about to begin.

tsui hark spotted a stocky actor with short hair and stepped forward to say hello.

"Why are you here too? I'm here to make a guest appearance today. It was ordered by He Sheng."

Ronald noticed that the actor had a big nose and was always smiling.

"How is your health?"

"It's okay. I've healed it a long time ago. Look, this scar is almost healed." The actor tilted his head towards Tsui Hark and asked him to look at the scar behind his right temple.

"Don't be too desperate."

"There is nothing we can do. Everyone is working so hard. We can only work harder. Who is this ghost guy? That foreign girl is so beautiful."

"Let me introduce to you, this is Ronald, a great director in Hollywood, and this is his girlfriend, Diane Lane, who is also a famous actor."

"This is our most popular actor in Hong Kong right now, Jackie Chan"

"Leihou." Ronald greeted him in the Cantonese he had just learned.

"A great director from Hollywood? Come on, let's go to dinner together? I'll treat you to abalone and shark's fin..."

The big-nosed Jackie Chan slapped her chest and wanted to drag Ronald, a big Hollywood director, to dinner.

Ronald smiled and agreed. He just wanted to communicate with these so-called martial arts practitioners and what filming was like.

"Brother, what's going on? Are you going to have dinner with a ghost? That foreign woman is so pretty."

A group of martial arts men under jackie chan gathered around when they heard that they were going to eat abalone wings. When they saw Dai An, they seemed a little reluctant to go with him.

"What are you afraid of? Do you think foreign women are pretty? Let's find a foreign woman to play the heroine in the next film..." Jackie Chan, who was called Big Brother, looked at the longing looks on his subordinates' faces and thought that a foreign woman should be the protagonist. Maybe it's a good idea.

Everyone got in the car and went to the famous "Fu Linmen" restaurant and ordered a table of delicious dishes. Jackie Chan asked the martial artists to sit at the round table. He sat with Ronald, Diane, Tsui Hark and others, and through Miss Shi's translation, he kept asking Ronald about the situation in Hollywood.

"This is roast suckling pig, do you want to eat it?" the eldest brother asked Ronald.

"Hey..." Diane couldn't eat it when she heard it was a piglet.

"No?" The eldest brother turned the dish over, "Do you want to eat?" The martial arts masters asked each other. If you want to eat, just pick up a chopstick. If you don't want to eat, you don't have to force it, but he asked everyone, which is very fair.

The round table turned back, and there was still some meat left. Jackie Chan swept all the meat into his own bowl, and then made a loud noise and ate all the meat.

"This is seafood, abalone, do you want to eat it?"

When another dish was served, Jackie Chan asked Ronald and Diane first.

Ronald felt that if he continued to be polite, he might run out of food, so he immediately picked up the chopsticks and picked up a chopstick for himself and Diane.

"Do you want to eat? You can do it yourself." The eldest brother showed his style and asked around. In the end, he ate the remaining bit by himself.

"The food in Xiangjiang is very good, I like it very much." Ronald asked Miss Shi to translate and thanked his elder brother for the hospitality.

Finally, the waiter brought a pot of tea, and Ronald poured a cup for Jackie Chan to express his gratitude.

"You're welcome, you're welcome. The director of Hollywood is so helpful to Lao Woo, and we should all express our gratitude."

"When you go to Hollywood in the future, you can come to me. I will take you to eat delicious and fun places there. If you want help with any movies, I can also help you connect."

Ronald heard from Miss Shi that this eldest brother is currently the most popular male star at the box office in Hong Kong. He knows the power of Hollywood male stars. Many friends lead to many paths. Besides, Ronald also felt that he seemed a bit kind and fair in dealing with others.

"Come to think of it, we just can't buy a Hollywood camera now. We often have good performances, but when they are developed and printed the next day, the negatives are scratched, so we have to make do." Jackie Chan was not polite and said that she wanted to buy one. Two Panavision cameras commonly used in Hollywood.

"Panavision cameras are only for rent, not for sale. It's the same in Hollywood. You don't borrow them from Panavision until filming starts."

"Hey, I just said it, that's all."

"Huh?" Ronald thought for a while after seeing this, "Actually, there is an alternative. I can go to Panavision Company to rent two cameras for a long time, and then put them in Xiangjiang for people who want to use them, but I need a We should do things fairly and be managed by responsible people.”

"Then it's best if you leave it to the elder brother." Ms. Shi also knew that the bosses here in Xiangjiang were unwilling to invest in hardware equipment. Some large-scale investment movies also used second-hand and third-hand equipment. For some big-investment movies, the image quality can be greatly improved with some good equipment, but this doesn't make sense to those stingy bosses.

People in the industry have wanted to do this for a long time, but they just lacked the channels. They asked people with reputations in Hollywood to help them come forward to rent it to Panavision for a long time.

"Really?" Jackie Chan was very happy. He is actually very pursuing film art, but he failed in Hollywood a few years ago. If he can make such a loyal friend, it will be much easier in the future. .

"Of course, I will ask my agent to call Panavision and they will agree." Ronald has a Daydream Production Company under his own name, so renting cameras is not a problem.

"I'd like to offer you a glass of wine, Director Ronald! From now on, you are my eldest brother. Come on, call me eldest brother Li Sheng." The eldest brother Jackie Chan called the group of martial arts brothers and asked them to come and see Luo Nader.

jackie chan is very happy that it has solved a big problem for the entire film industry in Hong Kong, which is asking the waiter to open a bottle of xo.

"Just use tea instead of wine." Ronald quickly stopped, there was no need to open the XO bar.

"I'm so happy today. It's rare for me to meet such a loyal person as Li Sheng."

A bottle of wine was opened on the spot, Ronald and Jackie Chan drank a full glass, and the rest was drank by his martial arts brothers.

Jackie Chan's interest continued and he invited Ronald to visit his small studio.

"Li Sheng trusts me so much, I will definitely take good care of the use of Panavision cameras."

jackie chan patted his chest. His studio was not big, and there was an editing machine in a corner with unedited film on it.

"People like you are inherently trustworthy. When I see you eating, I know that he will take care of every brother.", Ronald replied.

jackie chan laughed, this martial arts team's family class is his greatest pride. He went over and looked at the editing machine. There was still film on it. He took it off and used an editing machine to put tape on it to connect it to the previous picture.

It was obvious that Jackie Chan was very familiar with the editing machine, and he must have done it himself. He quickly put the tape on in three clicks.

"Although I come from a martial arts background, I know every aspect of the movie industry. I just love making movies."

Ronald had great respect for these passionate filmmakers. He picked up the film and looked at it. It seemed to be a modern martial arts drama.

"Are you still using this kind of tape? There is a new kind of editing tape in Hollywood. It only needs one-sixteenth of the 3m tape to stick the editing opening very tightly. The price of a roll of tape is only 20% more expensive. And you can use it for a long time.”

Ronald took advantage of the opportunity and began promoting his new editing tape.

"Is there such a good thing?" Jackie Chan is also very interested.

Ronald found a phone number, called the factory on Staten Island, woke up the factory director, and asked him to send some samples for Jackie Chan to use.

"Also, do you want to film a lightning scene? I also have a lightning machine there."

－－－－－－Digression－－－－－

Two chapters were posted together today

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