Internationally renowned cinematographer Gu Changwei gives the first impression of being a mild-mannered, reticent and somewhat inarticulate man.
And it's an impression he has little problem with: "Although I have made great improvement today, I was an awful stammerer when in middle school. Partly because of that, I do not like to talk too much."
But he has made up for that by expressing himself through the visual language of the motion picture. "I know well the tricks, fortunately," said Gu, 46.
Since the late 1980s, he has teamed up with film directors Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige for such acclaimed films as Red Sorghum (Hong Gaoliang), King of the Children (Haizi Wang), Ju Dou and Farewell My Concubine (Bawang Bieji).
Now, after years of experience working as director of photography, Gu has decided to try his hand at film directing.
"Assuming the role of a film director, I want to see if I can get a better chance to film ideas of my own and to further push ahead my creative potential," he said.
Last July, Gu finished the location shooting of his directorial debut, Peacock (Kongque) in Anyang, in Central China's Henan Province.
The feature film, adapted from Anyang-born writer Li Qiang's script, is still in the post-production phase and is expected to be completed late this summer.
A maiden work
Peacock tells the story of three children in an ordinary family in an obscure, remote, post-industrial city in Central China.
The film is a subtle investigation of human conditions in those changing years, according to Gu.
It is going to be a touching, heart-warming, but also heart-wrenching film, the debuting director says: "The audiences will not be shocked but moved by the film."
Beijing Poly Asia Union Films Co Ltd, a major film and TV program investor in China, has reportedly put at least US$2 million into the film project.
"As a beginner in film directing, I would not like to make my maiden work hastily," Gu said. "I have tried my best to bring out the best of the production crew and have paid close attention to the details."
For instance, instead of employing popular Chinese film and TV stars, he hired unknown actors and actresses for the lead roles. They were singled out from at least 1,000 candidates for the audition.
The four-month long location shooting was exhausting and time-consuming. To ensure the quality, his production team would spend half a day shooting a single scene where the heroine Sister (played by Central Academy graduate Zhang Jingchu) drops bottles of liquor into a river to express her disappointment with her boyfriend-to-be.
Gu and his film editors have worked on the footage for at least six months, juggling with about 300 scenes for the film, expected to have a running time of 2 hours and 20 minutes.
Up to now, they have toyed with about 100 versions of the film, but according to Gu: "We are still making tiny adjustments when necessary and possible."
"Peacock is neither a pure art-house picture nor a mere commercial flick. But I believe it will be remembered many years from now," Gu said with confidence.
Gu says he has experimented with the intensive use of long shots.
Generally speaking, a 90-minute film contains about 700 scenes. But this longer film has less than 300 scenes.
Even so, said Gu, "the viewers are not going to feel it dull and tiresome watching the film because the long shots are much more informative and visually exciting than those in many other films."
Despite his confidence in the end product, Gu admits that being a film director is more challenging than working as a cinematographer.
A cinematographer pays attention mainly to the visual quality of the film, concentrating on obtaining the exact results he had in mind, he said.
In contrast, a director must be responsible for the overall quality of the film and has to guide the combined efforts of the whole production crew towards the smooth, successful birth of a vividly told movie.
An acclaimed cinematographer, Gu's moves are closely followed and reported. There have been plenty of speculations about his venture into directing.
Some media have even reported that Gu's film may participate in top movie showcases such as the Cannes Film Festival in France and could be in line for awards.
Gu plays down such speculation pointing out that the film is still in production.
He admitted: "I often dream of winning awards at big film festivals. However, we would not compromise the quality of the film in the hope of catching the opening of any prestigious film festival."
In Gu's opinion, film awards are designed to grace ground-breaking masterpieces and to honor talents who have worked hard to create timeless works of art. But winning awards should not be the only goal of a film artist, he insisted.
"First of all, he must try his best to make a film that he himself will not feel ashamed of in terms of theme and quality," he said. "Secondly, he must try his best to give the audiences who are willing to see his film satisfaction and in doing so bring a handsome return for investors.
"If you can achieve these goals beautifully, you will find it not such a big issue to angle for a much coveted film honor," he said, during a brief break from editing footage on several computers in the makeshift studio he has installed in a rented hotel room in Beijing.
He added: "I believe no one can deny that there are still many outstanding films and artists that have been ignored by the judges and critics at various film festivals but have been remembered and respected by audiences."
Rise of a cinematographer
Gu admitted his desire to direct a self-written film, adding: "But I later realized writing in words is not my strong point."
The first time he read Li Qiang's script Peacock, he said he was "totally absorbed" by the story.
"I finished reading it in one sitting because it evokes bitter-sweet memories of my early years," he said.
He said he felt once again the strong desire of a young heart to escape the confinement of a closed, small and somewhat boring place and to embrace the great world outside.
"I believe many Chinese share this kind of tender feeling with me," Gu said.
"I've got a feeling that my personal story of coming of age and my road to becoming a successful cinematographer also sound like a dream," he said.
"Time changes too fast; life changes so fast; you can never imagine what you will be tomorrow."
Gu was born into a worker's family in Xi'an, capital of Northwest China's Shaanxi Province in 1957.
After he graduated from senior middle school, he spent years working as an intern for a local movie theatre.
"I watched a lot of good films. And during that period of time, I developed a keen interest in the art of film-making."
In 1978, he enrolled in Beijing Film Academy and became a classmate of such ambitious and promising filmmakers as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, Tian Zhuangzhuang and Li Shaohong.
In 1984, he began working for the Xi'an Film Studio as a cinematographer.
"Under the old planned economy, I thought I would have to wait for at least eight years before I got a chance to establish myself. But thanks to the dramatic changes in China, I got my chance very soon," said Gu, recalling his early years with Zhang Yimou's and Chen Kaige's production teams.
Gu contributed greatly to the huge success of Zhang's "Red Sorghum" in 1987, which is noted for its simple but impressive oil-painting scenes.
In 1992, he was nominated for an Academy Award for his superb camerawork in "Farewell My Concubine." In 1994, he began working in Hollywood.
As a cinematographer, Gu hopes to team with film directors who have very different ideas, approaches and artistic styles, in order to "sharpen my skills and to gain more experience in this particular field."
He added:"My shooting styles and technical approaches may change constantly when I deal with different film assignments and work with different film directors."
Now his time is divided between Beijing and Los Angeles, shooting films for both Chinese and American directors.
Learning the lessons
However, Gu insists that he prefers the way films are made in the Chinese mainland where film-making is still in its infancy.
"People in Hollywood," he points out, "are working on an assembly line."
He said producers and artists are always doing their job in a hectic manner due to a preset production schedule, tight budget control, and the need for high profitability.
He voices the hope that the Chinese film industry will never become so commercialized or simply aim for the highest possible box office gain at the expense of artistic accomplishment.
Despite the problems with the mainstream American system, Gu believes Chinese film-makers still have a lot to learn from Hollywood in terms of business models and the rich experience in producing genre films for diversified audience groups and film markets.
"My philosophy is, an artist's work is a delicate, time-consuming work," he said. "One has to remain relaxed. Only in this way can he capture inspiration and have enough time to give full play to his novel ideas."
With "Peacock," Gu admits, he did not feel much pressure even though he is extremely strict with his work.
Optimistic
Gu is also optimistic about the future of the Chinese film industry, despite the fact that many industry insiders are worried about the "invasion" of overseas films and the influx of overseas investment and film professionals.
In Gu's view, opening up the film industry will bring about more international exchange, which will serve as a catalyst for the take-off of the film industry in China.
He said: "The world is changing so fast. No one can stop the trends. As the world becomes more and more globalized, people will be more and more open-minded.
"Thanks to the rapid development in the Internet-based industries and digital technology, there will be more possibilities for the art of film-making and more space and formats for the distribution of films.
"Based on my own observation, it is fair to say that many Western audiences like watching Chinese films."
But he points out, too, that their choices are currently very limited.
In addition, Western audiences have been strongly influenced by the films made by older generations of Chinese filmmakers, especially the Fifth Generation film directors such as Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and Tian Zhuangzhuang, he noted.
"Most Western audiences' understanding of China, its people and the cultures, somewhat lags behind the times and is no doubt flawed," he said.
"Chinese films still have much potential in overseas markets," he said.
He said he is really excited about the fact that many young Chinese today cherish a dream of becoming outstanding film artists.
He encourages the young filmmakers to go and try their luck in the film industry worldwide. "Working abroad definitely widens one's horizon, boosts one's film-making expertise and makes one open-minded," Gu said.
As far as his own future plans are concerned, Gu said: "I always want to try something new. If this debut film bombs, I may have to go back to take up my old trade but can still have a better understanding of other aspects of film-making.
"If I can make it big, I may try more in film directing in the coming years but will never give up my right to be a cinematographer.
"My passion for the art of film-making will never change. Film is the other lifetime lover and soulmate in m life, besides my wife Jiang Wenli," he said.
(China Daily March 29, 2004)
