"What I thought at the time was that if I became popular as a screenwriter, I would soon become a director. But is it that easy for screenwriters to become popular? I was still too naive." Served as a judge at the 26th Shanghai International Film Festival The famous Japanese screenwriter and director Shin Adachi described his mentality when he first entered the film industry.
This year, the movie " Hot Hot " directed and starred by Jia Ling won the Spring Festival box office championship. This movie was adapted from the work " Hundred Yuan Love " written by Shin Adachi. Chinese audiences will naturally compare the similarities and differences in plot settings and artistic expression between the two movies. During the media exchange session of the film festival, Adachi Shin shared with Observer.com his understanding of the controversial plot in "One Hundred Dollar Love" and the current status of the Japanese film industry.
asked: As a director and screenwriter, you are particularly good at telling the lives and stories of the people at the bottom, and at the same time presenting these stories in the form of comedy. Works with similar themes have also been very popular in China in recent years. How do you source materials in your creation? How do you balance "laughter" and "tears" in the movie?
Adachi Shin: I am very happy to hear that you said that works with such themes are also very popular in China. I also look forward to the day when I will have the opportunity to work with Chinese filmmakers on such creations.
In fact, my original intention when I entered the industry was to create works that make people laugh. The most ordinary life for each of us is full of laughter and tears. A mixture of joys and sorrows is real life. Of course, some works will have a clear theme. For example, the movie was originally set to be a tragedy or a comedy. This time I saw some such works when I was a judge at the Shanghai Film Festival, and I was deeply impressed. There is an Indian movie that reflects the very struggling and difficult life of the people at the bottom. But in my own works, I want to show the normal daily life of ordinary people. There are unpleasant things and happy things. I will try to balance them in the plot.
As for how I draw materials, first of all I will use myself as the prototype, or some people who are particularly close to me, such as my wife or my parents, who are more authentic to me. If I am creating based on people I don’t know well, I will choose those characters in literature or film and television works that resonate strongly with me and have a great impact on me, such as the protagonist of "One Hundred Dollar Love" It was influenced by the character of the wife in the movie "Rocky".
The heroine "Ichiko" played by Sakura Ando in "One Hundred Dollar Love" (Photo source: Internet)
asked: Many people say that it is not easy for Japanese screenwriters to become famous or to support themselves with scripts; it is difficult for screenwriters to survive in China It's also not easy, and some young screenwriters are even defrauded of their royalties and forced to be "gunners." Did you encounter similar difficulties when you entered the screenwriting profession?
Adachi Shin: In Japan, TV drama screenwriters are highly respected in all aspects, but in comparison, film screenwriters are less respected. I don’t know why.
The worse situation you mentioned just now, there are also examples in Japan: For example, if a movie has not yet been approved, the screenwriter will be told to write it for me no matter what. After the script is written, if the film is not successfully filmed, the money will naturally not be paid. If it is successful, the price will be kept very low. It is really difficult to make a living in Japan just by writing movie scripts, so there are very few young Japanese people who are devoted to film screenwriting. In recent years, Japan has not trained many young film screenwriters, even if there are some who have just started to make progress. , and soon went to the TV series.
I can barely make a living by working as a film scriptwriter and a TV drama scriptwriter at the same time. I definitely can’t rely on movies alone.In fact, directors are paid very little in Japan. I think I have to find some way now, so I joined the film union myself and put forward some demands for improved treatment, but it is still difficult to change this status quo. I always thought that this situation only existed in Japan. I didn't expect that Chinese screenwriters also had such a dilemma. I was a little surprised. This situation is really very regrettable.
asked: participated in the Shanghai Film Festival this time. After communicating with Chinese colleagues, do you think there is any difference between the current Chinese film market and the Japanese film market?
Adachi Shin: participated in the review of the Shanghai Film Festival this time. Due to a very busy schedule of watching films, we did not communicate much. But I have communicated with Chinese producers who came to Japan to develop, and I feel that compared with Japanese films, the production fees for Chinese film projects are quite sufficient. Insufficient funding is a very serious problem facing Japanese movies. Many Japanese movies now have very low budgets and costs.
The filming scene of the Chinese movie "1921" (Picture source: Internet)
asked: You mentioned in an interview in 2017 that when you first entered the industry, you were ambitious and wanted to become a director directly, but later gave up and switched to screenwriting. After 20 years, you have returned to the role of director. How has your mentality changed?
Mr. Adachi: When I first entered the industry, the atmosphere of this industry in Japan was quite different from what it is now. Film shooting scenes are very "strict", and this kind of harshness is considered good. The filming scenes are often filled with yelling and occasionally violent acts. Only by surviving in such a harsh and dark atmosphere can one become a director. The atmosphere was too much for me at the time, so I ran away. But after escaping, I felt frustrated again and thought why I couldn't do it. This made me less confident, but I didn't want to give up my dream of making a movie, so I changed careers and became a screenwriter.
What I thought at the time was that if I became popular as a screenwriter, I would soon become a director. But is it so easy for screenwriters to become popular? I was still too naive in my thinking. In fact, it was a very long process to write a script until it was recognized. It took me a long time to do it. Although I went through a lot in this process, I always believed that my day of making movies would come, so I never gave up.
As for my future plans, I hope to continue to be both a director and a screenwriter. I also hope to be able to film scripts written by other outstanding screenwriters, so that I can gain unexpected perspectives.
Q: The Chinese film "Hot and Spicy" adapted from your work "One Hundred Dollars of Love" won the box office championship during this year's Spring Festival in China. Have you seen Jia Ling's version? What do you think is different from what your version expresses?
Adachi Sen: I watched Jia Ling's "Hot and Spicy". I think compared to my original work, Jia Ling's version will be more comedy-oriented, and the audience will have more fun watching the movie. The plot setting includes the heroine participating in a TV show, and the boxing scenes were also shot very well. It is really a movie that makes people laugh and cry at the same time. My version would probably be a bit harsher, with more pathos, and not as much comedy as in "Hot and Furious." "Hot" will be released in Japan soon. I believe this movie will also be very popular in Japan. I am looking forward to it.
Poster of the movie "Hot and Spicy"
asked: Because it is a remake, many Chinese audiences will compare the plot differences between your and Jia Ling's versions. One of the obvious differences is that after the important boxing match, in your version the heroine accepted the invitation of her ex-boyfriend and went to dinner together, while in Jia Ling's version the heroine refused. Why did you set up such a plot? Does it mean that in "One Hundred Dollars of Love", the heroine finally let go of the past and "reconciled" with herself?
Mr. Adachi: Many people have asked me about the last scene and why the two of them went to dinner together in the end.In fact, there are many viewers in Japan, especially female viewers, who cannot accept this setting - why is the heroine willing to hold hands and go to dinner with such a man? Because I am a man, many men in my movies appear in the form of "bad men". When I put them in, I feel that I really hope that someone can be by my side in the end, so I set it up like that.
Of course, from the perspective of Sakura Ando (the actress who plays the heroine), although she lost the boxing match and was beaten like that, tomorrow will still come. Although some things will change, some things will not. Change - life is like this, it is impossible for everything to go smoothly, and it is impossible for every situation to change as you wish. I think no matter how hard she works in boxing, there are still many things she can't change.
Stills of "One Hundred Dollars of Love"
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