Text/Yangcheng Evening News All-Media Reporter Ai Xiuyu Intern Huang Mingyuan
Picture/Que Daohua Xie Yixun Chen Zitao
Message to 2024 Mountain and Sea Project
“For me, the Mountain and Sea Project happens to be at the point where I want to try new things, and the whole process is full of excitement. Curiosity and fun. I hope you can also embark on an unexpected journey! "
- 2023 Mountain and Sea Project Young Director Chen Xiaolu
From Tianjin to Beijing, from Melbourne to Shenzhen, Anhui girl Chen Xiaolu has been busy looking for a path for her film career! The best growth path, an unexpected encounter with the Shanhai Project in 2023 gave her the opportunity to deeply explore Lingnan culture from the perspective of a foreigner.
The short film "Dream Melon Ridge Blues" created by Chen Xiaolu after being selected for the Shanhai Project uses a voyeuristic perspective from the outside in to show the fantasy experience of two young people in the ancient village of Zengcheng "Guoling": century-old trees, ancient village buildings, dragon boat teams , lion dance troupe and Cantonese opera stage... In the flow of light and shadow, this land is filled with a dreamy and mysterious atmosphere. With a fresh perspective, unique aesthetics, and impromptu performances, the film shows the audience the beauty and charm that is not easily noticed in the land of Lingnan.
Chen Xiaolu said that she gained a lot from the shooting process: "The process was very interesting and I made many new attempts. This shooting is a new starting point for me."
Use a unique perspective to create "atypical" stories
Yangcheng Evening News : The graphics of "Dream Melon Ridge Blues" are very unique. Can you briefly introduce it?
Chen Xiaolu: "Dream Melon Blues" is a new attempt of mine. The shooting technique is relatively tactful, and the story content is very simple. There is not even a strong plot. It is just performed through the tone and lens, letting the senses, emotions and atmosphere speak. The film uses an outside-in perspective to show the charm of an ancient Lingnan village through two young people who broke into the ancient village.
Yangcheng Evening News: The narrative technique that emphasizes the atmosphere and neglects the story can easily make the audience confused. Why challenge the high difficulty?
Chen Xiaolu: Mainly to satisfy curiosity and aesthetic needs, because I think if we want to attract audiences in different cultural contexts, we may need to adopt some more interesting angles. After all, a short film cannot fully carry rich culture, so we might as well regard it as a window.
Yangcheng Evening News: From the context of creation, how to understand the three words "dream", "melon mountain" and "blues" in the title of the film?
Chen Xiaolu: "Dream" mainly refers to scenes that are both real and illusory, because dreams themselves are discontinuous, with both realistic and weird aspects. We will jump-cut the captured materials in the film. It is presented in a fragmented, discontinuous and non-linear way; "Gualing" is the shooting location, and in my opinion it is also a very local and Chinese word. It may be a corner of the hometown that is familiar to millions of people. "Blues" is a singing form that became popular among black people after the American Civil War. Putting the two words "melon" and "blues" together not only reflects the collision between different cultures, but also fits what I want to express. That "unreal" feeling.
Deepen your understanding of Lingnan culture through exploration
Yangcheng Evening News: As a young director who was born and raised in a non-Lingnan area, when you want to tell a Lingnan story, how does your perspective differ from that of local creators?
Chen Xiaolu: I came to Guangdong only after I became an adult. Most of the time, I approach and understand the culture here out of curiosity. Maybe my perspective of observation is different from everyone else’s. Just like the hero and heroine in the film, I am an “intruder.” .
Yangcheng Evening News: Why did you choose "Gualing" as the place where the film's story takes place? This ancient village located in Xintang, Zengcheng, Guangzhou may not be known to many locals.
Chen Xiaolu: I didn’t know this place at first. Indeed, many locals in Guangzhou didn’t know either. I discovered such a village by chance because of my family.There are some original Lingnan architecture preserved here, which is very impressive. I often hang out and write here, and I feel that every plant and tree is beautiful. Later, I was shortlisted for the Shanhai Project, and I feel that I can complete it with more friends. This shooting makes it more meaningful for more people to see the stories that happened on this land.
Yangcheng Evening News: After completing the shooting of the short film, have you gained a deeper understanding of Lingnan culture?
Chen Xiaolu: That's for sure. Not only me as an "intruder", but also the Guangdong friends in our film crew also gained many new feelings and gains. Just like I am from Anhui but have never climbed Mount Huangshan, many local friends in Guangdong have not had in-depth contact with or understand some of their own local culture. This time they had the opportunity to take close-up shots of dragon boats, lion dances, and Cantonese opera. Like me, they all saw the deeper content and connotation.
Being a foreigner may also be an advantage in my creation - cultural differences make me, a foreigner, deeply curious about everything in Lingnan. While capturing the ordinary and extraordinary beauty through my senses and freezing the images in my mind through my camera, I also became more clear about how I should tell the story of "Dream Melon Ridge Blues" well.
Yangcheng Evening News: The Mountain and Sea Project is an internationally oriented creative support program. What do you think will attract foreign audiences to this film?
Chen Xiaolu: Through some interesting angles, we have opened a window to understand our national culture for audiences living in different cultural contexts. The scenes in the film include many local elements that represent traditional Chinese culture, allowing the audience to feel the unique customs and customs of Lingnan. Of course, what is more direct is that our pictures are beautiful.
The Mountains and Seas Project is a new starting point after self-adjustment
Yangcheng Evening News: What was the opportunity to learn about the Mountains and Seas Project and decide to sign up?
Chen Xiaolu: My friend in Beijing saw this event online and thought it was very suitable for me, so he forwarded it to me. I think this is a good opportunity. The Mountain and Sea Project provides me with the possibility of shooting with a like-minded team, which is much more interesting than shooting with a small camera by myself.
Yangcheng Evening News: What did you gain from this shooting?
Chen Xiaolu: After I returned to China after graduation, I participated in the production of some films, including preparing venture capital scripts. Although I have grown a lot, I am also a little tired. I have begun to lack the true feeling of some creative details. I thought I needed to jump out of this industry and rethink my life and life, so I pressed the "pause button" to do other jobs and go to university for further studies. When I was ready to start again, I happened to encounter the Mountain and Sea Project. I did it in the best possible condition. This short film shooting also tried some styles and story elements that I had never tried before. I also enjoy the creative process itself more.
Yangcheng Evening News: Do you think the final effect of the film met your expectations?
Chen Xiaolu: I think the degree of completion is acceptable and quite satisfactory. What’s more interesting about the finished film is that the relatively ordinary scenes I originally envisioned turned out to be unexpectedly beautiful. It has a feeling of "unintentional insertion of willows and willows". For example, the texture of the woods in the film is more beautiful than I imagined. There is also a Cantonese opera troupe. Initially this was just a very small element inserted into the film, but the effects, angles, and the actors' performances were all very surprising.
Yangcheng Evening News: Finally, please briefly recommend "Dream Melon Ridge Blues" in a few words.
Chen Xiaolu: This short film looks at our overseas Chinese culture in Lingnan from some fresh and interesting perspectives. I hope that after watching the film, foreign audiences will become very curious about the small world and dream presented in the film, and then want to come to Lingnan and Gualing to check in!
Producers: Du Chuangui, Lin Haili
Directors: Sun Aiqun, Sun Xuan, Hu Quan, Lin Rumin
General planner: Sun Chaofang
Executive director: Lu Nanfang
Event coordinator: Cai Chunchun
