"My film school was Derek Jarman, a circus built with him. In the 10 years of working together before he died, I learned how to communicate with people on an equal footing and how to make decisions together. Tilda Swinton said during her trip to Beijing.
So, we gave Tilda a poem by Jarman. Nowness's new short film, Transparent, chronicles Tilda's afternoon in the Summer Palace, where she was boating and reading poetry. She read slowly, as if filled with a long line of nostalgia.
Today is February 19, 2024, 30 years ago today, British director, poet and writer Derek Jarman passed away. At the end of the film, Tilda said: "This poem, called 'Chroma,' was written by Jarman when he lost his sight in 1993, when he became very interested in color, and at the same time, he made the great film 'Blue,' which is blue from beginning to end. ”
In the short film, director Zhu Yunyi uses super 8 mm film. He won the Best Film and Ecological Attention honor at the 4th Nowness Talent Program for "Everything That Is Near", and won the Best Director at the 5th Talent Program for his new work "A Dream in Another Mirror". Both works focus on blind children and the stories in that unseen world.
Tilda loves film, and the day after filming, she shared with students at the Beijing Film Academy that the ultra-8mm film reminded her of her early days working with Jarman.
After 14 years, Tilda came to China again and walked into the campus of Beijing Film Academy. She tells the story of herself and her best friend Jarman – the beginning of her cinematic journey. About the past and future of cinema, this is a film lesson that belongs to her, and it is also our film class.
In the lecture hall of the Beijing Film Academy, there was a long queue at a narrow entrance door, most of whom were current students. Half an hour later, the hall was full, and students began to sit down on the floor in the aisle, checking the time from time to time and then at the stage.
They were waiting for Tilda Swinton. This world-class actor is now active in multiple artistic capacities. For the past few years, she has been a jury member at the CHANEL Next Prize, supporting adventurous artists. It's hard to define her with a few labels – she can be present in any field.
Tilda walked to the stage amid applause and screams, smiling sincerely and speaking in a sincere tone: "I am deeply touched and thrilled by the film you are going to make, the friendship you are destined to forge and the friendship you are going to build with the audience. The movies of the next 50 years are under this roof today. ”
Chanel and the Directors Guild of China support the "Green Onion Project" to jointly launch the 2023 Film Master Class and Film Festival from September to December this year, continuing to help Chinese films accumulate young creative power, and bringing the master class to the campus this year. Brand ambassador Tilda Swinton, as the first international master of the Green Onion Project, walked into the Beijing Film Academy and had a face-to-face dialogue with new filmmakers.
Professor, screenwriter Mei Feng, and young director Guo Rongfei appeared at the scene as guest speakers. Mei Feng asked her her first question - how did you get into the road of film?
That's about all those who love film, about the beginning, about the initial passion. Tilda Swinton's trip to Beijing is where the story begins.
Tilda went to Cambridge to study as a poet, but never wrote a poem during her time there; She once performed with her classmates, but she felt that she was the least motivated. Her film journey was actually started in 1985 when she met Derek Jarman. It was a fearless journey, and it was also such an open starting point that allowed Tilda to travel forever through the world of film exchange.
Caravaggio (1986, Derek Jarman).
When I was hesitating to be an actor, Derek Jarman invited me to star in Caravaggio, and in this way, I became a part of his world and his life. At the masterclass, Tilda reminisced about her first collaboration with Jarman.
9 years and 9 films, Tilda's ethereal face, incarnated as a classical model who came out of the oil painting in "Caravaggio", the betrayed cold queen Isabella in "Edward II", and the ** with the color of the holy allegory in "The End of England". But most of the time, she is an improvisational "model", working with Jarman to create rough, out-of-the-box, poetic video experiments.
Edward II (1991, Derek Jarman).
My film school was Jarman, a 'circus' built with him. He gave me a lot of freedom and space to be creative. In the 10 years of working together before he died, I learned how to communicate with people on an equal footing and how to make decisions together. Cinema is a collective creation, and the most important thing is the bond between people. "Derek Jarman is Tilda's most important friend. Now, she recalls the past with Jarman and still feels the purity of that time.
In fact, the works that Tilda participated in often began with her friendship with the creator. "Over the years, what has kept me on the path of cinema has always been friendship," Tilda said. Most of those very different characters grew up in the long gestation with friends. The new version of "The Wind", prepared with director Luca Guadagnino, spans more than 20 years. She had a childhood friend like a "genius girlfriend" - director Joanna Hogg. They waited nearly 40 years to make up for the lost time and met in "Souvenir" in 2019.
Memorabilia (2019, Joanna Hogg).
It's always like you're carelessly waiting for a seed to sprout. In June this year, Tilda's "Memory" with director Apichatpong was released in Chinese mainland. In 2004, she was a jury member at the Cannes Film Festival and was deeply moved by Apichatpong's Tropical Diseases. After that, they began a 17-year correspondence. "Memory" was born and formed in the long "irrigation".
During the release of "Memory" in China, she specially recorded a ** thank you letter to the Chinese audience: "Thank you for giving such a warm hug to "Memory", and it is great that we can connect in such a way. Movies are our spaceships that we can ride together through the stars. May our friendship last forever. ”
Memory (2021, Apichatpong Weerasaku).
The exaggerated manic "** Minister Mason in Snowpiercer is impressive. At that time, Tilda invited Bong Joon-ho to her house for lunch, and she thought that the character was actually in a weird "middle gender", so she proposed to change the character's original gender and make it a funny gothic metal style.
During the pandemic, Tilda and Almodovar, who was also shy, finally formed a team, and discussed a short film in English, "The Call of Humanity", remotely. From the kitchen to the seaside near her home, to the breakfast moment of the film festival, Tilda's chat creation is not confined to any scene.
The Call of Humanity (2020, Pedro Almodovar).
On this trip to Beijing, Tilda brought "The Last and the First Human," a work she collaborated with her late friend, Icelandic composer John Johnson. It is the opening film of the Green Onion Project's "Before You Become a Director - The Origin and Future of Cinema" theme film festival. The entire film consists of only silent architectural remains, with Tilda's monologue and Johnson's enigmatic and portential soundtrack running throughout. Tilda's voice and aura are naturally suitable for a grand poetic narrative, and as she approaches the end of the film, her voice becomes slower and weaker, and a farewell ceremony about the end of mankind comes to an end.
Tilda has portrayed countless characters with countless wigs, outfits, and accents, but her roots couldn't be simpler. That's people, and a sense of connection based on respect.
Finally with the First Humans (2020, John Johnson).
At the Onion Project film master class, the young creators asked about specific operational problems about how to effectively make the actors open themselves. Tilda unreservedly shares her lessons over the years:
The first is to respect the actors and communicate equally and honestly. Don't try to manipulate or deceive the actors. You don't need to instruct the actor specifically on how to perform, there is an actor who naturally performs. All you need to do is establish a safe and secure on-site environment. Communicate with the actor in a truly open way, first seeing the real person, the sparkle in them, and the specific situation they are in. As an actor, I want to work with a director who is good at communicating, trustworthy, and even willing to show his vulnerability and bad side, so that we can explore ourselves and explore madness together. ”
At the age of 12, Tilda read Virginia Woolf's Orlando, which she revisited every five years. At the age of 31, she teamed up with director Sally Potter to star in the legendary Orlando. Tilda's agility makes this heavy 400-year history light and clear. The gender fluidity of the film's avant-garde is often discussed. However, Tilda believes that the value of Orlando is not only there: "It does not belong to any established paradigm, but is in a state of eternal flux, and the labels that divide the boundaries are set aside." This sheer infinity has infinite charm. ”
Orlando (1992, Sally Potter).
Tilda has an endless number of masks. Gabriel, the archangel of "Constantine", the White Witch of "The Chronicles of Narnia", and Eve the vampire of "Only Love Lives Forever" ......All kinds of mysterious characters that are out of reality seem to be tailor-made for her. In the human dimension, worldly labels such as age and gender also fail in her: she seems to easily transition between multiple roles, like a perfect blank canvas that can be smeared at will.
When asked if this kind of perfection had bothered her at the Onion Project film masterclass, she confessed: "When I was a child, I always thought my face was strange, surprisingly white, without eyelashes, and I couldn't tell if I was a boy or a girl at a glance. When I started making films, no actor looked like me, but I enjoyed ending up with so many different characters. And in real life, I never wanted to maintain a perfect persona. I may wear no makeup, dress casually, and socialize with everyone as authentically as possible. ”
Only Love Lives Forever (2013, Jim Jarmusch).
She also explained that "special neutral temperament" is such a description: "People add a lot of boring annotations to neutralness, but neutrality also means that there is no limit. ”
In the same way, she is never disturbed by the so-called "mainstream" and "independent" classifications, but only shuttles between them with ease. She shared her experience with the young people in the masterclass, and in her opinion, independent films and mainstream commercial blockbusters are not a black-and-white choice.
After going to Hollywood, she tried "Constantine" and "The Chronicles of Narnia", she thinks that they are both experimental to a certain extent: ""Constantine" put a lot of effort into the lens design, and at that time, many technical masters were studying how to shoot on the set to be more impactful. The director of "The Chronicles of Narnia" had only done animation before, and suddenly took over a live-action project, which was simply groping in the dark. When we made a movie with Jarman, we didn't know anything, so we pioneered it ourselves. In my opinion, the experience of shooting Jarman's movies and Marvel movies is actually very close. We're all reversing past experiences, and these are adventures. ”
Konstantin (2005, Francis Lawrence).
In addition, she collaborated with "new director" Joshua Oppenheimer on "Doomsday". Oppenheimer's previous "Killing Interpretation" and "Silent Image" are all documentaries with sharp themes. Hearing that he was going to make a ** film about the end of the world, Tilda readily joined this "adventure". For the creators who fit, Tilda, who is a little shy, will be extra proactive, not asking the other party to "customize" the role for her, but creating it from scratch together.
Tilda's schedule in China was tight, but she still managed to find time to meet her friend Christopher Doyle in Shanghai. She also "escaped" from the city and visited Zhangjiajie, where director James Cameron was once filmed. There is also the Summer Palace. The news of "meeting Tilda in the Summer Palace" appeared on the Internet along with various interesting group photos.
In fact, it was an encounter that deliberately moved forward, but with many unexpected surprises. We were rafting with Tilda at the Summer Palace, where she read a poem by Jarman, written by Jarman after he lost his sight, called "Chroma Chroma." She read slowly, leaving gaps between words, as if pretending to be a long nostalgia.
Movies have no nationality, no gender, and too many nouns are actually interference signals. For example, in today's rapid iteration of technology, "obsessed with technology can be distracting, and no technology can make the most magical movies." And at the master class, in the face of similar confusion, in the face of the thirst for innovation and adventure of new directors, Tilda gave the most practical answer:
You will feel that the development of the film so far, it seems that the story is finished, and it is difficult to innovate. When you start with the idea of looking for something unique, that's a signal of interference. Yasujiro Ozu's films, I have rewatched them many times and will still be deeply moved. His films have no special effects, they just use the purest language to reach the heart. ”
Whether it's the baggage of the past or the present, it can be distracting. Don't be distracted, keep your sensibility to life, calm down and appreciate the simplest things that move you the most, and then try to put the subtle and tangible experience into your film. Each of us is living concretely, and you will find your own center of gravity. ”
In Tilda's description, the rules and regulations that bind people, the barriers of language and culture, can be dissolved. She said that the film was ancient, sturdy, and resilient. During the quarantine, her family got together to watch her favorite movies: Michael Bowie, Buster Keaton, ......At the time, she happened to be reading Michael Bowie's autobiography. When he was born, cinema had just been born, and "I realized that this autobiography would take me back to the history of cinema and see how it has gone through the washing of time to become what it is today."
Bowie mentions the advent of sound films, which had an unprecedented impact on silent films at the time. Movies will face a lot of crises in the future, color films, televisions, and videotapes are now streaming. But I'm not worried at all that the film will die. Art is our highest hope. Movies create a channel to connect different people. When we share a big screen, we gain an indescribable emotional resonance. ”
The "incredible" Tilda on the screen is actually real and tangible. "I often hide my true self in the movies, and I love the opacity. In real life, I want to meet all interesting people in a real and honest way. ”
She is more interested in the film itself than in acting. And she thinks life is more important than movies. She reads poetry at the festival, leads the dance at the Edinburgh Film Festival, "sleeps" at the Museum of Modern Art in New York, photographs and documents the reclusive life of writer John Berg, holds a mini-film festival in the old ballroom of her hometown town, and establishes a "eight-and-a-half-year-old**" film library for children around the world to ......Tilda seems to have an infinite amount of energy to open up and embrace the world.
Therefore, in response to the question of "whether you are considering coming to China to make a movie" from a producer at the Green Onion Master Class, in the laughter of many meanings on the scene, such a relaxed but sincere answer seemed extremely "Tilda".
When we come to Scotland, we go for a walk by the sea. ”
chroma
brilliant, gorgeous, painted, gay,vivid, flaunting, tearaway,glowing, flaring, lurid, loud,screaming, shrieking, marching, proud,mellow, matching, deep and somber,pastel, sober, dead and dull,constant, colorful, chromatic,party-coloured and prismatic,kaleidoscopic, variegated,tattooed, dyed, illuminated,daub and scumble, dip and dye,high-keyed colour, colour lie.
derek jarman
Chromaticity
Splendid, gorgeous, colorful, cheerful, vivid, swaggering, reckless, glowing, twinkling, dazzling, loud, screaming, piercing, uplifting, proud, feminine, harmonious, deep, melancholy, light, plain, gloomy, dull, tough, rich, colorful, kaleidoscopic, colorful, tattooed, dyed, decorated.
Smeared, faded, dip-dyed.
High-key colors, color lies.
Derek Jarman.
Translated by Shi Yunyou.
Chroma Chroma, 1993, Facebook Publishing.
On many occasions, Tilda has spoken about the profound impact her best friend Jarman has had on her acting career. Today, on the 30th anniversary of Jarman's death, we recommend 7 feature films directed by Jarman and starring Tilda.
Blue, 1993
Jarman's posthumous work, "Blue," chronicles his final years after suffering from AIDS. By this time, Jarman was blind. The film is full of blue from beginning to end, with no pictures, no plot, no dialogue, no characters, except for the poetic background** and Jarman's serene confession.
Wittgenstein, 1993
The film tells the life and thoughts of the philosopher Ludwig Wittgenstein, depicting the life of this genius from his childhood to the First World War, showing his keen intuition and pursuit of perfection in life.
Edward II, 1991
In addition to Princess Isabel, Edward II had a same-sex lover - Pierce Gaviston. Jarman rewrites Christopher Marlowe's drama with the eyes of modern gender politics.
Garden, 1990
Jarman's garden is located in Dungeness, Kent, with a wooden house standing in an open field facing a nuclear power plant. He wandered the camera around the garden to create this religious satire.
Requiem for War, 1989
It is a film with no dialogue, set in composer Benjamin Britten's Requiem for War**. The film reflects the story of Owen and the soldiers during World War I, and also includes real footage of World War II and the Vietnam War.
The End of England, 1987
Jarman presents the declining London of the Thatcher era in a visual language close to poetry.
Caravaggio, 1986
The film takes a closer look at the brilliant and almost blasphemous paintings of the famous 17th-century painter Caravaggio and recreates the legendary life of the painter.
There's also a list of domestically published books about Jarman. We also invited a few friends to chat about Jarman.
About freedom, oppression, politics, death, alienity, sexuality, poetry, memory. It's about images, sounds, installations, stages, and bodies. About plants, flowers, waves, gravel, wind, smiles, whispers. About the unresolved history. About the struggle. He spent his life searching for meaning. Troubadour. Prodigal. Saint. He created a new language. A unique form of writing. Timeless beauty. ”
Mei Feng, professor, screenwriter and director of Beijing Film Academy.
What struck me most about Jarman was that a talented person lived his life wantonly his way. In him, we can see the freedom and wanton nature of the people of that era, and the self-reflection afterwards. I think Jarman is a perfect example for me of how life should be spent, and while he may not have much interest in being a life coach, he did give me a valuable inspiration to live with a clear attitude.
Writer and translator of "Jarman's Garden" Tao Lixia.
Jaman's gentleness is reflected in his generosity, in which he unreservedly shares himself with everyone, holding his reading in his arms without fear, allowing warm or cruel memories to be woven with his abundant reading and knowledge. In my experience of reading his works, I can always feel his love for people, and this is probably the reason why I am most moved by his talent and creativity. ”
Chroma Translator Shi Yunyou.
There is a fascinating sense of contradiction in Jarman: slang and elegant, insolent and gentle, without any scruples about creating the tenderest works. His life, images, and words are inexplicably uplifting—not to be strong and happy in the midst of injustice and illness, but to Jaman's love of life and art, which makes me love him even more. ”
Color", "Smile Slowly" edited by Su Su.
Jarman is radical and maverick, and the defiance of tradition can be seen in his work. But at the same time, I can also feel a kind of purity and tenderness. He is able to shoot works that are realistic and satirical – and satirical – but also free and dreamy imagination. What really struck me was this unreserved artistic creativity, which later became my driving force in artistic creation. ”
Color", "Smile Slowly" designer Shan Chuan.
Color, Guangxi Normal University Press, 2021
In this collection of essays, written in the midst of his illness, Jarman travels through the dreams of artists and philosophers such as Newton, Leonardo da Vinci, and Wittgenstein, pouring out this metaphysics of color for queer people, poets, and art lovers.
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