2016-12-27

【Aiden in English】

        The movie industry in L.A. is something special. With Hollywood just around the corner, Universal Studios hanging about, the films and shows made here are broadcasted all over the world. But the films have to be taken somewhere, and that somewhere is Warner Brothers.

        To movie producers, the Warner Bros Studio is paradise. With multiple sets and an infinite supply of props, there's nothing money can't buy. The day is all about Warner's filming stages and scenes, plus props and some effects behind-the-scenes stuff. Just going to say, if you are a fan of comics or superhero movies, then this place is for you.

        So the day started with a video about all the best movies shot on the Warner Bros. Studio. Within the half-second clips from famous actors saying lines that may as well as have gone into the record books, I saw many popular movies, from the Harry Potter series (2001-2016) to Charlie and the Chocolate Factory (2005). Nearly all the famous actors and actresses had come through Warner studios at some movies in their lives. Today was going to be a day about discovering the gears shifting behind the final cinematic production, even if it meant seeing some off-limit areas to the public.

        It all began with the background of the scene. Warner Bros Studio put together in Burbank where it was featured in many shows and movies. The TV shows like Friends (1994-2004), Full House (1987-1995), and Gilmore Girls (2000-2007) were filmed around the small town, providing the backdrop for nearly all of their seasons. Some houses were fit for specific purposes, and some even have two different faces. Literally, if a person was to walk through a particular house, he would see that the two sides were actually two different fronts for two different houses. Thus, it saves room for filming scenes. The studio also included towns, streets looking as if in the early 1900s, where multiple shoots added more and more flavor to the scenery. Each time a movie was shot, some items were left behind, and they usually would stay permanently. That's why the studio in parts looked the way it does now. 

        Some of the more hit movies got a special section, like the Dark Knight Trilogy (2005-2012). In a very dark Picture Car Vault, nearly all of Batman's special vehicles were parked, some of which had the power to drive up to 200 mph. Each one cost over 250 thousand dollars since most of the cars had regular car bases. The Archives Building was also sectioned off for Harry Potter (2001), showing certain props and costumes of characters.

        There was a lot more to see, but the lone subject that stood out was the editing. Behind each scene, a team of experts edited and glued together the scenes to create the movie that we all loved. To start, there was motion editing, or motion capture (Mocap for short). This involved having the actor wear a special suit with dots, and later edited to a different look. Such characters like the dragon Smaug of The Hobbit (2012) used this technique, which revolutionized the movie industry. We also went through the Art of Sound, briefly explaining the sound editing done. The movie "Gravity" (2014) used an orchestra, the actor's voices, and a special sound pulse learned from an astrophysicist who has something to do with listening through the body. So, when watching the clip about the main character swinging into space on a piece of debris, each revolution of the broken ship brought a strong "wwwwrrrrooooommmmmppppp" shaking through the audience. Spoiler alert, the main character made it back to Earth.

        So what's in L.A?

        There's Warner Bros. Studio, which makes most of Hollywood's movies. Not to depress anyone, but most of your favorite Warner Brothers movies are probably not shot on the actual scene. Have you ever wondered why the people never waved at the tens of flying cameras? Exactly.

        So, L.A has a lot of things.

        Now I know.

【红霞译文】

        对于电影制片人来说，华纳兄弟工作室堪称人间天堂，多种多样的布景配置和无穷无尽的的道具组合，绝非有钱就能买到。今天参观的对象无一不与华纳摄影棚配景相关，包括服装道具及其幕后合成等环节，顺便提示一句，假如你爱好喜剧或者超级英雄之类的电影，那么这个地方正是你想光顾的。

        参观伊始大家先来欣赏华纳兄弟工作室制作的最佳电影，不大工夫成串载入史册的著名演员出现在眼前，从《哈利·波特》系列（2001—2016）到《查理巧克力工厂》（2005年）我看过其中很多电影，想必几乎所有知名男女演员在有生之年都先后来此试镜，今天有幸探寻平常难得在公众场合见识的后期制作。

        一切还得从拍摄场景说起。华纳兄弟工作室位于伯班克市，许多电影电视节目均从本地出品，像电视剧《老友记》（1994—2004）、《欢乐满屋》（1987—1995年）和《吉尔莫女孩》（2000—2007年）整季制作差不多都在这里的摄影棚完成。一些房子专门为剧情而设；另一些房子前后建成不同式样的门脸，确切地说，如果有人来某个特定住宅串门，那么他所看到的前后墙实际上是由两栋不同房子正面部分组成，这样可以节省拍摄场地。电影棚建有城镇街道，看上去仿佛回到上个世纪初期。随着拍摄工作不断进行，越来越多情节迥异的场景被添加进去，而每次拍摄完毕，一些东西并未拆除，往往会一直保存下来，这也是为什么摄影棚中有的部分颇具现代气息。

        一些比较热门的电影受到特殊对待。就拿《黑暗骑士三部曲》（2005—2012）来说，在乌漆麻黑的电影汽车大厅里，蝙蝠侠使用过的全套跑车依次排列，其中有的马力强悍，时速高达200英里／322公里，每辆价值至少25万美元，而且多数车辆均由常规汽车改装而成。《哈利·波特》（2001年）也特设专区，展示一些服装和人物造型。

        后面还有很多东西可看，但重点却偏偏落到剪辑过程，每个镜头背后都有一帮专家将摄制场景拼接成我们喜爱的电影。从动作捕捉做起，先让演员身穿布满点点的特殊套装，然后再加工改编成不同模样，《哈比人历险记》（2012年）中巨龙史矛革就是采用这种技术，结果给电影业带来了革命性改变。接下来我们在欣赏“声音艺术”的同时，简单了解音效剪辑。《地心引力》（2014年）将管弦乐、人声以及从专业天体物理学家那里学到的特殊脉冲融合在一起，因此当看到电影主人公解开身上拦截索从碎片坠入太空时，破碎的太空船急速旋转并发出“嗡…嗡…嗡…嗡…嗡”轰鸣声，让观众切身感受到逼真效果。剧透警告：主人公返回地球。

        洛杉矶究竟有啥好玩？

        这里有盛产好莱坞影片的华纳兄弟工作室，咱毫无破坏他人情绪之心，但多数华纳兄弟出品的电影大都不是从实地拍摄而来，你有没有想过为何数十架空中摄像头里从来看不到见过路人挥舞手臂呢？事实就是这样。

        由此而言，洛杉矶有很多好玩的事情。

        现在我心中有数。

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