Peter Rist, who recently contributed a thoroughly considered ballot for our Chinese Films of the Decade Poll, has published an interview he conducted with Liu Jiayin, the director of Oxhide and Oxhide II. The interview was conducted for Offscreen Magazine at last year’s Vancouver International Film Festival, where Oxhide II was presented. Oxhide II is currently screening at the Rotterdam International Film Festival.
Here are some choice excerpts from the interview. The full interview can be found at Offscreen.
Offscreen: My first question is about style. And, I wonder if you could explain a little bit of why you use the cinemascope frame, because I was very surprised when I saw your first feature film, that for such an intimate setting, and shooting on (not the highest definition) digital, you would use the widest scope frame available.
LJ: Firstly, it is personal. I like the aesthetics of the 2.35:1 aspect ratio, and it also makes the film look more “serious.” I knew that, normally, the cinemascope format is used as a more “epic” style, and for more “spectacular” scenes, or for exterior scenes. I know that my film was really intimate, but I still chose to use this ratio. That’s the first point. Secondly: size and distance are relative, so, even if you are shooting something very close, or if something you are shooting is very small, if you are using a cinemascope lens then that will give you a different perspective, and it will make it look larger.
