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Interview with He Shaowei, the director of "Wake Up With You"

 Sfilmmaker

Filmmaker interviews


    Q&A "Wake Up With You" 
    (陪你醒来）
    GUEST： He Shaowei
    Film: Wake Up With You
    Country: China 
    Interviewer: Sfilmmaker




Question 1: ‘Wake Up With You’ uses dance and choreography to tell it’s story about infidelity and mental illness. What made you approach this subject in such a unique way?

 

Answer: I am also a choreographer. I also takes dance to represent the world and express my emotion. From 2015, I attempted to combine film with choreography. I made some short films to face the problems of the modern society and the internal emotions of the people in the modern age. I find the unique and great aesthetic effect  from the combination. So, I want to add more organic and reasonable dance elements in more films in the future. I hope I can bring out more novelties with such a unique way of expression and it can work to some extent for the mentality of the characters and their spiritual world. This short film demonstrate the complicated relationship of modern people as well as the changes in their hearts. The entanglements, the conflict and the advancement shoulder by shoulder in pas DE deux can intensify the dramatic conflict and the artistic tension.

 

 

Question  2: Before moving into film, Director He Shaowei was originally a very successful and award-winning dance choreographer. What made you want to make movies?

 

Answer: I am a graduate from Choreography Department, Beijing Dance Academy. I have been working as a choreographer for quite a long time. One day, I watched a modern drama, giving me a great impression of its richness and interest in terms of both imaginary space of the stage and the expression techniques. I came up with the idea to attempt other forms of art. So, I learned the courses for directing modern drama. I created some drama works. Later on, as I wanted to record my dramas, I started shooting them. After shooting them, I found my works looked more interesting. So, I had another idea to learn about film making. Then, I started the attempt to combine various forms of art in practice. It is now one of my favorite jobs to combine film with dance and make very creative films.

 

Question 3: The film tells a story of betrayal and guilt in marriage while also dealing with the results of trauma and mental health. What inspired the story and what messages did you want to convey?

 

Answer: The divorce rate in the modern society is higher and higher. People have less expectation for good marriage. Many people are afraid of being married. They even suspect the true love. I experienced the betrayal in marriage.  I experienced the changes in my heart as caused by the betrayal. That is my personal experience. I hope by watching this film, people can be aware of the problem in modern marriage, communicate with each other in a better way and treat with each other honestly. I believe that faithful love can eliminate the obstacles in marriage and relationship.  

 

Question 4: How has the pandemic affected your work and life? Has it been difficult to continue working during this time?

 

Answer: The pandemic has influenced people’s life indeed. Due to the control of the pandemic, people have to go out as less as possible. It affects our work, our life and our travelling. During  pandemic, many shooting arrangements and dance rehearsals were suspended. So, it affected my work.  

 

Question 5: What projects are you working on now? What can we expect from you in the future?

 

Answer: As I am employed in an institution under the Ministry of Culture and Tourism of PRC, in addition to planning other short films and choreography shorts, I also try planning and making some films on tourism. At the same time, I am also preparing for the stage performances. I am now working on an acrobatic drama. Anyway, I am a stage performance director. So, I won’t quite stage performances when I am making a film.



Interviewed by: David James Bell

Editted by: Li Yingdeng

 



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