Original title: Revelation of Xu Anhua’s film "Going North" — — Exploration on the dissemination of domestic high-concept films

Hong Kong director Xu Anhua won the Lifetime Achievement Award at the 77th Venice Film Festival. Recently, her new film has released a lot of publicity materials. Not only the actors are all-stars, but also the technical teams such as screenwriter, photographer, editor, art and sound are the top configurations in the film industry. The media drainage has earned the audience’s expectations. Based on Zhang Ailing’s novel of the same name, the film is ostensibly a drunken love story. In fact, through the social scenes of the upper class in Hong Kong during the Republic of China, it depicts the speculative themes such as emotion, desire and willingness, and shows the rich and complex cultural connotation by peeping into the geo-historical relationship between the two cities of Shanghai and Hong Kong and the humanistic features of Hong Kong.

Director Xu Anhua is a representative of the new wave of Hong Kong films. Looking at his creative process, we can find that the extreme genre aesthetics and deep humanistic care are the two most prominent labels of his works, which are not only the secret of Hong Kong films to convey "Hong Kong flavor", but also the development form of film aesthetics that China film industry expects to achieve at present, and the creative paradigm of new mainstream films is based on this. From the perspective of industrial thinking, the goal of film creation is to realize the function of economic value and cultural discourse construction through communication. Therefore, how to effectively distinguish films and realize multi-focus communication has always been one of the core propositions in the field of film communication in China.

Before the industrialization reform, it was customary in China to make morphological differences according to the dichotomy of commercial films, art films and main melody films. With the reform of China’s film industrialization and the collective development of Hong Kong directors going northward, the aesthetic concept and production mode of genre films are in line with the mainland film industry through co-production, and gradually become a new force in the film industry. At present, China’s film industrialization process has made remarkable achievements, and new changes have taken place in the fields of film aesthetics and film communication. Trigonometry or simple commercial typology can no longer properly summarize the film differences, so new ways of differentiation and communication paths are needed to supplement them.

Taking the three representative films of Xu Anhua’s "Going North" as an example, it is difficult to generalize them into certain types or pure art films, and these films have typical commercial production and distribution modes. Although the postmodern life of my aunt is stylized in aesthetic expression, its narrative is far better than that of Hollywood genre films, and it has distinct author brand and feminist characteristics. "Golden Age" breaks the double time and space inside and outside the camera, which is more experimental than commercial, and even causes some viewers to understand obstacles; When is the Bright Moon? It has a typical theme value appeal, based on the communication of Ming Xing Kasi, but it does not use genre creation, but poetically shows the theme of war and the group images of heroes in the war. These films enrich the aesthetic forms of domestic films, have distinct national aesthetic characteristics, and also provide a new idea for the industrial creation of domestic films, that is, high-concept films.

The definition of "high concept" comes from American TV industry in 1980s, and has been widely used in film field. It can be simply understood as a work with simple form, effective narration, high return on investment and typical labeling selling points. Its core connotation is to emphasize the advantages of production, publicity and other industrial fields, and try to establish an effective communication path to realize the commercial value of movies, which is in line with the guiding opinions of China’s film industrialization development. For film creation, the significance of high-concept film dispels the inevitable connection between commercial orientation and genre aesthetics, which is a more mature industrial thinking. Works with any theme and expression can be put on the market and return on investment through the industrialization promotion process. The high-concept film replaces the communicator-oriented thinking with the communication effect-oriented thinking, which is more in line with the characteristics of media and users in the new media era.

High-concept film is an industrial concept rather than an aesthetic concept. Therefore, it can be applied to the industrialization promotion of film works indiscriminately, which complements the industry’s detailed classification according to the aesthetic form of films. In recent years, a large number of domestic films with distinctive literary and artistic features have adopted high-concept production and publicity methods, and actively participated in market competition: for example, The Forever directed by Bi Gan, Jia Zhangke and Wang Xiaoshuai. The artistic quality and author style of these films are difficult to be classified by genre or business, and only by combining them with high-concept production and distribution thinking can we achieve better market response in both word-of-mouth and box office.

In addition, this dissemination effect-based production and distribution method is also applicable to the industrialization of documentaries: successful cases include. On the other hand, the National Art Film Projection Alliance has many preferential policies for the distribution and projection of non-genre films, forming a benign support. On the one hand, its significance recognizes that in the process of film industrialization, focus aesthetics provides a broad sinking market for art films and encourages non-genre film creation; On the other hand, from the perspective of industry, ensure that non-genre films have sufficient market competition channels and stable living space.

Judging from the aesthetic development of domestic films, genre films are a rising star in the reform of film industrialization and occupy a considerable advantage in the box office war. However, it is obviously not enough to ensure the healthy and all-round development of the whole industry by relying on a single aesthetic feature. Author films, realistic works, experimental films, documentaries, etc. should gradually participate in the market competition. The exploration of the dissemination of high-concept movies provides a valuable reference for this.

Back to the new film "The First Furnace Incense", the various features of the film basically conform to the concept definition of high-concept movies. The novel text of this film adopts the creative technique of modern literature, but many of its language plots and characters are clearly branded with the classic novel A Dream of Red Mansions, and Xu Anhua is good at adapting it with postmodern fable color through film language. Compared with the director’s early works such as My Aunt’s Postmodern Life, the aesthetic form of The First Furnace Incense must be rich and diverse. The market’s acceptance of high-concept movies will usher in another useful test. (Author: Zhao Yi, Associate Professor of New Media Art College of Xi ‘an Engineering University, Master Supervisor)

　　As early as before the First World War, ettori Bugatti, who loves French and horses, chose Hermes to tailor various saddles for thoroughbred horses in his stables. In the saddle workshop at No.24 St. Honnore Road, the order catalogue clearly records what the customer and art connoisseur are eager to get-lightweight English saddle, seamless lady’s side saddle, double-horse carriage set, horn whip, English horse wearing, flower bet EB (abbreviation of ettori Bugatti) cut on wool fabric, and so on-all of which prove his famous saying: ". Emile Hermes’ autograph can usually be seen on the items of these orders: during that time, Emile and his brother were in charge of Hermes Brothers’ workshop together, and they would personally supervise the processing and production of these products according to Bugatti’s orders.

　　Bugatti Veyron Hermes Special Edition

　　As an accomplished harness manufacturer, Emil was also interested in a new adventure at that time … that was the car. At the end of 1914, he went to North America on business and visited the Ford Motor Factory in Detroit. Franchised by the Canadian military, the zipper was used on the soft ceiling of Ford T Torpedo series cars. This revolutionary new device aroused Emile’s great interest, and he soon obtained the patent right of this design in France. A close connection based on mutual understanding and trust, a love for horses and a fascination with cars-the intersection of the talented inventor and designer in the mechanical field and his favorite harness manufacturing expert was built here.

　　The year 1920 witnessed a decisive turning point for Hermes: Emile became the sole manager of the family business, and from then on, he began to boldly develop products and always adhered to diversified business strategies. At this time, Hermes has become a leading fitting expert in the industry in providing comfortable and elegant experience for driving around, and thus established its symbolic position. At the travel equipment trade fair, the company’s booth is always filled with all kinds of accessories with exquisite workmanship, practical design and novel styles-comfortable driving clothes, thick blankets with pockets, beverage cans, shoes or cosmetics, travel clocks, vacuum thermos bottles between walls, car decorations, radiator caps, etc.-A dazzling array of products has always become the hottest public topic of the day.

　　suitcase

　　A bag with a round handle-called sac haut à fermeture éclair ("long handbag with zipper") or Sacpour L ‘auto ("travel bag")-has been widely concerned since 1923-the first luggage bag with a safety zipper. Its rounded line outline reproduces the elegant and unique grille design of the "horseshoe radiator" on Bugatti cars-thus connecting the two companies again. In 1930, the fashion department of Hermes grandly launched a women’s dress named "Bugatti". This sports suit is bold in design and all made of leather fabrics, which shows the avant-garde spirit of Hermes fashion.

　　In 1929, ettori ordered a beautiful suitcase in Hermè s Workshop, which was installed on the first car in the Royale series of Bugatti, and it was a perfect fit with the car body designed by Charles T. Weymann. This suitcase is made of wear-resistant yellow cowhide, which was completed in June 1929. The raised upper cover has a rounded outline and the initials "EB" are marked in the center. Coupled with the "finishing touch" of Hermes, this car was successfully sold at the Paris Concours d‘Elegance at the highest price of the exhibition.

　　In the spring of 1937, a Bugatti Atlantic 57S coupé won the highest honor at the Tournoi de super-élégance held in Zhu Ang. The jury also made special mention of the interior design of the car and praised it. The ashtray, vacuum flask and suitcase are all made of pigskin by Hermes.

　　Today, these two top brands, known for their elegant style and exquisite workmanship, have become classic legends. But up to now, the values that inspire them to keep moving forward are still full of vitality, which can be traced back to the personal practice of Emile and ettori-elegance, comfort, speed, strength and security, which are the goals they have been pursuing all their lives. They all cherish the value of innovation, break away from convention, forge ahead, and devote unlimited energy to the improvement and decoration of everyday objects. Both brands are actively trying to integrate tradition and modernity, and have found a meeting point in many aspects, and here it is on leather products. In 2008, their names were linked together again, which opened a new chapter in this wonderful story …

　　At the 78th Geneva Motor Show (March 6-16, 2008), Bugatti and Hermè s jointly launched the product of cooperation between the two brands: Bugatti Veyron Fbg par Hermès, thus connecting the excellent mechanical properties of Bugatti with Hermes’ professional experience and exquisite craftsmanship. In the process of cooperation with Hermes, designer Gabriele Pezzini integrated the distinctive style of Hermes into the design of Bugatti Veyron 16.4, which showed the unique temperament of this car more and more.

　　After 19 days of release, the box office broke 3.6 billion, ranking among the top five in the mainland box office list, and Ne Zha quickly became the box office champion of domestic animated films. In addition to the "China Myth Universe", "Nezha" also shows the strength of a large number of domestic film and television production teams in a low-key way. The reporter found that the names of nearly 70 production teams appeared in the credits of the film, and the luxury of the lineup has not lost to foreign special effects blockbusters.

　　Recently, the reporter interviewed Nanjing Yuanguang Digital Technology Co., Ltd., which participated in the production of Nezha, and Nanjing Force Animation, which produced a 300-minute virtual picture of the TV series Full-time Master, to understand how technicians created a virtual three-dimensional world through CG (computer animation), motion capture and other "technical flow" work.

　　"Nezha" was born in this way.

　　Most special effects

　　There are more than 1,800 shots in Nezha, including 1,400 special effects shots, which is the highest among Chinese cartoons.

　　From Noisy Sea to Nezha: From 2D to 3D, from hand-drawing to computer modeling.

　　Compared with the animated film "Where is the Sea", which was also widely praised 40 years ago, the most intuitive impression of the "amateur" audience is that the original two-dimensional picture has become the current three-dimensional picture. Not only Nezha, but also the animated films in recent years, we will find that with the rapid development of CG (computer animation) technology, there are more and more three-dimensional animations.

　　"The difference between two-dimensional animation and three-dimensional animation is mainly reflected in the middle and late stages." Lu Xi, director of Yuanguang Digital CG Department, told reporters that whether it is two-dimensional animation or three-dimensional animation, script roles, scenes, props setting, shot script production and other work should be carried out in the early stage. From the beginning of modeling and mapping, the characteristics of three-dimensional animation began to appear.

　　It is understood that the picture of two-dimensional animation is flat, generally hand-drawn. The production method is to input the pre-drawn animation into the computer frame by frame, and the computer helps to complete the coloring, and then output it into pieces. Three-dimensional animation is generally a virtual space established by three-dimensional software, and then modeled in this space according to the shape and size of the object to be represented. According to the requirements of the story, the material of the model is made, the motion animation is set, the virtual camera is added, and the lights are put on it, and finally the picture is generated.

　　The technology of "growing" wrinkles and "growing" hair makes the details more simple and real.

　　In order to avoid spoilers, Lu Xi took other works of the company as examples, and used pictures to show reporters the process of "birth" of an elderly male character.

　　Modeling is the first step to create three-dimensional figures. Thanks to the progress of digital carving and other technical means, technicians can now process the model more carefully and add wrinkles and other details. The next mapping adds details such as skin color, skin texture and hair to the plaster model with single color and texture, and the age spots on the old man’s face are clearly visible. In the early days, the modeling of three-dimensional animated hair needed to map fake hair, but now, technicians can use software to make people "grow" hairs, each of which conforms to the dynamic characteristics and is very authentic.

　　To make the model move, it is necessary to bind the bones, spine, humerus, ulna and phalanx … … Driving the model with the weight distribution of bones in different parts makes the model have similar actions with real people. There are generally two ways to shape expressions: to make key frames of expressions manually, or to do it through motion capture devices.

　　After that, it is necessary to put the characters into the environment and complete the rendering and special effects synthesis. This part sounds more like a physics lesson: fine-tuning the material, such as a table, adjusting the reflective effect according to the specific situation, adding more real details such as wear and scratches; Rendering layering, layering the place where each lamp shines, which is convenient for later adjustment; Special effects production, such as people entering the pool, people interacting with water as collision objects; Finally, the light rendering and special effects synthesis, and then fine-tune the light projection and so on.

　　How is the "full-time master" tempered?

　　Enough "luxury"

　　"Full-time Master" has more than 300 minutes of virtual pictures, and its volume is almost three times that of ordinary movies. Therefore, the Force team formed a team of 566 people and completed the production task within half a year.

　　94 cameras were used for modeling.

　　To be "a little like him and a little different from him"

　　Stick marks all over your body and do various actions in the motion capture shed; Put on an expression catcher and mobilize all facial muscles to match the real expressions of emotions and sorrows for the virtual characters … … These shooting methods, which often appear in "burning money" movies in Europe and America, are widely used in the recently popular online drama "Full-time Master". The Force Animation Company, which completed this "luxury" production, is headquartered in Nanjing. Previously, Yang Yang and other actors completed the filming of the virtual part in Nanjing’s Force Motion Capture Base. In addition to software and hardware, the technical team also belongs to the film-level ultra-luxury lineup.

　　The reporter learned that "Full-time Master" is an e-sports TV series with a large number of virtual shots in the game. In order to enhance the recognition of virtual characters, the producer adopted the method of redesigning the faces of real actors. Shi Ningning, executive producer of visual effects of Force Animation, introduced that Force Animation used 94 cameras to scan Yang Yang and other leading actors from multiple perspectives, built a real head model, and then adjusted the details to make the digital characters "a little like Yang Yang but a little different". In addition, the actor has to make 74 special facial expressions, such as emotions, emotions, eyes wide open, eyes wide open, mouth wide open and so on, so that the expressions can be more truly presented in the three-dimensional world.

　　After that, it should be "matched" with the real characters and real scenes of physical props in the studio in real time, and through certain technical processing, actors can drive digital characters with their limbs. "For example, when Yang Yang raised his left hand, his corresponding game character Jun Moxiao also raised his left hand; When he picked up the weapon props, Jun Moxiao also picked up the weapon ‘ Thousand machine umbrellas ’ 。”

　　"The next step is action editing and special effects editing. The concept of virtual shooting special effects editing is completely different from that of conventional editing." Shi Ningning said that this is the coolest part. In the built digital world, all actions can be replayed and repeated constantly. Virtual cameras can get close-ups, distant views and close-ups of faces from all angles. After a few seconds of performance, they can change "positions" to get hundreds of shots, which are output and edited to form all the necessary elements in a scene.

　　Technology is a double-edged sword.

　　Did Simba the lion "face paralysis"?

　　The audience may not necessarily buy the technology of "god reduction"

　　This year, the "live CG version" movies Alita and The Lion King are both called the ultimate application of CG technology. There are no real people in the two films, so it is called "real version" because a lot of motion capture and real expression capture are used in the films.

　　There are 47 hair styles including eyebrows and eyelashes. There are nearly 500,000 "peach fluff" on the face and ears, and more than 2,500 fixed-frame images of facial expressions … … Figures and actress rosa salazar’s action and expression capture create an Alita with real joys and sorrows, which makes fans of the original comic book very happy.

　　However, it is also "God restored". After the release of The Lion King, it was criticized by many old fans as "facial paralysis" and "dull expression without aura". Some even directly said that the director used CG technology excessively to shoot an Animal World, and the little lion Simba completely lost the soul of the original animation.

　　"Exaggerated expression is the feature and charm of animation. If you rely on technology to pursue complete ‘ Restore ’ , but let the role lose its expressiveness, then ‘ Animation ’ It makes no sense. " Lu Xi bluntly said that technology is a tool to promote the continuous innovation and progress of animation, rather than a stumbling block to imagination, and technology should be well used in animation production. (Yangzi Evening News/Yangyan reporter Liu Liyuan)