As a multifaceted artist with a deep passion for storytelling, I find myself deeply moved by Takeshi Kaneshiro’s approach to filmmaking. His dedication to timeless narratives and his unique fusion of various creative elements – words, music, visuals, and sound effects – is truly inspiring.
Juno Mak, who is known for his skills as an artist, musician, and fashion designer, made a striking entrance into film directing with the 2013 supernatural horror movie “Rigor Mortis.” He later revealed plans for a second film that was intended to be even more ambitious. However, it appeared (at least from a public perspective) that this project may have encountered some delays.
More recently, Mak has emerged with the news that the previously missing movie is nearly finished and is expected to be released as early as 2025.
Additionally, it’s worth noting that its main cast is made up of four heavyweights in East Asian cinema – Takeshi Kaneshiro, Tony Leung Ka-fai, Sean Lau, and Louis Koo. Furthermore, Maks’ chilling reimagining of Hong Kong has come with a hefty price tag of $50 million, which makes it pricier than the recent action hit “Twilight of the Warriors: Walled In.
Just before the start of the Asian Contents and Film Market, where Distribution Workshop plans to restart the sales procedure, Mak shared with EbMaster details about his production method and the movie’s distinctive feel.
How did this film become stalled and then restart?
In 2017, I completed our main filming, and subsequently, we entered into a nearly two-year post-production phase. However, when COVID-19 arrived, it momentarily halted everything. It wasn’t until after the pandemic that production resumed. The delays were due to technical hurdles rather than any need to reconsider our storyline.
You’re calling it a futuristic police thriller?
This film can be described as a unique take on the crime genre, deviating from typical Hong Kong cinema stereotypes. Unlike other films, ‘Sons of the Neon Night’ stands alone, offering a fresh perspective and interpretation. The narrative encompasses themes such as greed, the pursuit of power, drug addiction (including prescription drugs), and complex familial relationships.
Here’s a possible way to rephrase the original sentence, aiming for natural and easy-to-read language:
The movie takes place in Hong Kong, serving as its setting, yet it’s not a true-to-life documentary. Instead, it presents a unique world created by me that experiences snowfall. This fictional universe is the backdrop for a narrative exploring the butterfly effect – a series of events set off by a character’s decision, causing disruption in the story’s setting and upsetting its equilibrium.
How did you manage to pull together such a sensational cast?
I found myself deeply grateful about this situation. Following the completion of “Rigor Mortis,” discussing a follow-up was quite straightforward. There was definitely interest from investors and distributors for such a project. However, I believed that the essence and content I aimed to convey were already present in the initial film, making a sequel or prequel unnecessary at that moment in time.
While on our journey from Venice to the Toronto Film Festival with “Rigor Mortis”, experiencing jet lag, I found myself drafting the initial sequences for “Sons of the Neon Night”. It took me a total of four years to complete the script.
Initially, I conceived numerous characters in my imagination, and subsequently, I journeyed to interact with the actors and actresses. It was “Rigor Mortis” that sparked their interest, but I needed to clarify that it deviated from their past perceptions of me. This project is distinct because it lacks any ghostly or supernatural aspects. The roles I sought them to embody were unlike anything they had tackled before, despite their extensive experience.
At that point, had we already finalized the script for them, or were you still presenting an idea or concept?
It was a completed script.
What relationship does this movie hold with your art, your position as a singer and musician? More specifically, how does it tie in with the significant transformations in the real-world Hong Kong scene since 2017?
In this story, which takes place in a fictional Hong Kong, the time period isn’t crucial. Whether it’s a 2018 production or a 2028 one, or even a film set in the 1920s, is flexible. When crafting a script for any movie or album I create, I strive to achieve timelessness. This means that it shouldn’t be limited or distracted by the specific time period we’re currently experiencing.
In the early stages of my career as both a singer and a music producer, I found myself particularly attuned to sounds. When it came time for me to direct ‘Rigor Mortis,’ I was interviewing a seasoned cast who inquired if I had any visual references, usually something I’d filmed previously. I openly admitted that I hadn’t filmed anything before, not even on my phone. However, what I did have at my disposal was a full soundtrack. I offered them various audio prompts, music that I had composed myself or collaborated with other composers to create.
Every filmmaker has their unique approach when creating movies. This diversity is what makes cinema so fascinating; it’s a blend of script, melody, imagery, and audio effects that harmoniously unite in the end.
What part of the filmmaking process do you find the most interesting and the most challenging?
Every creative endeavor, be it a movie, an album, a play, or a book, follows a specific lifecycle. To me, this process is truly captivating.
The production of our movie was quite extensive, lasting a total of 142 days, which is relatively uncommon in Hong Kong cinema. With such a large cast ranging from 20 to 30 characters, it felt like we were shooting multiple films simultaneously. I truly enjoyed the experience of taking on various roles and serving as the main point of contact for all communication, even with investors and sales agents. This unique journey was particularly enchanting for a director embarking on their second film.
What were you trying to achieve with the stylization?
Prior to beginning our work, I compiled a comprehensive bible outlining details about each character’s attire, the setting for each scene, and capturing the unique atmosphere of the film. It was only after this preparatory step that we moved on to the production phase, including location scouting. We also constructed numerous sets for specific purposes.
In my perspective as a cinephile, the movie unfolds gradually, eschewing the dynamic, almost sentient role that the camera often assumes in large-scale Hong Kong productions. Instead, this film’s camera serves as a silent observer, capturing the intricate interactions between its characters, maintaining a more artistic detachment.
There’s also an unusual chilliness about this film compared to most from Hong Kong, given its tropical location. I’ve intentionally constructed a setting where it’s freezing, which impacts the decisions made by the characters. I consider it a fresh perspective on the Hong Kong cinema scene.
If this film took you nearly ten years, would you ever make another movie?
I’ve been developing various narratives over the years, with each project intended for different mediums – some as music albums, others as stage performances, and still others destined for films or even TV miniseries. To put it another way, I find joy in creating, not just producing a specific item.
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2024-10-05 01:17