SIFF NEXT｜Listen to the Creators’ Voices upon the Completion of the Concept Film of the "Best SIFF NEXT Project" – STAND OUT

In 2021, SIFF NEXT introduced another requirement for the “Best SIFF NEXT Project”, that is, to complete the production of the concept film, with the aim to encourage creators to translate feelings into film works with a limited length through a flexible and free approach, and bravely start their shooting.

The two best SIFF NEXT projects of the 24th Shanghai International Film Festival (SIFF), MOMENTS ELUDING and STAND OUT have all finished the filming of their short concept films, which will be released through SIFF PROJECT at the 25th SIFF in June this year. We’d like to share with you here the shooting notes of the director Zhang Jiayun and the producer Lv Shufan of STAND OUT, hoping that through the reflections and thoughts of the two in filming, young creators can learn about the difficulties and solutions in the whole process from script to shooting, as well as their understandings and gains of participating in SIFF NEXT from the two different perspectives of the director and the producer.

The concept poster of STAND OUT

"If you want to be a director, you have to keep rolling"

-       Director Zhang Jiayun's shooting note

Synopsis:

A classmate of Chen Jiaming was accidentally killed, and Chen Jiaming was the only witness at the scene; his father suggested him to stay out of it, but he decided to bravely stand out for the truth.

Story background:

I am a third generation Chinese born in Malaysia. When I was young, my parents hoped that I would keep a low profile to avoid troubles and never "stand out" if anything happens, for fear of suffering losses. When I was young, I was an obedient child, and also understood my father's expectations for me. However, as I grew up, I found myself in a dilemma. When I saw my classmates being bullied, I would subconsciously hide away from that; and when the opportunity to participate in a competition on behalf of the school was before me, I’d also subconsciously shy away from it. In fact, I was eager to be seen and recognized, but I always instinctively suppressed this desire and resorted to the secure strategy set by my father. But occasionally, I would ask myself: “What you did is not a bad thing, so, why are you afraid?”

I have been in Beijing for almost ten years, and created this movie, hoping to regain the courage to stand out when I was young, and tell myself “Don't feel sorry for choosing to be a filmmaker; you did nothing wrong”.

Director Zhang Jiayun at the event site of phase II, SIFF NEXT 2021

To find a “rainforest” in Beijing:

From the day I started creating this work, I had been wondering: where should this story to be shot take place? Beijing? Guangzhou? Or Malaysia? And I found the answer in the process of writing the script – to seek emotional resonance through the theme, and take on the unique flavor of the Southeast Asian tropical rainforest for the film style. So, the shooting location is key to the tone of the film. But due to various reasons, we finally decided to shoot the concept film in Beijing. Finding a forest with that "right atmosphere" became the biggest difficulty in the early-stage preparation. To this end, we traveled more than half of Beijing, from the East Sixth Ring Road all the way to the West Fifth Ring Road, and finally found a wetland that is ideal.

Still of the concept film of STAND OUT

Looking for new expression techniques with “a tight schedule”

If you want to be an excellent director, you must be bold and resolute in making decisions at critical moments. This shooting experience has told me that for a director, it is important to understand what you want, take each man’s opinion but reserve your judgement, and bear the consequences of your choice. As a new director, it is inevitable for you to find that the schedule is tight during the filming process. There are always some things that prevent you from "finishing" all the shots. How to maintain the integrity of the work under such circumstances is actually a test for improvisation. However, it is a blessing in disguise. A scene that originally required five shots will be compressed into two. In this way, the narration will be more efficient, and the expression technique may also be more unusual and interesting. Such "forced" fast pace as well as strong visual impact are exactly what I have been striving for. Through the shooting of this concept film, I slowly figured out my own filming style, which is the most valuable gain for me this time.

Filming scene of STAND OUT

The maiden voyage of STAND OUT

-       Producer Lv Shufan's work notes

In the winter of 2021, director Jiayun and I presented this story from Southeast Asia in Shanghai. STAND OUT, filmed from a very specific perspective, is about the growth of a Malay teenager. We had decided to work on this project due to Jiayun's personal experience. We grew up in different countries and were amazed by the similarities in our education modes. When we shared this story to the instructors for the first time, Instructor Nai'an said, "It is a story of common growth context."

STAND OUT, being selected as one of the best SIFF NEXT projects of the 24th SIFF, finally got the opportunity to shoot the concept film. We have been hoping that this is a purely Chinese story, filmed in a tropical environment. On the one hand, it is about the aesthetic design for the visual effect; on the other, we also hope that set in an imaginary space of "Saiguo" and an unknown era, this story can endow the audience with the freedom to switch between the senses of pathos and detachment, feeling the commonality of human nature and the virtual city both familiar and strange.

Producer Lv Shufan at the event site of

phase II, SIFF NEXT 2021

We started looking for shooting locations in early 2022, and as it was not convenient to go abroad at that time, we first casted our eyes on Chaoshan, Guangdong, which is much closer geographically to Southeast Asia. However, at that time, the filming team had to undertake high risk and cost to film in Guangdong. To ensure that the film can be completed on time, the director and I quickly reached a consensus that we would film this Southeast Asian story in Beijing.

Lei Haoxiang and Liu Ran were invited to play the roles. Haoxiang is very close to Jiaming in the story in terms of personal image. He doesn't talk much, and will sit quietly beside his manager and listen to us. He has left many marks on the script, just like the protagonist in the story, Jia Ming, who is also a high school student who is used to communicating through pens. The leading actress Liu Ran was once selected as the trainee of the screenwriting group of SIFF NEXT 2020. She will usually devote herself into screenwriting and acting, and has participated in the film BETTER DAYS. Xia Fan in the story never cares about other people's eyes, and always shows somewhat destructive qualities. In the main scene where Jiaming witnesses Xia Fan being bullied, the director and I applauded for her performance in front of the monitor. It was only after the filming that we found Liu Ran’s neck was actually covered with red marks and even slightly swelled due to strangling. All the pain and suffocation before the lens are her real feelings.

When preparing the shooting plan, due to budget and time constraints, we realized that we have to film against five scenes in a single day on average. And all the team members traveled to the spots time and again to deduce the shooting situation. It was at the turn of spring and summer. For example, in the scene I visited last week, as the weather warmed up, the color of the tree changed quickly. To eliminate the compromise to the shooting effect, even though there were many variables from various aspects, we decided to start filming. Feelings flood in my mind as I recall this experience, a shooting test, which may slip away like time, and will not be met again. Anyway, under extreme conditions, our small team really made it.

And I’d like extend appreciation to our team members, Lao Bi, the photography director, for his tacit assistance, Zhou Zhou, the art director, for the fast, accurate and resolute instruction, Shu Yu, the composer, who worked far away in the United States with time difference, Xiaolong and Zhang Jun, the production team who’re worth of our entire trust, and together all partners who participated in the shooting.

In the post-production stage, STAND OUT received strong support from Phenom Films and Mofei Pictures. Phenom Films provided us with color correction in the later stage. Tuned by the colorist, the film presents a highly saturated and surreal style. The colors flow with the story and emotions, reflecting the struggle and anxiety of the protagonist in his youth.

Coloring work by Phenom Films

Mofei Pictures' sound work started in the early stage of shooting. During the stage of investigating scenes, we had a detailed communication with Mr. Li Danfeng to explore how to reproduce the sound with Southeast Asian vibes in Beijing, aside from the requirements for the natural environment sound in the early stage. He had offered directional suggestions for our actual sound collection work on the spot. Many ingenious ideas from him also inspired our audio and visual designs.

Sound production by Mofei Pictures

The production of this short film is inseparable from the guidance and instructions from the instructors of SIFF NEXT. During the production process, we’d also received strong support from Phenom films, Mofei Pictures, and also Aputure, the sponsor of on-site lighting equipment. STAND OUT started its maiden voyage on a warm winter day in Shanghai, transforming from a script to a film. I hope this tropical story can be presented in a more complete and in-depth manner soon.

As a key link in the "6+1" step-by-step training system of SIFF for the next generation film workers, SIFF NEXT recruits young filmmakers from Chinese-speaking regions. The selected trainees are eligible to participate in the phase I events held in summer, and all previous selected trainees can sign up for the “Development Workshop” phase II held in winter with feature film scripts. Trainees will have the opportunity of being selected into the first phase with personal creation talents, and then connecting with the industry with their own projects.

The first phase of SIFF NEXT at the 25th SIFF in 2023 will be held in Shanghai in June. At present, it is calling for application. Creators from the three directions of producer, screenwriter and director are welcome to sign up. The deadline for application is March 10. Welcome to apply through the official website of SIFF www.siff.com.