1. Outstanding veteran of the film industry
For decades, you can often see a small but energetic old man in film festivals, film awards and all film-related occasions in Southeast Asia. He is Shao Yifu, an outstanding film producer. Whether it is the Southeast Asia Film Festival, the Asian Film Festival, the Asia-Pacific Film Festival and the Golden Horse Awards Conference, people can see the big boss of the "film kingdom" almost every time. In his early years, he personally attended as the head of the delegation. Over the years, because of his age, he no longer served as the head of the delegation, but he still attended as a VIP in Hong Kong. The organizers of the conference were all happy to see this film veteran attending the meeting. Run Run Run Shaw has been engaged in the film industry for decades, making more than 1, films. Among the senior filmmakers on both sides of the Taiwan Strait, he is one of the only surviving producers. It can be said that in the film history of China, Shao Yifu and his family are pioneering heroes. From silent film to sound, from black and white to color, every step of the evolution of China films has been dedicated by Shao Yifu and his family. Since he was engaged in the film industry in the 192s, Shao Yifu has experienced the evolution of films in different times and witnessed the growth of China films, so he can be called a witness of film history.
Second, Shaw Brothers and Tianyi Company
Shaw's ancestors were wealthy businessmen in Ningbo, Zhejiang Province, and began to develop in Shanghai from their parents. In the early 192s, Shao Yifu's father ran a bleaching and dyeing industry in Shanghai, and he had four boys and two girls, all of whom had grown up. The ranking of these four brothers is Ren Jie, Ren Di, Ren Mei and Ren Leng. None of the four brothers inherited their father's business, but they all threw themselves into the entertainment circle, and abandoned their real names and changed them to other names, namely, Drunken Man, Tun Tang Man, Shanke and Yifu. Shao Zuiweng, the eldest of the four brothers, set up "Tianyi Film Company" in Shanghai in the 192s and began to make great achievements. Before 1921, China films were all documentary short films. There were many production laboratories, but no one dared to make feature films (one and a half hours). It was not until 1922 that feature films appeared in the film industry. The companies that started filming feature films were Star Company and Lianhua Company, and Tianyi was the third company. In the early 192s, these three companies became the "Big Three" in Shanghai. At the beginning of "Tianyi", the all-in-one family class, the eldest Shao Zuiweng, was a producer and director, the second Shao was good at scriptwriting, the third Runme Shaw was good at publishing, and the fourth Shao Yifu was good at photography. In the early days of Tianyi's business, they all worked together to complete all the work. In order to save money, many films were starring Chen Yumei, the eldest sister-in-law. Such a family class does not have to turn to outsiders to make movies, and the cost is low. Easy to support.
After the first film "Becoming a Buddha at a Site" produced by Tianyi Film Company was shown, the box office rate was extremely high. The cost of 2, yuan was not only recovered quickly, but also rolled up like a snowball, which made the Shaw brothers ecstatic, more ambitious and determined in the film industry. At this time, a large number of new films were launched from Tianyi Film Company one after another. Tianyi's business has prospered, but it still can't compete with the big companies such as Star and Lianhua at that time, facing the business competition and survival needs. Runme Shaw, the business manager of Tianyi Company, foresees and sees that there are many Chinese in Nanyang, which is a promising domestic film market. He is determined to develop Shaw's career in Nanyang.
Third, develop to Nanyang
In p>1925, Runme Shaw came to Singapore alone with three films made by Tianyi Company. He looked around the Malay Peninsula and found that there were no cinemas on the peninsula. To his surprise, he immediately started renting theaters and started his film career in Singapore.
Because Runme Shaw had a business mind and was good at management, he quickly opened up a new situation in Singapore, and gained a lot in that year, so Runme Shaw immediately informed his sixth brother Shao Yifu, who was far away from Shanghai at that time, to come to Singapore to make great achievements together.
In p>1926, Shaw left Shanghai at the age of 19 and went south to Singapore. Since then, the Shaw brothers have worked together to bring movies, laying a solid foundation for the establishment of Shaw's world-famous film kingdom in the future. During that time, Runme Shaw and Run Run Run Shaw took an old silent film projector and dozens of films exported by Tianyi to open up markets in unaccompanied foreign countries. They traveled all over the hinterland of Xingma, touring to show films, and prepared for bitter toil. With the efforts of Run Run Run Run Shaw and Runme Shaw, Tianyi gained a firm foothold in Nanyang, not only won the right to show theaters, but also bought land to build theaters several years later, established a complete film distribution network, and became a film giant in Nanyang and Hong Kong. Run Run Run Shaw has his own unique consideration in purchasing land to build a theater. He not only bought land to build theaters, but also often bought adjacent land, which was sold at a good price or for future development. Shao Yifu believes that theaters are always places where people gather, and the nearby land will also increase in price.
In p>193, there were sound films in America and Europe. Shao Yifu saw that silent films had no future, and sound films were the future development trend. He was determined to make sound films. Shao Yifu followed the birthplace of audio films to the United States, and it took a month of arduous voyage to arrive. He bought a lot of equipment in the United States and returned to Singapore after a dark month. When he returned to Singapore, he immediately set out to find a collaborator to make a sound film.
In p>1932, the Shaw Brothers produced the first sound film "Bai Jinlong" in Hong Kong, which opened a new era for China films from silence to sound. By 1937, after more than ten years' efforts, the two brothers had owned more than 11 cinemas and 9 amusement parks in South Asia, such as Singapore, Malaysia, Java, Vietnam and Borneo. The amusement parks were equipped with stages and theaters, which could entertain tens of thousands of people every night, and almost dominated the film market in Southeast Asia. At that time, "Tianyi" was in Shanghai, and the Shaw brothers were in Singapore, forming a corner and helping each other in the same boat, which caused the first peak of the development of the Shaw family film industry.
iv. Shaw Studios
In p>1959, Shaw handed over his Singaporean business to Runme Shaw and came to Hong Kong to start his own film business. While renting a studio in Diamond Hill, he approached the Hong Kong government to buy land. More than 3 years' film career has made Shao Yifu realize that it is difficult to improve the level of films without a complete shooting site-a shooting factory. The filmmaker has no studio, which means that workers have no factory, so renting a studio to shoot films is not a long-term solution. If you want to develop, you must set up your own film studio.
Hong Kong government officials told him that the supply of land is in short supply. If you must buy land, you can sell it to him. It is a mountain. Shaw had no choice but to buy the mountain resolutely. This is actually a barren mountain. In Shao Yifu's words, if he had shot around on this mountain at that time, he would not have hit anyone. After he bought it, he flattened the mountain by 6 feet, flattened it, and then set up a studio on it. The project cost nearly HK$ 5, in land price and earthwork alone. Since then, the films shot from here have continuously flowed to Shaw Film Distribution Network, with more than 4 films per year, far exceeding the film output of other film companies in Hong Kong. In its heyday, Shaw Studios had more than 1,3 employees and was praised as "Hollywood of the East" by foreign media.
Since Shao Yifu went to Hong Kong to take charge of the system, he has inspired many first-class directors, first-class stars and made many first-class blockbuster movies. The older generation of filmmakers in Hong Kong are always grateful to Boss Shao for his cultivation. A Hong Kong film and television person once said with emotion: "Without a big producer, where can there be a big director and a big star?" Run Run Run Shaw's success also lies in his clear view that the cinema is the bastion of film production from the very beginning. Only by combining production and marketing with film production and distribution can there be a way out. Since the 196s, Run Run Run Shaw and his third brother, Runme Shaw, have launched a huge expansion plan, implementing the method of "one hospital every month", choosing appropriate locations everywhere and opening cinemas. In Hong Kong and Southeast Asia, Shaw cinemas are dotted around, forming a huge distribution network. In the 197s, Shaw Cinema began to go out of Southeast Asia and enter the world film market. It successively built its own theaters in the United States, Canada and several European countries, or organized distribution channels, which made China films emerge in the world film industry. In the 198s, Shaw Company has more than 3 self-run or agency cinema distribution networks, and more than 4 domestic films shot every year can be sent to all parts of the world in time. This has not only entertained audiences from all over the world, but also contributed greatly to the spread of Chinese culture.
The 196s was the golden age of Hong Kong films, and Shaw Company once met with the challenge from "Dianmao". At that time, Loke Wan Tho, the giant of Xingma, sent people to Hongkong to set up "Dianmao Company" to develop film production, so as to supply the film sources of Cathay Pacific in more than 2 theaters in Xingma. The films of Dianmao were well made and developed rapidly, which competed with Shaw. Run Run Run Run Run, who has a strong enterprising spirit, is tit for tat, and does not give an inch of land. He personally takes the town to develop production, expand recruitment and recruit all kinds of film talents. During that time, directors and stars who served Shaw and Dianmao were very popular. In order to compete, the two companies scrambled for talents, and Shaw did not want Dianmao, and they all paid high prices. Therefore, during that time, Hong Kong newspapers often saw so-and-so stars and directors jumping ship, and even many film twins cases occurred. This kind of dispute was not until the big boss Loke Wan Tho took a ride in Taichung.
Run Run Run Shaw is a businessman, and he stresses making money in business. Therefore, Shaw's products are very commercial. Film critics often accuse Shao's films on business trips of being "kitsch" and lacking artistic value; Shaw has made many films, but few have been handed down from generation to generation. But in business, Shaw is successful. Shao Yifu believes that he doesn't want art, but wants popular art and the taste of the people. Not everyone can understand the lofty and widowed spring snow; It is the Xialiba people who are easy to appreciate that is the road he chose. In order to obtain commercial benefits, Shao Yifu strictly controls the film. If there is a bad film, he would rather burn it if it can't be remedied. He said, "In the early days, I burned films every day, and there was no good play. I would rather burn and burn many." Asked why, he said, "The audience must be very unhappy after watching bad movies. If they watch too much, they will lose confidence in you, so it is better to burn bad movies." To this end, Shao Yifu always grasps the cultural trends, analyzes the preferences of the audience, and decides his own choice. Perhaps this is his success.
V. Film and Television
While Shaw's film industry was experiencing its heyday, the film was threatened and challenged by TV. In some countries, such as Japan and the United States, film has become a "sunset enterprise", gradually declining and losing its brilliant glory in its heyday. The film market is shrinking and the competition is becoming increasingly fierce. Shao Yifu, who has been engaged in the entertainment industry all his life, is sensitive to the need to diversify his business and March into the sister art of movies-television.
As early as the mid-196s, when the Hong Kong government bid for the right to operate wireless TV broadcasting through public bidding, Run Run Run Run Shaw cooperated with several like-minded investors and broke into the field of TV broadcasting, becoming the director of "Hong Kong Television Broadcasting Co., Ltd." (TVB). In the late 197s, the film industry began to decline. The shrewd Shao Yifu contracted his production business, closed some cinemas and invested more goldfish and time in wireless TV. At that time, some people criticized him for his wrong choice. However, Shao Yifu laughed and scolded others and went his own way. In 198, Run Run Run Shaw became the chairman of the board of directors of Wireless. He recruited the stars of Shaw Studios and the elite of Hong Kong performing arts, which led to the release of high-level and high-quality TV series produced by Wireless, and the ratings rose sharply, overwhelming its competitor ATV in Hong Kong and dominating Hong Kong Island. Today, "wireless" brings him huge profits every year, and people have to admire his vision. In the late 198s, the dominance of "wireless" in the television field on Hong Kong Island began to be challenged. "ATV" launched a series of new offensives against "wireless" by strengthening capital investment, recruiting famous artists heavily or trying to control the corner of "wireless" and making innovations in the arrangement of programs. Shao Yifu is not to be outdone. By accelerating the training and looking for new people, he makes the audience feel refreshed with new programs for new people, so that the ratings of "Wireless" continue to be far ahead of "ATV". As a veteran of Hong Kong's film and television industry, Shao Yifu showed magnanimity when his competitors encountered difficulties. Once, while TVB and ATV were fighting for the right to broadcast the Olympic Games, the ATV building caught fire, which affected the production of TV films. At this time, Shao Yifu did not gloat, but immediately asked his subordinates to call ATV and TVB at any time.
VI. Personality and Career
Someone once described Shao Yifu as: "Although he smiles at people all day, he is a guy who always keeps his money."
This statement is only half right. He is financially careful and always keeps his money. Shao Yifu is really famous. More than 1 years ago, Bruce Lee was depressed and wanted to go back to Hong Kong for development. He asked Run Run Shaw to make a film for 6 days, but Shaw offered to make a film for 3, to 9, Hong Kong dollars, with no time limit. As a result, Bruce Lee was unhappy and left, but Jiale Film Company benefited greatly. Once again, after a temporary assistant director finished filming, the production department offered him 1, yuan as an assistant director's fee, but Shao Yifu was very unhappy when he signed the check, and asked the accounting department to negotiate with him and let him automatically "discount" the payment. In a rage, the deputy director tore up the documents and simply didn't want any money. He said angrily, "Boss Shao can't get rich much if he has more than 1, yuan, and I can't be poor without 1, yuan." However, it is wrong to say that Shao Yifu is a man who haggles over every ounce. Every time he donated money, it was a "big hand", and September 8 was even the "Run Run Shaw Day" in San Francisco, USA, in recognition of his contribution to the welfare of the city.
Since 1973, Run Run Run Shaw has set up the Shaw Fund with his personal property, which gives money to major charities every year. In recent years, it has even spread to Chinese mainland. According to conservative estimates, Run Run Run Run Shaw's donation has exceeded HK$ 1.5 billion so far. For Shao Yifu, who has always given people the impression of being stingy, this is a powerful disproof.
although Shao yifu is the big boss of Hong Kong's "film kingdom", he treats people very peacefully, without the airs of a big boss. On many different occasions, he talked with people in a Zhejiang dialect, which made people feel quite cordial. Judging from his personality, he gives the impression of being smooth and alert. One day, Shao Yifu was talking business with friends in his office. Suddenly, a small employee hurried into the office and said in a panic, "Boss, it's not good! The back hill is on fire. " Shaw looked at him, smiled and waved and said, "I see! You go! " The little employee was puzzled and left disgruntled. That friend is also at a loss. He wonders why Shao Yifu is not nervous at all. The back hill is where the studio is! Run Run Run Shaw explained: "This employee is invited for credit. There is a fire in the back hill, and he is not needed to announce it at all. If the situation is serious, the manager-level people are afraid that they have already announced it, but now they have not seen it. The situation is definitely not serious. Come on! Let's talk about business! "
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