Hope the young generation understands and appreciates more the value of peace

As someone who has experience in performing special effects for many films about war and history, when you started doing special effects for the two films "Tunnels: Sun in the Dark" and "Red Rain", how did you imagine recreating a time of arduous war?

- When I started doing special effects for “Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” and “Red Rain”, I realized that these were two films that required the recreation of a fierce war space on a large scale. My work focused on air raids and explosions, which were key segments to depict the brutality of the battlefield.

In “Tunnels: Sun in the Dark”, I followed the director’s direct instructions to perform the US air force attack scenes, simulating the flight paths, explosions and the consequences left on the ground. With “Red Rain”, I worked with the director and DOP to recreate the air attack scenes on Quang Tri Citadel. Especially the scenes of fighter planes dropping bombs from high angles, showing the overwhelming and fierce destruction of war.

What is the biggest challenge in having to “reconstruct” war with technology?

- The biggest challenge was to maintain authenticity without making the special effects too flashy. The airstrike scenes not only required precise simulation of the flight path, speed, and direction of the bombs, but also had to match perfectly with the lighting and visual composition set forth by the director.

In particular, in “Red Rain”, the scene where fighter planes bomb the Citadel from a high angle, we had to handle many layers of effects: from the image of the plane, the action of cutting the bomb, to the spreading impact, dust and light of the explosion.

For you, where is the limit between cinematic techniques and historical truth?

- I see special effects as a means to convey history vividly, but without adding or distorting the essence. When creating scenes of air attacks and explosions, I always check with the director and compare them with war documents to ensure reliability.

Was there any scene that impressed you technically while filming because of the level of complexity?

- The most impressive scene is in “Red Rain”, when fighter planes circle and drop bombs from above on the Citadel. This scene had to be completely created with CGI, in which we simulated the details of the fighter planes, flight paths, and precise bombing movements, combined with the effects of the devastated ground and thick smoke and dust.

Every step of the lighting, reflections from the explosions to the camera movements had to be synchronized with the set, ensuring the right fierce spirit but not overdoing it, just as the director wanted.

“Tunnel: Sun in the Dark” is set in 1967 when the war against the US escalated. The film revolves around the battle of a 21-man guerrilla group led by Bay Theo (Thai Hoa) at the Binh An Dong base. The guerrilla group was assigned to protect a new strategic intelligence group that had just taken refuge at the base at all costs. “Red Rain” was produced by the People’s Army Cinema after 10 years of preparation, and is scheduled to premiere on September 2 on the occasion of the 80th anniversary of Vietnam’s National Day. The film was inspired by and has fictional details from the 81 days and nights that our army and people fought to protect the Quang Tri Citadel in 1972.

On the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, what are your personal thoughts on contributing to retelling the victory in modern visual language?

- To be able to participate in two war films on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Liberation of the South, for me is a great honor. Although standing behind the scenes, I feel proud that the images I created contributed to reviving memories of sacrifice, of the young soldiers who fell.

I always hope that, through the language of modern cinema, today's young generation will understand and appreciate more the value of peace, and see more clearly the price our ancestors had to pay to preserve independence.

What can special effects artists - even those behind the screen - convey about national memory?

- Every special effects scene, whether it is an explosion, an airplane or a puff of smoke, is carefully selected. I believe that the accuracy and respect for history in each frame is also the way for special effects artists to express their gratitude and responsibility for preserving national memories.

Architect Dinh Viet Phuong is a familiar name in the field of digitization and 3D transformation of heritage. He and his colleagues have "returned" many relics and antiques that have been lost or forgotten. 3D technology has helped restore the stone pillars of Dam Pagoda (Bac Ninh), Hien Lam Cac (Hue Imperial City)... Along with that, there was a 3D painting exhibition restoring Hanoi's Old Quarter in 2007. In 2010, Architect Dinh Viet Phuong was also the one who designed all the projection images about heritage and history in the 1,000th anniversary of Thang Long - Hanoi. He also contributed to the application of digitization of artifacts of Quang Ninh Museum; projection products for Ha Giang Museum;...

Duc Anh

Source: https://baophapluat.vn/mong-the-he-tre-hieu-va-tran-trong-hon-gia-tri-cua-hoa-binh-post546864.html