Hollywood Director 1992.

Chapter 110 Beyond the Original
It took Link five days to edit the entire film. After watching it once, I felt it was pretty good, better than the original version I had seen.

There are three good points.

The plot and rhythm are more compact, unlike the original version which has many boring scenes that make people want to skip them after watching them.

Second, Renée Zellweger, Matt Damon and Ben Affleck’s performances in the drama are better, more real and more contagious.

And Link and Sofia are even more skilled at filming.

The lens design, rhythm control, lighting and sound, prop design, atmosphere rendering, etc. are more mature.

It also makes the atmosphere of the whole movie more thrilling and terrifying than the original version.

There are also disadvantages.

The film has a strong sense of design, and large sections of boring plots were deleted to make the plot more compact and dramatic.

If this approach is used in other movies, it can increase the movie's viewing experience and horror effects, but it also weakens the authenticity of the pseudo-documentary to some extent.

This happened because of Sofia's influence.

After he proposed the "Yakuza" shooting method to Sofia, Sofia asked him in return, if reality and horror conflict, which one should be given priority?

There should be only one pursuit in Yakuza movies.

After careful consideration, Link decided to focus on horror.

"The Blair Witch Project" is a horror movie, horror is the main selling point, and "truth" is a publicity tool that also serves the "thriller".

Because everyone has heard that this is a true documentary, they will be more curious and feel involved when watching it.

The purpose of letting the audience empathize with the story is also to make them feel terrified.

After determining the principle that 'reality' must serve 'thriller', whenever he encountered a conflict between reality and thriller during filming, he would choose to sacrifice some of the reality to make the movie more thriller.

Whether this is a good idea or not, we need to wait until the film is completed and see the system's evaluation to determine.

After editing the film, Link handed it over to the production department for post-production, which included adjusting the sound channels, brightness, clarity, opening and ending credits, etc. After digital processing, it was produced into a format that could be shown in theaters.

The production department completed the film in five days.

Link called Sofia, Daniel DeVito, Jon Gordon and others to hold a small internal preview in the company's screening room.

The movie is 83 minutes long.

Like "Paranormal Activity", it is also a horror thriller.

The difference is that in "Paranormal Activity", the heroine Katie wants to escape from the evil spirit but cannot, while in "The Blair Witch Project", she actively searches for the witch.

The area where "Paranormal Activity" takes place is in a villa. The space is small and relies on sounds and traces to create a sense of oppression.

The Blair Witch Project exists in a larger area. Because the witches practice witchcraft, people who enter the woods cannot get out, which is actually a closed space.

In addition, "The Blair Witch Project" was filmed in the autumn and winter. The withered and dark forest and the cold weather also add a cold and thriller atmosphere.

The two films also have similarities.

Both films were shot with handheld cameras in a pseudo-documentary style. "The Blair Witch Project" is relatively realistic and easier to believable.

There aren't many actors in the movies, only two in Paranormal Activity and three in The Blair Witch Project.

Among the leading actors, there is a very curious person who is also the one who causes the disaster. In "Paranormal Activity", it is the male protagonist Mika, and in "The Blair Witch Project", it is the female protagonist Anne.

Also, the "monsters" in the movies all adopt an invisible approach, so people can hear the sounds and see the horrifying scenes they create, but cannot see their entities.

This kind of movie relies mainly on the audience's imagination.

Audiences who are good at using their imagination will find this movie scary, but those who are not good at it or don’t know much about The Blair Witch Story will find it boring.

"How about it?"

After the movie screening, Link asked Sofia Coppola, Daniel DeVito and others for their opinions.

"What do you think?" Sophia asked.

"Full marks."

"So confident?"

Sophia shook her head. "I don't have a very positive opinion of this movie. The last twenty minutes or so of the movie are quite thrilling, but the first few dozen minutes are relatively boring. And those shaky shots make people dizzy. This kind of movie is suitable for videotape release and theater release. I don't think many people will go to see it."

"You have too high expectations for the film. I said that this film is made for ordinary people. Ordinary people here include those with low education, those who have not received higher education, and those who do not believe in science and are more superstitious.

The literacy rate in the United States is only 69%, and 31% of the population is illiterate, which is nearly 1 million people.

As long as they can be tricked, no, attracted to the cinema to watch the movie, the box office of this movie will not be too bad. "

In the film industry, some movies have high box office while others have low box office, and a big reason for this is the different positioning of the audience.

The scope of commercial films is relatively large, targeting the entire population.

Therefore, the things explained in commercial films cannot be too profound, the jokes cannot be too obscure, and the clothes cannot be undressed half-heartedly.

We should try our best to make it understandable and enjoyable for everyone.

Art films target intellectuals and niche groups, so the camera language, plot and theme can be expressed in a more obscure way, giving people some room for thought.

For example, the male and female protagonists in commercial films are both handsome men and beautiful women, and the selling points are relatively clear, and they are cool, sexy and exciting.

The male and female protagonists of literary and artistic films need to have good acting skills, and what they express needs to be profound enough to make people linger on the experience.

If a commercial film is too obscure and profound, ordinary audiences will not be able to understand the excitement of it, just like spending money but not getting whoredom.

For this kind of movie, the audience will only criticize it as a bad movie.

Many directors still feel aggrieved and think that the audience’s level is not good enough.

In contrast, if an art film is too straightforward and the actors' acting is too poor, it will also be criticized as a bad film by audiences with higher levels of appreciation.

Both "Paranormal Activity" and "The Blair Witch Project" are aimed at general audiences with lower levels of appreciation.

The selling point is horror and thriller.

There isn't much obscure or profound connotation.

The reward is to be scared after watching it.

Can't ask for too much else.

Sofia found the first half boring, which shows that she is not the target group of this movie.

"So you deliberately made the movie like this in order to attract ordinary audiences? In other words, you have the ability to make a better one?"

Sophia asked.

"No. Do you know what the difference is between me and most directors in the industry? I am not from an academic background, and my professional knowledge and cultural level are lower than theirs. If you want me to shoot something too profound, I am unlikely to do it."

"I don't believe it. I've been in Hollywood for more than ten years and have worked with many directors. Your ability to train actors and use the camera is among the top five directors I know. You're the one who wrote Paranormal Activity, The Blair Witch Project, and Interstellar. And you're telling me that you're not good enough?"

Sophia pointed at him and shook her index finger.

Link smiled and said, "Screenwriters and directors are different. With my current abilities, I am more confident in making a movie of this level. It would be more difficult for me to make a movie of a higher level. This is why I have told you many times that I still need to practice."

"In the future, when you have practiced and gained confidence, will you be able to make high-level films?"

"Of course, my goal is to win the Oscar for Best Director and the Grand Slam of the three major European film festivals. It's not easy to win those awards if I don't make some high-level works."

"Haha, you are very ambitious. Go for it. I am rooting for you."

Sophia bumped him with her shoulder, slightly playfully.

(End of this chapter)