Jia Zhangke: China's film market is growing too fast. Mainland directors must know how to practice in the market

"Now the entire film industry in China is in a dazzling state, and the market has various desires. Under such circumstances, multiple attempts and unconventional situations will occur. Of course, the dust will settle one day, but it is a stage. I think it's okay to stay calm. In a confusing environment, adhering to the value of making a movie is the most important thing. Just like cultivation, some people cultivate in the jungle, and some people cultivate in the market."

Original title: Dialogue with Jia Zhangke: China's film industry is dazzled. Do you know that mainland directors must be able to practice in the market

? Editing, lighting, and subtitles are important links in film production. In China's current film education, there is still a lack of a special formal training system, and some even stay in the "master leads apprentice" model.

After being officially invited to serve as the dean of the Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy on the evening of June 14, director Jia Zhangke lamented to reporters that the China film market is growing too fast, and there is no time to train people through formal education in some links."You have to work as soon as you come in."

"I truly feel that there is a huge talent demand in China's film and television industry, which triggered my enthusiasm for entering film education." Jia Zhangke said that the box office of movies in China has increased from more than one billion yuan to 44 billion yuan, and the annual production has increased from more than 200 films to nearly 1000 now. However, the pertinence and supply capacity of China's film education do not match the rapidly growing market size. "Especially professional talents, such as editing, recording, art, lighting and photography."

The Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy is jointly organized by Shanghai University and the Vancouver Film Academy. Previously, in July 2015, Chen Kaige was hired as the first dean of the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University; in January 2016, director Tian Zhuangzhuang was hired as the director of the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University. Director of the Department. Jia Zhangke is another heavyweight figure in the China film industry hired by Shanghai University in film education.

Different from the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University, the Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy is jointly organized by Shanghai University and the Vancouver Film Academy. It is a Chinese-foreign cooperative higher education college with North American teachers and English teaching, and the Hollywood film industry norms as its teaching content. The mechanism is more flexible.

As the dean of the Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy this time, the Warm Stream Culture Company established by Jia Zhangke will also participate in the teaching-the "Warm Stream Education Plan" will jointly develop an international and new film education system with the Vancouver Film Academy of Shanghai University.

"We will integrate film education resources from Europe and Asia with the North American film education resources of Shanghai University's Vancouver Film School. The faculty includes both international film masters and world-renowned film educators." Jia Zhangke said.

Jia Zhangke introduced that the "Warm Stream Education Plan" will begin to recruit students in the autumn of 2016. The first phase will set up majors in film curatorial, film production, and film subtitle translation. The second phase will expand to fields such as screenwriting, acting, action actor performance and editing, and According to the actual needs of China's film industry, careful education plans have been formulated one after another.

"Conversation with Jia Zhangke"

China's film market is growing too fast and there is no time to train people.

Reporter: How can you pay attention to the field of film education?

Jia Zhangke: At the beginning, many schools invited me to give lectures, especially some colleges and universities in Beijing. I found that students are eager to communicate with directors with creative experience and new information. About four years ago, I started serving as a postgraduate supervisor in film at the Department of Experimental Art of the Central Academy of Fine Arts, and I officially had a teaching position.

The needs of some talents may only be felt by people in the film industry. I feel that some talents are in urgent need. For example, most lighting engineers are still masters leading apprentices. This is no problem, but because China's film market is growing too fast, there is no time to train people, and they have to work as soon as they come in. Therefore, this strengthened our concept of film education.

Reporter: After serving as dean, what work will you participate in at the college?

Jia Zhangke: Including the planning of the overall teaching of the college, the design of subjects, the integration of teacher resources, and the brand establishment of the entire college. Among them, the most important thing is how to target the subject design, so that we must cultivate people who meet the most needs of the film industry, that is, find excellent teachers.

In the future, the college will also have a major in training film directors, but since most schools have a major in directing, it is not so urgent. I used to adopt a model of masters leading apprentices for young directors. Since 2010, the "Wings Project" has launched 7 debut films by young directors. I use this method to promote the growth of young directors. That's a pretty large number because I'm filming myself.

Compared with academic qualifications, ability is more important in the film industry.

Reporter: You came from the Beijing Film Academy. In terms of professional experience, what difference do you think is the difference between academic education and professional training in the cultivation of a filmmaker?

Jia Zhangke: Taking film education as an example, the most important tradition in the past was the studio system. For example, in the 1930s and 1940s, when films were at their peak, the most basic creative staff included photographers, lighting directors, sound engineers, etc., and were basically trained on sets at home and abroad.

After the rise of film education, academic education emerged and became a dual-track education. In the 1990s, there was only one film school in China, and many comprehensive universities also opened film departments, focusing on film culture studies, with subjects divided into director, photography, actors, etc.

In fact, the technology and market of film are changing rapidly. Nowadays, many film practitioners do not have a corresponding education system. For example, the translation of movie subtitles seems to be a very small link in the film industry chain, but translation is a very important part of whether a movie can be accepted by the market. On the one hand, it tests cross-cultural foreign language skills, and on the other hand, it is the understanding of the movie. We must also coordinate with the rhythm of the actor's performance and use the most concise words to express the actor's rich emotions. There are many subtitle groups, many translation enthusiasts, and some subtitle translation experts in Europe. We can invite them to provide professional training.

In addition, the curatorial profession is aimed at the curatorial era that cinemas have entered. The number of movies is increasing, and the theater channels will also be divided. In the future, when facing hundreds of movies every year, how a theater chooses and how to arrange programs will surely be a very important lesson in the future. The Vancouver Film Academy emphasizes delivering trained talents for every position in the film industry, so ability is more important than academic qualifications.

To become an excellent filmmaker, one is a lifelong practicing

journalist: Unlike the once closed environment, film learners in this era have a large number of film textbooks, accessible sources of information, broad horizons, and rapid growth. What do you think is what this generation needs most to become a truly outstanding film talent?

Jia Zhangke: I think what is more important is the inner driving force, truly loving the expression of movies. Only love can convey true feelings, and only love can continuously train and educate oneself. At the Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy, whether it is a three-month short class, a half-year or one-year class, I recommend adding courses on film history. Whether the school's education is traditional professional or skill-training, it provides students with a complete understanding of the history of film and integrates them with their background in understanding of media while working. Such a systematic concept is what education needs.

Reporter: Two days ago, Ang Lee encouraged young filmmakers at the film industry forum not to be too eager for quick success and instant benefits, but to grow naturally. What do you think?

Jia Zhangke: Everyone's situation is different, and the opportunities are different. In fact, it doesn't take long to learn film professional knowledge, but to become an excellent filmmaker in a position is a lifelong cultivation.

Reporter: In your opinion, what are the most likely difficulties a young man who loves movies wants to enter the industry?

Jia Zhangke: Every industry has its closeness and geography. If your circle of friends is not engaged in this profession, then education is actually a good way. Because it's hard to get into film without a referral, but in the process of education, you'll be with future directors, producers, photographers, and at least a circle of friends who love movies.

There is no special training system for the editing profession.

Reporter: Regarding China's current film education talent training system, which part do you think is missing?

Jia Zhangke: I think it's still subject design. Professional education should adapt to needs, but the subject design of some traditional colleges and universities is relatively solid and difficult to flexibly change according to changes in the market and industry.

For example, for the editing profession, so far, there is basically no special training system. Now we will also open an editing major as soon as possible, because editing is a secondary creation of a film, even as important as the director's job. The Film Academy occasionally holds some editing classes, but they are irregular and recruit very few students. This is related to our education model. In the 1960s, we introduced the Soviet model. The Moscow Film Academy is said to have no editing major, but like the French Academy of Advanced Film, editing is a very important department.

Reporter: Previously, Director Chen Kaige was hired as the dean of the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University. What do you think is different from his job?

Jia Zhangke: I don't know much about the situation on Director Chen's side. It's difficult to make an analogy. But we are all people with many years of experience in creating films, and we must have different understandings of film education.

Reporter: Shanghai Vancouver Film Academy specializes in cultivating film industrialization talents and relies on Hollywood's business model. You prefer to be artistic film directors. Is there any contradiction between this?

Jia Zhangke: Any type of movie is inseparable from technology. I think this is a good collision. In addition, I can bring some European resources, and the integration with the original North American teaching model will bring more diverse collisions to students.

Mainland directors should know how to practice in the market

. Reporter: The booming film market in China has also brought about the enthusiastic influx of capital. Could this be the reason for some young directors to be impatient? How to make good works in such an environment?

Jia Zhangke: Of course, there are young filmmakers who are particularly eager to succeed in the market and eager to have good production conditions. This is also human nature. I have also come into contact with many young directors who are peaceful and down-to-earth, just hoping to film their works.

The current capital is booming, bringing many creative opportunities to China films.

We have seen that in areas where film capital is less active, people's work rhythm is relatively stable. Like Northern Europe, many directors make a movie in six or seven years; in France, it is normal for a director to finish making a movie in four or five years, because their social protection, investment channels, and film systems have become relatively stable. They also don't integrate movies and new media so closely like China, such as new ticketing channels, new publicity channels, including the pursuit of new technologies such as VR.

Nowadays, the entire film industry in China is in a dazzling state, and the market has various desires. Under such circumstances, multiple attempts and unconventional situations will occur. Of course, the dust will settle one day, but it is a stage. I think it's okay to stay calm. In a confusing environment, adhering to the value of making a movie is the most important thing. Just like practice, some people practice in the jungle, and some people practice in the market. At present, what we provide to directors in mainland China is precisely a noisy market, which requires us to know how to practice in the market, because this is the real soil, and you cannot escape or be swallowed up.

Reporter: Do the college have selection criteria for students when recruiting students?

Jia Zhangke: It's talent. Talent and feelings, I think these are the two points. Film education has a long history. There are some admissions evaluation methods and experiences. We go to learn from film education institutions around the world. In the future, we will gradually recruit students from around the world. Although it is taught in English, I will make a slight change here and provide some translation services, because I know that there are some talented people who are not good at English, just like me (laughter).

Editor: yvette