My blog
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17-11-09 : The Blood Bond (part 40)
Friday, Nov 20, 2009 1:03AM / Standard Entry
Big Brawl#1 : Yam VS Biehn
Tonight's scene sees Lompoc (Simon) and his right hand woman Guang Di (Emma Pei) storm a hospital ICU. This scene is set after a fierce firefight which we have yet to shoot. Michael takes great pleasure in trashing the set to ensure that it matches its post-gunplay 'look'.
Simon has, of course, long years of experience with on screen gunplay. He inhabits the role of a veteran rebel leader effortlessly.
We're all impressed at how good Emma looks with her weapon. Its a long way from the catwalk to battlefield, but 'Pei Bei' delivers. Off camera, she's her usual pixie-ish self.
We're drawing to the end of her time on the movie, and, boy, we're all going to miss her. I promised her a lead in another film, if she can gain 30 pounds (or more!). Its either that, or we make Chinese Popeye, with her as Olive Oyl!
There's the usual fun and games between her and Simon, who seems to have adopted Emma as his naughty little sister.
Once inside the ICU, Lompoc and Guang Di get ambushed by our heroes, which leads into a no-holds-barred battle between Simon and Michael.
The idea is that we juxtapose a brutal, anything goes fight for Lompoc and Tremayne with a more stylised martial arts duel between Deva and her opposite number, Guang Di.
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9-11-09: The Blood Bond Saga (part 34)
Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 7:23PM / Standard Entry
Into the hospital
AKA the hospital from hell... This set, our biggest interior, took forever to prepare, and we only managed to shoot a couple of scenes today.
Note to would-be producers: everything takes longer to light than you think it will.
Second note: when you do finally get enough lights up to illuminate your set, it will then be too hot to actually shoot on.
Third note: everything can be darkened down in post, but its almost impossible to lighten something up.
I was very grateful to the wonderful Chinese character actor Lin Dong-fu, cast as Captain Trayng, for his patience as the set was prepared and lighting put in place. It seemed to take forever, and he never once complained.
Our 3rd AD, Pete Wong, who is actually by choice an actor!, was drafted in to play Lieutenant Wuchi when an actor originally selected priced himself out of the game.
Not to would-be actors: when you're a complete unknown, you need the gig more than you need the money!
Pete aquitted himself well, especially going up against a veteran like Lin. What a voice this guy has! He's the Richard Burton of Shanghai...
Michael and Lin have established a great rapport, to the extent that Lin actually said, to MB's surprise, "I'm learning so much from you!"
Lin came to be cast after Michael screened some scenes he performed in for a Mainland Chinese TV series. Even though MB doesn't understand Mandarin, he knew a good actor when he saw one and said "we want that guy". Given that ours is a low budget production, it took some cajoling to get Lin's manager to agree to his participation (managers have waaaay too much control over their clients in both Hong Kong and China).
Anyway, we're proud to have Lin Dong-fu in the cast!
The other good thing about today was all the girls in nurses outfits running around the studio. These included my long suffering assistant producer, Christine Ip.
I should say a few words about her: Christine has an unfailingly sunny disposition, a wry sense of humour, great work ethic... She gives me great faith in the next generation. I really want to commend her for the contribution to the project. (Does this mean I don't have to pay her for this month?)
Oh, did I mention we had cute girls in nurses outfits on the set?
We're back in there tomorrow. I may need a hospital by the time this scene is over...
Next: Carry on, doctor...
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8 - 11 - 09: The Blood Bond Saga (part 33)
Tuesday, Nov 10, 2009 1:36PM / Standard Entry
Interlude
Sunday again, and, after the night shoot on the lake, you'd think I wanted a break. However, after three hours sitting around the apartment reading a salacious Hollywood biography ('Brando Unzipped') and downing coffee by the bucket, I'm back at the studio.
Note to all you would be film-makers: A producer's work is (really) never done (at least until the film is in the theatres, and sometimes not even then...)
I started going over this weeks scenes in the script, and discussing set preparations with the tireless John Lechago.
Not much to report, except that I miss my boys, and here's a shot of me and them to remind you all what they look like!
Next : Into the hospital
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7-11-09 : The Blood Bond Saga (part 32)
Monday, Nov 9, 2009 12:44PM / Standard Entry
Night on the water
Tonight we were back at the reservoir, for one of the most entertaining nights of the shoot. Kong Sifu was back with us to shoot a dialogue scene between himself and our leads, and also the sequence where our heroes set sail at night onto a vast river.
I first met Kong Sifu through my good friend, Australian actor Daniel Whyte. (Daniel and I first worked together on the film 'The Twins Effect'). I was really happy that Daniel could be with us on set for Kong's last night on 'The Blood Bond'.
Between takes, we shoot an interview with the larger-than-life Hong Kong movie veteran for our 'making of' documentary. He tells us this is the most fun as he's had on a movie. More fun than 'Writing Kung Fu'?, I demand. "Much more!", he replies, with a huge smile.
Kong has picked up a chest cold somewhere, but never complains. Throughout the long night, his wife gives him a strange brew from a flask, and this keeps him up and running at his usual energy level (which is off the chart...).
After we finish the dialogue in the woods, we move down to the reservoir for the scene where Ding and Deva discuss the character of Tremayne, before they set sail down the dark river. Night, water, a boat... Anyone familiar with film-making knows we're in for a handful.
Master Kong is wonderful in his scene with Deva. He talks about Tremayne constantly being at war, either with himself or others. "For some of us," he says, "that's all we know..." Michael watches from behind the monitor. That's beautiful, he mutters to himself.
We have to light the water (without making it look 'lit'), we need to be sure the vessel goes where we need it to...
Initially, there are fears that the boat won't float, and especially not with the burly Kong Sifu on one end of it. However, though it does take in water, the worthy vessel does indeed set off as planned.
After Michael pushes the boat off, the actual vessel is 'driven' by Kong himself, who proves to be a past master of the outboard motor, with our associate producer Oliver Williams navigating.
As Williams tries to recapture the days of British naval power, there are some off-camera Pythonesque moments: Ollie, all flying limbs at the front, resembles the mutant love child of Hugh Grant and John Cleese, Kong, hunched at the motor, does his best Tor Johnson...
At the end of a long night, its sad to announce that Kong Sifu is wrapped... At least until our next film!
Next : Interlude
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6 - 11 - 09 : The Blood Bond Saga (part 31)
Sunday, Nov 8, 2009 4:13PM / Standard Entry
More radio days, and the Captain investigates...
Today was a crazy day with too much to do between sunset and sundown.
MB was set to direct the opening monologue delivered by Simon Yam, as rebel leader Lompoc.
The interior of the radio station where this was meant to take place is actually the interior of the recording facility at the back of the studio. It was nowhere near ready for primetime, leading to a mad scramble to put the set together. Simon watched all this patiently, with his usual good grace.
Note to all you budding screen stars: the crew never forgets if you're a trouper, and they also never forget you if you're a prima donna, and they're the ones you need to actually put you on the screen. For some reason, in my experience, its been those performers with the least to offer who've tended to make the process painful!
Of course, once all was in readiness, Simon was wonderful, as he always is!
Meanwhile, after a great shoot on the hotel fight, Phoe was back in the training for the finale.
The training area is outside the recording studio, so Simon strolled out to check Phoe's moves during a smoke break.
Our schedule being as tight as it is, I was planning to shoot a scene at a sewing factory where Captain Trayng (Lin Dong-fu) and his aide Wuchi (Pete Wong) go to find one of the prospective blood donors, only to find that... well, I won' t spoil it!
MB had either never been told or had forgotten about this (or both!), and expressed concern that Lin's first scene in the film would be shot by... me. Michael hadn't yet screened the 2nd unit fooage I'd filmed of the evil nurse (Lily Xue) in the marketplace, and did not express the utmost (or any!) confidence in my ability to shoot the factory scene.
The great thing about being (kind of) the boss is that you can (almost) always do what you want. I grabbed the camera and crew, promised Michael I'd do my best, and set out with Lin and Pete for the factory. (I figured the worst that would happen is that we'd have to reshoot it later if MB hated my footage...)
The factory owned greeted us with open arms. There was even a sign outside welcoming us to the place!
I was mid-way through shooting the scene when I got a call from MB. I half expected he would demand that I down tools and return. Instead, he told me that he thought the nurse footage was great, and to keep shooting. The best review of my professional career!
The scene in the can, I returned to the studio, where Michael was still shooting Simon's monologue (perfection takes time...). We were also scheduled to shoot the denouement of the factory scene, in a set built in the studio staff quarters. You got ahead and shoot that, Michael suggested. I was proud that I had his confidence (though he still came to look over my shoulder a couple of times, and adjust the performances to his liking!).
That evening, the might Kong Sifu returned, bearing gifts. He'd had photos of himself the other two leads framed as presents for the key players, and explained to everyone that you could either hang it on the wall or else use the plastic 'leg' attached to stand it on your desk. What a sweet man he is...
(Cease, our set photographer was an actor in the radio station scene, and then took sick, so we don't have the usual quality of photos for today's blog. We'll be back up to speed tomorrow!)
Next :
Night on the water...
Stats
- British-born Bey Logan began his professional career as a magazine writer and editor, editing the martial arts magazine Combat for five years before launching the action film publication Impact...
- Occupation: Film/TV Producer , Screenwriter , Martial arts
- Gender: Male
- Total visits: 111,553
