PlanetKarl

Seems that Muse has done very well in it’s first year. Now it seems that Muse, earning back all it’s investment within the first year of operation has bought up the old Wynn Win place and is planning to open a new location there. They will probably keep the old location. Though Muse is not one of my favorite places, in fact I rarely go there, it is nice to see a place that actually opens up and makes it happen. With the slew of cars and clubs opening then closing within three months, Shanghai is a very harsh landscape. The decor of both places, both have that whole “overly white” motif going, so I can see how the Muse guys would like Wynn Win. Perhaps they are not brave enough to use more than one color? Either way, I am sure Muse will have plenty of challenge filling the cavernous whitespace that is the old Wynn Win.

Good luck guys, and see you at the opening!

Perhaps you have noticed Jeremy Miller’s 《杰里米 米勒》 fame in China such as here, here or here. Jeremy played “Ben”《本》 on the Growing Pains 《成长的烦恼》 sitcom. In the late 1980’s Growing Pains and Garrison’s Gorillas were the only two foreign TV shows allowed into China. As such, you can expect they left a big impression on the TV watching audience. Garrison’s Gorillas was from 1967 featuring a group of convicts recruited into the U.S. Army that function as commandos. If that doesn’t make you watch it, well… I guess I’m not going to watch it.

Jeremy Miller is circulating around the Chinese publications these days, as we finished filming Milk and Fashion 《牛奶时尚》. The film is unique that it is produced by a US production company, based in Shanghai, with a majority foreign cast, all speaking Chinese, with the film intended for Chinese audiences. Jeremy Miller’s Chinese is, of course, an exception, though he does have a few short lines in Chinese.

The other Hollywood starlet that was brought in for this film was Vanessa Branch (Chinese link here). Her Chinese as well as French speaking skills are outstanding, not to mention her acting skills. Unlike Jeremy she is virtually unknown in the Chinese market, but in Hollywood her most recent notable appearances are in Pirates of the Caribbean 1 and 2.

Kyle Rothstein has some exposure in China, as an actor as well as a fluent Chinese speaker. Impressive, considering he is only 16 years old.

As for me, my best Chinese is spoken after downing a few beers. Though, everyone in the film performed wonderfully and I look forward to seeing the finished result.
The film is now in post production, but expected release date is around July 2007, so look for all of us in theaters then. Until then, enjoy the pictures below:

Shots on the set:

Alas, since it was a show about fashion, there were plenty of models about. Here are a few shots for you to peruse.
Models:

One aspect that is always interesting about making movies is the stunt work… Here are some interesting shots of some wire work we did on set at Milk and Fashion 《牛奶时尚》. This was one scene in which one of the main characters had to do some amazing basketball dunks and jumps.

On another note, if you are a stuntman in Shanghai, there is a group of stuntmen working with the Megafit in Hong Kong New World Plaza to set up the official first training facility for stuntmen in Shanghai, and perhaps in China. For more info you should contact Drago Lazetich.

I have always enjoyed acting. From a small stage play to a big movie, it is always fun to take on a role, a new identity. The thing is, though, that is acting is fun, but most of the time spent is usually not doing that. In my experience, and (I seem to say this often) especially in China, that schedules are often floating and you spend many hours waiting for the next shot.

In the last movie I was filming, we had days as long as 16 hours, with only 2-3 hours of actual shooting. Unfortunately that is typical for the industry in China. Though, there is always something fun you can occupy yourself with. Some people have games, some books, or even sleep. Once you have memorized your script many times over, there is still a lot of time you have to practice your basket weaving.

Though the danger of immersing yourself in a book or some other activity is that when you are called up for your scene, you have to quickly get back into character and remember the lines and the scene. Next time, how about some more accurate schedules guys?

Anyhow, we did have an outstanding team of actors (Jeremy Miller, Vanessa Branch, Faith, and Li-Tong), as well as a great Director (Roy Chin 金国钊) and Director of Photography (Jeffrey Chu).

For those of you who actually read this, I just want to tell you that this blog has officially been opened for 1 year. The first post was on December 30, 2005, but let’s just round it off to January 1, 2006 for good measure.

This blog has taken off in a direction I never intended when I first started it, but perhaps it is more interesting this way. At times I have not had time to update regularly, but I hope what I do post you find compelling.

Well, I hope to see more of you this year as I plan to have some even more crazy entertainment industry adventures!