Recently, an animated short film of the same name based on science fiction writer Liu Cixin's work "ShiYun" was released online. Many viewers were impressed by the hollowed-out earth, the "paradise" that raised human beings, and the "poetry cloud" that were very different from reality.
From the text to the picture, it is Deng Zuoming, the post-90s film concept designer of Sanshui, who completed this transformation with design. In the past 5 years of film art work, Deng Zuoming has cooperated with famous directors and writers such as Guan Hu and Liu Cixin to participate in the art creation of many film and television works. He is like Ma Liang, the magic pen behind the scenes of film and television, implementing the screenwriter's script or the initial idea in the director's mind into a picture, and finally presenting it on the big screen. He said the trip was hard, but well worth it.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="3" > draws design inspiration from traditional Chinese culture</h1>
"Shi Yun" took Deng Zuoming a lot of thought. He said the tone of the novel is "romantic in science fiction" and full of Chinese flavor. Many of the inspirations he designed when designing the concept of scenes in the short film were derived from traditional Chinese culture.
Concept map of the park scene designed by Deng Zuoming for the short film "Shi Yun". Courtesy of respondents
Among them, as a scientific and technological product, the far-range appearance of the spacecraft refers to the "spear" of ancient China. The attack scene of the spaceship fleet that should have been fierce and hot, he did the opposite, using Chinese calligraphy and ink painting, with black and white silhouettes, like the movement effect of splashing ink, creating a romantic visual mood in the sense of science and technology, so that the film and television effect of the short film is closer to the tone of the novel.
Find references from the real world, and then use imagination to carry out artistic processing, and implement the scenes in the script or the preliminary ideas in the director's mind as pictures, and thus become the scene reference of the film from pre-preparation to post-production. This is the main content of Deng Zuoming's work.
Concept drawing designed by Deng Zuoming for the short film "Poetry Cloud". Courtesy of respondents
In January 2010, "Avatar" was released in China, and the exquisite visuals impressed Deng Zuoming in front of the screen and gave him the first time about the profession of concept designer behind the scenes of the film. Since then, he has devoted more of his spare time to understanding and learning film conceptual design related skills.
In 2016, Deng Zuoming entered the film industry across industries, from the initial design of film concept maps, to now slowly participate in the pre-kan scenery, real scene construction, props display, landing execution and other processes, he has been making progress. In the past 5 years, he has cooperated with directors and screenwriters such as Guan Hu and Wang Shuo, and participated in the visual design of many film and television projects, including costumes, wars, science fiction and other film and television genres.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="39" > the sense of accomplishment that comes with his creation has always insisted</h1>
"It's not like working, it's more like playing." Recalling the first time I joined the group to participate in the design of the film concept, Deng Zuoming described it this way. Before that, he was very nervous about cross-industry employment, "and looking forward to it, and afraid of messing things up."
Deng Zuoming was born in 1991 and studied graphic design in college. In 2016, Deng Zuoming had graduated and returned to Sanshui to become an art teacher. By chance, he was introduced by a friend to the opportunity to participate in the design of the film concept for the first time.
By the time the group was joined, the conceptual design team for the project had already entered the late stage of revision of the proposal. Deng Zuoming was responsible for modifying the plan for one of the scenes, but after getting the plan, he found that designing from other angles would achieve better results. Despite his fledgling, he offered his opinion. In the end, his proposed changes were affirmed and implemented. "It gave me confidence that I could still do it." Deng Zuoming said with a smile.
Deng Zuoming and team members are setting up the shooting scene. Courtesy of respondents
Later, due to various reasons, the film project was terminated halfway, and Deng Zuoming failed to see the designed scene appear on the screen, but the sense of acquisition of the creative process fascinated him, and he decided to enter the industry and has persisted to this day. In his opinion, each new design project is a new exploration and creation, like the magic pen Ma Liang, let the scenes in the script move in the film, which makes him full of achievement.
But the process is not easy. "Every time I enter the group, it's stressful." Deng Zuoming said that now, he has begun to serve as an associate artist position in some film and television projects, responsible for coordinating the conceptual design of the film art part and the implementation of scene props.
There is more to be coordinated and more responsibility on the shoulders. At one point, he took over a film and television project that required more than 100 scenes. According to the filming schedule, Deng Zuoming needs to lead the team to lay out an average of two or three scenes a day. "Especially rushed, the phone didn't stop." And such a situation is just common in Deng Zuoming's work.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="40" > wanted to shoot original works filmed in Sanshui</h1>
The longer he worked on film art and concept design, the more Deng Zuoming felt that the knowledge inside was rich. In the past, he focused on letting go of his imagination, and now, he has learned to "collect".
"To design a prop and scene, there are too many things that need to be accumulated." Deng Zuoming said that concept designers must not only have a rich imagination, but also test their mastery of history, architecture, clothing and other aspects of knowledge, as well as a comprehensive grasp of structure, perspective, light and shadow, color, atmosphere, and mirror movement. Only when we grasp it accurately can we land our imagination in the film, "the more realistic the subject matter, the more we must 'collect' it back and return to life."
Deng Zuoming and his team built a film and television shooting scene based on the concept design drawing. Courtesy of respondents
Today, when starting a new project, Deng Zuoming will conduct a large number of data searches in related fields, which takes even longer than the design process. Not long ago, Deng Zuoming just completed the art design of a anti-war film project, which involves life in China in the 1940s and 1950s. When designing the concept, as large as a street set and as small as a cup, Deng Zuoming and his team members strictly refer to history for artistic refinement, so that the film has a more realistic visual effect.
"It's an infinite learning process." Deng Zuoming said that every time he comes into contact with a new field, he will feel that the experience of life is richer and he can get new growth.
Immersed in the dream factory of movies for a long time, Deng Zuoming also hopes to be a director or creator in the future, and can make original film and television works. "There's a lot to make up." Taking advantage of the break from vacation, Deng Zuoming tried to write his own script and explore more possibilities.
As a native of Sanshui, Deng Zuoming always marvels at the strong sense of cinematic atmosphere here every time he hangs out on the Beijiang Embankment and the Old Street in the Southwest. He hopes that one day, he will be able to shoot his original works in his hometown. "We must arrange the north river and the old street." Deng Zuoming said.
Deng Zuoming was drawing a design in front of a computer. Courtesy of respondents
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="42" > biography</h1>
Deng Zuoming, born in Sanshui in 1991, is now a film art and film concept designer, participating in the creation and shooting of many film and television works, and has cooperated with famous directors, screenwriters and writers such as Guan Hu and Wang Shuo.
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="43" > character dialogue</h1>
<h1 class="pgc-h-arrow-right" data-track="41" > enjoy the process of learning and creating</h1>
Reporter: Why do you like the film art industry?
Deng Zuoming: Every time you start a new project, you have to learn a lot of new knowledge, and you will also "create" a new world, every time you are growing, and every time you have a different harvest. I love the sense of accomplishment in the process of continuous learning and creativity.
Reporter: What are the career plans and goals in the future?
Deng Zuoming: Continue to do this line. It's an infinite learning process, and there's a lot more to make up. Of course, I hope that in the future, I can also create my own original film and television works, and then I must return to Sanshui to shoot, where the riverside and old streets are very feeling, and I will definitely be able to shoot good works!
Reporter: Do you have any advice for young people who like to paint and want to enter the film art industry?
Deng Zuoming: If you like it, go do it, this line is very hard, but it is worth it! Of course, it is recommended that young people practice the basic skills of painting, and control the temperament, structure, color, light and shadow, atmosphere, etc. of the picture to determine whether you can design a good scene.
Text/Foshan Daily reporter Huang Miaozhe