Poster for "No Problems"
At the 53rd Taiwan Film Golden Horse Awards last year, the most enjoyable thing is the scene where Ma Sichun and Zhou Dongyu won the "Double Film Queen", compared with the "No Problem Problem", which won the best actor and the best adapted screenplay, was finally released after a year. After winning the award, this film has always had a release plan, but because of the theme of too "crepe crepe", it has encountered some "problems" in finding distribution for publicity that should not be used as a factor in judging a good movie.
As a screenwriter and education scholar, Mei Feng as a director did not take advantage of the boom in the film and television industry in these years to change to directing, the coincidence was to write a script about mr. Lao She written for the CCTV film channel, and finally failed to shoot because of financial problems, and the Beijing Film Academy encouraged teachers to make film practices, which led to such a project.
The movie "No Problem" is adapted from the writer Lao She's 1943 short story of the same name, set in a farm similar to "Xanadu" in Chongqing during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, with three characters with very different personalities but distinct angles as segments, aiming at the weakness of human nature, reflecting the cold state of the human society, the farm is the epitome of the workplace, but also the epitome of Chinese society at that time. The film vividly reflects the sense of proportion of Lao She's brushstrokes and the tragedy of the characters with a cold humor that is close to absurdity, with deep critical force, great charm, and full of literati temperament.
Director Mei Feng
Before making this movie, Mei Feng's role was not a director, he was Lou Ye's "gold medal screenwriter", "Can really shoot the film as a director, Mei Feng's work does not see the thick and colorful style of Lou Ye's film, but it is very smooth and harmonious and calm.
Talking about the aesthetic style of film, Mei Feng said, "In fact, I teach film history, so I am still a little interested in aesthetic traditions, that is, in today's era, you make a film that is close to classical aesthetics, but at the same time without losing its modernity, I want to try to do such a thing is possible." ”
The reason for choosing Lao She's work, on the one hand, is that it is one of the few novels that have not yet sold the adaptation copyright, on the other hand, Mei Feng sees Mr. Lao She's consideration and portrayal of "national nature" in it, "it seems to be ridicule, humorous irony and criticism, in fact, there is a greater worry hidden behind it." Although more than seventy years have passed, the characters in the novel are still very vivid, and it feels like you are all around you, and everyone can see their own shadow. ”
Fan Wei and Mei Feng were on the shooting scene
The final presentation of the film, black and white tones, minimalist classical, Mei Feng believes that this seemingly bold but reasonable attempt to meet the needs of the film itself, "the film thing still has to find a suitable for the theme itself, to give a suitable theme and form." What I've always thought of in my heart is a 1943 story, so use a more traditional and classical approach, aesthetically having the characteristics of the Chinese tradition. The film was shot from beginning to end in a single camera, and it used Cook lenses produced in the 1950s, "The current lens is too high-definition, and the picture with Cook will be softer, like shallow dipping in water." ”
"No Problem" has been labeled two times by the industry. One is called "New Academic Film", because the main creative staff of the film is mostly the teacher of the Film Academy; the other is called "New Literati Film", which adapts the film with orthodox literature, and the director conveys the thinking of intellectuals, which was also a fine tradition of Chinese cinema in the fourth and fifth generations of brilliant times. Mei Feng likes these two labels, and also feels that these two labels are quite meaningful for today's Chinese films.
Jiang Zhongwei played Li Sanming, and Wang Hanbang played You Daxing
【Dialogue】
The concern contained in Lao She's critique is a positive attitude
The Paper: You originally studied literature, Lao She is definitely a very important compulsory course in the study, after adapting his works, are there any new discoveries for Lao She?
Mei Feng: The original is just reading, just in the amount of reading, the outline of Lao She's life I only know is a rough idea, for example, in the early years was to study in the United Kingdom, returned to China for a period of time, and then went to the United States before 1949, and later joined the construction of new China, including the tragedy of life later, etc., is probably only known such a very simple clue, but this time for this film to do a lot of preparations, is to see a lot of Mr. Lao She at that time some of the situation, It seems that the understanding of his life is more complete, which is a big gain.
Speaking of the impression of the work, it turns out that he is the master who is almost the Nobel Prize in Literature, his observation of human suffering, this observation of human nature, and even the description of the life of the little people in the background of the times, I think it is quite emotional, this is probably how long the art work has been separated, you see it is still attractive reason. Another is to say that this work was chosen, also because it is different from Mr. Lao She's other works, and in the social background of the great War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, it began to consider China's national nature, and after observing, the questions raised I think are very positive and positive. His critical literature is like this, it seems that it is ridicule, humorous satire and criticism, but in fact, there is a greater worry behind it, and this worry I think is a very positive attitude in my bones, you ask the question, you know what to do.
Stills from "No Problem"
The Paper: As mentioned in previous exchanges, the adaptation rights of Mr. Lao She's works have been sold almost, and this one has never been sold. From a professional screenwriter's point of view, why don't you think everyone chose it, is it a little difficult, or is it actually not very in line with the rules of adaptation?
Mei Feng: Yes, it is too difficult, it is not easy to change, it is not large, the characters are very small, it is difficult to support the structure of a movie. In fact, relatively speaking, the film's requirements for structure are quite high, and it must have a very complete narrative structure. But relatively speaking, the space is also quite large, depending on how you play.
The Paper: Then there are very core such as human feelings and sophistication in this film, as a screenwriter, what is your observation habit of this kind of human sophistication in your daily life?
Mei Feng: I think the task of art or literature is to express people, then it naturally brings social relations, ethical relations in a scenario to investigate, in real life with such a vision to form a psychological hint, constantly to experience, to experience between people and people, or their own sense of existence as a person, to experience some of its subtle things, I think these are as a more professional screenwriter daily compulsory courses.
Fan Wei plays Ding Wuyuan
The Paper: Many people can see themselves through movies, do you have any similarities with some aspects of some of the characters in it?
Mei Feng: I think at least from the surface of this feeling of dealing with people, I think I am also quite like Director Ding.
The Paper: Usually I also hope that I will not be offended on either side, and a bowl of water will be flat?
Mei Feng: Yes, I think this is the good side of Chinese culture, but you said that this good side, just like Mr. Lao She's sharpness and his profundity, this good side, what does it bring to the bad side, (for example) floating in personnel affairs, or virtual and snake, you have said a lot of beautiful things, but in fact you have not done anything. But I myself feel that when interacting with people, I try to communicate with people's comfortable feelings, but at the same time, I must do what I should do well.
From the exchange with the audience after the screening, I think the questions raised by this work are quite of immediate significance, people always say that this is a workplace story, saying that our company is like this, I think this is the meaning of the present, it can achieve this sense of being in the ground, that is, to give you the living reality.
Directing is a retro aesthetic experiment
The Paper: When you originally worked with director Lou Ye as a screenwriter, you went to create some stories yourself, but when you became a director, you actually adapted a story of someone else.
Mei Feng: I think that if I write a contemporary work for Lou Ye, then I can let Lou Ye shoot it. I write a contemporary story myself, not in another style. The reason for choosing Lao She is actually that I teach film history, and I am still a little interested in aesthetic traditions. In today's day and age, is it possible for you to do something that is close to classical aesthetics, but at the same time it does not lose its modernity? It's challenging.
Yin Tao plays Mrs. You
The Paper: So this is more like thinking about and practicing your hands as a teacher, and want to practice the direction of your own professor?
Mei Feng: Yes, it is also an aesthetic discussion, which may be an art medium and art form in the larger sense of our film. When we do research or do film history, we probably regard film as a medium, an art type, and we will not give priority to saying that movies are entertainment, cultural products, and the attributes are commercial, and we probably do not tend to tend to the point of observation and intervention mentioned later.
The Paper: Everyone's impression of you is Lou Ye's royal screenwriter, and you have only been working with this one director, but when it comes to filming, I feel that Director Lou Ye has no influence on your style. So why do you only work with Lou Ye all the time?
Mei Feng: It's also a karmic meeting. It is that the two people from the beginning of the acquaintance, do the first work to the present, in the communication is also very comfortable, and then Lou Ye is not the kind of person who is very strong, saying that you can't write this, you have to change it according to this. He gave me a lot of room to play. I still see my professional identity as a teacher, and screenwriters just do something by themselves. I think I can do it in this style like Lou Ye, and others will feel different from what they want, so basically no one else comes to me to write the screenplay. So I didn't want to develop myself on the road to a professional screenwriter.
Wang Zitong plays Tong Yifang, and Zhang Chao plays Qin Miaozhai
"New Academic" and "New Literati" films
The Paper: The film is divided into three acts, it seems to revolve around different characters, the camera style has also changed, the second shot will be more shaky, holding more, what kind of consideration is this?
Mei Feng: There is indeed a difference. First of all, director Ding's part, this character is in a state of being able to control the situation, but there is a little bit of unstable wind sound, so the overall is relatively flat, and there are more fixed shots. Then Qin Miaozhai partly moved, and the scenery was enriched, because he was the intruder of the whole story, the person who brought the problem, and broke the balance of Director Ding in the past. The third part, You Daxing, here, does not have a shaking shot, and the visuals are also dark, and they are all chosen to shoot at sunset, because the whole has to sink, very faithfully restoring the tragedy of this character in the novel. ”
The Paper: Many of the main creators in this film are film school teachers, how is the difference between such a group of people making films together and the staff in the film industry system?
Mei Feng: I don't know about the industrial system, I have been a teacher for so many years. Our own team, I think the efficiency is very high, they are young and strong people in their respective professional fields, just in the state of doing things for the right year, there are clear concepts and ideas in aesthetics, the tacit understanding of cooperation is relatively high, and they can also take a lot of time to prepare for this movie in the early stage. For two or three months, I have been talking about what kind of lens language to use to tell this story, including the costume styling, how to restore these scenes of daily life, and make a characteristic movie. As far as I know myself, it is not uncommon for creators to take such a long time to communicate and prepare before the movie starts. Everyone is in the front line of teaching, so there will be more tacit understanding of some aesthetic aesthetic interests of the film.
The Paper: Speaking of the aesthetic part of the film, choosing a black-and-white tone, that kind of dramatic exposure, a very neat structure in three acts, do you feel that it meets the needs of the background of this era, or is your personal film aesthetic interest more inclined to this genre?
Mei Feng: Of course, you can't give priority to rendering your own personal interests, but the film thing still has to find a theme that suits the theme itself, and gives it a theme and form that suits it. I always think that it is a 1943 story, so I will use that set of more traditional and classical methods that have the characteristics of the Chinese tradition in aesthetics.
The Paper: Like this time, we noticed that there are two references to the film, one says "new literati film" and the other says "new academic film", what do you think of these two concepts?
Mei Feng: I can accept both of these formulations. From the "new literati movie", then the past movie, you remove the new, what is that? It may be that for example, "Spring in a Small Town", all the sets of Kunlun Company in the 1940s, such as the earlier "Cross Street" and "Road Angel", like Wu Yonggang's "Goddess", are more intellectual, and the large number of literary adaptations in New China are all with a little intellectual temperament in it, or people with this background and identity of intellectuals are involved in the film industry, which is actually a good tradition of Chinese cinema, that is the tradition of literati films. So is it impossible to do such a thing today? Let's hold a perspective of doing a little bit of dialogue with the Chinese aesthetic tradition, is it possible to do such a thing today? I asked Lou Ye to come to the film school to watch the first one, and when I did that media screening, Lou Ye looked at it and said that this was also a new literati movie, and the label seemed to come from here.
The new academic school is also a truth, the academic school is from the 1980s, the fourth generation of directors, that is, the fifth generation of teachers, Zheng Dongtian, Xie Fei, Zhang Nunxin teachers, they are engaged in teaching, while engaged in creation. Their creations at that time, such as "Youth Festival", "Neighbor", and later "Ben Ming Nian" and "Fragrant Soul Girl", were all works that had a major impact on The aesthetics of Chinese films, so what we saw in the 1980s was that the directors with the background of film school teachers formed a directional coordinate of Chinese film aesthetics with their own practices and creations and theories.
Then today's film academy, put forward the "new academic school", there are xue Xiaolu teachers, Cao Baoping teachers, there are their works slowly influencing. In today's market industry, as a professional teacher, whether the creation has their aesthetic representation, or aesthetically try to do some new discoveries and new explorations.
The Paper: What kind of achievements will this experience of being a director gain from teaching this piece in the future?
Mei Feng: For example, if you are in teaching, you will share more of the feelings obtained from practical experience with the students, such as how about a play, it is very concise when writing the script, don't drag mud and water, don't pile up any important information that is not important, I am afraid that the audience will not understand, in fact, the audience is smart. Sometimes I may think too much, I am worried about the audience, I am worried about the audience, it seems like a little problem, this is actually a very strong feeling for me this film.
The other is that if you are interested in becoming a director, then how do you communicate with the main creator, such as the work with the actors, the work with the photographer and the art, and even the work with the composer, how do you coordinate, how to stimulate the creators of these different departments to what you want, this requires skill and communication, you can't say "I want this, you do it" like assigning a task. There's something in this process that stimulates creativity with each other. These may be more vivid things to tell students after filming.
The Paper: This movie has been on the list of "coming soon" since March but has been delayed until the end of the year, what is the process of waiting for the release?
Mei Feng: The timetables published online are their own speculations, and in fact, I am afraid that the producers may have to communicate with Xuanfa and how to make the film better. But as a director, as soon as my work is over, I will be handed over to the Youth Film Studio to communicate, and maybe I am waiting for a better time. Of course, the mood of looking forward to the release is very urgent, so when it was announced that it would be released on November 21, I think this is also a particularly happy thing, because finally paying so much, this work finally got the opportunity to be seen in the market, which is the happiest thing.