厉震林| Digital Technology and Changes in Performance Esthetics

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About the Author

Zhenlin Li, Doctor of Philosophy, is deputy-director of the Academic Board of Shanghai Theatre Academy (STA); dean, professor, and doctoral supervisor of Department of Film Studies, STA. He is also in the Chang Jiang Scholars Program as a distinguished professor. His academic interests include the culture and esthetics of performing and directing as well as the histories of Chinese films and Chinese culture. He has published 20 individual books and 320 academic papers. He has won many awards including Science Research Famous Achievement Award in Higher Institution and Shanghai Famous Achievement Award in Philosophy of the Social Sciences.

厉震林，文学博士，上海戏剧学院学术委员会副主任、电影学院院长、博士生导师，教育部“长江学者奖励计划”特聘教授。主要研究领域为表导演文化和美学、中国电影史以及中国文化史。出版个人著作20部，发表学术文章320余篇。荣获教育部高等学校科学研究优秀成果奖、上海市哲学社会科学优秀成果奖等奖项。

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To Cite This Article:

Li, Zhenlin. "The Development of Digital Technology and Changes in Performance Esthetics" Journal of Chinese Film Studies, vol. 2, no. 1, 2022, pp. 149-164. https://doi.org/10.1515/jcfs-2022-0018

Abstract and Keywords

Abstract: One of the particular characteristics of Chinese films is that they are based on the unique sources of Chinese cultural thought. This article examines the main spiritual ideas of traditional Chinese culture through the lens of the three relationships between heaven and man, humans and other humans, and man and himself. It explores how Chinese films made in different cultural contexts and historical backgrounds have expressed the spirit of Chinese culture through both inheritance and transformation. We approach this issue by focusing on expressions of the traditional concepts of “the unity of man and heaven,” “vigor andpromise,” “balanced harmony and the golden mean,” and “the unity of body andmind.” 

Keywords: Chinese films, cultural spirit, unity of body and mind, unity of heavenand man, vigor and promise

摘要：数字技术催生沉浸式电影时代的到来，表演美学与此共振，生成若干新的诉求：纪实表演有所夸饰、浪漫和矫情，构成一种风格化和卡通化的表演格式；表演需准确、充实和到位，以及有细腻而精致的情感层次，在一种绵实状况中清晰变化；无实物表演的训练序列，需要纳入绿幕、蓝幕表演实训；“无对手”的表演在“无人之境”中戏剧性地生活以及创造人物和思想。它形成数字技术时代的专注性、想象力、领悟力和情感性等需强化的表演属性。在电影表演与数字技术的交互关系之中，有助于中国表演语汇转化成世界表演语言，构建一种中国电影表演美学表达。

关键词：数字技术；电影美学；新诉求；新属性

A Glimpse of the Article

一、未能承受美学之重

Three Reforms of 

Performance Esthetics

In the history of Chinese films, performance esthetics have undergone two major reforms. One was caused by the transition from silent films to films with sound. At the time, many performers were unaccustomed to the new requirements this change brought to performing.

在中国电影历史场域中，表演曾经遭遇两次美学之重：一是从无声片到有声片的历史转型，缘于两者表演规范的变化，许多演员颇为不适表演美学的变革。

The other major change occurred during the revolution of Chinese performance esthetics in the 1980s. This is when the documentary-style performances became dominant, replacing the styles common during “the Seventeen-year Period (from 1949 to 1966)” of Chinese films. 

 二是20世纪80年代中国表演美学革新，纪实表演思潮风行，部分老演员的“十七年”戏剧式表演传统与纪实美学不相匹配，一套曾经行之有效的表演方法失效。

Recently there has been a third reform, a systematic one shaping everything from technology to esthetics. During all previous cinematic revolutions—whether from silent to sound, black-and-white to color, or the shift to widescreen and letterboxing—the mechanical and lens special effects only affected how performances manifested.

现在，电影表演又遭遇第三次美学之重，而且，是从技术到美学的系统变化。从无声到有声、从黑白到彩色，又到宽银幕和遮幅式，是一种机械特效与光学特效，电影技术只是影响表演形态，而数字技术是以数据库的方式完全参与“渗入”电影表演美学变革。

向上滑动阅览

There are many driving forces behind the symbiosis of digital technology and film performances. On one hand, cinemas must figure out reasons for viewers to watch films in theatres in the midst of emerging new forms of entertainment. Innovating the types of images seen by audiences has become the foundation of the film industry. Films as immersive experiences are a promising direction for this type of innovation. Surround sound as well as digital technologies such as 3D visual effects, 4K HD resolution, and 120 frames per second (fps) are major vehicles for creating immersive experiences which can never be provided by computers, phones or televisions. These immersive experiences cater to audiences’ demands for innovation, bringing forth the transformation from movie fans to cinephiles inreception esthetics. The application of digital technology has given rise to new modes of virtual acting including synthetic performances, 3D tracking, the dynamic capture of motions and facial expressions, post-production retouching of fine layers, and so forth. Special effects have permeated acting. Cinematic technology is driven by the evolution of film industry. The development of technologies, from changing the sense of space through high- and low-speed photography to promoting film esthetics to a previously unimagined levels through the upgrades of the digital era, not only gives the film industry legitimacy and superiority in society and the market, but also influences social values and the relationships between different cultural strata.

数字技术与电影表演的共生现象，有着清晰的驱动路线图。一方面在新兴娱乐方式的夹击之中，电影必须确立观众来电影院的理由，创新电影影像的接受方式，成为电影产业生存之基础，沉浸式体验是重要的选择方向。为电脑、手机或者电视所无法替代的环绕声、3D/4K/120帧等数字技术，成为沉浸式体验的重要载体。它与观众审美的求变求新匹配，使接受美学出现从影迷到迷影的转型。数字技术的运用，催生虚拟表演形态，包括合成表演、3D追踪、动作与脸部动态捕捉以及后期合成细微层面修饰等，特效技术深度介入到表演之中。电影技术为产业发展所驱使，从改变电影空间感至高低速摄影再至数字时代，通过升级迭代为电影渐臻理想主义接受美学，不但获得生存的合法性与优越性，还影响社会的价值观以及文化阶层结构关系。

二、表演的新诉求

New Requirements for Performance

Mojin-The Lost Legend

《鬼吹灯之寻龙诀》

The first requirement is that film esthetics are getting into a state of “doing as people like” in response to the spectacle of the swelling film industry. 

  一是数字技术使奇观电影业态有所膨胀，甚至电影美学发展到“随心所欲”的状态。

The second requirement brought by digital technology is the idea that performances must be accurate, adequate, and to the point. This is because the high-definition of images and 3D digital effects make even miniscule aspects of the performance crystal clear to the audience.

 二是影像的高分辨率以及三维效果，使表演所有部位纤毫毕现，故表演必须准确、充实和到位，尤其眼睛的表现力得到空前的展现。

The third requirement is that green- and blue-screen performances must vary greatly from traditional performances shot on location or in the studio.

三是绿幕和蓝幕表演，与实景表演、摄影棚搭景表演差异是很大的，它的背景只是一幕颜色，而非真实环境。

The fourth requirement created by digital technology is that there can be no real “acting partners” on set when acting.

四是仿真数字技术可以创造虚拟人物和超常形象，表演“对手戏”而现场无对手，“对手”形象是后期技术合成完成的。

向上滑动阅览

The first requirement is that film esthetics are getting into a state of “doing as people like” in response to the spectacle of the swelling film industry. Performance has become an element in the spectacle of films. Actors “co-act” with virtual spaces, moving in and out of the reality. A certain type of exaggeration and embellishment, including both more romance and more pretense, has developed in documentary-style performances. This has created a stylized and cartoonish performance format. The combination of human performance with “surreal” and “supernatural” subjects in spectacular movies has driven actors’ performances to accord with the new esthetics, thus altering the documentary-style performing mode. Certain kinds of films, such as sci-fi movies, disaster films and thrillers, are closely connected with digital technologies. These include films like Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons (Xiyou Xiangmopian, 2013), Mojin-The Lost Legend (Guichuidengzhixunlongjue, 2015), Time Raiders (Daomubiji, 2016), Monster Hunt (Zhuoyaoji, 2015), Chronicles of the Ghostly Tribe (Jiucengyaota, 2015). In such films, actors and actresses must interact with spectacular scenes, virtual acting partners, and supernatural images. They must also take into account human acting’s place in the entirety of film grammar and vocabulary. In accordance with the respective esthetic formats of films, they must adopt certain performance grammars, whether normal or bizarre, whether diverging from or according with traditional ones. In these spectacular films, the contexts of performance are both augmented and defamiliarized. The standards for performers’ body shapes and postures have also been raised. Scenes are usually presented in full shots, and actors’ and actresses’ bodies are emphasized, which means they need to behave naturally. Human performance has become alternatively an organic component of, or a reconstructed object for, digital technology. This means actors’ bodies must be of full creativity to produce esthetic power in digital spaces.

一是数字技术使奇观电影业态有所膨胀，甚至电影美学发展到“随心所欲”的状态。表演成为奇观电影的一种要素，与虚拟空间“搭戏”，在似真似假之间穿行，纪实表演有所夸饰、浪漫和矫情，构成一种风格化和卡通化的表演格式。奇观电影的“超真实”和“超自然”，演员表演与其匹配，自会采取一致美学路线，使纪实表演形态变奏。科幻片、灾难片、惊悚片等与数字技术关联密切的类型电影，诸如《西游·降魔篇》《鬼吹灯之寻龙诀》《盗墓笔记》《捉妖记》《九层妖塔》等，演员需要与奇观场景、虚拟对手、超常形象互动“魔化”表演，须关注整个电影语汇的契合程度，故会采取一种与传统有所区别的表演语法，依据影片各自的美学体例使表演或写意或怪诞。奇观电影表演空间的放大和异化，演员的形体造型功能也要求强化，镜语系统以大景别主体呈现，表演的身体需要放开和放大。它或是数字技术的有机部分，或是数字技术的重构对象，需要身体表演的高创造力，构型一种身体与空间的美学力量。

三、数字技术的表演属性

Attributes of Performances in the Era of Digital Technology

Switch 

《富春山居图》

First, actors must be highly focused on performing.

 首先，表演需要高度的专注性。

Next, digital technology ensures that actors must be highly imaginative in their performances. 

 其次，表演需要高度的想象力。

Actors must be outstanding at comprehending the films they are making

 再次，表演需要高度的领悟力。

Finally, actors must be full of emotions.

最后，表演需要高度的情感性。

向上滑动阅览

Actors must be outstanding at comprehending the films they are making. Without any visual cues, directors must usually verbally explain both the virtual environment and the characters. Sometimes, actors may not be able to fully understand verbal descriptions of scenes, especially when it comes to supernatural spectacles or actions. However, even if the verbal depiction is abstract, the performance still must be specific. In most circumstance, an actor probably will not be able to completely translate a director’s explanation into their performance completely because that demands such superb levels of comprehension. Wei addresses this problem: “Switch (Tianji Fuchunshanjutu, 2013), a Chinese film packed with CG effects, fails to tell a logical story, and the actors’ and actresses’ performances are incomprehensible and do not convey emotion. Without physical sets, actors forgot to communicate authentically or display expressions of emotion. Additionally, the only source the actors could turn to for similar acting experiences was their predecessors’ recordings. This meant that when they displayed various types of feelings, they simply repeated and imitated what had come before” (Wei 2015, 134). In this case, because of insufficient comprehension of what the film was supposed to be like, “the actors’ and actresses’ performances are incomprehensible and do not convey emotion” and, as a result, performers “simply repeated and imitated what had come before” (Wei 2015, 134). This reminds us that successful use of digital technology requires corresponding improvements in performance methods.

再次，表演需要高度的领悟力。在没有视觉预览的条件下，虚拟环境和人物一般是导演描述的。如此语言描述，演员未必能够完全领悟，甚至一知半解，尤其是奇观表演中，超自然的景观及其动作，语言描述总是抽象的，表演却是需要具象的，导演的“说戏”并不一定能够转化成为演员的表演动作，它需要演员良好的领悟力。“大量使用CG特效的《天机·富春山居图》却连故事都没有讲清楚，演员表演得不知所以，更谈不上情感的传达。因为影片没有真实的场景，很多演员就开始忽略真实的交流和情感的表达，再加上他们只能从前辈的录像中‘汲取经验’，依靠简单的重复和单纯的模仿来表达某种感受。”这里，因没有充分领悟，“演员表演得不知所以，更谈不上情感的传达”，只能“简单的重复和单纯的模仿来表达某种感受”。它提醒数字技术的表演属性，有升级迭代的需求。

结论：一种定性分析

Conclusions: A Qualitative Analysis

Journey to the West: Conquering the Demons

《西游：降魔篇》

It is normal in the film industry that technology keeps developing and being revolutionized. Driven by both the film industry and esthetics, cinematic technologies and arts are progressing towards perfection. Connected to these developments, performance esthetics are also undergoing changes. Still, their underlying principles remain unshattered. Performance remains centered on actors and their inner worlds. The depth of a performance continues to be about its strength and the breadth of a performance concerns sociological issues. Finally, the ontology of performance attributes consists of nothing but a human giving a performance. That said, with digital technology, the acting “figure” can be produced digitally. Humans can have relationships with virtual characters. Actions that humans could never accomplish can be portrayed with technology. Compared with those conducted in front of green- and blue-screens, performances in LED virtual studios are much more complicated. In this setting, actors and actresses move in and out of both real and unreal settings. The final performance is created in coordination with virtual camera systems, spatial positioning systems, real-time rendering systems and so on. This challenges and redefines some theories and principles of performing. In this context, the boundaries between the technology and the art of performance are blurring. The two are now trending to merge with the boost of ever-advancing technologies. The technological transformation of art and the estheticization of technology is becoming the new normal. Performers in films must now learn and master technologies as part of their art, so that technology can help empower the art of performing. This is an inexorable trend. Digital technologies are ubiquitous in the age of immersive films. In the context of the interaction between art and technology, Chinese films should use technology as a springboard to create new Chinese forms of expressions. They should use digital technology as a breakthrough that can serve as a path for Chinese performance esthetics to be recognized by the international community. Chinese culture’s traditional emphasis on the spirit of a whole picture, the use of intentional empty spaces, the focus on the smallness of humans in comparison to heaven and Earth, the fascination with adding finishing touches, the seemingly causal form of narration, etc., can all be combined with special effect techniques. Doing so would make Chinese film performances more vivid, touching, and impressive. Thus, Chinese films will be able to exhibit a cartoonish style on one hand, while approaching realism on the other. This would help integrate East Asian film discourse with global film discourse in an age where films are under great changes.

向上滑动阅览

 技术变革及其进步是电影发展的常态，在产业和美学的驱动之下，电影的技术和艺术不断至真至美。在此，表演美学也在渐变过程之中，尽管它的基本原理始终恒定，表演是表演人以及世界内心的，表演的深度是哲学的力度以及表演的宽度是社会学的宽度，其本体属性是人的表演。在数字技术中，表演的“人”可以数字编码，真人表演与虚拟形象组成人物关系，人类无法完成的动作可以技术生成，LED数字虚拟摄影棚又超越绿幕和蓝幕的表演，在似真似假的规定情景中与虚拟摄像、空间定位、实时渲染等系统协同表演生成，使表演的部分原理受到挑战，需要重新阐释以及定义。表演的技术和艺术的界限逐渐模糊，并随先进技术的发展愈加合体，艺术的技术化与技术的艺术化成为表演的新常态，故而电影演员需要如同掌握艺术一样了解和掌控技术，使技术赋能表演艺术。这是数字时代的必然规律。数字技术催生电影沉浸式时代的到来。中国电影表演借此契机，在艺术与技术的交互关系之中，构建一种中国表达，将数字技术作为中国表演美学为世界认知的着力点和突破口。中国文化重意境和留白，人物表演在天地之间的渺小以及画龙点睛之妙，叙事似有似无，如此均可以在特效技术之中，将中国电影表演呈现得灵气逼人及其气宇轩昂，既是接近动画，又会更加真实，在一个电影革命时代来临的过程之中，使东方表演语汇转化成为世界表演语言。

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《中国电影研究》

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