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[h=2]Shaw story has parallels with Singapore[/h]
January 11th, 2014 |
Author: Contributions
The Shaw Brothers’ story is not a pleasant one! Shaw Brothers began film-making in Shanghai in 1924 but it was a time of upheavals & opportunities due to WW2 and subsequent post-war recovery. It was only in the 1960s that watching films in the cinemas took off. Shaw Brothers were in an intense rivalry with Cathay Organisation. However, Loke Wan Tho, Head of Cathay Organisation died tragically in a plane crash in 1964 & Cathay since never recovered from his death.
Shaw Brothers began to dominate the film-making industry in HK. Their studio was production-based churning out numerous films – a very efficient system for the purpose of making money since the demand for watching films in cinemas was very great then.
Their stars were subordinated to the studio system & basically, Shaw Organisation exploited them. The actors did not earn much & even advertisements or product endorsements had to be shared with the studio. If you can understand this, you would know that the MediaCorp star system was copied from this Shaw formula.
The Shaw formula of making films was relatively simple; a simple script, filming at the studio instead of locations, reusing sets to minimize cost, using a familiar set of directors and actors/actresses & most of all, limited creativity & a short time frame for filming. Their films were invariably variations of a familiar theme; modern dramas; period swordfighting; kung-fu, etc. It was a factory style of making films much like what Singaporeans are used to seeing in Mediacorp serials. LOL!
It was 1970 when Raymond Chow defected from Shaw & set up his own film organisation, Golden Harvest. In 1971, he signed an unknown actor, Bruce Lee, to star in The Big Boss. Bruce Lee had rejected Shaw’s offer as derisory. It was Bruce Lee who became the 1st Asian Film Superstar & basically, Shaw’s studio controlled system became unworkable! Bruce Lee’s fighting style was authentic unlike Shaw’s Kung Fu fighting which was choreographed & frankly, looked fake & contrived. Many flocked to see Golden Harvest’s more independent & creative-focused productions. That was a major shift in HK film-making; star celebrity status vs the centralized studio system. The top directors & superstar actors gained money & creative control as the studio system faded! In 1985, Shaw Organisation stopped film production.
The Shaw story has a parallel with Singapore – that is, central control, suppression & exploitation will never work. People will realize their true worth & seek their own fortune. Bruce Lee paved the way for the likes of Jacky Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, etc.
Social Commentator
* Comment appeared in: Media mogul Run Run Shaw dies at 106
Shaw Brothers began to dominate the film-making industry in HK. Their studio was production-based churning out numerous films – a very efficient system for the purpose of making money since the demand for watching films in cinemas was very great then.
Their stars were subordinated to the studio system & basically, Shaw Organisation exploited them. The actors did not earn much & even advertisements or product endorsements had to be shared with the studio. If you can understand this, you would know that the MediaCorp star system was copied from this Shaw formula.
The Shaw formula of making films was relatively simple; a simple script, filming at the studio instead of locations, reusing sets to minimize cost, using a familiar set of directors and actors/actresses & most of all, limited creativity & a short time frame for filming. Their films were invariably variations of a familiar theme; modern dramas; period swordfighting; kung-fu, etc. It was a factory style of making films much like what Singaporeans are used to seeing in Mediacorp serials. LOL!
It was 1970 when Raymond Chow defected from Shaw & set up his own film organisation, Golden Harvest. In 1971, he signed an unknown actor, Bruce Lee, to star in The Big Boss. Bruce Lee had rejected Shaw’s offer as derisory. It was Bruce Lee who became the 1st Asian Film Superstar & basically, Shaw’s studio controlled system became unworkable! Bruce Lee’s fighting style was authentic unlike Shaw’s Kung Fu fighting which was choreographed & frankly, looked fake & contrived. Many flocked to see Golden Harvest’s more independent & creative-focused productions. That was a major shift in HK film-making; star celebrity status vs the centralized studio system. The top directors & superstar actors gained money & creative control as the studio system faded! In 1985, Shaw Organisation stopped film production.
The Shaw story has a parallel with Singapore – that is, central control, suppression & exploitation will never work. People will realize their true worth & seek their own fortune. Bruce Lee paved the way for the likes of Jacky Chan, Jet Li, Donnie Yen, etc.
Social Commentator
* Comment appeared in: Media mogul Run Run Shaw dies at 106
