Tsui yong yong column
September 10 2013
Hengdian: a place where heat so hot people die; its cold so cold people die from it too. I had endured both its summer and winter; I had also experienced eating on the run and the horror of going to a washroom without a toilet inside. Recalling, I truly don’t know how I got through that period. This time going to Foshan was in the afternoon of August 28th 2013 right smack in the middle of a heat wave of 38 C (100.4F); the land so hot it was suffused in haze. A group of Property Protector’s cast - the men attired in coarse, thick cloth costumes; the women dressed in layers of pre-modern costumes; all sealed from head to toes in their clothing. When the director gave the command, Steven Ma immediately did his scene, fighting from the top of a 10 feet+ elevated platform all the way down to the ground. He was on wire; he had to climb a tall hanging ladder. I saw sweat pouring incessantly from his forehead down his neck; no need to wipe the sweat off as more would pour anyway.
Aside, there was Ching Hor Wai all dressed up in 'qi pao' sitting inside a tent. Outside, the scorching sun rays beat down on the tent top. Sitting inside the tent, Ching Hor Wai persevered to finish her scene, and as soon as she was done she immediately fainted and had to be taken to the hospital. Producer Uncle Choi (Leung Choi Yuen) told me that Ching Hor Wai had bronchitis. Since arriving at Foshan she was constantly in and out of the hospital, and so far she had been administered three bags of saline IV at different times in all. On the day of my visit, she was once again taken to the hospital for her 4th saline IV.
However, despite its filming process being inadvertently affected by the flood catastrophe and the cast’s illnesses, Property Protector surprisinly finished its filming on schedule. At the filming production wrap-up celebratory dinner, I had a serious talk with Uncle Choi about these very issues. Incidentally, rarely do I see Uncle Choi looking so cheerful; after all, with a 30+ episode series, plus led a team to Foshan and filmed on-location in Shun De as well as TVB’s huge investment on this series, his responsibility as the producer was undoubtedly heavy, the pressure extra high; unless one is seasoned and experienced like Uncle Choi, the undertaking is not easy to handle.
“I’d put together a team of highly professional members, both cast and crew. There’s this ball of fire inside them. It is this fire in the belly that enabled us all to exude a team spirit despite the hardships along the way.”
The directing group gave their 100% efforts; the cameraman-videographer crew were all highly skilled and experienced, and the cast all willing to put in their utmost. The ‘team leader’ as Uncle Choi dubbed Steven; everybody knows his (Steven) character is indomitable; his person, strong-willed. To work him, one must tolerate his tenacity and perseverance.
“Ma Jai? He’s not just troublesome (煩)but very, very, very troublesome. But, why did I continue to collaborate with him series after series? Because we have the same ideals. I insist –the series must be shot well, those doing the shooting and those doing the acting in the series must have the feel, their skills be well-honed, every scene must have life, only then can it move people, and attract audience to watch.”
Steven is a person who will not hesitate to give suggestions on a scene. Thus, some people may find him troublesome; others may resent his intrusion. But Uncle Choi greatly appreciates Steven’s attitude towards his work.
“He has his own personal viewpoint and creativity. One day, when filming this series, the director, Ma Jai and I were watching the surging waters in the river, just within three minutes we conceived a seeking-refuge-in-a-raging-river vision. These shots, whether filming or acting, were extremely difficulty to do but Ma Jai without so much as a word jumped into the river. He and I were already on the same wavelength, as soon as we said it we could immediately visualize the scene. I like thespians who take their work seriously. I like that Ma Jai has fire in his belly; only then will there be a fighting spirit, only then will there be creativity.” Indeed, Steven encountering Uncle Choi, this Bak Lok, is truly blessed.
Uncle Choi is originally from Shun De. He has been filming tv series for over a decade, yet the fire inside him still burns strong.
“I want to film bucolic tv series. After filming in my hometown, Shun De, there is Zhong Shan, and there's also Chao Shan; they all have many stories worth filming. This time filming Property Protector, looking at the shots – truly the scenic beauty of Guangdong water villages is no less inferior to Jiang Nan’s beautiful landscapes. Property Protector is very good. I'm confident of its excellent quality; it's a tv series infused with a movie drama flavor.”
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related news on PP
Ai! Previous rant notwithstanding, this is exactly why I still remain a (dedicated) SM fan, and why Tsui Yong Yong still loves him lots (despite at one time she was so mad at him she un-friended him on weibo -- haha!) Ai! Looking forward to "Property Protector"
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