【幕后故事 Making of】史诗巨作《白鹿原》摄影指导黄伟专访 White Deer Plain

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【幕后故事 Making of】史诗巨作《白鹿原》摄影指导黄伟专访 White Deer Plain

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史诗巨作《白鹿原》摄影指导黄伟专访

“ALEXA提供给我们很大的宽容度，换句话说就是它可以让我们更大胆地去创作，把精力专注在我们真正想表达的东西上，因为我知道它在那些最暗的地方依然可以拍出细节。”

—— 摄影指导兼B组导演黄伟

导演：刘进

摄影指导：黄伟

摄影机：ARRI ALEXA XT，ALEXA M 数字摄影机

镜头：ARRI Master Anamorphic变形镜头，ARRI Master Prime定焦镜头，ARRI Ultra Prime定焦镜头

器材租赁公司：北京星光影美影视器材有限公司

《白鹿原》电视剧版是一部改编自陈忠实同名史诗巨作、并由刘进执导、张嘉译、何冰、秦海璐、刘佩琦等众多演员参演的一部大型历史题材电视剧。该剧以陕西关中平原上有“仁义村”之称的白鹿村为背景，讲述了白姓和鹿姓两大家族祖孙三代之间恩怨纷争的故事。近日，赶在《白鹿原》热映之际，我们采访了《白鹿原》的摄影指导兼B组导演黄伟，他为我们分享了拍摄这部电视剧的幕后故事。

史诗级巨制电视剧《白鹿原》从策划到开播历时数年，给我们介绍一下这其中的故事背景？您是在什么样的机缘下担任了这部剧的摄影指导？

黄伟：在《白鹿原》之前，我在拍一部名为《四十九日•祭》的电视剧时认识了张嘉译，当时他是那部剧的主演。后来的某一天，张嘉译给我打了个电话说他那儿有个戏让我去帮他拍一下，并帮他做一部分导演的工作，我问他是什么戏，他说是《白鹿原》。我一听《白鹿原》这几个字就来劲儿了，《白鹿原》是一部非常著名的文学作品，曾被改编成电影、话剧、舞台剧等众多艺术形式，但改编成电视剧还是头一回，心想这可是件大事，于是就接下了这部剧。

尤其是原作者陈忠实老师也终于等到了改编成电视剧的机会，这次他也参与了剧本的方向把握，但是《白鹿原》在拍完后陈忠实老爷子连样片都没看到就离世了，也是非常遗憾，所以对于我们摄影师来说，一生能接到一个这样的题材是件很荣幸的事。不管数十年立项也好、将近8个月的拍摄也好，几万人次的群演也好，或者是其他什么样的苦，对于我们摄影组来说都是一份非常荣誉的工作，也很珍惜这次创作过程，当时看起来很苦，但现在想起来都是骄傲。

对于这样一个意义重大的电视剧而言，《白鹿原》在制作上下了什么功夫？开机前做了哪些测试工作？

黄伟：我相信如果是任何一个人接到《白鹿原》这样的题材，他都会尽心尽力做好所有能做到的事情，尽可能让它少一些遗憾，对我来说也是这样。当时我们是在星光影美昌平的库房做了试片拍摄，其实那天我去的时候挺意外的，他们为了配合我们拍测试片几乎把整个车间包括灯光、机械在内的器材都给清空了，最后实拍的时候最多也用到了8台ALEXA。那次主要是镜头的选择，一开始测试了几款变焦镜头，但结果并不是很理想，直到后来我们用到Master Anamorphic变形宽银幕镜头的时候，我认为我们的测试可以有一个了结了。做完试片以后在4K DI调色棚也就是《白鹿原》的调色公司那里放映了样片，当时我们一下子就选中了MA的画面。我认为MA镜头的画面是完全可以承载《白鹿原》所要表达的那个年代以及陕西风土人情的宽广与厚重的，MA就是我们最好的选择。

但是MA的使用成本是非常昂贵的，对于国内的电视剧剧组来说甚至是不堪重负的，但当时我碰到了一群想去创新的人，包括我们的总制片人李小飚以及星光影美的蔺文杰，当我想用变形宽银幕镜头去表达一部得过矛盾文学奖的名著时，是他们带着一腔热血帮我确定了这件事情。就这样，我们使用变形宽银幕镜头拍了一个月的《白鹿原》，当我们看到MA所呈现的实拍画面的时候，所有人的感受就是两个字——震撼。在中国从来都没有人用变形宽银幕镜头去拍过一部电视剧，而且是一部题材如此厚重的电视剧。但遗憾的是后面没能把这件事坚持坚持下来，但我相信如果坚持下去的话《白鹿原》将会是一个创举，但要想影响一代人的视觉习惯总需要一个漫长的过程并伴随着妥协与牺牲。

《白鹿原》最终的画面风格是如何形成的？

黄伟：一开始刘进导演说过一句话，《白鹿原》是拍给全球华人看的一部电视剧，这是《白鹿原》的精髓。我们谁也没有经历过那个年代是什么样子，但是看完剧本对《白鹿原》的想象还是存在的，当然整体的风格也跟刘进导演一起做了很多的探讨。当我们后来发现了MA镜头的表现力以后，我就更加明白我们这个剧里想表现的可能就是陕西人、物的那种宽广、厚重，去表现他们骨子里的一些性格特点。对于这么大型的一部电视剧来说，最后的画面风格往往是在拍摄的过程中找到感觉的，当景物、演员、摄影机、服装、背景、灯光、焦点、画面宽高比等所有因素反复呈现在监视器上的时候，我才觉得我们真正找到了最终的画面风格，这是一个探索、创作影像风格的过程。当然在这之前跟导演和主创也会经常开会、聊天，对于《白鹿原》应该是一个什么样风格的画面已有了预期，再加上现场的调整就形成了最终的影像风格。并且只要在后面的拍摄过程中始终如一就可以了，但是对于一个拍摄期长达227天的电视剧来说这真的很难，完全是凭着感觉在做，其实我们挺忐忑的，但好在让我们给找到了。

您跟导演以及其他部门是如何合作的？

黄伟：艺术创作上当然是经常“吵架”，比如有时候他想那样拍，我却想这么拍；我觉得这儿少一个镜头，他却觉得那个镜头不需要，跟很多摄影师和导演之间的合作关系差不多，只不过有一些形式上的不同而已，但是目的都是一样的，就是为了拍好这部电视剧。以视听语言为例，可能很多人可能会觉得作为摄影师应该把握了决定性的影像风格，但整个剧组四五百人，每一帧画面都包含了太多人的努力，这个是一个集体创作的艺术。这部电视剧之所以让你感觉到好看或者是有一些让你耳目一新的感觉其实是演员、服装、化妆、道具、美术、制景、录音所有部门努力的结果。当然作为摄影组，首先要让自己在技术上做到无可挑剔，其次我们会在风格与选择上给导演一些建议，好的想法导演也会采纳，包括其他部门的合作也是这样。

从您最开始决定使用MA到后面慢慢形成最终的画面风格，您对ALEXA的画面有什么感受？它的哪些特点是在《白鹿原》的拍摄过程中所需要的？

黄伟：画面层次感，这是ALEXA最吸引我的地方。我最早用的ARRI摄影机是机械的，我们要控制的是胶片的曝光、色彩，不像现在的摄影机是通过电子靶面把画面记录为数字形式。我第一次接触的ARRI摄影机是ARRI 535B，是在1997年拍摄《红色恋人》的时候，那时的摄影机要比现在的大很多。再到后来就是《天下无贼》、《赤壁》、《辛亥革命》等电影时的ARRICAM LT、ARRICAM ST，所有这些经历都让我对ARRI的摄影机很有感情。我记得当时中国著名电影摄影师张黎也是我师父给我们上过一堂课，他说，当你的耳朵贴在摄影机上，听到定片爪抓住胶片转动的声音其实很像你贴在你自己心爱女人的胸膛前。所以我觉得人跟摄影机之间其实是有感情的，而不仅仅是面对一块铁疙瘩、数字芯片。

基于早前对ARRI摄影机这种深厚的感情，我们摄影组也带着这种感情继续使用ALEXA。很多类型的数字摄影机我都用过，其实我是比较偏爱ARRI的，ARRI提供给你的是它一如既往的品质，包括作为一家老牌摄影机厂家的研发理念，ALEXA出来的画面品质和层次更接近于我们对胶片的理解。虽然说胶片慢慢消失了，但是ALEXA把很多优秀传统给继承下来了，包括它的坚固性、耐用性以及对很多镜头的兼容性，它都一如既往地延续着，这也是ARRI最吸引我的地方。

《白鹿原》里有很多低光照场景，对于这些低光场景您是如何处理的？

黄伟：我想先提一部电视剧《生死线》，我觉得如果《生死线》放到现来拍，孔笙导演依然会处理成类似的低光照效果。其实那时的摄影机画面还原能力并没有现在那么好，但是我还是很佩服孔笙导演能在当时的条件下去创造一种更加真实的场景，这是一种很大胆的创新。而现在要说起这些低光照场景的拍摄，我们的摄影机其实帮了我们很多忙，比如可以把感光度提升一些，最终的目的还是去还原作品的真实感，而现在的设备完全是可以完成的。我想说的是ALEXA提供给我们很大的宽容度，换句话说就是它可以让我们更大胆地去创作，从而把精力专注在我们真正想表达的东西上，因为我知道它在那些最暗的地方依然可以拍出细节。

介绍一下您跟调色师是怎么合作的？最终的画面是如何确定的？

黄伟：这次《白鹿原》的调色师熊巍是一个非常棒而且非常有想法的调色师，我对他比较了解。跟他的合作首先是基于我们之间的共同认知与沟通，对《白鹿原》这部电视剧的理解又是另外一种沟通。他从最早我们试机到正式拍摄，再到中间换镜头以及后面的各个环节都经历了。他理解ALEXA还原出来的画面是什么样的，理解摄影师在现场拍到的画面是什么样的，甚至理解演员的表演方式是什么样的，以及最终出来的画面又是什么样，他有自己对《白鹿原》的理解。调色这个环节我是要把控的，但是在把控的过程中充分信任调色师，让他呈现他脑子里想象的《白鹿原》。基于共同创作与信任这个合作的关系去工作，有时候他反而会给我很多惊喜，调色师是摄影师生命中非常重要的一个环节。这些都是基于我们在前期的了解与沟通，如果是一个陌生的调色师可能就没法做到这样，虽然最终我觉得电视台把播出的画面给调亮了一些，但整体上我认为我们还是交了一份无愧于心的答卷。

有没有一些让您印象比较深刻的拍摄场景？

黄伟：我记得拍《白鹿原》朱先生之死那场村民们送他下葬的戏挺麻烦的，那一场戏我们用了四台摄影机，四台摄影机在2个小时内调动了12次机位，现场有800多名群演，而这一切都要在两个小时之内完成。当时的场景要人工降雪，而我们的场景和摄影机又都在移动，所以造雪机吊在吊车上也要不停地挪动。制片主任来摆动造雪机，灯光师在调造雪机的位置，执行导演在调整演员的位置，更让我感动的是800群演在我们拍的这12条戏里没有一个笑的，上到制片人，下到场工、群演，所有人都在认认真真地工作。那一天从下午三点半吊好造雪机开始一直到下午五点半把这场戏拍出来没有一点拖时。我记得那天晚上请全组吃了烤羊肉，因为太辛苦了，但他们都做得非常好。

《白鹿原》这一次的器材租赁公司星光影美为你们提供了哪些服务？

黄伟：选择星光影美是我最不会后悔的决定，之所以选择星光影美，其实是因为他们的老板蔺文杰是一个相当有情怀的人，他对一部作品认真的程度不亚于我们摄影师，他对每部作品的摄影师都是采取全力支持的态度。试片的时候他为我提供了所有摄影机、镜头、灯光、场地，没有的器材甚至会为我们单独去借、去买以配合我们做测试工作。当时在我想选择MA镜头的时候，星光影美只有35mm、50mm、75mm三支，这在《白鹿原》的拍摄中其实是不够的，但到我们开机的时候星光影美义无反顾地为我们配齐了镜头，这种承诺对摄影师来说是一个非常强大的后盾支持，也会让我们更有信心。作为一家器材租赁公司，他们以极大的热情从技术上推动中国电视剧制作品质的提升，坚持不懈地在做前瞻性的事情。虽然有时候在商业上会有很多无奈之举，但我希望能对他们多一些理解，如果少了他们，我们就少了一些用更多好装备去创作的可能，这是一个良性循环的过程。现在影视行业突飞猛进地发展，有些痛苦在所难免，怎么能让这个大环境更好，是每一个人都需要去思考的问题。

从您最早进入行业到今天，技术已经发生了很大的变化，您对现在大家都使用ALEXA拍电视剧这样的变化您有什么感受呢？

黄伟：我们这一代摄影师最早经历的是球面镜头，到现在是变形宽银幕镜头，从最早的胶片摄影到现在的数字记录，其实就是人类对于影像的不满足在一点点驱动技术发展。这对于我们做技术的人来说是一件非常好的事情，因为不断有新的设备让我们去做尝试，我们才能去拍出影像质量更高的作品。甭说三五年前，就说去年前年，像AUWZ 19-36这样的镜头都不可能有。这支镜头我已经在我前一部戏里用过了，而且觉得非常棒，这支变形宽银幕镜头经过了两倍的挤压最后还原出正常画面后居然没有一点变形，真的让我很惊诧。当然也有很多摄影师觉得变形宽银幕镜头就应该有所谓的变形镜头的味道，但所有这些技术的进步不都是为了讲故事服务吗？每多一款镜头，摄影师的选择就多了一种，艺术表达的可能也多了一种。说到《白鹿原》，我们找到的最好方式就是ALEXA的4:3模式配合变形宽银幕镜头，虽然没有从始而终，但是《白鹿原》这种视觉的变化是不是可以给观众一种参考，其实电视剧也可以拍得很风格化。当然这种创新是否能具体实施则是一个更加深奥的问题，需要讨论很久，但为什么会有那么多技术上的创新，最终还是为剧情服务，我个人是很喜欢这种探索过程的，我喜欢它们能够提供给我更多想象。

《白鹿原》预告片

了解更多关于ALEXA摄影机以及MA变形镜头的信息，请点击以下链接：

Interview with DP Huang Wei on WHITE DEER PLAIN

"ALEXA offered great exposure latitude that let us focus more on telling the story because I’m confident that the camera retains rich detail even in the darkest areas of the images."

—— DP/Second Unit DirectorHuang Wei

Director: Liu Jin

Director of Photographer: Huang Wei

Camera: ARRI ALEXA XT, ALEXA M

Lens: ARRI Master Anamorphic, ARRI Master Prime, ARRI Ultra Prime

Rental House: Beijing Xing Guang Ying Mei Film&TV Equipment

WHITE DEER PLAIN is a period drama TV series based on the novel by Chen Zhongshi, directed by Liu Jin and stars Zhang Jiayi, He Bing, Qin Hailu and Liu Peiqi. Set in White Deer village in Guanzhong Plain, Shanxi Province, the story centers around the power struggle between two families. Recently as the show has hit the TV screen, we interviewed DP/Second Unit Director Huang Wei, here he shares his thoughts working on the show.

WHITE DEER PLAIN took years of work from preproduction to final release. Can you tell us how it all came together? How did you get involved as the DP?

Huang: Prior to shooting WHITE DEER PLAIN, I met Zhang Jiayi while I was working on TV series FORTY-NINE DAYS·MEMORIAL. He was the lead actor on that show. Sometime after that I received a call from him asking me if I was available as DP and co-director on a new TV series. I got really excited as soon as I was informed that the show was WHITE DEER PLAIN. It is an influential piece of literature and has been adapted to feature film, play and musical. A TV adaptation was a first. It meant a lot to me so I jumped on board.

It was also a great opportunity for the author of the original novel, Chen Zhongshi, who was involved in the screenplay. Unfortunately he passed away before he got to see the materials we shot. For us DPs, it was a great honor to be able to work on a show of such scale. This project went through decades of preparation, 8 months of principle photography and involved hundreds and thousands of background actors. No matter how hard and challenging the work was, our camera department was fully devoted and took pride in it.

What about the technical side of WHITE DEER PLAIN? What tests did you do?

Huang: I’m fairly certain that for any crew working on a show like WHITE DEER PLAIN, they would try their best to aim for perfection, and that’s what we did. The camera tests were done in the studio at Xing Guang Ying Mei Film & TV Equipment. I was a bit surprised that they emptied the entire studio to make room for our tests. In the end we used as many as eight ALEXAs on the show. The camera tests were mainly focused on lens choice. We started with a few zoom lenses but we were unimpressed with the results. It was until Master Anamorphic lenses were mounted that we realized they are the one. The images from Master Anamorphic lenses really stood out in the 4K DI. I believe the rendering from these lenses fits in nicely with the period look and feel of Shanxi Province. It is the best choice for us.

Shooting on Master Anamorphic lenses would undoubtedly add to the production cost, it could even be a significant budgetary challenge for a TV crew. I’m very grateful that I met a group of creative minds, including producer Li Xiaobiao and Lin Wenjie from Xing Guang Ying Mei. They fully supported my idea of using anamorphic lenses to capture the TV adaptation of an award winning novel. In the end we used Master Anamorphic lenses in the principle photography for one month and images took everybody’s breath away. We were the first in China to use anamorphic lenses on TV production. Although it’s a shame that we did not use them from beginning to end. It would be an impressive feat if we did. However I understand that introducing new visual storytelling techniques takes time and often requires compromise.

How did you achieve the look of WHITE DEER PLAIN?

Huang: Director Liu Jin made it clear at the very beginning that WHITE DEER PLAIN is made for Chinese audience around the world. None of our cast and crew has experienced the period featured in the novel. However using our imagination we could still get a solid grip of what it might look like. Of course there were also extensive talks and discussions with the director regarding the looks of the show. Having seen the unique visual rendering of Master Anamorphic lenses I was able to get a rough idea of what we would like to accentuate – the liberal and historical atmosphere of Shanxi Province. For this kind of large scale TV production, looks were often finalized as principle photography moves along, a result of all production elements on set came together on the monitor. I consider it a creative process that involves a lot of explorations as well as preproduction planning and on-set improvisations. It’s also important to maintain visual consistency throughout the production, which was challenging for a 227-day shoot. At times we had doubts, however we managed to achieve what we envisioned in the end.

How did you work with the director and other departments?

Huang: Of course there were creative differences. The dynamics between DP and director are more or less predictable with one ultimate goal of producing good quality work. In terms of visual storytelling, many people think DP single-handedly decide what the images should look like. That’s not really the case because for a production crew in the hundreds the work is highly collaborative. A good quality TV series is result of coordination between every department. For us camera crew, most importantly we have to be technically diligent. Creatively we work and communicate closely with the director and other departments.

From testing Master Anamorphic lenses to achieving the final look, what do you think about ALEXA images? How did the quality benefit the show?

Huang: I like ALEXA for its excellent rendition of tonal range. I started my career with ARRI film cameras and worked with film stocks. I first shot with ARRI camera on A TIME TO REMEMBER in 1997, it was 535B and fairly large. Later I used ARRICAM LT/ST on A WORLD WITHOUT THIEVES, RED CLIFF and XINHAI REVOLUTION. These shooting experiences really bonded ARRI cameras and I. I remember my tutor Zhang Li, an influential Chinese cinematographer said to us that when you listen closely to the claw mechanism working inside camera, it’s like listening to the heartbeat of your lover. Therefore I believe there is an emotional attachment between the DP and the camera he chooses to use.

Based my attachment to ARRI cameras, I chose to work with ALEXA on this show. Having used other digital cinema cameras I still favor ARRI for its consistently high quality and a long history of R&D. The images from ALEXA are reminiscent of 35mm film which unfortunately has been phased out. ARRI camera’s reliability, robustness and wide compatibility of lenses are also qualities I’m drawn to.

How did you tackle the low light scenes in WHITE DEER PLAIN?

Huang: First I have to mention my previous work THE LINE in the early years, if we shot it today I think director Kong Sheng would still use the same low light techniques. At the time the cameras weren’t as good in low light conditions and director Kong Sheng really took a bold approach creating realistic low light scenes with available resources. Shooting low light scenes today we can rely mostly on the camera, for example we can raise the sensitivity for a realistic reproduction of the scene. ALEXA offered great exposure latitude that let us focus more on telling the story because I’m confident that the camera retains rich detail even in the darkest areas of the images.

How did you work with the colorist on the look of the show?

Huang: I worked with Xiong Wei on color grading WHITE DEER PLAIN, he’s a skilled and visionary colorist whom I’ve known for a long time. He was involved in almost every stage of the project from camera test to principle photography. He had thorough knowledge of how ALEXA rendered the images, how the scene looked on set, how the images looked out of the camera and even the performance of the cast. He had his own interpretation of WHITE DEER PLAIN and although as DP I was expected to take charge of the color grading process, I fully respect and trust his creative visions. Based on this working relationship for many times I was pleasantly surprised with the results. Colorists play an important role in a DP’s career. A successful collaboration should be based on mutual understanding and good communication. I’m glad we have the chemistry. Although I suspect the networks brightened images a little upon release, overall I think the results were satisfactory.

Do you have any memorable scenes?

Huang: I remember the funeral scene which took tremendous effort. We used four cameras and changed twelve setups in two hours. There were over 800 background actors on set and the scene had to be wrapped in two hours. We had a snow machine on a crane that had to change positions constantly as the camera moved from setup to setup. Every crew was working diligently in their designated roles. Even every single one of the 800 background actors were extremely professional and cooperative in the 12 takes we did. We started shooting at 3:30pm on that day as soon as we set up the snow machine and wrapped on time at 5:30pm. I got the entire crew roast lamb for dinner as a thank you for their hard work. They really did an amazing job.

What services did Xing Guang Ying Mei provide?

Huang: Working with Xing Guang Ying Mei was the perfect choice. We chose Xing Guang Ying Mei because their owner Lin Wenjie is just as passionate about filmmaking as us cinematographers. He provided everything we needed for camera tests, he even went as far as borrowing or purchasing equipment that wasn’t available. At the time of the test they only had 35mm, 50mm, 75mm focal length for the Master Anamorphic lenses which was not enough for the show. However they managed to complete the focal range by the time we started principle photography. This level of support and dedication was extremely reassuring and made us more confident in our work. As a rental house they are doing their part in pushing the production quality of Chinese TV shows forward. There might be controversies in their business practice but I urge everybody to be as understanding as possible. After all they are the backbone for fostering our creativity. With the film and TV industry booming in China, setbacks are unavoidable and what we need to do is to think about how to make things better.

Throughout your career, technologies have changed rapidly. What do you think about the trend of shooting TV with ALEXA?

Huang: Our generation of cinematographers started with spherical lenses, now we have anamorphic lenses, then the transition from film to digital. Our pursuit for higher quality and more pleasing images is the driving force behind these technological advancements. It greatly benefits us because we are able to keep pushing our creative potentials thanks to newer and better equipment. A couple years ago lenses such as Anamorphic Ultra Wide Zoom 19-36 wouldn’t even exist, which I used on my previous shoot and it turned out to be marvelous. 2x anamorphic squeeze and free of distortion is simply a technological wonder. Many cinematographers believe anamorphic lenses should retain some of the traditional characteristics. However I think it’s all about choices. With every new piece of equipment we are given a new choice which enables new ways of storytelling. With WHITE DEER PLAIN, the most fitting visual storytelling technique we found was using ALEXA’s 4:3 sensor mode with anamorphic lenses. Although it was not used throughout the show but it proved that TV shows can be highly stylized too. Technical innovations like this is a topic worth further discussion but ultimately it all comes down to how we filmmakers want to tell a story. Personally I particularly enjoy this process of exploring and experimenting, it fuels my creativity and imagination.