1982 Started from Hong Kong

Chapter 322 Arrangements before departure
What were the characteristics of Hong Kong’s songs and dances in the 1980s?
Due to the awkward position of the city being under the jurisdiction of the British Hong Kong government, when discussing this issue, real art practitioners will subconsciously avoid talking about it.

Because it just has no characteristics.

In terms of commercialization, whichever country's stars are the most popular will imitate the other country and follow the trend, just like Hong Kong movies.

To put it nicely, it is to absorb the strengths of the East and the West, but the root cause is still a mess of things that are neither fish nor fowl.

Of course, Zhai Yuan could not summarize the above words, nor did he have such a high level of artistic papermaking.

In order to help the girl group Girls' Generation develop better, he specially invited Professor Du Qinlan from the Department of Music of Hong Kong University, who had composed the song "Secretly Obsessed" when Secret Garden was first established, to serve as a consultant for the new girl group.

After watching "Zombie Dance", Professor Du did not give it a very high evaluation, but fortunately he did not denounce it as a thing.

"Today, everyone in Hong Kong is learning singing and dancing from Japan and America, copying music from Japan and dance moves from America. There is a big star in the West named Michael Jackson who is good at singing and dancing, so now the entertainment industry is imitating his moves, but they still can't come up with their own style."

Du Qinlan looked at the looping images on TV and said with a smile, "I think that although your Girls' Generation's "Zombie Dance" is still very immature, at least you are working hard to create an original work, which deserves recognition."

Zhai Yuan felt ashamed, thinking that he had no original ideas at all. However, the way Professor Du spoke in such a pretentious manner did seem like that of a veteran artist.

Zhai Yuan thought to himself, but his face remained dignified: "Professor Du is right. Being original has always been my creed and goal. So whether it is in film, television or music, I try my best to ask everyone at Jiuyi Entertainment not to follow the trend and promote traditional culture while commercializing."

Professor Du nodded in appreciation, approving of Zhai Yuan's attitude.

Girls' Generation girl group leader Yeh - the troublemaker - Yuqing, who was listening attentively, asked curiously: "Is this 'Zombie Dance' also considered a traditional culture?"

Zhai Yuan remained calm: "Of course, zombies are a traditional culture."

It’s okay if it’s related, and it’s not that important whether it’s a traditional culture or not. As long as the thighs are white enough, it’s fine.

Several little girls suddenly understood and looked at Zhai Yuan with admiration.

Du Qinlan smiled and said, "Mr. Zhai, if you want to form a youthful and lively singing and dancing group, asking me to come won't be of much help. An old-fashioned person like me can't keep up with the trend. On the contrary, I will lead these young girls astray and make them old-fashioned."

"For the group Girls' Generation, my current plan is indeed to focus on commercialization and help them become famous as soon as possible. But I also need to settle down and produce some other in-depth works every year."

Zhai Yuan glanced at the girls around him and said, "I plan to have them rehearse a classical song and dance every year. I will need Professor Du's help in this regard. Of course, I will also need to consult teachers from the mainland music and dance academies."

Du Qinlan nodded thoughtfully: "What's the plan?"

Zhai Yuan said: "Xu Qi has a movie called "New Shushan Swordsman", in which Lin Qingxia's Dunhuang costume looks great. I would like to ask Professor Du and other professionals to help Girls' Generation rehearse a related song and dance with traditional instruments such as sheng, guan, di, xiao, guzheng, qin and se..."

……

See Professor Du off.

The girls in the rehearsal room gathered around and chattered, showing their interest in the Dunhuang songs and dances that Zhai Yuan had just mentioned.

Although the box office of "New Shushan Swordsman" was poor, Lin Qingxia's Dunhuang flying fairy look as the master of the Yaochi Fairy Castle left a deep impression on the girls of that era.

It is worth mentioning that the little cousin Zhou Haimei also had a Dunhuang look in the play "Dancing with Danger". It looked very hard for her to do the splits while hanging in the air. However, the cousin is now fat and plump under the care of Zhai Yuan, so there is no need for her to suffer any more.

Li Lizhen: "When can we dress up as Lin Qingxia? Her dress is so beautiful."

Moon Lee: "I was filming this drama with Sister Qingxia, and I tried on her clothes. Unfortunately, I forgot to take a photo, and I don't know where the dress was thrown away by Jiahe's props team."

Ann Bridgewater: "If I could dress up as Ching-Hsia Lam and perform at the Hong Kong Coliseum, I would be so proud just thinking about it."

Zhai Yuan smiled without comment.

It doesn’t matter whether they go to the Hung Hom Stadium or not. The key is that the classical songs and dances can be performed on the Spring Festival Gala, so that everyone can get to know the group in advance.

In 1987, Fei Xiang sang and danced on the stage of the Spring Festival Gala, which scared the director so much that he only dared to shoot his upper body. Now Girls' Generation can forget about singing and dancing with exposed thighs. But if they switch to classical folk songs and dances, there will be no such risk, right?

There will be singing and dancing segments in every Spring Festival Gala in the future. If Girls' Generation appears on the show more often, the advertising traffic it will bring will undoubtedly be huge.

Heng Xiao Song and Dance Troupe? Trash! Jiuyi Song and Dance Troupe is the best.

"Rehearsing classical songs and dances is a big project, and there aren't enough people in the group right now, so for now you should focus on fast-paced music like 'Zombie Dance'."

Zhai Yuan put aside the idea of classical dance and continued to help Girls' Generation improve their skills.

After all, the open-mindedness of the mainland is not something that happens overnight. Every year, a classical dance was performed on the Spring Festival Gala stage to slowly make a name for itself. Around the millennium, when the public was able to accept decadent music, Girls' Generation was able to soar to fame with the popularity they had accumulated before.

This subsequent bonus period can probably last for ten to twenty years in the mainland, but it will not be possible after that, because a new version will be ushered in. At that time, girl groups will be criticized for being male-fawning and boycotted if they shake their buttocks on stage, and boy groups will have to show their abdominal muscles on stage to make money.

Fortunately, it is still the old version.

So after "Zombie Dance", Girls' Generation had a second new work that needed to be rehearsed.

It's called "Gee".

Not the 'ouch what are you doing' Gee, but the 'cocky cocky cock, daa daa daa' Gee.

……

There are still 2 days left before Zhai Yuan leaves Hong Kong for Japan.

Zhai Yuan worked overtime and came up with two songs, one called "Gee" and the other called "No Body".

There was no time to compose the music due to the tight schedule.

Zhai Yuan taught the five little girls to sing one song at a time, and recorded the two songs and practiced them slowly.

Of course, I can’t learn the South Korean lyrics in the original song, and I don’t know where the other time travelers got so many skills to be proficient in eighteen languages.

Zhai Yuan could only rely on his critical appreciation of South Korean girl groups when he was a pervert, match the melody, and write the Chinese version of the lyrics.

He also personally took the stage to teach the dance moves.

The dance moves of South Korean girl groups are relatively simple, and they mainly sell their faces and bodies.

On the wooden floor of the rehearsal room, Zhai Yuan performed actions such as kneeling, squatting, raising his legs, holding his face, clapping his fingers and pointing at the camera, which made Zhou Huimin and others laugh.

Looking back at the video, Zhai Yuan himself felt a little ashamed.

He frowned and told the girls: "This video is for you to learn the moves by yourselves. Once you have learned it, destroy it immediately."

The girls of Girls' Generation smiled and nodded repeatedly, "Yes, Mr. Zhai, don't worry, we will definitely not record a copy for our own collection."

When it was their turn to rehearse, the gap between women and men in this regard became apparent.

“… So shining, approaching without me noticing, my heart is beating faster and I can’t breathe, GeeGeeGeeGee, BabyBabyBaby…”

“…I want nobody nobody but You, no matter who hurts who first, I just need your comfort, I want nobody nobody nobody nobody…” The Chinese version of the lyrics is inevitably shy of its mother tongue, but fortunately it was released in advance and can occupy a preconceived filter, and this childhood filter cannot be penetrated by bullets.

Two songs.

The dance moves of two similar styles and rhythms, the effect produced by the girls of Girls' Generation is far better than Zhai Yuan's.

Chow Hui Man’s innocence, Ann Bridgewater’s cuteness, Moon Lee’s professionalism, Loletta Lee and Yvonne Yip’s boldness and sexiness.

Tsk!
Zhai Yuan looked at them wearing shirts and short skirts, and their pleasing postures in the classroom.

I thought to myself: K-PoP will have to be renamed HK-POP or C-POP in the future.

As for originality? Of course, whoever is quicker gets the credit.

In a nutshell, this is Mr. Zhai’s first theft, and he will be held accountable if he steals again!

…………

"Let's set up a more formal agency."

After Zhai Yuan graduated from Chunqiu School and returned to Jiuyi Entertainment, he gave Shi Nansheng a suggestion.

In the 1980s, the concept of an agency was rare in the Hong Kong entertainment industry.

First there was Zhaoshi, then Jiahe and Yin Gongzhu. These large film and television companies focus on film production, and the cheapest things are the actors.

However, with the booming market in the past two years, box office revenues have been increasing, and the pay of celebrities has also increased accordingly.

In particular, in just a few years, Jiuyi Entertainment has made a number of artists famous, including Wan Ziliang, Zhang Guorong, and Zhong Chuhong, which has further accelerated the growth of their pay.

Nowadays, smart young actors who are embarking on the road to stardom are no longer willing to sign contracts with the "actor training classes" of the past. Instead, they send their resumes to film companies themselves to contact them in order to avoid being exploited. Rich second-generations or star second-generations with a little background who want to enter the industry will look for specialized agents.

Similar to Chen Shufen to Zhang Guorong and Chen Ziqiang to Chen Shilong.

But it is still the agent who takes the star to communicate directly with the film company, and the agent is more like an actor's assistant, without a formal agency in between.

The emergence of Times Girls.

Let Zhai Yuan realize this drawback.

Jiuyi Entertainment is now expanding its business and has many artists under its umbrella, but in reality it is still a loose group and lacks an overall plan.

Shi Nansheng joked, "I thought you could take a break after you went to Japan. Why do you have to arrange such a large workload before you leave?"

"Young people, please don't always think about resting. Look at how many film companies go bankrupt every year. Sister Nan, it is a blessing that you have a job."

Zhai Yuan said this seriously, causing the housekeeper to laugh and shake her head.

Zhai Yuan also smiled and said, "I'm just joking. I'll give you a long vacation when I come back from Japan. I won't be in Hong Kong during this period. Sister Nan, please bear with me for now."

Shi Nansheng nodded: "That's a reasonable statement. I will discuss the matter of the agency with others, but now all agents are working alone. It may be difficult for one person to take all the share of the artist and set up a company to share their interests."

"How many artists can you sign on your own? Jiuyi has a lot of people and money now, and they have a lot of resources. Use these conditions to negotiate with them."

"Okay."

That’s all we have to say.

Zhai Yuan continued, "Last time I asked you to help me find some art film directors. How was your search going?"

"I was just about to tell you about this, Mr. Zhai."

Shi Nansheng asked his assistant to bring in a resume, handed it to Zhai Yuan, and introduced, "This girl is Zhang Wanting, she was from the director group of Hong Kong Radio, and directed a movie called "Illegal Immigrants" for the first time last year, winning the Best Director Award at the Academy Awards. Her boyfriend Luo Qirui was previously the assistant director of Ann Hui. When Ann Hui learned that Mr. Zhai wanted to go to Tokyo to shoot a new film, she specifically recommended Zhang Wanting and Luo Qirui, hoping to give the newcomers a chance."

When Zhai Yuan went to Japan, the excuse he gave to the public was that Jiuyi Entertainment was going there to shoot a new film.

Apart from Kuaibo’s Guan Weiming and Tao Zongyi, even Shi Nansheng didn’t know that he was going to contact the electronics company over there.

After all, many people are watching us now, so we should not expand the electronics business in a high-profile manner for the time being. It would be a trick of building a plank road in the open while marching secretly.

"Mabel Sylvia Chang."

Holding the resume in his hand, Zhai Yuan recalled and had some impression of the name.

This female director and her boyfriend Law Kai Shui will produce and create many popular classic Chinese films in the future, such as "Seven Little Fortunes", "An Autumn's Fairy Tale" and "Time Thieves". As a rare husband-and-wife duo in the film industry, Ann Hui and Law Kai Shui take turns as director and producer, and are known in the industry as the "male and female thieves".

Of course, there is another thing. In 202X, the semi-retired director Ann Hui was put on the stage by the Hong Kong film industry to serve as the president of the Directors Association. Some of the issues regarding the distribution of interests directly or indirectly caused dissatisfaction among the big guns Johnnie To. Then a second-generation rich man from Lei Yingdong's family jumped out to criticize Johnnie To. This incident gave Ann Hui some exposure again.

"That's great. Since it was Sister Hua who recommended it, let's try it out with this couple. Form a filming team and go to Tokyo with me the day after tomorrow."

Zhai Yuan collected his thoughts, closed Zhang Wanting's resume and smiled at Shi Nansheng: "How was the filming of Sister Hua's "Women at 40"?"

"Not bad, we should be able to finish it this year."

"What about Wang Jiawei's Days of Being Wild?"

When Wang Jiawei was mentioned, Shi Nansheng rolled his eyes and said unhappily, "Maybe he is really a film artist, but I really find it hard to understand how one shot can be shot more than ten times. Doesn't film cost money?"

Zhai Yuan shook his head helplessly. It seemed that sending Chen Jiale and the others to supervise the work would not be very effective. The King of Sunglasses's self-willed style was indeed very distinctive.

……

I didn't go back to my own home at night. Before leaving, I had to comfort my little cousin as usual. How could I favor one over the other?

After moving into Zhou Haimei's house and paying his tax twice, the two of them spent the night together.

Zhai Yuan hugged Zhou Haimei and asked, "How are your studies going recently?"

Zhou Haimei snuggled in his arms and answered obediently: "My mock exam results are pretty good. I hope I can get into Hong Kong University."

"It doesn't matter if you can't get in. I'll build a library for their school. I don't believe they won't accept you."

"You have to rely on yourself. If I can't get into college, how about working as an actor in your company, 91 Entertainment?"

Zhai Yuan had just dealt with a small Shura scene, and his scalp went numb when he heard this.

This library of the University of Hong Kong must be donated.

(End of this chapter)