Congratulations on your well-deserved victory for “Detective Dee” at the Hong Kong Film Festival. Do you think the film's success could herald a new wave of Chinese fantasy films?
Tsui Hark: I sincerely hope so. Chinese films were too serious in style and content. I hope entertaining films like “Di” will make the viewer’s life more interesting.
Andy Lau, Tony Leung and Carina Lau make a pretty impressive cast. Are there any other actors or actresses you would love to work with?
Tsui Hark: Yes, I have such people. In films, I try to use my favorite actors. So, immersed in the unique world of cinema, we can share experiences with each other.
“Detective Dee” has excellent special effects, something your films have been famous for for many years. What do you think about computer graphics as a replacement for the makeup, lighting, animation and wires that audiences saw in the action movie “Zu: Warriors of the Magic Mountain”.
Tsui Hark: I have never been focused on what technologies to use. I have always believed that in order to make a story interesting, you need to use any suitable method. Makeup, lighting, animation and wires become part of the filming process if they are useful. The director should not deliberately avoid using them.
“Detective Dee” marked your next return to cinema. What are your plans after the new film with Jet Li, “The Flying Swords of Dragon Gate”?
Tsui Hark: I'm working on a project called The Taking of Tiger Mountain, which is based on a 50s novel about a group of 36 people fighting 20 bandits in the unfathomable depths of the snowy mountains of northern China. The novel is based on real events. It's not easy to deal with material that takes place in such a distant past. Filming will take place in the snow, which may cause technical difficulties during production.
How did you start working with 3D?
Tsui Hark: I've wanted to do 3D for a long time. Initially, “Detective Dee” was conceived as a stereoscopic film. But at that time I did not have sufficient knowledge to shoot in this format. After “Di” my desire increased significantly. I started traveling, collecting information to study. In the end, I managed to assemble a team of 3D artists. “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate” is the most suitable project for this.
The difference between 2D and 3D formats, of course, lies in the desire to make the screen world more believable. Therefore, the director needs to give the audience enough time so that they have the opportunity to appreciate the realism obtained from this stereoscopic effect. Basically, so that the audience can imagine as the story progresses that they are part of what is happening, the use of excessively close-ups is limited. In addition, when it comes to fights, they shoot in longer takes, thus increasing the realism of the scenes, thereby bringing them closer to the reality of everyday life.
Cameras weigh a lot, and during filming you have to partially adjust their synchronization. After this, in the post-processing process it is necessary to equalize the difference in color on both cameras, observing stereoscopic requirements in order to give the object in the frame depth and volume.
If we compare “Dolby” and “Stereo”, then there is some similarity with 3D. The director must know how to properly set up the stereoscopic effect, as in the case of Dolby, when the viewer feels the sound source moving in space.
3D data is determined by the dimensions of the image. Therefore, during post-processing, to display the most correct result, stereoscopic adjustments are carried out on a large screen.
I'm sure it will still be a long time before 3D moves to the next stage of development. But, of course, this format allows viewers to see the world on screen differently.
As far as I understand, the film [Flying Swords of Dragon Gate] is a remake and continues a string of recent “remakes” of Hong Kong (A Chinese Ghost Story, Dyed Leather, Sex and Zen) and even Western (Hookup, What Women Want) films. Are you seeing a growing trend in China towards remakes, something that is so prevalent in Hollywood these days?
Tsui Hark: I don't believe in a remake unless it's absolutely necessary. I can't stand it when it turns out worse than the original. “Flying Swords of Dragon Gate” is not a remake. Here is a different story, it is a continuation of the previous one.
It seems to me that many of the recent Hong Kong films have been made with the mainland Chinese market in mind. Did this fact, coupled with the strict rules and regulations of mainland censors, influence your approach to filmmaking?
Tsui Hark: There have always been prohibitions. These are sensitive topics such as religion, racism, areas of politics and morality. As for religion, at first in “Detective Dee” the villain was a monk. This idea had to be abandoned, as it could cause indignation on the part of Buddhists.
Some critics have been predicting the demise of Hong Kong cinema for years. What do you think about the current state of the local film industry?
Tsui Hark: I am optimistic about the creativity of the Hong Kong film industry. I'm sure Hong Kong filmmakers are in an in-between stage. I would like to get out of this difficult situation and present my new, broader vision. For me, I've always wanted to make a film about Hong Kong, if I can find the right story.
Have you thought about doing anything else in Hollywood?
Tsui Hark: Yes, I'm waiting for a good script.
And the last question. At the beginning of your career, you were often called Hong Kong's Steven Spielberg. Now, after more than 30 years in the film industry, do you think this comparison still holds true?
Tsui Hark: In my opinion, it is extremely reckless to make such personal comparisons, since they will never be completely correct. I have always seen myself as a director who strives to make films for as long as possible. I don't see the point in comparing myself to other directors.
Author: James Mudge
Source: beyondhollywood.com
Translation: EvilDollaR
Yes, I completely agree with the previous speaker! Tsui Hark's film is a painting made in a very interesting and original way!
And even the seemingly pop FLASH and DOUBLE TEAM with Van Damme look very chic and still stand out among countless action films!!!
May God continue to give him successful creativity!
I would rather call Tsui Hark the Hong Kong Tarantino. For me, he had some amazing films and some not so great ones. I’m looking forward to the duet with Jet Li again, thanks for the interview, very interesting.