Don’t Step on the Bow (2007)

Again, Maomao, Huahua, Linxiao, thank you so much! And Jianjian, and Chengcheng, I love you guys forever.

This film was shot in 2006, the first summer vocation of my collage hood. It took me about a week to shot it and almost a year to edit it, of course, during that year I spent too much time wandering in Hangzhou city.

I got the idea to film this short as early as I was in high school. It is a true story happened on my friends and me, of course some part is fictional. It is not until the first year of my university did I met my partners Chenyang and Yawen. We deicided each of us was going to make a short, we need to share equipment and had to help each other. So, Chenyang was one of the camera men in my film, but later we just got too much fight because our ideas were so different, and i decided to shot it by myself. For me, I helped Yawen found an apartment for her short and also acted in her film. That summer, in order to collect money for my first short, I taught 6 kids English for 20 mornings, and earned 3000 RMB (about 450 C$). My mom helped me a lot in this short. She found me the old house near the sea, drove us to the seaside, cocked for us, entertained my actors by playing Mahjong with them and also acted two characters in my film.

For a long time after I finished it, however, I did’t want to watch it, and I just shared it with a few of my very closed friends, because I thought this was such a bad film. I hated my sound effect, in some parts I ignored the light, and people’s faces are too dark, also, I never check the balance of my tripod, I even didn’t know what was white balance nor focus.

Years later, I became a film major student, beginning to work on films with other friends. I wrote detailed sub lens before shooting and adjusted focus, shutter speed and aperture; I envy all those fancy equipment, shooting and editing techniques, and I try to make up a lot of fancy stories, so that I can use these fancy technical methods on it.

That day, at Vince’s place, after we spent two days to shoot 1.5 films, I decided to show them my debut. It turned out they like it, and interestingly, I found I didn’t hate it any more, but I love it! I dare not make a 20-minute film nowadays. And I suddenly realized, are those things, the equipment, the filming and editing technique I am pursueing now important to film making? And did I or we,  ignored the most treasured part to a good film– to tell a story devoutly from the bottom of your heart with patience?

I like my first film. And again, my actors, my friends, thank you so much! I still feel so moved when I watching you guys in this film, even 4 years has past.

what did it (vince version)

what did it (xiaoxiao version)

Vince, I think you win. Any other nonsmoker-used to be wants to join our game?

致中国大陆地区观众：对不起，请翻墙，翻翻更健康。

]]> http://www.xiaoxiaoyan.com/?feed=rss2&p=643110 0 http://www.xiaoxiaoyan.com/?p=643088 http://www.xiaoxiaoyan.com/?p=643088#comments Sun, 08 Aug 2010 14:00:33 +0000 shaoyan http://vidavida.cn/?p=643088 睡袍里的生活
(My Life in Robes)

作者：莱奥纳多｜科恩（Leonard Cohen）
翻译：颜筱筱

过了一会儿
你还是无法说清
你是在想念
一个女人
还是在渴望
一支香烟
又过了一会儿
可能是晚上
也可能是在白天
突然
你意识到
是时候
该穿上衣服了
该回家了
该点燃激情了
该结婚了

请我珍惜眼前的一切，我的家人，我的朋友，曾经爱过我的人，和我爱过的人，属于我的身体以及思绪，因为每一个人，每一样物件都会随时随刻离你而去，有些时候是半个地球的距离，有些时候是阴阳两界，有些时候则是那一句熟悉的，你坐在我对面，可是看上去却那样遥远。

永远只做自己喜欢做的事，喜欢自己喜欢的人，过自己喜欢的生活。只要于自己来说是对的，那么，于他人来说是错的，那又何干。

请放弃一些莫名其妙的，不坚定的爱意。做一个正直的人。若要伤心，那也要避免拖沓、冗长。要谈恋爱，那就要严肃一些，学术一些，长久一些。

请不要对每一个人都说对不起。为什么要和他说对不起，为什么要和他说对不起，为什么要和他，他，他，他还有他说对不起。

请为了养活自己，赚一些钱。

他住在一间当地的民舍里，周围的邻居看上去十分和善。我是与我的父母一起去那个地方旅行的。邻居告诉我，明天有一个女孩要来。也许并不是邻居告诉我的，只是我原本就知道有一个与他关系暧昧的女孩子要来。我问他，明天那个女孩子来，你要见她吗？他支支吾吾说不出话。我又问，你要吗？他没说要。但我知道，他坚持要见。于是，我决定，明天一大早，从那个地方离开。

Please click for bigger pic

Xiaoxiao Yan (2010)

Dazibao in the 21st century

Dazibao: also named big-character poster, is a hand written poster widely used during the culture revolution in China during the 1960s and 1970s. It is “used for everything from sophisticated debate to satirical entertainment to rabid denunciation” (Wikipedia) Actually,  being attacked by the words in a big-character poster was enough to end one’s career, ruin her family, or even kill his life.

age: 23= 0
height:160+weight: 56kg=0
cup: 34C= +10
big eyes+dimples+nice face shape+nice hair= +20
bad skin condition= -10
always have nice and innocent smile= +15
always laugh aloud without manner= 0
likes french new wave and Japanese New Wave cinema+likes Leonard Cohen+seldom watch Korean Episode + don’t read love novels= -20
likes philosophy+likes showing off in front of men= -20
care about her looking= +20
go to dancing class+go to yugo class=+20
can very easily have a crush on someone= +15
likes discussing social issues in a high and excited voice just like a man= 0
falls in love easily= 0
bad in bed= -20
hate giving a blow job= -20
always trust a man= -20
will call a man in love with while haven’t received his call for a while= -20
Aris sign= -10
sometimes has crazy and impulsing thought and will tell the guy in love with= 0
likes editing a film more than acting= -10
likes writing blog and expose all those private to public=-10
has no idea of marriage=0
never save money=0
IQ>120+but never knows how to use it in a relationship= -10
a kind of knows how to dress= +15
wants to control everything+always think herself is cleverer than a guy=-20
has overwhelming strong sense of moral= -10

conclusion: rating for Xiaoxiao Yan= -145

I learnt some new words. For example, realm means 领域。It is a useful word, but just so wired. It is a “real” + an “m”. It’s wired. “Wired” is also a new word I learnt recently. Now I can say, oh, that’s wired instead of oh, that’s strange, though I usually don’t use that word. Up to now nothing is very wired to me, most of the things are interesting. I’m serious.

Again, why I don’t write in Chinese. Chinese is a kind of language for people in love. It doesn’t have serious grammar. It doesn’t have does, do, did done, it just has “做”。And sometimes you put different words in the front of the sentence, so people can understand it as 做es, 做ing，做ed。We make the sentence wordy and longer, make the rhythm with light and slow beat, make the key high but soft, like an extremely thin line. Why should I say extremely thin? can’t I say a thin thin line, just as 细细的线。细细的，长长的，软软的，or just like my name, Xiaoxiao, how lovely. Sometimes, we won’t tell you any clue of time in the sentence. We just say he 做 or she 做。So, how can you know it is 做ing, 做es, or做ed– by guess… just like the words between livers… it makes you feel on the cloud, just like the lovers…

Oh, still, why, Why I can’t write in Chinese recently… Chinese is for recording love… for example, I will say, 或许我应该寻觅一些关于爱情的踪迹。我是否应该接受一些爱情，是否应该⋯⋯ yes, so, how do you say 寻觅 in English, this action contains a special duration and special emotion, and, and even the suspension points in Chinese is two times longer than it is in English…

By the way, I spellED weird in a wrong way…

After this, I went to Prof Nebesio’s office. I like the way he telling a story, slowly, slowly… with the sunshine through the big window of his office, a big glass of tea at the side of his desk and a pit of a pear near it. We talked about… about… and about…

And now, I need to begin my reading report about Andre Bazin, which is due to tomorrow morning, and also which I still haven’t started yet… And… and beside me, those silly lady bugs are sliding down from the blinds one by one, again and again…

BrockTV – 24HR Film Festival 2010

First Work Done by Me at Brock TV