Insufficient Funding

After filming the scene of the power struggle in the lobby, Tang Long felt somewhat unsatisfied.

This feeling was wonderful; he felt that this might be the key to his breakthrough in acting.

After Xu Ke called out, he went to the side, found a random spot to sit down, and carefully recalled the feeling from just now.

Liu Xun came to Xu Ke and said to him:

"Director Xu, don't be too harsh on Ah Long. He's done a great job, and his progress is obvious to everyone."

Liu Xun understood that Xu Ke's sharp words to Tang Long were meant to provoke him, but he was still just a young man.

If you keep his nerves constantly on edge, they're more likely to snap after a while.

"Teacher Liu, you haven't known Tang Long for very long, so you don't know his personality very well."

Don't be fooled by his amiable demeanor; he's actually quite arrogant.

You might not believe it, but there was no reverence in his eyes when he looked at me; it was just a very indifferent feeling.

I'm not bragging, but there are very few actors in Hong Kong who can speak to me on equal terms.

What makes him, a fledgling actor, so special?

So I was very curious about him, and during the film's preparation, I kept asking him to refine the plot and shooting details.

The longer you spend time with him, the more you'll discover he's a very resilient person. These verbal attacks won't break him; instead, they'll inspire him to make even greater progress.

"Just keep that in mind. Ah Long is a good prospect, don't let you ruin him."

"Don't worry, Mr. Liu, his acting skills will definitely improve significantly after filming 'New Dragon Gate Inn'."

Xu Ke has great respect for Liu Xun, and the two have a good relationship.

Liu Xun is a graduate of Peking Opera. In 1980, he came to Hong Kong to develop his career because he was dissatisfied with some of the prevailing trends in China at the time.

After arriving in Hong Kong, Liu Xun, with his outstanding abilities, became a lecturer at the Hong Kong Academy for Performing Arts, where he conducted research on Cantonese opera.

People like You Shengpu and Luo Jiaying have all received his guidance.

In 1986, when Tsui Hark was preparing to film "Peking Opera Blues", he specially invited Liu Xun to serve as the opera instructor, and thus began his connection with film.

His acting skills are superb; he can play both righteous and villainous roles, and can be both funny and solemn, making him a versatile supporting actor.

Tsui Hark really liked using him, and Liu Xun appeared in many of the films he made later.

After that day, Tang Long's performance improved noticeably.

Although Xu Ke still speaks harshly to him, he has toned it down considerably.

As he got into character, the filming schedule began to pick up speed.

Tang Long then had time to sit next to Xu Ke and watch how he directed the film.

"What are you still doing here?"

"Watching you film a movie."

Tang Long was puzzled, wondering what had gotten into Xu Ke again, since she had been perfectly fine just a few days ago.

"Do you know what kind of movie it is? Just watch it."

What kind of movie are you filming?

"Didn't you see the script supervisor clearing the set? We're about to film the scene where Qiu Moyan and Jin Xiangyu are fighting in the bathhouse."

Tang Long naturally knew that the two female leads would be showing off quite a bit in this scene.

He immediately stood up to leave, only to be met with strange looks from Brigitte Lin and Zhang Manyu.

"Ah Long, are you still a virgin?" Zhang Manyu teased. "Have you never seen a woman's body before?"

Tang Long immediately fled in panic, ignoring the female hooligan.

Over the past month, Tang Long has become more familiar with Zhang Manyu and Lin Qingxia, and has gained some understanding of their personalities.

Jin Xiangyu and Qiu Moyan are both very similar in personality to the two characters.

She is bold and outspoken, and speaks with a high degree of sarcasm.

The other one is aloof and heroic, usually not very talkative, but every time he speaks, he manages to attract attention.

Therefore, Tang Lung preferred chatting with Zhang Manyu to Brigitte Lin, as it was more relaxing.

Brigitte Lin can be considered the leading lady among many time-travel characters.

Tang Long had also entertained such thoughts, but after seeing the person in person, he dismissed the idea.

Firstly, she simply didn't fit her own aesthetic standards, feeling that actresses like Wong Cho-han and Rosamund Kwan were more beautiful.

Secondly, she was getting on in years. Although she had an outstanding temperament, Tang Long still preferred younger women.

Moreover, she has a wealth of romantic experience, so how could she easily fall in love at her age?

He didn't want to do something thankless.

After filming this bathroom scene, the interior scenes for "New Dragon Gate Inn" were almost finished.

On February 6th, the day before the Spring Festival, filming in Hong Kong was successfully completed.

The remaining shots will need to be filmed in mainland China after the Chinese New Year.

According to Xu Ke, Wu Siyuan and Shi Nansheng have returned from the mainland.

Not only did they collaborate with Xi'an Film Studio, but they also built a replica of the Dragon Gate Inn in the Dunhuang desert, with its interior set a one-to-one replica.

"Alright, everyone, that's a wrap. We'll meet again on the fifth day of the Lunar New Year to head to the mainland. Don't be late!"

The crowd immediately erupted in cheers in response to Xu Ke, who then smiled and announced the disbandment.

Just as Tang Long was about to leave, Xu Ke stopped him.

Faced with Tang Long's questioning gaze, Xu Ke showed an embarrassed expression for the first time.

"Did you get investment from Shao Daheng for your last film, 'The Blade'?"

"yes."

"Is it still possible to attract investment from Shao Daheng?"

"What's wrong? Don't you have enough money?"

"I was a little nervous. Wu Siyuan and I invested a total of eight million, but we spent more than half of it on film salaries."

Lin Qingxia has one million, Zhang Manyu has eight hundred thousand, the Yuan Clan has eight hundred thousand, and you have five hundred thousand, that's three million one hundred thousand.

Including the salaries of other supporting actors, as well as the cinematography, art direction, and props teams, the total cost of the crew's salaries was 4.2 million yuan.

This does not include my and Ng See-yuen's director and producer fees.

Then, renting and renovating the factory also cost nearly 500,000 yuan.

In addition, there are the custom-made costumes and props. In the past month or so, the entire crew has spent more than two million on food and supplies.

Finally, a Dragon Inn was built in mainland China, and with the payment to Xi'an Film Studio, another million was spent.

There is currently less than HKD 300,000 left in the account.

"You and Mr. Wu are short of money? Keep investing!"

"You make it sound so simple. Wu Siyuan has more than just 'New Dragon Gate Inn' in his hands."

Most of my money was taken up by "A Chinese Ghost Story III" and "Once Upon a Time in China," and the investment in "New Dragon Gate Inn" was something I had to squeeze out with great difficulty.

"Aren't there a lot of funds flowing into Taiwan and Southeast Asia right now? With your reputation and connections, you should be able to attract investment, right?"

Hearing this, Xu Ke felt a little embarrassed and then explained:

"The investment cost of 'Swordsman' was too high. Although the film had a significant impact after its release, its box office was only a little over ten million."

Even with overseas revenue included, the film still lost money.

Longxiang Pictures declined to invest, and many Taiwanese investors are also adopting a wait-and-see approach.

Tang Long was shocked to hear this, not expecting the capital market to be so realistic.

Even a renowned director like Tsui Hark can be blacklisted by investors after a single failure.

If "The Blade" fails at the box office, then I may have no future at all and can only obediently climb up step by step.

"Approximately how much investment is still needed?"

"Around two million."

"If it's two million, there's no need to go to Shao Daheng, I'll invest."