- A producer is a leader or a boss?
I believe a producer is first and foremost a leader who has the qualities of a boss and the business way of thinking.
- What qualities or attributes do you look for in people you are looking to employ or work with?
I hope my partners and team members can be independent in thinking and have good judgement. Also, team spirit is important too.
- What do you look for in a script?
For commercial films, I will look for someone who has related experiences. And for art films, I will focus more on the originality and self-expression of the scriptwriter.
- How do you select a director?
I will choose a director who has a strong desire to express and to control the details.
- Would you recommend writers think like a producer when writing their script? Or, just write with reckless abandon and then worry about the cost, or whatever, after they’ve grabbed a producer’s attention.
I hope the writer to bear the cost in mind. When he or she is writing, they can make some judgments about the cost through the lens of a producer. If the budget is low, then the writer should integrate more original ideals, style and techniques.
- How involved in the writing of a project do you get? Are you more involved in the initial development?
I am very into participating into the first stage of a project, discussing with the writer with great respect about their thoughts. But I will make some recommendations as well.
- How much influence as a producer do you have with the choices made by the director and/or DP?
Most of the films that I’ve taken part in are art films which carry strong characteristics of the directors. So, the directors and I mutually influenced each other, instead of my being in control and deciding everything.
- What is the most important thing you have learned during your career?
During my career as a producer, the most important thing I’ve learnt is my independent aesthetic view and appreciation of films.
- If you had an unlimited budget at your disposal, what would be your dream production project?
If there’s an unlimited budget, I hope that I can make a very bold, experimental and self-expressing art film.
- What does the future of film look like?
The future of film can transcend time and space and full of imaginations.
BEST DIRECTOR @ SHORT TO THE POINT – DECEMBER 2018 AWARDS
The Taste of Love | China | 2018 | 24’
Director: Jinwu HE
Writers: Tao ZHENG, Xiangxin LI
Producer: Min ZHANG
Key Cast: Luqi PENG, Yinzhang ZHU
Synopsis: The Taste of Love tells a story about the male lead, Jianjun played by Yingzhang Zhu. He came from an unprivileged family, making a living by selling crispy ducks, but he was longing to change his fate. Yinhe, the female lead played by Luqi Peng, went to Guizhou with her parents when she was 20. She gradually fell in love with Jianjun, the country boy, whom she found simple, authentic and unpretentious, and she wanted to be with him.
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