As cities go, Shanghai is relatively well-served when it comes to artistic stuff. It may not have as large a cultural scene as London or New York, but it is definitely a good place to be if you’re into art, music or film-making.

On the film side of things, there are plenty of alternative venues which screen vintage and indie movies, like the Vienna Cafe, Arch Cafe, The Blues Room, and Projection 216. And as well as showing films, there are folk who actually make them here.

The man who has pretty much single-handedly brought the alternative film scene to life in Shanghai is Juan Vargas. Hailing from Colombia, Juan worked as a cameraman for the Formula 1 industry for many years before deciding that short films were what he really wanted to make. Not satisfied with simply making films of his own, he wanted to give others the opportunity to do so. Thus, he set up Meiwenti Productions. With a ‘no problem’ attitude, Meiwenti will provide everything a budding film-maker needs, including actors, props, and equipment. Through his company, Juan runs the Shanghai Short Film Competition, which has recently had its seventh cycle.

Image courtesy of The Blues Room

It was via this route that I dipped a toe – and then a whole leg – into Shanghai’s film scene. In late November last year, I interviewed Juan for the magazine I used to work for. The film contest was coming up, and he asked me if I’d be interested in taking part. Growing up in England, I’d done some drama, and was keen to give it another go, so I said “Why not?” He invited me to meet him at a café the following day to discuss.

On my way to see him, I ran into a writer friend of mine named Michael, and asked him if he’d like to come along too. Just under 20 minutes later we had committed to making a short film in seven days. By 10 o’clock that night, Michael had finished the script. Scrolling through the contacts in my phone, I managed to amass a team of four actors (including myself) and Juan helped us with a cameraman, sound equipment and lighting. After just one rehearsal, we gathered at Michael’s apartment six days later and shot an eight minute movie in around four hours. Due to the lack of time, our film was still being burned to DVD as the contest screening began, but it was finished in time to be shown. The standard of the other entries was incredibly high, so it was no surprise that we didn’t win, but the experience was fantastic.

 

At the afterparty I met some actors and film-makers, including an American guy named Robert who asked me if I’d be interested in taking part in a project when he was next in Shanghai. I agreed, but didn’t hear from him until a couple of weeks ago. He was back in China for a few days, and wanted to shoot a short film. Like my previous experience, this was a short sharp shock, but equally rewarding. I got a copy of the script about five minutes before I left my apartment to go to the location on Moganshan Lu; luckily I only had about ten lines, along with a monologue that I would be able to read from the script off-camera.

The crew and actors met up in an art gallery that had been turned into a miniature beach for an exhibition. The last scene of the film needed sand and fake sunlight to mimic tropical Guangxi, so this was ideal. With movie making, one of the most frustrating things is the waiting around – camera angles to be checked, makeup to be touched up etc. – but with a time frame of only six hours, there is no room for dallying. We completed the first three scenes by lunchtime: two by the creek and the third at a roadside shop, assisted by the owners who turned out to be natural born actors.

After lunch, the director led us behind the warehouse art galleries to a place where the creek bent back on itself, and derelict houses crumbled towards the banks. To our surprise, there was a family living among the rubble – husband, wife, grandfather and toddler. Intrigued by the sight of us laowai with out cameras and mics, they gathered around as we set up. One of our props was a bag full of oranges, and the baby delighted in unpeeling them. During filming, the child played by our feet, and the grandfather lumbered into shot, sucking on a cigarette bong he had fashioned from an old water bottle and a length of bamboo. Despite their utter poverty (we weren’t sure if they even had beds) the family offered us noodles to warm us up when the wind started to pick up. It was incredible to witness such generosity from people who clearly had nothing.

Taking part in these two movies has given me some invaluable insights into different sides of Shanghai life – from the glitz of the film contest at a downtown cinema to the kindness of an impoverished family in a riverside slum.

Related Links
Duolun Lu – Writing a Revolution
Shanghai Art Deco
Sky-High Shanghai – Exploring the City’s Tallest Buildings
 

 

Warning：The use of any news and articles published on eChinacities.com without written permission from eChinacities.com constitutes copyright infringement, and legal action can be taken.