Latest update October 21st, 2015 12:41 PM
Zhang Ji, the Screenwriter Writing A Film About Tennis Player Li Na
Always try new genres is my best way to dig deeper in screenwriting.
Zhang Ji has won the Best Screenwriter Award at the 34th Hong Kong Film Awards for writing DEAREST directed by Peter Chan. He is also one of the screenwriters of Chan’s AMERICAN DREAMS IN CHINA. He is now working on Peter Chan’s new film project to portray world famous Tennis player Li Na. In this exclusive interview, Zhang shares his opinion about major issues in writing scripts in China. Reported by Xu Jia.
About The Chinese Film Market
It is indeed growing on a daily basis with cinemas all over the country. Young people consider it a very cheap and rather exciting way of entertainment, so the admissions grow dramatically. But on the whole, the creativity and production of the film industry still need major improvement. The operation of genre films and local originality are especially below the audience’s expectations. Therefore, faced with the competition from Hollywood, we are under greater and greater pressure.
About Screenwriting
The Chinese screenwriters need to improve in: 1. Know-how. Too many are apt to talk more than they think; 2. Pursuit. Too many are so anxious to make profits that it affects the creative process; 3. Teamwork. A screenwriter cannot be too self-centered. To write a script, one needs to be humble and patient, in order to improve his or her craft in both conception and techniques. To find one’s place in a team is also important, because filmmaking takes a collective effort.
A professional screenwriter should, first of all, respect film genre and know his or her own aptitude; should meet some level of professional standards; and should communicate well to work for the common goal of the team.
Personal faith and inspirations
I write for the audience with the belief that each age group of audiences would long for respect, communication and love.
Often, reading and talking to people inspire me. Personally speaking, my habit of watching films every day and take notes was a very important period of preparation; and then I went to write TV series; the first time I wrote a movie script is also a great turning point of my career. Every important event in your life would influence your writing and rekindle your curiosity of the world. You then desire to know others and begin to question yourself.
I got to know that film is about dream, fantasy, light and show via Fellini’s films, a way to connect dreams and reality, memory and presence. For me, Akira Kurosawa is best director in story-telling and visual presentation. The Coen Brothers are so cool and humorous in telling the absurdity of human beings’ struggles. Richard Curtis has a unique sense of humor and the ability to deliver the heaviness of life with light-hearted plots. And then Aaron Sorkin – he is the best scriptwriter in terms of writing dialogues.
I spent quite a few years in writing TV series and now I choose to write film scripts only. The films that I would like to write would be the genres I have never written before, or those that are not so well developed in China today. It’s not like I enjoy challenging myself all the time – it is just the best way for me to learn to operate different genres by doing. I think sci-fi films will have a very bright future in China.
About Transnational Cooperation in Screenwriting
My point is, a screenwriter needs to try hard to write local stories, though in terms of the methodology, one can learn a lot from western screenwriters. In the long run, to enhance originality is a blessing for Chinese screenwriters, and for the industry.
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