The world begins with Hong Kong movies

Chapter 336 Today is different from the past

By the time I got off the commuter bus, it was already 6:30 p.m.

Although it was winter, the temperature on Hong Kong Island was still around ten degrees Celsius, and the sky was just a little gloomy.

At this time, the dormitory area of ​​Wutaishan was brightly lit.

The aroma of food from several tea restaurants has already begun to waft around.

After getting off the bus, Zhou Ye didn't go straight home. Instead, he went to the nearest tea restaurant and ordered two dishes to take away.

The waiters at the tea restaurant were very enthusiastic. The owner was a relative of a mid-level manager at the Mong Kok News newspaper, so no one dared to show any disrespect.

Zhou Ye hurriedly paid and left. Although he already knew that prices in Hong Kong were not low, the price of two takeaway meals easily exceeded two hundred dollars, which still made him feel a little uncomfortable.

In the past, he would spend less than thirty yuan per meal, and with the meal allowance from the TV station, he basically didn't have to spend any money himself.

But today, my wife came all the way from Shanghai, so we have to eat something nice.

From now on, I'll just stick to eating regular meals at tea restaurants.

As for cooking at home, I don't have that idea yet.

Zhou Yemang's single dormitory is a well-furnished apartment of about 20 square meters, with one bedroom, one living room and a small bathroom, which is quite small and exquisite.

Inside, it was fully equipped with household appliances such as a color TV and a refrigerator; in the inland areas of that time, it would have been considered a luxurious suite.

There was a bit of awkwardness when we first met.

Well, by the standards of the mainland's arts and culture circles, Zhou Ye is nothing compared to his wife.

His wife could be described as a rising star in the drama world at this moment!

Currently, she is starring as the female lead in a mainland Chinese film.

It's fair to say they were quite remarkable from the start!
If the movie is well-received, and with a few more years of experience, his wife will definitely be a well-known actress.

Fortunately, there haven't been any major problems in the couple's relationship yet.

Seeing her husband carrying a lunchbox, the wife hurriedly went to help, spreading the specialty dishes from the tea restaurant downstairs on the coffee table.

"Why buy food outside? Can't you just cook at home?"

While setting out the dishes, the wife pretended to complain.

After chatting for a while, the awkwardness from more than a year apart disappeared, and the atmosphere quickly warmed up and became harmonious.

"Look at my apartment, the kitchen is less than two square meters. I don't want the place to be too dirty and messy!"

Zhou Ye quickly gestured to his wife to eat while he said, "Besides, there's no set schedule when filming TV dramas at the station. Nobody knows if we'll continue tonight, so there's no way we can cook on time here in the apartment!"

"Is filming TV dramas on Hong Kong Island really that hard?"

His wife was somewhat surprised and asked curiously, "Do you often film overnight?"

"That's not true!"

Zhou Ye quickly picked up a piece of fatty goose meat and put it in his mouth, saying casually, "The speed of filming TV series in Hong Kong is very fast, basically reaching a speed of one episode every two days or even one episode per day!"

Seeing his wife's shocked expression, he continued, "We're using a filming-as-you-go model here. If it's successful, we'll continue filming, and we might even extend the number of episodes!"

"But if the performance is poor and the ratings don't reach a certain standard, the TV station will not hesitate to cut it in order to cut losses. The competition is quite fierce, and no one dares to be careless!"

"This is... way too exaggerated!"

The wife was truly shocked. She didn't even have time to eat her delicious meal before pressing him for an answer: "Isn't the TV station worried that you'll be dissatisfied?"

"This is Hong Kong Island!"

Zhou Ye chuckled and explained, "ATV is still a private television station, which is very different from the situation on the mainland!"

"TV stations don't receive government funding; they have to pay for their own TV dramas. If they don't make money or achieve certain goals, there's no point in continuing to broadcast them—it's just burning money!"

"Of course, this is the operating mode for ordinary projects. The situation is different for key projects. They are basically broadcast after filming is completed!"

"The boss of ATV is from mainland China. He is quite generous to his employees and is not strict with the production of TV dramas. He generally does not encourage shooting night scenes all night!"

"At the TV station, overtime is generally discouraged. It's best to be able to leave and get off work on time during the day!"

When introducing these things, Zhou Ye was quite radiant.

His wife was naturally happy as well, enjoying the local delicacies of Hong Kong Island while chuckling, "Looks like you're doing well here!"

"That's natural!"

Zhou Ye confidently replied, "Right now, I haven't been involved in any of the TV station's major projects, but I've already become a major supporting actor in regular projects. The next step will be to become one of the lead actors!"

Seeing that his wife was listening attentively, he continued with great enthusiasm: "The logistical support from the TV station is excellent!"

"Accommodation, commuting, and meals are all subsidized!"

"I can live very well just on the subsidies. If I don't spend money outside, I can basically save all my salary!"

"Besides acting, I also have to spend time and energy studying my acting skills and the content of the script. I don't have the energy to cook for myself. I usually eat at the tea restaurant downstairs or the canteen at the TV station!"

His wife nodded repeatedly, a satisfied smile on her face.

"You might not know this, but the boss basically treats employees seconded from the mainland with the same benefits as state-owned enterprises!" Zhou Ye rarely had the chance to have a full conversation with anyone, and he naturally poured out all the things he had on his mind.

“This side of Hong Kong Island is all about standard capitalist practices!”

Then, he recounted in detail what he had heard about his colleagues in the wireless industry, treating it as a diversion during the meal.

His wife was stunned and exclaimed in surprise, "That's really ruthless! Mr. Shao has a pretty good reputation in mainland China!"

"I also admire Mr. Shao for his philanthropy!"

Zhou Ye sighed, "All I can say is that everyone is complicated!"

They ate, drank, chatted, and laughed, and seeing that the atmosphere was quite pleasant, the wife cautiously asked, "Your two-year secondment period is almost over. What are your plans?"

Zhou Ye's voice abruptly stopped, and instead of answering, he asked, "What's the situation at the factory?"

"Those veterans, they all need to come in person!"

Speaking of this, the wife's tone was somewhat dissatisfied: "They said they have more experience and can better cooperate with the Hong Kong TV station!"

"Heh, they've got a pretty good idea!"

Zhou Ye continued to finish the food on the coffee table, saying dismissively, "I'm afraid they won't be able to adapt to the work pace here, and it'll end up being quite unpleasant!"

"How do you say this?"

The wife exclaimed in surprise, "Although they sometimes like to act like seniors and have a bit of a temper, they are still quite skilled at their jobs!"

"That's in comparison to the mainland!"

Zhou Ye quickly shook his head and said, "Film production in the studio is often measured in years, which is unimaginable in Hong Kong!"

"The situation with the movie is not very clear, but for the TV series, twenty episodes will definitely not take more than a month and a half to film. This is a strict requirement!"

"Otherwise, unless the TV series becomes a huge hit after it airs, it will be a failure for the TV station, and they will lose money!"

"The older workers in the factory are used to taking their time to produce high-quality work. It's different here in Hong Kong. The work pace is completely different, so how could there not be problems?"

“Those veterans are used to being fawned over, and they all have very strong tempers and are very stubborn. Is it possible to expect them to bow down and submit to Hong Kong TV stations?”

Upon hearing this, his wife nodded in agreement: "That's absolutely right!"

"Not to mention the veteran filmmakers in the factory who are used to the slow pace of filmmaking, even my colleagues who were seconded here at the same time had difficulty adapting to the fast-paced work style in Hong Kong and were eventually sent back!"

"So, what are your plans for the future?"

His wife still asked, "I heard that the factory provides some support to employees like you who are seconded out!"

"Heh, what support? It's all just talk!"

Zhou Ye hurriedly put down his chopsticks, as he had almost finished eating. While helping his wife tidy up the coffee table, he sneered, "With my appearance, there are basically no suitable film and television projects in mainland China!"

"I don't know about other companies, but at least our factory doesn't have this problem!"

So you plan to continue working on Hong Kong Island?

After cleaning the lunchbox and throwing it in the trash can, I washed my hands and sat back down on the sofa in the small living room. My wife asked, "The factory won't agree to this!"

"Well, there's no other way, I'll just have to resign!"

Zhou Ye quickly shook his head and said something that made his wife's face change drastically.

"Aren't you being a bit too impulsive!"

Seeing his resolute expression, his wife did not erupt in anger, but carefully reminded him, "Once you take this step, there's basically no turning back!"

Zhou Ye is not a famous star after all. If he fails in his career outside, he can still go back to continue his acting career.

This is the current situation in the arts and culture scene in mainland China.

Anyone who becomes famous throughout China will go to the United States to try their luck. Even after suffering setbacks and making a fool of themselves, they will still have a large following of sycophants when they return.

When Zhou Ye was busy in mainland China, he was just an unknown actor. If he had quit his job and gone into business, there would have been no turning back.

Do you know how much I earn a month now?

Zhou Ye was clearly prepared, and immediately changed the subject to ask questions.

"How many can there be?"

His wife was also quite curious about this, but she hadn't dared to ask him easily before, for fear that Zhou Ye might overthink it.

"I heard that you temporary actors all receive subsidies, around three thousand a month, which is really high!"

When this was mentioned, his wife perked up.

A monthly income of three thousand Hong Kong dollars is an enormous sum in mainland China, especially for artists at that time.

The reason it's not described as astonishing is because there are already excellent examples of popular novels and artists' incomes, which are still quite impressive.

"If the income weren't so high, the veterans in the factory wouldn't be tempted to come here and earn Hong Kong dollars themselves. Who wouldn't be tempted?"

(End of this chapter)