Vintage Shanghai in filmmaking park
Print Edition
SHANGHAI Film Park in Songjiang’s Chedun Town, designed to re-create the scene of 1930s Shanghai, is a studio famous for churning out popular movies and TV series. It’s also a popular tourist attraction.
Along the park’s cobblestone streets, visitors may bump into their favorite screen stars. They can see a blockbuster movie is made and wander among long-lost Shanghai landmarks, such as the Paramount nightclub, the old railway station, shikumen-style buildings and an old-fashioned jail.
Since the park opened to the public in 2000, many movie and TV sets have been erected then torn down after filming ends.
“The sets are temporary,” said Qin Feng, a departmental director at the park. “We dismantle the old ones every six months because they are not sturdy and could pose a safety hazard.”
A few remain, like sets from the films “Temptress Moon,” “Shanghai Grand” and “A Time to Remember,” which starred Hong Kong actor Leslie Cheung.
A Harbin police station and European-style villas re-created this year for the hit TV series “Razor’s Edge” were dismantled after shooting ended.
Also torn down were sets of old Chang’an City, the cave of hell and part of the Forbidden City, which all featured in the movie “Love O2O,” adapted from a bestselling novel. The scenes were created from about 47 blueprints, with a team of specialists making sure every detail would look authentic on camera.
“The project required not only skills but also great patience,” Qin said. “But they were temporary structures, made of wood, plastic and polyfoam, so we had to remove them. We’re just sorry that so many fans came expecting to see them.”
The park boasts a team of professionals who are experts in rapid creation of authentic scenes and then equally rapid demolition. It can take about a month to set up an old street scene with shops and 45 days to re-create an old town.
“The experts know just what materials are needed from just glancing at the blueprints,” said Qin. “They work quickly and they don’t make mistakes.”
Time is always of the essence. Big-name stars contract to work a set number of days.
“If an extra day is required,” Qin said, “they can ask for millions of yuan in compensation.”
The park employs 80 full-time staff and almost 300 casual laborers. Many work on several projects simultaneously.
The park has put a premium on the use of eco-friendly materials.
Currently, the team is working on a vintage theater. When completed, the site will house an audience of 300 people and screen old Shanghai movies.
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