Chapter 202

Not long after, Andy Lau came over; his program this year was the widely circulated song—"Congratulations and Prosperity".

But because the song was too mainstream, even he didn't expect it to stay popular for nearly twenty years.

So, it seemed rather casual.

What he came over to chat about was also filming-related.

"Director Jiang, you never look out for me—you've made so many films and never thought to use me!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "How could that be? There just wasn't a suitable role at the moment."

"If there is, be sure to think of me—I can give you a discount on the fee!"

"Sure, sure!" Jiang Heng said politely.

Andy Lau is a decent actor, very famous, also very diligent; his acting is actually fine, but his biggest problem is that he can't "carry" box office.

He was willing to cameo in "The Myth": first, because he still gets along well with Cheng Long, and Cheng Long has also cameoed in his films; second, he wanted to contribute something to this big production.

Compared to the over 200 million box office of "Hero," it's really far too little.

Seeing Jiang Heng readily agree, he was truly overjoyed.

However, before Cheng Long spoke up, he also hesitated a bit.

At this moment, Cheng Long was preparing the film "The Myth"; perhaps due to the "butterfly effect," it actually started later than in his previous life.

"The Myth" might have shortcomings, but Cheng Long at least tried every means to make the film well, unlike those two films "Wuji" and "Red Cliff."

Perhaps because he has appeared in too many bad films, just seeing the name "Andy Lau" makes it impossible for the audience to judge the film's quality and effect—and that is the most fatal issue.

Although Cheng Long didn't know the film's future box office, he tried every way to increase its chances; upon seeing Jiang Heng, after thinking a while he couldn't help saying, "Ah Heng, do you have time to come over for a cameo role?"

For example, Cheng Long and Li Lianjie—if it's an action film, everyone knows the action scenes won't be too bad.

But when it comes to Andy Lau, the audience can't tell; plus he became famous too early, his fans have aged, so he really has no pulling power left.

In the end, a whole bunch of Xianggang stars' ability to "carry" box office can't match that of a mainland little fresh meat.

"Performing together on the Spring Festival Gala, filming movies together—good brothers!"

Chen Kaige only cares about his own desire to perform, never considering whether the audience can understand.

On screen, the active ones are always those few people; movies constantly feature fifty-something-year-old old cops chasing sixty-something-year-old old gangsters, with plots always about "anti-drug," "anti-corruption," "chasing the dragon," "undercover," "cops and robbers"—after so many years, it's really getting boring!

Even Elder Brother Cheng Long faces this problem; it's just that he works hard enough, so the crisis comes a bit later.

"Of course there is—Big Brother asked me to help, I definitely have time!" Jiang Heng said with a hearty laugh.

Everyone says Hong Kong films are declining—can they avoid declining?

Because Jiang Heng remembers, this film was released in September 2005; at the time its reputation was average and its box office wasn't high—only 96 million.

Wu Yuen Sen's issue is his mindset; a historical epic he made produced too many weird, mismatched elements, and there's really no one like him.

Not just him; other Xianggang actors also face this problem, with their influence rapidly declining.

In his excitement, he actually took off the watch on his wrist and wanted to give it to Jiang Heng.

Later, the famous Wang Baoxiang—if it's a comedy, everyone knows it should be lively.

"Hey hey, no merit, no reward—let's just skip this!"

"Good brother, we share weal and woe—just a little watch!"

This scene made the onlookers unable to hold back their laughter.

Some thought, Jiang Heng might be richer than Cheng Long, so he wouldn't care about a mere watch.

But Elder Brother Cheng Long is that kind of extravagant person; back then he once gave each brother in the Cheng family troupe a famous watch.

After forcibly giving the watch to Jiang Heng, he still felt it insufficient to express his "brotherly feeling," and suddenly said, "By the way, do you like any sports car? I'll get you one!"

"A sports car!"

Jiang Heng thought for a moment; he'd spent most of these past few years busy filming and really hadn't come into contact with a sports car.

Cheng Long boldly declared, "Then it's settled—I'll get a sports car over later, guaranteed to satisfy you!"

"All right!" Jiang Heng laughed heartily.

After chatting idly for a while, they finally got to their rehearsal program, the martial arts song-and-dance "Ambition Soaring to the Clouds."

Worried that Jiang Heng might be nervous, Cheng Long repeatedly explained the key points before going on stage.

Unexpectedly, Jiang Heng had a "Super Microcomputer," so the entire performance proceeded without a hitch, movements spot-on, actually turning out better than Cheng Long's performance.

"I say, brother, your on-the-spot reaction is too strong—you didn't have a bit of stage fright?"

After stepping off the stage, Cheng Long couldn't help but ask.

Jiang Heng laughed and said, "Not bad, nothing really worth being nervous about."

Cheng Long gave a thumbs up and praised, "Your reaction, mental fortitude, and your movement routines—if you'd been born ten years earlier, you wouldn't just be a kung fu superstar, you'd have to be an international movie emperor!"

Jiang Heng laughed, "I actually think being a director is pretty good!"

Cheng Long sighed, "It's indeed good, just a shame about your acting talent—what a pity!"

Jiang Heng said, "That's nothing—if a suitable film comes up, I'll just act in it myself!"

"That's true—anyway, you're richly funded, you can shoot whatever film you want, unlike me!"

Cheng Long sighed, then mentioned the various difficulties in preparing "The Myth," and suddenly said, "By the way, I heard from Old Tang (Tang Jili) that this film will have many special-effects shots—when the time comes, please have your effects company help produce them!"

"No problem—just the thing to give those kids some work, so they won't be idle!"

Actually, Jiang Heng's "Beautiful Times" effects company is very busy; the reason is simple: Jiang Heng's big films have such great visual effects that laypeople assume it's all thanks to "Beautiful Times."

Some netizens even lump "Beautiful Times" together with "Industrial Light & Magic" and "Weta Workshop" as the world's top three effects companies, and several media outlets in Jingcheng have reported on it.

Word spread, and the reputation of "Beautiful Times" grew ever louder, prompting various film and TV companies to come knocking with orders.

Although the number of special-effects shots in a film or TV drama isn't large, it can't withstand the influx of production crews from all over the country coming to the door!

It's not entirely for effects quality either—some do it just for publicity stunts.

For example, hearing that the original effects teams behind "Lion's Ridge," "Pacific Rim," and "Inception" are involved sounds quite impressive.

However, this kind of "gimmick" used too much, and the audience gradually stopped buying into it.

Cheng Long naturally wasn't after that; he simply wanted to hand the job over to his brother.

A few days after this rehearsal, they rehearsed again, and then it was time for the Spring Festival Gala.

Jiang Heng's performance was naturally fine; later, "Ambition Reaches the Clouds" also won a second prize.

And on New Year's Day, the jointly produced "Chinese Paladin" by Love Outstanding Rising Film Company and Tangren Film Company finally aired in prime time on the four satellite channels of Hebei, Mango, Chongqing, and Shandong.

Hu Jie's portrayal of Li Xiaoyao, Liu Yifei's portrayal of Zhao Ling'er, the perfectly inserted interlude, and the gorgeous, realistic special-effects fight scenes had countless viewers spellbound.

Upon airing, the series garnered an 11.2% rating, becoming the first breakout hit of 2005.

(End of chapter)