A Different Angle on China
Interview with British documentarian Nigel Marven
Text by Li Shaowei
Nigel Marven, a wellknown British documentarian, biologist, and writer, has lived in China for a total of six years to make documentaries about natural subjects. Some of his works, such as Panda Adventure with Nigel Marven and Untamed China, are highly influential in both China and the world.
Nigel Marven, a well-known British documentary director, biologist, and writer, has lived in China for a total of six years to make documentaries about natural subjects. Some of his works, such as Panda Adventure with Nigel Marven and Untamed China, are highly influential in both China and the world. His magnum opus, Prehistoric Park, won an Emmy Award, the world's highest honor for TV.
Marven has likely achieved a better understanding of China than most Westerners. However, his thoughts about the recent development of the Chinese documentary industry are particularly insightful. At the Guangzhou International Documentary Film Festival, China, on December 9, 2015, a reporter from South Reviews interviewed Marven.
In China, people think documentaries should be like news, with a solemn and objective tone. But you often create emotional narratives and recreations, of course based on facts. Chinese viewers might think the form is not properly solemn. What do you think?
Marven (M): Such an understanding could possibly restrain development of a variety of documentaries as well as potential commercial profits. I think that we need to try different approaches to tell stories.
I put a lot of attention on structure. For example, when I shoot a film about birds, it may begin with a coiled cobra attacking me, and then it turns to birds. I'll still tell the story objectively, but the point is there are techniques to draw in the audience, and a good documentary should be both educational and entertaining.
In your experience, does social value play a big role in the success or failure of a documentary? Different directors have different intentions, which often drive the whole documentary.
Is it better to just shoot and report whatever you find?
M: It goes without saying that the development of documentaries is closely related to social changes. Western countries, for instance, experienced an economic boom after World War II, propelling a great leap forward in documentary production. Everything is related. China now has a similar social background to the West in the 1950s and 60s: brimming with vigor and vitality, which will soon herald rapid development of documentary production.
When it comes to value pluralism, different directors or producers have different ideas about what is acceptable as far as injecting personal values into a movie. Some might highlight their own values, others strive to simply tell the truth and let the audience to make their own judgments. I prefer the latter. There’s not a right way or wrong way because a documentary is a piece of art by the director.
China is still weak at producing wildlife documentaries. How can it become stronger?
M: Well, there are more possibilities for cooperation between China and the West. My Untamed China is one good example – it has now been shown in 68 countries. Very few Chinese producers know how to shoot wild animals. But I couldn’t have done anything without support from the Chinese crew. I hope for more chances to work with Chinese partners.