The second phase of the winter project development workshop of the 25th Shanghai International Film Festival Venture Capital Training Camp (siff next) was held from January 16th to 19th at the Shanghai Film Academy of Shanghai University. Director Liu Jiayin and screenwriter Mei Feng Four senior filmmakers, producer Shen Yang and screenwriter Zhang Jialu, served as mentors and had three days of in-depth exchanges with the creators of this year's shortlisted projects.
On January 18, the main creators of this venture capital training camp project made a public statement. "Their Obstetrics and Gynecology" and "Duck Hill" were awarded the "Best Training Camp Project". The instructors also created works for young people in the form of a roundtable forum. current situation and future suggestions.
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Selected projects, each with valuable topics
Venture Capital Training Camp is a new newcomer incubation unit launched by the Shanghai International Film Festival in 2019. Different from film project venture capital, the venture capital training camp focuses on the new creators in the project, is committed to discovering and supporting new film talents with development potential, and helps them enter the industry through a series of step-by-step activity section design. Enter the film industry to provide a professional platform for him to complete his first and second feature films.
In November last year, the venture capital training camp opened the call for feature film projects to previous shortlisted students, and received a total of 21 project applications. After passing the screening of the review committee, the creative teams of six projects including "Their Obstetrics and Gynecology", "Night Run", "Duck Hill", "Guangde House", "Under Fourteen" and "Shanghai Daughter" gathered in Shanghai to participate in this project development workshops and industry training activities.
Report scene
From the report scene, we can see that the current batch of emerging creators still maintain a sharp insight into reality and care about characters. "The six projects are all impressive, and you can feel the enthusiasm of young creators from them." This year's instructor Mei Feng commented on the overall impression of this training camp project.
"Night Run" uses a black and humorous traffic accident Rashomon to show the human nature of seeking advantages and avoiding disadvantages, and also adds a picture of the changing times; "Guangde Building" tells the story of a theater troupe in the oldest existing building in Beijing. The ups and downs of various "characters" in the times, exploring the true vitality of Peking Opera under the laughter and curse; "Under Fourteen" touches on the evil of minors in the form of "case within a case", showing the creator's Reflections on parent-child relationships triggered by social cases; "Shanghai Daughter" is inspired by the director's recollection of the Shanghai educated youth father who went to Yunnan to plant rubber trees. Through poetic images, it traces the intimacy and empathy between people, land, and history across time and space.
’s two winning projects are one realistic and one fantasy. In the selection, the stability of the scripts and the maturity of the production ideas became the reasons why they stood out.
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"Their Obstetrics and Gynecology" is the director's rethinking of life and society after becoming a mother. The creator uses an obstetrician and gynecologist who lost her only child and an unmarried girl who desperately wants to become a mother to form a pair that reflects each other's redemption. The fake mother-daughter relationship, through the image expression of the space inside and outside the hospital, shows the order and disorder of society and the characters' hearts, reflecting the young creator's insight and concern for the emotions of the times.
"Duck Hill" is a Hakka story full of fantasy, using the three-month full night to connect a period of poetic memory and nostalgia. On the night of the full moon, the mute girl speaks, the orphan disappears, and the director who returns home meets his mountain ghost friend. Three groups of characters from different time and space unfold their lives in a unique way amid the entanglement between themselves and society. It is conceivable that in the future, this is not only a film about the folk memory of the hometown, but also strives to create full and powerful characters in marginalized villages.
"The themes and styles of the two films are very different. One focuses on social topics, and the other is a film about cultural inheritance and customs. They are relatively standard art films." Mei Feng said about the review of the project, and everyone naturally reached an agreement. .
The two honorary project parties will be eligible to be shortlisted for the next Shanghai International Film Festival Film Project Venture Capital after completing a short film related to their respective projects in the first half of this year.In order to help the incubation of the "Best Training Camp Project" and its short film shooting, siff next teamed up with industry partners to provide support for the shooting and production of its related short films, including 90,000 yuan in cash, shooting equipment, post-production sound production, film color grading and legal Supporting services in consulting and other fields.
"Famous Doctor Consultation" provides creative advice
In the closed workshops in the first two days, the instructors had in-depth exchanges and discussions with representatives of the shortlisted project parties on project development, including script writing, filming and production, capital planning, etc. We carried out various aspects of the project, sorted out and explored the future development direction of the project, and put forward many pertinent and valuable suggestions.
Fan Jingwen, head of the venture capital unit of the Shanghai International Film Festival, described the process as a "consultation with famous doctors." Four tutors had a "four-on-one" consultation on a project, and each project was stipulated to have 40 minutes. The result was that "every group timed out." Liu Jiayin said that each of the six project topics this time has value. During the process, the instructor will give suggestions based on the different needs of each group, ranging from the script structure to the presentation method of ppt, and even future market considerations. , the demands of each project creator are different, "Coming to the training camp is actually a process of self-examination for them, and we will raise the dangerous issues they are not aware of in their 'blind spots'."
Mentor Roundtable
In Mentor Roundtable During the session, four senior filmmakers shared their experiences from the perspectives of subject selection and cost control. The projects of the
training camp are still in the very early stages of film development. Some projects do not even have producers yet. Young creators bring their own creativity. In addition to the need for continuous improvement and modification, finding like-minded partners is also an important demand of the students. Regarding team building, Zhang Jialu believes that for new creators, it is important to learn to "make friends first, then work on the project", which is very important for the ultimate success of the project. Shen Yang also said that trust between the production team and the director team is particularly important, and it is necessary to find collaborators who trust each other and have the same aspirations.
Funding is a big problem for newbies when they start creating. As a producer, Shen Yang said that some directors thought the cost was very low and simply paid for the film themselves. And she is quite opposed to this approach. "Selling your house or paying a big price will encourage a kind of 'willfulness'." Shen Yang believes that "there is a certain lack of freedom in the nature of the movie. "Maximizing expression within an unfree framework" is the direction that young directors should learn from.
In this regard, Liu Jiayin, an authorial director, expressed his support for the "willfulness" of directors of works with strong authorial attributes. She said that when she made the "Cowhide" series in her early years, she completed her creations in a "willful" state where she only considered self-expression. "That was an act of creation that belonged only to me. I hardly had to communicate with anyone. Think about what you want." Liu Jiayin suggested that creators should think clearly about their core demands. If it is a work that focuses on individual expression, "the more selfish the better. If you are not selfish, your emotional saturation will decrease and your chances of winning will become lower. Different What you need to achieve at every stage. You have to understand yourself, and you cannot expect others to understand you."
Mei Feng listed the growth paths of many famous young directors who have achieved great results at international film festivals in recent years, and talked about how they were still newcomers. At that time, "I came out of venture capital with a script, started with the film festival, and then created a new space in career design."
Regarding the growth and opportunities of newcomers, screenwriter Zhang Jialu said that with the changes in the film market environment in recent years In the face of the cold, the head effect of the movie box office becomes more and more obvious. "10% of the movies earn 90% of the box office, and investors are becoming more and more conservative. Most of the funds will be concentrated on a small number of resources, and it will become increasingly difficult for young people." ." Therefore, Mei Feng believes that "the significance of venture capital for young creators who truly love movies is precisely to test themselves, and to build efficient working methods for each other. "It's a trial."
Shen Yang said, "In recent years, many venture capital platforms have sprung up, but to a certain extent, the best domestic projects and the most promising projects will be sent to the Shanghai International Film Festival."She believes that as an international A-class film festival, the Shanghai International Film Festival has better project resources. The industry attention and international attention received on the Shanghai Film Festival platform are different from ordinary venture capital platforms. For these young films, It is a very good debut for newcomers.
"Keep shooting and live on" is Zhang Jialu's advice to young creators. "Strengthening your beliefs and maintaining good health also requires a certain amount of luck. ”
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In recent years, the Shanghai International Film Festival’s stepped newcomer support system mainly provides all-round support for young film workers through cultivation ladders such as short videos, Jinjue short films, venture capital training camps, and film project venture capital. , prompting them to move step by step towards the highest film palace. So far, the venture capital training camp has recommended 80 young filmmakers to the industry and incubated 31 projects, of which 12 were shortlisted for various venture capital activities, 5 were completed, and 3 were shortlisted Festival, 1 film has been released. It is reported that the 2024 Shanghai International Film Festival·Venture Capital Training Camp (siff next) will open student applications in February, and will openly solicit applications from three directions: young producers, directors, and screenwriters from Chinese-speaking regions .
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