the director's exposition is a written expression of the director's artistic conception (that is, the conception of the whole film). This paper should clarify the understanding of the script, the explanation of the theme conception, how to grasp and create what kind of characters under this conception, and make adjustments to the possible narrative structure and way, what is the style of the whole film, what kind of space scene is established, the way of using the lens, and the props, performances and sounds of photography, art design and cosmetics.
The following is the director's explanation of Chen Kaige's filming Yellow Land:
The director's explanation of Yellow Land
Chen Kaige
1. In January this year, I went to northern Shaanxi to experience life with photographers and artists, and we saw the Yellow River in Jiaxian.
If the trickle in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the roar in the lower reaches of the Yellow River are compared to its childhood and old age, then the stream in northern Shaanxi is its prime. There, it is broad, open, deep and stretched. It is paved on the inner road of Asia: its free posture and serene inside information remind us of the image of our nation-full of strength, but it flows away quietly. However, it is surrounded by boundless mountains and land without rain for a long time. The Yellow River flows by itself. But it can't save the vast wilderness that dodged away for its arrival. This reminds us of the desolation of thousands of years of history.
One morning, we saw an old man, scooping up two buckets of water by the Yellow River, and hunched over-after all, someone scooped up the water from the Yellow River, and the water from the Yellow River would flow into the arid land after all.
It was that morning that we understood what to write and how to write. In the era that our film will show, it was the * * * production party that led the whole nation to scoop up the water of the Yellow River. Cui Qiao is one of the people who realized that the Yellow River should be scooped up. Even if it's just a bucket of water. There is always a difficult road between people's yearning and real life, but every action in reality always radiates the warm glory of ideals.
It is not difficult for everyone who has not lost his passion to love and sing praises to the Yellow River. If we are soberly aware that what can give birth to everything can also destroy everything, then for Cuiqiao, who lives in the old China nation as a whole, her fate must have some tragic color. The path she chose is very difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that what she is facing is not the social evil forces in a narrow sense, but the calm and even warm ignorance among the people who raised her. Compared with confronting evil forces, this challenge requires great courage. Therefore, our film is a hope in terms of connotation. Therefore, from the perspective of the historical aesthetic value of the image, our higher expectation is that Cui Qiao is Cui Qiao and Cui Qiao is not Cui Qiao. She is concrete and sublime.
if I have to talk about the theme of the film, that's all.
second, as a toddler, it is probably difficult to explain the style of the film. But what we call style is, after all, the basis of accommodating the theme, so it is necessary to try to explain it.
The Yellow River is a big river, not a stream. Above its current, there is no room for leaves or dead branches to stay, and its water potential is strong.
Go to the top of the mountain in northern Shaanxi, and you will find that the flowing water of the Yellow River is almost motionless, and only in the twists and turns of its flow direction can you see its grandeur.
I compare the flow direction of the Yellow River to the structure of the film, and compare the flowing water from a distance to some sentences that account for a considerable proportion of the film.
I mean, as far as the structure is concerned, our films should be full and varied, with a free and wild posture, meaning to write freely and freely, but as far as most sentences are concerned, they are warm and gentle, drawing fire from wood, piercing water, wrinkling without wind, and slightly awkward. Therefore, there are a lot of waist drums ringing into the sky, lamenting the sound of rain, and a small number of deep talks at night, and shallow singing.
under the restriction of the overall conception, we have swept away all the openly antagonistic factors in the original play. We don't describe the conflict with the dark forces positively, we don't lay out the contradiction between father and daughter positively, we don't show the changes of the characters after receiving the information from the outside world positively, and we don't point out the direct motivation of the characters to leave, but we replace them with seemingly sparse relationships that conform to the characteristics of the times and national character.
We will also remove all the edges and corners that are beneficial to the outside and harmful to the inside in the shooting process, such as tone, color, composition, music speakers, performances, scene scheduling, costumes and props, so as to make the film a sphere that can rumble and roll in the specified direction. We attach great importance to the plot of the film and the drama task to be completed, and we hope that it can dive and reach the other side.
the key to mastering this film is the word "hide".
The image summary of the film style of "big words are silent, elephants are invisible" is called "Looking at the Yellow River from afar".
3. Music and acoustics play an extremely important role in our films, and I have set some guidelines for this.
a. The music utilization of this film should be simple, including the conception and orchestration. Music must enter under the guidance of other audio media, and the volume should be controlled to make it appear and disappear.
B. In many films, music is often used as an auxiliary means of emotional expression. Generally speaking, there is nothing wrong with this. The problem is that when the plot progresses, the actors perform, and the strong visual effects are simultaneously developed, coupled with music, it causes unnecessary accumulation of various means. In order to maintain the necessary objective situation of the film, music has been studied. Should be slightly behind the progress of the plot. This should also be the principle of music conception.
C. We have confirmed that the musical images of Cui Qiao and Gu Qing will appear in the film. The melody of music image should be concise and catchy, and appear repeatedly in the film, only changing in rhythm and orchestration according to the situation.
On the other hand, we intend to adopt a strong means of comparison in the use of music. For example, Cui Qiao's singing has always been a whisper, and it was not until she bid farewell to Gu Qing that she poured out. In addition, the sound of the whole film is as light as a wisp, but there is a deafening sound in the waist drum array.
D. In terms of the form of music sound, I advocate taking an incomplete approach. For example, when Gu Qing's musical image appeared in previous times, it should be only a few bars, with the purpose of making it an external means of the inner activities of the characters. Cuiqiao's musical images appear everywhere as beads, but they are strung together in general; In this way, a complete and unified nuclear will find its position in an incomplete situation.
let's sum up the ideas of music and sound, that is, simplicity, conciseness, recurrence, contrast and incompleteness.
I hope that the sound engineer will draw up a score of music sound and submit it to me according to this intention.
fourth, it can be said that my overall idea was completed with photographers and artists, so I have nothing more to say to them. There are only two sentences to say:
A, the integrity of composition and the prosaic image should be one of the goals pursued by most shots in this film.
B, we don't engage in exhibitions on folk customs, and we must be convincing enough in the details of all scenes.
5. I also have a word for the comrades in the departments of clothing, cosmetics and props: the embodiment of the film's sense of the times and local characteristics depends entirely on your efforts.
I suggest that when we arrive at the location, a comrade from each of the three departments should make a targeted investigation, understanding, research, collection, purchase and other work related to their own departments in the film performance years, which will finally be reflected on the screen.
what I want to point out in particular is the scene of two wedding receptions. I hope you will provide me with detailed written ideas and a list of clothes and props used in early May. I welcome you to supplement the details of clothes, make-up and props appearing in story board. In these aspects, you will be creators, not just executors. Your work is extremely important to the success or failure of the film. I hope comrades will work hard under the leadership of fine arts.
6. finally, I want to talk about performance.
There are only four characters in our film. It won't take much space to describe the character tone of the four characters separately, but I don't intend to do so, especially I don't want to explain to you who the roles you will play respectively are. I mean, who they are will ultimately be completed by the image you present on the screen. My task is just to put your roles in their proper places. Everything you should feel, grasp and reproduce already exists in story board. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to study story board repeatedly.
I hope that you will take the initiative to find me, and we will make the image of the character come alive in face-to-face communication.
compared with visual images, words are extremely weak. I don't ask you to write biographies. I only ask you to think carefully in the following aspects and tell me your thoughts one by one.
A, what do you think of the relationship between the generation of a character's own personality and the environment that caused this generation? What do you think of reflecting this relationship?
B, how do you understand the relationship between people without conflict on the surface? Do you think that the shaping of your own image depends on the ups and downs of the relationship between the characters to some extent? How will you show these relationships?
C, as far as the content provided by story board is concerned, the whole play, every scene and every character have different secondary tasks and long-term tasks. What do you think of this? How are you going to reveal it after completing the concrete task?
D, you must not try to show the beauty or ugliness of the characters, whether it is kindness or ignorance, whether it is joy or pain, they are all normal lives, and they don't need to be shown particularly, especially not alone. You should use your eyes carefully, especially don't use your eyes to show the results.
what I mean can be summed up as follows: stress internal strength, stress connection, stress change and stress wholeness. Don't take people from the shape, but God takes them from the shape.
We are a young film crew with high enthusiasm, great drive and efficiency. Everyone collects firewood with high flame, and the previous work has achieved results. I hope all comrades can give suggestions and help to the director's work.
nice to cooperate with you. Thank you all.
April 6, 1984