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The Afternoon Tea Party

Author : Noray, in Chinese

Date :  31 Dec 2000

Translation : Martial Arts Movies and TV Series - Wu Jing

Original Compilation : Jing Wu Men

Part II - Goals and Ideals

- Films vs TV Series

Next, we enquired whether Wu Jing prefers doing TV series or movies? His assertion was, "Movies, of course." We queried, "Why?" and his straight-forward comment was that the screen on drama serials is very small, and he is hampered by many constraints, which limits his freedom of expression. For instance, the

shooting of TV series puts accentuation on continuity and the director would call for re-takes for any occassional, minor deviations. 

But movies do not stress on these; it is fine as long as one acts naturally. Moreover, there is more preparation time for the fighting scenes in the movies, affording one ample time to research, practise, and thus resulting in quality shots being captured. Most importantly, the plot of a movie does not keep dragging. Sometimes, drama serials are very long-winded and full of balderdash. Not being one who beats about the bush, Wu Jing faces great difficulties in acclimatising himself to the drudging susceptibilty of TV series, yet he couldn't help it.

- The Script

Furthering the discussion regarding the differences between the requirements of TV series and movies, Wu Jing put forth his stand, "Movies concentrate on feelings, while drama serials are dialogue-driven." and at the same time, he stressed, "The dialogue must be refreshing, the plot should be paradoxical, with conflicts of

interests, and there must be clear delineation of the characters and their relations." To our admiration, Wu Jing succintly expostulated the essence of script-writing and how movies differ from TV series. 

We gasped incontrollably as Wu Jing unintentionally revealed that he was also making an attempt on script-writing. It was beyond our imagination that Wu Jing would get himself involved in writing scripts and that he was able to spare the time despite his hectic filming schedule. We have nothing but unqualified respect for Wu Jing - for his literacy and martial arts talent. Wu Jing said that the script was based on the consolidation of his experiences in filming and was but an experiment. He humbly said that he was not a professional script-writer, and that while he could outline the story and how the plot would develop, he always felt that the dialogue was not scintillating enough. Then, both Xiao-Huo, of script-writing class, and Wu Jing bemoaned, "It's so difficult to write the dialogues!" The cries of two people who are in the same boat? [Ed: I thought Wu Jing and Xiao-Huo are miles apart, physically. How could they be in the

same boat?]

- Putting the Best Foot Forward (Ed: What about the other foot? No so good? Sleeping? Dreaming?)

Wu Jing's maxim is putting in his best endeavour in whatever he does. This can be seen in that he always makes lots of preparation prior to filming, and even when he is sick, he still insists on doing his very best. Wu Jing is an extremely hardworking actor, always doing his homework first before any filming. This is especially true when he was given the task of being martial arts director [Ed: Supposedly Young Hero of the Marshes, with the main martial arts director being Yuan Bin], and also when he helped his friends as a guest director [Ed: Guest director? Anyone heard of guest director? A slip of the fingers?], where he was particularly demanding about the shooting, camera angles and placement of the cameras. Before shooting, not only had he choreographed the action, but had also decided on how the shooting was to be done and where the cameras were to be placed. Moreover, his ideas were affirmed by the director, who believed that the effects would be very movie-esque. In addition, the martial arts director also gave Wu Jing his support. 

However, there were times when the outcome was not as great as he had intended, inevitably causing Wu Jing to be dejected. On the other hand, Wu Jing, the stoic, is not one who gives up so easily and he expects very high standard from his movies or TV series. Wu Jing expatiated, "I am not afraid of hardships, of tiredness, but I fear not being able to produce a good show." He does not make a movie or drama serial just for the sake of making money. He puts his heart and soul into each show, and is constantly looking for good scripts and communicating with the directors. He is always exacting the very best for his shows, right down to the most minute details, inasmuch as digging deep into his own pockets. He does not want the quality of a show to be affected in order to scrimp on the production fee, since Wu Jing has to shoulder the responsibility, whether the show is successful or not.

- A Sigh of Ruefulness

On discussing about Wu Jing's encounters and the helplessness of being an actor since he entered the entertainment business, even the ever optimistic, cheerful Wu Jing was not spared a moment of despair. Actually, I was not able to recall all the minor details of the conversation, and neither did I remember when Wu Jing gave a deep sigh; However, that lamentation left a deep impression on me. That sigh signifies immense pressure from the masses, his defencelessness, and the aching of his heart. It affected us deeply, and we felt deeply that behind the sparkling smile of Wu Jing lies countless burdens and hardships.

We were in dearth of ideas to relieve him of his sorrow, so we could only console, "There are many times when the exigent environment gives rise to impediments and setbacks which cannot be averted by one single person, and this is not your fault. We know you have left no stones unturned, and please do not hold yourself accountable. We will continue to support you."  

However, before we could conclude, Wu Jing retorted (Can this be taken as the dog biting Lu Dong-Bin, misreading a person's goodwill? [Ed: Shouldn't that be an immortal's goodwill since Lu Dong-Bin was an immortal?] ), "You were merely trying to comfort me when you said you were not blaming me. But I cannot get over it. I would be very dispirited if I could not pass muster, could not achieve my goals." That's the indomitable Wu Jing's principle - never yielding to the environment. If he had the power, he would try to improve the conditions, and not come to terms with the unfavourable ones. However, sometimes, he felt that he did not have sufficient energy (which immensely broke our hearts). He always endeavours ways and means to amend, to improve, to salvage every drama serial or movie, to his exacting standards, wherever possible.

Wu Jing has firmly formulated his blueprint in the entertainment circle, and determined how his future shall be. Invariably, he has adopted a diligent, meticulous and demanding work attitude and sorted out how he would carve a niche for himself in Japan, Asia and eventually Hollywood. I believe with his commitment and hard work, his ideals and goals would be fulfilled very soon. [Ed: Me too! The Legend of Zu is a very important stepping stone for Wu Jing and eagerly, I await its success.]

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