How Wong Kar-Wai Shoots A Film At 3 Budget Levels

Wong Kar-Wai's filmmaking is a high energy, super visual expression that channels the spirit of characters, places and emotions in an experimental form.
In this episode I’ll take a look at 3 different films directed by Wong Kar-Wai at 3 increasing budget levels: the low budget As Tears Go By, the medium budget In The Mood For Love, and the high budget The Grandmaster, to identify how his filmmaking progressed throughout his career.
‘In The Mood For Love’ Google Maps Location: goo.gl/maps/JCpKcXXY5DzPczPj9
Source: ‘Wong Kar-Wai: Interviews’ Edited By Silver Wai-Ming & Micky Lee
Source: • Wong Kar Wai : Rare in...
Source: • Christopher Doyle Mast...
Source: ascmag.com/podcasts/the-grand...
Source: AC Podcast #48, 'The Grandmaster'
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MUSIC: bit.ly/3qCRt7u
Stanley Gurvich - 'Binary Love'
Liquify - 'Midnight Lofi'
Soundroll - 'Mist'
Yestalgia - 'Memos'
Stefano Mastronardi - 'Thinking Of You'
Norvik - 'Windrifts'
ANBR - 'Youth'
0:00 Introduction
1:11 As Tears Go By
7:27 In The Mood For Love
13:21 The Grandmaster
17:01 Conclusion
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[@isleeponcouches3304]

3 freaking years of production, sourcing and buying the last of Fuji's MP film stock and it's still cheaper than Shark Boy & Lava Girl...

[@antiflowersnake4069]

좋다

[@areebah8772]

OH MY GOD no way

[@mrvk699]

I absolutely adore the Last Shot this KZbinr has shown in this video. Cookie cutter films are why I don’t watch Movies anymore.

[@supersithsam3451]

it’s unfortunate that a director like him would be hard to get funding for nowadays, because of his chaotic style, and coming up with the script on the spot.

[@lepetitchat123]

Who would pay someone who takes a few years to finish a film ? So self-indulgent.

[@a.gutierrez2418]

Pay the man

[@TarantinosCat]

He got offers from Hollywood, the man rejected it and decided to stay in Hong Kong and make films after Chungking express

[@Paul-sl9zm]

@@lepetitchat123 a masterpiece can't be rushed. Having said that, Wong Kar Wai wrote the script, shot and edited "Chungking Express" in a few weeks. Self indulgent? It's called being a perfectionist. All of Wong Kar Wai's movies are perfection, it could take months or years to create a perfect masterpiece.

[@antonioHR23]

@@lepetitchat123 you're allowed be self-infdulgent when you're a genius

[@pierrezapata90]

It's amazing how his style is seemingly very random and chaotic and yet was able to produce these fantastic films at all these budgets

[@yuvakarthick3535]

Wong kar-wai is an emotion ♥️

[@zeeoro]

Would you give serious consideration to making a video showing how Darren Aronofsky (and his longtime friend and cinematographer Matthew Libatique) shoot on a very-low-budget (Pi, 1998), on a modest budget (Requiem for a Dream, 2000) and on a bigger budget (Black Swan, 2010)?

[@RajlivHD]

You could also throw in Noah, which has nearly 10x the budget those three budget have combined

[@cognitio278]

Wow, he listened to u guys and made that exact video. U must be feeling so special.

[@FilmsExtras]

Very good video ! If I may add a few things : - William Chang actually appears in As Tears go by as the doctor :D - Chris Doyle left ITMFL + 2046 mainly because WKW gave him less and less freedom over time, WKW had precises ideas of the shots and the framing which didn't quite pleased Chris as cinematographer (in the Chinese film industry the cinematographer is in charge of all camera angles, moves, frames, composition,...just look at the 90s films by WKW and you'll get the point :D)...also especially at the moment WKW decided to reshoot a good part of the film in Thailand ! Mark Lee Ping-bing replaced him on most on the shots visible in the finished film. Many behind the scenes or making ofs show Chris shooting, but if you pay attention, few of these shots appear in the final film. (And if you're used to Mark's style, you can notice some of his shots ;) ). 2046 was then completed by several other cinematographers... - The 90s films of WKW considered as "success" has to be higly relitivised : DOBW and AOT were very big budget films that lost a huge amount of money. WKW started to be considered as cursed in the HK film industry of the 90s ! This is why he made the 2 following films (Chungking Express and Fallen Angels) on the spot. With the money earned, they planned Happy Together, also going far over budget. In Gear was in a very bad situation and so they decided to shoot 2 films quickly in a row, by 1999 and 2000 (ITMFL and 2046), as they hoped to quickly get cash back. When we see the ITMFL making of, we can clearly identify WKW and Chris' old style of Fallen Angels or Chungking Express (which was also the style of Happy Together, shot just before...so it's quite consistent). Then happened what we all know and the again over schedule and budget of ITMFL, HOWEVER it was still "ok" as Happy Together was awarded in Cannes, making investors no too stressed haha - The Grandmaster had a script. Did they used it or not, I think they used it more like a guideline, and as you smartly put in the video (from Le Sourd), they didn't know how long they would stay on each scene. Sometimes they would continue the scene much later, sometimes abandon it. But they had a script, WKW always has a net and needs to convince the investors (especially when you see the endless list in the opening of the Chinese cut lol) (Source for these info : perso talks with Chris, Xu Haofeng (the Grandmaster's screenwriter and martial arts/republic adviser and consultant, and hours of reding interviews of these masters

[@calebnailson7508]

Really cool information, thanks for sharing!

[@imadjahat8004]

cool information, thanks for sharing!

[@tylerjensen8383]

The Grandmaster is an all-time classic. Wong Kar Wai, not being an action director, brought A LOT to the table on a martial arts film - style and finesse that had never been done by anyone else. Shout out to his Production Designer - apparently those who are watching this video are a bunch of cine kids and are all totally ignoring the INCREDIBLE art direction. They took a YEAR to build the main set. Bonkers

[@haroldlauhoyan]

Had the chance of watching all three movie in theatre, what an experience i can get living in Hong Kong

[@francozambrano4980]

this is amazing. im doin my tesis on the work of christopher doyle during the volaboration with won kar wai and william chang. this is very usefull for me. thank you.

[@nicktosti7487]

WHAT A THESIS. Maybe link it when you’re done?

[@francozambrano4980]

@@nicktosti7487 ill try to remember this coment. but you should know is going to be in spanish.

[@JodiBaskoro]

Would it be available publicly? I want to read them

[@fortify4513]

which university?

[@francozambrano4980]

@@fortify4513 unmsm

[@kandetphae6021]

Bangkokian here. Just knew that they did the filming in Bangkok as well. Back when I watched the movie for the first time, I kinda sensed something familiar in that scene, yet it was so surreal, to the point that I wasn‘t sure of it

[@swashy8933]

As someone who wants to make films but lacks confidence, this style of film making is fascinating to me. So inefficient and yet... with the mentality of having all the time and resources in the world to thoroughly craft your art... look at the amazing product on the other end. I have to say given the choice this would end up being my style. And finding the story in the edit can be as challenging but worthwhile as conventional methods.

[@jacopoabbruscato9271]

William Chang's work on costumes in In The Mood For Love is nothing short of extraordinary

[@chitown1782]

Love his framing. Definitely a great artist!

[@LifeAndWrestling]

Wow. I’ve seen some of his work. He is a great director but his process seems chaotic to me. I understand the need to “find your vision” but he is in a class all by himself when it comes to making films.

[@sk8mcbang]

This was a great one, thank you!

[@supersithsam3451]

this is the one i really needed thank you so much

[@TrapPhoneLoveMelodiesss]

Excellent! Thank you for this breakdown!

[@cjkalandek996]

Could you please do a video on the cinematography styles of Bill Pope, Dan Mindel, and Steve Yedlin?

[@sergeysamoilenko8070]

Excellent commentary- thank you very much!

[@Renclif]

This is so insightful and helpful, thanks so much for putting this together. The Grandmaster is one of my favourites so it was really interesting to see how it was filmed!

[@ruff1draft]

Excellent been waiting for this

[@lesliefoster]

omg, thanks for this, i just discovered this videos and also your channel due to a youtube recomendation, excelent video!! i love wong's cinematography

[@whathow3109]

i love the '3 different budgets' videos! keep up the good work :^)

[@cesarmartin8147]

As always great content my man! Love this director and this series of videos

[@dezenteh]

Thank you so much for making this, many eye-openers throughout the vid.. he is my absolute favourite director!

[@wiwiguedd]

Thank you for making this. I learned a lot from it

[@RR-bd4bm]

Fantastic content, many thanks!

[@victormendezIII1017]

Thanks a Lot. This is a deeply research for teaching the tecnichs a bout cinema. I love all the work from Wong Kay Wai. I can´t even imagine a new era of filmakers without the influnce of this genious.

[@drecolizo1]

I ended up watching this twice because I'm so captivated by Wong's films. This is a great video.

[@DiegoAlvaradoF]

My favorite episode of all time, thank you

[@krolsn]

Thank you for this amazing insight into Wong Kar-Wai. From my first watch of Fallen Angels and his entire filmography no one has made an impact on my soul like Wong Kar-Wai. The visuals, characters and music are untouchable.

[@selvamthiagarajan8152]

You are passionate about Cinema, thank you for doing extensive research to put videos together.

[@MintVolcano]

Great breakdown! :)

[@chrisperry7963]

Excellent job, thank you.

[@Masarofia]

Never heard of these movies but god damn they are GORGEOUS ! Especially the older ones. I miss that kind of image... Thanks for adding a few movies to the never ending list of things to watch :P

[@YourStoryTeam]

Good Job dude!

[@sashatomanek]

What would we do without your videos, much appreciated!

[@hanlam1991]

So glad to see a video ab Wong Ka Wai's filmography 😍 my favourite Hong Kong director! His movie always be stylish and artistic no matter the amount of budget.

[@medardbitangimana4580]

Thanks for the video

[@robertobuatti7226]

I was wondering can you make an episode about translating film language such as the technical language of the film industry and it's lingo and what it means to an everyday joe like myself looking to get into it, like break it down easily as a beginners guide.

[@nicktosti7487]

Any specific questions ya want answered right now?

[@robertobuatti7226]

@@nicktosti7487 Yes thank you, more about the technical language that Filmmakers use and what they mean and also the camera equipment, lenses, filmstock, aspect ratio, lighting, everything that goes into cinematography, like I would really like them broken down easily to understand each one of them and what do they specifically do at a beginners level and for someone like me who has several learning disabilities to really understand them at there most basic level. Much appreciated.

[@nicktosti7487]

@@robertobuatti7226 comment to me here when you have a specific question that I can write down (all of what you listed is very broad and impossible to type out). Glad to answer anythin ya need

[@robertobuatti7226]

@@nicktosti7487 Oh thank you will do. Much appreciated.

[@arpitdas4263]

Such a brilliant director

[@adityaparmar6433]

one of the most underrated filmakers

[@rammkumaru261]

One of my Favourites❤️

[@samsungminlee]

I think Wong and Terrance Malick have a similar approach to writing (or the lack of) and directing. I admire and love works from both

[@villagranvicent]

In the mood for love is poetry in motion. Blueberry nights gives me the same vibes but with a much more contemporary style.

[@bdawk511]

Really loved this video. I feel like his approach to filmmaking is fascinating. I can't wait to dig into his work for inspiration for my next film!

[@TheAseanPrince]

Oh wow! Andrew Lau's is Wong's DP!!! Please do an episode sharing about Andrew Lau 😁🙏 I love his movies too~

[@lorenzomartin6217]

that layering one shot on top of the other is a genius technique to evoke disorientation and time warp.

[@chompchompfood]

omg, can you do a video study on Korean cinematography? From watching Squid Game, Parasite, Train to Busan, even Sweet Home. They shoot everything so well regardless of budget. It always looks and feels cinematic regardless of topic. It seems like they must have a different approach to shooting and seemingly do so better than Hollywood movies of varying budgets.

[@vb8428]

Have you tried out the films by Chan-wook, Jee-won and Chang-dong. Those have exceptional cinematography

[@moodymoral7416]

I think this is primarily due to the progress in technology and accessibility. It's a lot more affordable for the entire world to shoot at a much lower budget thanks to digital cinema cameras/led lights. You mentioned only newer films.

[@benjaminlacey]

Great video!! I am definitely gonna check out Wong Car-Wai! For another video, what about taking a look at Robert Rodriguez?

[@leoarroyo2927]

I love your work. Each budget video you make gives me a hope that I can make a great film without using so much money on it. I would like to see budget video on Guy Ritchie

[@MovementElements]

A true artist

[@MossHouse]

Great Director

[@enthnd03]

PTA has a similar belief when it comes to screenplays as well I believe (the character stuff)

[@nikolajbakforslund9186]

I would love a video on the danish director Thomas Vinterberg

[@JeremyRenner191]

Great video man! In the next video in the series I would love to see how Peter Jackson shoots a film at different budget levels starting at Bad Taste and how he shot Lord Of The Rings

[@jarrethendrickson2203]

I'd love to see a video like this for Denis Villeneuve.

[@NileStudios]

Very good episode. And a great eye opener. I’m open to watching and learning about any independent filmmakers/ Directors. Even “one -hit-wonders”

[@outdoorminer5533]

He’s not a one-hit-wonder though.

[@NileStudios]

@@outdoorminer5533 that’s not what I said! There’s a period after the word “directors” as I am starting a new sentence saying I would love to see one hit wonders, also!! But thanks for your concern!

[@mocheang4578]

Nice bgm😮

[@MylesWulf]

Since it’s Halloween is coming up, could you look at how John Carpenter makes a film on 3 levels

[@F1lmtwit]

5:44 Step-Printing in Animation work it's called shooting on 2's. Most stop-mo work is shot this way.

[@FilmsExtras]

I sometimes heard the term "undercranking" the camera...do you know if there's the difference ? I also know that on As Tears go by some of these step printed shots were step printed in post (for example the famous kiss scene ; and you can notice it if you play it at x2 speed, the shutter is consistent of 24fps)

[@BaconFrisbee]

My man should be given a few actors, Chris Doyle, and some handheld cameras, and that's it

[@kb6849]

I like your editing vibe. What software did you use? Thanks.

[@AustinMicallef]

Wong Kar Wai and Miyazaki should collaborate and make a film with an unhinged 10-year-long production period

[@papaonta]

never forget haunted cop shop 1 and 2, lighthearted horror comedy from the early years of wong kar wai as scriptwriter

[@MinMin-sv5nz]

as tears go by was SO good.

[@Hiah.l]

Would love to see a feature on Beat Takeshi

[@petitnicollas]

One of the greats

[@JDazell]

It's funny that he has a reputation for veyr long shooting periods, but its his 1994 two week shoot that is my favourite work he's made

[@jacopodavidediluccio7872]

Wong Kar-Wai the king of cinema

[@kylecredo]

Love wkw. Please do Hou Hsaio Hsien, Sofia Copolla, mia hansen love, jia zangke, jim jarmusich and sean baker

[@gregorylagrange]

I've only seen the movie about Ip Man. And that one was beautiful to watch. But from this video it looks like all of his movies are. Especially In The Mood For Love.

[@LesDubiSo]

Bravo d’un français!! Très belle vidéo.

[@ricimercury9490]

Please make one on David Lynch! Eraserhead is a crazy good achievement on Independent filmmaking

[@bibhuranjandutta470]

Sir detailed video on using a film camera

[@muchtartidakbahagia]

What a madman, starting shooting a movie without a script.

[@peejay4694]

I wonder if you can do Park Chan Wook

[@Chessmasteclass]

Thumb Nail well explained

[@skylinefilms123]

Joanna hog episode would be interesting!

[@rabbi.rahman]

can anyone tell me which movie scene it is. the movie name 0:12 @all

[@ReeseJohnson]

Could you make a video on how The Duplass Brothers shoot a film at 3 different budget levels?

[@chawaphiri1196]

When I clicked on this video I expected to find this in the first clip: "This video is brought to you by MUBI"

[@thearabicdp]

How did they get the budgets?

[@elijahfeels2727]

Wong Kar Wai inspired every film, movies, photoshoots and music videos nowadays. And they don’t even realize it.

[@gtav266]

Konrad L. Hall can you tell us about him please?

[@Michele_Berardi]

Wong Kar Wai films' are special

[@joshuamirabal9891]

Most of my favorite Korean movies are character driven instead of story driven. It makes for much more relatable cause and effect.

[@nameinvalid69]

Hong Kong movie was definitely all the rage decade ago when internet isn't as prominent as today. Everyone watch hong kong movie, and in the process 'accidentally' learnt the language dialect...

[@hootu]

See if u could do one series for taiwanese New Wave.

[@Hddudn6262]

DADDY WAI

[@ryanoneiljohnson8743]

I observed As Tears Go By as Romeo and Juliet but in the end Romeo and his friend, Mercutio died together dispite Juliet.

[@aleditore]

Did he make 2046 with tungsten film as well?

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

I need some help finding the title to a WKW film I saw in 07 or 08. It probably predates In the Mood. It has a scene with a young woman in an empty fast food looking restaurant with bright colors (not the open food kiosk with the Policeman). She's kinda lolling on the table, eating fries or sipping her soda in a flippant look at me way, and she notices a guy she's attracted to sitting at another table. They might have ended up sitting at the same table. I also have the vague memory of a super wide lens, and camera moves way in and out on her while she's goofing. The scene on the whole generally has a loopy, light, fun feel.

[@xinying7669]

hi, you might be referring to Fallen Angels (1995)

[@reidflemingworldstoughestm1394]

@@xinying7669 Yes! That's the one. Thank you.

[@aldienwannuga3735]

do Wes Anderson

[@B__SYAHRULMUBAROK]

He is literally writing with his camera

[@sebastiengerber146]

Fallen Angels was in fact mainly shot with a 9.8mm lens (and sometime with a wide-angle attachement that gives a 6.8mm focal length), as greatly explained in this video here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d2PHopJtrNpjetksi=_LSqViS7naC08z-N

[@HeuerAndy]

And no budget turns into art.

[@eveb3224]

🖤🖤🖤🖤

[@Zombiesnyder13]

Do bow with Denis Villeneuve

[@mgpyy]

Low budget is my favorite.