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Film writer in 'debt' to China
By Xu Wei |
June 21, 2009, Sunday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
AMERICAN writer, creator and executive producer Cyrus Voris (pictured right) was recently invited as a guest lecturer to the China-US TV and Film Forum at last week's 15th Shanghai Television Festival.
With his Chinese peers, the gentle guy shared his experience with partner Ethan Reiff in creating the animated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," and their ideas on the film/TV production model and mechanism.
The duo have been writing together since 1987 and, in 2003, co-authored "Bulletproof Monk," a mystical martial arts adventure film produced by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat.
They also created and produced the one-hour drama "Eleventh Hour" and two seasons of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominated and critically acclaimed TV series "Sleeper Cell."
Now Voris and his partner are working on the script for "Robin Hood," an upcoming film based on the British outlaw legend due for release next year and starring Russell Crowe in the title role.
Voris had never been to China before his recent short visit to Shanghai although he has been a fan of Chinese popular culture for many years. This particular passion, in his words, is a secret to the success of the "Kung Fu Panda" story.
Q: Had you seen many Chinese movies before visiting China? What's your favorite genre?
A: The Chinese cinema has been a huge influence on my life and career. After Ethan and I watched the Hong Kong action film "A Better Tomorrow" in the 1980s, we realized that was exactly the type of movie we wanted to do.
When we moved to Hollywood, we started some Asia-themed, China-themed movies taking in the influence of the Hong Kong action cinema. We have since worked with many talented Chinese people such as John Woo and Jet Li.
Q: Did you expect that "Kung Fu Panda" would be such a smash hit in China?
A: Absolutely not. The film was a statement of our obsession with Chinese kung fu, and we made it for American audiences.
The producers of DreamWorks Pictures asked us to write a movie with only two key words, "kung fu" and "panda," and that was a challenge for us.
You know, the panda is such a cute animal and it is hard to associate it with kung fu. We are thrilled to see the movie so well accepted by both mainstream Chinese and American audiences.
Q: Is the action genre the best way for Chinese films to be accepted in the world?
A: Yes. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the amazing fight scenes in "The Matrix" did change the concepts of American audiences about Chinese cinema.
Compared with comedy films whose humorous lines are hard to translate, the action genre seems a better chance for the Chinese cinema to go international. Action films don't need many subtitles and are more visually easy to understand.
Also, Chinese filmmakers can work on family drama and romance movies, which tell fairly simple, universal stories.
Q: What recommendations do you have for your Chinese peers who are working hard to make their movies commercially successful?
A: Concentrate on your work! Sometimes we just have bad luck for good stories. We may encounter many unexpected situations and problems. The only thing you can control is to create a good enough story.
Q: What's the difference between Chinese and American production models?
A: Writer centralism or producer centralism is where the difference lies. In American television, the writer is in charge of the show, which is different from the producer-centered situation in China. It's hard to say which mode is better.
But if someone asks us what our job is, our first answer will be we are writers.
With his Chinese peers, the gentle guy shared his experience with partner Ethan Reiff in creating the animated blockbuster "Kung Fu Panda," and their ideas on the film/TV production model and mechanism.
The duo have been writing together since 1987 and, in 2003, co-authored "Bulletproof Monk," a mystical martial arts adventure film produced by John Woo and starring Chow Yun-fat.
They also created and produced the one-hour drama "Eleventh Hour" and two seasons of the multiple Emmy and Golden Globe nominated and critically acclaimed TV series "Sleeper Cell."
Now Voris and his partner are working on the script for "Robin Hood," an upcoming film based on the British outlaw legend due for release next year and starring Russell Crowe in the title role.
Voris had never been to China before his recent short visit to Shanghai although he has been a fan of Chinese popular culture for many years. This particular passion, in his words, is a secret to the success of the "Kung Fu Panda" story.
Q: Had you seen many Chinese movies before visiting China? What's your favorite genre?
A: The Chinese cinema has been a huge influence on my life and career. After Ethan and I watched the Hong Kong action film "A Better Tomorrow" in the 1980s, we realized that was exactly the type of movie we wanted to do.
When we moved to Hollywood, we started some Asia-themed, China-themed movies taking in the influence of the Hong Kong action cinema. We have since worked with many talented Chinese people such as John Woo and Jet Li.
Q: Did you expect that "Kung Fu Panda" would be such a smash hit in China?
A: Absolutely not. The film was a statement of our obsession with Chinese kung fu, and we made it for American audiences.
The producers of DreamWorks Pictures asked us to write a movie with only two key words, "kung fu" and "panda," and that was a challenge for us.
You know, the panda is such a cute animal and it is hard to associate it with kung fu. We are thrilled to see the movie so well accepted by both mainstream Chinese and American audiences.
Q: Is the action genre the best way for Chinese films to be accepted in the world?
A: Yes. "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" and the amazing fight scenes in "The Matrix" did change the concepts of American audiences about Chinese cinema.
Compared with comedy films whose humorous lines are hard to translate, the action genre seems a better chance for the Chinese cinema to go international. Action films don't need many subtitles and are more visually easy to understand.
Also, Chinese filmmakers can work on family drama and romance movies, which tell fairly simple, universal stories.
Q: What recommendations do you have for your Chinese peers who are working hard to make their movies commercially successful?
A: Concentrate on your work! Sometimes we just have bad luck for good stories. We may encounter many unexpected situations and problems. The only thing you can control is to create a good enough story.
Q: What's the difference between Chinese and American production models?
A: Writer centralism or producer centralism is where the difference lies. In American television, the writer is in charge of the show, which is different from the producer-centered situation in China. It's hard to say which mode is better.
But if someone asks us what our job is, our first answer will be we are writers.
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