Director of Photography Department of Huayu

Chapter 87 Black Swan and Black Peony, Skin, Bone and Soul

The lights in the dormitory were dimly on, and the dim light from the computer screen reflected on Wu Chen's face, casting deep and shallow shadows.

The discussion on the forum was overwhelming. Some people expressed regret, some were angry, and some were sarcastic, saying that Zhang Yimou's film has run out of ideas.

In the dormitory, Park Song-il and others were still discussing the reasons why Zhang Yimou failed in his Oscar bid. The topic revolved around the cultural differences between China and the United States, the level of development of the film industry, and Hollywood's attitude towards martial arts films.

Wu Chen listened quietly, but his eyes fell on the script of "Black Swan" on the table. His fingers tapped the cover unconsciously, his brows slightly furrowed, and he pondered for a long time.

"Is it really a problem of cultural differences? Or cultural barriers?" he muttered to himself.

Recalling the journey of Chinese-language films in the Oscars in recent years——

The success of "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" has become an insurmountable peak.

The subsequent "Hero" and "House of Flying Daggers", no matter how well-made they were, failed to reproduce the glory of that year.

Zhang Yimou's films are undoubtedly very popular in China, but in the West, they are still just "exotic scenery" for people to appreciate, but it is difficult to truly touch their inner emotions.

Ang Lee's success goes far beyond martial arts films. It lies in his ability to build bridges between Eastern and Western cultures, making an exotic story familiar and relatable.

Well, the problem is coming.

What is the way out for Chinese-language films?
Wu Chen lowered his eyelids and stroked the script cover with his fingers. An idea flashed through his mind - what if he changed his thinking?
What if a movie is not just "exotic" and does not simply present Eastern elements, but can truly make Western audiences empathize?

He has already written 70% of the script for "Black Swan", a story about dance, madness, and split personality. The original script is set against the backdrop of Western ballet, showing how a dancer goes crazy under extreme pressure.

What if the background of this story is not ballet, but traditional Chinese opera?

Peking Opera? Too intense.

Henan opera? Cantonese opera? Too local.

What about Kunqu Opera?
Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest operas, is known as the "ancestor of all operas" and is the most elegant and poetic art form in Chinese traditional culture.

Wu Chen's thoughts were ignited.

He couldn't help but think of the Kunqu opera "Peony Pavilion" he had heard by chance when he was an assistant director.

"Love doesn't know where it started, but it keeps going deep."

The melodious and graceful singing voice is like crying and complaining, and the soft and mournful posture seems to drag people into a great dream.

Du Liniang's love and nightmare, like reality and fantasy, like dream and wakefulness -

And this is so similar to the core story of "Black Swan"!
Wu Chen's heartbeat involuntarily quickened.

The story of "Black Swan" can be filmed in its original way, but if it is adapted into a Chinese version and combined with the aesthetics of Kunqu Opera, perhaps a film with truly oriental charm can be created.

Kunqu Opera emphasizes posture, eyes, and gestures, and every movement is full of emotion. Its sense of stage and symbolism far surpass ballet, and the tragic temperament of Kunqu Opera itself is a perfect match for the theme of "Black Swan".

What would happen if he combined the psychological thriller and interweaving of dream and reality of "Black Swan" with the artistic conception and aesthetics of Kunqu Opera?
Can the extreme challenges of ballet dancers complement the physical and mental transformation of Kunqu opera actors?
Traditional Chinese opera emphasizes that "every frown and smile has artistic conception." So, how can we capture this beauty to the extreme through film?

Thoughts were swirling in his mind, and Wu Chen felt a long-lost heat.

He gently pushed open the window. The night was quiet and the moonlight was bright.

He seemed to see——

Under the moonlight, Du Liniang steps lightly on the shadows of flowers, her clothes fluttering, and every step and turn is a rhythm passed down for thousands of years.

The camera slowly moves forward, and her eyes change. Reality and dreams are intertwined, and the limits of body and spirit are deduced. They are blurred between light and shadow, seeming real and illusory.

At this moment, he knew.

The script in his hands is no longer just "Black Swan".

It split into two directions.

One is a thriller still based on ballet, "Black Swan".

The other is "Black Peony", which is based on Kunqu Opera.

Once this idea took shape, it surged like a flood breaking through a dam.

Wu Chen couldn't help but open the document and created a new title below the script of "Black Swan" - "Black Peony".

The framework of the story remains the same, telling the story of a Kunqu opera actor who, in the process of pursuing the ultimate performance, gradually falls into the illusion of dreams and reality, and eventually loses himself.

In Kunqu Opera, Du Liniang died for love and lived for love.

This extreme emotional conflict, this intoxication and madness, this interweaving of reality and illusion—

It was born to be a movie.

Wu Chen held his breath and tapped his fingers quickly on the keyboard.

This writing lasted until the dawn.

He rubbed his sore eyes and breathed a sigh of relief.

These inspirations finally came down on paper.

It was dawn, the snow had stopped, and the radiator in the dormitory was still buzzing.

Wu Chen rubbed his red eyes, walked to the table and picked up the kettle. There was still some warm water in the kettle. He poured it into his hands and rubbed his face. Water droplets dripped down his chin to the floor, giving him a chill.

He grabbed his coat and the script of "Black Swan" and walked out the door briskly, as if he had unloaded a burden. The door creaked shut, the sound particularly crisp in the silence.

After a while, Park Song-il and others woke up one after another, rubbing their sleepy eyes and climbing out of bed.

Xiang Zhuo glanced at Wu Chen's bed. The quilt was neatly folded, as if it had never been touched. He was stunned for a moment: "Did Brother Chen sleep last night?"

Chu Tianshu yawned and walked over to take a look: "The quilt is the same as last night, I'm afraid you didn't go to bed?"

Park Songri scratched his head and said slowly: "I got up to go to the bathroom last night. It was past three in the morning, and Brother Chen was still working late into the night. I guess he didn't sleep yet." The three of them looked at each other, with shock in their eyes.

Xiang Zhuo gulped down a sip of water:
"We have to work hard too. Brother Chen is so much better than us and he works so hard.

I've decided that from today on, I'm going to study hard. Even if I don't want to be a film and television photographer in the future, I'll go back to Jiangsu and Zhejiang and open a big studio! "

After that, Xiang Zhuo hugged Chu Tianshu and asked with a smile: "Tianshu, what about you?"

"No, you are from Shandong. It's useless to ask." Xiang Zhuo slapped his forehead and said self-deprecatingly.

Chu Tianshu smiled, a little confused: "Actually, I don't know either. Maybe I want to go to CCTV in the future!"

"Damn, why don't you ask me?" Park Songri was anxious, pointing his chubby little hand at himself, his face flushed a little red.

"Come on, with your talent, it would be a shame if you didn't become a film and television photographer. Just follow Brother Chen and work hard. Maybe one day you will become a world-class photographer."

After hearing what Xiang Zhuo said, Park Songri couldn't stop laughing, and his eyes were already filled with fantasies.

In the early morning at the Beijing Film Academy campus, the snow had stopped, the sky was turning pale, and the air was so cold that it was pungent to breathe.

Snowflakes were hanging on the branches of several old locust trees. When the wind blew, they fell down like a handful of silver coins.

Wu Chen was wrapped in a coat, the white breath he exhaled scattered in the cold wind. He held the script of "Black Swan" in his hand, the snow squeaking under his shoes, and hurried into the photography department building and went straight to Mu Deyuan's office.

The light in the room was turned on. He knocked twice and shouted something before gently pushing the door open and going in.

The room was well heated, and the aroma of coffee mixed with the scent of ink floated in the air.

Mu Deyuan was standing by the window, holding an enamel cup with steaming coffee in it. He took a sip slowly, as if it was his old habit to wake up.

He turned around when he heard Wu Chen's voice, and was stunned for a moment: "So early?"

"Come to class? If you have nothing to do, you don't need to come to class. Just do what you should be doing."

Mu Deyuan smiled and sat down.

Wu Chen smiled and shook his head: "No, teacher, I have something to talk to you about."

"Huh?" Mu Deyuan looked a little surprised.

Wu Chen took out the unfinished script of "Black Swan" and said, "Teacher, what do you think of this script?"

Mu Deyuan looked at the brightly lit words "Black Swan" on the cover and blurted out, "Tchaikovsky's ballet "Swan Lake"?"

"Teacher, good vision!"

Wu Chen exclaimed in amazement, these directors' intuition was really accurate.

It must be said that Wu Chen's praise touched Mu Deyuan's heart, and for a moment, the corners of his mouth couldn't suppress the arc, "In our line of work, we must have artistic intuition.

I see your name has the word "black" in front of it, so I'm afraid it's in the same vein as your first two works, and it seems to be closely related to horror."

After that, he picked up the script and read it carefully. He just opened the first page and glanced at it. "It's not finished yet, right?"

Wu Chen nodded. "Well, I've written 70% of it. The details haven't been filled in yet, but the story is complete."

Mu Deyuan nodded slightly, squinting his eyes as he turned the pages one by one. The more he read, the tighter his brows furrowed, and his expression changed involuntarily.

He tightened his fingers, stroking the paper with his fingertips, a hint of surprise and then shock flashed in his eyes.

In the script, the young ballerina——

She is persistent and sensitive, and longs to be a perfect "white swan", but under invisible pressure and competition, she is forced to approach the "black swan" in her heart.

She lost the boundary between reality and illusion during her extreme training. Every tiptoe and spin seemed like a step leading to madness.

A picture emerged in Mu Deyuan's mind——

The lights in the theater were dim, and the dancer in front of the mirror was as thin as a feather.

She stood in the long rehearsal room, the mirrors on the wall reflecting her endlessly, and those reflections seemed to come alive in the night, interweaving and replacing each other.

And her figure eventually blurred in the mirror, becoming a strange and terrifying existence.

This kind of horror does not come from external ghosts, but comes from oneself, the collapse of human nature, and the madness brought about by the ultimate pursuit of art.

Mu Deyuan's hands tightened slightly, and his thoughts couldn't help but go back.

From "The Dark Side" to "Buried Alive" and now "Black Swan", Wu Chen's works seem to be undergoing a kind of "evolution".

“The Dark Side” is a glimpse into human nature and the imprisonment of secrets;

"Buried Alive" is a struggle for survival and a fear of the limit;

And now "Black Swan" is a subversion of self-awareness, a confrontation between art and madness.

From the enclosed space outside to the claustrophobia inside.

From physical life and death to psychological destruction and rebirth.

Wu Chen's work style began to become more mature and his conception became more profound.

If "The Dark Side" is the skin and "Buried" is the bones, then "Black Swan" is poking at the soul.

Mu Deyuan slowly closed the script and looked at Wu Chen with a complicated expression. His tone was filled with emotion. "Are you planning to find a ballet master?"

However, to his surprise, Wu Chen slowly shook his head.

"Teacher, I want to find a Kunqu Opera master."

When these words came out, Mu Deyuan was stunned.
(End of this chapter)