Hong Kong 1990: From stuntman to King of Kung Fu

Chapter 18 Getting into Character, Filming Wrapped

To avoid creating discord with his fellow disciples, Ding'an chose to leave alone.

Before leaving, he went to say goodbye to Xiang Ling, and happened to overhear her conversation with her grandmother outside the door, realizing that the broken sword enshrined on the Lianfeng ship belonged to his father.

His own father was tortured and killed by Feilong, and was even skinned alive.

This made his blood boil, and without saying goodbye, he turned around, grabbed his father's broken knife, and left.

He's going to get revenge.

Xiang Ling rode out to catch up with Ding An, but unexpectedly encountered bandits on the way.

Just as she was about to be violated, Ding'an heard the noise and rode over.

However, the bandits were numerous and powerful, and Ding'an had to protect Xiang Ling, so they were caught in a fierce battle.

The martial arts style in "The Blade" is quite realistic, completely abandoning wire work and emphasizing close combat.

Therefore, the kind of elegant martial arts choreography where a single strike can wipe out a large group of enemies does not exist in this movie.

When people are short of energy, having a large number of people is also an advantage.

Ding'an was entangled, and his right hand was accidentally caught in an animal trap. In order to get rid of the bandits, he simply picked up the trap and ran away.

During the struggle, Ding'an's right hand was severed.

"Click!"

Cheng Xiaodong frowned slightly as he looked at the camera lens on the monitor.

"Boss, is it still not working?"

The scenes of fighting the bandits had all been filmed, but the scene of the severed arm had to be filmed several times.

"Your expression is pretty good, but it feels like something's missing."

In the past, he could consult Xu Ke at this time, but now he can only rely on himself.

He tried to recall Xu Ke's previous style, and how he would have handled the shot if it were him.

Seeing that Cheng Xiaodong was deep in thought, the others moved much more quietly, afraid of disturbing him.

After a while, Cheng Xiaodong looked up and called over the director of photography, Bao Dexi:

"After Ding'an's hand is cut off, don't give him a close-up of the severed arm, and don't show a close-up of his face directly. Start by showing a close-up of his face from his neck up."

Then give a close-up of the blade that cut his arm, and finally shoot a shot of the broken blade falling to the ground.

Then he called in the lights and props:

"Shine Blade later, don't prepare any more health packs."

Finally, he beckoned Tang Long over:

"Ah Long, after you break my hand, don't make your face look too ferocious, and don't scream."

I need that kind of suffocating scream, not just a shout, but a gasp where you're only inhaling and not exhaling. Can you act that out?

"I'll give it a try."

"Okay, then you can think about it for a bit."

He understood what Cheng Xiaodong was saying; it was the kind of pain or heartache that was so intense that he couldn't make a sound.

He had actually experienced that kind of emotion before.

His parents died in an accident, and this is how he felt when he looked at their bodies.

I desperately wanted to shout, but no sound came out; only tears kept flowing.

In order to perform well, he had no choice but to take the method acting approach.

But the thought of his parents' passing brought tears to his eyes.

He quickly forced back his tears; this was pain, not heartache, and he didn't need tears.

Nearly half an hour later, the script supervisor came over to inform him that filming had to resume.

Tang Long quickly composed himself.

"Action!"

The stage manager claps the clapperboard.

Cheng Xiaodong stared intently at the monitor, not even blinking.

In the shot, the blade flashes coldly under the light before being swung down fiercely.

The camera immediately focused on Tang Long, whose neck veins were bulging and whose forehead was covered in cold sweat mixed with blood.

His mouth was open, but no sound came out. However, combined with his overall emotional expression, this silent roar was more lethal and infectious than a scream.

The final shot shows the broken sword falling to the ground and embedding itself in the soil.

Cheng Xiaodong watched these shots several times. He wanted to suggest another take, but he also felt that it was already perfect.

If Tang Long were to perform it again, he might not be able to achieve the same effect.

"Should we add a panoramic shot?" Tang Jia suggested from the side.

In the past, when Chang Cheh filmed "The One-Armed Swordsman," the severed arm was shown statically—Wang Yu was kneeling on the ground when his arm was chopped off with a single sword strike, in a wide shot and slow motion.

"No need. The reason I didn't show the severed arm or the blood splattering was to present it in a dynamic tearing manner."

Through the falling of the knife, the facial expressions, and the broken blade hitting the ground, the audience will fill in the blanks themselves.

Tang Jia fell silent; perhaps this was the concrete difference between traditional and new martial arts fiction.

"Pass!"

Hearing Cheng Xiaodong speak, everyone in the crew breathed a sigh of relief.

After filming the scene where Ding'an chases Duan Dao and falls off a cliff, and Tie Tou and his fellow disciples from the Lianfeng team arrive to rescue Xiang Ling, today's filming came to an end.

Tang Jia and Liu Jialing both noticed that Tang Long's mood was a bit off, and the latter quickly went over to him.

Seeing this, Tang Jia stopped in her tracks and turned to follow Cheng Xiaodong without disturbing them.

"Ah Long, are you alright?" Liu Jialing asked softly.

Tang Long's performance just now was quite shocking to her; she hadn't expected him to have such powerful explosive force.

She understood that Tang Long was still immersed in his role and hadn't fully detached himself from his previous state.

"I'm fine."

Seeing that his voice was low and he was in low spirits, Liu Jialing stopped talking and quietly stayed with him.

The two didn't fight that night; they just hugged each other and slept.

The two of them slept exceptionally soundly this time, sleeping until they naturally woke up.

The next morning, the two saw each other's faces as soon as they opened their eyes.

Feelings of peace, relaxation, and even sweetness flowed through each other's hearts.

This feeling fascinated them even more than the pleasure they had experienced before.

Tang Long couldn't help but gently stroke Liu Jialing's cheek, but just as he was about to kiss her, she pushed him away.

"Time to get up."

Tang Long's eyes cleared instantly, and he smiled:

"It's time to get up, or we'll be late."

He quickly got up and walked towards the bathroom.

Watching Tang Long's departing figure, Liu Jialing couldn't help but sigh.

Love is too much of a luxury; she can't afford it.

Tang Long is a good man, but he is not her ideal partner.

On the other side, Tang Long splashed water on his face and couldn't help but smile bitterly as he looked at himself in the mirror.

Why did I suddenly fall in love?

Fortunately, Liu Jialing was quite clear-headed, otherwise he really wouldn't know how to handle the situation.

After washing up, the two of them arrived at the film set as if nothing had happened, as if the ambiguous moment in the morning had never occurred.

There were no scenes featuring Tang Long today; the scene being filmed was the fight scene between Di Long and Yu Rongguang.

This was also Dilong's last scene; filming wrapped after his scenes were completed.

Both of them are skilled in martial arts, so this scene was not difficult for them, and they finished filming it smoothly in less than two days.

Di Long declined the crew's offer to host a wrap party for him, packed his bags, and hurriedly left to return to Hong Kong.

He still has a work commitment to fulfill.

After two more days of filming, Liu Qingyun's scenes were completed.

Liu Jialing filmed for an extra day and then finished shooting.

That evening, she was exceptionally gentle and proactive, and Tang Long cooperated.

They both understood that once they left the film crew, they would have less contact with each other in the future.

With most of the cast and crew having finished filming and left, only the final scene remained in "The Blade".

A scene depicting the final duel between Ding'an and Feilong.