What are the principles for writing a director's exposition?

There is no clear principle for the director to explain. He is not a formal literary writing format, as long as the meaning is completely expressed. It is actually a blueprint for the film to be shot before shooting, the requirements for photographers, actors, art groups, sound engineers and music producers, and a general plan to let them know your intentions.

The director's exposition is the written expression of the director's artistic conception (that is, the conception of the whole film). This paper should clarify the understanding of the script, the interpretation of the theme, how to grasp and shape what kind of characters, adjust the possible narrative structure and way, what is the style of the whole film, what kind of space scene to build, the way of using the lens, as well as photography, art design, makeup props, performance, sound (music).

The following is the director's explanation of Chen Kaige's filming "Yellow Land":

The director of "Yellow Land" elaborated

Chen Kaige

1. This year 1 month, in order to revise the script, I went to northern Shaanxi to experience life with photographers and artists. We saw the Yellow River in jia county.

If the trickle in the upper reaches of the Yellow River and the roaring in the lower reaches of the Yellow River are compared to its childhood and old age, then the stream in northern Shaanxi is its prime. There, it is broad, open, deep and stretched. It is spread on the inner road of Asia: its free posture and peaceful connotation remind us of the image of our nation-full of strength, but quietly flowing away. However, it is surrounded by endless mountains and land that has not rained for a long time. The Yellow River flows down by itself. But it can't save the vast wilderness that dodges for its arrival. This reminds us of the desolation of thousands of years.

One morning, we saw an old man pumping two buckets of water by the Yellow River, hunching his back-after all, someone scooped the water from the Yellow River, and the water from the Yellow River will eventually flow into the arid land.

It was in that early morning that we understood what to write and how to write. In the era that our film will show, it is the producer who led the people of the whole country to scoop up the water of the Yellow River. Cui Qiao is one of the people who realized that the Yellow River should be scooped up. Even if it's just a bucket of water. There is always a difficult road between people's yearning and real life, but every action in reality always exudes the warmth and brilliance of the ideal.

It is not difficult for everyone who has not lost his passion to love and praise the Yellow River. If we are soberly aware that everything that can give birth to can also destroy everything, then for Cui Qiao, who lives in the old China nation, her fate is bound to have some tragic color. The path she chose was very difficult. The difficulty lies in the fact that what she faces is not the social evil forces in a narrow sense, but the calm and even warm ignorance among the people who raised her. Compared with confronting evil forces, this challenge requires great courage. Therefore, our film is a hope from the connotation. Therefore, from the historical aesthetic value of the image, our higher expectation is that Cui Bridge is Cui Bridge and Cui Bridge is not Cui Bridge. She is concrete and noble.

If I have to say the theme of the movie, that's all.

Secondly, as a toddler, it is probably difficult to explain the style of the film. But the style we are talking about is the basis of accommodating the theme, so it is necessary to try to explain it.

The Yellow River is a big river, not a stream. Above its current, there is no room for leaves or dead branches to stay, and the water potential is strong.

Walking up to the top of the mountain in northern Shaanxi, you will find that the flowing water of the Yellow River is almost motionless, and only in its twists and turns can you see its majesty.

I compare the flow direction of the Yellow River to the structure of the film, and compare the flowing water from a distance to a part of the sentence that accounts for a considerable proportion of the film.

I mean, as far as the structure is concerned, our film should be plump and changeable, with a free and wild posture, with a sense of vertical and horizontal, without any restrictions, while as far as most sentences are concerned, it is gentle, painting in the picture, wearing a water hole, wrinkled and slightly awkward. So there are a lot of waist drums ringing into the sky, lamenting the sound of rain, and there are also a small number of night talks, shallow singing.

Under the restriction of the overall conception, we swept away all the openly opposing factors in the original work. We don't describe the conflict with the dark forces positively, we don't spread the contradiction between father and daughter positively, we don't show the changes of the characters after accepting external information positively, we don't point out the direct motivation of the characters to leave, but we replace it with a seemingly sparse relationship that conforms to the characteristics of the times and national character.

In the process of shooting, we will also remove all the edges and corners that are beneficial to the outside but harmful to the inside, such as tone, color, composition, music speakers, performances, scene scheduling, costumes, props, etc., so that the film can become a sphere that can rumble in the specified direction. We attach great importance to the plot of the film and the drama task to be completed, hoping that it can dive to the other side.

The key to mastering this film is the word "Tibet".

The image of the film "Big talk is silent, elephants are invisible" is summarized as "Looking at the Yellow River from afar".

3. Music and acoustics play an extremely important role in our films, and I have formulated some guidelines for this.

A. The music application of this film should be simple, including conception and orchestration. Music must enter under the guidance of other audio media, and the volume should be controlled to make it appear and disappear.

In many movies, music is often used as an auxiliary means of emotional expression. On the whole, there is nothing wrong with this. The problem is that when the plot progresses, the actors perform, and the strong visual effects unfold simultaneously, plus music, it causes unnecessary accumulation of various means. Music has been studied in order to maintain the necessary objective situation of movies. Should be a little behind the progress of the plot. This should also be the principle of music conception.

We have confirmed that the musical images of Cui Qiao and Gu Qing will appear in the film. The melody of the music image should be concise and catchy, appearing repeatedly in the film, and only changing in rhythm and orchestration according to the situation.

On the other hand, we intend to adopt a strong contrast method in the use of music. For example, Cui Qiao's singing method has always been a low-key singing method, and it was not until he bid farewell to Gu Qing that there was a tendency to pour out. In addition, the sound of the whole film is as light as a wisp, but there is a deafening sound in the waist drum array.

D in the form of musical sound, I advocate an incomplete way. For example, when Gu Qing's musical image appeared in previous times, it should be only a few sections, with the purpose of making it an external means of the inner activities of the characters. Cui Qiao's musical images appear everywhere in the form of beads, but they are generally strung together; In this way, a complete and unified core will find its place in an incomplete situation.

Let's sum up the concept of music and sound, that is, simplicity, conciseness, reproduction, contrast and incompleteness.

I hope the sound engineer will draw up a score of music sound and submit it to me according to this intention.

Fourthly, it can be said that my whole idea was completed with photographers and artists, so I have nothing to say to them. There are only two words to say:

A, the integrity of the composition and the plain image should be one of the goals pursued by most shots in this film.

B, we don't engage in exhibitions on folk customs, and the details of all scenes should be convincing.

I also have a message for the comrades in the clothing, makeup and props departments: the sense of the times and the embodiment of local characteristics of the film depend entirely on your efforts.

I suggest that when we arrive at the location, each of the three departments has a comrade to conduct targeted investigation, understanding, research, collection, purchase and other work related to their own departments during the film performance year, which will finally be reflected on the screen.

What I want to point out in particular is the scene of two weddings. I hope you can provide me with detailed written ideas and a list of clothes and props used in early May. You are welcome to add details such as clothes, makeup and props that appear in the storyboard. In these respects, you will be creators, not just executors. Your work is crucial to the success or failure of this film. I hope comrades will work hard under the guidance of fine arts.

Finally, I want to talk about performance.

There are only four characters in our film, and it doesn't take much space to describe the roles of the four characters alone, but I don't intend to do so, especially because I don't want to explain to you who your roles are. I mean, who they are will ultimately be determined by the image you present on the screen. My task is just to put your roles in the right place. Everything you should feel, grasp and reproduce already exists in the storyboard. Therefore, it is absolutely necessary to learn storyboards repeatedly.

I hope you will take the initiative to find me, and we will make the image of the character come alive in face-to-face communication.

Compared with visual images, words are extremely weak. I don't ask you to write a biography. I only ask you to think carefully in the following aspects and tell me your thoughts one by one.

A, what do you think of the relationship between the character's own personality and the environment that caused it? What do you think of reflecting this relationship?

B, how do you understand the seemingly conflict-free relationship between people? Do you think the shaping of your image depends on the ups and downs of the relationship between characters to some extent? How will you show these relationships?

C. As far as the content provided by the storyboard is concerned, the whole drama, as small as each scene, each character has different secondary tasks and long-term tasks. What do you think of this? How are you going to reveal it after completing the specific task?

D, you must not try to show the beauty or ugliness of the characters, whether they are kind or ignorant, whether they are happy or painful. In their normal lives, it is not necessary to show them in particular, especially not alone. You should use your eyes carefully, especially don't use your eyes to show the results.

My meaning can be summarized as follows: emphasizing internal strength, emphasizing connection, emphasizing change and emphasizing the whole. Don't judge people by their appearance, God judges people by their appearance.

We are a young film crew with high enthusiasm, great drive and high efficiency. Everyone collects firewood with high flame, and the preliminary work is effective. I hope all comrades can give suggestions and help to the director's work.

Nice working with you. Thank you all.

1April 6, 984