by Katharine Schroeder
If you travel east from Kowloon Tong towards Sai Kung, the landscape begins to change noticeably. The road winds up steep tree-covered mountains and if you are paying attention you will feel the pressure in your ears as you gain elevation. After about 15 minutes you turn onto a narrow road. On your right is an ornate temple; on your left a canal. As you continue up the increasingly narrow and winding road, you pass palm trees, tropical plants, stray dogs, and the odd building. You cross your fingers and hope that there are no cars coming from the opposite direction because this is a one-lane road which allows traffic in both directions. Occasionally there is a place to pull over to allow cars to get by, but sometimes there isn’t and then someone has to back up and let the other get by. I was told that these kinds of roads are not unusual in some parts of Hong Kong and they were built when there wasn’t much development in rural areas. Now that the population is moving out into the New Territories, the lack of planning is evident. Still, it is very beautiful along these roads.
After arriving at a gated entranceway and checking in with the guard, my colleague Fibe and I entered the grounds of the Shing Fung movie studio. We drove up more winding roads until we came to a clearing – the parking area. Ahead we could see two large metal buildings. Studio One was on the left and that was where some of the scenes for Project BB were being filmed. From the parking area I could see Jackie and some of the crew standing around outside the building.
That meant he was between scenes and was probably talking and joking with the other cast members. As I approached I could see Matthew along with the production assistant and about 5 other people, all talking and laughing. Since the weather was warm, the best place to be was outside, although I admit that I was anxious to have a look inside the studio.
Matthew was looking happy but tired. Turns out that there had been a little trouble the day before since Matthew was feeling kind of cranky. Okay, he was feeling really cranky. But I’ll let Jackie tell you all about that in his Journal! After visiting with everyone for a few minutes, I looked over and noticed that Jackie was holding Matthew in a horizontal position and the baby’s eyes were doing that tell-tale sloooow blinking which means that sleep isn’t far off. Jackie rocked him and paced around and soon Matthew was fast asleep.
Now anyone who has ever rocked a baby to sleep while pacing back and forth knows that the minute you stop moving, the baby will wake up. This happened a few times, but within 5 minutes, Matthew was asleep enough to allow Jackie to sit down with him. While the baby slept, Jackie stroked his face and hands saying “Look! So pretty. So innocent!” I took some photos from a couple of different angles while Jackie sat admiring Matthew and we talked about some of the problems encountered working with babies.
As we spoke, we were interrupted by the arrival of a very adorable 3 year-old named Nikki. She is the big sister of Matthew’s new double and she is from Australia. Nikki was quite friendly, although she seemed confused by our questions about Australian wildlife. Jackie was asking her about kangaroos and wallabies but Nikki drew a blank.
So Jackie launched into song: “Tie me kangaroo down, sport. Tie me kangaroo down!” Nikki looked at him with concern and a little suspicion. You could see the thoughts going through her head. “Why does this man keep talking about kangaroos? What is this song?”
Time to try a new approach.
“Hey Nikki,” I said. “If I went to Australia and I looked around, what would I see?”
“Taxis,” she replied matter-of-factly. Jackie burst out laughing as I continued.
“And what color are the taxis in Australia?”
“Orange.”
“So they’re red in Hong Kong, yellow in New York, and orange in Australia! Neat. Have you ever been in a taxi?”
She responded by turning around and running full speed back to her mother. Hmm. She didn't like that question.
I left Jackie holding Matthew and headed over to the studio to have a look around inside. I’d never been in a studio before, so it was all very new to me. Imagine a very large building with high ceilings – like a warehouse. Now imagine that someone erects a building within that warehouse. Inside that inner building is where the filming was taking place. This was where Jackie’s character lived and it was set up like an apartment.
Huge lights outside the “windows” of the apartment simulated sunlight streaming in. Within this inner building there was a lot going on. People, equipment, wires, lights, monitors. It was very tight and crowded. I had a look at the apartment, took a few photos, and headed back outside.
After a while it was time for Jackie’s scene so we all headed back into the studio. After everyone quieted down, someone yelled “ACTION!” and the scene began. One of the most unique experiences of being on the movie set is being able to watch the scene taking place on a monitor while at the same time hearing it happen nearby as well. From where I was standing I could watch Jackie in a large mirror and if I just turned my head, I could see what was taking place on the monitor.
I watched for a while longer and listened to Benny call out direction to Jackie and watched the two of them discuss details of scenes. When we reviewed the scene on the monitor, it was almost like magic – everything looked so different on the screen! For example, the lighting in the studio which seemed so intense looked soft and glowing on the screen. The actors’ makeup looked so natural on the monitor, but in person they looked – well, made-up!
I left the crowded studio to have a look at the area around the buildings. I was told that this movie studio has been used to film all sorts of things over the years and I was delighted to find old props lying on the ground and remnants of other productions stored in back lots.
As I walked around, I came into an area that looked like something you’d see at Universal Studios in Florida. Tables and benches set up under a canopy of trees. A little footbridge on the right, a Christmas tree (yes, a Christmas tree!) on the left. Fibe told me that this area used to be rented out for parties and barbeques. It was really magical looking – like a Secret Garden. I expected to look over and see a group of Shaolin monks gathered around one of the little fire pits!
I left the garden and walked some more – the studio grounds are vast – and I was struck by the landscape around the studio lot. It is breathtaking and if you stand in just the right place, you can look out and see only mountains and trees. After being in the city for 6 months, it was gratifying to see nature again.
Back at Studio One, Jackie was outside talking with Papa Chan and smoking a pipe. Jackie smoking a pipe?! No – it is a special device to help someone quit smoking. It looks like a pipe and when you puff on it, it belches out clouds of fake smoke. It’s very realistic, but Papa obviously prefers the real thing. After a while, it was time for Jackie to go back into the studio. This was the way it would be for the rest of the afternoon. Inside, outside, working, waiting. At the end of the day as the light began fading I snapped one last photo before I said my goodbyes and jumped into the van for the ride back to the city.
Photos: ©2005 The JC Group