Shao Pai Loon!

[Roy Focker]

Minmay's first film had to be a low budget Movie. There was 56,000 people in Macross city at the time. If tickets were 10 bucks a piece and everyone saw it once that only $560,000.

Currently a Mega block Buster (I think) are made for at least 100 million dollars now, 20 to 50 million for average 'Hollywood' production and 1 million for really low budget film. Even if everyone sees Shao Pai Loon twice we are only talking about a million dollars. What does Minmay stand to make a 100 bucks?

This film also had a rush production schedule:

Minmay mentions in November to Hikaru ('China town') that she going to doing a movie.

Minmay is seen filming it at the end of November when Roy comes to see her (Pineapple Salad).

The movie comes out in early January (Micro Cosmos).

Most big budget films take a couple of months to film and several months of post production. This film could only have about a month of filming and post production.

This movie had to be the quality of a TV movie of the week. 6 years from now when this movie comes to your town don't see it.

[bsu legato]

Never mind the fact that Minmay and Kaifun were in the lead roles. Can either of them act their way out of a paper bag?

Edited September 17, 2003 by bsu legato

[williwoods]

in the future movies cut themselves

we call this in post production: the auto edit button

it can read the director's mind and make the cuts automatically!!

just one of our Avid jokes

(btw Avid is a software/hardware product used to cut most of todays tv/feature films, like 90% of what you see)

we tell lazy editors that to make their easy job easier: we just need to install that auto-edit button and voila!

[JsARCLIGHT]

Shao Pai Lon IMHO was made by the people of Macross more for the propaganda aspects than anything else. Rushed, low budget, badly acted and poorly produced can sometimes be overlooked when you are thousands of miles away from earth on a military ship surrounded by aliens bent on your death. I for one would have gone mad on the Macross... think about it. We complain that superstars like Brittney Spears are "shoved down our throats" in this global market... think about life on the Macross. Outside of the small amount of music, movies and TV shows they might have had copies of about the only new source of material for all three was freaking Minmay. If you didn't like Minmay then I'll bet you had one hard year going back to earth... if you even survived.

So in a sense, if you want to make a movie on a shoestring budget and ensure everyone sees it, do it on the Macross.

[Radd]

Yeah, I agree that the movie was propaganda to keep the morale of the population up.

Also remember, though, this movie had the full backing of the military, didn't it? If it did, that means they had a lot more resources to work with than we might otherwise think. The movie probably wasn't meant to make a lot of money, in fact I would be surprised in the slightest if it cost more to make than it made at the time.

[Raptor]

It's possible that the UN Spacy helped to fund it, or provided alot of the equipment and materials. After all, it would have been in their favor to keep the people's moral up.

*Doh, should have been a little quicker with them keys...

Edited September 17, 2003 by Raptor

[Agent ONE]

Roy,

Funny thoughts you have... I think money for the most part, especially for a movie would be irrelivant on the Macross... I would guess the UN Spacy paid for the whole thing to be produced, then compensated the movie to some extent beyond what most citizens would be paid.

[Mechamaniac]

The only movie I would pay to see Minmay in if I were in the Macross universe would be Shao Pai Dong!.

Seriously, after the end of the war, when Kaifun was all alcoholic and stuff, and Minmay's career was tanking, she would have had to have done some porn.

She's such a mindless bimbo in the series, that's all she was really suited for anyway .

[JB0]

Shao Pai Lon IMHO was made by the people of Macross more for the propaganda aspects than anything else. Rushed, low budget, badly acted and poorly produced can sometimes be overlooked when you are thousands of miles away from earth on a military ship surrounded by aliens bent on your death. I for one would have gone mad on the Macross... think about it. We complain that superstars like Brittney Spears are "shoved down our throats" in this global market... think about life on the Macross. Outside of the small amount of music, movies and TV shows they might have had copies of about the only new source of material for all three was freaking Minmay. If you didn't like Minmay then I'll bet you had one hard year going back to earth... if you even survived.

So in a sense, if you want to make a movie on a shoestring budget and ensure everyone sees it, do it on the Macross.

Oh gods...

If I was on the Macross, I would've killed for a satellite uplink from Earth, even if Pluto is 4-6 light-hours out(depending on where in the orbit you are).

Who cares if your radio is 4 hours behind everyone else's, or that it takes 12 hours for a requested song/show/file(hooray for the internet) to come back to you(6 for the request to reach earth, 6 more to come back to you)? GIVE ME SOME DIVERSITY!!!!

[Commander McBride]

I think there must have been some entertainment other than minmay. I'll bet, with 56k people, there were at least a few indipendent rock bands and things. I mean, the session musicians that did minmays accompaniment must have done other stuff, too.

[yellowlightman]

I think it's important to look at the movie as a very low budget Hong Kong movie, rather than a modern Hollywood flick. You can make a movie for very cheap, but it'll probably suck... as I'm sure Shao Pai Loon did. It'd be even easier if the UN Spacy helped finance it, which makes a lot of sense. Either way, it's not totally impossible for a movie to be made in such a short time with such a small budget.

[JsARCLIGHT]

I mean, the session musicians that did minmays accompaniment must have done other stuff, too.

That would have been like the same kind of music though... think about it, it would be like Yes or a Mother Jugs and Speed cover band cutting an album. The Macross definately had other talent on board but when you think about it how many they had would still be an issue. Even if there where ten other bands/performers you would still be saddled with ten choices. I can name almost thirty bands/singers that I like to listen to. If limited to ten bands I'd still go insane after a while.

I wonder what the suicide rate was like on the macross? With the bridge crew getting so many non-combatants killed so often I bet those numbers would be foggy at best.

[bsu legato]

I wonder what the suicide rate was like on the macross? With the bridge crew getting so many non-combatants killed so often I bet those numbers would be foggy at best.

They'd just have the UN Spacy Information Minister give a press conference.

There have been absolutely no civilian casualties in the war. Our brave fighters have driven the Zentraedi hordes back, time and time again from our beloved Macross.

[madmacks]

but you forget, the remastered DVD version was uncut and uncensored. msrp was 30$ and it sold out in the first weekend! alot of kids stayed in their rooms after buying the dvd that opening week

[bsu legato]

I wonder what the suicide rate was like on the macross? With the bridge crew getting so many non-combatants killed so often I bet those numbers would be foggy at best.

Here...let's see if this works:

http://www.theinformationminister.com/pres...hp?ID=612320373

[MicronianDevil]

Seriously, after the end of the war, when Kaifun was all alcoholic and stuff, and Minmay's career was tanking, she would have had to have done some porn.

Mmmmm...Minmay porn.

Now thats a movie I'd really like to see. Bad acting and all. (Not that porno has good acting).

[Kaji]

or she could do infomercials

By the way people.... I'M BACK!

[Radd]

I wonder what the suicide rate was like on the macross? With the bridge crew getting so many non-combatants killed so often I bet those numbers would be foggy at best. 

Here...let's see if this works:

http://www.theinformationminister.com/pres...hp?ID=612320373

You know, someone could have a lot of fun with that.

[Anubis]

They probably made the movie just to make it. Try to keep a semblance of a normal life. Therefore, cook up a few things for the Macross TV channel. Money probably wasn't a big factor at the time.

[J A Dare]

Mmmmm...Minmay porn.

Now thats a movie I'd really like to see. Bad acting and all. (Not that porno has good acting).

What do you think Hikaru did everynight infront of his Minmay poster? B)

But seriously, was there any evidence of porn on the Macross? Video, mags, manga, etc? I do recall the love hotel, but that's a Japanese institution...just like McDonalds in every American town.

AFAIK, the Japanese love their porn (having personally been in Japan), I couldn't image the Macross not having any or else the suicide rate would have been astronomical!

[isamu]

Minmay's first film had to be a low budget Movie. There was 56,000 people in Macross city at the time. If tickets were 10 bucks a piece and everyone saw it once that only $560,000.

Currently a Mega block Buster (I think) are made for at least 100 million dollars now, 20 to 50 million for average 'Hollywood' production and 1 million for really low budget film. Even if everyone sees Shao Pai Loon twice we are only talking about a million dollars. What does Minmay stand to make a 100 bucks?

This film also had a rush production schedule:

Minmay mentions in November to Hikaru ('China town') that she going to doing a movie.

Minmay is seen filming it at the end of November when Roy comes to see her (Pineapple Salad).

The movie comes out in early January (Micro Cosmos).

Most big budget films take a couple of months to film and several months of post production. This film could only have about a month of filming and post production.

This movie had to be the quality of a TV movie of the week. 6 years from now when this movie comes to your town don't see it.

I think it's safe to say it flopped

[JValk]

I am sensing some anti-minmay here. Some of you might remember me as Minmay's Big Brother, or part of her Minmay Guard, etc...therefore,

*SLAPS YOU ALL WITH A BIG WET NOODLE!*

[Mechamaniac]

AFAIK, the Japanese love their porn (having personally been in Japan)

Me too man, and the little bit of Japanese porn I saw was STRANGE!!!!!.

I mean....really strange....

[Chuey]

Just like the Miss Macross pageant, I see Shao Pai Loon was intended to boost moral of the soldiers and civilians <_< . While it woul have been nice to make money, I'm sure the military did not care. The only people seem focussed on the "quality" were the actors and prodcution people. Probably thought they were actually making something (how little did they know it would confuse their enemy).

Edited September 18, 2003 by Chuey

[Radd]

Being the only new film anyone on the Macross had been exposed to in so long, I sincerly doubt it flopped. Sure, it most likely cost more to make than it made in ticket sales, but considering it's purpose of boosting moral for a mere 50 thousand people, you can't expect a film that breaks box office records.

[EXO]

While looking for an image on the web I ran into this topic...

Shao Pai Lon was shot when they've already touched down on Earth so the audience was there. The budget for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was 15 million in 2000 which is still a decent budget for a small production considering Kung Fu Hustle was done for 20 million. And with Minmay being the newest hottest pop star, I'm sure 30 million wasn't that hard to approve to have her star in it. The problem was, they weren't allowed to get supplies during that time. No one was allowed on or off the Macross so most of the sets and costumes would have been made on board.

BTW, I was looking to see if they had a big version of the Shao Pai Lon poster, I think I've seen it before.

[bigkid24]

While looking for an image on the web I ran into this topic...

Shao Pai Lon was shot when they've already touched down on Earth so the audience was there. The budget for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was 15 million in 2000 which is still a decent budget for a small production considering Kung Fu Hustle was done for 20 million. And with Minmay being the newest hottest pop star, I'm sure 30 million wasn't that hard to approve to have her star in it. The problem was, they weren't allowed to get supplies during that time. No one was allowed on or off the Macross so most of the sets and costumes would have been made on board.

BTW, I was looking to see if they had a big version of the Shao Pai Lon poster, I think I've seen it before.

Actually Kung Fu Hustle was made for closer to $10 million maybe even less. Kung Fu Hustle 2 will be close to $25 million.

Anyway....with no big named talent other than Minmay there wouldn't be very much in the way of star costs. Yes, she was the biggest star on the ship but really that's not worth much. I also assume that since it's the future there are cheaper ways of doing effects and crap. Hell maybe Kaifun fired real lasers out of his hand so they didn't have to add it in post. Marketing really wouldn't be much of a problem so that would keep costs low.

I say it's the combo of propaganda and the thought of showing the movie to Earth audiences that justified the making of it. After all they all thought they were gonna be let off once they got to Earth.

[Keith]

While looking for an image on the web I ran into this topic...

Shao Pai Lon was shot when they've already touched down on Earth so the audience was there. The budget for Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon was 15 million in 2000 which is still a decent budget for a small production considering Kung Fu Hustle was done for 20 million. And with Minmay being the newest hottest pop star, I'm sure 30 million wasn't that hard to approve to have her star in it. The problem was, they weren't allowed to get supplies during that time. No one was allowed on or off the Macross so most of the sets and costumes would have been made on board.

BTW, I was looking to see if they had a big version of the Shao Pai Lon poster, I think I've seen it before.

Actually, since the official statement from the U.N. Spacy at the time was that all the citizens of South Atalia died, there was no audience outside of the Macross, as it's doubtful they allowed general communications for them outside of the ship. I also don't really thing budget or production value had any real relevance, as the economy aboard the Macross would definately have been a scaled down version of a full economy, making mass profit moot, and it would be the first feature film filmed aboard the ship, so any new product wouled have been welcome.

[JB0]

Actually, since the official statement from the U.N. Spacy at the time was that all the citizens of South Atalia died, there was no audience outside of the Macross, as it's doubtful they allowed general communications for them outside of the ship.

But the people on-board didn't know that.

I've always wondered how much imported media they had.

If Macross were in a real-world setting, the government would probably be beaming selected media to the ship once they found out it was still there. It could be distributed to provide an influx of new media to the population, albeit of a limited selection. Would greatly reduce riot possibilities if nothing else.

But Macross isn't in the real world. It's in a world where disco wasn't dead in 2010.

Edited January 12, 2007 by JB0

[EXO]

But the people on-board didn't know that.

I've always wondered how much imported media they had.

If Macross were in a real-world setting, the government would probably be beaming selected media to the ship once they found out it was still there. It could be distributed to provide an influx of new media to the population, albeit of a limited selection. Would greatly reduce riot possibilities if nothing else.

But Macross isn't in the real world. It's in a world where disco wasn't dead in 2010.

nice one.

Yeah, it would cause a riot if the ship told everyone that their families have been notified of their demise.

[Keith]

Considering they wrote them all of as dead, I doubt they'd care what anyone on board knew or thought about what the outside world was told. They'd just write it off as Global's problem.

[EXO]

Considering they wrote them all of as dead, I doubt they'd care what anyone on board knew or thought about what the outside world was told. They'd just write it off as Global's problem.

who's THEY? We are talking about the ship and the people that made the movie. Not the outside government.

[Roy Focker]

Well whether the rest of world thought them alive or dead would they honestly care to see this low budget film with a complete nobody as the star? Maybe if word spread that this nobody Lynn Minmay had a full frontal nude scene there would be a larger audience otherwise the rest of the world might not care to see it.

Janice might draw a few crowds but hearing that she's has bit part of villian instead the staring role might make the audience think her career is over and this film is going to be a bomb. Who wants to see a bomb? Hmmm I guess she would have to do a full nude scene as well. to get an audience past that of the Macross.

[Valkyrie addict]

what was the movie about anyway... 'little white dragon'?? kung fu film??' those are always low budget films that make you laugh, perhaps, to make a low budget film was their intention given the low resources/actors they had at the time, Kaifun the hero.. what a joke, ahahhaa

[SpacyAce2012]

Lynn Kaifun was a self-righteous hypocrite. And a coward who didn't take responsibilty for his actions. Too bad a Regult didn't step on him.

Or a U.N. forces Spartan. That would have been poetic justice right there.

The military provided for him while he was on the Macross. Military personnel bled for the likes of him. The military funded the movie he agreed to star in (and made him some money and bought him quiet a bit of fame).

And yet, his rants got progressively more venomous. Starting with the usual peacenik stuff and evolving into pure hate directed at the military(and military personnel).

And his true colors? A self-centered, materialistic yahoo who mistreated Minmay, disdained her fanbase, worshipped money, and became an aggressive drunk. At least Minmay,selfish as she was, understood the situation they were in during the post-war period. That people were trying to survive and rebuild. That money wasn't the most important thing during those days. Kaifun, despite his high-minded rhetoric in the past, didn't see it that way.

I found him to be as dispicable as Gorg Bodolzaa or Kamjin Kravshera. Probably more so, since the two Zentraedi villans were up-front with their actions. Kaifun was the type for "puttin' on airs", as they say here at home.