[Weekly Update] Some behind the scenes tidbits about Stephen Chow

Not related to this channel, but YouTube is relaxing their advertising policy for video content that previously deemed "adult". I probably still can't talk about Riki-oh, but a man can dream.

CHANNEL UPDATE

Another YouTube update, but related to this channel: Starting this week, non-skippable ads will appear before and after our video. This was something I can previously reject, as I wish you all can have a better viewing experience. This option has been taken away by YouTube. That means, the options right now is: I monetize the videos, and they play non-skippable ads. Or I don't monetized the videos, and YouTube puts non-skippable ads anyway without sharing their revenue. There is no "no ads" option.

Anyway, due to health reasons, production on the next video is slow. I should get it done in a week or two. It'll be about Real, a 2017 incomprehensible South Korean noir movie. It may be the first time... sorry, second time I talk about a movie I don't fully understand. The first one being Pulgasari.

Our channel continues to be in a rut view-wise, which is a bit concerning. Even our last video on Shaolin Soccer, a very popular film with a popular topic, struggles to gain traction. I honestly am not sure why we have having so much trouble breaking the 100k view count all of a sudden. Anyway, if this continues, some changes will have to be made next year. One plan is to change our Patreon page from per month to per project. This will give me more flexibility in making longer form videos, and also allows me to find alternative employments if necessary.

Still, I have many more video topics scheduled for next year, so I don't plan on giving up the channel just yet. Just as a preview, some of the topics are:

• When Other Countries Make Kung Fu Movies: Kun Fu Brothers in the Wild West, Chandni Chowk to China.
• The Cinematic References in Kung Fu Panda.
• When Women Plays Male Characters in Chinese films (and TV shows)
• When Comedies Rely On Writings (Aces Go Places)

Let's all have a fun 2024!

MEDIA TALK

Let's talk about our last video on Shaolin Soccer! It was always great fun watching and talking about Stephen Chow movies. Some viewers have expressed their opinion that I may have over read into "Chow's gratitude", as Chow has been called out by actors for being mean and hard to work with. It's a fairly common tabloid talking point, as common as the belief that Chow and Tat had a fallen out.

While it is true that Chow is notoriously difficult to work with on set, as he always has a vision and aims for perfection (like David Fincher), and also has a potty mouth, he really isn't the monster the tabloid news made him out to be. Hong Kong opera singer and actor Law Kar-ying was a good example of a good working relationship with Chow. Iirc, Law didn't think very highly of Chow. As an old school opera singer, it's natural that he sees Chow's movies as lowbrow and lousy.

Eventually, Law did work with Chow on From Beijing with Love, and was impressed by Chow's knowledge and his improvisational acting, two things valued by a stage actor. From then on, Law would appear in both A Chinese Odyssey movies, Forbidden City Cop, and God of Cookery. You can't convince a old school king like Law to work with you for this long, without being a good enough person.

Originally, A Chinese Odyssey was meant to be one movie. It was released into two parts instead. Law only signed on to act in one, so he only received one part of his salary. This caused some dispute between Chow and Law. Even then, Chow made good with Law on payment. And the two would keep on collaborating.

The two eventually did have a fallen out in Shaolin Soccer. In the same vein of other cameos, Chow wanted Law to be part of the cast. Law even set aside time for filming, declined other work opportunities. However, Chow never managed to find a good role for him, and was eventually decided to just let Law go. By then, it's too late for Law to accept other works. This would be the cause of their fall out.

The reality is, film production in Hong Kong is generally fast and loose. Very few directors would do things so meticulously on set. At the same time, Chow's production company also seemed to be a complete operational mess, as the same scheduling problem also happened during the production of King of Comedy. It is, in fact, a common problem across the industry. Chow is just a bigger target. The same kind of rumours also plagues other big name directors like Jackie Chan, Wong Jing, and even John Woo.

Now, I want to make this clear. Is Stephen Chow flawed? Most likely. There's no denying that the man is ill-tempered on set. Even his closest friends acknowledge that. He is a director who asks a lot. He would reshoot scenes after it is finished. He would change the script mid-way through production. He is hard to work with. But, in the words of Anthony Wong: You may have heard of people publicly criticize Mr. Chow, but how you ever heard of Chow criticize people in public?

As stated in the video, I still have a lot of details, mostly behind-the-scenes stories, about the film that I didn't managed to squeeze in. Maybe one day, I'll make another video about Chow's behind the scenes stories in general, including the rumor that he and Tat had a fallen out. For now, I hope this tidbit is an interesting read!

Anyway, that is the update of this week. I hope you have a great remainder of the year! I'll see you soon either on our next video, or in another update!