Technology promotes efficiency when placed in the right place
In the discussion on bringing Vietnamese films to international markets, Deputy Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism - Mr. Ta Quang Dong emphasized that the important criteria are still the artistic value and the ability to reflect current issues in social life. The film "Red Rain" was chosen to represent Vietnam at the Oscars because it met technical standards and conveyed the concerns of the whole country, not only the film industry.
At the discussion session on technology application, director Dang Thai Huyen frankly said that technology only supports filmmakers to complete the framework, but cannot replace the experience and emotions of creators. Despite applying many post-production techniques, she is still not really satisfied when watching films on the big screen - a testament that technology is not a "magic wand" to solve all problems.
The two behind-the-scenes stories of "Red Rain" shared by the director further show the line between technology and real material. The context of Quang Tri ancient citadel was built with real props instead of completely simulating with special effects. In that space, after each scene, the crew burst into tears because it felt like returning to the lost past. These realistic emotions could not have been created if they had only relied on computer recreation.
In the night river crossing canh, many real explosions were arranged in coordination with smoke experts and engineers. The actors had to swim through the water with real blasting, bringing a realistic feeling to the camera. Only remote effects are "growing" with technology in the post-production period. This approach shows that the technology is used selectively, to supplement, without overwhelming the real context.
Technology helps optimize costs, shorten production time but requires patience
If from a creative perspective, people play a central role, then for technology enterprises, technical improvements open up a more efficient production direction. Mr. Ta Manh Hoang - SConnect representative shared that over the past two years, the unit has researched many new technologies to help shorten the film production progress. A work that used to take three years to complete now only takes about a year. The investment level is also more optimal, from a scale of millions of USD down to only a few dozen billion VND.
Mr. Hang Minh Loi - founder of Lumination said that technology also supports measuring audience tastes, helping the film crew choose suitable topics and minimizing commercial risks. Complex scenes such as the previous rain costing 200 - 300 million VND, can now be repeated at much lower cost when applying technical solutions.
However, both experts believe that applying technology in cinema still requires patience. The new technology, the greater the risk, requiring film crews to experiment, master and invest step by step.
The important thing, as director Dang Thai Huyen emphasized, is that technology cannot replace the storytelling skills of filmmakers. It only expands the creative range, while the value of the work still lies in the emotions and stories that the filmmaker wants to convey.
