PlanetKarl

变成中国人

Planetkarl — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 06:55:41 +0000

对所有中国人民！现在我希望大家明白我写什么。不好意思我中文很差的，可是我努力努力呀！

如果我中文写错了，请告诉我！我马上改正啦。

而且，你不明白我前英文写什么，你也可以告诉我，我努力帮你翻译以下。

可能你不认识我。那么我介绍一下: 我中文名字叫凯洱。我在波兰出生，但是以后住过在很多的国家。我现在觉得我没有国家呀。我的一个语是波兰话，可是现在我最流利的语是英文。我也学习法语在加拿大和学习日语在日本。但是我觉得中文不太难学。好像学习两语的，一个口语的，一个著述的。
现在我住在上海作演员。我拍了几个电视剧，还几个电影。现在在电影院有一个电影叫《牛奶风尚》。我是这个电影的坏人(敌手)。你回忆起《成长的烦恼》的本？我跟他一起扮演。他是我的“老板”。你看过告诉我怎么样好吧？

欢迎再来我的星球！

王府井历险记 (Wang Fujing’s Adventures)

Planetkarl — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 18:14:20 +0000

The first episode in a new series, watch as the comical Wang Fujing wanders from place to place meeting many interesting people along the way.

首发一个新的系列，看滑稽的王府井流浪地点见面许多有趣的人在道路上。

Here is an alternate link in case YouTube doesn’t work:
下面是一个候补链接如果YouTube的情况下不正常工作：
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/y66gil7jdF0/

Shanghai Actors recrudesces!

Planetkarl — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 13:09:30 +0000

The Shanghai Actors Association’s recrudescence is amazing. A little over a year ago a lack of support in the community led to the SAA to a period of declension. Though it seems now that the community has been refreshed and is ready to start anew! With all sorts of interest groups and projects popping up left and right, the activity is aflutter!

The site lost it’s old URL (saa.org.cn) but it is always available at the default one and now the current one at: http://saa.planetkarl.com

If you are an actor or other talent, you can put your profile up for people to see. If you know of an agent (good or bad) be sure to check the Agents List. There you can comment on the good, the bad and the ugly agents, or add one that is not already listed.

As for agents, you can create a login and browse through the list of talent to find someone suitable for that next lead role in the Tom Cruise film!

Wynn Win is the new Muse

Planetkarl — Sun, 17 Jun 2007 05:16:03 +0000

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!

Jeremy Miller Mania (杰里米米勒狂热)

Planetkarl — Tue, 20 Feb 2007 11:21:32 +0000

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:

All photographs by Jeremy Stockton Johnson.
是Jeremy Stockton Johnson的摄影

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:

Hanging by a thread (千钧一发)

Planetkarl — Tue, 30 Jan 2007 05:37:54 +0000

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.

The hurry-up-and-wait days

Planetkarl — Mon, 22 Jan 2007 01:55:10 +0000

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).

1 Year old, if you were counting

Planetkarl — Mon, 01 Jan 2007 07:22:49 +0000

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!

Hu is that pop star?

Planetkarl — Sun, 03 Dec 2006 03:34:47 +0000

What does it take to make a celebrity in China. There are many elements, but I can one thing for sure, and that is good PR and Marketing. Upon doing the Artistry tour, one of the artists I had to contend with was Hu Yanbin (胡彦斌) as well as the band Hua er (花儿). Now, I am not going to say anything about what my opinion of his music is, but I can say that he seems to enjoy what he is doing and people (at least some) like what he is doing. In short, he is popular so people are happy. What I do wonder though, is how long does this popularity last, and how much of it comes from the singer/talent himself?

What I have seen, especially in the Asian celebrity scene is celebrity performers which seem to be controlled far too much by their respective managers and companies. It seems as if these companies see the talent as just another product to be packaged, and when this one is no longer interesting, cast it off and find some other new one. Unfortunately, I think this formula, while it does showcase some good talent, all too often burns out great talent.

Perhaps instead of focusing on churning out the temporary super-pop hits, focus on creating entertainment with more longevity, albeit perhaps without the immediate popularity and immediate money stream. Perhaps this all comes back to the culture I have experienced here in China, where the focus is on making as much as you can now, and not concerning yourself with long term gains.

China has some amazing talent out there. Let’s just hope some more make it through the giant marketing machine of the industry to create some new classic entertainment.

Here are some more of my pictures from the Hennessy Artistry tour:

Soler Flares

Planetkarl — Tue, 14 Nov 2006 00:06:41 +0000

I recently had the pleasure of having Soler perform at one of my events for Hennessy. They are an interesting mix of ethnicities that would make your head spin. Their passion has always been for the music, and you can tell in the way they play. They are one of the very few bands to make it big in Hong Kong/China that has real talent.

It is refreshing to see a group of this caliber that are truly passionate about their music and not just after fame and glory. Upon talking with them you learn just how charming and humble these guys really are. All in all, a refreshing break from the norm around here.
Also of notable mention are the DJs from Union music, hailing from around the world, but now finding themselves around the world. They quickly learned what the Chinese expect and play what Chinese people like, yet still manage to play really good music in my opinion. Anybody that has been in the DJ business knows that is sometimes a hard line to ride.

How to be a cosplaya’

Planetkarl — Mon, 09 Oct 2006 10:39:13 +0000

For those of you that are not aware cosplay(コスプレ) is a combination of “costume” and “play”, a term coined by the Japanese to describe this whole penomenon of people dressing up in costumes. Not to be confused with 制服コスプレ(seifuku cosplay), which is the adult kind of cosplay (think naughty nurse). Anyhow, this is not limited to just the Japanese. There is a huge cosplay culture around Asia, even in China, despite it’s Japanese roots.

Actually, this provides a great example of Chinese and Japanese getting along great and contributing to each others’ culture. In the cosplay event I was in, they had brought in “celebrity cosplayers” from Japan. One of these was Shiina Sakuya, a girl that is famous for playing all male roles. I knew from that whole Kabuki thing that Japanese were mixed up, but hey, I don’t mind. In fact that just makes it more interesting. She was the headliner of the show, famous for playing such parts as Obiwan Kenobi, Harry Potter and Jack Sparrow among others. Also among the celebrity cosplayers was Mariko Goku, famed for her Queen Amidala role. You can check out the pictures below to see.

My friend Redondo’s company, is one of the ones responsible for organizing such events. It seems there are many such events every year around China. Cosplay is actually a big business, with many companies and even individuals having stalls at the event selling all sorts of movie, TV show and other paraphernalia. The guests were older than one would expect, some perhaps more than 30 years old. I suppose this goes with the same phenomenon as Internet cafes where people come together to escape into another reality, one more enticing than than reality.

All in all it is just one big fun fest where everyone is just playing around having fun. There is almost a juvenile like spirit in the air, where everyone can just sit back and have fun, like being a kid for a day. I think it is a suitable alternative to getting piss drunk and making obnoxious passes at chicks. Anyhow, those crazy Japanese, spreading their Japanese insanity all over the world; It’s fun, no?

Here are some photos of the cosplay event I was in:

Not a billboard, not a party

Planetkarl — Thu, 28 Sep 2006 04:28:27 +0000

Marketing techniques have grown more creative over the years. Not that long ago you might have attended a Chivas or Hennessey party, or perhaps an F1 or Dolce & Gabanna one. These days all sorts of parties throw by or sponsored by big name brands in the name of marketing and branding. Need some free booze for your next party? Just throw up some promotional materials, and off you go!

Now Vogue Magazine has jumped into the fray, with something a big step back from these shindigs we are all used to, but something a little more than an ordinary advertising display. The difference is all in the money that’s spent. It’s what you might call an “exhibition” celebrating Vogues 1^st anniversary in China. A two part exhibition residing in Xintiandi, you might mistake it as part of the scenery.

One of these displays is located in Xintiandi Park. This Romanesque structure is suggestive of Vogue’s long history (being founded in the US in the late 1800’s), but does little more than provide a themed display with pretty lights. Filled with pictures, the only text is an unabashed summarization of how wonderful the magazine is.

The second part of the display is located in Xintiandi South end, in the Mall on the second floor. Adorned in red and countless images of models and magazine covers, you will get a Vogue overload. It is even equipped with a quaint little “model train” with cutouts of models traveling around a loop. All in all, the whole display is very unimpressive.

Notably missing from these displays was any sort of staff in any way related to Vogue magazine to help guests get the most from the exhibition. The display seems little more than an elaborate advertising display, the sole purpose being to sell more magazines. If you wander around Xintiandi a bit, you can find a few more of these not-too-remarkable displays.

Xintiandi has been host to a series of interesting events or exhibitions, but most ultimately are uninteresting excuses for marketing departments to pour their money into. Perhaps the people that frequent Xintiandi just have too much money and are prepared to pay for whatever mildly appealing thing is thrown in front of them? One way or another, it seems we can come to expect many more such presentations. If you are looking for some interesting things to go and see, and you have been to Xintiandi more than once, check out the slew of museum, landmarks, or shopping that Shanghai has to offer. Just look around, there are better things than advertisements to spend your time looking at.

Party Brand or Branded Parties?

Planetkarl — Tue, 19 Sep 2006 06:39:50 +0000

It seems you can’t have a weekend these days without some brand doing some event somewhere. Big brands have the money to flaunt to throw a big bash, so other people, who also have excess cash can throw it at buying the brand. The bottom line is generally these parties have better DJs, VJs, performers, decoration and everything. Is the experience better? Things that are “branded” have money behind them, so you can generally expect better things. Put an ad on something, it gets more money so it can be better. Simplicity.

Then you have the party brands, Resistance Asia, Antidote, Rennaissance and the like. They focus on making the party itself a brand name. These parties are driven by teams of elite DJs encompassing a general theme for the party.

So which is better? I would say they are one in the same. Branded parties have the money to get the top DJs and themes, but party brands focus exclusivley on the DJs and themes, so it is just a matter of your personal preference. Either way, you can expect to party all night long.

Here are some pics from a recent Hennessy party on their “This is Me Tour”. They brought in the amazing live act Spirit Catcher, as well as renowned DJs Jef K and Sasse who ripped up the tracks like there was no tomorrow. Also, the VJ team factoid mesmerized the crowd with their mind warping visuals.

Fashionable shows everywhere

Planetkarl — Tue, 12 Sep 2006 01:40:50 +0000

It seems these days, you can’t go somewhere and not see a fashion show. In Shanghai these days, no event is complete without it’s very own fashion show. Elite bar has taken this to the exteme apparently giving you a fashion show every day! I was recently at the Elite Bar opening, where they had not one, not two, but three completely separate fashion shows! There can’t be that many different show can there? Well apparently not, as you take a look, I saw the same show twice over the span of a couple of days:

Here is a model from the Elite Bar VIP Opening

Is this the same model with the same clothes, 2 days later at the Bund 18 party?

The shows seemed to have completely different choreographers, but they are the same models, with the same clothes. Though the Elite Bar show had a well known choreographer, I preferred the Bund 18 show. It is also fun to see how many times I can see the same model in the same clothes different times.

Though, these shows are really not as easy as they appear. For any show, it is choreographed just as any other show would be. It takes effort to put on a good fashion show. The show has to be rehearsed beforehand, as timings are very crucial in a time like this. You don’t want a gaffe like models running into each other because there are too many on the runway, or having people come out on the wrong musical cue. Perhaps not as difficult as a dancing show, but a good coreographer can turn models walking around into a beautiful show.

For instance, at the Elite Bar show, we saw a man and a woman, first walk out, then notice each other. They met, looked at leach other longingly, then walked off together. As they left, bubble machines spurting white bubbles showered over the runway, giving the impression of falling snow in the spotlights. It is always good when they turn it into something a bit more entertaining like that.

At all these shows, it is always amusing to watch the photographers scramble to get about 50 pictures of every model at the end of the runway.The models “run the gauntlet”, as they enter the end of the runway; the den of the photographers, are attacked by countless bursts of flash like a lightning show. Now you know why models like to wear dark glasses!

While amusing, Shanghai’s fashion shows seem to still lack the professionalism you see with international fashion shows. They make up for this by adding fancy choreography and lighting, which, while interesting and visually appealing, still does not make it feel like a real fashion show, at least to me.

Here are some more photos for your viewing pleasure:

Elite Bar VIP opening

Bund 18 Luxury Goods Event

Sighing over Love… and Ballet

Planetkarl — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 03:30:20 +0000

If you were lucky enough to get tickets to the apparently sold out ballet performance “Sigh of Love“, (Chinese title 花样年华) you got to see something quite unique.

The Shanghai Ballet, under the guidance of French choreographer Bertrand d’At with Claude Agrafeil created what I would call a “Ballet Art Play”. It is not quite ballet, not quite a musical, but whatever it was, it was beautiful. From the audience’s perspective you see a series of heartfelt dancing scenes, which seem a bit discombobulated, only in a sense that it might be hard to understand the story. Though, the dancing scenes are very admirably performed by the dancers that really give you a sense of deep emotion behind every move.

As with most artistic professions, those who do it, do it for the love of the art. The dancers, as far as my conversations, all chose to do dancing as a career, not because they nothing else, but because they really had a passion for it. Having a job that is your passion is really something we all look for in life. Though, it is not all roses, as most of the dancers have been dancing for about 9 years or more. As you might guess, some of them have lost a certain amount of enthusiasm for their vocation. This, though, does not seem to lessen the seriousness with which they take their job.

Overall, they are performers doing what they want to do. Their salaries are not what you might expect for people in a highly specialized profession such as ballet dancing, but they don’t seem to mind too much, and it is still more than your typical Chinese salary.

If you missed their performance this time, be sure to catch it next time when they are on stage in October.

Here are some of photos of the production:

Adding oil part 2! 加油好男儿第二部分！

Planetkarl — Mon, 14 Aug 2006 04:53:38 +0000

It is easy to criticize the contestant on the show from the audience side. This time, let’s take a look at it from the contestant’s perspective.

Bantering with the contestants, it was easy to understand their take on the whole event. They are all really nice and friendly guys with attractive personalities. Most of them seem to realize the relative impermanence of their fame, and are glad just to have this opportunity. Given the criticism they receive from some people and media, I think they themselves are aware that that they may not be the most talented people, but are grateful to have such an opportunity.

In contrast, the backup dancers, especially the female ones seem to all have quite a big head. They give the impression of “I am a superstar, I am so special”, which was quite the opposite of the main contestants. I have found this throughout my experience that the main stars are usually the humble ones.

There exists a condition that seems overly prevalent in entertainment. Once a person is in front of the camera, they are on a higher level than normal people. This is one of the reasons the marketing for shows like this works so well. Get a reasonably good looking guy or girl, package them up in marketing, and they will be an idol, talent or not.

One way or another these boys got very lucky and are riding the giant marketing train of Dragon TV until such time as they are discarded for the next packaged idol. At that time, I think most of them will be happy to go back to their hometown and return to a normal life.

Here are some more behind the scenes shots:

Add oil to good young men! 加油好男儿!

Planetkarl — Sat, 12 Aug 2006 07:49:22 +0000

It seems China is copying everything nowadays. Whether it is DVDs, designer labels or songs, you can find a copy of everything in China. This time though, they have copied the popular “American Idol” show. Though, unlike the American Idol show, the success of the men is apparently not judged on their talents.

The name of this show? My Hero! The Chinese version being 加油好男儿, meaning “Come on Good men”. (加油 literally means “Add oil” which is a expression like “come on!”) The show has raised a lot of controversy because the ~~men~~ boys are seen as simply pretty boys, with no real talent other than to look good on TV.

Watching show is sometimes hazardous to your health I think, but it is one of the highest rated shows on Chinese TV, with a recent 5.3% rating, beating out ever the Supergirls show.

Here are some shots from the other day while on the set at a rehearsal:

One way or another, I think it shows the power of marketing in China. There is a lot of genuine talent out there, but with a good marketing team singers don’t need to know how to sing, actors don’t need to know how to act, all they need is a pretty face and a good marketing strategy.
Everything lives and dies by marketing in China. That’s why I chose it as my profession here. Especially in entertainment.

Shanghai 6.2 gets blown away by helicopters

Planetkarl — Tue, 25 Jul 2006 03:02:10 +0000

The Shanghai Short Film Competition 6.2 had some very impressive entries and some real stinkers! Anyhow, the range of talent was obvious.

Here are the Winners:

First Place: “The Corp.” directed by Jean-Michelle Tori
Second Place: “Talking Heads” directed by Michael Beets
Third Place: “Tradition” directed by Severin Bonichon

Best Actor: Richard Trombly in “Claustro”
Best Actress: Christy Shapiro in “The Love Story of Alfred J. Pintuck”

Special People’s choice award: “Tradition” directed by Severin Bonichon

The gay love story of “Tradition” was a memorable experience with excellent cinematography, music and a touching storyline. Thought the winners, I think won more for their visual flair than for the substance of the movie itself. “Talking Heads” was a very interesting seemingly roto-scoped experimental piece that had some amazing animation style visuals and cross scene effects. It was not at all in the style of Michael Beets, but he still makes it memorable piece, as are his other films. “The Corp.” can be best summed up as: “Bad guys in helicopter shoot at another guy, guy runs away, bad guys come inside, shoot some more and finally capture the guy”. The movie had amazing special effects with a helicopter moving around the office building and shooting through the windows, as well as bad guys with gun blazing in the building. The movie, as flashy as it was, was just that, all flash and no substance. Perhaps this film deserved an award for best visuals, but I would not choose it as the winner by far.

The people’s choice award was audience voted piece on which movie they thought was the best. Their choice was “Tradition”, a movie with no special effects and all substance which I thought was a better reflection on truly innovative filmmaking.

As always though, native NY actress Christy Shapiro gave an outstanding performance in “The Love Story of Alfred J. Pintuck”. She is truly one of the outstanding talents we have the privilege of having here in Shanghai.

One last congratulations and praise to all the filmmakers and actors out there! Keep up your passion, and let’s see if you can outpace yourselves at the next competition!

Shanghai style improv

Planetkarl — Tue, 18 Jul 2006 05:14:54 +0000

For those of you who missed the Improv game-show at the Acting up! event yesterday you missed a doozy! The audience was laughing their ass of at the hilarious antics! They will be doing it the 3rd Monday of every month from now on.

Tanghui challenges you!

Planetkarl — Tue, 11 Jul 2006 06:57:21 +0000

The new Tanghui bar is turning into an artists den. On most nights they have live bands rocking it up. Mondays now they host actors and other industry people in “Acting Up“. Actors can meet like minded thespians, and a lot of improv has been seen going on around.

Now Tanghui is calling all those aspiring musicians to come down and match wits in the Battle of the Bands! There will be several rounds all on upcoming Saturdays and Sundays, finally culminating in the final battle on September 23rd and 24th.

If that wasn’t enough, the East West Theater company is preparing to stage a murder mystery event at Tanghui sometime in September. A real whodunit type party, the guests will have to figure out who killed who. The EWTC performers have not disappointed yet, so I am looking forward to this one!

One way or another, I see Tanghui as becoming the haven for those performer and creative types in Shanghai. Rock on!

Update:
Tanghui will also be hosting a pemiere of a short movie this coming Sunday. It was shot entirley in Shanghai by locals anf foreigners living in Shanghai. For those apiring filmmakers, it will be a great opportunity to show what Shanghai based talent can do!