Cinespot : An Exclusive Interview with Hong Kong Director James Yuen Sai-sang

An Exclusive Interview
with Director James Yuen Sai-sang
(Part II)

Perspective on HK Cinema

Cinespot: Referring back to your movies like Driving Miss Wealthy, Your Place or Mine, or even the screenwriting works like Lost in Time and Golden Chicken, it seems that the characters always have to go through a process of self-enlightenment in order to move on to the next stage of their lives.

Yuen: I have never thought of that before. Take Lost in Time and Golden Chicken 2 as an example, as the screenwriter, I clearly understood what my position was, that is, my job was to write for the directors, to help the directors whenever they had problem conveying the messages they wanted. It was not like the other way around in which I wrote a script and told them to direct it according to what I wanted. It's impossible! In Lost in Time, perhaps Derek wanted to express some of his thoughts, and then I would help him to shape and incorporate his ideas in story form; In Golden Chicken 2, perhaps Peter Chan and Chiu Leung-chun wanted to tell a story about SARS, or about the character of Jacky Cheung, and so I would help them to write the narrative.
About my movies, I think everyone of them is different. There are something I have done before and I don't feel like repeating. For instance, after Stephen Chow did Shaolin Soccer, he probably wouldn't want to do Shaolin Basketball, or Shaolin Volleyball. Moreover, sometimes when I got several ideas, I would try to see which one is better prepared, or which one is going to receive more supports, so it is hard to insist on doing a certain script. But I guess it doesn't really offer a tough choice for me, as I always have a lot to tell.

Cinespot: What do you think about anti-intellectual (or non-sensical) comedy? It is the major trend of the market now, and obviously, these movies are quite against your idea that a movie should consist of cogitative value.

Yuen: I don't really care about it. You can't say it is wrong as these movies really can attract audiences to the cinema. The market is so big and you cannot discriminate the others. While a film should carry some messages, if the only objective of a "message-free" film is to entertain and it succeeds, then you can say it is successful too! If we try to discriminate these films, we probably wouldn't have Stephen Chow or "non-sensical moleitou" movies now. Perhaps some filmmakers just want to entertain, or just want to scare people, just like Pang Brothers, so they would make a movie to scare people! Filmmakers don't really have any obligations to comment on the society or deal with life issue.

Cinespot: If you have to make a non-sensical comedy, and on the other hand also include some messages, how would you find a balance?

Yuen: The first thing is to make sure you wouldn't feel bad for doing it, second is whether the story has any connection with our society. I always believe that movie is a reflection of reality. A movie should interact with the audience. That's why when you tell a joke, people would understand and laugh. So it depends heavily on whether your observation is accurate, then you can draw the materials from your observation. Take Driving Miss Wealthy as an example, I employed the idea of Filipino servant to tell a love story, the audiences might find everything in the movie funny, because they could connect their own experience or impressions with Filipino servant. It is the same for Crazy n' the City this time. Policemen can feel despair, they can be lazy too. They are not superman after all. Audience will find it easy to connect their feeling as the depiction is close to reality.

Cinespot: So you think a realistic setting is very important?

Yuen: Yes, for a contemporary drama, it is necessary to build up such a setting, unless it is a very surrealistic world.

Cinespot: The film market of Hong Kong is getting worse, In your opinion, what improvement do HK movies need?

Yuen: Improvement... there are too many! (lol) Like, the distribution methodology can be revised. I sometimes think BT (download) is not the only reason that causes fewer people to go to cinema. Just try to think, if you can buy the VCD / DVD six weeks after the premiere, why do you have to rush to the cinema to see it in the first three weeks? I believe the audiences will have the desire to go to the cinema if they have to wait longer to see the movie again. But on the other hand, we also have to think from the perspective of the distributors. By distributing the video or selling the rights to TV studio, that's how they can make money, even though that means they have to sacrifice the box office. Overall speaking, these issues are not controllable by filmmakers like us. Therefore, we can only learn not to care about the box office too much, since no matter it is good or bad, the movie will get seen by people. But certainly, if we have big stars, huge promotions, then it is easier to lure more people to see it.

Cinespot: So do you think there is still hope for Hong Kong cinema?

Yuen: Hong Kong cinema is struggling, and it has become a very competitive battleground. In the past, some movies could do well even though there was no gimmicks or good ideas at all. A 8~10 days production could make money too. But now the situation is totally different. I think the audiences have become more mature. I wouldn't say they have become smarter, because I think they are always smart. They are more mature in a way that they are more skeptical now. Even if there is an all-star cast, if the movie is no good, nobody would want to see it. We couldn't just rely on the cast anymore. On the other hand, as an audience, I would also like to choose something that could really interest me. From what I heard, Driving Miss Wealthy was the best selling VCD / DVD last year. Although it was not the highest grossing movie, I think it was good enough, since the box office was not controllable by us.

Cinespot: What is your opinion for those who want to break into the film business?

Yuen: I have been saying it for more than 10 years, first, don't get married! If you have a family and are the primary income source, don't become a filmmaker! Making money is tough, just look at me and you'll know, haha. Second, you have to be really enthusiastic about filmmaking, and are not afraid to sacrifice, otherwise, there is no reason to stay in the business. There are lots you can do, and can probably make more money. Third, don't give up too early, don't make a decision on what is suitable or not suitable for you to do. Until now, I still watch a lot of movies, I really treat my interest as part of my life, I never think of giving up, and I never make any judgment on specific genres or actors. I believe that every filmmaker is zealous about what he is doing, and every actor is serious about his role. I think many newcomers try to limit themselves to certain choices, like, they may admire certain director and think his movie is great even if they don't actually understand what the movie is about! I think it is necessary to understand that there are many kinds of movies, and you shouldn't limit yourselves. Watch more movies, no matter good or bad, don't take it too serious. Even if someone says movie A is good, you don't really have to agree or disagree, you should instead try to analyze why people think it is good, or why movie B is worse than movie A. That's how you can learn from them.

Career

Cinespot: Let's move on to another topic. As we know, many directors were influenced by their childhood experiences. What about you?

Yuen: My case is little different, I guess I am more influenced by my kids. I want to make movies that my kids can watch. I want to make watching movies a happy experience. I don't really want to see the characters to be all dead at the end of the movie, or to show that the world has no hope. I guess if nobody survives at the end of A Day After Tomorrow, the movie would not be that well received! (lol) The reason why I want to watch a movie is that it gives me hope and encourages me to lead a more active and optimistic life.

Cinespot: It seems that you are a very optimistic person, is it true?

Yuen: That's what we need! There are lots of terrible things that we have encountered, and that's why we need to be optimistic. Even if my movie is not entertaining enough, I still want it to show some influence by promoting some positive messages.

Cinespot: Did you start your screenwriting career based on your personal interest?

Yuen: So we are talking about history now, haha. When I was in high school, I was involved in some drama production, but I wouldn't say I was very interested in movie at that time. When I was young, my parents always brought me to see movies, but again, I had never thought of becoming a director or screenwriter. It was not until later that I decided to join the business.

Cinespot: Looking back at your achievement so far, how would you define your position in this field?

Kwan: I don't think I have a lot of achievements, but certainly I also don't think I have no achievement at all. I would feel satisfied if my movies have succeeded in influencing some people. Awards and box office record aren't really the most important thing, because I clearly understand the rules of the game and those are not controllable by me. It's always nice to hear people praising or saying they are influenced by my movies. I also believe that those who have seen my movies would think that the world is beautiful.

Cinespot: We have read some of your past interviews and noticed that you were not quite satisfied with the rold of producer. So what is your view on this position actually?

Yuen: There are many kinds of producers, and it depends on what kind you want. This time I have Derek Yee and Henry Fong as my producers, and they would help me to solve many problems and provide many opinions, no matter technical or story-wise, and I would say that's the kind of producer I want! Contrary speaking, some producers merely carry the title, but they never actually do anything. They are the producers because they are the boss. I think Hong Kong cinema needs more good producers than good directors now. A good producer should clearly understand what ingredients he needs, the target audience, the style of the movie, and then he will go find the appropriate director and actors. I think Peter Chan is a good producer! He has all-round knowledge of the movie he is doing, and he clearly understands every aspect of the production. I believe every director needs a producer, like, Johnnie To needs one, Wong Kar-wai needs one. If there is not a good producer to provide guidance, the director may lose his direction. Most directors are opinionated about their works, that is why a good producer is required to suggest and point out the problems for them, telling them what cannot be done or what is good or bad for a movie. Certainly, a good script is also important too, but in some cases, a script is available before a director is there, so the responsibility of the producer is very important. If a producer begins to work after everything is ready, then he is definitely not a good and useful producer.

Cinespot: You have never been a producer before. Have you thought of taking up this role?

Yuen: If I have to be a producer, I need to totally understand every aspect of a director's job. But I guess I am not fully familiar with every single part yet as I am still learning every day. I guess I probably can't be helpful if I become a producer now. I'll only start to think about it when I am fully aware of the entire process of filmmaking.

Cinespot: As far as we know, you have tried lyrics writing before. Why would you want to do it?

Yuen: I am just an amateur lyrics writer... but somehow it is actually more profitable than screenwriting, lol. The first lyrics I wrote is the song "This Life" for the movie He's a Woman, She's a Man. I was also the screenwriter of that movie. They have two songs for that movie, the theme song "To chase" was already done, and so Hui Yuen told me to write the lyrics for the other one. I was little worried in the beginning, but then I finished it in a week. Actually I have just done several songs, like, I wrote one for Kelly Chen ("Who want to let go"_. I also spent a week doing it.

Cinespot: Why don't you do more? Your movies always have some songs too!

Yuen: I love to use other people's songs in my movies more. This time I also bought the right of a Sandy Lam's song for Crazy n' the City. I would always remember the good songs I have listened and see if it is possible to use it in my future movies. I think it is good to have some songs in my movies, even though sometimes my producers didn't really like it. Like "Love is like Tide" in Your Place or Mine or "Love Me Fiercely" in Driving Miss Wealthy, the songs really help. If you ask me to write the lyrics, I would first consider whether I can do better than the professional? If not, then I would just ask other people to do it.

Cinespot: Among the three positions we talked about, screenwriting, directing and lyrics writing, which one do you enjoy most?

Yuen: As I said, my lyrics writing is too weak, and I just started it by conincidence. The one that I enjoy most is always screenwriting. There are quite a lot of pressures for directing. Take Crazy n' the City as an example, the entire production took more than nine months, and the director would be the one receiving all the pressures. Comparatively speaking, screenwriting is less stressful. It usually takes only three to six months at most to finish a script, and when it is done, it is up to the director to make or modify it to fit the production limitation. Moreover, the screenwriter doesn't have to care about the budget or whatever. But there are certainly more limitations if I am both the director and screenwriter of a movie, as there are a lot I have to consider and I cannot write whatever I want without caring about the reality.

Cinespot: As a screenwriter, do you usually participate a lot in the filming?

Yuen: Yes, but I am not the one that involves the most. Compared to some feature film screenwriters who also happen to work at the TV studio or have several other jobs, I work full-time for one movie a time. So I am always present at the filming location and help explain the roles or scripts to the actors.

Cinespot: Now the market is recessing, are you afraid that one day you'll lose your job? How are you going to respond to such a crisis?

Yuen: This is really a good question, haha. If it is the end of the world, there is nothing we can do. But still, I want to ask if it is possible to start a project with our basic faith. Unlike those directors who may not know what to do if they have no money, I sometimes think I don't really need a big budget to make my movies. So I would still want to make movies and tell the stories I am interested even if there is no big stars or big budget. But it is true that we have reached an elimination period, especially when the production of Hollywood movies have become so big in scale that it's hard for us to compete.

Cinespot: Last but not least, can you tell us something about your next project?

Yuen: I am still thinking about the subject matter, I don't want to start a project without any planning. About the subject matters, there are still a lots happening around us, the concern now is to decide in what way to present the story. No matter period or contemporary drama, human interactions are always full of possibilities. One of the ideas is to tell a story about hope, but then I also have to consider the production condition and also the quality of the actors. I think a lot of actors need to be refreshed! Try to think if Stephen Chow has more than 10 movies coming out in 3 years, would the audience still be eager to see his movies? This is reality. Honestly speaking, as an audience, I admit that some actors simply couldn't attract my attention now. So if I have to work with an actor, I have to be very careful and try to bring in something new.

Cinespot: So are there any actors you want to work with?

Yuen: A lot. I wouldn't limit my choices. Like Daniel Wu, I think his acting skill has improved a lot lately and it'll be interesting to work with him. I also want to work with Lau Ching-wan again, I think it is still possible to make him look more funny, it is definitely not a bad idea for us to work together again. It is the same case for Eason, but I am sure it won't happen this year, because we have done a lot of explorations this time already, and most people do agree Eason has improved a lot this time. So it is better for us to take a break first before we can go further to another level.

Cinespot: That's all we got. Thank you very much for spending a good afternoon with us.

Yuen: Thank you very much.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the interview was a big success. Director James Yuen Sai-sang was very generous and patiently answered all of our questions in details. Again, we would like to appreciate director Yuen for taking his valuable time and sharing his insight with us. Please give a round applause to director Yuen! Morever, we would also like to thank producer Henry Fong Ping and Derek Yee Tung-sing, who just happened to drop by during our interview, for accepting our picture taking request.

Special thanks to Universe HK for coordinating and making the interview possible.

Thank you!

Host / Text: Eric Liu
Photos: Niro Suen
Production stills: Universe HK
Planning: K. Lui, Niro Suen
Translation: K. Lui

1/2005

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