【Theatre】Theatrical movie "Shushan" explores the road

It is not the first time that Tan Kongwen has dealt with the epidemic as a theater worker. During the SARS battle in 2003, he put Liu Yichang's "Facing Down" on the stage. "At that time, the audience also had to wear masks to enter the stage." As for "One "Sword Shushan" is even more twists and turns. It has been extended from May, September, January this year to April this year. The format has also been changed from theater performances to theater movie screenings. Distress and disappointment are inevitable. Director Tan said with a wry smile, many things I can't control it, "the only thing you can do is adjust your mentality."

"One Sword of Shushan" was inspired by the novel "The Legend of Shushan Swordsman" by the owner of Huanzhu, and Tsui Hark's film "New Shushan Swordsman". It was originally scheduled for a physical performance in May last year. In the early days of the outbreak in January and February, everyone was panicked, and we even considered whether to continue the rehearsal. Fortunately, I am also the writer and director this time, and I am ready to make revisions at any time." He even wrote a script that allows actors to rehearse independently, " If anything happens, you can adapt accordingly.” In May last year, he was the first to taste the stillbirth of the performance plan, this side postponed the performance to September, and the other side decided to change the team and recruited Chen Zihuan to shoot the video. I originally planned to film the performance first, so that the video could be combined with the physical performance, but it was still unable to start in September, and the director decided to make it into a theater movie.

It is not the first time that Tan Kongwen has dealt with the epidemic as a theater worker. During the SARS battle in 2003, he put Liu Yichang's "Facing Down" on the stage. "At that time, the audience also had to wear masks to enter the stage." As for "One "Sword Shushan" is even more twists and turns. It has been extended from May, September, January this year to April this year. The format has also been changed from theater performances to theater movie screenings. Distress and disappointment are inevitable. Director Tan said with a wry smile, many things I can't control it, "the only thing you can do is adjust your mentality."

"One Sword of Shushan" was inspired by the novel "The Legend of Shushan Swordsman" by the owner of Huanzhu, and Tsui Hark's film "New Shushan Swordsman". It was originally scheduled for a physical performance in May last year. In the early days of the outbreak in January and February, everyone was panicked, and we even considered whether to continue the rehearsal. Fortunately, I am also the writer and director this time, and I am ready to make revisions at any time." He even wrote a script that allows actors to rehearse independently, " If anything happens, you can adapt accordingly.” In May last year, he was the first to taste the stillbirth of the performance plan, this side postponed the performance to September, and the other side decided to change the team and recruited Chen Zihuan to shoot the video. I originally planned to film the performance first, so that the video could be combined with the physical performance, but it was still unable to start in September, and the director decided to make it into a theater movie.

Once it is switched to film shooting mode, there are also changes to the production, such as the selection of music. "In the theater version, we originally planned to use "The Vortex" by Huang Yaoming and Peng Ling, but when it was made into a film, the selection of music involved copyright issues, so we created a new one." He also mentioned that making theater works allows viewers to freely receive information. "But when making movies, which key points need to be preserved and which ones need to be deleted, the director must be a 'dictator'." He seems like a freak, but as a "father", he readily accepts it, "It was my biggest achievement last year. I was in the middle of the epidemic, and I made a mistake and made two works." Stay optimistic, see the positive, in Adversity is important.

The current "One Sword of Shushan" retains both the rhythm of the theater and the tone of the film. He feels that this version has vitality and is worthy of being shown in theaters. The atmosphere of the immersive space is planned to be released in January this year. "I want everyone to watch the theater in the immersive theater." Without 3D images, without the surround sound, and the atmosphere of the concert hall of the Great Hall, he said with a smile that " God Restored" watching the midnight show in the 1980s. It is a pity that the epidemic has been repeated, and the screening plan in January still backfired. Tan Kongwen and his party packed up their moods and re-scheduled the works to be released to the world in April. Now everything is ready, and I hope everything goes well.

Earlier, they invited friends from all walks of life to have a sneak peek. After watching the show, everyone agreed that the film has strong nostalgia. Some said that there was a shadow of Shusi Terayama in the first part, and some felt that a lot of dialogue was used to build martial arts. The situation is similar to Wong Kar-wai's "Evil and Poison in the West", which all reflect his interests and tastes, who were deeply influenced by TV dramas and television in his youth. It's old." If you only watch the physical performance of "A Sword of Shushan" in the theater, those nostalgic texture outlines will definitely be gone. "The theatrical version and theatrical film version of "One Sword of Shushan" are two works. There are some things in the latter that cannot be reproduced in physical performances." When "One Sword of Shushan" was filmed, he was like returning to adolescence. Looking at today's creations, it has led to a very interesting interlacing of times. "It is a 'return to the ancestors' of the past, and it is closer to my inner view."

This trip has opened up a new experiment in theatrical film, a small test, will Tan Kongwen make persistent efforts? He laughed and said that he was still based on theater and would definitely not make movies. However, if it was a theater film, he was willing to "sharpen the knife" again. "The theater has always been regarded as a vanished aesthetic, and its preciousness is also in this, but After filming "One Sword of Shushan", I asked myself, is the aesthetics of the theater really impossible to record? Is it possible to preserve the sense of presence through the camera? Is it possible to enjoy the theater performance only in the theater?" He hoped that "One Sword of Shushan" Not his only theatrical film creation.

Immediately after the screening of "A Sword of Shushan", the Ronin Theatre will launch its 15th anniversary performance - "Red Velvet", the second part of the "Ronin Red, White and Blue" trilogy, at the Hong Kong Cultural Centre Theatre from April 30 to May 3 In the performance, Tan Kongwen is not only a director, a text, a joint visual designer, but also a performer. The theater is still so precious, especially when the distance is far away, in any case, see you in the theater!

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