All posts by george

“Falter” by Black Letters

January 11, 2018 2018年1月11日

无法观看？前往优酷

Black Letters is a four-piece alternative rock band based out of Bangalore, India. Comprised of Sharath Narayan, Sarang Menon, Arjun Radhakrishnan, and Akash Chacko, the band harnesses a dreamlike sound that blends electronica and rock elements with wistful pop vocals. Their unique sound has led to the band to be hailed as one of the most promising talents in the Indian music scene. “Falter” is the debut single from their upcoming album released via Overfeed Records. The accompanying music video for “Falter,” directed by Pranav Bhasin and Ankur Vyas, tells a surreal story about two lovers caught between worlds.

Black Letters 是一个印度班加罗尔的另类摇滚乐队，由 Sharath Narayan, Sarang Menon, Arjun Radhakrishnan 和 Akash Chacko 四人组成。他们用梦幻般的音效，将电子和摇滚元素与流行金曲结合起来，为自己打造出印度最有前景的乐队声名。《Falter》作为他们的首张单曲，将由 Overfeed Records 唱片公司收录并发行于整张专辑中。歌曲的 MV 由 Pranav Bhasin 与 Ankur Vyas 执导，讲述了两个恋人在不同世界之间的离奇故事。

Take a listen below to “Landscaper,” the second single from Black Letters’ upcoming album.

点击试听 Black Letters 的第二张单曲《Landscaper》，将收录于即将发行的专辑。

Facebook: ~/blackletters
Instagram: @blackletters
Soundcloud: ~/blackletters
Bandcamp: blackletters.bandcamp.com

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

脸书: ~/blackletters
Instagram: @blackletters
Soundcloud: ~/blackletters
Bandcamp: blackletters.bandcamp.com

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Little Thunder

January 9, 2018 2018年1月9日

Born and raised in Hong Kong, Little Thunder is a comic artist and illustrator whose distinctive style has led her to become one of the best-known artists in Hong Kong today. Often featuring empowered female subjects, her artworks draw inspiration from a variety of different sources, including Japanese manga, American pin-up art, and even Hong Kong’s rich cultural history. Her masterful approach to visual storytelling allows her to craft meaningful narratives even in the confines of a single frame.

Little Thunder（門小雷）是土生土长的香港漫画家和插画家。她从日本漫画、美式挂图艺术和香港的丰富历史文化中汲取灵感，创作出一系列充满力量的女性画像。加之以娴熟的视觉叙事方式，Little Thunder 让单幅的画像也营造出一种难得的叙事深度。

Little Thunder explores the theme of feminity through a mix of humor, sexuality, and observations of whimsical everyday occurrences. Describing the inspiration behind the empowered female subjects of her works, she says, “Some women have a natural air of confidence and independence. They’re really clear on what they’re doing and what they’re capable of doing, without blindly believing that, ‘Whatever men can do, women can do too!’ Men and women are different by nature, and the perceived ‘inadequacies’ of women are often some of their most attractive traits. These are the kinds of traits that fascinate me the most.”

Little Thunder 的许多作品都是通过幽默、性爱或者异想天开的日常主题来探索女性的本质。对此主题的钟爱，她解释说：“有些女性天生就有一种自信和独立。她们非常清楚自己在做什么、有能力做什么，而不是盲目地相信‘男人可以做的女人也可以做！’男人和女人天生就是不同的，有一些女性所谓的‘不足’往往是她们最吸引人的特质，也是最让我着迷的地方。”

Being also inspired by Hong Kong’s traditional culture, many of Little Thunder’s works convey a sense of nostalgia and communicates her hopes of preserving the fast-disappearing aspects of old Hong Kong. She says, “Hong Kong is developing so rapidly now; it’s copying what’s abroad or trying to appease China. It’s nonstop demolishing and rebuilding, and a lot of Hong Kong’s old architecture and history are disappearing. In terms of art and culture, it’s definitely a step back. It makes me think of how beautiful Hong Kong was when I was growing up. That’s the Hong Kong that always lingers in my memory, and now I can only express it through my art.”

香港传统文化也是她的创作灵感之一，因此，Little Thunder 的许多作品都表现出一种怀旧情绪，传达出她想要保留住这些快速消失的香港文化之愿景。她说：“香港现在发展得这么快，或在照搬国外，或在企图满足中国。到处都在拆除和重建，很多香港的老建筑和历史都正在迅速消失。在艺术和文化方面，这绝对是大退步。这让我想起了在我成长过程中所见的香港的美好，那时候的香港一直留在我的记忆里，现在我只能通过艺术来表达出来。”

In terms of how she chooses the medium for a new artwork, Little Thunder tells us, “I’ll use whatever materials I can get my hands on.” These days, she uses a lot of ink and watercolor, though she’s comfortable creating in both analog and digital mediums. Similar to her artistic approach, Little Thunder strives to maintain a fresh attitude towards life. “My inspiration comes from observation and experience in my daily life, using different perspectives to observe and avoiding the trap of viewing the familiar as ordinary or mundane. This way, I’ll naturally find inspiration everywhere.”

在艺术媒介方面，Little Thunder 表示：“一旦我开始创作的话，可能什么材料都会用上。”近期她最常用的是水墨和水彩，即使她很擅长用胶片和数媒进行创作。与之相同的是 Little Thunder 对生活一样永葆新奇的态度。“我的灵感来源于我日常生活中的观察和经验，用不同的视角来观察，避免将熟悉的事物普通或平凡化了。这样的话，我到处都能找到灵感。”

Despite the role that social media has played on her road to success, Little Thunder has mixed feelings about how our digital interconnectedness can affect creativity and artistic motivations. She says, “Drawing is a really personal thing, but now that we live in a world of social media, it makes art more complicated. The artist will be affected by other people’s opinions, how many ‘Likes’ they’ll get, or whether or not their art will really resonate, which are all things that contaminate the purity of the art. I know that it’s hard to maintain that kind of purity, but at the very least you need to understand that you are the very first viewer of any of the artwork that you create, and if it’s able to give you a positive reaction, then it’s already a success.”

Little Thunder 在网络上吸引了大批的粉丝，现在已经成为香港最著名的漫画艺术家之一。尽管社交媒体是 Little Thunder 获得成功的因素之一，但她对于数字社交对人们创造力和艺术动机的影响有着复杂的感情。她说：“绘画本是非常个人的事情。但现在我们生活在社交媒体的世界里，这让艺术变得更复杂了。艺术家会受到别人意见的影响，会关心他们能得到多少个‘赞’，或者他们的艺术是否能与观众产生共鸣？这些都会玷污艺术的纯粹。我知道，要保持这种纯粹并非易事，但至少你需要明白，你是自己的作品的第一个观众，只要你喜欢它，它就已经是一件成功的作品了。”

Instagram: @littlethunder
Facebook: ~/runthunderrun

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

Instagram: @littlethunder
脸书: ~/runthunderrun

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

The Eye of Binhai

January 5, 2018 2018年1月5日

无法观看？前往优酷

Tianjin Binhai Library is a futuristic space that was recently unveiled in October of 2017. Designed by Dutch architects MVRDV in collaboration with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute, the library is part of a greater plan to launch a cultural district in Tianjin.

2017 年 10 月，天津滨海图书馆正式开幕。该图书馆由荷兰 MVRDV 建筑设计事务所与天津市城市规划设计研究院合作设计，并作为天津滨海建成文化中心的一部分。

The highlight of the library is the auditorium. Boasting a spherical centerpiece that looks like an iris within the oval-shaped opening, the atrium has been nicknamed “The Eye.” Inside the atrium, terraced bookshelves run from floor to ceiling, rippling across the ceiling as if following the contour of the luminous orb.

整个图书馆的最精彩的部分是中庭的发光球形报告厅。这中庭有一个球形的中心，看起来像一个椭圆形的虹膜，因此又被命名为“眼睛（The Eye）”。再往里走，成排的书架从地板开始堆叠，既作为阶梯、座椅，且一直延伸到天花板，仿佛描绘出了中间发光球的轮廓。

The actual library is impressive in its own way. While less visually striking than the atrium, the building contains five levels and an area of 33,700 square meters with enough space to house a collection of 1.2 million books. The first and second floors contain reading rooms, books, and lounge areas, while the upper levels contain meeting rooms, offices, computer and audio rooms, as well as two rooftop patios.

而整座图书馆也独具自己的特色。虽不及中庭发光球的视觉震撼，但图书馆总面积达 33,700 平方米，足足有 5 层，设计藏书总量达 120 万册。一楼和二楼设有阅览室、藏书区和休息区，上层则设有会议室、办公室、电脑和音响室以及两个屋顶露台。

From initial design to opening, the library took only three years to complete, making it MVRDV’s fastest completed project to date. It’s a breathtaking achievement of design that’s quickly establishing a reputation as a must-see landmark for those visiting Tianjin.

由于施工周期比较紧张，图书馆从最初的设计到最终落成只花了三年的时间，成为 MVRDV 迄今为止进度最快的项目。这可谓是一个惊人的设计成就，并已成为天津必去的标志性地标。

Address:
347 Xu Sheng Road
Binhai New District, Tianjin
People’s Republic of China

Hours:
Tuesday ~ Sunday 10:00 ~ 18:00
Monday 14:00 ~ 18:00

Website: mvrdv.nl
Facebook: ~/MVRDVRotterdam
Weibo: ~/mvrdv

Contributor & Videographer: George Zhi Zhao
Images Courtesy of MVRDV

地址:
中国
天津市滨海新区
旭升路347号

开放时间:
周二至周日 10:00 ~ 21:00
周一 14:00 22:00

网站: mvrdv.nl
脸书: ~/MVRDVRotterdam
微博: ~/mvrdv

供稿人与视频摄影师: George Zhi Zhao
图片由 MVRDV 提供

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Under Great Northern Skies

January 2, 2018 2018年1月2日

Quinn Ryan Mattingly is an American freelance photographer and photojournalist who has been based in Vietnam for over a decade. His photojournalism career began in 2009 when he first undertook a photographer position at a magazine in Saigon. Since then, he has taken on assignments for notable clients such as The New York Times, The Washington Post, World Health Organization, and The Global Fund, among many others. In addition to editorial and commercial assignments, Mattingly dedicates himself to a series of personal projects, including his ongoing series, Under Great Northern Skies. Inspired by his first trip to the rural regions of Northern Vietnam in 2007, the project would not officially begin until 2011 when Mattingly became reacquainted with the region on a work assignment. Since then, he has visited the region at least once per year to explore new areas and to create new images. Mattingly tells us more about the series below in his own words.

美国自由摄影师和摄影记者Quinn Ryan Mattingly已经在越南生活了10多年。他的新闻摄影生涯开始于2009年，当时他在西贡一间杂志担任摄影师的工作。从那时起，他开始为许多著名的客户工作，包括《纽约时报》（The New York Times）、华盛顿邮报（The Washington Post）、世界卫生组织和全球基金(The Global Fund)。除了杂志和商业作品，Mattingly还一直致力打造一系列的个人项目，包括他目前正在进行的《Under Great Northern Skies》系列。这个摄影项目的灵感源于他在2007年第一次探访越南北部农村地区的旅程，但项目正式开始是在2011年，当时Mattingly因为工作原因，再次踏足这个地区。从那时起，他每年至少都会到这里一次，去探索新的领域，创作新的影像。以下是有关这个系列Mattingly自己更详细的介绍。

“In my travels, I don’t think I’ve ever found a nation that differs so vastly from north to south as Vietnam. According to my own, admittedly fabricated, lore, I imagine the great hills and sharp peaks of the north as the scaly, rugged head of the dragon. The body winds its way down the majestic panoramas of coastline, ending in a collection of tails in the Mekong Delta.”

“在我的旅行经历中，我从来没见过像越南这样，北部与南部地区差异如此之大的国家。在我的想像中，越南北部的大山和尖峰就像是一条龙布满鳞片、崎岖不平的头，它的身躯沿着雄伟的海岸线，蜿蜒向下，尾巴直达湿润的湄公河三角洲。

“These images, captured on several excursions in the region over the years, are a look at the lives and land of Vietnam’s great North. Busy city streets are nowhere to be found. Instead, bikes barely more durable than scooters ply their way up and down the pastoral slopes on imperfect trails, and trucks wind their way through endless curvature as the roads ascend and fall, all at a snail’s pace compared to the clip of city life. The work that sustains life comes in a much more manual flavor than it does in the cities as well, where even most earn a living only by long days and sweat of the brow. Here, a living can only be borrowed from the soil. Nothing valuable is given without effort.”

“这些照片是我几年来多次到这里旅行时所拍摄的，它们展示了越南北部地区的生活和土地。这里没有繁忙的城市街道。在这里，自行车比摩托车稍稍更耐用，人们骑着自行车沿着充满田园风光的山坡，在小路上来来回回，而货车则顺着蜿蜒的道路左右拐弯，随着路面上下起伏，和城市里的快节奏相比，这里的一切都像是在以蜗牛的速度进行着。比起城市的工作，人们维持生计的工作更多的是手工劳作，大部分人需要以长时间的劳作和汗水来谋生。在这里，生活只能从土壤中获得。没有任何事物可以不费力气就轻易获得。

“And of course the faces are measurably different too. The Kinh language and features so familiar to us who’ve spent time in Vietnam are traded for ethnic features, dress, and cultures in numerous varieties – 54 if I’m not mistaken.”

“越国各地人们的面部特征也是截然不同。我们在越南生活了一段时间，已经十分熟悉京族（Kinh）人的五官特征和语言，但越南各地还有非常多不同的民族，如果我没有记错，应该是有54个民族，它们在民族特色、服装和文化上都非常迥异。

“These hills hold great intrigue for me, offering sights and scenes not found anywhere else in the country, and I will surely make my way back again soon, when I hear the dragon calling myself and my lens away from the city and toward the great northern skies.”

“（越南北部）这些山丘对我来说有着巨大的吸引力，这里有着越南其它地方所没有的风景，我一定还会再回来这里的，当我内心又再一次听到这条‘龙’的呼唤，我会带上我的镜头远离城市，朝着北方的天空出发。”

Website: quinnmattingly.com
Instagram: @quinnryanmattingly

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

网站: quinnmattingly.com
Instagram: @quinnryanmattingly

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Young Wild & Free

December 21, 2017 2017年12月21日

Wang Wei is a Beijing-based photographer who works entirely on 35mm analog film. Though he’s best known for his fashion photography, Wang’s personal work offers a unique perspective of life in China. His ongoing series, Young Wild & Free, consists of fun, quirky vignettes of his daily life and the lives of those around him. These images capture a sense of playfulness and freedom that encapsulate the coming-of-age experience for the youth of China.

来自北京的王未是一位坚持只用35mm胶片拍摄的摄影师。虽然如今的王未以时尚摄影而闻名，但他的个人作品却为人们提供了一个独特的视角，得以观察在中国的生活。目前他正在进行的系列《Young Wild & Free》中，拍下了他和他身边人有趣且离奇的日常生活。这些照片概括了中国年轻人的成长经历，捕捉到了玩乐和自由的感觉。

Wang was first introduced to photography in middle school when he received a mobile phone with a built-in camera as a birthday present. Although the camera’s resolution was only around 0.3 megapixels, the ability to take photos was life-changing for him. He tells us, “At school, I would always be taking pictures of my classmates, of life on campus, of things that happened in my daily life. Soon after, my parents purchased a digital camera, and I would play around with it when they weren’t using it. Sometimes I would even bring it with me to school. Since then, I just haven’t stopped shooting.”

初中的时候，有一年过生日，王未收到了一台能拍照的手机作为生日礼物，虽然这台手机只能拍30万像素的照片，但拍照这个功能对他来说特别新鲜。他说：“上学的时候我就爱各种拍，拍同学，拍校园生活和身边的事情。之后家里也换了一部数码相机，父母不用的时候我就自己随便鼓弄，有时上学我也会带着。就这样一直没有停过，拍到了现在。”

The Young Wild & Free series came about during Wang’s university years, when he would continue to photograph scenes from his life and the people around him. The name of the series came about when he heard Snoop Dogg’s song “Young, Wild and Free.” He would readopt the name for his own project: “Young” was the reference to his subject matters, “wild” as a reference to the aesthetic, and “free” as the general feeling that he wanted to share with his audience. As his photography evolved over the series’ development, Wang also experienced a change in his own attitude towards art, life, and the world at large. “At the time, I was pretty rebellious, and it felt like my photos were becoming gloomier. But then I went through a period where I was traveling a lot, and it helped me realize the world was a beautiful place. After I came back home, I felt like my mind had been opened – my aesthetic and outlook were drastically changed, and my photography changed with it. I kept the carefree and joyous aspects of my previous photographic style but got rid of the sad and depressed side.” The project is a continual work in progress that holds significant personal meaning to Wang: “It’s become a long-term project that I hold close to my heart, and I plan to keep adding to it. It’s a reflection of my life and all of my emotions.”

王未开始创作《Young Wild & Free》是在大学的时候，当时的他还一直在拍摄朋友和身边的年轻人。有一天，王未听到Snoop Dogg的《Young Wild & Free》后，就决定用歌名作为这个摄影系列的名字。如同《Young Wild & Free》的字面意思，年轻，狂野，自由。“年轻”是指他选择的拍摄对象，“狂野”是他的视觉形式，而“自由”则是他想表达给观众的感觉。在创作这一系列期间，王未对艺术、生活和世界的态度发生了变化，摄影风格也随之改变。“那段时间我非常叛逆，拍摄的作品也有些颓废。但是之后突然有段时间我开始疯狂旅行，觉得世界特别美好，回来后整个人也打开了，审美和价值观都发生了变化，作品风格随之也改变了。于是我把先前照片中快乐自由、释放的一面保留了下来，舍去了悲伤和颓废的一面。”王未会一直不断地去创作这一个摄影系列，因为它对王未自己来说有着特殊的意义，“现在这个系列是我的一个长期项目，鲜活可喜，对我的意义非凡，我会一直拍下去。”

A photograph from the series that sticks out in Wang’s memory is an image of a girl standing in front of rainbow-colored plane trails. He shares, “It was a fleeting moment. It’s meaningful to me because of how difficult it was to capture, a lot harder than you could imagine.” Taken in Beijing in 2015 at the military parade to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the defeat of Japan in World War II, the photograph was planned meticulously beforehand by Wang and a friend. However, even after setting up the shot on a rooftop and anticipating the path and schedule of the airplane formation, Wang found himself rushed and unprepared to shoot when the actual moment arrived. “When the planes actually went overhead, they flew by so fast, the noise was deafening, and my camera can’t shoot in burst. Despite the planning, it felt like I was winging it when the moment happened. In my excitement, I took two photographs. When I developed them, I was surprised that both of the photos came out great. I felt really happy, and definitely knew that I got lucky.”

这个系列中，有一张照片让王未尤其印象深刻。那是一个站在喷射彩烟飞机前面的女孩。他说：“这张照片有很强的瞬时性，所以非常难得也很有意义，当然实际拍摄情况也远比想象的要‘艰难’。”那张照片是他在2015年北京反法西斯战争胜利70周年阅兵当天拍摄的。王未提前和朋友构思并准备好怎样拍摄。但是，尽管他们在楼顶摆好相机，预估了飞机方阵的大致时间和方位，但真正到了要拍摄的时候，还是有点手忙脚乱。“实际飞机过来时，速度非常快，噪音也很大，而且我的相机没有连拍功能，真的可以用‘瞎拍’来形容，激动之余就拍了两张。片子洗出来，竟然两张都抓拍到了很棒的瞬间，非常惊喜，也算非常的幸运了，这种拍摄经历挺有意思的。”他说道。

Growing up in Beijing, Wang brings a unique perspective and outlook to the city. According to him, “Beijing is a special place – it’s a cultural and political center. I feel like people have stronger principles here, and as a result, artistic expression is more direct.” As a Beijing native, the familiarity of the city gives him a greater sense of security and creative freedom. “It allows the freedom to follow your instincts, without having to consider too many things. Being in this kind of environment allows me to simplify my creative process, and results come more naturally.”

王未从小在北京长大，对这座城市他有自己独特的见解和看法。他说：“北京这座城市很特殊，文化和政治的中心。它给我的感觉就是是非观会比较强，可能在艺术的表达上就会更加直接。”作为土生土长的北京人，他对这座城市的熟悉赋予了他更多创作时的安全感和自由。“（我在创作时）能随心所欲，不用考虑太多，所以在这种环境下，会使我的创作过程更加简单，创作结果更加原始。”王未解释道。

As a photographer who focuses on youth, Wang is inspired by the nostalgia of 20th-century Western coming-of-age films. He shares with us, “I remember watching one film where the mood and the shots were really great; even though it didn’t have any subtitles, and I couldn’t understand what the actors were saying, I still watched it twice.” A film that left a deep impression on him was the 1990 independent comedy-drama Slacker, directed by Richard Linklater. “I found it to be both boring and compelling. It was boring because of the relative cultural differences and it taking place in a time and place that I couldn’t relate to. But it was compelling because of the way it was shot and the general atmosphere of the film – the ending had me excited for the whole afternoon.” Wang is inspired by the parallels between photography and film, and channels this inspiration into his own photo shoots: “I care more about the feeling of the entire film,” he tells us. “Sometimes when I’m on a photo shoot, I’ll think of it like I’m making a film. I’ll focus on creating a certain mood, and before I shoot, I’ll reference films or movie stills that are similar to what I want to create. When I shoot, I’ll channel this information in my own way to make my images.”

作为一名喜欢专注青春主题来拍摄的摄影师，王未的创作灵感在很大程度上都是来自 20世纪的欧美青春电影。他解释道：“我曾经看了一部西语电影，画面和氛围都很好，没有字幕，我也听不懂，但是还是看了两遍。”一部让他印象深刻的电影是Richard Linklater导演的《都市浪人》（Slacker）。他回忆道：“我觉得这部电影既无聊又有趣，无聊是因为文化差异和时代背景不同，提不起兴趣，有趣是因为拍摄形式和整体感觉很吸引人，尤其是电影结尾的处理，让我兴奋一下午。”电影与摄影之间的共通之处让王未深受启发，并将之融入自己的摄影中。“我更在乎一部电影的整体感觉，我拍照有时就像在拍电影，比较在意最终营造的氛围，拍摄前会看些类似的电影或者剧照，拍摄时再把吸收信息的通过自己的方式释放出来，完成作品。”

For Wang, authenticity is the most essential element of good photography. He says, “When an image is authentic, it will leave a deeper impression on me. ‘Authentic’ doesn’t just mean it’s documenting something. I’m talking about an artistic kind of authenticity, for example, something that is irreplicable or feels within reach.” This philosophy of authenticity is evident in Wang’s own work and life, and in that sense, his approach towards photography has stayed consistent throughout the years. He says, “I don’t really like to follow what others are doing. I like to put a certain distance between myself from the world. I don’t like to passively absorb information, so I’ll usually just keep my head down and work on my own stuff. I’m clear on what I’m doing and where I want to go, so I focus on my own ideas.”

在王未看来，真实性是一张好照片的重要元素。他说：“如果一张照片是真实的，更容易打动我。‘真实’不是纪实，是艺术上的真实感。比如，难以复制或者令人触手可及。”在王未的生活和工作中，保持真实一直是他的一个重要理念。同样，他的摄影方式在多年来也依旧保持“初心”。他说：“我很少关注其他人在做什么，我喜欢屏蔽外界，不喜欢被动接收信息，所以我一直埋头做自己的事情，比较清楚自己在做什么，将来要做什么，在乎自己内心的想法，无论是对摄影还是其他。”

Instagram: @wangwei_instagram
Flickr: ~/wang_wei
Weibo: ~/wangwei5945

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

Instagram: @wangwei_instagram
Flickr: ~/wang_wei
微博: ~/wangwei5945

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

King of Peking 京城之王

December 6, 2017 2017年12月6日

无法观看？前往优酷

King of Peking (2017) is a new comedic drama set in 1990s Beijing that follows a down-and-out movie projectionist and his son as they try to make it big by starting their own pirated movie company. Written and directed by Australian filmmaker Sam Voutas, the film was inspired by his experience of growing up in Beijing in the 1980s and 1990s and the bootleg film industry that blossomed around that period. Funded in part by crowdfunding campaigns, King of Peking is a heartwarming exploration of father-and-son relationships, morality, and what it means to be an example to others. Neocha had the opportunity for an exclusive interview with Voutas to learn more about the film, his thoughts on the filmmaking process, and his memories of China.

《京城之王》（King of Peking）(2017)是一部以20世纪90年代北京为背景的喜剧片。影片讲述了一名穷困潦倒电影放映员和他的儿子想通过开盗版片加工厂来致富的故事。这部电影由澳大利亚导演司马优（Sam Voutas）担任编剧和导演，灵感来源于司马优20世纪80年代和90年代在北京成长的经历，以及在这段时期内蓬勃发展的盗版电影业。这部电影依靠众筹获得了部分的拍摄资金，是一部探讨父子关系、道德及作为他人榜样的意义的暖心之作。Neocha独家专访了司马优（Sam Voutas），了解更多关于这部电影、他在电影片拍摄过程的一些想法，以及他对中国的回忆。

Neocha: You have a history of working with the same actors and crew on some of your previous films. How did your team first come together?

Voutas: Yes, there’s quite a few of us who’ve worked together before, such as producers Jane Zheng and Melanie Ansley, as well as our sound engineer Jules Ambroisine. The first time we all worked together as a team was on Red Light Revolution, a sex shop comedy we filmed in Beijing at the end of 2009. Even though several years had passed, we approached the crew from Red Light Revolution first for King of Peking. Obviously, due to people’s schedules we couldn’t get all the same people, but Melanie, Jane, and Jules were all on board super early. And also very important for me was getting Zhao Jun, who also starred in Red Light Revolution, back for the lead role. In terms of how we met him, Melanie found him in Beijing’s Penghao Theatre years ago when we were doing auditions. He was in their café, patting a dog, and Melanie just walked up to him and asked if he was an actor. He said no. But luckily the friends who were with him told him to come clean! He went upstairs, auditioned, and nailed it. He’s such a natural, fun actor.

Neocha: 你拍摄的电影常常是和同一班演员和团队合作的。你们这个团队最开始是怎么走在一起的？

Voutas: 是的，我们中有不少人曾经一起工作过，比如制片人Jane Zheng和Melanie Ansley，还有我们的音响工程师Jules Ambroisine。我们团队第一次一起工作，是在2009年底拍摄《红灯梦》（Red Light Revolution）的时候，我们在北京拍摄的一部有关成人用品商店的喜剧片。过了几年，当我们要拍《京城之王》时还是先找了拍《红灯梦》的团队。Melanie、Jane和Jules很早就确认要参与拍摄，但其余的大家各自有自己的工作安排，我们也不能找到全部的原班人马。另外非常重要的是本次饰演电影主角的演员赵骏回归荧幕，他也曾出演过《红灯梦》。我们结缘就是在几年前北京的蓬蒿剧场，我们正在试镜时，Melanie看到了他。他当时正在咖啡馆里，逗着狗玩，Melanie就走到他面前，问他是不是演员。他否认了。还好他旁边的朋友叫他老实坦白！他后来就上楼试镜去了，拿下了那个角色。他是个很真实、很有趣的演员。

Neocha: You started out as a documentary filmmaker before you got into narrative films. What was it like to make that transition?

Voutas: Documentaries are wonderful but I always found them very difficult regarding developing story. You’d have to wait and wait for something interesting to happen to the characters, often waiting weeks, or months even. And sometimes when that wonderful moment arrived, that scene or story turn you’d been waiting for, you weren’t there! Your phone would ring and the character would tell you what just happened to them! The frustration! With fiction, while it still takes a long time, at least from the script stage you can devise a path that the characters will take. You can plot the course more. So I’ve found that fiction film is, for me anyway, a better way to go. At least when something interesting happens to a character, I can be there to film it.

Neocha: 在你拍摄叙事电影之前，你一开始是一名纪录片制片人。对于这种转变，你自己有什么想法？

Voutas: 拍摄纪录片是很棒的，但是我发现，在故事发展方面，它们很难把握。你必须一直等待，等待一些有趣的事情发生在拍摄对象身上，这往往要等上几个星期，甚至几个月。有时，当那个精彩的时刻，那个你一直在等待的一幕或故事的转折点发生时，你却偏偏不在现场！直到你的手机响了，拍摄对象告诉你刚刚发生了什么事，你才知道！真是很有挫败感！而电影虽然也需要很长的时间来制作，但至少在剧本阶段，你可以设计角色的经历。你可以对故事的发展有更多的把握。所以我觉得电影对我来说更为合适。至少当角色发生有趣的事情时，我可以确保自己拍摄下来。

Neocha: What was it like to grow up as a foreigner in China during the 1980s? Looking back, how has that experience played a role in defining your filmmaking career?

Voutas: When I first lived in Beijing in the 80s, there were hardly any cars on the road. The bike lanes were packed with bicycles, but the main roads themselves were mostly empty but for the old buses. If someone in a car drove by, you knew they were a big deal. And if you wanted a burger, there was one hotel in town that could make one. As foreigners, we weren’t able to use the main currency of renminbi. We had to use something called FEC, and that had a different exchange rate even! So very different times. I reckon my perspective has changed primarily because I’m thirty years older. Back then I wanted to just play in the dirt, and now I guess the major change is that I’m playing in the same way, but on film sets. The make-believe element is still there. I’m just playing with different toys and with new friends.

Neocha: 在20世纪80年代，作为一名在中国长大的外国人是什么样的？这段经历对你的电影制作生涯有何影响？

Voutas: 80年代，我第一次到北京生活时，路上几乎没有汽车。自行车道上挤满了自行车，但大路上大多是空的，只有残旧的公共汽车。如果有人开小车经过，你就知道这肯定是个大人物。如果你想吃汉堡，北京市内只有一家酒店可以吃到。同样，作为外国人，我们是不能使用人民币的。我们不得不使用FEC（外汇券）来付钱，它甚至还有不同的汇率！那个时代跟现在真是截然不同。我觉得我的一些观点已经改变，可能主要是因为我已经三十岁了！当时的我只想玩泥沙，现在我想主要的改变是我还是在玩，但却是在拍摄电影时玩。那种“过家家”的元素仍然存在。我只是找到了新的朋友一起玩不同的玩具。

Neocha: Can you tell us about some of the challenges you faced in creating a period piece set in 1990s Beijing?

Voutas: Our film is set in the late 1990s, and what I hadn’t predicted was that so little of 1990s Beijing is left in the city today. We scouted Beijing for a few weeks before we realized the locations simply weren’t there anymore. The old neighborhoods had turned into high rises, so we ended up filming the majority of the movie in Hebei Province. The old cinemas, buildings, amusement parks, we found them out there. It was a very stressful time because without the locations we didn’t have a movie.

Neocha: 你能跟我们分享一下，在拍摄这部以20世纪90年代的北京为背景的电影时你所面临的一些挑战吗？

Voutas: 我们的电影的背景设在了90年代末，而我没有料到的是，90年代的痕迹在今天的北京已经很难找到了。我们在北京找了几个星期，才发现已经找不到那样的拍摄场地了。老街区都变成了高楼。所以，我们大部分场景最后都要去河北拍摄。旧电影院、建筑物、游乐园都在那里找得到。那段时间压力真是非常大，因为如果没有外景拍摄场地，就拍不成这部电影了。

Neocha: What advice would you give to aspiring filmmakers, in China or otherwise?

Voutas: Be persistent. It’s a long game. It’s okay to make mistakes, to fail even; that’s just called learning. Often it’s two steps forward, one step back, and sometimes you just fall on your face. It’s just the way it is. Just try and tell stories any way you can. Even if you’re shooting on your phone, that’s fine. The important part is to keep on trying, to not take no for an answer.

Neocha: 对中国或其它国家那些有志于拍摄电影的人，你有什么建议？

Voutas: 坚持不懈。这是一场漫长的比赛。犯错误是可以的，甚至失败也行，这就是所谓的学习。你往往前进两步，又要后退一步，有时甚至会跌倒。这就是现实。尽你所能讲故事。就算你只是拿着手机拍摄也没关系，重要的是要继续努力，别放弃。

King of Peking will have an upcoming screening in Beijing, along with a Q&A session with the director. See below or click here for details.

Event: King of Peking: Film Screening and Director Q&A

Time: Wednesday, December 13th, 2017, 7 ~ 9:30 pm

Cost: 50 RMB

Address:
The Hutong
1 Jiudaowan Zhongxiang
Beixinqiao, Dongcheng District
Beijing, People’s Republic of China

《京城之王》即将在北京举办放映，现场还会有一个与导演进行的问答环节。浏览下方或登陆网站了解更多。

活动:《京城之王》电影放映和导演问答

时间: 星期三，2017年12月13日，下午7点至9点30

费用: 50元

地址:
中国
北京市东城区
北新桥九道湾中巷1号
The Hutong

Facebook: ~/kingofpeking

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

脸书: ~/kingofpeking

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Reach All City Tour 他画了一面墙

November 29, 2017 2017年11月29日

无法观看？前往优酷

Reach All City Tour is a short documentary about a country-wide street art tour organized by Taiwan-based street artist, illustrator, creative director, and photographer Reach. Along with three other companions, Reach set out on a 44-day journey across Taiwan, painting street art pieces across 22 locations. From the heat of the scorching summer to the wind and rain of Taiwan’s typhoon season, Reach and his friends encounter and overcome unexpected challenges as they gradually discover the meaning of their once-in-a-lifetime journey.

《Reach All City Tour》是台湾街头艺术家、插画家、创意总监和摄影师Reach所拍摄的一部跨越台湾各地街头艺术的短片纪录片。Reach和其他三名同伴一起，用44天的时间，横跨台湾各地，在22座城区创作街头艺术作品。从炎热的夏季到风雨交加的台风季节，Reach和他的朋友一路上遇到和克服了许多意想不到的挑战，亦逐渐领悟到这段让他们终生难忘的旅程的意义所在。

Website: reach-studio.com
Instagram: @reach_studio
Weibo: ~/HelloReach

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

网站: reach-studio.com
Instagram: @reach_studio
微博: ~/HelloReach

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Frenetic City 香港喧嚣

November 28, 2017 2017年11月28日

Frenetic City is a series from Singaporean photographer, printmaker, and art director Zhou Hanshun that examines the pace of modern life in Hong Kong. A graduate of the Nanyang Academy of Fine Arts Singapore and RMIT University, Zhou uses photography as a way to investigate and document culture and people in cities he’s lived in.

《Frenetic City》（狂热的城市）是新加坡摄影师、版画家和艺术总监Zhou Hanshun（周傼顺）所创作的一个摄影系列，通过一系列黑白影像探讨了现代香港社会的生活步伐。周傼顺毕业于新加坡南洋艺术学院和皇家墨尔本理工大学，他选择了用摄影的方式来探讨和记录自己所生活的城市里的文化和人。

Frenetic City was created during a three-year residence in Hong Kong, in which Zhou became fascinated with the chaotic rhythm of the city. Using multiple exposures of black-and-white film with upwards of 25 exposures per image, Zhou photographed busy locations across Hong Kong, capturing its residents in haunting form.

《Frenetic City》是他在香港生活的三年期间所拍摄的，在这里，他爱上这座城市的混乱节奏。他用黑白胶片拍摄了香港各个繁华地段，通过多重曝光的方式，重叠 25个以上的画面，以重复交叠的影像记录下生活在这里的人们。

According to a report by the U.N., the world’s population will reach 10 billion by 2050, with three quarters of humans living in cities. For Zhou, Hong Kong is just a starting point for the Frenetic City series, which he plans on extending to document other crowded cities across our increasingly overpopulated world. According to Zhou, “To say life moves fast in a city is an understatement. Time in the city seems to flow quicker; memories in the city tend to fade away faster. Nothing seems to stand still in a city.”

据联合国报告显示，世界人口到2050年将达到100亿，而生活在城市的人口将占四分之三。对于周傼顺来说，香港只是《Frenetic City》系列的一个起点，他打算继续记录这个日益人口过剩的世界上其它拥挤的城市。周傼顺说：“生活节奏快，这个词还不足以说明城市之快。在城市，时间似乎流失得更快，回忆往往也会消失得更快。在城市里，没有一样事物是停滞的。”

Website: zhouhanshun.com
Instagram: @zhouhanshun

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

网站: zhouhanshun.com
Instagram: @zhouhanshun

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

No Word From Above 此处无法叙述

November 23, 2017 2017年11月23日

Li Hui is a Hangzhou-based photographer who has been trying to express her sensitive personality and feelings through photography ever since she got her first film camera. Influenced by cinema, music, nature, and the human body, Li’s creative development stems from her willingness to continuously experiment with the medium. When viewing her masterful use of light and distinct style, many find it hard to believe that she’s a self-taught artist. Recently, the talented photographer self-published her third photography book, No Word From Above, which features a collection of her images from 2016 to 2017.

李晖是一名身在杭州的摄影师，自她有了第一部相机之后，她就一直在试图通过镜头传达自己的切身感受和易感的个性。受到来自电影、音乐、自然和人体的影响，李晖作品中的创造性正是因为她热衷于不断实践。她熟练掌握的光影技能和具有个人辨识度的风格，让人很难相信她是一个自学成才的艺术家。她出版了几本摄影书籍，最近刚刚发行了自己出版的书《No Word From Above》。她的作品已被世界各地不同的出版物和杂志刊登。

No Word From Above is available for purchase on Li’s website, Tictail, and Weidian. Signed and numbered in a limited edition of 500.

《No Word From Above》现在可以通过李晖的个人网站、Tictail和微店进行购买，限量签名版总计500份。

Full Product Details:

Year of Publication: 2017年
Size: 21cm x 14cm
Number of Pages: 72
Paper: 170gsm fine art paper
Print Quantity: Limited edition of 500 copies
Each book is numbered and signed
Price: 37 USD

全副产品信息:

出版年份: 2017年
尺寸: 21 x 14 厘米
页数: 72
纸张: 170gsm 新伯爵纸
发行量: 限量500本
每本独立编号亲笔签名
价格: ¥ 168 RMB

Website: www.huiuh.com
Instagram: @huiuh_

Contributor: George Zhi Zhao

网站: www.huiuh.com
Instagram: @huiuh_

供稿人: George Zhi Zhao

You Might Also Like你可能会喜欢

Roadside Lights

November 9, 2017 2017年11月9日

Roadside Lights is a charming series from Japanese photographer Eiji Ohashi that captures vending machines in their natural surroundings. A native of the northernmost Japanese city of Wakkanai in Hokkaido prefecture, Ohashi was initially inspired to create the series during a tumultuous winter in his hometown. In the midst of a particularly heavy snowstorm, Ohashi became lost on the road, and could only find his way home by navigating the glow of vending machines that stood as the only familiar landmarks on the snow-covered streets. After that fateful event, Ohashi spent the next nine years photographing vending machines in various locations across Japan.

《Roadside Lights》（“街灯”）是日本摄影师Eiji Ohash以各个角落里的自动贩卖机为主题拍摄的一个摄影作品系列。Ohashi出生在日本最北端的城市——位于北海道的稚内市。在家乡一个大雪纷飞的冬天，他产生了创作这一系列的灵感。当时正在下一场特别大的暴风雪，Ohashi迷路了，在冰雪覆盖的街道上，他最后靠以自己所熟悉的那些明亮的自动贩卖机为路标，才成功回到家。经历了那次关键事件之后，Ohashi花了九年的时间，走遍日本各地，拍摄自动贩卖机。

Ohashi’s subjects glow with life in his photographs, with each vending machine seeming to exude a distinct personality of its own. For Ohashi, the vending machine serves as a metaphor to further examine the human condition. Ubiquitous in every corner of urban and rural Japan, these machines reflect human themes such as loneliness and alienation, corporate efficiency, and workforce automation – all relevant to life in modern Japanese society.

在Ohashi拍摄的照片中，那些自动贩卖机亮着充满生命力的光芒，每台自动贩卖机似乎都有其独特的个性。对于Ohashi来说，自动贩卖机是一个隐喻，用来进一步探讨人类的生存条件。这些自动贩卖机散布在日本的城市和农村的每个角落，几乎无处不在。它们折射出了人类社会关于孤独和人际间的疏远、企业效率和劳动力自动化等一系列的话题，与现代日本社会的生活息息相关。

Ohashi says in his own words, “Coming close to dusk, the city and country both alike, the roadside vending machines light up. This particular scene of vending machines placed on ordinary roadsides is unique to Japan. Looking at the vending machines having been placed in the wilderness or downtown, one can see loneliness being illustrated. The machines work non-stop, despite it being day or night, but would be taken away once the sale drops. The machines would not exist if each and every one does not have its own color and shine. It just might be depicting the nature of us humans.”

Ohashi说：“黄昏的时候，城市和乡村都是一样的，路边的自动贩卖机都会亮起来。放在路旁的普通自动贩卖机成为了日本独有的场景。看着那些被放置在旷野或市中心的自动贩卖机，你仿佛能看到人们孤独的内心。这些机器不分昼夜，一刻不停地工作，而一旦销量下降，就会被拆走。如果一台自动贩卖机丧失了自己的色彩和光泽，它就会消失。可以说，它们正是人类本质的写照。”

Roadside Lights has been featured in solo exhibitions across Japan and has also been compiled into a book of the same name, available for purchase here.

《Roadside Lights》目前已于日本各地举办展览，并被编成一本同名书籍，点击这里即可购买。