Chapter 208 "Mong Kok Carmen"

Wong Kar-wai is not wearing sunglasses now, and his blushing expression is immediately visible. I have to say that being expelled from Xinyicheng really embarrassed Wong Kar-wai.

But since Lu Yan asked, Wong Kar-wai said unequivocally: "Although I am in the screenwriting department, I don't like to write scripts very much." ”

Wong Kar-wai's candid answer made Liu Zhenwei on the side stunned for a moment and ready to speak.

Lu Yan immediately waved his hand and said with a smile: "Brother Zhen Viagra, I understand what Brother Wei means." ”

Wong Kar-wai's movies and his style, Lu Yan has long been like thunder. This director's movie is the most difficult to make in Leslie Cheung's opinion. Because this director will never give you the script, or even think of what to shoot. When you arrive on the set, you tell you about today's scene. Then, you need to figure out how the characters feel and so on. And he just keeps shooting.

You never know what he's trying to shoot, what he's trying to say. It's to keep you performing, and he won't shoot the next set until he feels like he wants it.

The uniqueness of Wong Kar-wai's films lies first in his in-depth understanding of the city and time in which he lives, and he has found an appropriate way to express his own life experience in such a special external environment.

The crowded and extravagant Chungking Mansion, and the dark blue sky divided by the high-rise buildings in Mong Kok. At Kai Tak Airport, you can see the windows of the apartments where planes take off and land, and of course there are roadside stalls, convenience stores and dark bars. Wong Kar-wai relied on these iconic elements to combine Hong Kong at the end of a century, the most obvious example being "Chungking Forest" and "Fallen Angel"

Of course, you can also regard the lonely and indifferent desert in "East Evil and West Poison" as an allegorical modern city, and the feeling of rootless drifting in a foreign land in "Flash" is also a reflection of Hong Kong, a colonial city, in another foreign time and space.

Wong Kar-wai is a video expressor with a strong "urban sensibility", and the inorganic and symbolic nature of the modern city makes his works often hidden in form and style. In other words, the style itself is sometimes his content.

In the works of Hui Anhua, Tam Ka-ming, and others, who are representatives of Hong Kong's new (wave) trend directors in the past, you can easily touch the "realism of life" that supports the style, but you can't see this in Wong Kar-wai's films.

As a student of the film academy at the beginning, I have also repeatedly studied Wong Kar-wai's film Lu Yan. Although Wong Kar-wai's films have a cool and dazzling sense of form, they are actually full of emotion: such as the irony of fast-food love in "Chongqing Forest", the delicate and entangled feelings in "Flashaway", and the scene where Takeshi Kaneshiro makes ice cream for his father in "Fallen Angel" are all unforgettable. A consistent theme in his work is the desire for some kind of confiding and communication between people, and the helplessness of the impossibility of individual communication that is far stronger than this desire. There is no one in the Chinese-language film industry who is as adept at expressing this theme as delicately and expressively as Wong Kar-wai.

It is precisely because of the moral of his film and the combination of his shooting method that there will be the so-called Wong Kar-wai aesthetic films. For him, he doesn't like to write scripts, but lets the actors show themselves wantonly. Then connect these feelings, and then integrate the stories in his mind to have this effect.

There are many directors who can shoot blockbuster commercial films, but a director like Wong Kar-wai is a rare one.

After thinking about it, Lu Yan smiled and said: "Brother Jiawei, you can stay in the screenwriting department with peace of mind first, I won't let you come up with any scripts within a limited time, if you have any good story ideas and ideas, you can come and talk to me." ”

Hearing this, Wong Kar-wai's eyes suddenly lit up and said, "Is it okay?" If I were to shoot it, I might not be able to get the script."

It's exposed

Wong Kar-wai couldn't wait to say this, and it was Lu Yan who laughed first. Immediately after, Liu Zhenwei also smiled bitterly. In fact, Wong Kar-wai has talked to him many times about making movies without scripts. Although he was very sure of many of Wong Kar-wai's ideas and methods, it is very rare in Hong Kong to make a film without a script.

Don't say whether the boss is willing or not, even if he is willing, how to calculate the investment funds? Give you a budget, and you won't be able to finish shooting by then. At that time, additional investment will have to be made, and it is obvious that most bosses will not be willing.

But now that Lu Yan said this, Wong Kar-wai was so quick to speak. It shows that this guy already has a draft. But it is clear that his manuscript will be biased. Or rather, to get the unwanted effect.

In fact, the "abstract reality" of Wong Kar-wai's films is also manifested in his accidental fragmentary narrative structure and collage borrowing of popular symbols. If you are moved by Wong Kar-wai's work, it is not because of the impression of the world as a whole, but because the atmosphere evoked by the details, fragments, and subjective monologues that you can resonate with. The atmosphere resides in the fragments, or in the blank space between the fragments, much like the postmodern aesthetics' rejection of grand narratives and preference for small impressions.

In Wong Kar-wai's films, you can find a large number of pop culture symbols, such as pop music, logos, cartoon toys, etc., including his favorite characters such as policemen, killers, Ah Fei, etc., which are actually a kind of subculture symbols on the edge of the city.

So when he heard Wong Kar-wai's words, Lu Yan became interested and said, "So, do you have an idea?" ”

Wang Karwei, who hesitated, suddenly raised his head and looked at Lu Yan and nodded: "Yes, there are ideas"

In fact, Lu Yan is also thinking about it, in fact, the film arrangement of the Spring Festival file has not yet entered the formality. In fact, Lu Yan, who finished filming "Rouge Buckle", really needs to rest during this time. And with the funds for the film in Dongcheng, it is also a situation of shooting a few movies for the time being. Now "The Saint of Gambling" has been finalized, and he also asked Wang Jing to take the script...... If you add Wong Kar-wai's bottomless pit, Lu Yan really doesn't know whether to fill it or not.

After thinking about it, Lu Yan said curiously: "Let's analyze whether it is feasible or not."

"Actually, this idea came to me after watching your "True Colors of Heroes"." Wong Kar-wai smiled at Lu Yan and began to say: "It's the gangsters of the two clubs, one is the eldest brother and the younger brother ......."

Listening to Wong Kar-wai talk about the beginning, Liu Zhenwei obviously noticed that Lu Yan's eyes lit up. He was a little curious, because was the story fresh? There are so many such stories that they are nothing. Could it be that because this story is a gangster film like "The True Color of Heroes", this boss is interested?

It's good that this gives Wong Kar-wai at least a chance to show himself.

What about Lu Yan?

It's really because this story is too familiar to Lu Yan, because isn't this story Wong Kar-wai's debut film - "Carmen in Mong Kok" Although Andy Lau's acting skills were not very superb at the beginning, although Jacky Cheung has always been a little crazy in the performance state, although Maggie Cheung has not yet become the goddess of acting...... But this movie is still fresh in many people's memories

At least the final ending made Lu Yan sigh.

Wong Kar-wai's filming requirements are high, he may not see the script before the start of filming, he doesn't know what to shoot tomorrow, he keeps ng, he is constantly tortured, and the last shot may be useless. Lu Yan suddenly remembered that Maggie Cheung once complained: "He is used to filming all the time, looking for the feeling of that role, before he finds the feeling, everyone doesn't know what he is playing, how the role is, and he has the feeling of taking exams every day."

Wong Kar-wai said that to be able to conquer these big-name stars is very simple, is to talk to them about roles.

"I didn't write the script first, but I had the actor in mind when I wrote it, and I tailored it to the actor, and everyone was very concerned about what they would become."

Because of this approach, Wong Kar-wai's success is inevitable. It is precisely because of his maverick that he has been supported and recognized by many big names.

However, listening to Wong Kar-wai's eloquent words, Lu Yan also knew that the other party's idea of this story was not yet mature, and said: "The company really needs more different types of movies now, and I am also very optimistic about you and Zhen Viagra." Although the company is not very large now, the funds are not very abundant. But we are better at small quantities, so I am a person who pays a lot of attention to the quality of the film

Brother Wei, this story of yours is not yet mature. Since you have come to the company, then we will meet with sincerity. This time, I can shoot "The Saint of Gambling" and your story. But this is also an opportunity, and you all know the consequences of good or bad grades, after all, we are going to engage in a film company......"

Lu Yan's meaning is very clear. Liu Zhenwei and Wong Kar-wai also knew very well, but the two of them didn't expect that they had just come to Dongcheng Image. This boss is so willing to give face, and he is really a boss with a lot of courage. Although it is very bold to know that he is using a new talent, it is very rare to decide to make two films so quickly.

And the reason why Lu Yan can have such confidence is that he believes in the script of "The Saint of Gambling" and the script of "Mong Kok Carmen". Second, he hopes to entrap Liu Zhenwei and Wong Kar-wai. These two directors will play a pivotal role in the Hong Kong film industry in the future. With such two directors sitting in Dongcheng Films, the company does not have to worry about box office recovery and word-of-mouth.

Moreover, even if the current Liu Weiqiang and Wong Kar-wai are still in the preliminary stage. But making movies is something that is slowly progressing. Now the style has not yet been formed, but Lu Yan and they can all guide it. If you have a problem, you can collect it in time and you'll be fine.

Because of this, the two upcoming films of Dongcheng Imaging have also been decided.

"The Saint of Gambling" and "Mong Kok Carmen"

The script of "The Saint of Gambling" has begun to take shape, with Lu Yan's first draft. Liu Weiqiang polished it and was able to start shooting quickly. At that time, the other party will definitely discuss with Lu Yan often, so Lu Yan is still very confident in the problems at the box office.

As for "Carmen in Mong Kok"? Lu Yan doesn't have to worry about it, Wong Kar-wai doesn't need to complete the script to make a movie. The script he gives to the actors, that is, a general story. How to shoot, it is all based on the scene. Of course, because of this, Wong Kar-wai's film must have been slow to shoot.

Then the main hit will be the movie "The Saint of Gambling".

And Wang Jing is now also conceiving her own script, and when the time comes, the three movies will be shot side by side. Then the recruitment of the company's personnel must be accelerated.

"Okay, now that both movies have been decided. I don't want the two of you to disappoint me," Lu Yan said this, but his heart was very comfortable. At least lay the foundation for the future of the company, then ensure the future of the company.

The actors of "The Saint of Gambling", almost all of Lu Yan himself have been decided. And the actor of "Mong Kok Carmen", Lu Yan completely gave Wong Kar-wai the greatest degree of freedom.

It's not that you don't want to ask, it's just that Wong Kar-wai's style is like this. What Lu Yan needs to do, in addition to supporting, is to pay close attention to this big director who has not yet formed a style

"God of Gamblers" is magical again, and the box office is finally powerful

"Sammo Hung is invincible to Lu Yan after all"

"The failure of the Golden Harvest model proves that the film needs to be innovated"

"The two film giants are chasing each other, but it is still difficult to stop Lu's films"

Just when Lu Yan decided to give Liu Zhenwei and Wong Kar-wai a chance to direct, the summer box office rankings changed dramatically again. The box office of "God of Gamblers" suddenly became higher and higher, directly surpassing "Rich Train". And although "Best Partner: A Thousand Miles to Save the Bad Woman" has always ranked third, the box office has begun to catch up with "Rich Train"