Why do we want to learn about these female filmmakers?
This is an era when we always talk about "women" from time to time and see them in our writings. She will become a hot topic of discussion, and there must be some inevitable factor in it. So when my colleagues in the Basha film group proposed the theme of "female power" among filmmakers, I was unconsciously ignited in my heart.
One of the most important qualities of feminine power that Harper's Bazaar has been promoting for years is chi beauty.
Beauty is to make people beautiful, this thing is what we are best at doing, but now it is no longer the first thing we pursue, because in the era of personalization, everyone's perception of beauty is different, and beauty is becoming more and more without a unified standard.
And "wisdom", before "beauty", why? Because we attach great importance to the spiritual world of women, the power that spirit brings to people is very far-reaching.
"Female filmmakers" - when we put forward these five words, the first thing we think of is not mostly: they are very hard, very tired, dusty servants, wind and food and sleeping... In fact, from my own experience, I know a lot of women in this industry, who are behind the scenes, but there is no lack of independent detachment. They are tired, but they are full of love for their profession, they are beautiful, full of energy and wisdom.
In my opinion, every female filmmaker is influencing this society with her own works, and indirectly promoting women to find their own positions in this society more and more clearly and strive for their own rights and interests.
Female producers, screenwriters, directors, cinematographers, editors, art directors, styling directors, director assistants, field notes, makeup artists... Every woman in the film industry has a great place. As a media person, I realized that I should let their journey be known to more people. Before they become successful filmmakers, they are first and foremost people with wonderful stories. These stories bring us more of an inspiration. Their tolerance, love, tenacity and love of life are particularly dazzling.
Many people still have some established views on accomplished women, thinking that they must be very strong, everything can be handled well, even if there is a painful side, it will not be seen, will hide the vulnerability, it is easy to let people have a sense of distance. In fact, each of them has their own softness and cuteness.
Under the aura, they have a true story that is different from each person. These "realities" will be an inspiration to each of us. Any role model or goal may seem lofty, but are we sure we want to become another "she"? No. Everyone is unique and has their own barriers to break through.
You can see from their stories how they got through these difficulties. At every moment when we feel that "there is really no way to break through", as long as we insist on it, we can do it. This is a great encouragement.
When we talk about "female filmmakers", in fact we are not talking about the differences between one gender, we are talking about the differences of each individual. The premise of becoming an ideal woman must first be an ideal person.
I hope that people who see this issue can find their beliefs and directions in it.
Whether in life or at work, what is the most important thing for you? Do you choose a career to please the eyes of others, or is it really to meet your own needs to realize value? What is the purpose of persistence? Only when we truly know the answers to these questions in our hearts can we go down this long bumpy road without fear of any ups and downs and joys.
——Sha Xiaoli, executive publisher and editor-in-chief of Harper's Bazaar
Her professional attributes in the film industry can be concisely and clearly divided into two: one is an investor, and the other is a screenwriter. Both identities, the prudence and sensitivity required, are both trials of her and the only way for her to constantly strengthen the uniqueness of her existence.
Black belt coat YOUWEI
Black heels Stuart Weitzman
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Full acceptance that "bad luck is the norm"
"If you look at the Chosin Lake Water gate Bridge, up to now, 46% of the people who bought tickets are men and 54% are women. It's still a war movie. Han Jianu picked up the mobile phone at hand, opened the ticketing APP, and gave an answer with facts - at that time, we were talking about the topic of "what women can bring to the film industry", and the answer she blurted out was not from the perspective of the creator and the trader, but from the perspective of the audience. In her long-term observation, the weight of female audiences on the film, in addition to the level of ticket purchase orientation, there is also word of mouth: "Basically now I think (the film) word of mouth is in the hands of women, willing to express their position is more women..." She will consciously extend her thinking downwards: "Is it that girls will feel that they have spent this money, and they have to ask for an explanation?" On the other hand, it is also a responsible performance - for yourself, for your own time, I think it is also responsible for the filmmaker: 'I watched your movie, I want to give you a feedback.' I think it's good to give you an encouragement; I think it's bad, and you don't shoot it next time. Then we are a little confused: Aren't men more willing to express their opinions on something" They seem to have forgotten after watching [a movie], doing their own other things, playing games. "The Han family girl has a quick mind, a light voice, and receives it when she clicks, and rarely sees redundant words." Talking to her also has to be concentrated all the time, a little slackness may cause the conversation to stop suddenly, but this does not mean that she has any "aggressive" momentum, no, she is just awake almost instinctive.
Black corset Youwei black heels Stuart Weitzman
The reason why I will take the lead in thinking from the perspective of the audience under such a topic is because of the deep "service mentality" in the consciousness of the Han family women: "Filmmakers make movies, first of all, to serve the audience, and secondly, to express their satisfaction." ”
She compared "drama": "In the capital market, the drama will not be directly facing the audience, and there is a platform in the middle; but the film is different, the original is only a ticket selling agency, the schedule may have some impact on the box office, but it is not enough to become such a strong existence of the platform, so it can be seen that there is no middleman, the film is directly facing the consumer, and the judgment of good or bad is all in the audience." "For a film to be more acceptable to the audience, it needs to know what the audience likes... If you don't follow the rules, you'll fall badly. The Han family daughter thought clearly. Therefore, the influence of the "female audience" in her consciousness cannot be underestimated. 2018 is a small explosive year in the career of Han family women. In July of that year, she participated in the screenwriting of the film "I Am Not a Medicine God" was released, and finally achieved a box office of more than 3 billion yuan and a remarkable reputation. In November, in another "dark horse" work that broke through the siege, "The Unknown Generation", her identity became one of the producers and producers.
Posters for "I Am Not a Medicine God" and "The Unknown Generation"
In the following years, she has successively handed over films such as "Anti-Riot" and "Antiques Bureau Central Bureau", and there are still several film and television works in the post-creation and pending state, and her main screenwriters and works such as "Sunshine Pier" and "Stolen Time" have also entered the preparatory shooting stage. Her family is also a film practitioner, and even if the Han family daughter has no intention of paying attention since she was a child, the reality and rules she has learned are not untold. So at present, it seems that she can quickly get started and even flourish, probably because of the "wayward capital" that she naturally has, but she does not know that the status quo is the same step by step for the Han family daughter who is involved in it. This can be seen in the reason why she did not concentrate on being a screenwriter and also be a film producer: "Just being a screenwriter, what if there is no work one day?" You have to survive. When it comes to investing in movies, the advice given to her by "parents" is concise – "be cautious" and "this industry is too difficult." The road after that is han's daughter's own, she has to walk alone. In the past few years since entering the industry, she has seen some small and medium-sized film and television companies "dragged down by a drama" and "said that it is gone", and her expectations and requirements for herself are only "able to maintain" and "can be leveled". As a "post-85", the most intense temperament of the Han family girl who is playing in the year of fighting is reality and stability. "There is no time for the film and television industry to have a smooth sailing. You accept that a project will always be bad in the process of moving forward, just calm down. In this way, when you encounter something that is not going well, you will not say that you can't figure it out, and then you will tangle with yourself and make yourself particularly depressed, because it is the norm that it is not smooth. "She always seems to have a scale in her heart.
White coat FENDI
Not pursuing "inexplicable power"
The other side of han's female professional identity, which contrasts with investors, is the screenwriter who writes tirelessly. In November 2020, Alibaba Pictures announced a list of films to be filmed at a film content strategy conference called "A Little Interesting", and a film work called "Sunshine Pier" was among them. This is a work that Han And her team have been researching, interviewing, creating and revising for more than three years – based on the real-life founder of "Wan Chai Pier", Ms. Zang Jianhe. "I can see in her that I can never do it, where she is above myself... She can make a career in the face of adversity, which is much harder than doing it in a smooth sailing. "The heart of 'Sunshine Pier' came shortly after the release of 'I Am Not a Medicine God'. After the Han family daughter read Ms. Zang's story, she quickly contacted her family. Although she was unable to see the real person due to the physical reasons of the other party, after perusing Ms. Zang's autobiography and several rounds of interviews and conversations with her relatives and partners, Han Jianu still completed the script creation based on reality. Han's daughter doesn't overemphasize the gender traits of this outstanding woman: "Even if she is replaced by a man, I think it is worth writing." "Han's daughter believes that it was Ms. Zang's personality that determined her later fate." She couldn't stand the slightest grievance. "A detail that impressed the Han family daughter very much in the material collection stage." As a mainlander working in Hong Kong in the late 1970s, she had no legal status and did not speak English or Cantonese. At that time, her landlord advised her: If you don't receive the relief fund, the relief fund in Hong Kong is very high, you raise your two daughters, and you have no problem feeding yourself. She didn't take it, which few men and women can do—because she feels ashamed. She felt insulted to survive like that. Then if you can't stand this, you have to pay more for yourself, you have to succeed. This ability to be both strong and capable of supporting oneself "to be strong" is admired by the Han family women. The completion of the script is only the first step in a film's journey. The next decision made by Han Jianu was to change her identity and help her work get started as a "producer". In choosing a director to cooperate with, he once encountered a dilemma: "It is not appropriate for the director to choose and choose." "I've also had meetings with a couple of directors— male directors— and to be honest men aren't too good at getting the character... To put it simply, they always want to add some emotional lines to her, hoping that this woman will circle around men..." At such a moment in the meeting, the Han family girl clearly realized at that moment, "I am distracted." She said "Oh..." and thought to herself, "I can't cooperate anymore." "In fact, there are not so many male creators I work with, because the entry time is still short, I think it is quite chatty to communicate, but when it comes to the problem of creation, how their thinking is still like this, it is really a headache." Maybe they don't realize the fact that you're not that important. ”
Stitched long coat JUMPER ZHANG
She has no intention of erecting a high wall between genders, black and white, but the germination of "female consciousness" in the social context is indeed an indisputable reality, although there are still many chaos and discussions, and the transition from social issues to literary and artistic works will certainly take a long road to deal with, but her keen awareness has been reminding: "The change of reality needs good works of art to accelerate." "In 2021, the director of "Sunshine Pier" has finally determined that the flowers will fall into Yin Ruoxin. She is the same age as the Han family daughter, has a daughter, and works endlessly, and when the film masterpiece "My Sister" was released, it triggered a hot discussion about whether the girl should give up her life for her brother. The Han family chose to give this story to Yin Ruoxin for a simple reason: "After talking a few times, the way is very right, then cooperate." Then Han Jiayi once again changed her identity in a project - returning to the screenwriting position and accompanying the director to change the script. The finished manuscript is too long and needs to be compressed, and some scenes need to be finely adjusted. Yin Ruoxin will give revision prompts in the word document, and Han Jianu receives the manuscript and modifies them one by one. "The director has an absolute say in this project, and I listen to her for all the changes." Han Jianu felt comfortable and convinced: "Yin Ruoxin's good thing is that her comments will tell you what the atmosphere of this play should be changed - from positive to negative or from negative to positive - what is the reason." As a screenwriter, I feel very respectful and recognized. She is very patient and will not make you feel that she is pursuing some inexplicable power in the process of cooperation. This gesture is indeed quite similar to that of the Han family woman herself: what she says has a true meaning, and what she does is not vain. After four or five years of crawling in this industry of many changes and frequent flowers, han family women are becoming more and more aware of their immediate goal - "to make a movie with good social response every year", which is not an easy task. Those ethereal ideals, the self-expression that spewed out, she preferred to put in the back. "When the career is a little more decent, I think there will be some idealistic ideas. It's still in this environment, let's maintain it. She "doesn't want to pop up so quickly" and "everyone just has to like the work." I can hide in the back, I can hide in the back. ”
Black corset YOUWEIBAZAAR: Which of the two identities of investor and screenwriter do you prefer? Han Jianu: Screenwriter. In recent years, I have also given more to screenwriters in terms of time allocation, after all, it is my profession. But it's true that I'm a little different from my peers, and my need for self-expression is not so high, because if the desire for self-expression is too strong, it will go astray. BAZAAR: In the "Sunshine Pier" project, the director asked you to delete the scene, are you really willing to do it? Han Jianu: If the length is too long, it is necessary to delete. Now that everyone has a lot of entertainment, the tolerance for the length of the movie is decreasing year by year. I, as an investor, also have to consider the length, if you have 50% or 60% of the material shot and can't cut the film, do you spend that money? When it comes to draining, you talk to the theater, a 100-minute film and a 150-minute film, people are definitely willing to queue short. In the absence of significant differences in other conditions, the investment risk is too great, and you must have the ability to make this trade-off, even if it is your own work. BAZAAR: You don't want to protect your work? Han Family Girl: You protect to protect, and in the end no one wants to cooperate with you. Movies are a work of art, that's for sure, but if it's a commodity attribute that's going to be put on the table right now, you have to make it profitable, or it's a failure. BAZAAR: What are your principles when making investment decisions? Han Jianu: I will look at the value for money. The most valuable thing in a project is people, whether they can achieve things, and how good the level of things can be achieved, mainly depends on people. The premise of my investment will mainly look at who is the person in this group of plates, and then look at who has the biggest voice in this project. BAZAAR: In your observation, what is the main difference between men and women in the Current Chinese film industry? Or does some kind of difference really exist? Han Jianu: On the surface, the projects I've worked on —including those that haven't been formed yet and are already being done—I think the male and female staff is half and half. My real feeling is the difference between men and women, and the most obvious manifestation is the story that is finally made in the film from a female perspective or a male perspective - that is, the core characters are male or female. But in the industrial operation during the shooting process, there is not much difference between men and women. It is that the equality of men and women in this industry is better than other industries, and it is not much better. The difference is mainly in the subject matter, and the theme of the existing more reliable script is still basically male-dominated. The theme of the story related to women is still confined to the fact that the female identity is a man's mother, wife or girlfriend, and her task is still around the man. We can't seem to shape a heroine in the same way that we can shape a male protagonist.
BAZAAR: How do you think it's appropriate to present a "female perspective"? Han family women: "neutral" is the most balanced, girls also feel comfortable, men do not object. The so-called "neutral" means not to overemphasize your gender identity, do not put yourself in the position of a weak person, and do not dwarf yourself in gender. BAZAAR: When you choose a project, do you pay special attention to doing more women-themed creations? Han Jianu: Actually, no, because a project looks interesting to us, it is not easy. Of course, if there are works by female creators, I do think about taking care of them. In a previous film and television project, I also chose a young female director who did not seem to be so experienced, but had a strong creative passion. BAZAAR: In your mind, intimacy or career, which is more important? Han Family Girl: Of course, career is important, if you don't fall in love, you won't starve to death, but if you don't have a job, you will starve and "die".
Photography / Zhang Yue
Planning / Ge Haichen Interview & Writing / Lv Yanni Co-ordinator / Li Haojia Image / Wang Defu Han Family Women's Makeup Hair / Liu Shanshan Liang Lin Makeup / He Lei Ma Li Makeup / Tang Zi Xin Ma Li Hairstyle / He Zhiguo Zhang Final Makeup Hair / Matt Clothing Assistant / Jiang Yao Typography / Yuer