From City Entertainment (Hong Kong). No. 244 (p. 17). Interview conducted in Cantonese in 1988. Reprinted by permission of the publisher. Translated by Silver Wai-ming Lee from Chinese.
Cheuk Chi: Among exceptional beginner screenwriters, Wong Kar-wai is considered to be both talented and lucky. He is thankful for the opportunity given by Kam Kwok-leung and has taken the opportunity to migrate from television to the silver screen. He has been keeping up with the good work since then.
Looking back at his individual screenplays, Wong is only happy with Final Victory. As Wong explained, he thinks director Patrick Tam is more capable of bringing the screenwriter’s ideals into reality.
Wong Kar-wai: Every director with whom I have cooperated has his or her own strength. As a screenwriter, I certainly understand the importance of rapport and recognition between directing and scriptwriting, and this importance cannot be established in a meeting or two. This is the reason why I prefer working with directors with whom I am familiar and share a mutual understanding. It does not mean I am shy about working with others, but true communication can only happen after collaboration in two or more films. I believe many screenwriters have faced situations in which their scripts are altered; it is up to the individuals whether they accept the changes or not. For instance, the screenwriter might want to express a love scene with many lines, but the director could clearly express the scene in one or two shots. I can accept this kind of change, though; I believe this helps me gain experience. It is surely ideal if the director and the screenwriter are totally in sync, but this is impossible. In accordance, I tend to give what the director asks for, especially those whom I know well. I try to understand his or her way of directing without straying away from my original thought.
CC: Wong Kar-wai has worked for Cinema City and Always Good Film in the industry. He had another opportunity given by producer Alan Tang Kwong-wing. These opportunities have not only led Wong to produce Flaming Brothers and The Haunted Cop Shop, but they have also led him to become the writer and director of As Tears Go By.
CC: It is undoubtedly ideal when the director is also the writer because writing and directing can be very subjective. There is less conflict. Would this total control become too extreme, particularly when the director wants to satisfy him/herself at the expense of budget?
WKW: Looking back at my screenwriting experience, I have come across many situations in which I had to compromise due to production budget. I believe a bigger budget does not guarantee a higher quality film; it does not even lead to a better box office. Although I sometimes insist to a certain extent—especially because I always emphasize aesthetics—this insistence may put pressure on the production department. I believe this applies to every director, but I usually stand more firmly on having a bigger budget when it comes to shooting on location and during postproduction. I personally think the production budget ought to be estimated when the screenplay is finalized. I ask to be informed of the expenses of certain scenes; this is the basic communication requirement between the director and the producer. For instance, if a scene is less than a minute but requires a lot of expenses, we certainly have to compromise. However, I will not accept the working method of arguing about the budget during the shooting. Or else, what is preproduction for? However, a reasonable case to eliminate an on-location shoot would be a conflict in the actors’ schedules because the scene was scheduled to be filmed over three days.
Directors are supposed to work within the budget to express themselves. I usually inform the producer in advance about shooting and cost details, so we are well prepared if there need to be adjustments. I learned this from my experience as a film producer; I am thus confident in controlling production costs as a director.
However, the expense of As Tears Go By somehow exceeded the estimated budget. This was due to the lack of detailed planning, which in turn was due to conflicts in actors’ schedules and some sudden script changes. During the shooting we discovered the plot was somewhat similar to a film that was in production by another company, so we had to make a quick decision to change the script. We suspended filming for a period of time. From the beginning to the end, five months were spent on production, but only the last month and a half were fully devoted to filming. The rewrite increased production cost, but this business decision could not have been avoided. Strictly speaking, there were flaws in handling the matter. However, from another perspective, it was understandable why the production cost went beyond budget. We were in a hurry because of the scheduled date to screen. We could not have avoided going over budget.
The experience has helped me learn new things about shooting, developing ideas, and executing. This might be helpful when I face a similar situation in the future as a director or in other positions.
CC: Wong is fond of trying different things to make films. He prefers topics that are realistic yet romantic; this taste might stem from his personality. The work of every filmmaker is inevitably influenced by his/her personality, liking and disliking. Everyone has his or her own strengths, and no one is capable of making films in every genre. In his working position, Wong hopes to try different things. According to him, filmmaking is a job that he likes—and he likes it almost madly. Therefore, every position challenges and intrigues him. Perhaps one day he would be the only person in the crew; this must give him an overwhelming sense of satisfaction. And hopefully when he is a producer, he will suppress all his romantic thoughts and become sensibly realistic.