Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

77 Broadcast Drive, Kowloon, TVB Headquarters.

Tang Long followed Tang Jia with cheerful steps, seeing many familiar figures from movies and TV series along the way.

TVB truly deserves its reputation as the "Whampoa Military Academy" of Hong Kong's film and television industry.

Upon entering the reception room, one finds a lady who appears to be around forty years old sitting inside.

Tang Long was somewhat disappointed that he didn't get to see Shao Daheng.

He admired Shao Daheng quite a bit.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. He's a big shot; how could he possibly personally come forward to discuss specific project collaborations with Tang Jia?

"Mr. Fang, I'm sorry to have kept you waiting." Tang Jia walked over quickly.

Tang Long suddenly realized that this was the famous Fang Yihua.

"Director Tang, it's been a long time."

Fang Yihua had a smile on her face, giving people a very friendly feeling.

"It has been quite a long time. It's been five years since Shaw Brothers announced its production halt in 1985."

"Yes, Shaw Brothers has been out of production for five years now. It feels like just yesterday that Shaw Brothers was at its peak."

"I never imagined your nephew had grown up so much. This handsome young man must be your nephew, right?"

"That's right, he's my nephew Tang Long. He wrote the script for 'The Blade'." Tang Jia said with a hint of pride in his voice.

"Young and promising," Fang Yihua praised, then looked at Tang Jia, "Sixth Uncle told me that a three million investment is no problem, but some specific details need to be discussed."

"That's natural."

Seeing that it was Fang Yihua, he knew that cooperation wouldn't be so easy.

He had worked at Shaw Brothers for one or two decades and was very aware of the power of Shaw Brothers' confidante.

Tang Long, who was standing to the side, was somewhat puzzled when he heard Fang Yihua's words.

Three million?

Wasn't it five million?

But at this point, he couldn't bring himself to ask, so he could only keep his questions to himself and watch the two of them negotiate.

When the conversation turned to serious matters, Fang Yihua's demeanor became sharp.

"Is it okay if our three million investment is deducted from the returns first? This needs to be written into the contract."

"no problem."

Tang Jia answered very decisively, as it was he who had originally proposed it.

"I will assign a producer to oversee the financial expenditures."

"That makes sense, but Mr. Fang, I will personally serve as the executive producer for this film. You just need to arrange a producer."

In Hong Kong, unlike in Hollywood, the producer is the head of a film crew.

The producer is the one who does the actual work, equivalent to an executive producer or production manager.

If Fang Yihua were to arrange a producer, he would be 100% certain that the producer would interfere with the production team.

Although Tang Jia did not quite agree with the core theme of "The Blade", he was clear that it was an authorial work with a strong expression from the creator.

Her extremely frugal work style would seriously hinder film production.

Fang Yihua looked directly at Tang Jia, and seeing that he did not back down, she suddenly smiled:

"Okay, then we won't arrange for a producer, but I hope the filming equipment can be rented from us, and the actors can be selected from TVB artists."

"Renting filming equipment is no problem, but actors can be selected from TVB first."

"We must arrange the female lead."

Tang Jia thought that although the female lead in "The Blade" was a key figure in advancing the plot, she was ultimately just a pretty face, so he agreed to the condition.

"Yes, but the choice of the female lead needs to be approved by the director."

"Who do you prefer as directors? Will you, Director Tang, direct the film yourself?"

"No, I'm not directing. The director hasn't been decided yet."

The two then negotiated the details one by one, even down to the standards for accommodation and boxed meals.

Tang Long finally witnessed the brilliance of Fang Yihua, the master of cost control.

Even Tang Jia, who personally went to negotiate, looked exhausted just watching him.

As they emerged from the TVB headquarters building, the two of them simultaneously let out a long sigh of relief.

On the way back, Tang Jia noticed that Tang Long seemed hesitant to speak, so he took the initiative to speak:

"Just say what you want to say."

"Uncle, Mr. Shao only invested three million Hong Kong dollars?"

"That's right, I've invested the other two million. If we don't put in real money, Mr. Shao won't feel comfortable investing, nor will he feel comfortable with you playing the male lead."

"You voted?"

Tang Long's tone involuntarily rose:

"Didn't you disagree with me investing my own money in the movie? How come you're putting money into it yourself?"

"Can you compare to me? I have extra money, do you? I don't need to mortgage my property."

Tang Long ignored Tang Jia's sarcastic tone:

"I know you have extra money, Uncle, but it won't be easy for you to come up with two million. This is your and Aunt's retirement money."

"I might as well mortgage the house."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I've been in the film industry for two or three decades, how could I not even be able to come up with two million?"

"You shouldn't be thinking about how much money I'll contribute, but rather how to make a good film so I don't lose money."

These two million Hong Kong dollars were actually all the funds he could access.

But he has a much wider escape route than Tang Long.

Even if we lose all two million Hong Kong dollars, at least we can still make a basic living.

Moreover, as a well-known action choreographer in Hong Kong, his comeback would be easy.

The number of films produced in Hong Kong has been increasing year by year, and you can earn back two million by working for one or two years.

Seeing that Tang Long remained silent, Tang Jia didn't want him to bear too much psychological pressure, so she spoke up to comfort him:

"Don't overthink it. Just consider it my support for your dream as your uncle."

Just make a good movie, even if it loses money in the end, it's not a big deal.

"At worst, I'll continue taking you into the martial arts world. With my connections and your skills, we'll earn the money back quickly."

Tang Long was genuinely moved by his uncle, whom he had taken for granted.

Let alone nephews, even sons rarely offer two million Hong Kong dollars in cash to help.

In later generations, he witnessed many more instances of brothers turning against each other, and even fathers and sons turning against each other, all because of money.

Tang Jia, however, didn't hesitate to spend two million on himself.

Even Cheng Xiaodong couldn't do that.

Of course, Tang Long wasn't complaining that Cheng Xiaodong didn't provide the money; he wasn't that ungrateful.

They've already helped me a lot.

He has been working tirelessly to secure investment for his film, and has even used up a lot of personal connections in the process.

Tang Jia, however, gave him a different feeling.

He had only been back from Canada for less than a week, and Tang Long wasn't even very familiar with him yet.

Yet he was able to give money to support himself without reservation.

Tang Long could feel the long-lost warmth of family affection in him.

In his previous life, his parents also wholeheartedly supported his learning of Sanda and free fighting.

"Uncle, I'll definitely film it well and make sure you don't lose those two million."

"Okay," Tang Jia said with a smile, "but running a film project is not as simple as making a movie."

Securing investment is just the first step; there's still a lot to do.

"Isn't that what we need? You just said you'd be the producer of this movie."

In this respect, Tang Long is indeed not up to the task at present. With someone as experienced in the industry as Tang Jia at the helm, things will be much easier.

"I can only help you with things outside of filming. The style of 'The Blade' is completely incompatible with my own, so I won't interfere with the filming."

The most urgent task is to find a director who fits this style.

Do you have someone in mind?