nucmednet Chapter 320 Journey to the West begins filming
Chapter 320 Journey to the West begins filming
In a slightly cramped office, the assistant director had a worried look on his face, tightly holding the script of Journey to the West in his hands.
His brows were twisted into the shape of the Chinese character "川", and his tone was full of worry and helplessness.
"Director, to be honest, the difficulty of filming Journey to the West this time is beyond imagination!
The funds we have are really limited, and the special effects shots in Journey to the West are
With our current conditions, it is not easy to achieve the desired effect! "
Director Yang Jie sat at her desk with a determined look on her face.
"This is a political task. No matter how difficult it is, we must face it head-on and make sure it's a good one!"
As the chief director of the Journey to the West crew, Yang Jie shoulders the heavy burden of the entire crew, from the artistic control of filming to the scheduling of personnel.
The assistant director is responsible for the complicated tasks of preparing the crew.
The assistant director nodded slightly, then started to complain, his words full of indignation: "Indeed, some of the "Journey to the West" films made abroad are simply nonsense, completely deviating from the essence of the original work!
Take the Japanese version of the TV series, for example. The monk Tang Seng actually became a woman. Isn’t that outrageous enough?
What’s even more exaggerated is that the Buddha Tathagata is also portrayed as a female, while the Bodhisattva Guanyin, who is always compassionate, has been transformed into a male.
And the monsters, the Silver Horn King has become a woman, and she and the Golden Horn King have become a loving couple. What do you think of this adaptation?"
Director Yang Jie couldn't help but frown as she listened, and sighed in deep agreement. "The version shot in Taiwan is just as outrageous. In the play, Tang Monk actually cried and made a scene to marry a monster. How can this be ridiculous?
After much difficulty, Sun Wukong knocked him out with a stick, thinking that he could have some peace and quiet for a while, but Zhu Bajie started to perform his magic tricks again and forcibly woke up Tang Seng.
This is a complete blasphemy against our four great classics, it's just nonsense!"
The Japanese version of Journey to the West was urgently stopped after only three episodes were aired in China.
It was really too inappropriate and ridiculous to shoot.
It was precisely because of this that CCTV solemnly issued the task of filming a new version of "Journey to the West", providing director Yang Jie with 100 million yuan in funding and a camera.
We ask Director Yang Jie to present this masterpiece to the audience in the most correct and wonderful way!"
"Director, do you know that although those TV dramas based on Journey to the West abroad are just a bunch of crap, our domestic Monkey King animation is a global hit!
Take the two boys in my family for example, they are absolutely obsessed with it.
Every time the animated film of The Monkey King is released, they rush to the cinema to watch it as soon as possible.
I have to say that this animation has really spread our Chinese Journey to the West culture to all parts of the world, and its influence is huge!"
Director Yang Jie nodded slightly, with a smile of approval on her face, and said: "I have heard of this animation, it is indeed beautifully drawn, and the fighting scenes are even more exciting, which makes people excited.
However, the plot roughly ends when the Monkey King is pressed under the Five Elements Mountain by the Buddha.
Although there are many changes in the plot, the characterization of the Monkey King is unique, and it can be regarded as a wonderful interpretation of this character from another perspective."
Director Yang Jie turned serious and said earnestly, "However, if you think you have a thorough understanding of China's Journey to the West just because of this animation, that would be too one-sided."
When the assistant director heard this, his curiosity was instantly piqued, and he quickly leaned closer and asked, "Director, what do you mean? Please tell me in detail."
Director Yang Jie leaned back in her chair, her eyes deep, and she said slowly: "The plot of havoc in heaven is indeed a very exciting and well-known part of Journey to the West, which shows the rebellious spirit of Sun Wukong to the fullest.
But the true meaning and charm of "Journey to the West" is far more than that.
The four masters and apprentices' adjustment and growth along the way, as well as their tenacity and wisdom in the face of various difficulties and obstacles. I will discuss these with you in detail when I have the chance."
The assistant director looked worried and said hesitantly, "Director, I have another concern.
You see, in the TV series of "Journey to the West" that we are going to shoot this time, the character setting of Sun Wukong is very different from that in the animation.
The Monkey King in the animation is unruly and domineering, which has been deeply rooted in the hearts of the people and the audience has already formed a preconceived impression of him.
I'm really worried that if we make this movie, the audiences across the country won't approve of it. What should we do then?"
Yang Jie plans to film the story of the Kingdom of Black Chicken first, and the Monkey King’s rampage in Heaven later. However, the character of Sun Wukong in the script of the Kingdom of Black Chicken is completely different from the unruly and domineering character in the animation!
"I can tell from your lack of understanding of Journey to the West that Sun Wukong's character changes in several stages.
As the core character of Journey to the West, Sun Wukong's character changes throughout the story.
It reflects the spiritual practice process from "demon nature" to "Buddha nature". This change process can be divided into the following key stages:
The first stage is the period of birth and learning, when Sun Wukong is innocent and free, but has already begun to show signs of rebellion. Then there is the havoc in heaven, which is his most rebellious period, showing resistance to authority.
After being pressed under the Five Elements Mountain, he may have started to reflect, which was a turning point. In the early days of the journey, he may have been a little disobedient, but gradually he learned to work in a team.
In the middle of his journey to the West, he became more mature and began to solve problems with wisdom.
In the later period, he completely became the core of the team, showing a sense of responsibility and compassion. Finally, he became a Buddha, his character completely changed, and he reached a state of transcendence.
Note that Sun Wukong’s change is not only a change in external behavior, but also the result of inner practice.
It is necessary to combine the Buddhist practice concept to explain that his growth is in line with the theme of "subduing the monkey mind". This may involve the deeper meaning of the original work.
"So that's how it is. Journey to the West is indeed worthy of being one of the Four Great Classics. But what does the director mean by taming the monkey in the heart?"
"Subduing the Monkey King" is the core metaphor of Sun Wukong's spiritual practice in Journey to the West.
Derived from the Buddhist interpretation of "mind nature" - "wild and unruly mind" symbolizes the unruly instincts in human nature such as restlessness, desire, and delusion.
The growth process of Sun Wukong is the process of gradually conquering the "monkey mind" through external constraints, inner enlightenment and wisdom practice.
The assistant director was full of admiration and exclaimed sincerely: "Director, I really admire your understanding of Journey to the West from the bottom of my heart, it is so profound and thorough.
This "Journey to the West" contains profound Buddhist principles, which opened my eyes.
I then realized that it was not enough to just focus on coordinating the crew.
I still have a lot to learn and improve in terms of understanding the works and grasping the cultural connotations.”
Director Yang Jie nodded slightly, her eyes full of understanding and encouragement, and said: "It is a good thing to keep learning and improving.
The problem you mentioned is indeed a real problem that we have to pay attention to.
Now that the Monkey King animation has been a great success, and the image of Sun Wukong it created is deeply rooted in people's hearts, it is inevitable that the audience will watch our "Journey to the West" with preconceived impressions.
This preconceived notion is likely to have an impact on our work.”
The assistant director looked anxious and asked hurriedly, "Director, what should we do? This is a tricky problem."
Director Yang Jie thought for a moment and gave a solution with a firm look: "We can work hard on the actors' performances.
Let the actor who plays the Monkey King show his domineering side as much as possible during the performance.
Of course, this domineering style is not simply imitating the exaggerated style in the animation, but it is to combine the personality characteristics of Sun Wukong in different stages in the original work to interpret the domineering style that fits the plot situation.
This will help us get closer to the audience's expectations of Sun Wukong and make it easier for the audience to accept the character we created."
After listening to Director Yang Jie's opinion, the assistant director then found the actor who played Sun Wukong and asked, "How do you think Sun Wukong can show his domineering side?"
"Hey, you monster, take a stick from me!"