The difference between animation and other film formats is, of course, the visual effects. As a master in the animation industry, Gong Lao has his own unique and classic style. There are rumors that he made this work to ease the tension with his son Goro Miyazaki, but what is interesting is that there are many scenes in the work "Legend of the Earth Sea" supervised by his son before, but it is impossible not to think of him. Father, it seems that there is an inherent inheritance under the surface opposition between the two. Obviously, his son should be far more affected by Gong Lao's style. We may not be able to describe this style in simple words, but this does not prevent us from easily integrating various elements of this style from many works. Identify it.
Key words: Hand-painted
"Spirited Away" is the pinnacle of Gong Lao's work, which gave him "the first feeling of pride" when the production was completed, but this also gave rise to a question: where should the subsequent works go Where to go? Four years ago, "Howl's Moving Castle" used a story that was not original, and the style of painting was also adapted to the so-called "British Route", which caused the old palace to rarely receive some criticism, even his natives. He was politely awarded a "Golden Plum Award" to him, but, in my opinion, even though the film has many shortcomings, you can at least say that it is not new, especially in terms of visual effects. The Osella Award at the Venice International Film Festival is the greatest affirmation of this. On the other hand, in the next "Ponyo on the Cliff", in many reviews, although there are no lack of words that are overly beautiful, the most sure thing is the word "return".
This "regression" is first reflected in the number of "170,000". It is said that the old man resolutely abandoned his familiar CG technology, and this new work was eventually composed of 170,000 hand-drawn pictures.
This kind of persistence is not new to Gong Lao. For example, when creating "Porco Rosso", there was a dispute about the production method, and in the end, it was still hand-painted one by one according to the opinions of the old man. After the production is completed, Gong Lao said with satisfaction: You see how soft the picture of the plane landing on the water is hand-painted! However, the insistence this time is more thorough, not only does not rely on computers, but even keeps the hand-painted pictures in a simple form, that is to say, the exquisite pursuit in films such as "Spirited Away" no longer exists. To this Gong Lao said: "The picture must be simple, although the shadows and highlights are also good, but I just don’t want to do it."
Some people may think that the picture is still bright after reading it, but it is all because of the color. You can find out by a little comparison. The details of the new work are "not to be understood". For example, the halo on Ponyo's mother is like the product of rough particles of crayons. Some critics even said that this work has the "Chinese style" like ink painting, and we know that ink painting is characterized by freehand brushwork, not the delicateness of court oil painting.
Without CG, let alone 3D, the ocean picture scroll displayed in this way is naturally not as dazzling as "Finding Nemo". In today's unprecedented development of computer technology, Gong Lao can be regarded as a gamble this time. He said to Suzuki Toshio: I don't need you to make money back! It seems that he is fully mentally prepared. Of course, Suzuki will never worry about the box office problem, and he even regards this restoration of production technology as a big selling point during the promotion.
Keywords: Ideas
Hayao Miyazaki's works are usually born from a few impression drawings, rather than full story scripts. In the past, we could get a taste of the concept version of the work in the trailer or in the extravaganza. For example, in the ending song of "Porco Rosso", pencil sketches were presented on the screen, and these pictures were even more attractive than the work itself.
This time is no exception. In early 2006, Gong Lao sat in front of a clean workbench and meditated, and then used a pencil to sketch on the white paper in front of him. At first, these results usually went into the wastebasket. Until the end of summer, the inspiration finally came suddenly. First, huge fish appeared on the paper, in groups like turbulent waves, and then the mermaid princess stood on the head of the tallest fish, with a firm and unruly expression full of innocence. After the outline was drawn, Gong Lao took out a box of old colored chalk that had never been used from the drawer, and after hesitating for a while, he began to color.
There is no doubt that these impression drawings that were later nailed to the wall of the studio are concepts that must always be implemented in his works. According to the view of classical aesthetics, concrete things are the imitation of ideas, while painting is the imitation of imitations. But Gong Lao's animation is the best refutation. Before coloring, there were no ready-made tracing objects in his brain. He said, "The coloring must be bold." Then he smeared it, and finally we saw that Ponyo was dressed in a kawaii Pink on the hazy sea. Unexpected but so natural and appropriate. The concept map was finally named: "Ponyo is here!" After the
impression map was completed, Gong Lao summoned his team and smiled at them and said: "This kind of painting is not easy to implement, right?" The lineup is prosperous-the painting director is Katsuya Kondo, who was involved in the creation of "Kiki's Delivery Service", the art supervisor is Noboru Yoshida who produced "Princess Mononoke," the screen director Atsushi Okui and the color designer Michiyo Yasuda have also followed for many years, even so , Everyone is still scratching their heads. Because implementation is also not copying, but a kind of re-creation, they must always watch the impression map on the wall during the entire production process. According to the old man, it is: animation can’t make sense, only through image To convey.
Keywords: Image
Many people realize that the image of the protagonist Ponyo resembles the Xiaomi in "My Neighbor Totoro", especially after the mermaid has grown hands and feet. Perhaps because of this, Gong Lao's new work is called a return to "My Neighbor Totoro". Suzuki Toshio once said: Disney is unable to create an image that surpasses Mickey Mouse, and it is difficult for Miyazaki to surpass My Neighbor Totoro. The old man was furious upon hearing this, saying that he would definitely be able to surpass. After reading "Ponyo on the Cliff", I have to say that depicting the image of children is his strength, but this strength has become his limit.
We know that Gong Lao never draws the beautiful image of Pure Love Anime, nor has he tried exaggerated facial makeup with eyes that take up half of the face. He has been taking a realistic line in character depiction. Later, the old man was not in an accidental appearance, the protagonist became more and more ordinary, and even the image of a middle-aged wretched man with a beer belly and a blessed figure appeared like the red pig.
The old man once asked himself: Will an ordinary-looking heroine like Chihiro be liked by others? Facts have proved that the ordinary appearance not only did not cause alienation, but also aroused the affinity of the audience. It can be seen that the style of painting is not the key to the image, but the inner fullness of the character is decisive. It is from this point of view that the new work is hard to surpass.
The image of the child is the sign of the old palace. The image of Xiaomi in Studio Ghibli’s pioneering work "My Neighbor Totoro" can be said to be deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, while Ponyo's little skirt and white lantern panties in the new work are exactly the same as Xiaomi's outfit. Not only that, but the characterization is almost the same. Many people pay attention to the color of Gong Lao, but I don’t know how many people will notice that he will deliberately highlight local lines after coloring. Finished by the lines, the lip line of Xiaomi or Ponyo is the main point to highlight their stubborn character.
The simple lines most faithfully implement the charm of the impression map. The most beloved characters in the new works are all simple and simple. On the contrary, the gorgeous Ponyo mother does not seem to be from Gong Lao's writing. In this way, the audience's love for Ponyo cannot be said to be nostalgic.
If there has been a change, it is that the image of "weird mother-in-law" in films such as "My Neighbor Totoro" and "Spirited Away" has been changed, but Gong Lao is used to conveying inner warmth through seemingly dangerous and terrifying images. In this way, the charitable old women seem to lose the tension of their images.
Key words:
Magic Realism must be included in the style elements of the Magic Palace Lao. The term magical realism itself conveys a kind of contradiction. Magic means bizarre, while reality means commonplace. In the past, the perfect integration of the two opposing elements of the palace veteran has always been praised, but although this new work cannot be said to be artificial, it is inevitably a bit far-fetched.
Let's look at it by comparison. In "My Neighbor Totoro", the countryside was originally the home of various gods and monsters. Therefore, it is not unbelievable to go through the tunnel deep in the jungle to the cave of the elves. It is also reasonable to encounter monsters passing by on a quiet night. The fit between mythology and human beings lies in primitiveness, and the separation lies in technology. The magic of "My Neighbor Totoro" and the reality of the countryside are the same thing.
"Spirited Away" seems to be in an illusion away from the normal scene, but it is not. Adults not only see the various gods and monsters in the bathhouse, but also the familiar principle of money behind them. More importantly, they think of the long-lost childhood vision. For example, the transparent objects in the train compartment are the strangers in the children's eyes. people. "Spirited Away" is as illusion as it is true, what is illusion is the adult world, if it is really is the memory of childhood, the fusion of the two constitutes the existence of contradictions among contemporary people.
It can be seen that the so-called magical realism, on the surface, says that magic is the appearance and reality is the inside. From a more profound point of view, magic means the residual innocence, and the commonplace is false. Both have contemporary life practice as the common foundation. .
Gong Lao likes to use the image of greasy things to express disasters and dangers. The rotten gods in Spirited Away and the blood of wild boars in Mononoke Hime are all like this. In the new work, Ponyo steps on the waves and those "waves" It is made up of the dark and smooth image of a big fish, which is also a bit shocking. But Ponyo didn't come to declare war. On the contrary, she wanted to be a human with all her heart. The hut on the cliff was not the Jinshan Fahai Temple, but the home that tolerated her. This made those hazy images seem incomprehensible.
The mountain road submerged by sea can also be reminiscent of "Spirited Away", but the train is a product of industrial civilization and the journey of life at the same time. It looks harmonious and dreamy when it passes underwater, while the submerged mountain road does not. Show us a perspective beyond everyday. The strange fish swimming in the water is an invasion, not a settlement.
I don’t know if it’s because of hand-painting or Yoshida Nozomi, the magical style of "Ponyo on the Cliff" is not like the mystery of "My Neighbor Totoro", but is closer to the evil of "Princess Mononoke". The 5-year-old actor’s experience of the sea should be as warm as the signal he sent to his father. This perspective is inconsistent with the strange uncles on the seabed, the gorgeous goddesses, and even the large jellyfish with strange patterns. The little boy has been talking to the golden fish girl. It conveys the way of life of human beings, but the goldfish girl only has magic that cannot be brought into a new life.
If the magical illusion leaves the perspective of life, it is just a mystery. This sign-like element can be said to be in vain in Gong Lao's new works.
There are no neutral words in Chinese language. Therefore, saying that Gong Lao's new work "return" or "repetition" contains two diametrically opposed values. But even after thinking about it carefully, those who say "return" are nostalgic, those who say "repetition" are looking forward to it. After all, everyone still likes this old man.
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