Suppose there is a protracted "fruit picking" competition in the world: the contestants will go to a vast orchard to pick the fruits from the trees, and the jury will judge their results based on the number, size, and plumpness of the fruits they pick.
After years of summarizing experience, we found that the height of about 24 meters is the easiest to climb, and the fruits that can be picked are more and the color is good, so the players generally carry out picking operations at this height. The fruit is not necessarily better, and it takes more effort, and the cost performance is too low .
One day, a picker climbed a 120-meter-high giant tree and picked up a different fruit than usual, but it was not outstanding by the usual standards. Some people cheered for this new discovery, while others This kind of "futile effort" sneered... This contestant is called Li An, and this fruit is called "Gemini Killer".
The analogy I made is not very appropriate. Filming is not a competition, and artistic creation also has more diverse production directions and judging criteria... But at the moment, I am in the same mood as those cheering for Ang Lee——
Watching "Gemini Man" is a wonderful viewing experience. I haven't had such a unique feeling for a long time. When such a clear and smooth picture appeared on the screen, there was only one thought left in my mind: this movie Movies, I can't miss a second.
Around the time of filming "The Fantastic Drifting of Pi" , Ang Lee fell in love with fighting with technology, and when filming "Billy Lynn's Midfield Battle" , he had already used 120-frame high-definition images, The biggest difference in "Gemini Man" this time is that he tried to use a commercial film with the theme of sci-fi action, and showed the 4K + 120 frames + 3D shooting and production effects more completely and in place.
The clarity of the opening scene of "Gemini Man" shocked me, especially the scene in which the male protagonist Henry sniped the target.
The ordinary "regular speed" picture seems to be only "clearer", but once it enters the high-speed motion picture, the gap between the film and other similar movies is immediately reflected.
At present, most of the movies we watch use the "24-frame" shooting and projection technology. This is the number of frames that filmmakers have gradually confirmed and defaulted to over the years. The 24-frame picture update rate per second has made people The eye can't feel the freeze, but when we press the pause button, the picture is often blurry (especially high-speed pictures), because at this number of frames, no matter how fast/slow the speed is, the audience will also see Not sure .
24fps is just enough of a base, and it's the most cost-effective option, but it's far from the limit of filmmaking.
With current technology, TV can already reach 60 frame rate, and the human eye cannot recognize it when it exceeds 800 frame rate. Movies have been lying in the shallows for too long ... Therefore, when you are used to watching 24 frames. The viewer, on a 60- or 120-frame screen, finds that the speeding train is still clearly visible. The feeling is unprecedented.
Under such high-definition effects, all the details of the film can and need to be impeccable.
"Gemini Man" is real enough to see those tiny skin particles on the characters' faces, and the movement trajectories of objects in dynamic scenes.
For example, in the final climax scene, when the heavy machine guns shot the convenience store, the audience can clearly see water droplets, debris and other things flying across the screen, instead of blurred trajectories (which are not reflected in the stills).
This new projection system of "4K+3D+120fps High Frame Rate (HFR), High Dynamic Range (HDR), Wide Color Gamut (WCG), Immersive Sound)" is named "CINITY" .
It is worth mentioning that there are currently more than 30 CINITY screens in the country, and it is expected to increase to 100 by the end of the year-compared to the United States (audience), which has shown fatigue in the appreciation of movies, this time Ang Lee uses this technology. The home court puts the audience more "motivated" China , which is considered to be at the forefront.
Let's put it this way, watching "Gemini Killer" has a refreshing feeling of "washing your eyes" throughout the whole process , so much that I think Mary, who plays the heroine Danny, is extraordinarily beautiful...
In addition to high-definition pictures, another highlight of the film is the performance of the two Will Smiths in the same frame.
The film production team did not take the successful experience of many commercial films and used synthesis technology to present a young version of Smith. Instead, Smith, who was over 500 years old, personally went into battle and produced a completely digital young version of Smith through facial motion capture.
The well-known visual effects company Weta is responsible for this piece of work , and the specific effects can be experienced by yourself.
Speaking of which, I have to praise Will Smith, the 51-year-old "Shi Huang"'s 23-year-old self appeared on the scene at the same time. It sounds simple, but it is actually not easy to perform. Although Henry and Xiaoke have the kind of The characteristics of "being meticulous, cautious, self-disciplined, tenacious, and vigorous" are the same, but the character and temperament of the characters themselves are quite different.
Henry should focus more on composure and reflection . For today's Shi Huang, it is more suitable to show this "sense of precipitation" , but Xiaoke's momentum and dazedness completely needs him to "act".
When interpreting Xiaoke, Ang Lee does not need Will Smith to have too much "experience", but needs the freshness of the fledgling - of course, Shi Huang can't really lose the experience over the years, he can only say that he The cover and retraction are very ideal, and the performance of the technology is guaranteed by his own acting skills.
Some viewers may ask: No matter how clear and smooth the movie is, no matter how advanced and unique the technology is, what is the use of the old story if the plot is not good?
Then I might as well ask: How long has it been since you were amazed by the plot of a movie? Do you find it harder and harder to find stories that make you feel fresh and deep? The movie has been out for more than 100 years, and Ang Lee also said: " A lot of things have been played in more than 100 years. In fact, many things have become rigid and standardized... "
Over the years, countless filmmakers have expanded the breadth of film art (story, play, performance, ideas, etc.), compared to far fewer people who have expanded the heights (techniques, effects, presentation techniques, etc.) — Besides, I don't think the story of "Gemini Man" is bad. It's just simple and traditional, and it looks "retro" today.
Film itself is a form of artistic expression realized on the premise of technology, and any kind of pioneering, innovation and progress is worthy of praise.
Our generation has never experienced the historic moment of technological revolution from silent to sound, from black and white to color, from 2D to 3D, so I cherish every opportunity for small progress, such as "Avatar", "The Center of the Earth" Gravity", "Alita Battle Angel" and other films, I always have some extra emotions, and this time "Gemini Man" is no exception.
Technology is art.
In this situation, I can't help but think of a passage from Zhang Beihai in "Three-Body Problem 2: The Dark Forest":
"The cavalry of Genghis Khan has an attack speed comparable to that of the armored forces of the twentieth century; the bed crossbow of the Northern Song Dynasty has a range of 1,500 meters, which is similar to the sniper rifle of the twentieth century; but these are still nothing more than ancient cavalry and crossbows. , it is impossible to compete with modern power... and you are blindfolded by the low-level technology that shines back. You lie in the hotbed of modern civilization and enjoy yourself, and you are completely unprepared for the final battle that will determine the fate of mankind. ."
This is a bit "heavy". After all, a 120-frame movie is not a subversive revolutionary innovation - but the spiritual concept of its constant pursuit of future possibilities is the same.
Maybe Ang Lee's experimental works are not ideal, maybe 60-frame and 120-frame movies will never become mainstream... But I believe that one day in the future, things will change, and history will leave behind "the pioneer explorer of film" Lee Ann 's name.
A 65-year-old director is still trying, and many audiences younger than him have to be limited by the "story" and start to succeed?
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