movie " Negotiator " is still in theaters, and director Qiu Litao is here with his new work " Customs Front ". This film, which is currently being released, focuses on the customs police and tells the thrilling story of their efforts to crack down on a major smuggling case. The film not only stars Jacky Cheung, who has not filmed in eight years, but also stars Nicholas Tse as the action director for the first time. The giant ship crashes into Victoria Harbor and the submarine fights hand-to-hand underwater. The action scenes in "Customs Front" continue Qiu Litao's usual vigorous and shocking style, but he also wanted to use the film to express the stressful psychological state of modern people.
Shows the workplace ecology of the customs police
As one of the most popular types of Hong Kong films, Hong Kong-style police and criminal films almost cover the work and life of the police. However, for the portrayal and presentation of the special police force of the customs police, "Customs Front" has opened up A first of its kind. This has also become director Qiu Litao's biggest interest and motivation when creating. To this end, he interviewed real customs police in advance and took their boats to patrol the sea. During the filming, there were also customs officers on the set as consultants to supervise the production and answer any questions at any time. A large number of cargo transportation and handover scenes appear in
"Customs Front". Qiu Litao proudly said: "The customs ships you see in the film are all real and were lent to us for filming."
In Qiu Litao's impression, although the customs police are also armed, they often cooperate with other police officers to carry out tasks and accept Interviews are often with other police types, and customs police officers give people the impression that they are more low-key and do not like to "take credit." Qiu Litao combines this introverted professional characteristic with office politics to depict a realistic picture of all life in the workplace with a hint of cruelty. The film vividly portrays the customs police from the grassroots to the top, especially the middle-lower police officer Zhang Yunnan played by Jacky Cheung, who can be called the representative of the "sandwich biscuit" in the workplace. In the film, on the one hand, Zhang Yunnan is suppressed by his boss in various ways, played by Ng Chun-yu . On the other hand, he has an underground love affair with Shao Yaying, the leader of another department played by Karen Lam. He also has to take care of and guide the young policemen under him at work, so " It’s a lot of pressure.” Unfortunately, he suffered from bipolar disorder.
"The police workplace situation happens in reality. The movie needs content and characters, so I will find some problems from reality and put them in. If the audience can see this, we will be very happy. There are many bosses in life, they This is the attitude towards subordinates (unreasonable)." Qiu Litao said with a smile that the audience should understand the cold workplace in the film and don't say it out loud, "I'm afraid that people will scold me."
Nicholas Tse is not afraid of losing his appearance when filming action scenes
The starring cast of "Customs Front" surprised the audience: Jacky Cheung returned to the big screen after 8 years, and Nicholas Tse unlocked a new identity as "action director".
"I have made several movies with Jacky Cheung before, and I think I left a better impression on him. At least he will accept Qiu Litao as a person." Qiu Litao said frankly, of course, the most important thing is that Jacky Cheung is interested in this story, Especially the display of bipolar disorder in the film, "He also joked that he has had some such symptoms, and he cares about this group." Qiu Litao said that most of his cooperation with Jacky Cheung happened before the filming of the film started, and everyone would focus on it. The characters talk a lot so that when they get to the set, the performance can flow smoothly.
As for Nicholas Tse serving as action director, Qiu Litao said that this was Nicholas Tse's own suggestion, and he was surprised at the time. "But now that I think about it, Ting Fung is indeed very interested in action scenes. In 1999, I worked as a cinematographer for Tsui Hark's "Downstream", in which Ting Fung starred. Every time we filmed an action scene, his eyes were always watching Can't take my eyes off it."
Qiu Litao commented that Nicholas Tse showed good organizational skills when coaching movements and was able to lead the team to plan and execute related work. "They start practicing and rehearsing before the camera starts, just like going to work, from 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., and they will also shoot videos for me to watch. Sometimes I will visit the class, but I won't be there from morning to night. Because I also have other preparations, Nicholas Tse is in charge at this time.”
For the action scenes in the film, Nicholas Tse strives to have no post-production and no need for substitutes.Qiu Litao remembers that some action scenes can be explained with two shots, which is less difficult, but Nicholas Tse will propose one shot to complete the entire action. He would also design actions based on plot scenes and character personalities. For example, in the scene where the master and apprentice sticks meet in the film, Nicholas Tse learned that Jacky Cheung often played tennis, so he designed a cutting action for him that was similar to playing tennis. "There was a scene where Nicholas Tse fell off a bridge and his face hit something hard. I used to film, and if many actors had a bump on their face, they would immediately 'bring a mirror over', because faces are very important to actors, but Nicholas Tse didn't care about the appearance at all. , just swipe it with your hand and it's 'Come Again'."
Not sure if "Gao Yi" is popular
At the end of "Customs Front", the scene where the giant smuggling ship lost control and crashed into the Hong Kong pier is very spectacular and impressive. "Destroying" landmark buildings in the film has almost become a standard feature of Qiu Litao's recent action blockbusters. In this regard, he said that if the most shocking and spectacular action scene is placed in a place where everyone knows it, the audience will feel very different. "It is similar to the Hollywood movie destroying the Golden Gate Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. The audience Knowing where the story takes place will be more shocking." He revealed that the scene of the giant ship crashing into the pier was completed by real shooting and post-production special effects. The scenes before the collision were all real shots, and the state of the impact and after the impact was simulated through technology. Then perfect it little by little.
2023 " Anti-Drug 3: People at the End of the World " " Assassination Storm " " Jedi Pursuit " " Moscow Operation ", 2024 "Negotiation Expert" "Customs Front"... It is said that Qiu Litao is the most famous actor in recent years. The most prolific director, almost no one would deny that. However, he seems not sure about the praise and blame of the title "Prolific King". "I haven't thought about this before, because in Hong Kong, it's very common to produce three films a year, but that doesn't seem to be the case in the mainland. I feel that mainland audiences don't like the density of directors being too high." High production will also come with some sacrifices and costs , such as spending less time with family and gathering with friends than others. Qiu Litao revealed that he usually sleeps three to four hours a day, but he will ensure that he sleeps seven to eight hours two days a week.
The secret to why Qiu Litao's filming efficiency is so high is to prepare everything in advance and compress the time on set to the maximum extent. "If I see that the martial artist is still practicing tricks on set, or everyone is still discussing the shooting plan, I will not shoot and will shoot again tomorrow. I don't want to 'see' everything on the spot, unless it is really something that I have never seen before. If something unexpected happens, there is nothing we can do about it. "His working method is to make sufficient preparations before starting the filming, and to shoot every shot according to the plan when he arrives on the set, and try not to discuss it on the set. "Customs Front" was filmed in 2022, with less than 60 days of actual shooting.
"Customs Front" is still in theaters, and Qiu Litao has already devoted himself to a new job. He revealed that he currently has three films in post-production, and another new film in preparation. In recent years, Qiu Litao's works have been mainly action films, but he admitted that he does not want to only make action films. "If there is an opportunity to make a so-called author's film, I will cherish it and want to seize the opportunity."
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