Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 14 Co-production Policy

The filming location for "The Blade" is in Gansu.

From Hong Kong to Gansu, a distance of thousands of miles, Tang Long's initial excitement had long since faded during the long journey.

The crew first traveled from Guangzhou to Lanzhou by train, a journey that took three or four days.

That's not so bad, at least it's not bumpy.

It took two days to get from Lanzhou to the town where we were filming, and my butt was practically shaken to pieces the whole way.

Upon arrival at their destination, the group from Hong Kong all looked dejected, and Tang Jia immediately made sure they were settled in.

No one cared about the poor accommodations; they just collapsed and rested.

Tang Long couldn't rest. After a quick wash, Tang Jia dragged him to meet the mainland representative for this collaboration.

"Director Zhang, this is Tang Long, the screenwriter and male lead of the film, as well as the film's investor."

Tang Jia then turned to Tang Long and continued his introduction:

"Ah Long, this is Director Zhang from Xi'an Film Studio. Xi'an Film Studio is our partner for this project, and they will assist with the filming."

"Mr. Tang is young and promising. Are you and Mr. Tang Jia from the same Tang family?"

"He is my uncle. I am very grateful for the help from Xi'an Film Studio and Director Zhang this time."

Director Zhang was immediately surprised by Tang Long's standard Mandarin, and his smile broadened considerably:

"Mr. Tang, you're too kind. We warmly welcome our compatriots from Hong Kong to film in the mainland."

"Director Zhang, your Xi'an Film Studio has become quite famous these past two years. I've even heard about it in Hong Kong."

Director Zhang Yimou is truly remarkable. Two years ago, "Red Sorghum" won the Golden Bear at Berlin International Film Festival, and this year "Ju Dou" has been nominated for the main competition at Cannes.

"Haha, Mr. Tang actually knows Yi Mou. He is indeed an outstanding filmmaker that our Xi'an Film Studio has cultivated in the past two years."

Tang Long's words struck a chord with him.

With Zhang Yimou winning awards overseas, Xi'an Film Studio also gained a lot of attention and received commendation from the central propaganda department.

As a member of Xi'an Film Studio, he felt honored.

"Not only do I know him, I've also worked with director Zhang Yimou."

"Oh?"

"Last year, the co-production film 'The Myth of Qin' starring Director Zhang was directed by my mentor, Cheng Xiaodong, who is also the director of the film 'The Blade'."

I was also on that set, but I was a stuntman.

"I see. I didn't expect there to be such a connection. What a coincidence."

With a common topic of conversation, the atmosphere became much more harmonious.

Director Zhang was quite perceptive; he noticed that Tang Long looked tired and took his leave after chatting for a short while.

"Ah Long, you've really changed a lot in the past year. You used to be quiet and socially awkward, but now you can chat and laugh with this Director Zhang."

I've known him for a while. While he was enthusiastic before, he always seemed too businesslike. He was noticeably more sincere when he spoke with you.

"Maybe my Mandarin is more standard."

"I hadn't realized until you mentioned it, when did your Mandarin become so good?"

Tang Long made up an excuse:

"I started learning last year. After filming 'A Terracotta Warrior', I felt that there would be more exchanges between the Hong Kong film industry and the mainland."

"It's always good to have more skills, so I learned them on a whim, and I didn't expect them to come in handy so soon."

"You're right. The mainland has just issued a new policy, which will make it much easier for Hong Kong films to be shot on the mainland in the future."

Tang Jia then gave Tang Long a brief explanation of the mainland's co-production policies.

In the 1980s, Hong Kong or overseas film crews also went to the mainland to shoot movies.

At that time, the censorship was quite strict, and collaborations were only allowed with Chinese film co-production companies.

This company is essentially an official intermediary. Hong Kong film crews need to sign agreements with it, and it reviews the projects and coordinates and finalizes the cooperation with state-owned film studios.

Now, with the implementation of the "Regulations on the Administration of Sino-Foreign Co-productions of Films and Television Dramas," state-owned film studios are able to directly connect and cooperate with Hong Kong film crews.

There are three ways for the two parties to cooperate.

One model is the current collaboration between the "Blade" production team and Xi'an Film Studio.

The Hong Kong side provided the funding, while the mainland production company provided assistance such as venues and labor, and the filming permit was obtained in the name of the production company.

The film's copyright ultimately belongs to the investor, and the mainland production company receives a fee.

This type of cooperation will also be the mainstream approach for Hong Kong film crews to collaborate with mainland state-owned film studios in the coming years.

One type is a true co-production, in which both parties jointly invest, send personnel, and share risks, with the copyright jointly owned by both parties.

Moreover, the policy stipulates that Chinese personnel must account for no less than one-third of the main creative team members of co-productions.

One advantage of this cooperation model is that it allows films to be released in mainland China without having to go through the import quota system.

A prime example is "Farewell My Concubine," a collaboration between Tomson Group and Beijing Film Studio.

The last type is commissioned production, where the foreign party provides funding and commissions the Chinese party to produce the product.

These are essentially film projects invested in by Hong Kong or foreign capital from mainland filmmakers.

For example, the film "In the Heat of the Sun," which made Jiang Wen famous overnight, was mainly funded by funds brought in by Manfred Wong, and the film project was affiliated with Beijing Film Studio.

This approach is generally only suitable for top mainland filmmakers like Zhang Yimou, Chen Shiren, and Jiang Wen.

"We will come to the mainland to film many more times in the future. Xi'an Film Studio is one of the top state-owned film studios in the mainland in terms of strength and influence."

Building a good relationship with Director Zhang will be of considerable benefit to you, regardless of whether "The Blade" succeeds or not.

"I understand, Uncle."

"Go and rest. You only have one night to rest. Filming will officially begin tomorrow."

Back in his room, Tang Long immediately collapsed into bed and fell asleep.

The following morning, a blessing ceremony for the film "The Blade" was held first.

Director Zhang, the representative from Xi'an Film Studio, was clearly used to this kind of ceremony by the Hong Kong film crew. He even joined in burning incense and sharing suckling pig meat.

Many mainland film crews are now starting to follow the example of Hong Kong films by holding a blessing ceremony before filming begins.

Cheng Xiaodong filmed one outdoor scene and then ended the morning's filming.

At lunchtime, Tang Long squatted down next to Liu Qingyun:

"The wind and sand are a bit strong here, but the mutton is still quite delicious and not too gamey."

"If it's delicious, eat more."

After saying that, Liu Qingyun took a big bite of mutton, and it did taste really good.

"Is everything ready for the afternoon's scenes?"

"Seriously? You've asked this four times already. We've rehearsed it several times in Hong Kong. Are you getting nervous right before filming starts?"

"I am a little nervous. You're not the male lead, so you wouldn't understand."

Upon hearing this, Liu Qingyun was speechless, finally managing to stammer out:

"Damn it!"

Then, ignoring Tang Long, she continued eating.

Seeing his appearance, Tang Long couldn't help but chuckle.

After Liu Qingyun was cast as Tie Tou, the two met frequently.

Tang Long instructed him to build muscle. The disciples in Lianfenghao were all people bursting with hormones, and they often had to go shirtless to show off their muscles.

Liu Qingyun imparted some acting experience to Tang Long, and the two would even act together.

After spending more than half a month together, we became quite familiar with each other and often joked around.