On August 18th, the 12th Beijing Film Festival Masterclass invited British director Malcolm Clarke to engage in a free-ranging discussion with producer Han Yi on the theme of "The Art of Documentary and Character Construction."

Malcolm Clarke, a British documentary director and producer, has been involved in film production in nearly ninety countries and has received sixteen Emmy Awards and two Oscars.

Since 2015, Director Clarke has turned his attention to China, encapsulating the lives and emotions of ordinary Chinese people within his precise audio-visual language. He captures the essence of daily life as well as societal changes. In 2017, he won the 23rd Chinese Documentary Annual Work for his documentary "Heart of A Tiger," and in 2019, he received the 9th Beijing International Film Festival Documentary Unit Jury's Special Recommendation Award for "Better Angels." In 2014, he served as the chair of the 18th Shanghai International Film Festival Golden Goblet Award Documentary Unit jury. In 2022, he served as a juror for the "Tiantan Award" at the 12th Beijing International Film Festival.

The definition of documentary has long been a point of contention, and discussions on the relative merits of documentary versus feature films are varied. The masterclass began with the topic of "non-fiction versus fiction," as Han Yi stated, "I prefer to refer to documentaries as 'non-fiction films.' In my view, they are all films, just with different adjectives." Han Yi believes that instead of completely separating documentaries from films, defining them with "non-fiction" can more clearly reveal the essence of documentaries.

For Clarke, the boundary between documentaries and feature films is not absolute; genres and subjects are merely human-defined categories. More profound, discussable, and globally significant content always awaits filmmakers on the other side of reality. Clarke believes that the relationship with the subjects is key to distinguishing between fiction and non-fiction films. "We [film directors] communicate with actors, pay them, and they perform their roles, rehearsing daily on set, and then leave after receiving their wages. That's the whole process."

For non-fiction films, the responsibilities of the subjects are much more complex, as they are not actors who live off their performances but real, living people. "They have their own opinions, their ideals; they don't want to earn a salary for their performances. They hope to express a kind of persuasiveness through documentaries." To allow subjects to express themselves more freely, communication becomes one of the most critical tasks for documentary directors. "The director must provide a sense of security for the documentary subjects, enabling them to share and express their views confidently. They don't want to be exploited. Our main job is to establish a sense of security and mutual trust with the characters, which should be done before filming."

Casting is the first step in documentary production and is also crucial to determining the quality of the documentary. In Clarke's words, "It's about everything." Clarke said, "In all films, whether feature or documentary, you must find your protagonist. If you find this person, you've essentially achieved half the work. Finding the right person makes communication efficient, so the casting process relies on the entire team and their approach to casting."

Regarding casting, Clarke spoke of the challenges he faced while filming documentaries in China. "Many people in China are quite reserved when talking about themselves. Generally, I wouldn't say they are shy; the best word I can find is that they focus more on themselves."

As a British director, Clarke faces more difficulties filming documentaries in China, but he also gains a unique perspective. "As a foreigner, my way of looking at things is very different from everyone else. I can interpret and analyse many details from a Western perspective, separating things that others might overlook." However, the language barrier is particularly prominent, and the key tool of "building trust through communication" is ineffective. Producers must then step in to accomplish this task for the director. Clarke praised the help Han Yi, as a producer, brought to him. "She and her team can create a situation for me to direct a documentary because they can find such characters, research them, and help them better accept the camera and the faces of foreign staff."

Finding a good story is also crucial, Clarke said, "To find a good story, thorough preliminary research is essential. Often, people think I can manage with a month or two, or that finding someone in a place is enough, but it's not. You need to research, go to their homes, knock on doors, meet this person, and see how they perform on camera."

The way of storytelling is also a documentary director's forte. Clarke shared his tips, "I have a principle: I always try very hard to tell the story with the camera and images, not through narration or verbal language. The narrative of the story relies on the images; a Shakespearean scene or image is worth a thousand words. A single shot can convey a lot of emotion and information. If it's impossible to convey the story with images, then resort to using words as a secondary choice. Film is like bricks and mortar, connected by concrete; words are like concrete cement. Visual elements are the main characters, and how to edit them together requires interaction, cooperation, and a clear sense of hierarchy. Always remind yourself that this is a visual art. Although language is powerful, use verbal language only when necessary; most of the time, interpret and describe with images."

On how works gain international favour, Clarke believes that individual emotions are the bridge to the world. "We always talk about how to bring Chinese stories to the world. In fact, what we often need to find is the common human experiences of birth, ageing, sickness, and death, as well as joy and sorrow. With over 1.4 billion individuals, I prefer to focus on the individual during the casting process. It's easy to talk about birth, ageing, sickness, and death, and ultimately, it's about emotions. When a work has moved you before, it's because it made you cry, laugh, feel touched, or think deeply; it's emotions, not data, and not dry reasoning."

At the end of the masterclass, Clarke offered advice to Chinese documentary filmmakers: "The work you do can influence many people and change the way they perceive a country. So, your power is immense. I hope you can create more powerful, more humanistic films. China needs you to tell stories, break down the barriers between us, and connect hearts with the world."