Chapter 775 Return to the Essence
The truth is this.
In 2003, Hollywood still believed deeply in the superstar effect. If a top actor joined a project, the entire preparation process would be more effective, and it even began to blindly pursue superstars, so resources were like a spiral. Concentrated in the hands of a few.
However, slowly, Hollywood finally realized that it can trust superstars but cannot blindly trust them and cannot place all its hopes on them. The most direct case is "Ocean's Thirteen" two years later.
Although the box office results of "Ocean's Twelve" were already lower than expected, the failure of "Ocean's Thirteen" in both word-of-mouth and box office provided direct proof——
After all, a movie cannot become a real movie simply by relying on the superstar effect.
So, a new topic emerged:
How to use superstars correctly?
This requires a process and takes time. The use of Robert Downey Jr. in "Iron Man" was purely an accident. If they hadn't tried to persuade Tom Cruise repeatedly and failed, Hollywood might have to spend more. Only time can shift the focus of the project from the superstar effect to the work itself.
The same thing is happening in front of me.
Jim Carrey and Anson Wood, Nicole Kidman and Kate Winslet.
These are all names with weight. Any name can help an unknown independent film project get into the sight of a production company. Now "Nuan Nuan Containing Light" can put them on the list. It's been a Versailles to be on standby and stuck in sweet troubles.
So, analyzing from the perspective of box office, awards, public relations planning, publicity model, etc., we can only get a result that each has its own advantages and disadvantages——
No Correct answer.
Then, why not put aside the actors and go back to the script and the characters.
In "Warm and Inner Light", the character settings of the two protagonists Joel and Clementine were not written casually, because Charlie Kaufman likes to delve into the spiritual world of the characters and explore them naturally. The image, character, psychology, etc. all have a certain outline.
Joel and Clementine have two completely different styles from the beginning:
Joel is cautious, disciplined and steady; Clementine is wild, wanton, sensitive and impulsive. , not to say completely different, but also far apart.
Moreover, Charlie leaves a certain space for imagination for the director and actors to play and collide, allowing them to inject their own colors and let ordinary words have souls. The importance of actors becomes more and more prominent.
“I like Kate.”
"She has a contradictory temperament, between nobility and grassroots, between elegance and wildness, an unfathomable unknown, just like a summer afternoon, when there is a heavy rain without warning, but Before I had time to hold the umbrella, the sky cleared up.”
“I believe that Kate can give Clementine such a contradictory complex character more resonant qualities; and Nicole’s words are relatively different. For Clementine, it's too delicate."
"It's a subtle feeling."
"Honestly, for me personally, Clementine is a little too delicate. With the shadow of bipolar disorder, outsiders may only see one side of Clementine's highs or lows, but it's not that easy when we get along day and night. Every day is like a roller coaster, and the excitement is a bit too much."
"Such a character, if not careful, may be disgusting, wishing Joel could completely forget Clementine; but we all know that things should not be like this, and Kate has the ability to interpret such a character and make her Likeable.”
"Same as Ruth."
Talk eloquently and volubly.
Anson shared all his thoughts without pause or reservation.
Besides, Charlie is still expressionless, looking like an outsider; but if you look closely at his eyes, you can notice the concentration and the surge of deep thought, completely immersed in Anson's words. .
And what about Michelle?
Michelle opened her mouth slightly. Now there was no time to worry about whether flies would fly in. The excitement and excitement in her eyes were about to overflow. "That's it!"
Stopped.
Michelle couldn't help herself and stood up suddenly. Because of her excitement, her curly hair bounced up and down according to the movements of her body.
"That's what I'm saying, Kate! Kate is different, the quality of her performance is different, and the qualities she brings to the character are also different!"
"This is a story from a man's perspective. It was conceived by a man, written by a man, and directed by a man. The whole story is about standing on the man's side in love to peer into this mysterious and unpredictable world."
"But I I believe that Kate can get rid of the prison of being objectified and imprisoned by the male gaze, and bring more possibilities to the character. It is not just a character unilaterally imagined by us, but... but full of vitality."
"And Nicole?"
"Don't get me wrong, I like Nicole and think Nicole is a great actress; but she's not suitable, she would look like she's in a cage in the story Like a canary, the structure of the story collapses."
"Making a movie is not that simple. Why don't those guys understand?"
The meal ended in chaos——
Michelle, who had had a stern face since Los Angeles, finally took off her mask to reveal her true appearance, dancing and foaming at the mouth, unable to stop, talking and talking. His cheeks turned red, and then he was slightly startled, looking at Charlie and then at Anson, then he froze in place with restrained movements.
Michelle could not hide her embarrassment.
He admitted that he still preferred Jim Carrey, so he already held the prejudice before meeting Anson; but after the real face-to-face conversation, Anson's behavior changed little by little, and finally completely overturned him impression.
What Anson just said, although Michelle likes Anson’s support for Kate, which means that the two of them are on the same side; but the really important part is——
Anson's understanding.
Anson’s understanding of the characters and the script can also be seen in Anson’s description of the story.
The picture mentioned here is not the picture captured by the movie camera, but the context of the character, the scene of the opponent, the focus of the performance, etc.
This is not an easy thing. Although there are many geniuses in Hollywood, it is not easy to build such a picture in your mind.
Jim Carrey didn't, so Michelle needed to explain to him how the "picture" of the character was composed.
Of course, there is no doubt about Jim Carrey's acting talent. In addition to comedy, he is very good at using some seemingly simple expressions and movements to give emotions a distinct sense of picture. He prefers to use his own body to perform. Feeling and exploring, this is another actor mode.
But Anson?
Michelle indeed did not expect it; moreover, this also proves that Anson read the script over and over again, not just reciting lines or reading the story, but really getting into the character's psychology and Charlie Courage through the words. The world constructed by Frankman.
This is a truly rare place.
Michelle thought that Anson had been immersed in cheers and applause recently and had forgotten himself, and had no time to attend to other things.
Obviously, he was wrong - pride and prejudice never go out of style.
(End of this chapter)