2019-06-19

Asian Film Salon│ Predecessors Gave Earnest Exhortations to Guide the Way for Newcomers

On June 19, the "Asian Film Salon" exchange activity was held in Daning Conference Center. The chairmen of the previous and current Asian New Talent Awards, Nansun Shi and Ning Hao, young film directors Ishii Yûya, Midi Z, Alec Su and Da Peng, as well as the behind-the-scenes "driving forces" of the film industry Chui Mui Tan, Chen Qingyi, Wang Yibing and Wu Yanyan, appeared at the exchange activity site to exchange views and share experiences with the media and film executives present.

In today\'s dialogue, the distinguished guests spoke freely and jointly explored the growth path of Asian film newcomers, focusing on the three topics of "Asian New Talent Award Jury Presidents in Conversation", "Youth Film Creation Experience Sharing" and "How Film Newcomers Go to Market".

Be Patient and Don\'t Fantasize about Success in One Step

As the presidents of the jury of the previous and current Asian New Talent Award, Nansun Shi and Ning Hao often have an indissoluble bond with the new works of the newcomers. In their view, the rapid development of media technology in recent years has brought many opportunities and challenges to young people. Therefore, the films that they have contacted present diversified temperament. "From a technical point of view, everyone has high abilities with few obvious technical bugs." However, with the improvement of technology, the following problems make Nansun Shi and Ning Hao worried, "Technology is easy to master, but the ability of storytelling of these directors still needs to be improved".

In the face of the eagerness for quick success shown by some new directors, the two predecessors also gave their own advice. Nansun Shi said: "Once you enter the field of directing, you must be clear that communication is very important. Sometimes it is also an art to listen carefully to other people\'s speech, instead of blindly insisting on it. It must be right to be firm in your own path."

Ning Hao said that many young people wanted to be in one step and make a movie that caused a sensation in the market and was recognized by the public. However, in fact, many directors spent a long time to settle down and prepare before making their first film. "Ang Lee, for example, who has been prepared for six years, has made sufficient preparations for his first film. Therefore, young directors need to accumulate slowly and take time to temper before they can produce a decent work."

Any Misfortune is an Opportunity for Growth

In the "Young Film Creation Experience Sharing" link, young directors Ishii Yûya, Midi Z, Alec Su and Da Peng respectively discussed the current difficulties and challenges faced by young filmmakers based on their respective shooting experiences, and put forward some suggestions and ideas. Midi Z, the director from Myanmar is also an acquaintance of the Shanghai International Film Festival. As a jury of last year\'s Asian New Talent Award, he said that his first work cost only three international air tickets, totaling RMB 20,000. He said, "It was unfortunate for me not to pull the investment, but I also benefited greatly from the experience of working alone, so that the second and third works were completed at very little cost." Midi Z compared movies to the big world, and he was the "green hand" who started practicing martial arts from squaring away. "As a new person, he kept learning and formed a good habit of filling learning gaps. Only in this way can I reflect and improve better."

Alec Su suggested that the newcomers should learn more from their predecessors. "The guide and support of the predecessors have helped me a lot. I also got a lot of inspirations from Ang Lee\'s A DREAM OF FILM IN TEN YEARS. The true feelings of these predecessors have given me a great deal of nourishment and have resonated with me a lot."

The four young directors also took the opportunity of the "Asian Film Salon" to give wishes to those young people who are still struggling for the film dream. Midi Z. said: "Young filmmakers should not rush to make the first film, but should explore at first, learn including photography, film editing, etc., and strive for the initiative in the film. In this way, even if there is no external financial support, you can still complete a work with the least amount of money." Alec Su believes that before making the first feature film, it is better to make more short films, "to make an objective evaluation and sorting out of yourself." Ishii Yûya, a Japanese film director and one of the judges of Shanghai International Film Festival\'s Asian New Talent Award in this year, hopes that all young directors should firm dream and properly listen to other people\'s thoughts and suggestions. Da Peng, who was shortlisted for the last Asian New Talent Award with CITY OF ROCK, admitted frankly, "I don\'t have any suggestions and thoughts for others to learn from. I think this is the road everyone has to take, and I will know by experiencing it by myself."

Be Ambitious, But Control Your Desires More

In the last section of today\'s scene, all the behind-the-scenes "driving forces" of the film came to the stage one after another to discuss further the help or cases that can be given to the newcomers from production to distribution.

The famous producer, Wu Yanyan said that what she valued most was the director\'s character and the quality of her works. The CEO of Dirty Monkeys Studio, Wang Yibing, paid special attention to the comprehensive quality of young directors. "Compared with short boards, we are more inclined to consider the director\'s long boards. After all, it is good for a new director to have a few bright spots." From the perspective of propaganda and publicity, Chen Qingyi, vice president of Bona Film, believes that the storytelling of the new director is very important. Secondly, the director should face success and failure with a relatively peaceful attitude. Chui Mui Tan, a Malaysian producer and director, said she was more interested in those inarticulate directors. She hoped that these directors would have the opportunity to let the public see some "extraordinary" works.

In the dialogue, Chui Mui Tan, Chen Qingyi, Wang Yibing and Wu Yanyan all mentioned the common problems of young directors that they were anxious for success. They all agree that most young directors\' ideas are too miscellaneous now. Wu Yanyan said, "In particular, many artistic film directors have raised 5 million or even 10 million, lacking the most basic judgment of their works and the awe of this industry." Wang Yibing, one of the "leaders" of Dirty Monkeys Studio, took Wen Muye\'s DYING TO SURVICE and Lu Yang\'s BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES 2 as examples to further discuss the embarrassing situation faced by most young directors. "The biggest problem for young directors is their lack of tenacity. This is easier said than done. Part of the reason for the success of DYING TO SURVICE and Lu Yang\'s BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES 2 came from the director\'s insistence. Wen Muye\'s script was written for one year and eight months. After the original script of BROTHERHOOD OF BLADES 2 was overthrown by Ning Hao, Lu Yang shut himself up, made several drafts, wrote a completely new story, and finally got the approval of the market." Chen Qingyi revealed that, as propaganda and publicity, what they are most afraid of is "the directors with a lot of ideas" and "they have both ideas about creation and the market. As propaganda and publicity, the director we are most willing to meet is: His works is mature and he has a pure pursuit for this industry." Finally, Chen Qingyi concluded that the director should have ambition but need to control his own desires.