CHINA DAILY HONG KONG EDITION Wednesday, January 31, 2018 Vibes | YOUTH 19
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MOVIES MORE THAN MUSIC Action, animation YinTrend Music Night in Guangzhou brought together popular performers and
avantgarde art and technology to wow a live and online audience. Chen Nan reports. Monster Hunt 2, a sequel to the 2015 box office champi on Monster Hunt, will he YinTrend Music Night in arrive in theaters on the Guangzhou, capital of Guang Lunar New Year, the first dong province, offered the day of the 2018 Spring Fes audience more than just music tival, which falls on Feb 16. as T there were also interactive projec In the new film, a blend of tions, hightech robots and artworks by computergenerated ani avantgarde artists presented on the mation and liveaction per same stage with some of the country’s formances, the monster biggest pop stars. king’s successor Wuba During the event on Jan 13, Chinese embarks on an adventure pop singersongwriter Li Yuchun per with his human friends. formed her latest hits along with a video Actress Bai Baihe and actor created by Iranian artist Ali Momeni. Jing Boran return in the And a robot band, called Compresso sequel, which also features rhead, which plays on real electronic singeractress Li Yuchun instruments made by Berlinbased art and Hong Kong’s Tony ist Frank Barnes and collaborators Leung. Markus Kolb and Stock Plum, per Leung plays a gambler who formed alongside Chinese pop singer is forced to marry a banker songwriter Hua Chenyu. played by Li. In earlier Portuguese twin brothers Oskar & events to promote the mov Gaspar used a dress worn by Hong ie, awardwinning Leung Kong singeractress Karen Mok as the says that his biggest chal canvas for their projections, transform lenge was to imagine the ing the dress into moving images while existence of the monster Mok was singing. during the filming. The German digital artist and designer monster was created later Tobias Gremmler captured the move in the process using digital ments of Chinese singersongwriter technology. Dou Jingtong, or Leah Dou, while she was performing her song Whistler’s Riddle and transformed her move Tomb guardians ments into visualized images through projection. YinTrend Music Night, launched by the Music Center of Tencent Video, a Chinese video streaming website owned by the country’s internet giant Tencent, presented about 10 collabora tions that combined music, dance, art works and technology. According to Deng Linhai, director of One of the biggestbudget the Music Center of Tencent Video, the ChinaAustralia coproduc show in Guangzhou attracted a live tions, Guardians of the audience of more than 6,000 people and Tomb, now being screened about 10 million viewers, who watched on the Chinese mainland, the online streaming of the show. is a visual feast for scifi “The concept of YinTrend Music horror fans. The film, Night was like that of the Victoria’s directed by Australian film Secret fashion shows, which combine maker Kimble Rendall, is live music by leading entertainers, set about a scientist and her designs with different themes along team’s adventure in an with the company’s lingerie. We wanted ancient tomb as they look to create a music show, which was for her missing brother. beyond music,” says Deng. As the story unfolds, a The idea of launching YinTrend secret which has been bur Music Night was based on the annual ied for more than 2,000 yearend music gala, which is popular years with a ruthless ruler among young audiences, and online comes to light. Alist video streaming that also targets young actress Li Bingbing stars as consumers. The show, YinTrend Music Night, on Jan 13 in Guangzhou offers audiences an evening the scientist, and the cast Deng says that in 2017, the company of audiovisual delight that saw musicians from both home and abroad collaborate with includes Bruneian actor had more than 100 livestreaming pro interactive projects, robots and avantgarde artworks. The musicians include Li Yuchun Wu Chun as well as Ameri grams, such as concerts and outdoor (top), Hua Chenyu (middle), Pu Shu (above left), Leah Dou (above right) and Karen can modelactor Kellan music festivals, which attracted more Mok (right). PHOTOS PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY Lutz. than 20 million followers. The play The producers say that count is about 1 billion views. anecdotes about Qin Shi “It’s apparent that watching online duced Star Campus, which later mostly people younger than 30, got our Huang, the first emperor of streaming shows has become a habit for became Hunan Satellite TV’s mega phe idea instantly once they watched the China, arguably one of the young Chinese people. When we decid nomenon reality show, Super Girl. In show.” greatest Chinese emperors, ed to stage a music show, we did our 2006, she brought in the BBC’s singing She says that the entertainment inspired them to make the research to identify who were the most competition, Just the Two of Us. industry in China is going in two direc movie. The ruler who year popular pop stars in 2017 and what was After she directed Hunan Satellite tions nowadays: “One is like fast food, ned for immorality once the most avantgarde art and technolo TV’s variety show, Happy Boys, in 2007, which means you have it today and for assigned a court sorcerer to gy. We put them together because she was appointed as EEMedia record get about it very fast. The other is like a look for the elixir of life young people are open to various kinds label’s general manager, as many con fine meal, with highquality food, which overseas. of arts and they embrace the idea of a testants were becoming pop stars, you want to have again.” ‘larger culture’,” says Deng. including the 2005 Super Girl winner Li “We hope to make YinTrend Music Forever Young YinTrend Music Night’s producer is Yuchun, who is now one of the country’s Night a brand, presenting all the most Long Danni, a veteran director and pro biggest stars. popular and pioneering music, arts and ducer, who is known as the “godmother “The YinTrend Music Night was a technology of the year in one show,” she of Chinese talent shows”. fresh idea. So it was hard to predict says. In 2003, she created the country’s beforehand how the audience would first male beauty pageant show titled react,” says Long. “The results were Contact the writer at Absolute Men, and a year later, she pro beyond our expectations. The audience, [email protected]
The film, once planned as a tribute to mark the centen ary celebrations of Tsing First female cinematographer wins Oscar nomination hua University in 2011, weaves four stories set in different eras to look at the LOS ANGELES — Mud on leafy woods, lightdappled qualified” for the work. “I just hope that they’re “One of the things I think is history of the college. bound cinematographer buildings and watercolor sun “It’s a job that basically is patient and persistent. So pretty common for most cine Forever Young, which made Rachel Morrison can tell you sets across enormous skies, as combining empathy with when we get to the next level, matographers is we like to its China debut on Jan 12, is that making history isn’t well as intimate moments channeling emotion into visu you’ll see just as many women fade into the background. directed by novelistturned always glamorous. shared by the two families at al imagery. It’s everything DPs and as there are men. We’re behind the camera for a filmmaker Li Fangfang and The 39yearold was waiting its heart. women do well, I think,” she And maybe someday we can reason,” she says. “So I’ve had stars Alist actress Zhang in line at the airport and cra Morrison’s photography is says. “I could never quite stop referring to them as to get over my fear of public Ziyi, and top actors Chang dling a sleeping 3yearold up against Roger Deakins, understand why there aren’t women DPs because they’ll be speaking and accept that I’m Chen, Huang Xiaoming, when she became the first who earned his 14th Oscar more of us.” closer to a 5050 representa going to have terrible pictures Chen Chusheng and Lee woman ever nominated for nomination for Blade Runner Despite being outnumbered tion.” of me all over the internet and hom Wang. The four actors the cinematography Academy 2049; Bruno Delbonnel by men, Morrison says she’s Melissa Silverstein of Wom be OK with it.” play Tsinghua graduates, Award in the Oscars’ 90year (Darkest Hour); Hoyte van felt supported throughout her en and Hollywood says Morri Dressing up for the Acade whose lives reflect the history. Hoytema (Dunkirk) and Dan career by male and female col son’s Oscar nod will open the my Awards ceremony on changes and chaos of the “I’m still very much in Laustsen (The Shape of leagues. She worked with Rick door for more female photog March 4 will present another eras they live in. shock,” Morrison said after Water). All five were also nom Famuyiwa on 2015’s Dope and raphers. challenge for this selfde To make scenes look arriving in Park City, Utah, inated for the American Socie the HBO film Confirmation. “We’re all really tired of hav scribed “jeans and Tshirt girl”. authentic, the crew built a where she’s serving as a juror ty of Cinematographers’ She collaborated with Ryan ing to still accomplish the “I think the scariest thing 10,000squaremeter set for the Sundance Film Festi award, which will be awarded Coogler on Fruitvale Station first,” Silverstein says. “But for me about the Oscars is resembling the 1940s val’s dramatic competition. on Feb 16. and the hotlyanticipated every time a milestone is what the hell am I going to National Southwestern In Mudbound, which is set Morrison says it’s ironic that Black Panther, in theaters next reached, it paves the way for wear,” she says. Associated University in in the Jim Crow South, Morri there aren’t more female month. Rachel Morrison attends the the next one and the next one.” Winning is another story. Yunnan province. son’s camerawork creates a directors of photography, More women are pursuing New York Film Critics Awards on Which means Morrison will She’s already made history. bucolic setting for the story’s known on sets as DPs, because cinematography so she says Jan 3 in New York City. have to get used to a new level ugly racism. She turns her lens women are “very inherently things are slowly changing. PROVIDED TO CHINA DAILY of visibility. ASSOCIATED PRESS CHINA DAILY