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Raw and Truthful: Roni Shao’s Directing Path|原生与真诚:邵黎俊的导演之路

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邵黎俊 Roni Shao
https://www.ronishao.com/

Shanghai-based director Roni Shao never had a formal education in commercial filmmaking. Still, he worked on projects for Nike, was in charge of celebrity relations at Adidas, and produced documentary films for VICE. Now, under his own label, he’s in perfect line with the urban youth of China, and on his path to becoming a reference among Chinese directors.

居住上海的导演邵黎俊(Roni Shao)并非科班出身。从未正式学过商业电影摄制的他却为耐克做过项目,负责过阿迪达斯的名人关系,为VICE制作过纪录片。如今,他自立门户,成立了自己的品牌,精准捕捉中国都市年轻人的品味,在成为中国代表性导演的道路上,飞速向前。

Shao was born in 1984 in Shanghai. Son to atypically laid-back parents, he could enjoy a type of freedom that most kids of his generation couldn’t. It was his choice not to go to university. Instead, he invested his time in an early career as a DJ, and for several years he played in underground clubs. “DJing led me to a particular direction in culture, and I started hanging around with a lot of kids that were into street culture,” he says.

1984年,邵黎俊出生于中国上海。得益于 “佛系教育” 的父母,他比同时代的同龄人享受到了更多的自由。他自行决定不读大学,并把大量的时间投入到了他早期的DJ职业生涯中,有好几年在很多地下夜店都能欣赏到他的表演。“DJ的工作为我展示了文化中特殊的一个方向,我开始和很多喜爱街头文化的年轻人玩,”他说。

As luck would have it, Shao entered the advertising world through Wieden+Kennedy, an agency known for its work for Nike. They didn’t have a strict educational requirement but rather concentrated on finding exceptionally creative people. Because of his social network and his eye for coolness, Shao acted as an art buyer, sourcing fresh artistic talent for the agency’s projects.

非常走运的是,领邵黎俊进入广告行业的是韦柯广告,一家因与耐克合作而知名的广告公司。韦柯广告不求科班出身,只求独一无二的创意人才。邵黎俊凭借自己的社交网络和一双发觉潮流的慧眼,作为制片实习生加入韦柯,为项目寻找新鲜的艺术人才。

Shao likes to think of Wieden+Kennedy as his university. “Wieden and Nike are always selling dreams to young people, and I learned how to do that myself. They taught me to maintain my originality and to stay true to the core of my creativity.” That’s also where he learned how to deal with clients and that saying no to them often gets them better results.

邵黎俊认为韦柯广告就是他的大学。“韦柯和耐克常常向年轻人兜售梦想。他们教会我要坚持自己的原创性,对自己的创意保持一片真心。”他们也教会了他如何与客户周旋,不惧向客户说不往往能给客户更满意的结果。

Shao’s work at Wieden+Kennedy didn’t go unnoticed. Adidas soon knocked on his door, offering a similar position. “Getting paid to hang out with cool young people and hand them free shoes? Of course, I was in,” he laughs. But the real job turned out to be radically different as he was put in charge of building relationships with top-celebrities across greater China. “It was not a fit. I still consider myself as a street soul, and I rather hang out with other cool kids than having to deal with celebrities and their agents,” he says. But, because Adidas has an overly systematic and result-driven culture, he could better understand how big corporations perform.

邵黎俊在韦柯的工作并非鲜有人知,阿迪达斯也注意到了他,向他提供了类似的新机会。“带薪与年轻,酷炫的人一起玩,还能给大家免费发鞋?我当然得答应啊,”他笑着说。但当他正式入职后才发现新职位与之前完全不同,他在阿迪达斯负责大中华地区一线名人的公关,建立联系。“这完全是货不对板。我还是认为我是街头人,我更愿和‘坏孩子’一起玩,而不是与名流和他们的经济人交际。”他说。但阿迪达斯的系统性,注重结果的文化,使得邵黎俊能更好地去理解大企业的运作方式。

Roni’s All Time Favorite Commercial

His next stop was at VICE China, dead and gone since last year. They had a peculiar do-it-yourself culture and minimal budgets. “I came from million-dollar budgets for Nike sports to only tens of thousands Renminbi to shoot a 30-minute documentary. But the process pushes you, so I like it. That’s how I learned things like creating a team, managing money, editing, and even operating a camera,” Shao says.

他的下一站是VICE中国,但很快VICE也留不住他,去年他便离开了。VICE的企业文化是“自助”,预算也是能省则省。“我从做耐克百万美元预算的项目,到拍预算只有几万人民币的30分纪录片。但这种体验也能推你一把,所以我挺喜欢的。我因此学会了如何组队,管理财务,剪辑,甚至如何操纵摄影相机,”邵黎俊说。

He still thinks of VICE as one of the best decisions he made in his life. He found the team, although very young, was very cultured and with deep connections in cultural hubs all over China. It was there that he learned the real value of youth content. “They are the voice of youth in China. Their motto was that they don’t do commercials, but they create content and get brands to pay for it,” he says.

他仍然认为去VICE是此生最好的决定之一。他找到了团队,虽然很年轻,但文化氛围很好,也和中国多地的文化中心连接紧密。正是在那里,他领会了青年内容的真正价值。“他们是中国青年的声音。他们的座右铭是不做商业,但创作品牌愿意付费的内容,”他说。

By learning the essence of creativity at Wieden+Kennedy, the rationale of big corporations at Adidas, and developing a hands-on approach attitude at VICE, Shao laid the groundwork to become a director himself. He also had on his side a rare understanding of what it means to be cool in the Chinese youth culture.

通过在韦柯学习创造力的精髓,在阿迪达斯学习大公司的经营理性,在VICE学习亲力亲为的态度,邵黎俊为自己的导演生涯打下了基础。同时在把握中国年轻人对新潮的品味方面,他还有着敏锐的嗅觉和独到的见解。

Converse《Forever Chuck》

His first independent commercial film was Forever Chuck, as part of a global campaign for Converse. All of his favorite elements came together: music, youth culture, and a raw look. To a minimal-electronic beat, he portrays a crowd of young and hype people wearing Chuck Taylor All-Stars against a derelict and industrial Shanghai background. The film was a milestone to him; after it was released, brands began to look for him and his precise youthful attitude.

他的第一部独立广告片是为匡威全球广告宣传活动摄制的《Chuck永远》(Forever Chuck)。该片集合了他最爱的元素:音乐,青年文化和原生风格。伴随着电子乐节奏的轻轻跳动,在他的镜头下,一群青年潮人脚踩Chuck Taylor匡威全明星板鞋,在上海废弃的,工业的一面游走。对邵黎俊来说,这是一部里程碑式的广告片,广告播出后,各种品牌的邀约如潮水般涌来,他和他精准的青年潮流态度,风光一时无两。

《 3 days in Chengdu》

In 3 Days in Chengdu, a short documentary made for Beats, he explores the story of Chinese-born US-raised rapper Bohan Phoenix trying to reconnect with his roots in China. With quick and precise storytelling, it’s a subject relevant to young people. It’s also significant because it denotes Chinese street culture as a “totally different world,” even though it was strongly influenced by American culture.

《回到成都》(3 days in Chengdu)是为Beats打造的一部短记录片,这部短小而精悍的影片记录了生在中国,长在美国的说唱人Bohan Phoenix的回国寻根历程,在年轻人之间很有共鸣。该片也非常有意义,将中国街头文化标记为虽深受美国文化影响,但却“完全不同的世界”。

Away from the commercial realm, he made FRONTIERS, a short art film made for Nowness’ global series China Wave. In a style that’s harsh on the unaccustomed viewer, Shao dives deeper into China’s transgressive culture, he presents young artists that are pushing the boundaries in music, fashion, and performance. With a fearless and dissonant aesthetics, the film accurately represents this unique form of expression, a by-product of China’s underground.

除了拍摄商业广告,他也制作了《疆界》(FRONTIERS), 一部为NOWNESS全球系列《中国浪潮》(China Wave)打造的电影短片。对于对类似风格不熟悉的观众来说,该片风格硬核,过于刺激;邵黎俊深入中国非典型地下文化,向大家介绍在音乐,时尚和表演艺术领域里尝试突破边界的年轻艺术家们。通过这种无谓的,不协和的美,短片精确展示了滋生于中国地下文化的这一独特的表达形式。

Shao also applies his style to things that are not directly related to it, like car or consumer goods commercials. He has made street culture his business, and he did it without merely repeating western molds, but with an original and tuned up expression. He believes that if he keeps a high level of curiosity and his creative expression true to himself, he’ll remain relevant in the industry for years to come. We’ll make sure to watch him.

邵黎俊在自己不熟悉的领域,例如汽车或消费品广告方面,也能灵活应用自己的风格。不一味地重复西方现有的艺术模式,他的作品特立独行,有自己的腔调,邵黎俊将街头文化做成了自己的独门生意。他坚信,只要保持高度的好奇心,坚守自己创作的本心,他将在行业里一直活跃下去。让我们看着他在这条道路上,越走越宽。

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