With the Chinese mainland market dominated by seasoned professionals, it is often hard for young directors to get their foot in the door. Yang Qing is determined to change all of this with his low-budget cinematic debut, "One Night in Supermarket," wowing audiences and finding box office success.
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A scene from "One Night in Supermarket" [Global Times]
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The feature-length film was written by 28-year-old Yang in 2006 and shot in just 29 days on a budget of 25 million yuan (US$3.65 million). The movie centers on ordinary people and draws on Yang's own short but interesting life experience. Hailing from Chongqing, Sichuan Province, Yang's love of film began when he was very young.
Since arriving in Beijing in 2001, he has worked in the film industry, taking on any role that became available. Pitching his idea for a script to a film company that promotes young Chinese directors, Yang was given the chance to realize his dream.
"Despite the financial restraints, it was fun to work overnight in the supermarket. Many words and actions were improvised," Yang said.
The movie stars veteran actors Xu Zheng and He Sanshui, who helped Yang along the way.
"Xu Zheng designed his clothes, the old-fashioned woolen vest and bumpkin haircut. He also designed his action sequences," Yang explained.
"One Night in Supermarket" draws from Korean director Kim Sang-Jin's "Attack the Gas Station" and "Cashback" by British director Sean Ellis. There are also hints of Ning Hao's work whose "Crazy Stone" was the highest grossing Chinese film in the country in 2006, raking in more than 6 million yuan (US$877,000) in less than two weeks.
"One Night in Supermarket" makes use of the subtleties of conversation with references to pop-culture and offers an ironic look at human nature via characters that all end up in a supermarket together overnight.
