Chapter 1643: If you want to save money, make a movie about one person
Is "Heartbreaker" considered science fiction?
This issue will inevitably be discussed.
Some netizens conducted a poll and found that more than half of them believed that "The Heartbreaker" is not science fiction in the strict sense.
"I don't think it counts? After all, in the movie, except for He Xi traveling through time and space one hundred and fifty years later and returning to one hundred and fifty years ago, and only existing in the form of a "soul", there is no way to make any comment on this era.
any changes.
So, it seems that this really cannot be regarded as science fiction, because the elements of science fiction are too few, too few, and it is more of a drama film, or if it is relaxed, it can be regarded as soft science fiction, right?"
"Definitely not, at most it is a drama film disguised as science fiction!"
"Why not? Maybe it's not that hard-core, but it should be counted? "Microcontinuum Original", "Grand Unified Theory" time travel, aren't these elements of science fiction?"
"It can be considered pseudo-science fiction. After all, all the science fiction elements only scratch the surface or are used as backgrounds."
This discussion is bound to lead to no result.
But soon some domestic science fiction directors said: "What really restricts the development of domestic science fiction films is still the cost issue."
In fact, many people’s feelings and impressions about science fiction movies still lie in movies with great special effects!
In fact, Li Yi has made several science fiction movies, but even for the original "Artificial Intelligence", the cost was really not low.
No wonder people say that the cost of science fiction movies is too high.
As for domestic movies, although the box office market has increased countless times compared to the past, the return on investment cycle for movies is still very long, and science fiction movies are among the best.
At the first Science Fiction Film Festival, "Moon" presented by Li Yi was actually considered a low-cost science fiction film.
But there are always too few movies like that, so after someone tried to imitate them at first, the effect can only be said to be very average.
For this reason, this topic has been mentioned again after a few years.
The reason why "Heartbreaker" is so popular this time is that the cost of this movie should be lower, but this is also the problem. "Heartbreaker" can be said to be less referenceable than "Moon".
At the symposium at the Science Fiction Film Festival, Li Yi was also invited to the stage.
A young director asked Li Yi: "You once said that science fiction movies may not necessarily be large-scale productions, but in recent years, without exception, low-cost science fiction movies have failed miserably. So, what is the path for low-cost science fiction movies?
Will it work?"
"Of course, taking the original "Moon" as an example, I actually made it very clear, right?
A single environment, cheap and high-quality starring actors, and special effects that don't require high-tech, all combined, are actually enough for a small-budget movie.
Of course, the script is definitely very important, and I recently had some inspiration.
As for how to reduce the cost of science fiction movies, I think the first point is to focus on the difference between spending a lot of money to do small things and spending a small amount of money to do big things!
Many of our costs are actually unnecessary. Of course, if there is no shortage of money, it doesn't matter. But if you want to spend a small amount of money to do big things, you must save.
Of course, the savings here do not mean just randomly saving money.
Here are a few suggestions for your reference.”
As Li Yi spoke, many young directors below took out pens and papers to take notes.
“The first way to save money: replace those sci-fi visions with a sci-fi concept!”
"What does that mean?
That’s how to conquer countless audiences who are demanding about science fiction with simple and unpretentious pictures!
How to do this? If we can do this, in fact, more than half of the cost of science fiction movies will be solved!
Of course, the key is how to do this! Next, I will talk about my thoughts.
If we want to spend a small amount of money to do big things, we must use 60,000 yuan to do 6 million yuan of work.
This involves what I mentioned before, using science fiction concepts to replace those science fiction visions. First of all, we must understand that science fiction is not simply called science fiction only with science fiction visions. A good science fiction concept is also hard-core science fiction.
For example, I have a science fiction story about a parallel world. In order to find the murderer, the male protagonist keeps traveling back to the train 8 minutes before the explosion disaster. Every time he goes back, he creates a different parallel world due to different actions. But this parallel world
, exactly the same as the real world, that is to say, I don’t need to spend a lot of money to create special effects here, because the normal world is already contained in science fiction.
What is a sci-fi concept being mentioned here?”
Someone quickly answered: "Is it a time loop?"
"Yes, it's a time loop. Do you think this is a very hard-core science fiction concept?"
"Calculate!"
Everyone looked like they were suddenly enlightened.
"Then let's talk about the benefits of recycling. Although my story here is a science fiction film that starts with a disaster, I think the special effects used in the disaster scene only require a scene of a train explosion.
We all know that blasting and bombing everywhere also requires very high costs.
So how can we reasonably save costs while still producing the desired effects, which are comparable to the visual effects of spending ten times or a hundred times the money?
The key lies in circulation! I believe someone should have already thought of the beauty of circulation at this time, right?"
"That person in the second row, tell me." Li Yi clicked on a director who raised his hand and said.
"Hello Director Li, I wonder if the scene of an explosion has been recycled multiple times?"
Li Yi snapped his fingers: "Yes, this is the beauty of cycles! Because our story happened in the same period of time and happened repeatedly, then the explosions can naturally happen in cycles. It's the same thing, but from different angles.
To show the explosion scene from different angles, if we loop it once, we can use it once more. If we loop it 10 times, we can directly use it 10 more times! In this way, it is logical and can create the explosion effect that everyone wants to see, and it is reasonable at the same time!
This chapter is not over yet, please click the next page to continue reading the exciting content! The benefits of this are self-evident. We only need to embellish the audience with different angles, different fragments, dust, firelight and other materials.
I thought this was an explosion scene shot many times, but in fact, we used the same explosion scene 10 times, or even more times!
But the effect is completely different. This is spending a little money to do big things!
Therefore, looping is a very interesting concept that is very suitable for small-budget movies. Of course, the script is indispensable here.
The second way to save money: Find a leading actor who is “high-quality and low-priced”!
This is actually a cliché. In fact, since the cost is small, there is really no need to find big stars. There are many actors in China who are of high quality and low price, with good acting skills and excellent image. They can definitely play the leading role.
Sci-fi movies are different from other movies. We must win with creativity and stories. So when it comes to actors, as long as the image fits and the acting skills are sufficient, it is enough. There is no need to seek big stars.
The third way to save money: In fact, it has the same effect as the cyclic explosion mentioned before, that is, the repetition of small indoor scenes!
I have actually used this in the movie "Moon".
Let’s talk about my recycling concept.
We can design the male protagonist to constantly wake up in a small space imagined by his brain, similar to a space capsule. In such a small, airtight space, the leading actor can complete most of his one-man show here, which can make the filming process easier.
The only change in the space was that it became more and more chaotic as his condition got worse and worse.
Another important scene occurs on a train that is about to explode. In order to avoid the expense of shooting in various places, we can build a model train for some scenes shot on the train and shoot in front of a green screen, and finally
Completed by compositing the scenery outside the train.
This cost can be greatly saved!
In addition to controlling the progress of the film's plot entirely in small indoor scenes, another way to save money is to reuse lenses.
For example, the creative male protagonist I mentioned keeps waking up in an environment similar to a space capsule he imagined. Every time he wakes up, it is the same shot, and every time he travels back to the train that is about to explode, he always wakes up from the scene.
It starts with the same shot. The same character is sitting in the same position. He will first go through everyone's previous behavior in his mind and select the perpetrator he suspects.
Although the same shots are repeated over and over again, we can use the plot to make this repetition reasonable, and while repeating it, the entire film also maintains clean editing and an unobtrusive narrative technique.
This approach allowed the film to maintain experimental narrative challenges under the pace of commercialization, and more importantly, it also greatly saved costs.
The fourth way to save money: the finishing touch of special makeup!
In fact, to put it bluntly, it is very simple, that is, through special makeup, the visual effects present a scene that shocks the audience.
..."
What makes Li Yi dumbfounded is that after he said so much, everyone's focus was on the idea Li Yi mentioned and this new science fiction film.
"Source Code" is a memory inspired by Li Yi's participation in the Science Fiction Film Festival.
I have to say that as a "low-cost" science fiction movie, "Source Code" truly achieves the points Li Yi mentioned before.
In fact, both low-budget science fiction movies and hard-core science fiction movies have something in common.
That is, many are "one person's movies!"
The so-called appearance is all illusion. Judging from the original two movies "Moon" and "Source Code", whether it is Sam working in the lunar energy base or Captain Kurt on the intercity train bound for Chicago,
They are all in a world that does not belong to them. To be precise, they do not belong to themselves. This is just like the continuous development of science and technology, and people's doubts about their own existence are increasing day by day. From eschatology to the myth of intelligent machines, in essence, they
They are all manifestations of the inability to control one's own destiny.
Some people emphasized that, regardless of advantages such as low-cost production, the original science fiction works of director Duncan Jones were all about humanism, not science and technology. Whether it is survival or destruction, copying or source code, human thoughts and ideas can
Change everything. Therefore, the source code system will not be the focus of "Source Code". What the film will talk about is human nature. In addition to being forced to find the murderer, the captain meets Christina, impresses Goodwin, and follows
The father's phone call and reconciliation to saving everyone in the car have nothing to do with hard science fiction, but everything to do with "people".
The doctor said that the source code system is just a copy of time and space, and it will automatically restart after eight minutes. It sounds like an RPG game without archives. However, starting from the third time traveling, the concept of eight minutes has become more and more blurred.
The captain got off the train and beat up someone, but the train still exploded. After several time travels, the system became more and more unstable, the explosion time kept changing, and the captain's self-world began to collapse. It was obvious that the doctor had deceived everyone.
, and maybe even himself. After all, the source code itself is an immature research and development system. Therefore, if you want to solve the loopholes of "Source Code", then there is only one way. The film is to create multiple parallel worlds that can be pinched at will.
Lose.
If we don't discuss parallel worlds, purely from a movie perspective, "Source Code" doesn't offer many highlights.
Although the budget is not as tight as that of "Moon", the same shot sequence and special effects are only the explosion scene, and the camera angle is changed at a time.
At first glance, the film is just a few carriages and a few indoor scenes in a closed space.
When it comes to finding the murderer, the camera has already given active hints and close-ups, so many viewers guessed it was the guy, including throwing things, etc., which are all old tricks.
This chapter is not over yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content! Later, the captain didn’t say a few words before he burst into tears. He was really not a ruthless character.
Therefore, "Source Code" does not have a final BOSS. Its contradiction is how the captain confirms his identity and how to distinguish the real from the fake. In fact, it is all a time game, and the protagonist cannot tell which space he is in. "Source Code"
"The eight minutes are always unhurried and there is no sense of urgency. On the contrary, what has the greatest impact on the audience is that the captain dies again and again. It feels like someone is smashing your head with a hammer, killing you alive - killing
I feel bad.
Even the ending of the movie, "Source Code" is somewhat of a promotion of the main theme, talking about truth, goodness and beauty. There is little criticism, only feelings. Everyone in the car laughed heartily, and there was a sweet, frozen kiss. Duncan Jones believed so much
He hopes that they will all end in a beautiful and decent way. His overemphasis on humanism has also led to a huge loophole, that is, no matter how the captain travels through time and seeks the best ending, there is always a final
The poor man was thrown into the endless void, and he was the history teacher. Even though everyone got off the train intact, the history teacher evaporated, and his consciousness was occupied by the captain.
But in Li Yi's view, the original intention of the script of "Source Code" was that because of the imperfections of the real world (train explosions and terrorist attacks), a group of people were determined to change the outcome of the incident, and as a result they created multiple parallels
World. Compared with the many restrictions of time travel, traveling through parallel worlds is obviously simpler. Each parallel world has a different direction, which is like the multiple endings of an RPG game. Good, bad, average, perfect...
Among them, the world between Captain and Christina in front of the Millennium Egg is perfect, so it is a perfect ending.
It’s just that many people have never thought about it. In fact, most viewers will not pay attention to parallel worlds. Chewing theories is always not as direct as visual impact. A kiss or an explosion are more attractive than any theory. In his opinion, "
"Source Code" and "Moon" are similar. Driven by consciousness and emotion, a person strives to find the truth. No matter whether it is perfect or cruel, they are making "one person's movie."
