In the second of a series of exclusive interviews, we chat to director Wilson Yip about working with Donnie Yen, making a sequel for the first time and being in front of the camera…
Ip Man is your fourth film in a row with Donnie Yen as your leading star, and now you’re working on the sequel together. What attracts you to working with him?
When we first worked together, on SPL, I had never done an action film before, so I really relied on him for the martial arts choreography. I was really impressed that he knew a lot about filmmaking, not just martial arts choreography. I was also impressed with him as an actor. I felt he still hadn’t done his best work as an actor. We have very different characters, but, on the set, we work very well as a team.
Each of these collaborations has been very different in style. Is that a deliberate decision not to repeat your previous work together?
It just depends on the project. We’re doing Ip Man 2, which is obviously very similar to the first Ip Man in some respects. Flashpoint started off as a sequel to SPL, and then became something else, but the style of the action was still very MMA. I don’t think it’s a conscious thing, it depends on the script. For Dragon Tiger Gate, each character in the original comic book has his own specialty, so we had to find a way to show that on screen.
When talking about the film the producer Raymond Wong stated that, in the current market, Hong Kong action films must look beyond local box office success to an international audience. Is that a conscious decision for you? Has it changed the way you approach projects in the time you’ve been a director?
Not really. You always try to make the best film from the best script. I don’t think we’d have made Ip Man any differently if we were just making it for the Hong Kong audience. I think it you have a great story and great action and good actors, it doesn’t matter. You have a chance to find a market.
I believe Ip Man 2 will be the first sequel you’ve directed. How different is that to your normal projects? Is there more or less pressure on you as a filmmaker?
In one way, yes, because you don’t want to disappoint the fans of the first film, but the good thing is that its saves you a lot of time because, hopefully, the audience is already familiar with the characters. When you make a new film, you have to make so many decisions about how to present each character, the style of fighting… Its probably easier to make a sequel, but harder to make a good sequel!
What attracted you to the life of Ip Man as a subject for a film? Why do you think no one had ever attempted it before?
Actually, someone did attempt it before. (Director) Wong Kar-wai was developing a Ip Man project for many years, and I think he’s still going to do it. In my case, I knew of Ip Man as Bruce Lee’s teacher, then (producer) Raymond Wong came to me and said “Lets do a film about Ip Man, and show his Wing Chun…”, and the more I learned about him, the more interested I was. I do think that having the support of his son, Ip Chun, really helped us a lot.
How important was it to show the martial art of Wing Chun accurately on screen? Did the close-range of the combat change the way you might normally approach action scenes?
Very important. It has to look good, even to people who really know Wing Chun. Luckily, our action director, Sammo Hung, is very knowledgeable about this style of fighting, and knows how to make it look great on screen. I just took a step back and watched him work!
Did you encounter any problems during the shooting of Ip Man?
Not really. We started off with a good script, and the team worked together well. You always get some minor injuries making a martial arts film, but that was about it.
What scene are you proudest of in the movie?
I think the opening scenes, the ones in Foshan. They really recapture this lost time. Even though these kung fu masters are challenging each other, it’s all rather innocent, and this all changes when the Japanese invade.
What can we expect from the sequel, Ip Man 2? What’s it about?
Well, without giving too much away, Ip Man moves to Hong Kong, and he faces various challenges in life. He has to use his Wing Chun in a different environment, and against new opponents. It’s very much a continuation of the first film, but I hope we brought in some fresh elements.
You’ve appeared as an actor in several films, including The Eye. Which do you prefer, being in front of or behind the camera?
Oh, definitely being behind the camera. Definitely! I have no ambition to be an actor.
As a director which filmmakers work do you most admire? And who would you like to work with in the future?
Hmmmm. In America, I like Martin Scorsese, Michael Mann… Ridley Scott… Actually, I think if you ask most directors, they will name the same people, but these are truly great directors. I would love to work on a Hollywood film, but I don’t think my English is good enough for that!
Can you tell us about any other projects you have lined-up for the future?
Not really. I hate to talk about things before they happen. Sorry!
Ip Man is released by Cine Asia/Showbox Entertainment as a two-disc DVD (£15.99) and single-disc Blu-ray (£19.99) on 26 October 2009. And we’ll be chatting to Sammo Hung tomorrow…
