We never understood what’s beautiful until somebody says so. Things we see as a local can hardly ‘wow’ us. It’s less of an issue for those keen of photographing life around us. People are still the way they are, in life general. The simpler it is, the easier to decode life around us.
This all came to me during the filming of the Hollywood action franchise – Transformer 4. They spent almost a month in town and concluded their shooting only days ago. I must admit I’m so thrilled to just hear about the destinations they’ve picked, from the poorest district to the commercial district, and even at the Government buildings. I’m so eager to see how the movie is going to turn out.
We outsiders have our eyes on the actors, the rides, the stunts, the shooting sequences. What I’m even more amazed is their ability to maintain their professionalism anywhere they travel to, in this case to a foreign city – Hong Kong. They’ve faced local gang asked for ransom twice.
It may seem it’s all about the money, the investment, the reception. What I see is the movie industry’s vision, standard and tradition. It’s not done by one person, but by the team with lots of R&Ds. It’s not just entertainment, it’s their culture becoming a product.