英籍导演拍摄《金子》电影版首映式为重庆直辖二十周年献礼

□文/本刊记者 熊怡

英籍导演拍摄《金子》电影版首映式为重庆直辖二十周年献礼

□文/本刊记者 熊怡

一个是中国的“川剧皇后”，一个是英国的知名导演；一个是传统的戏曲艺术，一个是现代的电影理念；一个是“唱做念打”美丽不可方物，一个用最精准的镜头捕捉最美的瞬间。

4月9日，国家舞台艺术精品、蜚声海外的川剧《金子》，迎来她的电影版开机仪式。接下来的10天，英国导演索尼娅·洛维特（Sonia Lovett）完成了在重庆的素材拍摄，返回英国后进行为期两个月的后期制作，预计6月中旬带着戏曲艺术电影《金子》回到重庆，用首映式为重庆直辖二十周年献礼。当传统艺术遇上国际审美，川剧《金子》“从舞台到荧幕”的蝶变，需要你带着想象力来欣赏。

传统艺术与国际审美的跨界合作

川剧是中华民族传统艺术的瑰宝，也是首批国家级非物质文化遗产，是中国戏曲重点剧种之一。重庆市川剧院经典剧目《金子》改编自曹禺名著《原野》，自1997年首演以来，囊括了中国戏曲舞台艺术的所有奖项，曾荣获首届“国家舞台艺术精品工程”十大精品剧目奖、文化部首届“十八台优秀保留剧目大奖”第一名，被业内公认为“中国戏曲现代戏新的里程碑”。

演了20年的《金子》主角，当代中国川剧领军人物、著名川剧表演艺术家、“梅花大奖”获得者沈铁梅，怀着对艺术至高无上的追求，不断推动川剧、推动重庆文化攀登一个又一个高峰。在她的带领下，重庆市川剧院经过近两年的精心筹划，力图将川剧传统剧目《金子》打造成艺术品位高、感染力强的舞台电影，扩大国内外影响力，弘扬中国优秀传统艺术，增强中国的文化自信。

戏曲艺术电影《金子》开机仪式。

为此，重庆市川剧院邀请英国索尼娅•洛维特导演团队，打造戏曲艺术电影《金子》，并请来荷兰著名纪录片导演弗兰克·谢菲尔（Frank Scheffer）团队，拍摄电影版《金子》的“拍中拍”记录片。如此高水准的国际创作班底，将把经典场面的台前、幕后都完整记录下来。同时，也将国宝级川剧艺术家的艺术形象和风采保留下来。通过电影让更多的观众了解川剧、了解重庆的地域文化。

→ 各大媒体热切关注戏曲艺术电影《金子》。图为央视记者访问重庆著名京剧表演艺术家、川剧《金子》主演沈铁梅的父亲沈福存。 摄影：熊怡

↓ 全剧6位演员平均年龄达到62岁，《金子》是这些老艺术家艺术巅峰的呈现。

此次电影版《金子》影视创作工作，把民族的、传统的、富有地域特色的川剧文化宝藏发掘好、利用好，创作出既富有重庆特点又体现时代特色，并具有较高思想境界、独具艺术魅力的川剧电影作品，打造成重庆文化的新名片。巧合的是，川剧传统剧目《金子》与重庆直辖同岁，戏曲艺术电影《金子》也将向重庆直辖二十周年生日献礼。

“我要让电影版《金子》的观众感觉就像在剧场看戏”

电影版《金子》的导演索尼娅女士来自英国伦敦，她当导演30多年，曾执导过多部话剧、歌剧、芭蕾舞剧等作品，也为BBC、SKY、CNN等知名媒体录制过多场音乐会。

2016年11月，重庆市川剧院与索尼娅导演就电影版《金子》进行了第一次接触和讨论。索尼娅向媒体透露，她第一次拿到《金子》的剧本，就被它的故事深深地吸引。当她听到《金子》的精彩唱腔，以及极富节奏感的音乐，更是喜爱到无以复加。索尼娅高度评价《金子》的主演沈铁梅：“她是一个用声音塑造人物的艺术家，拥有一副出众的嗓音，可以根据戏剧原有的结构，在剧中融入自己的特色。”

索尼娅导演说，所有戏剧的主题是全世界相通的，比如，“追求”“爱情”“希望”等等。《金子》的剧情是悲剧与喜剧的结合，即便与西方歌剧在语言上存在着差异，其饱满的叙事结构和故事情节，也是所有优秀戏剧的共同之处。

索尼娅导演接到这项拍摄任务的初衷，就想把中国的传统艺术介绍给西方，让更多的人了解川剧。她力求每一个拍摄机位，都能呈现最好的镜头美感，将《金子》的魅力毫无保留甚至锦上添花地呈现出来，“我要让电影版《金子》的观众感觉就像在剧场看戏。”索尼娅说。

但毕竟这是一场跨界艺术的跨国合作，语言成了索尼娅在创作分镜头脚本时的最大障碍。“因为听不懂台词，我很难把握哪一句台词该切换哪个机位或镜头。”索尼娅说，为准备分镜头脚本，她花费了一个月的时间。依靠自己的经验，通过观看录像带资料，根据演员的表情或者肢体语言来进行分镜头脚本的创作。

剧组用于拍摄录制的4K高清转播车。摄影：熊怡

最先进的设备、最捧场的戏迷为“经典”加油

重庆市川剧院与索尼娅导演团队几经碰撞，最后决定用4K电影的形式来呈现《金子》。4月11日，电影版《金子》进行了3场带观众拍摄的第一场录制。剧场外，一辆搭载了3台索尼PWS-4400服务器的“巨无霸”4K转播车，就是用于拍摄录制的设备。据了解，这种4K转播车是目前最先进的录制设备，能呈现最高品质的画质效果，通常用于足球比赛、演唱会等现场录制。

参与此次拍摄录制的现场观众，是重庆市川剧院通过官方微信征集的，来自北京、成都等全国各地的铁杆戏迷、票友，他们有幸成为重庆传统文化历史性时刻的见证者。事实上，要聚齐《金子》的原班人马进行拍摄十分困难，全剧6位演员平均年龄达到62岁，超过70岁的演员有两位。可以说，《金子》是这些老艺术家艺术巅峰的呈现。

据介绍，电影版《金子》的拍摄形式与普通电影、电视剧的最大不同，在于全程不会喊“咔”（停），所有素材拍摄一气呵成。索尼娅导演表示，每一场演出拍摄之后，英国团队与重庆市川剧院方面负责人都会一起就所拍摄的视频进行讨论，对于不足之处将在下一场演出时进行着重补拍。

“我们把古老的中国戏曲艺术与最先进的拍摄科技嫁接，借鉴英国国家剧院NT-Live的制作方式。我相信，随着戏曲艺术电影《金子》的诞生，川剧艺术走向国际舞台的路会更加通畅。”“川剧皇后”沈铁梅对电影版《金子》充满信心。

来自北京、成都等全国各地的铁杆戏迷、票友参与现场录制，有幸成为重庆传统文化历史性时刻的见证者。摄影：熊怡

The film version of this famous Sichuan Opera has integrated the “Sichuan Opera Queen” in China with a famous director in British; dramatic art in tradition with mordern film ideas; the un-comparable performing art with the most accurate lens to express the most beautiful moments.

The launching ceremony of the film version of Sichuan Opera—Jinzi, was held on April 9, which honored the national quality stage productions and enjoyed a high reputation abroad.Sonia Lovett, the British director of this film version, will spend 10 days for collecting movie stuff in Chongqing and come back to British for a two-month post production.As a gift for the celebration of the twentieth anniversary of the establishment of Chongqing Municipality, it is expected thatJinzi, this opera art film will return to Chongqing for its premiere in min-June.Audiences need to carry with their imagination to appreciate the collision between traditional art and global taste as well as the change ofJinzifrom stage to screen.

Cross-border cooperation between traditional art and global taste

As the treasure of Chinese traditional art, Sichuan Opera honors the first national intangible cultural heritage and one of the major genres in Chinese Operas.Being the classic repertoire of Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing,Jinziis adapted form“Wilderness”, a masterpiece written by Cao Yu (a famous playwright in China).Since its debut in 1997, it has embraced all awards of Chinese opera stage art including the top ten quality repertoire of the first National Exquisite Stage Art Works and the first price of Eighteen Excellent Repertoire Grand Prix held by Ministry of Culture.Jinzialso was recognized by the industry as “a new milestone of modern Chinese opera”.

Sonia Lovett, the British director of the film version of famous Sichuan Opera—Jinzi.Photo by Xiong Yi

Being the heroine ofJinzifor 20 years, Shen Tiemei has been hailed as the leader of Sichuan Opera and the famous Sichuan Opera artist and has been awarded the Chinese Drama Plum Blossom Prize.With the supreme pursuit of art, she contiuously pushes Sichuan Opera and Chongqing culture to climb the top one after another.Under her leadership, after two years of careful planning, Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing strives to makeJinzia stage film with high artistic taste and strong appeal so as to expand its influence both in and abroad, carry forward the fine traditional Chinese art to enhance China’s cultural self-confidence.

In this connection, Sonia Lovett and her British team were invited by Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing to create the film version ofJinzi.Meanwhile, Frank Scheffer—a famous documentary film director from Holland—and his team also were introduced to film the documentary of the shooting process of the film version ofJinzi.It is possible to completely record the classic scenes on both on and off the screen by such a high level of international creative team.At the same time, it also gives priority to allow more audiences to understand Sichuan Opera and the regional culture in Chongqing by keeping the artistic image and style of Sichuan Opera performing artists who are of national treasure level.

The British director Sonia Lovett, said that Jinzi’s full narrative structures and plots are something in common with all excellent operas in the world.

The film version ofJinziwas entrusted to explore and exploit the cultural treasure in Sichuan Opera featuring ethnic flavor, traditional and regional features so as to create a Sichuan opera film which not only has both characteristcs of Chongqing and times and also has a high ideological level and unique artistic charm.With the aim to create a new card introducing Chongqing culture, the film version will represent as a gift to celebrate the twentieth anniversary of its establishment because the traditional version ofJinziwas surprisingly created on the same time of the establishment of Chongqing Municipality.

“My aim is to let the audiences of the film version ofJinzito feel like going to the theatre.”

Ms.Sonia, director of the film version, comes from London, British.With over 3 decades directing experience, she has directed a number of dramas, operas, ballets and other works and also has recorded many concerts for famous media like BBC, SKY and CNN.

November, 2016 saw the first contact and discussion between Ms.Sonia and Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing for the film version ofJinzi.Sonia told media that when she first touched the script ofJinzi, she was deeply attracted by its plots.When she heard the fantastic arias and rhythmic musics fromJinzi, she totally immersed herself into the adoration of them.“Being born with an outstanding voice, the heroine ofJinziis an artist who can use her voice to mold the characteristic of dramatic personae and merge with individual features according to original structure in opera”, highly praised by Ms.Sonia.

Sonia said, the theme of all drama in the world links to aspiration, love and hope.Plots inJinzibelongto the combination of tragedy and comedy.Besides the language differences compared with the western opera, its full narrative structures and plots should be the same thing with all good plays.

The director group is working in 4K broadcast car, photo by Xiong Yi.

The original intention of Director Sonia to receive this shooting mission is to introduce Chinese traditional arts to west and Sichuan Opera to more people.She insisted that every shooting seat has to present the best aesthetic feeling in lens.Only by doing so can the charm ofJinziexpress to the audiences without any reservation.“My aim is to let the audiences of the film version ofJinzito feel like going to the theatre.” Sonia said.

In this transnational cooperation in cross-border art, language has become Sonia’s biggest barrier in creating the shooting scripts.“It is quite difficult for me to switch camera stands or lens according to those dialogues written in Chinese.In order to prepare the shooting scripts, on the basis of my personal experience, I have spent one-month time to watch actor’s facial expression or body language in video tapes to conduct the creation of shooting scripts.”

“Classics” was energized by the most advanced equipment and the most avid supporters

After several intense discussions, Sonia and SichuanOpera Theatre in Chongqing reached an agreement to expressJinziwith the form of 4k movie.April 11 witnessed the first record (a total of three records) ofJinziwith audiences.Outside the theatre, there was a gigantic 4K OB van carried with 3 Sony PWS-4400 servers, which is the equipment for this shooting.It is understood that such 4K OB van is the most advanced recording equipment today which applies commonly to the live recording of football games or vocal concerts with the highest image quality.

Audiences who participate in this shooting were selected from the official We-chat of Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing.They are big fans and amateur performers from Beijing, Chengdu and all over the country.It is fortunate for them to witness the historic moment of Chongqing traditional culture.Actually, it is quite difficult for shooting team to call together the former staff ofJinzi.The average age of all six performers is already 62 and two of them are even above 70 years old.That’s to say,Jinzibelongs to the peak presentation of those old artists.

According to the introduction, the biggest difference from the film versionJinzito other general movies and teleplays lies in there is no stop in the former one.In another word, all materials’ shooting are finished in one smooth motion.After every shooting, British team and person in charge from Sichuan Opera Theatre in Chongqing would work together to make a discussion about the shooting video.And the imperfections will be emphatically reshot in the next one, said by Director Sonia.

“Learning from the production method of NT-LIVE of British National Theatre, we have integrated the ancient Chinese opera art with the most advanced shooting technology.With the emergence ofJinziin the form of opera art film, I believe that the road to international stage for Sichuan Opera will be smoother.” And Shen Tiemei, the “Queen of Sichuan Opera”, is full of confidence in the film version ofJinzi.

The Film Version of Famous Sichuan Opera—Jinzi—was Shot by a British Director Its premiere presents a gift for the celebration of twentieth anniversary of the establishment of Chongqing Municipality

□ Article/ Journalist Xiong Yi