Choose 2 of the workshop activities

#1. Research Presentation

In week 4, I did a quite meaningful research project on different techniques that directors use working with actors. First and foremost, I thought directly of one of the short films in Block Buster, “Hello Beijing.” It is a comedy, and I’ve watched it many times, and each time I’m struck by the super-naturalness of the actors and the simplicity of their performances. In the course of my research, I was surprised to find that he is a comedy director who focuses on black humor. On top of that, when casting young actors, he adheres to the qualities he emphasizes: being local, having local confidence, being contemporary, and having a personal touch. It should also be contemporary, as well as personal, creative, and interesting. For instance, when director Ning Hao did the audition for the young actor, he was attracted by Wang Dong’s temperament and accent directly, which was suitable for the character he need. Even though he has no experience in acting. Ning Hao did not make any rules or restrictions on Wang Dong. That led Wang Dong to be provided with enough freedom to show in his space. The final performance presented in the film is quite natural and received unanimous praise.

This sparked some reflection for me, and I have to say that usually when I’m casting actors for my films, I’m most concerned with how familiar I am with the actors, as I’ve indicated before I’m an extreme introvert, and even have some social fears. I habitually pick friends or family members that I have known for a long time. It’s probably so I feel safe and there’s no pressure to communicate. Afterward, I realize that as a qualified director I must first step out of my comfort zone and broaden the scope of my casting. Secondly, I should respect the actors and their possible improvisation, like director Ning Hao, he is encouraging improvisation, which is unique, brilliant, and usable. Every actor has potential and talent, and it’s essential not to order the actors to follow my rhythm and ideas during the shoot.

From another aspect, in a previous interview, director Ning Hao said “I have never studied comedy, I only study the absurdity that exists in reality. I was deeply shocked and inspired by his statement because I am super addicted to comedy, and in my previous course, I had been trying to shoot comedy clips, even if they were only two minutes long, but I never achieved satisfactory results. While researching director Ning Hao, an epiphany came to my mind that humor is usually original and it is a way to improvise. Thus, this seemed to give me an understanding of how to convey comedic effects to the audience without being contrived or awkward, and that many comedic elements come from daily life.

Screenshot from my presentation slide

#2. Idea Generation

When I was doing idea generation activity, Sebastian asked us to write 20 story ideas while listening to various music. First touch, it was fascinating and I am the person who giving keen enjoyment to music vibe. After playing all music, I have only come up with 13 ideas and they were not polished, even just a few words. It was a little hard but I enjoyed it. It made me realize that music and plot, story ideas actually have an important role in each other. For example, when I hear music that is wild and uninhibited, it reminds me that the story has to show a kind of aggressive, hilarious and humanistic attitude. As a director, there needs to be enough creativity in generating the idea.

Additionally, inspiration is indispensable in the pre-work process of directing. When I listen to the song, a state of inspiration emerges depending on the rhythm of different types of vocal tones. Although when I’m listening to songs and writing ideas, there are moments when I get stuck, music still has contributed. This state usually occurs under a kind of unconscious thinking of a person, a sudden rise in emotion or thought. What I have gained is that the creativity of the director’s mind is always the priority and present from the conception of the script to the shooting of the short film and even to the post-production elements.

While on the other, why did I create this story idea? At the moment when the music ended, I had an epiphany that music not only becomes an integral part of the structure of the film work, but also participates in the plot, directly influencing the development of the plot, that is, in the telling of the story. I believe music has a certain emotion, and like other narrative elements of the film, it has a storytelling function, is part of the plot, and is an element that drives the development of the plot. It is necessary to reflected on my previous works,the connection between the storyline and the music I produced was a bit sloppy. I suddenly want to spend more time on the soundtrack selection in my future works, it is vital, because music can enhance the emotions generated by a certain event by harmonizing with the emotions. Not only does it reflect the storyline, but it also shows the character’s emotion implied in the picture and extends that emotion.

 Screenshot of my rough ideas