Ang Lee: No hurry, young filmmakers!
- By Zhang Rui
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E-mail China.org.cn, June 16, 2016
Director Ang Lee said on Monday in Shanghai that young filmmakers should take time to grow up, so that they can make high quality films using their reflections on life.
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Director Ang Lee speaks at a forum during the 19th Shanghai International Film Festival on June 13, 2016. [Photo / The Beijing News] |
Lee attended a themed forum to discuss "what things are still to be done before the Chinese box office revenue surpasses the United States'" at the annual Shanghai International Film Festival. Five hundred people packed the room which was only supposed to accommodate 300 seats to listen to his words.
"I'm a late bloomer; my career only started to come off when I was 36. But if you want to make something that is mature, touches people's hearts and can stand on its own, you should make it with natural power. It takes time to mature, don't try to seek quick success and quick money. The colorful world is seductive, but many things are not easy to reach. Now, we have time to live long as we have good healthcare and medicine, why so hurry to grow up?" Lee said these words to young filmmakers, as too much money has been pouring into the Chinese film industry and market.
The director, who has won Academy Awards for "Brokeback Mountain" (2005), "Life of Pi" (2012) and "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon (2000)", warned the Chinese industry about two potential pitfalls. One pitfall is making quick money by making similar films, "Audiences always hope for innovation and fresh ideas. It is really hard to attract people to the theaters as we have so much to see and to do with other things such as the internet. If they are tired of the same kind of films we make over and over again, we will eventually suffer the consequences."
The other thing he warned about is to blindly scramble for big movie stars. "If this situation lasts long, the market will have a certain setting for the stars to act in films. So, a situation will arise that no matter how good or bad a film is, it will be passable as long as its stars deliver," said Lee before adding, "another bad thing that is associated with this is that most of the money will be spent on attracting the stars, and the production and set designs for a film may not be made well enough as a result of lacking funds."
He told the attendees that these two things had harmed Taiwan and Hong Kong's film industry and China should have patience to grow the Chinese film industry and not repeat the same mistakes.
Lee said that the Chinese population is massive, and that the Chinese can surely surpass the United States box office-wise, but that Chinese filmmakers should learn from Hollywood in this golden era, saying from “American filmmakers to technicians they are all very professional and have solid basic skills."
"The American film market is very strong, because it has powerful cultural strength, and the whole world follows their pop culture," Lee said, "I don't think that box office revenues surpassing the U.S. really means that China surpasses it at all. American is powerful for its influence on global pop culture."
He added, "For me, in the Chinese film industry, it seems as though the filmmakers are always trying to catch up with America in numbers. But that will diminish China's original characteristics. We have a long history and great culture in China, doing a film is doing a cultural work. I hope this is just the start of a golden era. Please have patience."
"I grew up in Taiwan and I saw the fractures between the culture of the mainland, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Macao. I feel I have responsibility to bridge these cracked Chinese cultures. We Chinese people have another means of expression, emotion and logic that have not been popularized as a world language. When we establish our cause, then we can share it with the world. We don't have to do it like we are going to take over markets overseas, we should think about what we can offer the world."
Ang Lee's upcoming film is "Billy Lynn's Long Halftime Walk," which will be shot at 120 frames per second which is the highest frame rate for a film to date. It is scheduled to be released on Nov. 11, 2016.
"Not every film can succeed, but I try. I want to have a new adventure to help myself maintain my vigor and make a few global 'best works'."
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