Hong Kong Entertainment: The King of Kung Fu

After "Kung Fu" returned to Hong Kong with the Golden Goblet Award, the Baiyang Distribution Company immediately launched a large-scale publicity campaign throughout the Asia-Pacific region.

Due to the release date conflict, "Kung Fu" will face off against "Jurassic Park".

Forget about the European and American markets, if he can't win, then he can't win, but in the Chinese-speaking market, Yang Ye can't afford to lose, it's a matter of face.

Although the movie "Jurassic Park" was also produced by Yang Ye.

The publishing company already had a mature plan for publicity and promotion, so Yang Ye didn't need to worry about it at all. When Yang Ye was needed to appear, he could just notify him in advance.

At this time, "Once Upon a Time in China IV: The Legend of Wong Fei-Hung" began to be released in Hong Kong.

In this time and space, there is no such thing as Jet Li falling out with Golden Harvest and leaving. In "The King's Wind", Jet Li still plays Wong Fei-hung, which is authentic and naturally very popular.

The movie took the lead in the June box office as soon as it was released. Judging from the trend, it will not be a problem for it to exceed 20 million locally.

Although it is a bit lower than the first three films, it is acceptable because there are so many damn Wong Once Upon a Time movies this year.

This is how the market works. Once a subject becomes popular, a lot of people will follow suit and make films. Everyone has long been accustomed to it.

What’s interesting is…Zhao Wenzhuo still showed up.

The Silver Metropolis Film Group made a movie called "Once Upon a Time in China II" and brought out Zhao Wenzhuo, but unfortunately it was a box office flop.

The appearance of Zhao Wenzhuo was very normal. After all, he was a national martial arts champion, so Hong Kong filmmakers would naturally come to him.

Hong Kong filmmakers not only follow the trend in subject matter, they even follow the trend in actors.

When an actor becomes famous, they will actively look for the next-highest replacement for that person and make similar movies to make money.

For example, Wu Siyuan once found Li Yuanba to replace Chen Long, but Li Yuanba's character was not good, so Wu Siyuan put him on the shelf again.

"New Dragon Inn" made Lin Qingxia's stunt double Shi Yi famous, and the Hong Kong film industry promoted her to be the leading actress in movies. Unfortunately, she didn't become popular after several movies, and she disappeared.

Zhao Wenzhuo was brought in by Xu Ke to replace Jet Li, and Wang Jing also tried to replace Stephen Chow with Zhang Weijian.

It’s a pity that Li Gui is not Li Kui after all. Zhao Wenzhuo is already a very awesome one among these people because he has really made a name for himself.

Another one who is even more awesome is Cheng Yikin. Originally, the Young and Dangerous characters in Hong Kong films were mainly played by Liu Hua. Liu Hua made a lot of movies of this type and they were very popular.

Unexpectedly, Zheng Yijian emerged out of nowhere and replaced Liu Hua on this track in a short period of time.

However, Zheng Yijian was not strong enough to become a superstar, but he had a good attitude. He accepted it, lay down, and stayed at home to play games.

"The Wind of Kings" is currently in theaters, but Xu Ke suddenly comes to him, saying that his film studio is about to go out of business.

The model of Xu Ke Film Studio has always been that he is the producer and controls everything.

Then he let Cheng Xiaodong, Li Huimin and others, whom he had trained, be directors and act according to his will.

Movies such as "A Chinese Ghost Story", "New Dragon Inn", "Once Upon a Time in China", and "Burning Red Lotus Temple" all follow this model.

Therefore, the martial arts films produced by Xu Ke Film Studio have a unified style, no matter who the director is, and people in later generations will also regard these films as the works of Xu Ke.

But since last year, Hong Kong films have entered a state of extreme madness.

All the great filmmakers started working on their own, and even most of the people from Yangji left.

Chen Long, Jet Li, Stephen Chow, and Liu Hua all set up their own film companies, and it was Yang Ye who allowed them to do so.

Among directors, John Woo, Johnnie To and Peter Chan have now each opened their own film companies.

These people now make their own movies, but they entrust the overseas distribution rights to Yangji.

The people who invest money behind the scenes for them are mainly the eight major film producers in Taiwan.

In addition to these people, Liu Zhenwei and Sunglasses Wang formed Zedong, Wang Jing formed Jingyi, and Er Dongsheng formed Wuxian Yinghua...

In the past one or two years, nearly a hundred new film companies have been registered in Hong Kong, and Hong Kong films have officially entered the era of selling trailers.

Any producer, as long as he can get film contracts from a few Hong Kong stars, can get investment from Taiwanese film producers.

The money is so easy to make that the entire Hong Kong entertainment industry has entered money-grabbing mode.

Given the scale of talent in Hong Kong, shooting one hundred films a year is the limit, but in 1992, there were as many as three hundred films approved.

As there are too many movies released and cinemas are unable to screen them all in time, many Hong Kong films simply choose not to be released and are sold directly to Taiwan and Southeast Asia.

There were also some movies that the theater alliance refused to show because they were so bad, but they were also sold.

The number of crews working has increased several times, but the number of staff remains the same, which is not enough. So what can we do? One person can only shoot several movies at the same time.
Actors have to work in multiple dramas, and photographers, art designers, and props workers have to cross groups, so all positions are in high demand.

There are also subject matters. What subject matter should be filmed? Whatever subject matter is popular, people will rush to film it. For example, in 1993, there were a lot of Wong Fei-hung movies.

This is Xu Ke's problem now. His former film partners, including Cheng Xiaodong, Li Huimin and Yuan Heping, have all been hired away at high prices.

In the past year, the martial arts films such as "The Deer and the Cauldron", "The Crazy Blade and the Flying Cat", "Seven Martial Arts Princesses", "New Meteor Butterfly Sword"... all had Cheng Xiaodong as the martial arts director.

Yuan Heping also has a lot of projects on his plate and is busy all the time. How can he have the time to help Xu Ke with the execution?
Other talents like screenwriter Zhang Tan were also snatched away by Taiwanese film producers at high prices, and each of them was filming several movies at the same time.

Xu Ke suddenly found himself a lone commander, with no one to rely on and no movies to shoot.

He had no choice but to come to Yang Ye for advice and see if there were any new people in the company to give him some jobs.

He had great faith in Yang Ye's vision. Yang Ye had previously recommended Stanley Tong to Chen Long, and as a result, "Police Story 3" became a huge hit.

Tang Jili has now become Chen Long's personal director, and Chen Long trusts him very much.

……

Xu Ke said depressedly: "A good cook cannot cook without rice!"

Yang Ye spread his hands: "It's no use looking for me. Haven't you noticed that I'm now a lone commander?"

Xu Ke was stunned for a moment, then he remembered that the Baiyang Pictures headquarters rarely made movies now.

In addition to Yang Ye, John Woo and Zhang Yimou, these people are tinkering with some blockbuster movies.

Another option is to invest in some low-budget art films to win awards or train new talents.

There are almost no mid-range movies.

On the contrary, the film companies of those superstars and directors who have gone out on their own are all doing very well.

As for Yangji, it is just a name and its main business is distribution.

In addition, it also engages in celebrity management and equipment and venue rental business.

Star management is easy. Baiyang Management Company has a large number of outstanding artists, as well as directors, makeup artists, props...all kinds of talents.

There are more than a hundred film companies in Hong Kong now, and most of these companies are shell companies.

They have neither the manpower nor the possibility to purchase equipment, and filming equipment is very expensive.

If they want to shoot a movie, they need to form a team, rent equipment, and rent a studio...

Baiyang can provide the full range of services these companies need.

Whether you want a director, a star, or a martial arts instructor... or want to rent equipment or a venue... I can satisfy you all.

We have all kinds of products of high and low grades, with clear prices for you to choose from.

Two years ago, Yang Ye also set up an "Asian Screenwriters Center", which is now specifically responsible for producing scripts.

He has produced several popular TV series and box-office movies, and is now well-known in the industry.

Those film companies can also come here to buy crews and even customize scripts as required.

Yang Ji also holds the copyrights of Jin Yong and Gu Long's martial arts novels, Lin Yanni and Li Bihua's romance novels, and Liang Fengyi's financial novels, which are all very popular and have also been entrusted to Yang Ji for agency.

If you want to take photos, you can come and talk.

As long as you are willing to pay, I can provide you with one-stop service from copyright to director, starring and behind-the-scenes.

The reason why Yang Ye did this was because he deeply understood a truth.

When a new opportunity comes, those who make the most money are not those who open stores, but those who sell equipment and provide training.

So now everyone is rushing to open film companies and make movies, and Baiyang Pictures has reduced its film production.

Those film companies want to fleece the overseas film producers, and Baiyang Pictures fleeces those film companies.

After Xu Ke understood Yang Ye's tactics, he was completely convinced and said, "Great, really great. I, Old Xu, can't make a better movie than you, and I'm not as good as you in business!"

Yang Ye smiled faintly and said, "I have no choice. There is too much hot money now. You can't stop people from getting rich, right?

I said it a long time ago that anyone who doesn't allow others to make money must have something wrong with his brain.

So, they all go out to make a lot of money, and I just act as a landlord, following behind to collect the rent."

Xu Ke had an expression that said, "I don't believe you." There are profits and losses in making movies, but Yang Ye's current approach is a sure win.

Yang Ye continued, "Don't worry. The rush to make movies now is a sign of the collapse of Hong Kong movies. Your partners will come back."

Xu Ke had been concentrating on filming movies and had never paid attention to these things. Hearing this, he asked in confusion: "You said that the Hong Kong film industry will collapse?"

Yang Ye said: "It is said that these people signed more than 300 film contracts with overseas film companies last year, and now they still owe more than 100 films.

Wong Kar-wai's Ashes of Time has been stuck for three years and still hasn't been completed.

It's okay that he's slow in taking orders. Many people don't want to deliver the goods, but they are just too busy.

The staff has been working around the clock. It is said that Xiaodong falls asleep for two hours every time he arrives at a crew.

What good stuff can be produced under such circumstances? If the film doesn't sell, the investors will lose money and will definitely be punished.

What's more, many unscrupulous people just disappear after taking the money. Deliver the goods? What the hell."

Xu Ke was a little unconvinced. He thought that even if the overseas film producers came to settle accounts, what would happen? A powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake.

Seeing that he didn't believe it, Yang Ye said, "Haven't you noticed that this year's film market is far worse than last year?
Although there are more movies released, the total box office has dropped a lot.

Even a well-made movie like "The King's Avatar" has not performed as well as before at the box office.

This is why too many films are shot too often, which leads to a decline in quality and makes the audience feel bored.

Many movies were thought to be sure to make money, but ended up being flops.”

Xu Ke thought about it and felt that this was the case. He said, "When you mention this, it reminds me of Johnnie To's The Heroic Trio, which was released earlier this year. It was a really good movie, and the appeal of Ah Mei, Ah Yuk, and Ah Qiong was so strong. But it ended up being such a disaster. I really can't understand it."

"The Heroic Trio" directed by Johnnie To in 1993 starred three big stars: Anita Mui, Maggie Cheung and Yang Ziqiong, but the local box office was only 193 million.

This amount of money was not even enough to pay Anita Mui's salary, and it made Du Dapao look like an idiot.

Yang Ye smiled and said, "Why do you think no one is interested in this movie?"

"I feel like... it's too advanced, right?"

Yang Ye shook his head: "This has nothing to do with being ahead of the times. In fact, his filming is very timely, because with the economic development of Hong Kong, feminism came into being.

Johnnie To's decision to release a film that focuses on women at this time shows that he has a very sharp vision, but it's a pity that he misjudged one thing."

Xu Ke was puzzled and asked, "What's the matter?"

"Feminism is something that is bound to happen after every economic entity rises. In Europe, America and Japan, it has achieved great success so far, but in Hong Kong, it is doomed to fail and will not make any splash at all."

Xu Ke was even more puzzled. Feminism in Japan is very powerful and strong now. Why is it that it is not the same in Hong Kong?
Yang Ye pointed to the north and said, "To the north, across a river, is the mainland of our motherland, where there are hundreds of millions of young women who are ready to get married and share the same culture and ethnicity.

If a Hong Kong girl acts like a spoiled child, a Hong Kong man will turn around and go to Shenzhen to marry a mainland girl.

In this situation, no matter how high Hong Kong girls jump, who will care about them?

Movies have always been a male market. Johnnie To is courting death by insisting on making a movie that promotes women's rights. If he doesn't fail, who will?"

Xu Ke suddenly realized. He didn't expect this to be the reason. He was really impressed by Yang Ye's insight.

Yang Ye returned to the previous topic and said, "However, even if your partners come back, your studio's model will most likely not be able to continue."

"why?"

Xu Ke feels that his current model is pretty good. He can stage many shows a year and basically make money.

Yang Ye said: "Hollywood's high-concept movies have already taken shape, and the future will be the era of blockbusters. The workshop model of Hong Kong movies is destined to be eliminated."

The so-called "high-concept movies" refer to movies proposed by Hollywood that have visual appeal, sufficient market opportunities, simple and concise plot lines and story development in order to be understood and accepted by most audiences.

In short, the cast is strong, the special effects are amazing, the plot is simple, and the theme is single, which lowers the threshold for watching the movie to a minimum while also making the audience feel comfortable.

“The only way for Hong Kong films to avoid being killed by Hollywood is to create our own high-concept films.

Fortunately, I have been working hard on movie special effects over the years, and our technology is no worse than Hollywood's.

However, this kind of special effects blockbuster requires high investment and high returns. If you are not careful, you will lose all your money and suffer heavy losses.

So you have to go all out when producing, which is very energy-consuming. You want to manage four or five movies at the same time like before, which is impossible. "

Xu Ke understood what Yang Ye meant. Yang Ye wanted him to give up those messy things and concentrate on being a director and shooting those high-investment blockbusters.

Well, Xu Ke was quite interested in this. He had always had the urge to shoot a blockbuster movie with an investment of hundreds of millions like Yang Ye, but unfortunately he didn't have the chance.

Currently, there are only two people in Hong Kong who can afford an investment of hundreds of millions, Yang Ye and Chen Long. Xu Ke has no control over them at all. If he uses other people, investors will not dare to invest money.

Xu Ke suddenly felt that it was a good thing for all his friends to run away, so that he could concentrate on making blockbuster films.

But a blockbuster movie can’t be shot just like that; the preparatory work takes a long time.

Now I can only finish the work at hand and start thinking about it at the same time.

Xu Ke came to find Yang Ye, hoping that Yang Ye could help him find some talents. After all, Yang Ye was famous for his ability to identify people.

Unexpectedly, Yang Ye gave him a completely different plan, and he liked it very much.

So he didn't care about the fact that all his friends ran out to make money.

……

After simple preparations, Yang Ye, together with director Benny Chan, leading actress Rosamund Kwan, and a group of supporting actors, held the opening ceremony of "Speed".

In order to save trouble and also to train new talents, Yang Ye once again gave up the director's baton and promoted Chen Musheng to be the director of "Speed".

When filming "50 First Dates", Chen Musheng and Chen Kexin were both alternative directors, but Yang Ye finally chose Chen Kexin.

This made Chen Musheng lose an opportunity to stand out, and now it is finally his turn.

To sum up Chen Musheng’s visual style in one sentence… Art is explosion!
The action scenes in his movies are often very exciting and have a strong visual impact. He is known as China's "Explosive Bay" and is an expert in making commercial films.

Chen Musheng is good at portraying villains or characters that are both good and evil.

A-Zu in "New Police Story", Tian Yangsheng in "True Men", and A-Ao in "Raging Fire" are arguably the coolest characters of Daniel Wu, Wu Jing, and Nicholas Tse.

There is also Nick Cheung's famous scene: "Five years, five years! Do you know how I spent these five years? Do you know?" (End of this chapter)