Chaplin Chang R.I.P

I just found out today from a friend that Chaplin Chang has passed away.

I first met Chaplin after volunteering to help him edit his memoirs through a mutual friend and several meet ups were to follow over the next few years. He had a lot of energy for a man in his late 80s and early 90s and always insisted on travelling out from his home in Tin Shui Wai to meet up for some food and a chat.

He had quite a fascinating life, the early part of which he turned into a memoir - Beyond the Blockades - largely about his days as a seaman doing supply runs up and down the coast of China during the late 40's and early 50's. Later in the 50s he became involved in the film industry. As a native Hokkien speaker (he was originally from Xiamen/Amoy) he started off acting in Hokkien-language movies made for the Chinese diaspora in Asia and later, due his excellent English skills, started to liaise with overseas production companies that came to HK to shoot movies and often filled the role of local Assistant Director. As you can see from my various Chasing Chaplin posts, he often had small cameo roles in these movies as well as working behind the camera.

Anyway, I shall miss Chaplin, he was a warm and friendly person and was chock full of stories (and photographs) of his time in various films. R.I.P.

Here is a photo from the first time I met him in May 2013.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - King's Road, Quarry Bay

After taking care of business, Jang Dong-gun heads off and stops at some traffic lights to ponder the meaning of life. The traffic lights in question are located where Java Road joins onto King's Road between the Hong Kong Funeral Home and Kerry Centre in Quarry Bay. Then as he pulls out onto King's Road we get a brief glimpse to the east as the cars drives off. Actually, this later angle was also used in the opening scenes as one of the driving shots as he makes his way to his rendezvous.

The lower three images show the view along King's Road (looking east) but the first of those is actually from the beginning of the film. The latter two are from the end as he makes his way back to the airport.

Java Road with Towngas Building in the background

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - Tai Po Road, Sham Shui Po

Another part of Jang Dong-gun's car journey takes him back over to Kowloon and we see a high level view of the car driving onto Un Chau Street from Tai Po Road. I'm not sure why this particular spot was chosen by the film makers over a million other possible locations but there you go. The camera most likely placed in one of the flats located in either the Hong Po building or The Merrylands next door.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - Gloucester Road, Wanchai

A few moments after driving along Hung Hom Road, the car pops out on the other side of the harbour and drives along Gloucester Road, past the now demolished Excelsior Hotel.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - Hung Hom Road, Kowloon

As he makes his way to his rendezvous, Jang Dong-gun drives out of what appears to be some sort of tunnel. It turns out that this is the Hung Hom Road where it passes under the podium of a large residential development called Harbour Place. At last, a real location.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - Hong Kong Cityscape

Recently, I've found myself having to post stuff just to make the point that a shot is supposed to be Hong Kong but actually isn't. It seems to be the way film-making is heading as more and more films use CGI to recreate a place rather than actually use the (now more expensive) option of actually visiting a place.

Anyway, this film is no different and although there are actually real HK locations making brief appearances, much of what you see is not HK but some similar stand-in or a faked shot. Case in point is this view of Hong Kong. The scene occurs as Jang Dong-gun's South Korean intelligence officer makes his way from the airport (not filmed at HKIA as far as I can tell) to his rendezvous with the US intelligence services (represented by the excellent Peter Stormare) in "Lan Kwai Fong".

First off I don't recognise this bridge at all so it is most likely one in Korea, and secondly even if it was a Hong Kong bridge there is no way it could have that particular view of HK Island in the distance.

V.I.P - Jang Dong-gun (2017) - View over Hong Kong

V.I.P (Very Important Person) is a South Korean crime thriller that centres around the chase and capture of a young creepy looking serial killer (played by Lee Jong-suk) who is able to evade the consequences of his actions by the virtue of being the son of a high ranking North Korean official.

Although most of the action is based in South Korea, there are some "Hong Kong" scenes. This means that the beginning and end points of the film are set in Hong Kong but the actual proper on location footage is fairly limited, with most of the HK action actually being filmed in Korea with some scenery dressing to give the impression we are in Hong Kong.

Anyway, the film opens with a Korean Intelligence agent, played by Jang Dong-gun, catching a flight to Hong Kong. He takes a peak out of the window just before he lands and we get a brief glimpse of a familiar sight to anyone who has had the fortune to fly into Hong Kong on a clear night.

6 Underground - Ryan Reynolds (2019) - Central, Hong Kong

A final post from 6 Underground and this is really the last proper shot of the place before everything goes all CGI and completely fake. In fact, for the later shots in this set piece, it doesn't even look like the director (Michael Bay) has even bothered to make anything look like Hong Kong. So in the first image is the proper Hong Kong footage. The next images show how it was enhanced to put the dictator's brother's building into the location, and the final image from the same sequence...I have no idea where the %$#@ that is supposed to be but it ain't Hong Kong. Is it a real place? I have no idea but if you do feel free to inform me in the comments.

Hong Kong

Hong Kong with extras

Definitely not Hong Kong

Anyway, on that note I should probably say that this type of Hong Kong "location" filming was already getting quite prevalent of late. Several films over the past few years haven't even bothered filming in supposedly Hong Kong-set sequences because it's easier (and after today, definitely less risky from a political and personal safety point of view) to just create Hong Kong inside a computer. Expect more of the same in the future.