Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

They say it's only a three-minute scene, but it will probably take half a day to film.

Chen Huimin called Zhang Shuai'an and action director Zheng Qiying aside and explained the scene to them.

"Handsome An, your acting is very simple."

Chen Huimin put one hand on Zhang Shuai'an's shoulder and pointed at his face with the other, saying slowly, "In the movie, you were also one of the little brothers who smuggled in with me, Qinglong, back then. You always followed Achang, acting as his informant and doing things within the gang."

"You came to protect Miss Miao, and then these people rushed up and beat you."

Wu Ma chimed in, adding details about the specific scenes: "You know kung fu, so you just spar with them a couple of times, then get ambushed and knocked down. You only have three lines."

"First of all, Sister Xia, don't be afraid, I'm here to save you on behalf of Brother Qiang!"

"Secondly, who are you people?!"

"The third thing is to wait for Amin to come over, and then tell him, 'Brother Chang betrayed you!' After saying that, you die. Do you understand?"

Ah Chang was played by Leung Ka-lun, an amateur actor whose main job was managing a car repair shop. He became a sensation in 1976 with his role as police officer Ka-lun in "Jump Ash," and from then on, he became a go-to actor for police detective roles in Hong Kong films, enjoying immense popularity in the 1970s. He retired from the film industry in the late 1980s, moved to the United States, and returned to his old job of car repair.

Most of the filming for this movie has already been completed; now we're doing some reshoots and location shooting, which is why Leung Ka-lun wasn't on set.

"Brother Ma, don't worry, I've filmed movies in the north before." Zhang Shuai'an nodded. This role was child's play for him; he could do it with his eyes closed and not make a mistake.

Wu Ma just smiled and didn't respond, clearly not believing him either.

"Archie, design a few moves for him, and then have a few martial arts instructors react to them."

Chen Huimin instructed Zheng Qiying, the action director, "Look how handsome his face is. When the time comes, you should film his face a lot. You can handle the rest."

This wasn't the first time the two had worked together, so they naturally had some chemistry.

Zheng Qiying quickly understood Chen Huimin's intention and gave an OK sign: "Understood!"

After Chen Huimin left, Zheng Qiying's gaze towards Zhang Shuai'an became somewhat unfriendly.

He pointed at Zhang Shuai'an and warned him coldly, "Mainland boy, do whatever I tell you to do later. Don't move around recklessly, or you'll waste film—you couldn't afford to pay for it with your life!"

"Don't worry, Brother Qi, I know what to do." Zhang Shuai'an appeared very obedient on the surface, but in his heart he thought highly of this guy. Judging from the fight scene just now, this guy's skill level was so bad that even calling him "third-rate" would be an understatement. He was a complete slacker, but he had quite a temper.

How could a movie possibly succeed if it's made by following these random passersby?

However, he was just trying to make a living; whether the movie was a big hit or not was none of his concern.

However, problems still arose when filming actually began.

Zheng Qiying's designed movements were extremely rigid.

Three martial arts instructors surrounded Zhang Shuai'an. One of them slashed at Zhang Shuai'an's left side, then stopped. Zhang Shuai'an used this opening to dodge to the side, then stopped again. Another instructor then punched Zhang Shuai'an in the face, then stopped again...

A great fight scene was ruined by this stupid pause.

It's almost 1980, how can they still be using such outdated methods to practice moves? It's really insulting!

As a professional motion capture actor in later generations, Zhang Shuai'an's body instinctively reacted to this illogical attack.

When the martial artist on the left swung his sword, he instinctively dodged to the side and tried to seize the sword, but the martial artist didn't use any force at all, and the sword fell to the ground.

Immediately following the kick from the right, he followed up with a low sweeping kick, sending the martial artist sprawling face-first into the mud.

A big question popped into Zhang Shuai'an's mind: "Are these people really Dragon Tiger Martial Arts Masters? They all seem so weak and frail, like they'd fall over at the slightest touch."

"Click! Click click click!"

Zheng Qiying threw down the cigarette butt he was holding, rushed over, pointed at Zhang Shuai'an's nose, and yelled, "What are you doing, you piece of trash? Trying to show off your fighting skills? I asked you to cooperate, not to actually fight! Do you even know how to act?!"

Zhang Shuai'an frowned and straightened up: "Coach Zheng, it's not that I wanted to really fight. It's just that some of the moves you designed are a bit illogical. This slash was so weak, I could have easily broken it with a little force. Do you think the audience would believe that? And that kick, the opening was too big, and it took half a second for me to react. That's just too contrary to common sense."

"What did you say?" Zheng Qi laughed angrily, pointing at Zhang Shuai'an's head and cursing, "You, a mainland kid who just swam here, want to teach me how to make movies? Do you even know what a camera position is or what film is? You country bumpkin who's never even seen a camera before, what are you pretending to be, acting like a big shot!"

The surrounding crew members all sneered.

"I have actually seen a camera and even acted in a movie."

Zhang Shuai'an was telling the truth, but he had to fabricate an identity that fit the era as a cover: "I'm a college student at the Film Academy, not a self-taught amateur or a country bumpkin."

"Who are you calling a quack!" Zheng Qiying immediately reached out and grabbed Zhang Shuai'an's shirt.

Seeing this from a distance, He Jiatong rushed to Zhang Shuai'an without hesitation: "Big brother, don't be impulsive. If you have any complaints, come at me! Don't touch him."

The other martial arts instructors naturally sided with Zheng Qiying and surrounded the two of them.

"Why are you arguing again!"

Hearing the commotion, Chen Huimin immediately walked over, displeased: "What kind of situation is this? Aqi, what are you putting on a show for?"

Zheng Qiying said sarcastically, "This mainland guy says I can't make movies, that I'm a third-rate amateur! A country bumpkin! Director Feng, Brother Min, you should find someone more capable."

"That's not what I said." Zhang Shuai'an frowned slightly. This person was even exaggerating. "I was talking about myself. I graduated from a proper film academy. I'm not a self-taught or country bumpkin."

"What? You dare to say it but not admit it?" Zheng Qiying looked at Zhang Shuai'an with disdain. "Mainland boy, weren't you so arrogant just now? Didn't you look down on my choreography? If you're so capable, why don't you design it yourself?"

Instead of backing down, Zhang Shuai'an hardened his stance: "Is this something you decide?"

Zheng Qiying was stunned when he heard this. Did this country bumpkin not understand human language? I was mocking you, not giving you a chance!

He immediately rushed over to Chen Huimin and said, "Brother Min, this mainland kid is just here to cause trouble, kick him out! What does he know about movies!"

Chen Huimin raised her hand, signaling Zheng Qiying to shut up, and pointed at Zhang Shuai'an, saying, "You just said you're from the Film Academy?"

"A student from the Shanghai Film Academy," Zhang Shuai'an replied.

Chen Huimin was somewhat puzzled: "You have such a bright future ahead of you, why did you swim here?"

"I made a mistake in my conduct; I was dating a teacher," Zhang Shuai'an replied. This was indeed true; the original owner of this body had been reported for misconduct. In this day and age, misconduct was still strictly enforced.

"Could dating really cause such a disaster?" Having lived in mainland China for over a decade, Wu Ma had some understanding of the situation and immediately voiced his doubts.

He Jiatong, who was standing nearby, replied, "He was dating three women at the same time, and he even got one of the female teachers pregnant. That female teacher's father is a government official."

Whoops!

This is a big problem.

Even Chen Huimin, who had never lived in mainland China, couldn't help but shake her head, then gave Zhang Shuai'an a thumbs up: "You're amazing!"

Zhang Shuai'an actually felt wronged because it was something the original owner of the body did, and had nothing to do with him.

"My conflict with Director Zheng stemmed from our different action design philosophies."

Zhang Shuai'an immediately changed the subject, stating his thoughts directly: "Action scenes can be rehearsed, but the old-fashioned, rigid rehearsals are outdated. Audiences need more excitement. We must make the rehearsals look real."

"Who wouldn't want to fight for real?" Chen Huimin shook her head. "Bruce Lee fought for real, and the cameras couldn't capture his movements at all. In the end, they still had to slow down the movements and have others coordinate. Besides, fighting for real is very easy to get injured. They only make a few thousand dollars a month, why risk their lives?"

Zhang Shuai'an replied, "If martial arts masters don't risk their lives, what chance do they have of getting ahead?"

That hits the nail on the head.

Chan Wai-man largely agreed. To make "Handcuffs" more appealing, he had designed a scene in earlier episodes where the character leaps off the Tsing Yi Bridge. At the time, no stuntman dared to film this scene because the bridge was almost ten stories above the water; a misstep would mean death or serious injury. He had to do it himself, and luckily, he survived unharmed.

After the 1980s, several major stunt teams were established, and stuntmen became increasingly competitive, leading them to pursue more exciting scenes and resulting in many life-threatening stunts.

Chen Huimin herself dropped out of school after junior high, so she had a lot of respect for college students. She smiled and asked, "It seems you have some ideas. So, how do you suggest we fight this scene?"

"We don't use set routines; we use dynamic reactions."

Zhang Shuai'an plans to bring out the multi-player melee mode that Jackie Chan later used in "Police Story" and "Project A".

He couldn't remember the names of the martial arts instructors, so he assigned them numbers.

"Number One and Number Two, you two go first. Number One makes a move, I don't block, I dodge, and Number Two must cover with a kick. Remember, once you throw a punch or kick, don't pause! It doesn't matter if you hit me. Number Three, the moment Number Two kicks, you hit him from the side with your stick. I'll block with Number One's stick and then kick him down. Then Number Four will cover, and Number Five will stand by... Make sure there are at least two enemies moving in front of me at any time."

As he spoke, he personally demonstrated the movement.

His movements were quick, accurate, and ruthless, and he made full use of the terrain, which drove the entire scene forward.

Unlike before, when several people would stand still like wooden stakes and then exchange punches and kicks.

"This kid's got something!" Wu Ma, a seasoned director, immediately brightened up: "If he can master this, it'll definitely be a great selling point."

Zhang Shuai'an led the martial arts instructors in rehearsing on the sidelines. After about an hour of practice, they were ready to begin.

Wu Ma personally carried the camera and began filming according to the route Zhang Shuai'an had instructed him to take.

"Action!"

At the command, the village lanes instantly erupted in chaos.

This time, it's no longer a fake fight like a dance.

Zhang Shuai'an moved like a dragon, dodging left and right amidst the attacks of seven or eight people.

He grabbed Number One's arm to block Number Three's stick, then used the recoil to kick Number Two away. Using the momentum, he pushed off the wall, flipped over Number Four's head in mid-air, and delivered an elbow strike to Number Five as he landed.

The whole process was smooth and fast, dazzling, yet full of power and real pain.

The scene, originally scheduled for three minutes, took a full five minutes to film. Zhang Shuai'an knocked down the thugs, but was then ambushed by the villainous henchman played by Luo Lie, who stabbed him in the waist and sent him crashing to the ground.

"Cut! Perfect!" Wu Ma shouted excitedly, "This is what action scenes should be like!"