The movie "Back to Tibet", directed by Chen Guoxing and Lahuajia, with Wanma Tseden as the artistic director, starring Song Yang and Jinba, was released nationwide on January 11. The film is adapted from the deeds of real people and tells the story of the first Lao Kong, who came to work in Tibet from Shandong for the first time, was in urgent need of a translator. By chance, he found Jiumei, a Tibetan young man who had studied in the mainland. From cultural collision to mutual understanding, the two people eventually became lifelong friends from work partners.
The movie "Back to Tibet" is adapted from the deeds of real people.
Chen Guoxing has directed the movies "Kong Fansen" and "Born in the Sky", and has rich experience in filming biographical films with the main theme. "Wangzha's Rain Boots" and "Send the Crane A Thousand Miles Away" filmed by Tibetan director Lahuajia focus on Tibet. The local theme has a natural affinity with Tibetan culture. Therefore, director Chen Guoxing described this film as "the crystallization of the cooperation between Tibetan and Chinese artists." The Beijing News conducted an exclusive interview with directors Chen Guoxing and Lahuaga, asking them to tell the behind-the-scenes stories of the filming of the film.
According to director Lahuaga, "Back to Tibet" is somewhat different from the expression methods of previous mainstream movies. It approaches a big theme from a small angle and hopes to do some exploration and innovation in the film. Director Chen Guoxing believes that in the past, similar themes were often approached from the perspective of aiding Tibet, rather than from the perspective of Tibet. He hopes to break through the genre and explore the relationship between characters from an equal perspective.
"To make a film with an equal perspective"
Beijing News: Director Chen directed a Tibetan-themed film "Kong Fansen" in 1996. He is filming the same subject again after more than 20 years. Are there any changes in creation this time?
Chen Guoxing: When first received this project, to be honest, I was very hesitant. Regarding the Tibetan theme, I don’t care if I make one more film or one less. If you want to do it, do it well and make a movie that can stay. This is a very real idea, but how to do it is difficult. , which requires wisdom and a team. The film form is more modern, different from the traditional narrative, because many Chinese directors have made similar themes, what is the point of us making another one? We want to make a film with an equal perspective, and not shoot Tibet with the feeling of aiding Tibet. Such a proposition cannot be separated from Tibetan artists. I met director Lahuajia through director Wanma Tseden, music, art There is also a Tibetan creative team, as well as a team that I brought here myself. In fact, this is the result of a collaboration between Tibetan and Chinese artists.
Director Lawaga (left) and Director Chen Guoxing at the filming site of "Back to Tibet".
Beijing News: After Director Lahuajia entered this project, what adjustments did he make to the script from the perspective of a Tibetan director?
Lajuaga: is mainly a change in perspective and expression. For example, in the movie, when Lao Kong first came to Gangba County, in the original script, many Tibetans came to greet him with hadas. I think this is too traditional, as many movies are shot this way. I changed it to a lot of people singing. He was eating tsampa with the Tibetans ("Zanba" is the Tibetan transliteration of "fried noodles"), but due to different eating habits, he choked on (the flour of tsampa). This shows that it is the first time for Lao Kong to come to this place, he doesn’t even know how to eat tsampa, and what he wants to express has been expressed clearly.
There is also a scene about building a dam. In the original script, there was a flood and people died, so everyone felt that the dam needed to be built. In the current script, the flood and rescue scenes have all been removed. In the beginning, the dam could not be built because of the Tibetan people's beliefs. This land is at the foot of the sacred mountain and cannot be excavated. It is difficult to get through due to their beliefs. There is also the attitude of the Tibetan grandmother in the film towards death. In the previous script, the grandmother was taken to the hospital for treatment, but now she has to wait for death at home. This is a cultural collision about life and death.
Beijing News: Director Wanma Tseden served as the art director in the film. What suggestions did he give to the film?
Lajuaga: He gave a lot of very good suggestions during the early script stage of , including during the later editing process. He read it many times and gave a lot of editing ideas.
Chen Guoxing: I have been struggling with how to call "Lao Kong". It is more difficult in the script, and I don't want to call him by his name directly. Director Wanma just said "kong", saying that this pronunciation is particularly good in Tibetan areas. (the meaning of).
Beijing News: Zhang Dalei, the director of the movie "August", is also one of the screenwriters of the film. What contribution did he make to the script?
Lajuaga: He mainly participated in discussing some scenarios and adjusting some directions. This is very important. Because the previous storyline was a bit stronger, after Dalei came in, we decided to tone down the plot and give it a direction. Because the film can go in two directions, one is like a Hollywood drama mode, with an obvious opening, climax, ending, and a strong plot; the other is an artistic direction, and this is the artistic direction it is taking now. Dalei also mentioned before that it was possible to set Jiumei, played by Kimba, as a fictional person, and finally let the audience know that there is no such person. It has already gone to that level, even more extreme, and then brought it back. .
Jiumei sang the English song "danny boy" by the campfire.
Beijing News: In the film, Jiumei sang an English song "danny boy". Who chose this song?
Chen Guoxing: Because the character Jiumei has a prototype in reality. He is a descendant of a noble family and can speak English. In the film, Jiumei undergoes re-education and works as a herd for the production team due to ingredients issues, but his inner uneasiness and wishful thinking need something to release. Zhang Dalei thought of this song. He has never been to Tibet, but he gave the film more information. Much imagination.
Lajuaga: In this scene, Lao Kong tells the story of his childhood in Shandong. At that time, the two of them seemed to have returned to their childhood, returning to the most innocent state. The song "danny boy" was also sung to the children. The song also fits this scene.
"There is a natural beauty in group performances in Tibetan areas"
Beijing News: Why did you choose Song Yang to play the role of Lao Kong?
Lajuaga: We have met many professional actors in Beijing before. Every time we meet and chat with them, they recommend themselves more, including during auditions. They may have more understanding of the characters. Explanation, but after we met with Song Yang, he did not recommend himself very strongly. When we talked about the character with him, he said that he was very vague about it and had not yet found the status of the character. If it were someone else, he would definitely have a lot of understanding of this character. From this, I can see that he is a very sincere person, giving me a very clean feeling, just like the character Lao Kong, who is not that complicated. This is also in line with the inner feeling of the character Lao Kong. Also, he has never been to Tibet before. If he had gone there for the first time during filming, he might have a deeper impression.
Lao Kong and Jiumei took photos.
Beijing News: In the film, Lao Kong is from Shandong and Song Yang is from the south. What requirements did the director have for Song Yang’s Shandong dialect before filming started?
Chen Guoxing: is positioned as a literary film with an artistic temperament. The characters must be down-to-earth in order to appear friendly. So there was a clear request from the beginning that Song Yang should speak Shandong dialect as much as possible. He also worked very hard and has been studying since signing the contract. Because the script was revised back and forth, he had a total of three teachers. Why did these teachers change? Because they accompanied Song Yang throughout the filming, the altitude sickness was unbearable.
Lao Kong, like many people, went to Tibet from the mainland and turned Tibet into his second hometown. We wanted to position this group of people as coming from all over the world, like the leader of the Water Conservancy Bureau played by Tao Hai. I knew that he was from Hefei, Anhui, so I asked him to speak in Hefei Mandarin.
Beijing News: Did Director Chen have serious symptoms of high fever during the entire filming process?
Chen Guoxing: I took oxygen throughout the whole process, except when eating. I didn’t need to take oxygen when I went there in the early years, but now it’s a bit risky. My headaches are even worse at night, and it’s even more serious. My oxygen bottles are all in the car. , after all, he is older.Tao Hai was also very embarrassed. He fainted when he came. Oh my God, we were all worried that he couldn't play this role, but he was the most suitable candidate. (Other actors) couldn't find that kind of skinny knowledge. The molecular style, the kind of image of a person who is very upright and friendly in a difficult environment. This kind of Han face is sometimes hard to find.
La Huaga: The night when Teacher Tao Hai came, after the photography director Guo Daming and I finished work, on the way back, Director Chen sent me a voice message, saying that Teacher Tao Hai’s reaction was too serious, what about tomorrow’s scene? manage? I don't have any actors to choose from. Guo Daming and I went to knock on the door of Teacher Tao Hai's room to see how he was doing. We knocked for a long time before opening the door and asked him if he could persist tomorrow. If he could persist, if he could finish the filming in one day (possibly). He said he would try it tomorrow and if it didn't work, he would have to leave. The next day we were filming a dam repair scene. The altitude was very high and there were a lot of extras. It was difficult to shoot. We planned to shoot for three days and finish it on the last day.
Many extras participated in the dam repair scene in the film, and the filming went smoothly. The person wearing a khata on the far left in the front row is actor Tao Hai.
Beijing News: In the film, there are a lot of group scenes in the dam repair scene and the scene where we discuss how to deal with the plague sheep. Was it smooth to shoot these group scenes?
Chen Guoxing: The group performers in Tibetan areas are naturally good. The camera is pointed at them and they don’t look at the camera. But if you try it in rural areas in the mainland, our executive deputy director will be very anxious. The most tiring thing is how to arrange the group performances.
La Huaga: The best ensemble cast (scene) in this drama is the dam scene. The ensemble cast (performance in the scene) in that village is very good.
Beijing News: At the end of the film, Lao Kong returns to Tibet again and uses a relatively freehand dream to express it. Why did you think of using this way of expression?
Lajuaga: mainly considers the tone of the film, because the tone at the beginning has a very poetic expression, and if you use a very realistic shooting technique at the end, it will not fit the current feeling. The ending is actually about Lao Kong going to say goodbye to his friends before his death, but it was shot in a surreal way. He attended his friend's wedding. When he walked to the second floor, there was one less person in his circle, and the number of friends around him became more and more. Young Master, he was the only one left in the end. It is about the fact that when a person dies, he actually goes alone, and no friends around him can accompany you. In the real prototype, Lao Kong did not say goodbye to his translator (Jiumi) before his death. He died in a car accident on the way back to Ali from Xinjiang. In the movie, a surreal dream was used to let Lao Kong bid farewell to his translator. Make up for the regrets in reality.
The scene in the film where Lao Kong and translator Jiumei say goodbye is treated like a surreal dream.
"If the filming is too fragmented, the actor's emotional continuity will be lost."
Beijing News: This is the first time for the film's director of photography Guo Daming to work with you, because he is the director of films such as "Kang Rinpoche" Photography?
La Huaga: We were looking for another photographer before, but he really didn’t have time. Then we thought of Guo Daming. He had photographed Tibet. I have seen his photography of "The Soul on the Leather Rope" and "Gangren". Pozzi", his vision is very interesting. The actor's assistant director Tashi forwarded Guo Daming's WeChat account to me, and we made an appointment to meet in Beijing the next day. His understanding of the script was excellent in all aspects, and we quickly decided that he would be the director of photography. Through this film, the two of us have become very good friends. I will contact him every time I come to Beijing and go to his house for dinner. I may also collaborate with him in my next film.
Beijing News: How is the specific photography style determined?
Lajuaga: has been discussed before. I was thinking about the 1.85:1 aspect ratio like "Wangza's Rainboots" and "Tallow", which has a stronger documentary feel. But Guo Daming later mentioned that if he shot like this, many of the scenery outside Tibet would not be able to be photographed, and it would only focus on the people. He wondered if it would be possible to use full frame to shoot, and take pictures with people at the same time. With this land, the relationship between land and people is also very important.Later I said yes, since my previous two films were all made in 1.85:1 format, why not give this shooting method a try.
also has regard to the use of light. Whether to use natural light or not is more particular. Later, we decided to use natural light as much as possible for the outdoor ones, and use light-blocking for the indoor ones to be more refined. Because he used to shoot commercials and is very sensitive to light, so you can see that all the lighting indoors is very delicate. As for the color tone of the film, we tried not to show green, because high-altitude areas are very desolate, and it doesn’t visually match the feeling of green. All of this holds true as the higher the altitude, the sparser the vegetation.
The scene where Jiumei takes the horse thief and swears an oath before the gods is full of sacredness.
Beijing News: There is a scene of singing and dancing indoors, and the photography is very interesting in terms of lighting.
Chen Guoxing: The scene in was originally written in a karaoke hall. I was very nervous at the time. It would definitely not be possible for the cadres who were aiding Tibet to go to the karaoke hall, so I thought about how to make it more simple so that the audience could accept it, but without being overbearing. That kind of routine. In the end, we built a scene in a warehouse and used small red light tubes. It was very simple and in line with the feeling of the 1970s and 1980s.
The Tibetan cast in the scene was very interesting. I remember that during the preparation, the extras were chatting next to them after changing their clothes. I thought why didn’t they take advantage of this time to practice the dance? If they were Han actors, they would have to Practicing. At our scene, the executive director shouted to start filming in Tibetan. I couldn’t understand it, but they all jumped, sang and danced as soon as they started. They were really talented.
Beijing News: The film uses a lot of long shots. Is this because of the continuity of the performance?
Lajuaga: We initially considered whether to shoot with a long lens or to shoot with a more fragmented lens, but later we felt that it should not be too fragmented. If the shot is too fragmented, the emotional continuity of the actors will be lost. You can feel the actor's emotional changes in one shot, but after the shot cuts, the actor's mood basically changes, so we are purely a scene, and sometimes we really don't have any money. Director Chen also said, why didn’t you take a close-up? But there is no way, because the scene is indeed presented with a long lens.
Beijing News: There are several lines of poetry on the wall of Jiumei’s room in the film. Does this very philosophical poem have any allusions to Tibetan areas?
La Huajia: During the filming stage, we always hoped to have something that could refine the theme of the film, just like in "Killing a Sheep" directed by Wanma Tseden, "If I tell you my dream" , you may forget it; if I let you enter my dream, it will also become your dream." Once, photographer Guo Daming and I went to drink sweet tea in a very old sweet tea house in Lhasa. I saw this poem written in Tibetan on the wall. The Chinese meaning is: The body is like an empty shell. When it dies, there is no regret. Wisdom is like a gentleman. It is a pity that it is lost together.
Director Lavaaga was looking at the profound poem in the film.
I told Daming the meaning of this poem. We all thought this poem was very interesting, so we added it to the video. At first, we wanted to put it in the scene where Kumi is reading a book on the bus. When we were walking through the scene, it felt completely wrong, so we immediately changed it to Kumi's room, which eventually became the lyrics of the film's theme song. I think this poem can really reflect what we want to express, especially since many people around us have passed away in the past two years. Although they have passed away, their spirits will always be there, so I feel inspired every time I see this poem. Feeling.
Beijing News reporter Teng Chao
editor Huang Jialing
proofreader Wu Xingfa
