From the "Meet the Filmmakers" series held in Feburary 2010 at the Apple Store in Sanlitun, Beijing. The series, co-presented by the Apple Store and dGenerate Films, is an ongoing series to showcase Chinas newest filmmakers powered by digital technology.
Cui Zien is a director, film scholar, screenwriter, and novelist based in Beijing. He is an associate professor at the Beijing Film Academy. Cui Zien is a premiere avant-garde digital filmmaker in China. He has published nine novels in China and Hong Kong, and he is also the author of books on criticism and theory, as well as a columnist for magazines.
Interview conducted by Jane Zheng. Videography by Michael Cheng. English transcription by Yuqian Yan.
Audience Q & A:
Q1: There are many different ways to express yourself, such as painting, photography, or writing as you did. What is the quality of moving images that makes it such a special way for expression? What are its unique features that other ways dont have?
CZE: Thank you for your good question. I always think that the universe is Gods draft. A draft is revised over and over again according to the change of time and space. Among the several professions I have, I like writing novels and making moving images the most, although I teach and do a lot of academic writing as well. Novels and films are the closet to my concept of draft. People used to say that film is the art of regret, but for me, its the art of draft. Any film, no matter how many time you shoot it, how you edit it, it is always a draft. Even the most carefully made Hollywood film or European masterpiece is still a draft. I like its sense of fluidity. Thats why I keep on working as a novelist and filmmaker.
Q2: Although you said that you dont see the difference between mainstream and alternative, the concept of mainstream and alternative are widely accepted. As a filmmaker, of course you dont want yourself be the only audience of your film, but at the same time, Im sure you dont want to cater to the audiences taste at the price of your own creativity. I wonder if you have struggled over that? Have you ever made compromises for these considerations?
CZE: Of course I have all kinds of careful considerations about distribution, screening, audiences reception, etc. My personal take on this is that the so-called mainstream and alternative is always relative, and differ from place to place. The mainstream in this area might be marginalized in another area. Some popular mainstream films in our country probably cannot be found in the West at all. On the contrary, the ones that we see as alternative sometimes can be very well accepted there. Take myself as an example; my films are screened at different universities in the States quite frequently. This is something that mainstream Chinese films dont have. If I show three of my films in ten universities, Im likely to attract a wider audience than a mainstream film showing in one theater. The mainstream and alternative are not fixed concepts. They are constantly changing in a global context.
Q3: Some directors care most about cinematic styles, some pay more attention to their ideas. What do you care the most?
CZE: Theres no way for me to pay special attention on any particular issue. It all depends on what Im filming. Like today, I had no idea what the space would be, or who would come to my talk. Its the same as making a film. When I get a general idea about what I want to film, I start to call my friends and ask if they would be interested in that. The process is always very simply and quick, no rehearsal, script or professional actors. We discuss the idea together and then I just need to have a few words with my cameraman about how long and how wide each take should be. I dont really know about what well get, but I do know that the friendly and harmonious environment of our film crew, the freedom beyond the Capitalist pursuit for profit and the censorship of the Communist Party will lead to something extraordinary. My successful experience is based on a cooperation bound by our friendship, not by profit.
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Meet the Filmmakers: Cui Zi'en Part 4 of 4by alsolikelife453 views
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