中國電影人向迪士尼學習講故事

文/高山 譯/孫曄

中國電影人向迪士尼學習講故事

Disney-China Animation Exchange Program

文/高山 譯/孫曄

近日，首輪中美社會和人文對話在華盛頓舉行，華特迪士尼工作室也主持召開了自己的一場跨文化對話。由中國國家新聞出版廣電總局電影局支持的為期五天的迪士尼中國動畫交流培訓項目，是為培養中國動畫電影制作精英人才而量身打造的。今年是項目開展的第三年,項目旨在為華特迪士尼動畫工作室的電影制作人和中國動畫電影制作領導者搭建一個交流創意和經驗的高層次平臺。

華特迪士尼動畫工作室總裁安德魯·米爾斯坦表示：“華特迪士尼動畫工作室非常榮幸地敞開大門，與中國本土創意行業的同行們分享我們的經驗和最佳案例。這些交流對于每位參與者來說都是頗具啟發意義的。”

米爾斯坦表示：“這是一個交流想法的機會，我們分享制作、營銷和發行電影的方式以及交流創建健康而富有活力的工作室這一基本理念。”

李姝潔是成都艾爾平方文化傳播有限公司創始人，同時也是中國的14名項目參與者之一。她認為：“對中美動畫電影制作人來說，面對面交流可以加深彼此的了解和友誼，這是大有裨益的。得益于此，我們今后可以進行更多的交流與合作。”

這一交流項目是由約翰·拉塞特發起的。拉塞特是華特迪士尼和皮克斯動畫工作室的首席創意官，可以說他是迪士尼全球連勝的創意引擎。

《超能陸戰隊》在中國巡回宣傳期間，拉塞特屢屢被問及，迪士尼是否會在中國開設項目，促進中國動畫進入新階段。

拉塞特決定與中國合作開展交流計劃，與中國動畫人分享迪士尼成功的秘訣，從而幫助他們創建自己的工作室。

迪士尼對這個交流項目的重視程度，從迪士尼方面的參與者就可見一斑。研討會的發言人包括頂尖的創意官和執行人約翰·拉塞特，皮克斯聯合創始人兼華特迪士尼和皮克斯動畫工作室總裁艾德·卡特姆，華特迪士尼動畫工作室總裁安德魯·米爾斯坦，制作主管安勒·卡姆，奧斯卡獎得主、制片人羅伊康利以及其他頂級制片人、編劇和導演。

安德魯·米爾斯坦和安勒·卡姆在工作室領導力論壇上發表演講，對中國參與者表示歡迎。安德魯·米爾斯坦表示：“很榮幸能招待來自中國的朋友。這次交流有助于我們加強關系，促進整個動畫行業的發展。”

安勒·卡姆表示：“我們成功的秘訣非常簡單，就是讓所有人共處一室，坦誠溝通，自由創新。”

米爾斯坦對此表示認同，他說：“我們投入了大量的時間、精力和金錢來促使那些極具天賦的動畫工作者在熒幕上傾盡潛能。你需要支持這些藝術創作者，為他們提供所需的工具來創作好的故事。”

傳奇人物拉塞特開設了關于承擔風險和創新的大師課，他深度闡述了自己和工作室的創新過程，給出了職業建議并分享了一些趣聞逸事，牢牢地抓住了參與者們的注意力。

他建議，“在作出創造性的決定時，相信你的直覺、品味和經驗” 。

拉塞特概述了他制作成功電影的秘訣——“一個好的項目，需要有這三樣東西：一個引人入勝、無法預測的故事，一眾富有魅力、令人難忘的角色以及獨特的世界或設定。”

他鼓勵參觀者們在技術和藝術創造中保持良好的平衡，“藝術挑戰技術，技術啟發藝術。這就是陰陽調和” 。

奧斯卡獎得主、制片人羅伊·康利首次展示了他的團隊的最新成果——短片《雪寶的冰雪大冒險》,這部片子是在迪士尼大受歡迎的《冰雪奇緣》及其角色的基礎上創作而成的。

他說：“當你創作出了像《冰雪奇緣》這樣成功的電影，通過新瓶裝舊酒來保持電影的活力是非常好的。這部短片就是給觀眾的一個禮物。”

這部20分鐘的短片著實出彩。這部迷人的音樂電影告訴我們,家庭、友誼和傳統的真正意義。片中，幽默、情感和配樂水乳交融。

羅伊·康利表示：“我為迪士尼能創作出這么多原創故事而感到驕傲。我們也有主題公園和購物店的特許經營權，但創作出原創的故事才是我們的主要任務。”

康利參與制作了獲獎的野生動物紀錄片《我們誕生在中國》。當被問到是否想再次在中國工作時，他說：“我愛上了中國——上海是一個神奇的城市，成都也是如此美麗。我想再到那里工作，特別是與陸川導演一起工作。”

艾德·卡特姆在加入迪士尼之前與拉塞特共同創辦了皮克斯。當談及迪士尼的國際化傾向時，他說：“在迪士尼，我們認為我們有責任講述普通世界的故事。這意味著我們需要與來自全球各地的人們建立強有力的關系。”

當談到迪士尼對項目的偏好時，他說：“我們鼓勵創意團隊在其他文化中創作自己的故事，像基于南太平洋島民的傳說創作的《海洋奇緣》和即將上映的以墨西哥為背景的影片《尋夢環游記》。”

他表示：“我們做了廣泛的研究，與當地的長者和人類學家共同記錄沒有偏見或成見的、真實的文化。我們都有故事想分享。而如果我們能幫助別人講出更好的故事，我們也會倍感光榮。”

華強方特（深圳）動漫有限公司總經理尚琳琳表示：“我們應當向迪士尼學習如何講故事。對于中國動畫電影制作人來說，學會講好中國故事是非常必要的。只有這樣，我們才能與世界分享中國故事。”

上海美術電影制片廠副總經理陳波表示，他從這個項目中獲益良多，尤其是在迪士尼創作優質影片的理念以及創新精神上。“我迫不及待與中國同行們分享我的經歷。我確信，中美動畫電影制作人之間的合作將使中美人民之間的關系更緊密。”

皮克斯聯合創始人兼華特迪士尼和皮克斯動畫工作室總裁艾德·卡特姆說：“當我們互相學習時，我們就會創造出了不起的東西。”

As the first US-China social and people-to-people dialogue kicks off recently in Washington D.C., Walt Disney Studios did its own bit by hosting a cross-cultural dialogue of its own.

The five-day, intensive Disney-China Animation Exchange Program, supported by China Film Bureau, was tailored to suit the needs of an elite cadre of Chinese animation fi lmmakers.

Celebrating its third year, the program was a high-level exchange of ideas and practices between filmmakers of Walt Disney Animation Studios and the leading animation filmmakers from China.

“Walt Disney Animation Studios is deeply honored to open our doors and share our learnings and best practices with China’s local creative industry. These exchanges have been inspiring to all of us involved,” said Andrew Millstein, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios.

“It’s an opportunity to exchange ideas and share our approaches to filmmaking, production, marketing, distribution and our underlying concept of how to create a healthy and vibrant studio,” Millstein said.

Shujie Li, founder of Chengdu L Square Culture Communication Co and one of the 14 program participants from China, said, “It’s great for Chinese and American filmmakers to exchange ideas face-to-face and to deepen our understanding and friendship with each other so we can carry out more exchanges and cooperation in the future.”

The exchange program was the brainchild of John Lasseter,chief creative of ficer of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios and the creative force behind Disney’s global winning streak.

During a publicity tour through China for “Big Hero 6,” Lasseter was repeatedly asked whether Disney would open a facility in China to help take Chinese animation to the next level.

Lasseter decided to institute the Exchange Program in cooperation with China’s Film Bureau in order to share Disney’s secrets of success with Chinese animators so they could create their own successful studios.

An indication of the level of respect Disney accorded this unique Chinese exchange program is that the seminar speakers included such top-ranking creative and executive powerhouses as John Lasseter, Pixar co-founder and president of Walt Disney and Pixar Animation Studios, Ed Catmull, president of Walt Disney Animation Studios, Andrew Millstein, head of Production, Ann Le Cam, and Academy Award-winning producer, Roy Conli, as well as other top producers, writers and directors.

Andrew Millstein and Ann Le Cam, speaking on Studio Leadership, welcomed the Chinese participants. “It’s an honor to host our friends from China. This exchange helps us strengthen relationships and share in a way that elevates the animation industry as a whole.”

Ann Le Cam said, “Our winning formula is simple: everyone under one roof, open communication, and freedom to innovate.”

Millstein agreed, “We invest a lot of time, effort and money into our talented people to enable them to put their highest potential on the screen. You have to support the artists’ visions and give them the tools they need to create great stories.”

The legendary Lasseter conducted a masterclass on Risk Taking and Innovation and riveted the participants with an indepth overview of his and the studio’s creative process, with a sprinkling of career advice and personal anecdotes.

“Trust your instincts, your taste, and experience when making creative decisions,” he advised.

Lasseter outlined his simple recipe for making successful films, “I look for three things in a great project, a compelling,unpredictable story; appealing and memorable characters; and a unique world or setting.”

He encouraged his visitors to keep technology and artistic creativity in balance. “Art challenges tech and tech inspires art.

It’s a collaborative Yin and Yang.”

Academy Award-winning producer Roy Conli premiered his team’s latest effort, “Olaf’s Frozen Adventure,” a short film based on Disney’s runaway hit “Frozen” and its characters.

“When you have a success like ’Frozen’, keeping it alive with new material is a good thing. This short is meant to be a gift to the audience,” he said.

The 20-minute film is indeed “a good thing” - a charming,musical tale about the true meaning of family, friendship and tradition, delivered with Disney’s incomparable mixture of humor, heart and a hit soundtrack.

“I’m proud of Disney for making original content. There are a few franchises that feed our theme parks and merchandizing outlets, but original content is our primary mission.”

Conli also produced the award-winning “Born In China”wildlife documentary. When askedifhe would like to work again in China, he said, “I fell in love with China - Shanghai is an amazing city and Chengdu is so beautiful. I would love to work there again - especially with director Lu Chuan.”

Ed Catmull, who co-founded Pixar with Lasseter before joining Disney, discussed Disney’s international bent. “At Disney, we feel we have a responsibility to tell stories that work around the world. That means we need strong relationships with people from different parts of the world.”

Regarding Disney’s project preferences, he said, “We encourage our creative teams to set stories in other cultures,” like their South Paci fi c Islander tale “Moana,” or their soon-to-be-released Mexico-based story “Coco.”

He cautioned, “We use extensive research, local elders,anthropologists to capture the real culture without prejudice or stereotyping. We all have stories to tell. And if we can help others tell better stories, we’re all better off.”

Linlin Shang, general manager of Fantawild Animation Inc,responded, “We should learn from Disney how to tell a story. It’s essential for Chinese filmmakers to learn how to tell the China story well, so we can share it with the world.”

Bo Chen, vice president of Shanghai Animation Film Studio, said that he gained greatly from this program, especially Disney’s ideas on how to make excellent movies and their spirit of innovation.

“I’m eager to share my experience with my colleagues in China. I’m sure the cooperation between Sino-US animation filmmakers will contribute to closer bonds between Chinese and American people,” he said.

“When we learn from each other, great things happen,” Catmull said.

迪士尼動畫工作室總裁安德魯·米爾斯坦(左側居中）與中國動畫電影人交流