The era of Hong Kong film has passed, and the mainland market is a new starting point.

Siu Fai Mak laments that the era of Hong Kong films has passed, and it needs more efforts to understand human feelings and thoughts to integrate into the mainland film market.

In the 15 years after Infernal Affairs in 22, they have been co-writing and directing, winning numerous awards. From the Prefix D to the trilogy of Eavesdropping, and The Listener to Guan Yunchang, on the one hand, they have made continuous breakthroughs in the content and types of films, and at the same time, they are gradually adapting to the rhythm of the mainland film market.

Although Infernal Affairs 3 was already a co-production of Hong Kong mainland, it was not until this time that extraordinary mission and Maizhuang started the cast of the whole mainland for the first time to shoot an action film based entirely on the anti-drug background in the mainland.

Like Infernal Affairs and Listeners, extraordinary mission is also a film about undercover, which has attracted a lot of attention since its shooting. However, in Siu Fai Mak's view, Infernal Affairs cannot be copied, and there is no need to copy it. The mainland film market has given him more opportunities to try different styles and more funds, which can help improve the quality of films.

In this film, Zhuang Wenqiang is still responsible for the script creation, while Siu Fai Mak and photographer Anthony Pun, who have worked together for many years, finish the directing work.

Siu Fai Mak admitted in an interview that the era of Hong Kong films is over, but he doesn't have much nostalgia. Following the trend, he made more efforts to integrate into the mainland film market and actively understand human feelings.

Before the release of extraordinary mission, director Siu Fai Mak chatted with Three Tones, about his interesting experience in filming the "main theme" film and his understanding of the role of the director.

Will there be greater restrictions on making mainland police films, especially in cooperation with the Ministry of Public Security?

In fact, in many famous Hollywood movies, it is patriotism that wins the Oscar, and the key depends on how to express it. On the contrary, I think it is taking us in a (clear) direction, so as to save a lot of time by not showing it.

but it was a compromise in creation.

every script has to be censored, so this compromise has always existed. This co-production is beneficial to creation. This is a fictional story. We need to write the whole idea into a script before we communicate. It is possible that this policeman can't do this, but I think it looks good. I think it is qualified to look good. First of all, there is a complete script, and everyone starts from the script to communicate. It was much better than shooting many movies without scripts at that time.

why do you start shooting without a script?

In the past, filming in Hong Kong was very fast. In the 199s, when Hong Kong movies were at their best, my boss would come to me and say that Andy Lau or someone would have a schedule next month. You have a month's time. Think quickly, crime, comedy, action, anything. Many directors started filming without a script. But this era has passed.

Although the market has moved to the mainland, the Hong Kong actors like Tony Leung Chiu Wai and Louis Koo were the ones you cooperated with the most before. This is the first time to use the cast of all mainland actors. What is the difference?

of course, there is a lot to run in. For example, I can't speak Mandarin very well.

how to make the actors quickly understand your intentions and the psychology of the characters in the story?

I will share some stories with them. For example, the story of the real Hong Kong police, my father and brother are policemen, and I can still understand the psychology of the police.

For example, the better thing about filming extraordinary mission this time is that there are rehearsals before each performance. Every actor is patient, and we can preview the whole scene and make full preparations before shooting.

Many Hong Kong directors don't rehearse. Actors are very busy. For the same dialogue scene, such as Andy Lau is free today, let's finish his scene first, then change seats, and the other actors will continue to talk to the empty position. You can shoot at another person and then shoot.

This process will also help your directing work.

that's right. In the process of rehearsing, we will consider many factors and ask ourselves many questions, such as whether the props are in the right position or not, why we should shoot them from a high angle, and (ensure) that every shot can show the information I want. Every shot has its own value. This is very important.

Chinese operas always account for a large proportion in action movies of Maizhuang. What role do you think Chinese operas should play in action movies?

"Wen Xi" is actually the core of a story and the key to shaping the characters. This is when you set the plot at the beginning, you have to figure out how to do it.

In "extraordinary mission", a lot of pen and ink is spent to talk about the inner world of undercover, his struggle and predicament, as well as the psychology of drug dealers and the mourning for his dead wife. The first version of the script was written, and many people said it was not like a mainland movie. We went through a lot of documentaries of mainland drug police to understand their experiences and feelings.

You've been working with Zhuang Wenqiang, with one director and one editor. What's the advantage of having such a regular partner?

Few film festivals have cooperated with many films like Zhuang Wenqiang and me, and there was no quarrel or separation. His writing style is good, and he is good at many types. I know a lot about the police and have a little more experience in shooting, so I can complement the screenwriter and director.

This time, I directed with Anthony Pun, who is a photographer. He is definitely more familiar with the use of lens language, and the process of cooperation is complementary. Now, this team cooperation has been very tacit. I don't think this has formed a fixed mode of cooperation, or different arrangements will be made according to different stories and films.

The advantage of having this team is that we will often get together to discuss stories and scripts, which can help enrich the plot. In short, before determining the team, it is necessary to come up with this story first.

after being a director for so many years, do you feel that you have formed your own work style?

I don't know. I don't seem to have any style. I think I always have an impulse to tell a good story. I also hope to establish the style of the film in different story backgrounds and discover some new themes and tonality according to the possibility of the story. Personal style, let others describe it.

But you are a prolific director. How can you keep a steady output?

I'm definitely not productive. Basically shoot one every two or three years. High-yield is like Lin Chaoxian, one movie after another. His movies these years are three times as many as mine.

But I keep my own pace now. After each film is finished, I will start thinking about the story of the next film, although I won't follow the next film immediately like he did. Before looking for investment, I must have a complete story and script. This story should be interesting for myself.

There will be many people chasing you. I hope you and Zhuang Wenqiang can hurry up.

haha. My wife always wants me to shoot more and earn more money. I said, why make so much money?

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