Against the Current Hong Kong 1979

Chapter 88: Filming of "Shanghai Bund" Officially Begins (7th Update, Requesting First Subscription)

Now that it's confirmed that "Shanghai Bund" will be filmed, the next step is to assemble the production crew.

Without a doubt, the best choice for producer is Chiu Chun-keung. He has a history of working with Cheung Sau-an, and their previous collaborations were quite smooth.

Filming for "The Swordsman" is nearing its end, and his schedule fits in perfectly.

Next up is Fatty Wang, whom Zhang Shuai'an suggested joining the directing team. He also brought He Jiatong and Ling Zhijian into the crew.

As the screenwriter and male lead, Zhang Shuai'an has this authority.

Shao Yifu specifically invited Chen Qiaoying and Cen Guorong to join the directing team, hoping that the two would learn some real screenwriting skills from Zhang Shi'an.

Although the script is complete, the screenwriter still needs to be present during filming to make timely modifications to the lines based on the situation.

Sometimes, if certain actors are particularly outstanding, they may be given additional scenes at the last minute.

Zhao Zhenqiang naturally brought in a few people as well, including his old acquaintances Huo Yaoliang and Liu Shiyu.

Zhang Shuai'an didn't interfere with the casting process, leaving it to Zhao Zhenqiang and the others to choose, and he would just take a look at the final selection.

After the "Shanghai Bund" production team was set up, all the work proceeded in an orderly manner, and the props and sets were quickly put into place.

During this period, Zhang Shuai'an did two things.

First, he went back to Chungking Mansions, found Cherie Chung's parents, and funded the purchase of a clothing factory for them to produce a trench coat he designed ahead of schedule.

At first, Chung Chu-hung's parents were completely bewildered, not knowing what Zhang Shuai-an was up to.

Zhang Shuai'an explained, "I'm going to film a TV series called 'Shanghai Bund' next, and I'll be the male lead. I'll be wearing this style of trench coat. Once the series airs, this trench coat will definitely become a hit across Asia. I'm preparing in advance now, so I'll definitely make a fortune."

Hearing Zhang Shuai'an say this, Zhong's parents finally came to their senses. However, they were still somewhat hesitant. They didn't have much savings, and if they invested it all and made a wrong judgment, the whole family would be in trouble.

Zhang Shuai'an didn't urge them, but simply said, "When Ahong comes back, ask her for her opinion."

When Chung Chu-hung returned, her opinion was simple: her parents should listen to Zhang Shuai-an completely. As for the reason, she didn't say, but just ran back to her room.

Next, Zhang Shuai'an went to find Aunt He, only to find the door locked. It seemed Aunt He hadn't finished get off work yet, and the two children hadn't gotten out of school.

He went back to his residence and continued writing his script for "Chasing Girls".

The original screenwriter of "Chasing Girls" was Wong Pak-ming, a genius who wrote the screenplays for many classic films. He also created two major IPs: "Happy Ghost" and "All's Well, Ends Well".

However, his scripts are usually very "noisy," meaning they are farces from beginning to end, ending with a happy ending.

This film, "Chasing Girls," is a typical farce in the style of Wong Pak-ming. It begins with Robert, played by Shek Tim, returning to Hong Kong for a blind date. He brings along his cousin, played by Tsang Chi-wai, and creates numerous farces under the guise of chasing girls, finally ending with a happy ending.

As a low-budget comedy, it's perfectly adequate, but it does suffer from a loose structure.

As for the Japanese film "Love Strikes Back," it's a comedy about otaku men adapted from a manga. It also tells the story of a 30-year-old otaku man who, on his deathbed, longs for a period of romantic encounters. Then a miracle happens, he is resurrected, finds a job, and is surrounded by a series of romantic opportunities, flitting between several beautiful women, but ultimately ends up with nothing.

Xu Zheng's "Love Transfer" tells the story of a middle-aged man who, after experiencing the seven-year itch, suddenly divorces his wife and gets a cell phone that can call for love. After entanglements with seven or eight women, he finally finds the true meaning of love.

After reading these three scripts, Zhang Shuai'an felt a chill run down his spine. The issues that middle-aged men face are a pain point in every era.

Zhang Shuai'an plans to use the concept of "Love Transfer" as a base, and incorporate some plot and character settings from "Chasing Girls" and "Peach Blossom Period".

The protagonist is still called Roberto, an ugly man in his thirties who has accomplished nothing and is still unattractive to women. He is... (The sentence is incomplete and lacks context, so a direct translation isn't possible. It appears to be a fragment of a larger narrative.)

After being dumped twice, he swore to the heavens that if he could become more handsome, he would definitely be able to seduce an absolute beauty. Heaven granted his wish, not only making him more handsome but also giving him a remote control.

Roberto then used this remote control to repeatedly pull between seven or eight beautiful women, causing many laughs.

He finally realized that the deity hadn't actually made him handsome; he had only given him the illusion of being handsome.

He thought he was handsome, but to others he looked the same. But he gained confidence, stopped being timid, dared to make mistakes, boldly pursued his dreams, and ultimately won the heart of his beloved.

It's quite necessary to end with a bit of heartwarming content, just don't make it too deliberate.

For the next few days, Zhang Shuai'an went to Shaw Brothers Studio every day to meet with Zhao Zhenqiang and the others.

Zhao Zhenqiang handed him a list: "This is the list of actors for the main roles that everyone has discussed. Take a look."

Zhang Shuai'an took a look and found that most of them were unchanged.

For example, Feng Chengcheng still chose Zhao Yazi, Tang Zhenye played Chen Hanlin, Liu Dan played Feng Jingyao, Jing Daiyin played Su Wangdi, and so on.

What changed was that Ding Li didn't choose Lü Liangwei, but instead chose a young male actor that Zhang Shi'an didn't recognize.

Zhang Shuai'an said, "Replacing Ding Li would be better with Lü Liangwei."

Fatty Wang, standing nearby, reminded him, "If you choose him, the age difference between you won't be apparent. In the show, he calls you Brother Wen, which might not be very convincing."

"That's okay, my makeup is more mature."

Zhang Shuai'an explained with a smile: "Then I designed a line for him, saying that he was born looking old, he looked like this at eighteen, he looked like this at twenty-eight, and he will still look like this at sixty-eight."

Fatty Wang burst into laughter: "Anzai, you're so funny. If you're sixty-eight and your appearance hasn't changed much, then you'll be an old monster."

Lü Liangwei is quite a character, after all, he is the creator of the online image of "a young man in his sixties visiting an old man two years his junior".

Although some people questioned whether Lü Liangwei had used technology, his physical condition was still quite good. On his 70th birthday, he sang and danced without getting red in the face or out of breath.

"Go and call Lü Liangwei over."

Zhao Zhenqiang raised his hand and called over a errand boy, giving him instructions.

A moment later, Lü Liangwei, dressed in period costume, jogged over: "Producer Zhao, you called me?"

Because of his role as Shen Liang in "Young Detective Bao Qingtian", Lü Liangwei became quite popular, and many period dramas and movies have asked him to play similar roles.

Zhao Zhenqiang asked directly, "There's a role here that Anzai recommended you for. Will you take it?"

"I'll act, of course I'll act!" Lü Liangwei agreed without hesitation.

Zhang Shuai'an explained, "He played my younger brother, and a villain at that."

"How could I not act in something recommended by Brother An?"

Lü Liangwei immediately humbled himself, replying, "No role is too small. It's my honor that Brother An remembers me."

Zhao Zhenqiang smiled and waved at him: "Alright then. Come to the meeting in a couple of days, and we'll read through the script."

Next came the makeup trial.

Zhang Shuai'an discussed several looks with the stylist, the most classic of which was naturally the image of wearing a trench coat and a top hat.

To make Zhang Shuai'an look more mature, his face was slightly darkened, stubble was added, and his hair was styled in a slicked-back style.

Zhang Shuai'an was already handsome and tall, and once the styling was done, his imposing and charismatic aura as a gangster boss instantly came through.

"He looks so handsome!" Everyone present exclaimed in unison when they saw Zhang Shuai'an's look.

Two days later.

Shaw Studios held a grand and formal opening ceremony for the TV series "Shanghai Bund," which is quite rare.

They also invited a lot of reporters to help create momentum.

This drama is indeed very popular right now, and everyone is eager to know what kind of drama it is that could make Shaw Brothers willing to pay three million in salary.

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