Greetings
valued Dan's Movie Report readers. It has been a long time coming.
Producer Bey Logan has brand new projects unleashing in 2019, first
is Lady Detective Shadow, in May comes Vixen. Both films are
releasing stateside on the TriCoast Worldwide. Last year The Dark Soul was also released on the TriCoast . Bey also has two new
books, one on Bruce Lee, the other is a compendium on various films
entitled 36 Chambers of Kung-Fu Cinema. Both books can be purchased
on his official Reel East Website.
I am
breaking this interview down into two parts, new films first and then
books. I realize Bey has a long history in action films, however this
interview is only focused on new material, please read our 2015
interview for further information on Bey and some of his past work:
http://dansmoviereport.blogspot.com/2015/04/bey-logan-interview-exclusive-c-2015.html
Phase
one, the films.
Chat
about how the ideas came about for Lady Detective Shadow, it really
seemed like a throwback to early 90s style wuxia films.
Thanks!
It felt like the time was right for a female period kung fu
detective, and my producing partner James Nan felt exactly the same
way! It’s definitely the case that international audiences have a
great appetite for this kind of film, thanks largely to Ang Lee’s
work on ‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and despite all of mine
on the sequel!
I am
curious, with regards to pre-production, did you have some time prior
to the film starting principal photography to work on story-boarding
the action, perhaps describe some of the process.
The
only story-boarding done was for the visual effects shots. Which I
think also have a nice 90s throwback feel! I feel Chinese film-makers
will always be better than Hollywood in terms of the swordplay
action, but probably always take second place in terms of visual
effects. So the only pre-viz was for the fx shots. The action was
pretty much all designed on the set, China-style!
I
really liked the costuming on Lady Detective Shadow, curious how the
ideas for costumes were decided upon, like what period of time is the
story supposed to be set in or is it a mythical time, with blended
styles.
It’s
supposedly the Song dynasty, but these kinds of period Chinese epics
take some liberties in terms of historical verisimilitude. The main
challenge was designing outfits that our leading lady could fight in.
I like her ‘bee keeper’ hat, which was actually very useful in
the desert with all the dust and bugs.
Chat
about the casting, how many actresses and actors read for the two
lead roles, they had many scenes so had to be fairly adept. How long
did the film take to cast?
The
director, Si Shu-bu, has a lot of experience filming period TV
dramas, and he knew Shang Ring, who plays the lead, from her earlier
television work. He knew she could look good in period costuming,
which not everyone can! And that she could take on her share of the
action. My recollection is that he recommended her, Shang Ring
accepted and that was it!
I know
China is notorious for having a very small number of shooting days,
cramming a lot into a very short time, how long did the principal
photography take on Lady Detective Shadow? Was there more than one
unit shooting?
It
was actually two months on this one, which is more than we had on
either ‘Vixen’ or ‘Dark Soul’. And you need the extra time
when you’re shooting swordplay action in the middle of the Gobi
desert! It was pretty much one unit, with a splinter unit for some
wide shots and inserts.
Chat
about set design, I realize you had various carpenters and others
working on crafting the set, were ideas and drawings made or more
basic sketches and allow some freedom to create.
There
was a very experienced production design team on the shoot. The
challenge is that you’re shooting buildings and props that we only
know today as antiques, and they have to look relatively new, but
still used. If that makes any sense! I would actually have preferred
things to be a bit grittier, like a Spaghetti Western, but it still
looks pretty good!
On to
the action chat about some of the action, the fights are more
beautiful, graceful. Actually she seemed like a Dick Tracy of olden
times learning the clues as she went along.
Wow.
I actually haven’t heard Dick Tracy referenced for a while! But
that’s exactly right. I mean, the obvious modern reference is
‘Sherlock’, because she was this ‘Shadowvision’ when she
interprets a crime scene. And having her be a lawgiver in the
equivalent of the Wild East gives us all these opportunities for our
lady detective to go into action. Narratively, it saves a lot of
time, giving her a crime to solve. It’s like kung fu ‘CSI: Gobi’.
We’re actually working on the sequels now!
How
was the response to Lady Detective Shadow in China? Was it a TV movie
or did it show in Cinemas.
It
had some limited theatrical play, but was primarily a high end TV
movie. People still like this kind of thing in China but, strangely
enough, audiences in the west seem to like period swordplay action
even more. I think Chinese people have actually seen a lot of these,
while they’re still relatively new in the west. Given how well
‘Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon’ and the subsequent wuxia films
did internationally, it’s surprising there haven’t been more of
them distributed recently. Maybe that’s why ‘Lady Detective
Shadow’ has been so well received!
Chat a
bit about your involvement in the negotiation process in general with
regards to obtaining U.S. Releases for Lady Detective Shadow and
others you have been the Producer on.
Well,
we have a great international sale partner in Tricoast Worldwide. I
think that when you make any kind of lower budget genre movie, or are
planning to make one, you’re always smart to talk to your sales
company. What kind of film can they sell, and what kind of numbers
can you hope to generate? With ‘Lady Detective Shadow’, Strath
Hamilton and the team all told me that there is always a worldwide
market for a well-made, female-centric Chinese swordplay flick. And
how right they were!
Above: Key Poster art from Vixen, the film is scheduled for release May 5th, 2019.
Shifting gears with Vixen, just
saw the trailer for Vixen, looks really bad ass, chat about that film
was it always written for that specific actress to play the part or
was there a casting search?
It
was actually my producing partner James Nan who introduced Li Ran,
who plays the lead. And she is just amazing! She’s a former
stunt-woman, so obviously very gifted in terms of stunts and fights,
but she also turned out to be a wonderfully sensitive actress. In
this, she reminds me of Amy Johnston on ‘Lady Bloodfight’, where
you bring someone in because they can fight and then you’re SO
happy that they can also act very well! I only got to work with Amy
once, but we’re actually preparing another film starring Li Ran,
focusing on the world of female boxing.
Ultra-violent
and unabashed, Vixen looks like a crazy female Die-Hard, chat about
some of the ideas you and your team had for the production.
It’s
exactly that! The genesis of the film was that we were preparing to
shoot another film in Shenzhen, and then thought why don’t we just
roll into a second film, using the same crew, and kind of do two for
the price of one? My partner Elizabeth asks “What is the best
action movie set in just one location?” and I said “‘Die
Hard’.” And she said “So why not do ‘Die Hard’ with a
Chinese chick…” And that was it! It actually ended up being a
standalone feature that we shot in a city called Yuhuan, but it was a
lot of fun and, again, it proves that this femme-centric action is
what people are looking for, especially from Asia.
Ross
W. Clarkson is a total pro action cinematographer having worked on Scott Adkins Ninja films, Truy Sat and Never Back Down: No Surrender , and now director for
Vixen, chat about having him in the fold, the film seems even more
polished than dare I say it Lady Bloodfight, it has a bigger scope,
like more theatrical epic feel to it. His direction seems to allow
for more room to create and craft the action. (Trailer of Vixen- https://vimeo.com/295462850)
I
first met Ross when someone showed me this sci-fi short film shot in
Hong Kong, and then I met this ditsy lady director who had supposedly
shot it, and there was a disconnect! This
woman made that…?
So I asked one of the actors, and he told me “Oh, the DP actually
directed the whole thing…”, so I wanted to meet that
guy, which was how I met Ross Clarkson. For a while, it felt like
every summer Ross and I were doing another film in Bangkok with
another faded 80s action star, ‘Kickboxer: Retaliation’,
‘Attrition’… I knew Ross had the long held ambition and ability
to direct, which is why I was happy to give him the chance to on
‘Vixen’.
Chat
about some of the challenges on training the actress, for her role,
how long did she have to learn the choreography, and were there any
changes on the fly, with regards to the action, and story?
Our
biggest challenge on this show was scheduling and casting. Li Ran was
doing another show and couldn’t come until the last minute, and our
bad guy, Luc Bendza, had to be shot out so he
could go work on another one. I was saying to James, “you found us
all these great actors, but none of them really have time!”
Luckily, Ross Clarkson is really
good at scheduling, so we made it work. Luckily, these guys were able
to pick up action and dialogue on the day! It was also a challenge to
cast, as we shot in Yuhuan, and there are really NO local actors. At
least, none that our casting director could find! That meant we had
to bring in a lot of foreign performers, which can get expensive.
Vixen
has a fairly diverse cast, seems this is the formula to sell films in
multiple territories, curious how the casting process went for the
additional roles besides the lead.
As
mentioned above, we had to look pretty far afield. I had seen this
short film that Bryan Larkin and Julian Gaertner had done, and was
impressed by it, and by them, so it was great to get them on-board.
Julian, in particular, gets more to do here than he ever has before.
Then we had my man Max Repossi, who flew in from Italy. Our casting
issues actually worked to his advantage! When he took off in Mifed,
Max was only playing one character, and by the time he landed in
China he was playing twins!
Perhaps
tell an unusual of humorous story on the Set of Vixen.
Obviously,
this film is very ‘Die Hard’-esque, which someone on IMDB
helpfully ‘revealed’! Spoiler alert provided for and by
idiots.... So we wanted to throw in a few ‘in’ references. At one
point, a cop is on the ‘phone saying “This sounds like a bad copy
of ‘Die Hard’…” We had one scene set in a room full of
Christmas decorations, with Li Ran’s character disguised in a Santa
Claus outfit so that she can shoot one of the bad guy’s thugs. Who
is actually played by my son Ryan! After she fires, Li Ran pulls down
the beard and says “Ho, ho, ho, mother*&^er”. And dear sweet
Li Ran wasn’t familiar with that particular word, so Ryan and I are
standing there on set at 3AM teaching this pretty Chinese girl to
talk like Samuel L. Jackson…
Chat
about Post Production on Vixen, do you and your team set out a post
production timeline, seems when you are one of the people in charge
stuff gets done in a more timely fashion, then with too many hands in
the til.
We
worked at a great facility in Shenzhen, which is very convenient for
me, being in Hong Kong, less for James, who lives in Beijing! Or
maybe it was convenient for him because, you’re right, I ended up
doing most of the work! Editing is always great, because you relive
your fun experiences making the film, and terrible, because you
realize what you didn’t shoot. Ross cut very fast, I did some
tweaks and put on the credits and then James did the music. Team
effort!
Which
territories remain unsold for Vixen? Are there current release dates
for the film in some areas?
It’s
selling so fast, anything I say will be outdated by the time you read
this. If you’re a film buyer, don’t delay, contact Tricoast
today! (http://www.tricoastworldwide.com/)
And keep checking my Facebook for release updates!
Shifting the interview focus to your newer books:
A few
questions on the books, first off, what made you decide to compile a
new Bruce Lee book?
I
just felt that I had amassed so much information on Bruce Lee over
the years, and had experienced the Bruce Lee phenomenon from such a
unique perspective, that I could bring something new to the table. I
tried to write the book that only I
could
write, and was very aware of the angles taken by some of the other
recent and excellent books on the same subject. Also, for various
reasons, I felt the need to be make an effort to be especially
productive this last year, which is why you saw me making films,
writing books and competing in the occasional kung fu tournament!
You
said the response so far has been very good, do the outlets you sell
from and your own site, give you an indication on numbers?
As
with the territories sold for ‘Vixen’, the sales on ‘Bruce Lee
and I’ are a running tally, and if I say the number now it will
(hopefully) be outdated by the time this goes live! We’re a small
press, and can’t compete with the large ones, but I’m very happy
with the reception. I guess a lot of people out there grew up reading
me writing about Bruce Lee, and were happy when I finally did a book!
Here’s an exclusive for you! ‘Bruce Lee and I’ is actually the
first of a series. I’ll be writing more books looking at the
careers of many of the martial arts stars I’ve admired and worked
with, again from my unique perspective as film-maker, friend and fan.
So you can look forward to ‘Jackie Chan and I’, ‘Sammo Hung’,
‘Donnie Yen and I’… Maybe even ‘Maggie Q and I’, God help
us…!
I have
the 36th
Chambers book, very in-depth, did you write it to preserve some of
the history of martial arts in Cinema for the next generation?
You
make me sound so professorial! Yes, that was part of it, Danny, but
the main motivation is that I think these films are so much fun,
and can also potentially inspire a more rewarding lifestyle. Which
isn’t something you can say of too many Hollywood action films! As
with ‘Bruce Lee and I’, I felt driven to write the book that only
I could write. There are enough earlier Hong Kong movie books out
there with plot descriptions and critical comments. What I wanted to
do with each film was share what it had meant to me personally, place
it within the framework of Hong Kong film history, then look at it
from start to finish from the simultaneous perspectives of a
film-maker, martial artist and historian. Actually, yes, that does
sound kind of professorial!
Since
you watch so many older films from the very early Chinese productions
to now, what are some of the changes besides the obvious of streaming
platform, better tech, high resolution cameras etc... you notice.
Seems like the much older films from 50s and 60s were more steeped in
story and mythology rather than copious action itself.
It’s
so interesting! This is slightly to the side of your question, but
especially with the Shaw Bros movies, where they were only available
on VHS bootlegs for so many years, when you see the restored
versions, you start noticing certain actors in the background,
specific props, sometimes Chinese characters on the walls… There
was a whole generation where that kind of texture wasn’t available,
because there was no way to screen pristine copies of the films. I
think there are some wonderful things to see in the earlier era of
Hong Kong cinema, especially the late 60s to the mid-70s. We have
somehow lost our mojo in terms of a depth and breadth of quality
Chinese cinema. I was just watching King Hu’s ‘A Touch of Zen’,
which was made in 1968, and it just blew me away. Where did we go
wrong with all this CGI nonsense?
And
I see that you are also an executive producer on ‘Furie’, which
has been playing in theaters in North America, and was a big hit in
Vietnam. How did that come about?
I
am so proud of my friend Veronica Ngo, who both starred in and
produced ‘Furie’. I was much less involved with this film than
with the other ones we discussed. That’s probably why it’s so
good! I think I came up the title, ‘Furie’, and that’s about
it… Kidding aside, it was wonderful to work with Veronica, who is
this world class talent, and a kind and loyal friend. I had some
small part in ‘discovering’ her for the west when I saw ‘The
Rebel’. We’re working on another project now, and, when we have
more to say, you will be the first one to hear about it.
In
closing, what are some observations working in China Vs working in HK
for films?
Well,
Hong Kong cinema just moved north, and most of our great film-makers
started working on Mainland Chinese movies. Bigger budgets, greater
resources, more access to CGI… Did we maintain the same quality of
Hong Kong films? That’s debatable. I think it all comes down to
having a story to tell, and figuring out a way to tell it, by any
means necessary. That’s the challenge everywhere, east and west,
and it just takes different forms. Working in China is different, and
I’m still figuring it out. And I was the most prolific foreign
producer in China last year! I am hopeful that there is a young new
wave of film-makers coming into the business. I’ll probably be
retired by the time they hit their peak. I’ll be watching ‘Ip Man
18’ in a nursing home!
Any
plans to do another film blending cultures or is it better to just
keep the Chinese films for the China market? Do you have any new
stories in the pipeline, new ideas or films that are in
pre-production?
I’m
really focusing on writing or finding stories that I care about, ones
that mean something beyond just a fun exercise in action film-making.
Whether they’re Chinese films or co-productions or Hollywood films
will depend on the demands of the material. As I mentioned above, we
have another couple of ‘Lady Detective Shadow’ films in the
pipeline, and I’m making another film with Veronica. And I still
have a few dream projects I’d like to somehow make happen before I
retire from the martial world!
Thanks
Bey! If you would like to purchase Lady Detective Shadow in the U.S.,
please go to Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Lady-Detective-Shadow-Shang-Rong/dp/B07PMVGCNL/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=Lady+Detective+Shadow&qid=1553187217&s=movies-tv&sr=1-1-catcorr
TriCoast
Entertainment Website: http://www.tricoastworldwide.com/
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