Kapitel 96: The directorial style
The director's role has always been a profession with a strong personal sensibility. Even for the same film, different personal thoughts and desired core themes and focuses may result in completely different movies despite using the same raw footage. The extent of the power of stylistic differences can be seen.
Of course, in the case of directors who are only seen as filmmaking machines and not within this concept, we can refer to the "007" series, the "Harry Potter" series... Series movies that prioritize the screenplay and story over the director's vision do not allow for the expression of personal directorial styles. This is why series movies can change directors repeatedly and still maintain consistent directorial styles. Being predictable and catering to fans, that's what they are about.
Now, speaking of the movie "Fury", what kind of movie did Lyman want? Or what was his style?
In EuropaCorp's editing room, after over a month of editing, the material shot for the movie "Fury" finally reached its final form. Under Lyman's influence, "Fury" was completely different from the original work. Apart from the war theme with tanks as the main focus, it had nothing to do with it. From the moment of shooting, he intentionally changed the construction of the scenes, gradually shaping it into a story about humanity that he wanted to express.
After listening to Lyman's requirements, Thomas nodded and began his work. In Thomas' view, this movie was all about character development. The plot should revolve around the growth of the characters.
If that was the case, the editing needed to focus on the characters rather than grand scenes. The emphasis must be on the depth of the film, cutting out unnecessary elements, which seemed appropriate.
From Paul in "Buried" to Rancho, Raju, and Farhan in "3 Idiots", and now "Wardaddy" and Norman in "Fury", Lyman's style had always been consistent. He focused on character development, enhancing the flesh and blood of the characters. As someone who aspired to be Lyman's exclusive cinematographer, Thomas understood this very well.
"Do we need to switch the frontal combat scenes to a conversation between Norman and "Wardaddy"?" Thomas asked directly, puzzled.
"No, no, no. Make the conversation into voiceovers and use them as background for the battle scenes," Lyman quickly replied.
"Why?" Thomas asked, still puzzled. "Wouldn't cutting back to the character's perspective highlight the characters more?"
After hearing Thomas' question, Lyman replied earnestly, "Have you ever thought that if the entire film is focused on the characters, wouldn't it make the pacing of the film feel somewhat dull? How many audiences would be willing to buy tickets and support the film if that were the case? Besides depth, we also need sufficient visual effects. Do you understand?"
Some viewers enjoy the intellectual stimulation they get from a film, while others prefer sensory enjoyment during the viewing process. Everyone has different preferences, and even the same person's preferences for watching movies may change with age. No director can make every audience like a film. What was mentioned just now was Lyman's personal directorial philosophy.
"I understand a bit, but if we edit it this way, the strength of Sergeant's character will be significantly weakened," Thomas expressed his concern.
Upon hearing this, Lyman smiled and explained to Thomas, "Sergeant was originally established as a seasoned soldier, so his growth and potential for development are limited. Do you understand? It's a limitation of the character itself."
Since they were discussing this, Lyman felt a sense of sentiment and expressed his thoughts. Thomas was someone he truly wanted to cultivate as his exclusive cinematographer, so it would be best if their styles aligned.
"Molding characters requires effort. However, if a significant amount of screen time and shots are focused solely on that aspect, the story may lack in terms of plot progression. Take "The Shawshank Redemption" for example. The director undoubtedly created an iconic screen character, but have you ever thought about what the film achieved?"
"It received critical acclaim, but it was not valued in the market, otherwise it wouldn't have suffered such a loss."
If we say that the depth of the characters in one film deserves a score of 9, the entertainment value brought by the story and plot would only deserve a score of 1. On the other hand, let's take the globally famous and widely accepted "007" series. It doesn't focus on character depth, and besides the different faces of the Bond girls, is there anything else worth praising? Acting skills or character personalities? It lacks those. In terms of depth, it's essentially zero. But when it comes to entertainment value, one could estimate that it deserves a score of 7. However, despite this, when compared to the number of audiences, market recognition, and box office earnings, it's like comparing heaven and earth.
"Why is that? Both films have dedicated fans, don't they? Both have their own supporting audience."
Thomas nodded, fully acknowledging this point.
"So, the problem arises. There's a significant gap between the critical reception and market performance of both films. They even complement each other to some extent. But how do we determine which film is better?"
Thomas hesitated. Subconsciously, he felt that "The Shawshank Redemption" was the better film. However, he had seen that movie himself and found it a bit dull. On the other hand, when he watched "007" as a child, he experienced great satisfaction, something that he didn't feel while watching "The Shawshank Redemption".
Lyman brought up this question without expecting an immediate answer from Thomas. Seeing his dilemma, Lyman continued, "From the perspective of film critics or film quality, "The Shawshank Redemption" is undoubtedly better. It has received numerous award nominations and accolades. But "007" hasn't achieved those. It has only garnered more audience support, and that's what I want. Do you understand? As I said from the beginning, if a film isn't recognized by the audience, it will only be a burden and pressure for oneself."
"Nowadays, many countries emphasize education. From the moment a person is born, their family and teachers teach them, and they've been listening to lessons for over ten years. Who wants to hear someone else continue preaching?"
"I really liked a lecture my mentor once gave. He said, rather than teaching a highly specialized course that only a few can understand and are willing to listen to, I prefer teaching a course that may not be as specialized or even mundane, but is of interest to the majority."
"My viewpoint aligns with his. If I were to choose, I would prefer to tell a story that combines 5 points of entertainment value with 5 points of depth. Therefore, we have enough character depth. It's all about finding the right balance. We need to increase the pace of the film to capture the audience's attention and make them willing to spend time and money to watch it. That's what I want."
Thomas vaguely understood, but at the same time, he felt like he didn't fully grasp it. His expression was complex as he looked at Lyman. The latter's directorial style not only involved character development and using characters to drive the plot but also aimed to achieve compatibility between artistry and commercial appeal.
This... Thomas couldn't find the right words for a moment. Perhaps this was madness.
He still didn't fully understand Lyman's intentions. If it weren't for today's conversation, he probably would have thought that Lyman wanted to develop in the direction of art films. But what Lyman wanted was so much more than what he had imagined.
Since films are divided into two categories, artistic and commercial, it's natural to have such a division. Since there are rules, it means it's reasonable. If it weren't reasonable, there wouldn't be awards to distinguish them.
But Lyman had his own ideas now. What was there for Thomas to question?
From the afternoon of the preparations for "Buried" to the moment he became a member of the crew, to the lessons Lyman taught him during the shooting of these two films, Thomas had long decided on Lyman. Regardless of anything, he would accompany Lyman in making films. The specifics of the film, the story it tells, were not important. What mattered was what Lyman wanted, and that was what Thomas cared about. Everything else was just useless worries. Overthinking was pointless.
With renewed determination, Thomas easily reached a consensus with Lyman and happily continued their work. Although they only had the final meticulous editing left, it still required a great deal of effort. The closer they got to the end, the more they had to think about how to edit it. Which scenes needed to be cut, and where did they need to be added? These were crucial considerations.
Editing was a tedious job. They had to review countless footage that they had already seen over and over again. It took ten or twenty tries to figure out which shots worked best. No matter what, it consumed a lot of brain cells from the editing team. So, they took turns working on it. They followed the editing points that were marked from the beginning of the shoot, carefully considering the smoothness of the plot and the suitability of the transitions.
The three of them worked in unison, with a harmonious collaboration. Although it was tiring, frustrating, and caused some hair loss, it went smoothly. They quickly finalized the final version of the film content.
After watching the completed film once again and confirming that there was nothing to be changed or altered, the three of them breathed a sigh of relief. Finally, they completed the most labor-intensive editing work in post-production. Touching the slightly thinner area of his hair, Thomas believed that the price they paid was worth it. After all, they were still young, and it would grow back. There was nothing to fear.
Time flew by, and it was already the end of September. With the film's final version determined and some additional footage edited as a promotional trailer, they could now move on to the task of scoring the film.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
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Rangliste 
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Stein