Chapter 54: with translation of chapter title

Seeing Jiang Heng sign Wu Jing, Hong Jinbao beside him hurriedly said, "Well, why not sign Tianming too! I don't expect him to become a star, just to make a living in the circle is enough!"

By 1999, Hong Jinbao truly had no resources left.

Otherwise, Tianming Hong wouldn't have been doing bit parts since his debut, hardly ever playing a lead.

He cannot be mentioned in the same breath as Fang Zuming, who enjoys the 'all stars surrounding the moon' treatment.

Thinking of Fang Zuming and then looking at Wu Jing beside him, Jiang Heng suddenly recalled a film.

That was Wu Jing's classic villain action film—'A Man's True Colors'.

In this film, Wu Jing plays the bandit chief Tian Yangsheng, overpowering the three leads throughout; if not for the 'screenwriter's' contribution, he would likely have wiped out the protagonists.

When he first saw this film, he found it extraordinarily stunning, never having seen such a handsome villain before.

Having signed Wu Jing, we must give him resources—first, let him practice as a villain.

As for the male lead, we certainly can't cast Fang Zuming; let Hong Tianming take it, which also counts as repaying Hong Jinbao's favor.

Hong Jinbao, in the various factions of Xianggang's film world, could be called a 'flip-flopper'; no matter which collaboration, he's always a welcomed guest.

Even before Jiang Heng had made his mark, he could decisively offer help, which is quite rare.

"Fine, then sign him on!"

Without waiting for Hong Jinbao to thank him, Jiang Heng added, "By the way, I want to shoot a low‑budget cops‑and‑robbers action film for the spring‑festival slot, with Tianming as the male lead!"

Hearing this, Hong Jinbao was overjoyed, his face full of gratitude: "Brother, thanks!"

He also knew what his son was like—just bringing in investment to let his son star, he didn't even know what to direct.

Jiang Heng, however, said: "Don't rush to thank me yet; in my plan, there are three male leads!"

Wu Jing exclaimed in surprise, "Do I have a role?"

Jiang Heng laughed, "No, you're the big villain!"

"What?"

Wu Jing was bewildered—he'd never tried playing a villain before!

Jiang Heng patted his shoulder and laughed, "Honestly, you have a talent for playing villains!"

Wu Jing puzzled, "Really? How would I not know that?"

Jiang Heng thought, "Because you haven't seen yourself as a villain yet, but I have!"

Yet he said, "I'm thinking that maybe through this film we can get you a Best Supporting Actor award!"

Hearing this, Wu Jing felt much more balanced.

After all, as a newcomer, he still looks forward to awards.

He wouldn't feel that playing the lead in 'The Lion‑Camel Ridge' and then taking a supporting role would diminish his standing.

After all, his ability to play Sun Wukong is because Jiang Heng thinks he's suitable, not because his stature has risen.

If it weren't for this job, he wouldn't even know where his next film's contract would be!

As long as he gets a role, it's fine—he'll be a lead again someday.

"If we could win an award, that would be great!" Wu Jing exclaimed delightedly.

After chatting a bit, they resumed shooting; since it was all done indoors on soundstages with motion‑capture and CG, the actors wore strange gear, which still tested their acting skills.

At the very least they couldn't break character; they had to perform with utter seriousness.

In the blink of an eye it was early August, and all filming for 'The Lion‑Camel Ridge' wrapped.

'A Man's True Colors' was also nearly ready; Jiang Heng was going abroad, so he let Hong Jinbao direct.

However, the main casting decisions remained his to make.

The male lead, Hong Tianming, plays the role originally played by Fang Zuming; Xie Tingfeng portrays the original Chen Jin.

And the officer Fang, who in the original was fed a bullet by Tian Yangsheng, is played by the biggest star, Wu Yanzu.

The remaining, less important roles were left to Hong Jinbao to fill as he saw fit.

Before leaving, Jiang Heng produced the storyboard he had already finished, leaving Hong Jinbao stunned.

If they followed the storyboard to the letter, his directorship would be nominal only!

But thinking of his son's lead‑role treatment, he swallowed the words he wanted to say.

Before departing, Jiang Heng also visited the set of 'Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon' to arrange matters in both Neidi and Xianggang, then flew to the United States in mid‑August.

First he rested a few days at his villa in Beverly Hills, then enjoyed a stretch of waking naturally.

He then went straight to the small effects company he had previously acquired, handing them a few minor, simple effects shots to do.

Next he flew to Australia, where he also owned a small effects company; its main trait was being tiny and weak, so giving them a few simple, low‑cost effects orders was enough to keep them busy.

Moreover, Jiang Heng outsourced some effects shots to Japanese and Korean effects companies.

The main point was 'multiple vendors,' to compress the production schedule.

When the time came to roll the credits, he could list all those production companies' names.

But the shots actually completed by those effects companies amounted to less than one‑fifth of the film.

The truly spectacular, costly, time‑consuming shots were still done using Jiang Heng's 'Super Microcomputer,' which emphasized saving money and being efficient.

During this period Jiang Heng flew back and forth, abroad one moment, domestic the next.

One day he was still on the Xianggang set, overseeing the filming of 'A Man's True Colors,' and the next day he boarded a plane to the United States to busy himself with post‑production (taking a break).

Only in November did Jiang Heng finally consider himself free.

In his words, 'More or less done; I can rest a while, then watch Hong Jinbao's directed 'A Man's True Colors.'

As for Hong Jinbao's directing ability, there's no need to say—he shot his first directorial work as early as 1975.

Of course, his style naturally differs from Chen Musheng's, but if he films according to Jiang Heng's storyboard, the style will come infinitely close.

At least in Jiang Heng's view, aside from a few cast differences, the film feels very much like the original.

That's enough; he doesn't expect the film to be outstanding or profitable—just not to lose money.

In the original history, Wu Jing, thanks to his outstanding performance in *A Man's True Colors*, received a nomination for Best Supporting Actor at the Golden Horse Awards, though he ultimately did not win.

After finishing the rough cut, Jiang Heng suddenly said: "By the way, this film is basically directed by you, so the credit should go to you!"

Hong Jinbao hurriedly replied: "That wouldn't be right—the script and storyboard are all your ideas; I just sat behind the monitor, and anyone could have taken my place and shot something similar."

Jiang Heng said: "It's different—with so many people on set and countless big and small matters, plus all the unexpected issues that arise daily, you're the one who resolves them. The film is yours, so the credit should bear your name."

Hong Jinbao, hearing this, stopped being modest.

The reason he has ended up where he is today is that his earlier directorial effort flopped at the box office, frightening everyone away from hiring him to make films.

He thinks this film, *A Man's True Colors*, is quite good; he expects its reputation after release will not be poor, and its box office will not be too bad either—it should at least help him regain some face.

(End of chapter)