A Study On Hong Kong’s Filmmaking New Culture

By the 1980s, Hong Kong cinema was renowned around the universe for its martial arts films or wuxia. Because most Asian families couldn't afford a television at the time, the film industry had a large local following.

Hong Kong was an international cinema hotspot in the mid-twentieth century. The city has given birth to some of the world's most influential films and filmmakers. However, by the late 1960s, filmmaking had slowed.

The Hong Kong New wave of the 1978s sought to show the world its unique way of making films, capitalizing on its fame to spread the Hong Kong style in other art of the movie.

What Characterizes the Hong Kong New Wave?

The Hong Kong New wave is a Chinese-language film movement in which filmmakers strive for authenticity. These films dealt with drama, romance, and other topics that were out of character for the typically action-packed Hong Kong film industry.

By the late 1970s, aspiring filmmakers had graduated from high school and played significant roles in the movement.

All of them were young and open to new ideas, and they saw filmmaking as an art form rather than a means of making money. They were willing to take risks and experiment with a blend of European filmmaking styles learned at foreign film schools and local poise.

New-wave directors aimed to upend the rules by fusing ideas from the East and the West. While mainland China had developed a thriving film industry that was generally regarded as second only to Hollywood at the time, these directors felt that the industry had become formulaic. Every movie seemed to lean towards the wuxia genre.

The Hong Kong New wave began by challenging local cinema's standards and metrics, exploring new possibilities outside of what had become common.

Some say the HK New wave died out in the early 2000s, but others believe we're still in it. Overall, the movement is supposed to have had two waves, the first of which dominated between 1970 and 1980 and the second of which carried the flag afterward.

There is talk of a third wave, but all indications point to nothing cooking in the kitchen. However, many HK New wave directors are still working today, creating films that have won prestigious awards.

The Hong Kong New Wave's Elements

The music industry is frequently approached- for actor sharing.

Hong Kong film directors- were notorious for casting the same actors in multiple films and roles. Maggie Cheung and Leslie Cheung, for instance:- were popular choices among the cast for director Wong Kar-Wai.

Chungking Express, directed by Wong Kar-Wai:

Leslie Cheung and Chow Yun Fat, on the different side, were John Woo's go-to actors for the vast bulk of his productions.

This sharing of actors arose from the closeness of filmmakers, who thrived in a close-knit community where they helped each other. Because there weren't many new-wave directors in the early chapters of the revolution, everyone in the local scene knew everyone else.

As a result, cast recommendations would feature the same names, with the faith that only this group of talent could bring what these New wave directors were looking for to the big screen.

Most of these actors were well-known Cantopop (Cantonese pop music) stars who drew large audiences to the films in which they appeared. These directors would also work together to create movies and pool resources across multiple projects.

As a result, a film and its parody might be put out simultaneously with the same familiar faces. It was a first not only for Hong Kong but also for the rest of the world.

A focus on Hong Kong culture and its difficulties

The new wave films were far from uniform. While young directors would collaborate on productions, ideas would differ tremendously from one film to the next. The films varied greatly in style and genre and were only able to unite by a willingness to push the boundaries of normalcy at the time. However, there was a greater emphasis on the cultural scene and the British rule that enslaved it.

Several more New wave films deviated from mainland Chinese cinema, rejecting contemporary thematic yardsticks in favor of highly localized depictions of Chinese traditions. Until then, most old movies focused on the image of a happy and modern Hong Kong, ignoring the challenges of colonial society.

These new films deviated from the norm, opting for a less-traveled path that they assumed captured the true essence of the city and the colonial troubles of the time.

Beginning of modern society, New Wave films appreciated an often-overlooked aspect of the culture as well. Local superstitions would heavily influence plot designs, with the storyline also including other nods to the heritage, such as festivals, altar rituals, and much more.

Filmmaking in an improvised style with synchronized sound

Some Hong Kong New Wave directors would frequently shoot in random locations if they felt specific places or on-set props would fit with their film's ideas. Permits were not as essential at a single time as they are now, which favored this impromptu approach to location scouting. 

However, the improvement went beyond that, with storylines frequently written haphazardly. Plots jumped back and forth within complex story structures (often voiced by multiple characters), deviating from a linear progression of events.

In Hong Kong cinema, New wave films were among the first to use synchronous sound. It refers to sound sources that both the characters and the audience can hear. A device in the fictional world explains the origin of sound or music. Furthermore, editing techniques were radical, and a newfound love for slow-motion effects emerged.