The Best Actor in the Vase of Meiyu

Chapter 2061 vividly portrayed
Finally, Martin got into character—

Film directors are not just like theater directors who control the overall situation; they also need to be imaginative and present all their wild thoughts, rich and surging emotions, and narrative impulses through the arrangement and combination of shots.

Moreover, it's not just about shots; the arrangement and flexible use of editing techniques offer endless possibilities.

Despite Martin's pride making him unwilling to admit it, the undeniable truth is that his understanding of the job of a film director is pitifully limited.

His focus has always been on the scenes, lines, and performances, but he has not truly realized the inspirational role that a director plays in a work.

Perhaps... there's more potential waiting to be discovered in the story of "No Holiday"?

"Details? For example?" Martin's attention was now completely focused.

In theater, there is a certain distance between the stage and the audience, and the audience in the back rows and on the second floor also need to be taken into account. The actors' performances must be exaggerated, three-dimensional, and concrete.

On the one hand, they use body language to express strong emotions; on the other hand, they use voice to convey emotions through dialogue.

This also means that subtle control of facial expressions is useless; no audience member can see the light in an actor's eyes or the curve of their mouth.

But in movies, it's completely different. If actors perform in a theatrical way, it's not only exaggerated but also greasy and even repulsive. The kind of acting that movies advocate is like Meryl Streep's, which uses subtle facial expressions to present the layers and intensity of emotions.

The principle itself is not difficult, but it is not so easy to apply it to real life, which is also the most difficult part of a director's job.

Anson didn't pause, "For example, subtle gestures, like scratching an ear, touching a nose, or raising an eyebrow or shaking a leg. I can't be sure yet, and I still need to think about it further and establish the character's own habits."

“What I mean is that I put more detail into my performance to make the character more dynamic; and Mr. Gleeson did the same, creating more vivid contrasts.”

"At the same time, our back-and-forth, back-and-forth singing contrasts with the city, weather, and atmosphere of Bruges."

Martin's mental image was still not clear enough, but he paused slightly, a hint of confusion in his eyes. "You mean, like Buster Keaton?"

“In Buster Keaton’s films, other people are often calm, indifferent, and don’t react much, including Buster himself, who is expressionless. But Buster’s body language is always breaking this calm, subverting this atmosphere, creating a sense of absurdity, and bringing bitterness and sadness in the laughter.”

call.

Anson let out a long sigh, looking troubled. "Director, are you asking us to act like Buster Keaton? That might be a bit difficult."

As he spoke, Anson glanced at Brendan.

Brendan waved his hand, remained silent, and quietly turned to look out the window with an expression that said, "Don't drag me into this."

The humor naturally emerged from the collision.

Martin noticed this and made a framing motion with his hands, putting the two people in the frame. "So, is this the effect?"

"One is younger, more lively, and more active; the other is older, more composed, and more deliberate. Through the details of your performances, you create sparks, which then contrast with the wide shots and close-ups?"

Anson pursed his lips and shrugged, making a lot of small gestures. "Pretty much."

Although still vague, inspiration began to flow in Martin's mind, gradually taking shape, and he felt a surge of excitement. In fact, Martin had never said, or to be more precise, dared not say, that he didn't have a clear concept of directing. He simply conceived the entire film in a theatrical way, at most moving from indoors to outdoors and adding some shots of Bruges street scenes—that was all.

He wasn't sure if this was the right way to do directing, but he dared not say it aloud, otherwise Forest Films would easily send him back to screenwriting and strip him of his directing position.

Standing in front of Anson, he had no chance to refute.

But now, Martin is finally beginning to confront the issue directly: the difference between film and theater. Directors can give films more inspiration, which may be a nightmare for mediocre people, a nightmare that exposes all their shortcomings; but for geniuses, it is a stage to showcase themselves.

Martin... He couldn't be sure whether he was the former or the latter. He hoped he was the latter, but he dared not say for sure. He would try his best with hope.

After a pause, Martin finally calmed down from the storm of thoughts that had been swept up in Anson's mind, and regained his sense of principle. "But wouldn't that be too frivolous?"

Anson let out a soft sigh. "That's our job, isn't it? Finding the line between frivolity and wit, between exaggeration and humor, is something we actors should study."

Martin gently raised his chin in agreement, but the seriousness between his brows remained. "Indeed, the core of this film is still sorrow."

"Of course, I tried to make a comedy, but I also believe that truly great comedies are tragedies. Charlie Chaplin's works from his peak are all like that."

Brendan, unusually, interjected, "Anson just said the same thing."

Martin's eyes lit up.

Anson smiled and said, “I don’t think we need to worry about that. It’s true that the theme of this film is sad, and I believe that every character is thinking about faith, which is not only sad but also heavy; but the comedic effect in the first half will not affect the message that the film conveys.”

"Not only will it not, I believe that works that make you cry while laughing will resonate more with audiences and will also have a greater impact on the film."

"The real challenge is how to make the audience laugh. Director, you should know that making a comedy is ten times harder than making a tragedy, right?"

Martin couldn't help but laugh out loud, "Ten times?"

Anson said seriously, "One hundred times."

Martin and Brendan both laughed.

"You see, if the first half lays enough groundwork to truly let the audience feel the charm of the characters; in the second half, all the characters die one by one, and the tragedy is that simple, the movie theater should be filled with tears. But here's the problem: how do we let the audience feel the charm of the characters, and how do we make the audience laugh out loud?"

Martin's smile widened completely. "Now I finally understand why people always say to be careful of Anson. Anson always has this kind of charm that makes people believe him; he's such a smooth talker."

Anson spread his hands. "Things you're born with, there's no use in envying them. Aside from being reborn, all you can do is continue to envy them."

Haha, hahaha.

It was absolutely hilarious.

Beside him, Rhys silently looked up at the sky. Although it wasn't good to criticize his employer in his heart, and he knew nothing about movies, he always had this feeling that those guys had been sold out by Anson and were probably all smiles and overjoyed. And sure enough, one by one, they had all been fooled.

(End of this chapter)