英文543 + WTF網誌【Wonderful Taiwanese Fans】: 如這樣的地方 – 導演講評 (Somewhere Like This

原文出處: http://wongfuproductions.com/2013/04/somewhere-like-this-directors-notes/
原文影片: 請點擊觀賞

靈感啟發

The story for “Somewhere Like This” was actually inspired by something I experienced. Last year, my cousin (who lives about an hour away) asked if I could pick up some snowboard equipment for him. He bought online from someone that lives fairly close to me, so of course, it wasn’t a problem.

「如這樣的地方」這個故事靈感其實源於一件發生在我身上的事情。去年，我的堂/表/兄弟 (他家離我這邊約一個小時) 問我能不能幫他去拿一下雪板用具；這是他在網路上跟一個離我住處很近的人買的，因為很近，幫他拿個東西當然不是問題。

While driving to the seller, I thought how this would be such a great setup to meet someone. Safe, not too creepy, and totally relatable. Unfortunately/fortunately the person selling was not my ex-girlfriend haha.

開車到賣家的途中，我忽然想到，如果可以這樣偶然地遇上某人，在故事中將會是個很棒的安排，既安全，又不覺得毛骨悚然，而且絕對有共鳴。只是不幸地 / 慶幸地賣東西的人不是我的前女友..哈哈。

*relate(v.)是「有關」的意思；able 本身也是一個單字, 有「能夠」的意思，當relate字尾去e加上-able，變成「能產生關聯」的意思; 這邊中文翻譯成「共鳴」。

I had a good setup, but to add more drama I thought it’d be interesting to make the seller someone from a past relationship. On top of that, I wanted to force the two people to revisit a past memory– to throw them back into what they last remembered of each other. That’s where the telescope came in.

故事安排很好，但為了讓戲更精彩，我覺得讓賣家變成舊情人的話，會很有意思。此外，我要半強迫地讓這兩人重溫過去的回憶－回到他們最後一次記得彼此樣子的時候，同時將望遠鏡帶入故事中。

望遠鏡

As many of you have noticed, I like to put a certain emphasis on objects in the shorts I write. Whether it’s a shell, umbrella, pinwheel, or telescope, I enjoy showing objects as characters themselves rather than mere props that the actors interact with. These objects carry their own story and memories just like a supporting character in the narrative.

很多人可能注意到，我喜歡在我寫的劇本裡強調凸顯某件物品，不論是貝殼、雨傘、紙風車或是望遠鏡，我喜歡用物品影射劇中人物，而非單單讓演員和道具互動而已。這些物品有自己的故事和回憶，就像劇本裡的配角一樣。

*support是支持的意思，character在這邊是指劇中的角色，支持配合劇中角色的自然就是配角了；附加說明，主角的正式說法為leading character (leading有帶領的意思)。

I chose a telescope to represent the optimism and hope of Scott and Irenes’ relationship in “Somewhere Like This.” A telescope’s most basic function is to help see things that are far away. On the surface, Scott gives Irene the telescope as a gift before she leaves for college because she once told him she wanted to go stargazing. But on a deeper level, the telescope and it’s ability to bring distant things closer to us, represents the notion of not losing sight of their relationship even when they will soon be separated.

在「如這樣的地方」裡，我選擇透過望遠鏡來呈現Scott和Irene感情上所懷抱的樂觀與願景。望遠鏡最基本的功能就是幫助我們看清遠方的事物；Scott在Irene離家上大學前給她望遠鏡當禮物，表面上是因為她曾告訴過Scott她想去觀星，但望遠鏡將遠物帶到眼前的功能代表著更深層的意義，代表著就算他們分開在即，感情也不會因此失焦的想法。

“I know you’re gonna be busy with classes but if you can, it works best if you go somewhere far from the city lights. That’s where the skies are the clearest and the stars are the brightest.”

「我知道妳將忙於課業，但是如果可以的話，去一個沒有光害的地方使用望遠鏡，效果最好；那樣的地方天空晴朗，繁星明亮。」

The characteristics of how the telescope works are also reflected in the couple’s relationship. If you live in a metropolitan area, with a lot of ambient city light, stars are difficult to see. It’s not that the stars aren’t there, but the night sky is already lit from buildings, cars, etc. so the stars are less distinct.

望遠鏡的特性也反映在感情變化上；如果你住在熱鬧的大都市裡，周圍都是城市光害，要看到星星是一件很困難的事情，這並不是因為星星沒有出現，而是因為夜晚的天空已經被大樓的燈光、車燈等照得通亮，高掛夜空的繁星就相對不明顯了。

*剛剛提到character (n.) 有角色的意思，這邊的characteristics (n.) 則是做「特性、特色」解釋，也可以當形容詞使用。

Scott’s advice to go somewhere away from the city reflects his hope that Irene will not let her new life at college shake their relationship. She is about to start an exciting and different life with new people and experiences that could potentially distract her from Scott.

Scott建議Irene去一個遠離城市的地方，反映著他希望Irene不會因為開始了大學的新生活而使他們的關係動搖，Irene即將展開一段令人興奮的新生活，她將認識各式不同的人，經歷各式新奇的事物，這都有機會轉移她原本對Scoot的注意力。

*distract ... from = 轉移 ... 對某事物的注意力; 喔不! 都讀到這裡了不要分心去看正妹打電動! 快點把文章讀完英文才會進步!

Just like the telescope, their relationship will work best if she doesn’t let the new elements of her life consume her entirely. In essence, Scott knows there will be new factors and obstacles to consider once she leaves, and he hopes she will take the time and effort to remember what’s important.

跟望遠鏡一樣，他們的關係只有在降低被新事物的影響下，才能維持在最佳狀態。其實Scott知道Irene離開後，他們必然會歷經新的考驗和障礙，他只是希望Irene能花些時間努力記得什麼才是重要的。

“Scott you really don’t have to. I mean, I don’t even remember when it stopped working”

“Let me take a look at it. I want to try. I don’t think it’s totally hopeless”

「Scott，你不用這麼做，我是說，我也不記得它哪時候開始不管用了。」

「讓我看一下，我想試著修理，我不覺得它全然無藥可救。」

Whether the characters realize it or not, the entire conversation on the driveway as Scott leaves can be seen as reference to their past relationship. Irene has let it go and moved on while Scott wants to take the opportunity to fix it and see if it can work again.

不管劇中人物有沒有發現，Scott在車道上準備離開時的整個對話可以視為對他們過往戀情的參考引線。Irene已經忘記過去，繼續她的人生了，但是Scott卻希望藉由這個機會重整關係，看能否修復往日情懷。

When writing, I feel like everything that’s shown, should have a purpose. Why it’s shown, how it’s shown, and when it’s shown. While the telescope as a symbol may not be obviously apparent, I like making connections between different elements in the story to further the themes that are being explored.

寫劇本的時候，我覺得影片呈現的內容都要有目的，包括為什麼要呈現這個鏡頭，怎麼呈現，什麼時候呈現。雖然沒有明確指出，但是故事裡的望遠鏡也是一種徵象，我喜歡把故事裡不同元素連結起來，藉以進一步探討發掘背後的主題。

Scott和Irene

While the histories of Scott and Irene are not entirely revealed in the short, I did develop their backstories in my mind. Scott and Irene met in high school and began their relationship during that time. In their last year, Irene got accepted to Northwestern University for journalism while Scott stayed home in California to work at his family’s auto shop. Sometime shortly after going to college, the distance and the new experiences took their toll on Scott and Irene’s relationship. Sadly, they parted ways. After finishing at Northwestern, Irene got an internship back in California and that’s approximately when we meet the couple in the story.

當Scott和Irene過去的情史尚未在情節中完整揭露時，我在腦中已經想好了他們的背景故事。Scott和Irene在高中相識相愛，高中最後一年，Irene得到西北大學新聞系的入學許可，Scott則是選擇待加州，幫忙汽車修理行的家業。在Irene上了大學不久後，距離和新的人生經驗讓Scott和Irene的感情付出了代價，不幸地，他們分手了。Irene從西北大學畢業後，Irene得到一份在加州的實習工作，劇中大概就是從這個時間點開始敘述兩位主人翁。

*backstory = background story = 背景故事; 很好記吧，背景 (background) ＋故事 (story)

Julie Zhan and Robert Ryu were a pleasure to work with. They nailed the performances and I couldn’t be happier. The script itself is relatively short. There’s not much dialogue between the characters so it was their subtleties that really shined through. As for the dialogue, It’s nothing extremely poetic or dramatic. I was aiming for a very “everyday” exchange.

我和Julie Zhan、Robert Ryu合作愉快，我很滿意他們絕佳的表演。劇本非常短，主角間並沒有太多的對話，呈現的是他們之間微妙的互動。至於劇裡的台詞，也不是什麼磅礡史詩，我希望呈現日常生活。

When Scott and Irene bump into each other again, I wanted it to play out as realistic as possible. Sure, there could have been more exposition to reveal more, but I felt like a situation like that would actually be pretty concise and more interspersed with uneasy silences.

Scott和Irene再度相遇這一幕，我希望能盡量呈現真實面，沒錯，我可以做更詳盡的解釋或揭露更多劇情，但是我覺得在這個情境下，這樣反而簡潔有力，也可以穿插更多沉重的緘默場景。

視覺效果

While shooting these original pieces, I always hope every scene is visually interesting. A personal, but unsaid goal is for any moment of the short to look like a photograph. In other words, I’d like for the viewer to be able to pause anytime and that shot should be able to stand alone.

拍攝原始片段時，我總希望每個場景都能成為一場視覺饗宴。一個私心卻沒說的目標是希望讓劇中的分分秒秒，看起來都像是攝影拍照一般，換句話說，我希望觀看的人不管在任何時刻按下暫停鍵，都能看到一幅美景。

Stylistically, I think it’s noticeable that I have certain tendencies while shooting. If you look at the shots in all the shorts I’ve written it’s easy to spot the patterns. I’m drawn to extreme wides where the subjects occupy a small portion of the frame. And more often than not, I like the look of bokeh and very shallow depth of field. I like how natural light hits the lens and creates flares. I like looking at things that might not normally be seen as beautiful. The best example of this is the dust on the floor of the house.

拍攝風格上，應該不難發現我拍攝的喜好和傾向，如果你仔細觀看我所有劇本中的拍攝片段，就會發現類似處；我喜歡把鏡頭拉得很遠，讓物品只佔畫面的一小部分，我往往喜歡背景虛化和淺景深的樣子，我喜歡自然光映照在鏡頭上所產生的耀斑，我喜歡盯著平常不覺得美麗的事物，最好的例子就是屋內地板的灰塵。

*more often than not是「多半、往往」的意思; 不過這片語有個not好困惑，more often 又 than not....死記吧! 各位童鞋...

When we went to check out that location for the first time, I noticed dust particles floating and trailing in the sunlight as we walked around the house. At that moment, I knew I had to capture that shot for the short. Because of time constraints, we actually had to go back to the house on a separate day to specifically get that shot. It was totally worth it.

我們第一次勘查場景，走在屋內的時候，我注意到灰塵粒子在陽光下輕飄移動的樣子，我當下決定，非得將這一幕拍入劇中不可。由於時間限制，我們當初得擇日再次回到屋內，分開特別拍攝這一幕，結果非常值得。

While writing the short, I pictured many of the scenes taking place during golden hour– that period of time the sun hangs just above the horizon before setting entirely. Specifically in the house, I wanted to keep most of the interaction within tight shots with blurred objects in the foreground and puddles of sunlight in the background.

寫劇本的時候，許多場景在我想像中都發生在黃金時刻－在夕陽接近地平線，即將西下的時刻。尤其是在屋內，我想讓多數的互動擠在幾個鏡頭內，前景呈現模糊的主體，背景呈現陽光灑在屋內的樣子。

I found myself squeezing between doorways chairs and tables to make that all happen. Natural light cannot be beat. Especially when working with time constraints, you learn to take advantage of what light is given to you. Sometimes it’s direct and contrasty, sometimes it shines through trees, and other times it bounces off walls with the perfect softness. No matter how the sunlight shows itself, I think there’s always a way to make it beautiful.

我發現我自己擠在走道的椅子和桌子間試著拍攝這樣的鏡頭，自然光無可取代，尤其是在有時間限制下進行攝影工作，你學會如何利用光源；有時候光源可能很直接、明暗反差很高，有時候可能會穿過樹梢，其他時候則從牆上反射，製造了柔光的效果。不論陽光如何露臉，我總認為可以找出方法，拍出美麗的鏡頭。

Many of the shots (and themes) in “Somewhere Like this” are repeated from previous shorts like

許多在「如這樣的地方」的鏡頭 (和主題) 可在其他短劇中看到：

“At Musing’s End”

and “Two After Noon”

音樂

I remember constantly listening to Kina’s “In Your Arms” while writing the script. The song itself is upbeat but has a sense of melancholy to it. I chose to place the song near the end of the short to help convey the bittersweet feeling. Without the song, I think the ending would have been more somber and sad than intended.

我記得寫劇本的時候，常常聽著Kina的「In Your Arms」，這首歌節奏輕快卻帶點淡淡哀傷。我選擇在影片快結束的時候放入這首歌，表達劇情酸中帶甜的滋味；沒有這首歌，我想結局看起來會比預期中更加鬱悶哀傷。

*bittersweet其實是bitter (苦) + sweet (甜); 不過中文形容戀愛好像比較常用酸中帶甜齁

Visually, the scene of Scott driving away after he realizes Irene has moved on, portrays disappointment and defeat but with the song’s help, we are brought up to a more optimistic and reassuring end feeling. In addition, Kenson’s amazing score blended seamlessly with every scene. We worked together to make sure it could be integrated at all the right places and in the right way. It helps that he is just as meticulous as I am. I’m also very pleased that he incorporated the “In Your Arms” melody in the score. You can listen and download the score here:http://youtu.be/qB7gaxX1nEs

銀幕上，在Scott開車離開並深知Irene已拋開過去繼續她的人生，描寫失望與失落的那一幕，歌曲幫忙緩衝了這樣的情緒，讓我們在結尾時稍感樂觀鼓舞；除此之外，Keson驚豔的樂譜也完美無缺地融入劇情中的每一幕，我們一同進行音樂製作，確保音樂能完美正確地出現在該出現的場景，他也和我一樣謹慎、一絲不苟，這很有幫助，我也很高興他參與了「In Your Arms」樂譜旋律的製作。你可以點擊這裡聆聽下載這首樂譜：http://youtu.be/qB7gaxX1nEs

紙條

“Across clear skies. Among glowing stars. That’s where I’ll find us.”

「穿越在清亮透徹的天際，穿梭於閃耀的繁星之間，我將在此處找到你我。」

The confidence in their relationship is forever captured in the note that Irene gives to Scott. It’s something Scott never let go of, even after they separated. When he bumps into Irene again, Scott feels like there’s an opportunity to maybe remind her of what she was once so sure of. But as he soon learns, some things are out of our control.

在Irene給Scott的紙條裡，將永遠保留他們對這段情的信心，這是份Scott不想捨棄的東西，即便他們已經分手。當他再度與Irene相遇，Scott覺得他得到一個提醒Irene曾對感情如此確定的機會，但是很快地他發現，某些事對他而言，也是無能為力。

At the end of the short, he leaves the telescope but keeps the note. The fact that he has fixed the telescope does not mean it will ever be used again. This can be directly correlated with their relationship. There are countless elements that need to come together for two people to emotionally find each other again. In this case, time has run its course and it’s unlikely their paths will cross the same way again. Scott keeps the note because it is a reminder of how good something can be and ultimately, it’s what he hopes to find again.

在故事結尾，他留下了望遠鏡，卻還保留著紙條；事實是，他就算把望遠鏡修好了也不可能回到從前。這讓人直接聯想到他們的情路，一對戀人要恢復往日情懷，修成正果的要素多到數不盡，就故事情節而言，流失錯過的光陰似乎已難追回。Scott保留著這份紙條，是用來提醒自己曾經擁有過的美好，最終，他也希望能再度找回這樣的美好。

*correlate with = 使互相關聯... 你看又來了...又是一個跟relate有關的單字 (好饒舌)...快做筆記!

(上面句子加上-ed是因為被動式呦)

小八卦

I bought the telescope from an someone online (coincidentally haha). It was slightly damaged and I still don’t totally know how to operate it. To be honest, I think I just need to go somewhere away from the city lights. harharhar. I painted the three white stars to add some more character the object.

望遠鏡是我在網路跟某個人買的 (真的好巧..哈哈)，有點磨損了，而且我還不太會操作。老實說，我想我只是需要去個沒光害的地方，呵呵呵。我在望遠鏡上畫了三顆白色的星星，讓它看起來更有特色。

*harharhar是有點諷刺的笑聲，這邊翻成呵呵呵

I made two versions of the folded note before settling on the final. The earlier versions used white paper with watercolor. The final version of the note was cut out of a brown paper grocery bag.

拍攝最後一場戲前，我做了兩個版本的摺紙信條，先前的版本是用白紙加上水彩，最後版本的信條是從棕色購物紙袋上面剪下來的。

We used Christine’s parents home for Irene’s house. Her house was also featured in our WFW where we cooked ramen and the One Millionth Subscriber sketch.

我們借用Christine父母的房子作為Irene劇中的家，這間房子也在Wong Fu Weekends煮拉麵那集和突破百萬訂閱數的短劇中出現過。

There were some visual elements that were added in post production. The plane flying away was added, one of the murals in the house was removed and replaced with a Mark Rothko painting. One of the shots at the park was meticulously enhanced to add camera movement. Kenson did a great job of enriching the short with subtle visual additions.

有些視覺效果是我們在後製時才加上去的，飛機飛過天際那一幕是另外加上去的，房子裡其中一幅壁畫被移除，用Mark Rothko的畫作代替，我們細心地提高停車場中一個鏡頭的畫質，才能加上各式攝影機的移動。Kenson也替影片增添了很棒、很細微的視覺特效

The amount dust and haze in the house was exaggerated with household flour.

屋內的灰塵數量和模糊效果，其實是使用家用麵粉，把實際情形誇張化了。

For certain closeup shots when we didn’t have the actors, Kenson and I doubled as hand models (see if you can spot us!) Christine doubled for Julie feet for one of walking shots in the house.

幾幕沒有演員在場的特寫鏡頭，Kenson和我攜「手」演出 (看看你能不能找到我們!) Christine的腳則在家中走路那幕，頂替了Julie。

Scott’s room was actually shot in our office. I rearranged furniture and used different things to cover up the windows. The “bed” is actually one of our couches with an old curtain covering it like a bedsheet