Magic Modified Huayu

The same goes for Hong Kong films.

With their professional skills, is it really true that Hong Kong filmmakers cannot make movies that mainland audiences like to watch?

But they didn’t actually film it.

"Weakness and ignorance are not obstacles to survival, but arrogance is.

If you have time, read The Three-Body Problem; it’s a really good book.”

Director Wei lamented, "I am actually just an average director, and my abilities and talents are quite ordinary in the industry.

But I have always believed that what makes me better than many big names is that even though I have reached my current point, I am still willing to explore what the audience likes, still willing to listen to the ideas of the most ordinary people and shoot the dramas they like to watch.

There are many people who are more talented than me, but they think too highly of themselves, so they don’t engage in an equal dialogue with the audience.”

Everything Director Wei said came from his heart.

But Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse didn't believe it.

Andy Lau smiled bitterly and said, "Director Wei, you are still considered to be of average talent, but the others will not be able to survive."

Director Wei shook his head and said, “There are many people in the industry who are more qualified than me, but not many are willing to listen, observe and explore the plots that the audience wants to see.

Let’s get back to the topic. Many people know that we should cater to the preferences of mainland audiences, but many people don’t do it.

Let's put aside all our prejudices, positions, and perceptions and use the most objective judgment to think about what mainland audiences would most like to see expressed in Hong Kong films.

Director Wei's question made both Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse fall into deep thought.

Director Wei was willing to talk to them more about this topic, so of course they couldn't just fool around.

They are both the backbone of Hong Kong films today. It is impossible for them to say that they have not thought about this issue.

Andy Lau pondered, "Judging from existing examples, mainland audiences seem to prefer the nostalgia of Hong Kong films. This allows Hong Kong films to lean towards the traditional underworld style, but that style violates public order and morality, so it's impossible to continue filming."

Nicholas Tse said: "Many of us Hong Kong filmmakers are only good at shooting action movies and police and gangster movies, but we have shot too many of them.

To be honest, if I were a viewer, I would be tired of watching it.

Because similar plots have been filmed too many times, it is unlikely to be innovative.

From the very beginning, the box office of this kind of project is unlikely to be too high.

But innovation is more difficult. It’s beyond my ability to innovate. I’m still better at cooking.”

Director Wei was amused again by Nicholas Tse's honest words.

"Brother Hua and Nicholas Tse are both from Hong Kong, so they consider issues more from the perspective of Hong Kong.

As a mainlander, and considering myself an ordinary mainland audience, I would like to share what Hong Kong films I'm most looking forward to watching."

Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse both looked at Director Wei expectantly, waiting for his advice.

Director Wei’s “brilliant ideas” really shocked them.

"I want to watch Hong Kong films that show Hong Kong and Hong Kong people suffering."

Andy Lau:”

Nicholas Tse: "

Director Wei understood their surprise and calmly explained, "Just like Westerners like to watch Chinese films about bad luck, mainland audiences also like to watch Hong Kong films about bad luck.

There's no need to look at me in surprise, we're talking in private.

I would never admit this view publicly.”

Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse were still speechless.

Director Wei went on to explain: "It's undeniable that many Hong Kong people look down on mainlanders, believing that mainlanders are all old-fashioned and that their values ​​are more inclined towards the mainstream values ​​of the Western world.

"Similarly, at least half of mainland Chinese people don't like Hong Kong people either.

Because in the eyes of mainlanders, Hong Kong people are the filial sons and grandsons of the British Empire, a group of abandoned hermaphrodites who are full of privileges.

“The times are developing and society is progressing.

It is obvious that Hong Kong's development speed has not been as fast as that of the mainland in recent years. This is a fact, so many mainlanders inevitably develop a sense of superiority.

A considerable number of mainland audiences hope to see plots in film and television works that confirm their inner views: Hong Kong is not a paradise, and the lives of Hong Kong people are not more noble than theirs, and their situations may even be more difficult.

"To earn money from mainland audiences, you have to cater to their preferences, their inclinations, and even their sense of superiority.

“Making money is not shameful.

"The most important thing is that we don't need to smear Hong Kong out of thin air.

The city of Hong Kong certainly has many beautiful places and surpasses the mainland in many aspects.

But we only need to zoom in on Hong Kong’s problems, the simplest of which is housing.

Housing prices in mainland China are already outrageous, but the housing problem in Hong Kong is simply outrageous beyond belief—outrageous to the extreme.”

Director Wei's words actually made Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse feel a little uncomfortable.

This is normal.

No one likes to hear others criticize their hometown.

Unless he is a shepherd who has forgotten his roots.

Andy Lau and Nicholas Tse are not that kind of people, so they certainly don't like to hear Director Wei criticize Hong Kong.

But Director Wei's last two sentences left the two speechless.

There are really a lot of problems in Hong Kong, and they can’t wash away the problems with Hong Kong’s houses even if they want to.

Because they just came out of the "pigeon house".

The highest housing prices in the world.

One of the smallest per capita areas.

The place where Li Paopao made his fortune.

The place where the common area was invented.

A place where ants live.

It is also the birthplace of many world-class billionaires.

This is a city with an extremely strong sense of division.

The rich are so rich that they can dominate the world.

The ants at the bottom of the society enjoy their "freedom as Fujian masters" and pigeon houses that cost less than 20NF.

Director Wei quipped, “I only know after living there myself, no wonder so many Hong Kong artists like to buy houses in mainland China.

The audience thought they were patriotic and loved the mainland, but I think they couldn't afford luxury homes in Hong Kong, so they had to buy cheap houses in Beijing and Shanghai."

Director Wei decided to add this line into the movie.

Rooms in Beijing and Shanghai are cheap.

This kind of magical line will make the audience feel uncomfortable wherever it appears.

But in Hong Kong movies, when compared with Hong Kong, Hong Kong's housing prices immediately stand out.

Selling properties off-plan (pre-sale system), common areas, land bidding system... are all firsts in Hong Kong.

The so-called 1,000-square-foot mansions in Hong Kong are actually less than 100 square meters in area...

This is a real luxury house in Hong Kong.

In the mainland, it is recognized as a small apartment.

With such a comparison, the mainland audience's sense of superiority immediately emerges.

Although many viewers cannot afford small apartments.

unimportant.

Happiness is created by comparison.

Director Wei doesn't need the audience to buy houses.

He only needs the audience to contribute movie tickets.

Andy Lau added: "Director Wei, there is actually land in Hong Kong, and we can reclaim land from the sea, and the technology is now mature.

However, this is not only opposed by top tycoons like Li Chaoren, but also by many ordinary people in Hong Kong themselves.”

Director Wei nodded and said, "I know. It's the free Hong Kong of Fujian."

This is different from the mainland where almost most people oppose rising housing prices.

In Hong Kong, the main force preventing housing prices from falling does not only come from the wealthy class, there is also a lot of opposition among ordinary people.

"Brother Hua, you were also scolded for supporting land reclamation, right?" Director Wei asked.

Andy Lau smiled bitterly and nodded.

There is really land in Hong Kong.

Data from the Hong Kong Planning Department shows that only 6.9% of the land is used for housing construction.

The reason behind this is that as much as 37% of the land in Hong Kong's country parks cannot be used for development. The four major families hold a large amount of idle land, and some brownfield sites (abandoned industrial or commercial land) are difficult to reclaim and develop. As a result, the land supply in Hong Kong has been stretched due to the intentional or unintentional contraction.

However, in reality, Hong Kong has no shortage of land.

In addition, the Hong Kong government has launched the "Lantau Tomorrow Plan" and plans to build several artificial islands with a total area of ​​17 hectares in 20 to 30 years to solve the housing problem of about 100 million people.

Andy Lau publicly expressed his support.

Then, the Hong Kong business community and ordinary homeowners, who were severely criticized, all opposed the proposal.

Some things can be solved technically.

But many people just don't want these problems to be resolved.

"So, there are obviously many issues in Hong Kong that can be filmed. Why do you Hong Kong filmmakers always focus on police and gangster films? How can mainland audiences not like a movie about killing Li Paopao?" Director Wei said.

Nicholas Tse complained: "Director Wei, who else but you would dare to shoot this kind of plot?"

Director Wei shrugged.

"Then I'll take over. There's a huge sense of wealth disparity, a polarized urban population, beleaguered by internal and external pressures, the retreat of foreign financial institutions from international spies, and the impending change of Hong Kong's lord.

Such a clever timing, with so many social issues, presents the contradictions and current situation of Hong Kong in the new era from the bottom up."

Director Wei believes that as long as the content can be filmed brilliantly, there is no reason for the audience not to like it.

"You two, get ready for battle. This movie will start filming soon."

Chapter 155: Acting as Guanyin in front of the Guanyin statue, a tacit understanding of the wise man

"Boss, are you really going to let these Hong Kong celebrities experience the lives of ordinary people in Hong Kong? Living in a house like this for a month?"

Chen Duling finally confirmed it.

She also followed Director Wei to the pigeon house in Hong Kong to try living there, and then left after staying there for a day.

Originally, Chen Duling thought that she could accept anything for the sake of work, after all, Director Wei gave her so much.

If you get that much money, you should do that much.

So now she even thinks that methods like Guanyin, dogs, rope art, and Yunxiao are very reasonable.

After all, her salary is very unreasonable.

But Chen Duling found that she had overestimated her tolerance.

In other words, it underestimates the living conditions of the lower class in Hong Kong.

She has experienced the life of ordinary people in the mainland, and she is not a rich lady, so she has never felt that she cannot endure hardship.

But in Xiangjiang, the pigeon house, kitchen and toilet are next to each other, coexisting in a small space of almost ten square meters.

You have to cook and eat in this small space, and then be taken out...

It forms its own "circulation" system.

This cycle repeats itself over and over again, year after year.

Chen Duling only stayed for one day before decisively running away.