TVB Released VCD/DVD Questions

[almo89]

In additional to his martial arts prowess, Tung Wai was also a decent actor. He could handle the dramatic work as well as the martial arts work. I think TVB was grooming him to be their new Wong Yeun Sun (i.e. the actor who portrayed Sai Mun Chui Sheut and Ah Fei during the 1970s).

He was quite popular with audiences in the early to mid-1980s, then...whoosh! He just sort of vanished from the scene. As said, he's still active behind the scenes, but it's amazing how quickly he vanished from the limelight. He's kind of a forgotten man in HK entertainment these days.

Tung Wai didn't have the stage presence that Wong Yuen Sun had, but he sure had the physical abilities. I don't know why he vanished, but it could be that he wanted to do more behind the scenes stuff.

[Ken Cheng]

Tung Wai didn't have the stage presence that Wong Yuen Sun had, but he sure had the physical abilities. I don't know why he vanished, but it could be that he wanted to do more behind the scenes stuff.

TVB has been missing that kind of actor/actress in recent years: the martial-arts trained performer who can make martial arts look convincing. Wong Yeun Sun, Tung Wai, Leung Ga Yan (Kiu Fung in DGSD '81 and Gwok Jing in ROCH '83), Yeung Pan Pan, Austin Wai, etc., used to fill these roles well. There's literally NOBODY like that on TVB's acting roster these days.

But, oh yeah...TVB doesn't do wuxia series anymore.

[Trinie]

I was shocked about Tung Wei too... I am glad that he is still active in the circle, but too bad he didn't make it big in the circle. Maybe it is better for him to be behind the scenes so he doesn't have to face the audience... Some people like it better behind the scenes...

Actually, TVB still does Wu Xia, but they just aren't as good as they were before. I just watched LWOLP which was based on Huang Yi's novel and it was ok. However, it cannot compare to the WU Xia series back then... I used to watch 95% TVB, but now I watch at most 10% TVB. I mostly watch Taiwan, China or Singapore series now. TVB is really going downhill.

To Almo,
So what do you do with the cut VCDs now??Do you still keep them? I am glad that I didn't buy that many of those or else I would be stuck with them.

[Ken Cheng]

Actually, TVB still does Wu Xia, but they just aren't as good as they were before. I just watched LWOLP which was based on Huang Yi's novel and it was ok. However, it cannot compare to the WU Xia series back then... I used to watch 95% TVB, but now I watch at most 10% TVB. I mostly watch Taiwan, China or Singapore series now. TVB is really going downhill.

The writing should be on the wall for TVB as 2007 winds down and they're making a substantial portion of the year's income from series that are 20-30 years old.

[Trinie]

That is sooo true... TVB is making most of the money off the old stuff that they released before. Some of the younger generation does prefer the 90s and 2000s stuff too, but I think most of the sales does come from the older series.... I can't believe that TVB has become of what they are today.... sigh.. Even my mom who used to love TVB is now criticizing it like crazy. She misses the good old days.. I do too.....sigh.

[almo89]

TVB has been missing that kind of actor/actress in recent years: the martial-arts trained performer who can make martial arts look convincing. Wong Yeun Sun, Tung Wai, Leung Ga Yan (Kiu Fung in DGSD '81 and Gwok Jing in ROCH '83), Yeung Pan Pan, Austin Wai, etc., used to fill these roles well. There's literally NOBODY like that on TVB's acting roster these days.

But, oh yeah...TVB doesn't do wuxia series anymore.

Yeah, but even people that didn't have MA training looked pretty convincing. Now it's just crap CG with crazy camera movement that makes u dizzy.

To Almo,
So what do you do with the cut VCDs now??Do you still keep them? I am glad that I didn't buy that many of those or else I would be stuck with them.

I just keep them as a collection. I mean I spent so much money on it, I might as well keep it on my bookshelf for looks haha.

[Omniflame]

TVB has been missing that kind of actor/actress in recent years: the martial-arts trained performer who can make martial arts look convincing. Wong Yeun Sun, Tung Wai, Leung Ga Yan (Kiu Fung in DGSD '81 and Gwok Jing in ROCH '83), Yeung Pan Pan, Austin Wai, etc., used to fill these roles well. There's literally NOBODY like that on TVB's acting roster these days.

But, oh yeah...TVB doesn't do wuxia series anymore.

Well, they have Gordan Liu, Yuen Wah and Kara Hui. They don't usually play martial artists in recent series though. They're usually just the main character's parents.

[wtfmang]

It kinda sucks that they're just cast as parents most of the time too...Kara Hui in particular is a really good actress, better than most of the veteran TVB actresses.

[wargods]

Well, they have Gordan Liu, Yuen Wah and Kara Hui. They don't usually play martial artists in recent series though. They're usually just the main character's parents.

They are getting old you know. Plus, nowadays costume series don't receive as high tv ratings as the Modern series in hk. TVB still makes them only because costume series sell better in Overseas. That's just my impression, I could be wrong though.

[almo89]

They are getting old you know. Plus, nowadays costume series don't receive as high tv ratings as the Modern series in hk. TVB still makes them only because costume series sell better in Overseas. That's just my impression, I could be wrong though.

haha ya, you can't rely on these people to carry the flag. There hasn't been any talent in this field in a long time and there hasn't been any good choreographers. Seems like martial arts doesn't sell anymore these days. I also hate the sound fx TVB uses these days for fight scenes. The blocking and hit sounds are like the same bland sound. Brutal.

[Ken Cheng]

haha ya, you can't rely on these people to carry the flag. There hasn't been any talent in this field in a long time and there hasn't been any good choreographers. Seems like martial arts doesn't sell anymore these days. I also hate the sound fx TVB uses these days for fight scenes. The blocking and hit sounds are like the same bland sound. Brutal.

Yeah, the quality of martial arts sound effects has really degraded over the course of the past fifteen to twenty years. In the 1970s and 1980s, when characters in TVB wuxia dramas exchanged blows, there was a full, solid sound that suggested impact. More recent wuxia dramas have featured a very soft sound that's little more than cloth hitting cloth.

[Trinie]

I think TVB nowadays is going downhill because of the weak storylines, cast, and many other factors. But besides all of those factors, TVB also has a lot more competition these days. Back then, CHina and other companies didn't produce that many series so TVB was the "Big" thing.. However, now with all of this competition, how will TVB manage??? A lot of viewers are now turning to China productions for Wu Xia and I must admit that I am one of them.. TVB has lost its flavor.. I don't think TVB can ever be the same again..

[Ken Cheng]

I think TVB nowadays is going downhill because of the weak storylines, cast, and many other factors. But besides all of those factors, TVB also has a lot more competition these days. Back then, CHina and other companies didn't produce that many series so TVB was the "Big" thing.. However, now with all of this competition, how will TVB manage??? A lot of viewers are now turning to China productions for Wu Xia and I must admit that I am one of them.. TVB has lost its flavor.. I don't think TVB can ever be the same again..

I think TVB is doing itself in without any help from the competition. If TVB could consistently turn out work that matches their best work from twenty or thirty years ago, they'd *still* rule Asian teledrama.

[Trinie]

I agree but I highly doubt that TVB can ever produce series that were great like it did 20-30 years ago... Those were the glory days and I hate to admit, but those days are all gone now....I mean if TVB still produced great works combined with all of the breathe taking landscape in China(since they often film in China now) and the advanced technology, they can still rule... BUt then again, a lot of the talented stars have left and they no longer have the TVB training course that they did before... Nowadays, they just promote people that are untalented and aren't worth promoting and neglect people who are worth promoting... What is up with that?? At that rate, they are really doing themselves in..

[Ken Cheng]

I agree but I highly doubt that TVB can ever produce series that were great like it did 20-30 years ago... Those were the glory days and I hate to admit, but those days are all gone now....I mean if TVB still produced great works combined with all of the breathe taking landscape in China(since they often film in China now) and the advanced technology, they can still rule... BUt then again, a lot of the talented stars have left and they no longer have the TVB training course that they did before... Nowadays, they just promote people that are untalented and aren't worth promoting and neglect people who are worth promoting... What is up with that?? At that rate, they are really doing themselves in..

It's not just the actors, however...maybe not even primarily the actors. Many veteran actors from the 1970s and 1980s have actually returned to TVB in recent years, but the magic hasn't returned with them. The good scriptwriters and directors of years past are gone. Also gone are musical composers on the order of Joseph Koo Ga Fai (can't underestimate the contribution of his soundtracks to those old series). As far as technology is concerned, I think TVB actually did better work when they had to work with low tech. It forced them to be more creative. Take THE BUND, for example. In the early 1980s, TVB couldn't send the cast and crew to film in Shanghai. They had to do everything in the studio and take advantage of Hong Kong's own older streets and building. They made it work, however. Many native Shanghai people praised THE BUND for being able to successfully re-create the atmosphere of 1930s Shanghai even though the entire series was taped in Hong Kong.

[almo89]

It's not just the actors, however...maybe not even primarily the actors. Many veteran actors from the 1970s and 1980s have actually returned to TVB in recent years, but the magic hasn't returned with them. The good scriptwriters and directors of years past are gone. Also gone are musical composers on the order of Joseph Koo Ga Fai (can't underestimate the contribution of his soundtracks to those old series). As far as technology is concerned, I think TVB actually did better work when they had to work with low tech. It forced them to be more creative. Take THE BUND, for example. In the early 1980s, TVB couldn't send the cast and crew to film in Shanghai. They had to do everything in the studio and take advantage of Hong Kong's own older streets and building. They made it work, however. Many native Shanghai people praised THE BUND for being able to successfully re-create the atmosphere of 1930s Shanghai even though the entire series was taped in Hong Kong.

Yeah all that great talent behind the scenes have moved on to bigger things or just retired. I miss Joseph Koo's music. He really gave those shows an identity. Doesn't feel the same these days. Creativity beats out any type of special effect.

[Trinie]

I guess so that's why I always tell people not to watch a series just for the cast because there is way more to a series than just the cast. The incredible staff members have all left and they bought their magic and skills with them... I think they have moved on to bigger and better things...TVB is really out of ideas and creativity.

[Ken Cheng]

I guess so that's why I always tell people not to watch a series just for the cast because there is way more to a series than just the cast. The incredible staff members have all left and they bought their magic and skills with them... I think they have moved on to bigger and better things...TVB is really out of ideas and creativity.

More so than during the classic era of the 1970s and 1980s, TVB has spent much of the 1990s and 2000s relying on the "formula" show. TVB has gotten lazy. The mentality during the 1970s and 1980s was, "What kind of new programming can we try to attract a larger audience?" or "We've had success with this kind of show before, so we should try it again, but this time, it should be better...with improvements and innovations not seen on the earlier shows." Today, the mentality is more like, "OK. We had some success with this show. Let's make FIVE MORE JUST LIKE IT with no improvements or innovations, just the same old formula, and see how far we can milk it."

Which isn't to say TVB didn't get lazy and put out some duds in the 1970s and 1980s. They DID, but back then, it seemed like they were just buying time while they were working on better series. Now, it seems like they put out duds because that's all they're willing/able to do now.

[almo89]

More so than during the classic era of the 1970s and 1980s, TVB has spent much of the 1990s and 2000s relying on the "formula" show. TVB has gotten lazy. The mentality during the 1970s and 1980s was, "What kind of new programming can we try to attract a larger audience?" or "We've had success with this kind of show before, so we should try it again, but this time, it should be better...with improvements and innovations not seen on the earlier shows." Today, the mentality is more like, "OK. We had some success with this show. Let's make FIVE MORE JUST LIKE IT with no improvements or innovations, just the same old formula, and see how far we can milk it."

Which isn't to say TVB didn't get lazy and put out some duds in the 1970s and 1980s. They DID, but back then, it seemed like they were just buying time while they were working on better series. Now, it seems like they put out duds because that's all they're willing/able to do now.

Exactly. The lack of competition from ATV doesn't help either. Complacency sets in when TVB knows that they are gonna get a certain number for ratings and ATV won't be able to touch it. I miss the good old ATV days.

The whole sequel thing to milk out money is not just a TV thing. It's common in movies too. How many Lucky Stars movies did they need to make before they figured out that ppl only liked the first 2.

[sfccrx]

Here's another goodie coming out on September 28

http://us.yesasia.com/en/PrdDept.asp...id-1005031395/

$this->handle_bbcode_img_match('http://i3.yesasia.com/assets/95/313/l_p1005031395.jpg')