Victor Wong and his brother Eddy started Menfond in 1990 with a single Macintosh computer. One of Menfond's clients is Thomas Chung, managing director of Hong Kong-based Media Asia Group. That's a direct result of a hiatus from movie production Chung took in 1998 to research the reasons for the steep drop in the popularity of Hong Kong films. Halt the escalating fees paid to actors and pump more money into digital effects. C hung says enhancing a big-screen experience is crucial in an industry plagued by piracy.
Audiences can buy a pirated video compact disc for a third of the cost of a movie ticket.
Last summer's release of Gen-X Cops proved to be a test of Chung's blueprint for a cinematic revival in Hong Kong. The film features newcomers Sam Lee, Nicholas Tse and Daniel Wu, but the special effects received equal billing in the marketing campaign. Chung says the special effects helped draw notice to Gen-X Cops before and after the movie's launch. Review Publishing Company Limited, Hong Kong. All rights reserved.