"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 in the harbor and a large outdoor advertisement with the name of San Miguel Beer. 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 even more deeply than Diane sitting next to him. This is a bit like the Soviet Alliance transport aircraft, which are famous for avoiding Stinger missiles on the battlefield.
"Afghanistan" has landed.
After ordering roast goose in English at the restaurant, Ronald and his group had a meal of Cantonese food 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 moved in, he called script assistant David Simkins. David told him on the phone that he had signed an option contract with playwright John Patrick Shanley for 10% of the price.
During one year, Ronald and Yi have priority to produce his film script. The full payment will be made after the project is approved.
Satisfied, Ronald planned to negotiate distribution contracts for the script with major studios after returning home, and then raise financing. He wanted to daydream about this kind of medium-cost film production.
"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 actually quite a few people who know English in the film industry here.
Many people in the film industry have received university education, and with Xiangjiang's university education, 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 employees who can speak fluent English also want to work with Hollywood
Commercial blockbuster directors can have the opportunity to communicate.
"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."
Let’s not speculate. 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 from China in the 1960s, and tried 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 results.
Film is an art that needs to be tested by the market. If you still hold 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 was almost none.
Ronald immediately knew that he might have found the wrong person. Perhaps the local partners were concerned about the language barrier and arranged for people with strong English skills, and most of these people wrote for English newspapers and magazines, or worked in universities.
Film studies.
There are almost no people who are really working on the front line to shoot local films.
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 set up their own film studio. They have also made many movies. Because he has experience in making movies, he and Ronald had a pleasant conversation.
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 such as Alien and Star Wars that focus on visual effects."
Ronald was convinced and was very satisfied to find a director in Xiangjiang who also liked special effects. The two chatted while eating.
"A few years ago, he also recruited 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 shoot a special effects film, "Shu: Warriors from the Magic Mountain." However,
The price they charge is too high.”
Tsui Hark’s girlfriend, Ms. Shi, is also a producer. Her English is also good. She talked about the magical movie that made her boyfriend regretful a few years ago.
"I have 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. She was struggling with chopsticks and trying various delicious meat foods.
"There are many special effects companies like this in Hollywood. In fact, they also have crude methods. My friend Cameron has been doing special effects like this for two yuan and thirty-five cents since the beginning. He only recently received a big investment. You should start immediately.
We can see the Alien sequel he made."
"aliens? I've wanted to see it for a long time." Tsui Hark said that he is following 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." Ms. 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 what this position meant.
"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 cooked very well, and there was no residue at all when he ate them.
"But your boss is kidding, how is it possible that the film is burned and you need to collect the pitiful insurance money?"
"No, he's serious."
"Huh?" Ronald was very emotional after hearing this. There are actually producers who disrespect film creation like this.
"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. Hollywood's video tape business is very good now. Even if it cannot be distributed in the market, it will go directly to the video tape market.
You can also make money.”
Tsui Hark and Miss Shi laughed awkwardly, Ronald didn't understand 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 very rampant in Hong Kong, and the anti-theft technology of VHS video recorders was quickly cracked here. All kinds of video tapes are sold very cheaply, and unless they are blockbuster movies released in 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 collect 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 that 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, so 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 were the movies you admired made?"
"Leave it to me, and I can show you a special type of work that is not even available in Hollywood, martial arts."
…
"Well, 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 shoot gunfight scenes. When filming a decisive battle between the protagonist and the bad guy, they often abandon the gunfight and use fist fights instead. Because gunfights are often boring, unless you are a director with profound skills, you will not be able to shoot well.
A gunfight that makes 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 and worshiped the pig's head.
"What are you doing?" Ronald and Diane wondered.
"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 next to her.
"Worship the camera? Why worship the camera?"
"If you ask them, they will probably only tell you that it is a custom. But I have studied 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 early days, Xiangjiang was not a film production center. Many of the cameras here were second-hand goods that had 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 will cause a box of film to be scrapped, or the camera will be accidentally exposed, etc. At that time, the culture of photography was not high, and sometimes
I don’t know why, so it gradually merged with local worship and formed a custom of worshiping the camera before turning on the camera.
“Isn’t this just a variation on 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 some canned meat, beer and other food from the logistics and exchanged them 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 wizard sacrificial attire. They also started to imitate the navy.
The call to take off the plane has 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 an actor with short hair and a stocky build, 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 always smiled.
"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 work too hard."
"There is nothing we can do. Everyone is working so hard, so we can only work harder. Who is this ghost guy? That foreign girl is so beautiful."
"Let me introduce to you, this is Ronald, the great director of Hollywood, and this is his girlfriend, Diane Lane, who is also a famous actor."
"This is our most popular actor in Hong Kong now, jackie chan"
"Thunder roar." Ronald greeted him in the Cantonese he had just learned.
"The great director from Hollywood? How cool are you? Let's go to dinner together? I'll give you abalone and shark's fin..."
The big-nosed Jackie Chan slapped her chest and wanted to drag Ronald, a big Hollywood director, out 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 they were going to eat abalone wings. Seeing 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 expressions 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 while she sat with Ronald, Diane, Tsui Hark and others.
Together, through Miss Shi's translator, we 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 elder 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 his chopsticks and gave himself and Diane a chopstick.
"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 express our gratitude."
"When you go to Hollywood in the future, you can come to me and I will take you to eat delicious and fun food there. If you want help with any movies, I can also help you get involved."
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. He has many friends and many paths. Besides, Ronald also feels that he sees
He seems a bit friendly and treats people fairly.
"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 moment after seeing this, "Actually, there is an alternative. I can go to Panavision Company to rent two cameras on a long-term basis, and then put them in Xiangjiang for people who want to use them, but I need a
We must 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 are unwilling to invest in hardware equipment. Some large-scale investment movies also use second-hand and third-hand equipment. And some large-scale investment movies clearly use second-hand equipment.
Some good equipment can greatly improve the image quality, but it 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 and asked people with reputations in Hollywood to help them rent it to Panavision on a long-term basis.
"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 will not be a problem.
"I offer you a glass of wine, Director Ronald! From now on, you are my eldest brother. Come on, call me 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 replace the wine with tea." Ronald quickly stopped him, saying there was no need to open the XO.
"I'm so happy today. It's rare that I can 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 his martial arts brothers drank the rest.
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 films 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 was 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 and put it 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 enthusiastic 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 to promote 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 over there."