"Making a movie is more like a process of interaction. If you meet a director who can be a "boyfriend and girlfriend", the frequency is close, and you will do very well. If the frequency is opposite, they can accept the process of fighting. , That’s another kind of enjoyment. The key point is that we must respect each other.”
Lin Xinmin (left)丨The 52nd Golden Horse Awards
editor Lin Xinmin was nominated for the 49th and 50th Taiwan Golden Bell Awards with four works. Best editing, and won the 50th Bell Award for Best Editing. The editing works cover documentary, plot, advertising and MV. The editing work "Datong" won the 53 Golden Horse Awards for Best Documentary and other awards. The documentary reality show "Life of Adventure", which was recently broadcast on Tencent, is his first contact with reality show. In this interview, we will start from documentaries, reality shows and him. Talk about the 17 years of work experience separately.
Q&A
Q: Why did you become an editor?
Lin Xinmin: I first decided to do behind-the-scenes work. In the early days, I was afraid of contacting people when I came into contact with imaging work, but I was very interested in telling stories. Many people wanted to be directors. At that time, I thought that directors must have contact with many people, so I felt that we should rely on images to tell stories. It seemed that being an editor didn't have to face so many people. Later I discovered that this was not the case.
I found that the imaging industry must contact people, understand various emotions, understand the process and state of various interactions, and then tell a good story. This is only understood later. You asked me at the beginning, I really just wanted to hide in a small dark room alone, facing the material work.
Q: Let’s go to see your edited "Datong" again today. What is more interesting?
Lin Xinmin: I found it interesting at the beginning, because I am an audience under a different system. At first, I approached this subject from a different social and cultural perspective, so the purpose of the director and producer's approach to me was also to see what the status of such a leader is viewed by people under different systems.
So I was not familiar with or understood a lot of the current social situation in the material, and there would be a "pull" with the director and producer. The director and producer felt that if there were more such leaders in society, he would have decision-making power. , And working hard for the welfare of the society, is this kind of talent worthy of being seen by everyone or will it continue to appear? I will look at it from the perspective of the public, so sitting with another editor Xiaochuan, Zhou Hao, and Zhao Qi, I often talk about social issues and cultural agitation.
Teacher Zhou will not tell you clearly what he doesn’t like in the editing, so we will continue to discuss feelings after the editing, or what kind of atmosphere will appear on the stack of events, that is also my number one. I stayed in Beijing for so long, 4-5 months.
Q: Regarding reality shows, it seems that some people often say that they look good because they are edited well, and they are not good because they are “rhythmic”. Netizens think that editing is very useful. What do you think?
Lin Xinmin: Reality shows first look at the platform. For example, a reality show in "Tencent News" and "Tencent Variety Show" is definitely different, because they focus on different points, so my space will be different. For example, if the operator or director is concerned about the artist, then our orientation is the artist, and editing will help this matter. For example, "Adventures in Life" was filmed for 5 days. From the point of view of a documentary, a person will not change much to a certain extent, so you need to discover and stimulate their expression or a certain highlight from the issue. . If
really handles this journey in a documentary way, it must consider whether the audience can pay for a straightforward narration. In fact, the editing is just to distill what kind of story I can tell in this episode, although sometimes I really can't tell a story. If some discerning people can see it, the so-called reality show, it is really more fictitious to compare with documentary, then its focus is probably to be more eye-stimulating, more curious, or to quickly get the point of satisfaction, and then go Refine some of the elements we need.
I have basically never done variety shows before. It is basically a commodity, and many things serve the commodity. Whether it is an artist or party A is "tied" by the product, if you want to do this type of show, you should think about whether the topic you are looking for is really socially meaningful and can trigger some more interesting processes. Why is reality show difficult? Because most of the reality shows have a desk book to look good, so when they really go to record, It will be more difficult.
In the documentary, in addition to the more perceptual content, if it is a relatively flat and straightforward picture, then there must be a lot of emotions in it, if not, the characters will have great changes, or what kind of characters have been produced in the process We have to think about such changes. The editing is actually to extract, how could he have such a change? Will there be such a result?
Q: Whether it is a MV or a movie, documentary, or TV show, what are the similarities from the editing perspective?
Lin Xinmin: From the perspective of editing, what do you want the audience to believe in what you present? Can you do it? So whether the audience can receive the story you tell, this is the biggest purpose of editing. Whether it is a MV or a documentary, there are many styles and expressions, but the ultimate goal is, after watching the audience, does it mean to catch the creator?
I often ask the director, what do you want the audience to feel after watching it? For example, if I came out in an empty space to say, I didn't feel it at all, it was quite a setback. For example, after watching a film, I feel good or bad, or sad and happy, and I can tell a kind of atmosphere (that's better).
For us, this kind of atmosphere is a kind of spirit that we can extract during the creation period. In fact, you have achieved a certain purpose. This is one of the main purposes of my editing: to help the director to be effective To convey a point of view or feeling he needs the audience to understand most.
Q: Documentaries, feature films, and TV shows. Will editing different content help each other?
Lin Xinmin: It will definitely help. In addition to the concept of director, I think editors have different methods in their hearts. For example, in feature films or documentaries, my perception of music may come from the MV, and the rhythm of the MV, Imagery pictures and other practices may use this technique in other films. These techniques of
are something that can be used flexibly, because each film type has its own rhythm. If you watch or make more films, you won't lose the sense of rhythm in the transition.
For example, the rhythm of a reality show on the platform is definitely different from that of a theater film. The rhythm of general documentaries is different from that of feature films. The movie-watching experience is subjective. Everyone can be a director and editor. I said that everyone can be a director and everyone can be an editor. He can watch the movie, it can be a good editing, or criticize it. It sucks, indeed in everyone's heart, there is a way to tell a story.
I don’t think an editor must be super subjective. He must be inclusive to be an editor. He must have his own perseverance and understand the public. Together with the director, we must stimulate the direction of a creator. We provide in The possibility of changing rhythms. Because the editor has to be another eye of the main creator and another perspective of the audience, the film we make should be shown to most people. I think inclusiveness is more important.
Q: A veteran student at [42 o'clock] would like to ask, what is the difference in the editing structure between documentaries on public platforms and independent documentaries?
Lin Xinmin: Each TV station has a set of established models. For example, National Geographic, which I contact most often, has a very clear script, mainly in the early TV platform that has the concept of viewing habits surveys, so for example, TV has "advertising spots" for segmentation. TV station
will study where the audience is more attentive, and how to attract the audience at the beginning? How to bring in the first paragraph and the second paragraph, then turn to the third paragraph and then to the less important fourth paragraph and the fifth paragraph. This is a script concept shared by several large documentaries. Unlike an independent documentary, you can tell any story. Sometimes they think the shot is too long and slow, and they can't accept it.
Q: It is true. Different media platforms around the world set their own direction and taste, including the rhythm of the story, according to their cultural background, values and audience. There are also students who want to know if you have any good habits that are helpful to their work?
Lin Xinmin: First, I don't think I usually have to study movies, or research techniques and software. To have good works, it should be to live well. Know and experience people, and then enjoy emotions. You need to have sincere emotional communication to have a better understanding when you return to the film. You will know what kind of two-dimensional presentation method I use. This is me.I think it is very important.
is not focused on professionalism, but to get in touch with some philosophy, go to life, and travel, which is more useful than always focusing on professionalism.
Everyone is talking about sadness or various emotions, but you haven't really experienced it? If you don’t see a lot of life conditions, and you haven’t communicated with different races and cultures, you only focus on your own small circle, maybe your circle is so small, then how can you make your value a kind of Universal Value? In fact, there will be problems in persuading people.
Another point, I think editors should not regard themselves as an absolute creator, because you have to cooperate with many links and develop good working habits: that is, you have to organize things, follow the color, follow the sound , Follow many links to communicate. I think it is a process of mutual understanding and co-creation in the profession. Don't think that any part of the editing or even the video is conceptually too subjective.
In fact, making movies is more like a process of communication. If you meet a director who can be a "boyfriend and girlfriend", it is close in frequency and will do very well. But if on the contrary, each other can accept the process of fighting, that is another kind of enjoyment. The point is that we must respect each other.
Q: The last question, from the perspective of editing, would you see whether this is a "good shot"? Or have a "movie sense"?
Lin Xinmin: As far as I make various types of films, I don't think about too detailed things, because I still think whether the audience catches your meaning? Most viewers will not grasp what you mean by a certain shot. It is a holistic concept, such as lens movement, lens communication, and lens framing are all supporting the story you want to express? Whether its smell and atmosphere are uniform, that is, it will have something to do with your lens selection and arrangement.
So my focus is still on whether things can be explained clearly and whether they can be felt. I am a more perceptual editing method. From the choice of shots, to the expression of the characters, and then to the way of expression, I think that after stacking, will it be enough to get a feeling, not a certain The lens is not smooth or bad.
All emotional lines are important to me, accounting for 70%. The emotional lines are included in the shots and character performance, as well as editing and stacking.
graphic丨Zhang Anning
Source丨Fall in love with the documentary
