The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 1502 Actor Function
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Emmanuel almost burst out laughing, but managed to control himself, "You watch football too?"

Anson shrugged lightly. "No, I don't watch it. That's why I know that football fans are all good at talking nonsense, but their actual practical experience is close to zero."

Emmanuel's eyes were full of smiles, "Like the fans?"

Anson nodded, "Yes, just like the fans. So, I just proposed a concept, and I had no idea whether it could be realized or how it should be integrated into the movie."

Alfonso shook his head at the side. "No, Anson and I have just been discussing the route of camera scheduling. We have some feasible ideas."

Anson, “But we still need professional advice.”

After saying this, Anson gestured to Emmanuel.

Emmanuel suddenly realized that this was the time for him to come on stage, but he did not follow Anson's words and said, "You just said there are two levels of understanding?"

Anson, "Yes, the second level is what you just understood."

"Me." Anson gestured to himself.

Emmanuelle almost rolled her eyes, but tried her best to control herself.

Anson laughed out loud, but did not respond to Emmanuel, but returned to the point, "Have you read the script?"

"This is a serious story, told in a straightforward manner. Even if we add some gimmicks to the camera arrangement, obviously, we should not let those things take over the main focus, such as explosions, chases, and gun battles. No, this is not the focus of the story; similarly, the focus of the story is not the birth of Jesus."

“Escape,” Alfonso said. “Escape is the point. Escape to the promised land, and keep a glimmer of hope. That’s the point of the story.”

Emmanuel, "'Exodus'?"

Anson nodded. "Yes, protecting hope and pursuing hope are the key points. So, although we need to add more highlights, we still need to avoid those fancy things that take away the power of the film itself. The author's language and the director's expression are always the key points to make the work stand out from the assembly line products."

This is true for both commercial and art films.

Art films also have assembly line works. Sundance films and Oscar films are all based on their own styles, and there are many works produced according to templates.

So, it's the same with any movie, if they want to have their own color and edges, the author's language and director's expression are the key.

Anson, "Have you seen 'Minority Report'?"

Alfonso, "Tom Cruise?"

Emmanuel, "Janusz-Kaminski?"

The latter is Steven Spielberg's exclusive photographer and has won two Oscars for "Schindler's List" and "Saving Private Ryan".

Emmanuelle's perspective is that of a photographer, which just fits Anson's expectations. "Yes. Janusz and I worked together on 'Cat and Mouse'. 'Cat and Mouse' and 'Minority Report' have one thing in common, which is that the photographer uses composition and close-ups to show the personal charm of the actors."

"'Minority Report' is an obscure science fiction film. The fundamental reason why the box office was not as good as expected was that many viewers said they couldn't understand it; however, the film still grossed $360 million worldwide."

"reason?"

"Because Tom Cruise is still charming."

Finally, Emmanuel responded, "You mean, we need to make you look cool, let you become Moses, and play the role of saving the world, just like Spider-Man?"

The sharpness and edge of his words were not concealed, which made Anson laugh, "Yes, and no."

"The mistake was that we weren't trying to create another superhero, a savior, and Theo wasn't Moses - even though Alfonso was trying to do that."

Anson and Alfonso exchanged glances. They had previously discussed the long shot of "splitting the Red Sea", and both of them laughed in tacit understanding.

"But no, we're not going to highlight Theo as an individual, he's just part of the story."

"The right thing is that it's not about being cool, but about showing the charm of the character. Movies need a highlight, a reason for the audience to go to the cinema."

Emmanuel interrupted Anson, "You mean, you."

Anson said calmly, "Yes. Is there anything wrong?"

Emmanuel: ...

After a slight pause, Emmanuel actually found that... he couldn't refute it.

Anson was not complacent. "What I mean is that we need to make the audience feel the charm of this character. He is originally a wandering soul in the city, numb and mediocre, eating and drinking and waiting to die at the end of the world. No matter what happens, it seems that he can't attract his attention."

"But he was dragged into this matter because of his ex-wife Julianne, and step by step he changed, and he began to take over Julianne's responsibility to protect the last pregnant girl in the world."

"In the eyes of others, that might be the Virgin Mary, and that child might be Jesus Christ, but in his eyes, that baby was his and Julian's child who died young. That was all the hope he had for his family and life, and that was all he pinned on in life."

"We need the audience to resonate with this character, we need the audience to feel the pain and struggle of this character, and we also need the audience to enter the world created by Alfonso through this character."

"So we needed to show him as not a superhero, but as ... a normal man, or even a normal father. At the end of the story, he's not Moses, he's just a father."

Previously, Jeff Robinov said that he would not cry for this story, which is different from "Saving Private Ryan".

And now, Anson is giving Jeff Robinov a reason to cry, without changing the script, Alfonso's style, or the author's expression.

After leaving Warner Bros., Anson thought about it very seriously. Why did "Children of Men" receive critical acclaim but not box office success, while "I Am Legend" swept the box office despite poor word of mouth? Was it because of the director or the story?

No, the answer is Will Smith.

"I Am Legend" revolves entirely around Will Smith. It is not just about shaping personal heroism. The most important thing is to fully release Will Smith's big-screen charm. An ordinary and simple story is full of vitality. This is also an important reason why Hollywood still believes in the "superstar effect".

By the way, although Francis-Lawrence, the director of "I Am Legend", later became best known for his work "The Hunger Games", in fact, Anson's personal favorite work of the director was "Constantine", also known as "Hellblazer".

In "Constantine", Francis created a perfect Keanu Reeves through his lens; and in "I Am Legend", Will Smith's personal charm was pushed to the extreme.

Although in "Children of Men", they are not going to "create a god" and there is no need to shape Theo into a hero; but this focus is undoubtedly a means to make the story full of vitality.

Perhaps this was the key spark that the product managers of Children of Men were missing when seeking market positioning.

In people's view, the most basic function of an actor is to perform.

In fact, the most basic function of an actor is to serve as a bridge for the audience to enter the movie and the story, so even a vase is indispensable.

The difficulty lies in how the director should make the most of the actors’ functions?

(End of this chapter)