By Eric Hynes
Translator: Issac
Proofreading: Easy two three
Source: Reverse Shot (October 23, 2015)
Hou Xiaoxian has been making feature films for thirty-five years, and if you think you know what Hou Xiaoxian's films will bring, it's understandable. However, despite the plethora of superb long shots in Hou Xiaoxian's highly anticipated martial arts film "The Assassin Nie Yinniang" (hou Xiaoxian won the Best Director Award at this year's Cannes Film Festival), these long shots are in stark contrast to the shocking fast-paced fight scenes, both in terms of the speed of editing and the simplicity of the scenes.
"Assassin Nie Yinniang"
The rhythm of Hou Xiaoxian's film is different from his other films, one moment fast, one moment slow. When he was at the film's screening at the New York Film Festival, I tried to ask Hou the meaning behind the shape and rhythm, and in addition to talking about the film's subversive sense of balance and stillness in form and philosophy, he was more willing to talk about the practicality of production and post-production.
Although the following exchanges prove that even when insisting on the logistical arrangements of filming and directing, Hou Xiaoxian's combination of pre-planning and improvisation cannot refute the view that "balance is essential to his art".
Interviewer: I was stunned by the ending of the movie because it didn't actually have an ending. It's something that runs through the narrative and seems to be more about balance, stagnation, and détente than triumph, revenge, or catharsis.
Hou Xiaoxian: When I was preparing for the film, I didn't think about creating a world like what you described. My main task is, I want it to be as real as possible. So what I shot on set was probably different from what I did in the editing room. During the editing process, the information may even change a little. So for me, from the script to the shooting, then the real story takes place in the editing room. That's what you see on the silver screen.
Reporter: Did you know when you were shooting that things wouldn't really take shape until you started editing?
Hou Xiaoxian: When I shot according to the script, I was very confident that what I shot on the set would be very similar to the final film. But at the end of the day, the story really develops at the time of editing. I could retell the story in a completely different way. So for me, being at the end of the matter is really exciting. I might think it's very precise and it's shot very successful.
Or I might think it's wrong that actors aren't doing what I need them to do. But this is chosen by the clip. So I'm not going to think about what the last shot will be, and you think that's the essence of the movie. It's not as macro as you think. That's how I ended editing the movie.
Reporter: Do you always shoot with two cameras?
Hou Xiaoxian: Yes.
Reporter: Did you do this to maximize your editing options?
Reporter: You took a lot of long shots, and this is your best play. Have you ever thought that one particular shot would render as a long shot, and for another shot you might use a clip – and therefore a second camera?
Hou Xiaoxian: The camera is set up in such a way that Li Pingbin first looks at the surrounding environment, puts the camera in, and sets the lights. We don't talk much about what this shot is. I'll just go and see it and say it works for me. We've worked together for so many years and now we have understanding and trust. Then, once the parameters are set, sometimes a scene can be shot for several days.
If it doesn't feel right, we keep shooting until it's right. The second camera is not always used. There's no conversation about what Camera 1 and Camera 2 are shooting. Sometimes they can shoot two completely different things. We rarely use a second camera unless the scene is completely chaotic and we need to cut the camera position. But I don't remember that we needed to do that in this movie. These were just shot from one camera.
Reporter: They also seem to be considered to have been shot on camera.
Hou Xiaoxian: Yes. Because of this, the actors did not rehearse. When they rehearse, there is a limit to how far the performance can go. I just let them feel the scene until the end. So there is no time limit on the site. There is only one shot, one scene.
Reporter: However, in "The Assassin Nie Yinniang", when the fight scene takes place, suddenly there is a faster-paced editing. After shooting so many long shots, a series of actions quickly ended, bringing us back to those long shots. How do you conceive of the rhythm of these scenes?
Hou Xiaoxian: The reason why those fight scenes use fast editing — especially the scenes of the two female protagonists — is because they are not very skilled in the fight scenes. So I need to break it down into what they can do. We'll shoot something, practice, come back and shoot the next part, practice, and come back and shoot the next part. If they had played better, I would have definitely opted for long shots.
But logically, it's impossible because these women's bodies can't do what I want them to do. So these clips that you see in the movie are more of a necessary decision than a tactical one. Especially Zhou Yun, who wears a mask; whenever she shoots a scene, she is more or less injured, and then she will go back to Beijing to heal. So we'll have to wait for her to come back, and it's going to be a long shoot. For this film, it is impossible to shoot the scene with only one shot.
Reporter: But in the end, I really liked the rhythm of these scenes and long shots. Do you end up seeing it as an advantage, even if it's out of necessity that you're building?
Hou Xiaoxian: Because I knew it was impossible to shoot these scenes in one shot, because they were fighting, I knew that there should be editing there — I always knew which parts would be cut out and which wouldn't. I'd be impressed if they could get to the end – for me, it would have been a better experience. But that's not possible unless they spend a year practicing and become part of their blood. Nor do they look like chivalrous men.
After all, they are all actresses. Shu Qi, for example, when she was filming these fight scenes, she could not hide her facial expressions. She would react like a normal person. So I did facial management with her. Basically I said, "Can you please stop making a grimace?" You don't act like an assassin at all when you do that." So there are always some small things. That's why quick editing is indispensable for these sequences.
We started this scene a few times. In fact, we shot the penultimate scene in one place, but it was completely useless. So it wasn't until we went to Inner Mongolia that it came in handy. It took some time. Hence these quick clips.
Reporter: This is not the first time you have worked with Shu Qi, nor is it the first time that she has appeared relatively quietly in your movie. Is this inherent in your collaboration, or is it inherent in what you want to see from her, or inherent in every project and every clip?
Hou Xiaoxian: In the script, there is not much dialogue. The longest conversation was her mother's description of her past. But even so, she didn't talk much. So there's nothing to say about looking at her from the way it's already been written. But the story takes place in the Tang Dynasty, when people's spoken language was so special that she probably couldn't speak that way.
I don't want her to exaggerate too much, and she has a Taiwanese accent... These are all things I don't want to deal with. So I silenced her as much as I could. That's her range of abilities, so that's what I want her to do.
Reporter: This is another situation where major decisions are made out of necessity. The actual decisions you make have an impact on the experience of watching a movie.
Hou Xiaoxian: All my films are basically done this way. And as I was editing, I thought, "I don't know what I did." I won't watch it again until someone describes it and says it's something else, and I think I did make a movie like this. A lot of times I don't understand what people are saying until after the fact. Regardless of size, experience is always based on necessity.