The Lost Logan Interview Found!

The Beast Speaks!

Below is an interview I did for a web site called OneMetalHeroes. I don't know if it ever appeared, and I can't find the site. It focusses primarily on my DVD commentary work, and actually answers a lot of questions I get asked, so I thought I'd run it here, just for fun! - Bey

1)   Is there a specific prefix = st1 ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:smarttags" /Hong Kong cinema moment when you thought “Aha, is what I want to be doing with my life”? prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /

It was when I first saw Bruce Lee in ‘Enter the Dragon’. It was a censored version playing on the big screen in Peterborough, England, but this film told me three things: there was this amazing discipline called ‘kung fu’, there was an incredible city called ‘Hong Kong’ and that those Asian women were the most gorgeous on the planet. And I took action accordingly in each area!

2)   “The Prodigal Son” is hailed as bona fide classic martial arts movie (enshrined in the quote attributed to you on the Hong Kong Legends DVD cover!). How did you come to be on the set of this film?

 My very generous and tolerant parents paid for me to fulfill my youthful dream of visiting Hong Kong. I was 19 years old and very naïve, so it was quite a leap of faith for them.

I had written ahead to this wonderful gentleman named Russell Cawthorne who worked at Golden Harvest studios, and he had invited me to visit the place. The company happened to be shooting a film that I later realized was ‘Prodigal Son’. I wish I’d taken more photos and done more interviews: I didn’t realize what a classic it was going to be!

3)   You’re now pre-eminent in the recording of audio commentaries for home entertainment releases. How did you get started?

I think the first stage of setting out on any creative endeavor is seeing someone do the same thing, and believing you could do it just as well, or better. In my case, I heard (producer) Paul Heller’s pretty lackluster commentary on ‘Enter the Dragon’. At the time, I was working at a Hong Kong film company called Media Asia. We controlled the rights to the Golden Harvest Bruce Lee films, and were releasing ‘Fist of Fury’ on DVD. I persuaded my then-boss Thomas Chung to let me record a commentary, and the rest is history. It’s all Thomas’ fault!

4)   Could you give our readers the lowdown on how you prepare for the recording of one of your audio commentaries?

First, I watch (or re-watch) the film from start to finish, making some preliminary notes. Then I go through it scene by scene, and start getting specific information regarding cast, locations, behind-the-scenes stories etc. I also do more general research so I have something to talk about during any ‘dead time’ in the film (a lo-o-ong dialogue scene, for example). I think the reason that so few of the other ‘Asian expert’ commentaries really work is simply that the people involved just don’t do there homework. I’m not territorial about the genre: I made an active effort to recruit other commentators for the Hong Kong Legends label back in the day, and none of them really worked out, and I think basically that's because they don't want to put the hours in.

5)   In your experience of recording audio commentaries, is there one of which you’re particularly proud and is there one you’d like to go back and re-record (and why)?

I’m particularly proud of the one I did for the Chow Yun-fat period drama ‘Hong Kong 1941’, because that’s a very challenging title and Empire magazine said that it was the best thing on the DVD! I also liked recording my commentaries with Tsui Hark, Donnie Yen and Gordon Chan, because they really have a lot to share. I just did one for ‘Storm Warriors’, and I’m very pleased with it because I think the commentary will really help a lot of non-Asians follow the story! Visually, it’s a stunning movie, but I think the commentary track helps put the characters and plot into context. I’d like to re-do ‘Once Upon A Time In China’, as I made the mistake Mark King, who was an actor in the film, to co-commentate with me. He’d never seen the film, couldn’t remember anything and had a very bad attitude towards the whole process. You can’t win them all!

6)   What do you find most challenging and most rewarding in recording an audio commentary?

It is actually a lot of work, which is why so few people do them well. One of the biggest challenges with the old films is that many of the people who made them either don’t speak English or are dead, or both! And sometimes they’re alive and speak English and simply don’t remember. So it involves a lot of patience and detective work. I love it when I feel I have put together an informative and entertaining commentary, and I go into the studio excited about sharing that material with the audience.

7)   Do you have a preference for recording a solo commentary or with a contributor?

It depends on the film. If it’s a classic Golden Harvest title, I have so much information anyway; a co-commentator would probably get in the way. If it’s a more recent title, having someone who actually worked on the film, preferably the director!, is invaluable. Generally, I prefer to have myself and someone from the film itself, rather than two experts. One expert is just enough; two’s a crowd! The exception was Mike (Leeder) and I on those Korean and Thai titles for Premier Asia, where I think the team worked quite well.

8)   Fans of your audio commentaries go out of their way to collect as many of them as they can. How do you balance the regular listeners with the converts listening to a Bey Logan commentary for the first time?

 Firstly, it’s wonderful to do any work that gets appreciated. I am grateful to anyone who buys and enjoys these commentaries. In terms of my approach, I try to ensure that I always cover the basics for listeners who might be newcomers to the field, and I also try to come up with information that even the more dedicated fans might not know. It’s a balancing act. Of course, given the rate of fire on my tracks, I sometimes make mistakes, and the fans are always quick to point them out!

9)   Do you listen to other audio commentaries?

I try to; I like to listen to director tracks mainly, as they tend to have the most information from start to finish. Most of the ‘expert’ commentaries seem to run out of steam half way through. Again, not enough homework! I wish there were more people doing Asian commentary tracks, so I could learn more myself. One that I really appreciated was Linn Haynes’ commentary on ‘Heroes Two’, rest his soul. That guy really knew his stuff, and he was taken from us far too soon. Linn definitely knew more about Shaw Bros films than I do.

I also enjoyed Toby Russell’s commentary on ‘Secret Rivals’ and some other titles. He has a huge amount of information. Ron Van Clief with George Tan on the ‘Black Dragon’ films, they were great. If George had ever got his act together and done authorized commentaries for the Bruce Lee titles, he’d have left me in the dust!  

10)                     Your enviable wealth of knowledge and breathless delivery are key elements to the enjoyment of one of your audio commentaries. How much improvisation can you get away with while recording?

I try to keep it to a minimum! Otherwise, it can start to sound like a horse race, just reacting to what’s on the screen. Sometimes I do spot new stuff while I’m actually doing the recording, and I’ll throw it in the mix. I remember doing the ‘A Chinese Ghost Story’ commentary at a studio in New York, and just threw in the line ‘I haven’t seen so much white powder in the air since Aerosmith last toured…’ That was a good improv, I thought. I do keep it pretty scripted, though. That’s actually the ‘secret’, such as there is one!

11)                     With the recent slew of big budget martial art-house films from mainland China, do you feel there is still a place for a traditional Hong Kong period martial arts movie to be successful?

I think so, yes. These films can still work, commercially, in Hong Kong and China, and they’re the only Asian ones that sell internationally. The genre will endure!

12)                     OneMetal is a big fan of Simon Yam and he remains an enduringly popular actor for modern Hong Kong action thrillers (among others). Have you seen a return to the “Heroic Bloodshed” classics of the 1980s and 1990s?

Not really, because the China market is vitally important to Hong Kong now and contemporary gangster violence is such an issue there. No-one is really doing John Woo style films any more; instead you get more Infernal Affairs/Johnnie To style crime dramas, many of which seem to star Simon Yam! On a personal note, having just worked with him on ‘Blood Bond’, let me say that Simon is just the nicest and most professional guy in the business, and anyone who ever gets the chance to work with him, in whatever context, should do so. I’ve learned so much from him, both as a film-maker and as a man.

13)                     In terms of co-productions between HK, Thailand, Korea and Japan, do you believe these are beneficial to Hong Kong cinema today? Do you feel Hong Kong cinema is at risk of losing its unique identity through greater co-productions with other Asian partners?

Hong Kong and China are where the real money is. With the exception of Red Cliff, very few of the other attempts at Asian co-productions have worked. You can put a Korean actor in a Hong Kong film, but that doesn’t guarantee a hit in Korea. More often than not, you end up with a film that satisfies no-one rather than everyone! Anything’s possible, but I don’t think this is, as yet, a proven business model in the way HK-China co-productions are.

14)                     Which martial art forms do you practise and how long per day do you dedicate to them?

My main art is Hung Kuen, also known as Hung Gar, a very traditional Southern Chinese form of kung fu. It was made famous by the legendary Wong Fei-hung. I have had several fine teachers over the years, but my instructor now is the amazing Sifu Mak Chi-kong, who also teachers my kids.

I’ve also been learning Chen Tai Chi from Shrfu Ocean Hou. I train for at least an hour a day. It’s great if you’re on the road, because you don’t really need anything to exercise with, just your body. There’s a Chinese saying that, to practice kung fu, all you need is the space necessary for a tiger to lie down! Right after we finished ‘Blood Bond’, I did a seminar here with one of Dan Inosanto’s top students, Salem Assli, who has become a good friend. I love martial arts, and I’ll train with whoever is available for me to learn from.

15)                     Do you feel that your studying of these forms, or martial arts in general, has been an element of “making it” in Hong Kong cinema?

Absolutely. For one thing, the physical demands of making films, whether in Hong Kong or anywhere else, requires huge demands of physical, emotional and spiritual stamina. No-one ever talks about this! I think the practice of martial arts has certainly helped me going through the tougher times. You can also apply principles of kung fu to the industry.

For example, in Wing Chun, they have a concept called ‘lut sao, jik chung’, which means ‘when the opponent’s hand moves, you thrust forwards without hesitation’. This industrycan be like that. Sometimes you don’t want to think too much: just strike! I think my practice has also given me an even greater appreciation of the skills of the great kung fu film-makers.

16)                     You have served many different roles in front and behind the camera in Hong Kong cinema. Is there one role (or several roles) from which you draw more satisfaction than others?

Just to be clear, the role in life that gives me greatest satisfaction is being a good father to my many children!

Of all the different aspects of movie-making, I have always enjoyed writing and producing on a film, and directing occasional bits of business and playing supporting character roles. I want to find more projects that let me apply the different aspects of my talents (such as they are!).

17)         Would you have any qualms about your children following your footsteps into the Hong Kong movie business and what advice would Dad give them?

Firstly, as long as they’re all happy, they can be accountants or trapeze artists, it’s the same to me! Also, I know that, after they reach a certain age, you don’t really get a vote any more. If they choose to work in film, my advice would be to learn the craft, stay true to their vision and try to always be kind (a tough ask in this business, but an attribute that’s appreciated more than arrogance, which you tend to experience more of!) I’d love it if each excelled in a different field of the industry, but I’m very open to the possibility that they may choose to do something completely different!

18)                   OneMetal is anxious to see your entries in the pantheon of Hong Kong cinema. Could you give us some news on what you’re working on now?

 I want to thank you for your support, both of myself as a film-maker and as an evangelist for Asian action cinema. As you may know, ‘The Blood Bond’, the first live-action east-west thriller from my new B&E Productions, debuted at Cannes, and was so well received that we’re preparing a sequel now. It will be shot mainly in Hong Kong, and feature even more stylized martial arts action.

We also started selling ‘Little Gobie’, a 3D children’s animated feature on which I am a producer. My US ‘home studio’, The Weinstein Company, is selling this worldwide. We start shooting the summer sports comedy ‘Beach Spike!’, which is about kung fu fighting beach volleyball bikini babes. For some reason, I’m getting more set visit requests on this than any other project…

Beyond that, B&E will step up to work with our dear friends Paul and Sasha Maslansky on a much bigger project, which will be ‘The Silent Flute’, based on a script by Bruce Lee. Given that it was 'Énter The Dragon’ that started me down this road, I feel like I’ve gone full circle!