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The extraordinary success of The King\'s Speech enhanced Tom Hooper\'s reputation in the international film industry. His new work Les Miserables, recently screened in China, made this Academy Award winner better known to Chinese audiences.He talks about his role as Jury President of the Golden Goblet Award at 16th 赌博app."China is a fascinating part of history in terms of the evolution of cinema," he said. Hooper has directed numerous TV series and films, gaining well-earned acclaim and recognition for his skills. He insists on the principle that filmmakers need to touch the audience with a story from the heart. "If your film comes from the heart, then it\'s going to translate to your audience."
Daily News: What attracted you to attend the 16th 赌博app as the Jury President of the Golden Goblet Award?
Tom Hooper: I thought that it was a great honor to be asked to attend. China is at a fascinating point in history in terms of the evolution of cinema. By 2020, China will have the largest cinema box office of any country in the world. About 10 years ago, the revenue from all Chinese cinemas was US$300 million, but now it\'s almost US$300 billion. New Chinese cinemas and screens are opening up every day. It\'s an extraordinary transformation that is quite unlike anywhere else in the world. Also, I think what is important about that kind of record growth is the honor it brings to the film festival. 赌博app protects the purity of film voices. We have 300 films in this festival, representing all kinds of filmmakers and different countries. It is sometimes very hard for filmmakers to get a wide audience for their films. And the festival certainly allows a direct chance to screen those films for a real audience, sometimes even helping to find distribution. It\'s an incredibly important event in the life of filmmakers.
Daily News: As a winner of the Academy Award, what do you believe separates an outstanding film from the rest?
Tom Hooper:I think it is always important for a film to get connected to the audience\'s heart. People should get connected to the characters, whatever cultures they come from. The thing that I was very proud of with The King\'s Speech was that people seemed to relate to the story that the younger son of the king was a terrible stammerer in the 1930s. The story itself may not necessarily relate to Chinese or Korean audiences. But if you touch people\'s common humanity, then it\'s amazing how a story can travel across all country boundaries. So if your film comes from the heart, then it\'s going to translate to them.
Daily News: Which part of the film attracts you the most, the script, the theme or the actors?
Tom Hooper:Story, story, and story.
Daily News:You studied English at Oxford. Did this education give you a better insight into scripts?
Tom Hooper:Certainly. I took maybe the unusual step of studying English Literature at university and not going to film school. I wanted to spend three years on ideas and writing rather than on techniques. I had the privilege of spending three years studying Shakespeare\'s best dramas, looking at how they are constructed, their thoughts and themes. In fact around the time I was in university, there were huge changes occurring in film technology. I had started making films at the age of 13, using a clockwork camera on which you had to reset the spring every 30 seconds. Now the mobile phone has two cameras which can record quite long films with sound. So to some extent if you concentrate too much on technology techniques you will find that they completely change. But what doesn\'t change is the content, theme, and the story.
Daily News:Your latest musical Les Miserables is very popular in China. Could you share some of your production experiences from it? How did you make use of cinematic language to reconstruct a musical?
Tom Hooper:It was a very interesting challenge because we were trying to persuade people that a world exists where people communicate with singing. And I wanted to do everything in my power to make people accept that this world exists as quickly as possible. I tried to make this appear as natural as possible but as to the way I shot the film, I also used quite a lot of intimate camera work so that you feel very closely attached to the characters. There is a great tradition in shooting where you see people singing on TV in most pop videos. The cameras move around as if they don\'t trust the performer. I wanted to find actors who were good enough at doing this and didn\'t need to attract the audience by jumping around. The performances really worked well.
Daily News:When we mention innovation and development of cinema\'s technological language, some of your movies show a different kind of transition such as you used 2D technology instead of 3D. So as a movie director, what do you suggest is the appropriate cinematic language when a story is being told?
Tom Hooper:I always spend time looking at the actor\'s face when trying to determine different camera lengths. In filming The King\'s Speech, I would get Colin Firth to sit in front of me and try shooting from different angles, slightly from below, slightly from above or to the side. I just tried to see how his face reacted through different lengths. And in the case of Colin, I wanted to give him a vulnerable feeling on the screen and that led me towards a slightly wider length and closer. It is about taking the time to play around and see what connects.
Daily News: What advantages did you take from your earlier work at the BBC and HBO ?
Tom Hooper: I think there was a lot of help. In the case of The King\'s Speech, the experience I had working for TV taught me how to finish shooting within seven weeks at a lower budget. You never have enough time and you are always in a hurry. When you shoot television, there is even less money and less time, so you get used to working very fast and making good decisions when you work fast. That means when you come to your first feature film, you are not paralyzed by the speed and you know what you need to do. The very strange thing about directing is that most directors are battling with time, but on finishing the film there is no evidence of that battle.
Daily News: You worked with Helen Mirren in Prime Suspect and Elizabeth and Essex. She is also attending 赌博app this year, so would you please share some of your experiences with her?
Tom Hooper: Helen Mirren is an extraordinary actress and what I learnt from her was to be a flexible director and listen to an actor\'s input. For example, when she walked by and looked into the camera, she said, "That\'s great, Tom, but I think it would be better to film by the window." Then she explained why it was better to film by the window. Then you realize that her idea was better than your idea, and you are pleased with it. So what I learnt from Helen is that you become willing to accept different ideas and you don\'t impose things on actors.
Daily News: 赌博app has been established for 20 years. What are you expecting from the festival?
Tom Hooper: I\'m excited to be President of the Jury and I also look forward to meeting young filmmakers. I hear that there is an award for Best Film made by young directors and I think it a good way to encourage them. I wish them good luck.