​(Director：C，Chief Editor：W，Audience：A)

(The following article contains spoilers)

 

• How did your idea come from?

 

C: At the first,it’s because of the graduation project,I need to force myself to write a story.I don’t how to do it for a long period.Everyone in the class is super busy.At the same time,my mom was ill.I felt ,“OMG,why I’m still doing my own stuff,my mom is in the hospital and ready to have a surgery”.I just followed what I feltand wrote what was I at that moment.

 

• I wasn’t sure the attitude of the daughter to her mom,is that intimate or unfamiliar?

 

C: Actually every mom and daughter would have a different method to communicate.I think you talk less when you’re both close enough.As what you felt the unconcerned.because they are familiar with each other.Mostly we treat our family unpolite than others.That’s what I and my mom do.Some audiences think the daughter was not in a good manner,but the others think that is what it should be.

 

W: I think it’s about the personality.Girls who work in film industry are more boyish.We are not used to be flighty.It’slike”What?””OK””Fine”.The conversation is short,and we won’t straightly show our attention to them.So I think it’s ok for me to act this way.

 

• I had a feeling that you have lots of empty shots in the end to show the difference of  “mom wasn’t here anymore”.Theatmosphere of the film is quiet,not too much contrast,and the ending shock wasn’t so strong for audiences as well.If you have a crowdy family in the beginning,I think it could be another story and the contrast will be strong.

 

C:Yeah,the contrast.I want to make the audiences feel the change,step by step.We saw the daughter sit on the banch,she is in black,kind of weird.And we found out the house is empty,so when we saw her tears,we’ll realize what happened.

 

A:You also used the empty shot of lamps,the lamps which the daughter has just changed before.Though the mother wasn’t there anymore,the lamp is intact.That’s a contrast to me.

 

C:A feeling of “before” to ”after”.Especially for the kitchen scene,you can feel the difference when you take a lookback.

 

• Many shots were verystable,you use the dolly track?

 

C:Yeah we used a lots.Many shots were like the one shots,we don’t have a long shooting list.But the schedule on set is slow.Sometimes one shot per scene,one day for 4-5 shots,approximately 18,19 working hrs.

 

• Did you put the camera on the roof top for the high angle shot of the yard?

 

C:Yes,we put it on the roof top of the building which is across the road.We climbed up and set it there.I want to have a Father angle,an aspect from the heaven.

 

A:So Father had taken Mother away to the heaven?

 

C:It can be,if you want to believe.

 

A:I like how you present this scene of the mother has passed away.It was beautiful.I wasn’t sure is it real or it’s a fantasy.But when the daughter sat there and called “Mom”,we soonly understood,Mother is gone.

 

C:Sometimes I want to take off the whole dancing scene when I have a lookback of my film.It’s a bit over,but some people like the fantasy feel.But for me sometimes too fantasy,if you take it off,the story still establish.Anyway we had wrapped up,I would rather make it like the origin.

 

A:You have a sense of Hou Hsiao-Hsien in this film,you talk about the atmosphere of life,like Hirokazu Koreeda.The editing is fluent,although your shots were not intense.The actresses are professional,you got a good tempo.Like the dinner scene,we won’t jump out of the emotion,the actresses maintained in the same emotion level.

 

• You have a tunnel shot like in the movie of Hou Hsiao-Hsien,you both filmed in the same place?

 

C:Many people said it’s like “A city of Sadness”.It’s in the same place,at Jingtong,train line of Pingxi.That’s the only place in the northern Taiwan where have a single rail.If you want a tunnel shot,the scene will take place there.

 

W:Is that the light from the train？

 

C:Yes,that is from the train.It was raining,but I planned to have a fully sunshine shot,but we used color-grading to adjust it,so you can’t really tell it’s raining.

 

W:A foggy romantic feeling.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

• Did you have a special directing method for your actresses?

 

C:Because it’s my first directing experience,I wish to find someone who had performance experience.They both quite familiar with acting.I discussed the script with them for like two times,make sure they are able to understand the action and line.We do 1-2 rehearsals on set,the daughter was fine,but the mother need some adjustment.I want her not too exaggerating,she was used to act like in the TV drama,angry is angry,sad is sad,too much acting so it’s not good.I often told her to stare at onething and pretend nothing is happening.But after editing,I found the performance of Mom wasn’t as bad as what I thought,I don’t know… what did our audiences think??

 

A:We think it’s perfect.

 

• Are the bosslady and the umbrella man-Tsai found by casting?

 

C:Tsai couldn’t wrap that day.We‘ve got 7 shots for that scene.The sprinkler track was hard to control.We took 4 hrs to finish the first shot.Soonly there was no sunlight,so we have to cut off the shotsin the editing,even there should be several shots of Tsai.The bosslady,I don’t do much directing on her.She is a bit like the MOM.I thought they will be like a TV drama when they’re talking,but it’s fine.We cast all the characters except the extras.

 

• Where are your shooting locations?

 

C:The main location is at Guishan,it’s about 1-2 hrs for transportation from Taipei.It’s a emptymilitary dependents' village.It’s almot rotten.We set a empty house to a real home.We spent many days there.Everyday we slept for 4-5 hrs and the transportation need to be 1-2 hrs,so the traffic time for the main location is long,but for the other locations,it was fine,like 0.5-1 hr for transportation.

 

W:Did you inform some departments concerned to have the permission to film in the cemetery?

 

C:Yes we did,we even put the track on someone’s grave…but we have some ceremony to show our respect,so it’s ok.

 

• Did you have any big diificulty on set?

 

C:Huge delay,everytime we want the sun,there is the rain,and vice versa.Forexemple,there’s a scene we want the rain,but it’s sunny.Wehad the sprinkler but it still didn’t work,so we cut off the whole scene in the end.Or lots of day scene shooting in the night,vice verse etc.We have to wait for the rain stops to take the next shot,our speed is super slow.

 

W:How many working days？

 

C:8-9 days,20 more working hrs per day.

 

A:I think you are good at this kind of family scene.My boyfriend also want to make a family film like this,a quiet one.But the result still quite noisy.It’s a story about the culture difference in a family.Because the daughter has a foreigner boyfriend,it’s happened in Paris.

 

C:Did you have any obstacle to understand the emotion?

 

W:I think the whole world could understand,and you already had the screening experience in France,youknew.You don’t have some particular Taiwanese elements,basically it’s still a family relationship subject.And for the Chinese,the culture doesn’t really bother us.

 

• How did you handle the tempo of your film?I often messed up the tempo when I was shooting.

 

C:The storyboard.I fully followed the storyboard.I and my cameraman had a detailed discussion after the location and the decoration were done.So we knew the blocking and tempo from the beginning.It’s all the same,we didn’t change.If you like to change on set,it would be more complicated.

 

W:Your cameraman even followed until the editing is done,so totally the same ha.

 

• For the music part,although it’s the minimum,did you give him a total power to compose or you’ve already got some idea for him?

 

C:I sent the scipt to him at the first.We only have 2-3 clips which need music.so I sent the final cut to him to compose.For the dance scene,we also have a ref from him for the actor and actress.Our working process is simple,only two meetings.

 

• The difficulties of working in the industry and your own creation.

 

C:I do think it’s hard to make your own creation while working in the industry.We know there’s the funding but not much money.The film we worked on,not so excellent.They don’t really benefit each other for the job in the industry and our own creation.But we still have to bare the thing we don’t agree.

 

W:I don’t really want to back on set.There’s a bitching culture in the Taiwanese film industry.Everybody love to bitching,it’s like a pastime for the stressful filmmaking job.Sometimes,it’stoomuch,there will be sth terrible happening.I don’t like this kind of cultureonset,it’s not a student production,we don’t play,wework,it’s not right for the working environment.

 

C:They influence each other.If someone is unprofessional,theatmosphere of the crew will changes.Or we might sometimes meet some “Big”techincians,they’ll easily get mad because of a little thing.

W:The ecology of film industry is not healthy.Some famous international director came to Taiwan,but they don’t know our ecology.Some Taiwanese company use this point to cheat on the local labors,long hours for minimum.France and Taiwan got lots of differences.French have the limit for work 7 hrs a day,the boss want you OT?Noway,we leave or we can sue you.I met some crew even go to the resto for lunch.We are punctual.I have the experience that we started at 8am and we wrapped while the sunset.It’s so called humanization..

 

C:Even Taiwanese want to have a relaxing schedule,but our budget is small,we can only afford one month intense production.OT is a normal stuff.The production company always want us to fight on.But I heard in Western,everytime you make your workers OT,the budget will be exploded.so they won’t let it happen.Taiwanese like to benice,everyone cares about the relationship of “I bring you in,you bring me in”,a weird personal loyalty.Maybe we are used to have a director right on the top so the crew will try to give the director their best,maybe it’s good for the script but always not good for labors.

 

A:While filming in France,everyday has a limited working schedule.If you didn’t get things done today,you’ll have to change your plan for tmr.The quality of the film won’t be so good.The machine can only work for you for several days.NoOT,so it will delay.And I think without lighting,a film work will be easier to achieve.

 

C:If you want your technical part to be 100% good,you might only have 2 takes chance.I think it depends on what the director and the crew.If you always want the best of the best,you’ll have to prepare to shoot like for a whole life.

 

• How to react when you meet some unprofessionals？

 

W:My experience is,Ithink sth is wrong,I will try to make sense,I don’t wanna blame to anyone,’cause I want to find a solution.But in Taiwan,maybe sometimes in France,they want you to honor the aged.If I put our estate at the same level,they will be mad.Most of the time,I’ll be the one who should be blame to,even I don’t think I’m wrong.If it didn’t influence our work,I’ll let it be.’Cause others got their own eyes,they can tell.But if it strongly influenced our working processs,I’ll talk to the man who is in higher position.Sometimes they said you should only mind your own business.Butsometimes they think I’m right,they’ll talk to the guy who made the mistake or even want me to make things right.I’m very frank,so easily have argument while working.But I don’t wanna have a big fight,I wanna make it simple and work it on.

 

C:The situation on set is the supervisor will take care of the assistant,the assistant should do what the supervisor told to.If I saw things were not right,sometimes I can’t change,I’ll let it be,or make known to my supervisor.I won’t talk to the guy straightly.It’s tough to cause the conflict.’Cause the gossip will become the judge of your next job.I don’t like it also,but I’m afraid of being defamed.It’s how we do on set,even sometimes I’m too angry and exploded,but I have to pretend I’m ok and calm.

 

W:Yeah,working in the industry is lots of pain.I hope the feature you’re working on will wrap up soon,good luck.

 

C:Sure,takecare.Thanks for the audiences today!