spectacle,

奇觀、

war,

戰爭、

and thrilling chases.

和驚心動魄的追逐場面。

But we also get moments like this.

但我們也有這樣的時刻。

Stillness.

寂靜。

Tranquility.

寧靜。

Peace.

和平。

Balance.

平衡。

These are scenes where nothing happens.

這些場景什麼也沒發生。

And yet, they can be the most compelling moments in the film.

然而，它們可能是影片中最引人注目的時刻。

Most films have some sort of pause or moment of calm either before or after a moment of action.

大多數電影在動作發生之前或之後都會有某種形式的暫停或平靜時刻。

So what makes Miyazaki's moments of silence different?

那麼，是什麼讓宮崎駿的沉默時刻與眾不同呢？

Welcome to "The Director's Playbook".

歡迎來到《導演手冊》。

You may have been told that stories are like sharks.

也許有人告訴過你，故事就像鯊魚一樣。

They have to keep moving or they die.

它們必須不停移動，否則就會死亡。

Well, that's not true of all sharks and it's not true of all stories.

並非所有鯊魚都是如此，故事也並非都是如此。

One filmmaker who breaks this rule all the time is Hayao Miyazaki.

宮崎駿就是一位經常打破這一規則的電影人。

Roger Ebert once interviewed Miyazaki and shared his appreciation for these moments.

羅傑·埃伯特曾採訪過宮崎駿並分享了他對這些時刻的感激之情。

Instead of every movement being dictated by the story,

有時候，不是每個動作都受故事情節的支配，

sometimes people will just sit for a moment or they will sigh,

人們會只是坐著片刻，或者嘆一口氣，

or look in a running stream.

或者凝視著一條流水。

Not to advance the story, but only give the sense of time and place and who they are.

這不是為了推進故事，而僅僅是為了呈現時間和地點的感覺，以及他們是誰。

"We have a word for that in Japanese," he said.

「在日語裡，我們有個詞語可以描述這種情況，」他說道。

"It's called 'ma.' Emptiness..."

「它叫做『間』。空白……」

"...It's there intentionally."

「……它是有意義的。」

Miyazaki clapped his hands three or four times.

宮崎駿拍了拍手，大約三、四次。

"The time in between my clapping is 'ma.'"

「在我拍手之間的時間就是『間』。」

"If you just have non-stop action with no breathing space at all, it's just busyness."

「如果你只是不停地進行連續的動作，沒有任何喘息的空間，那只是忙碌。」

"But if you take a moment, then the tension building in the film can grow into a wider dimension."

「但如果你稍作停頓，那麼電影中逐漸增加的緊張感可以擴展到更寬廣的維度。」

"What really matters is the underlying emotions. That you never let go of those."

「真正重要的是那些潛在的情感，你永遠不要放棄它們。」

"If you stay true to joy, and astonishment, and empathy, you don't have to have violence, and you don't have to have action."

「如果你始終保持快樂、驚奇和同理心，就不需要暴力，也不需要動作。」

"They'll follow you. This is our principle."

「他們會跟隨你。這是我們的原則。」

Let's take a closer look at how Miyazaki brings these principles into his films.

讓我們更仔細地看看宮崎駿如何將這些原則融入他的電影中。

A well-known rule in screenwriting is movies shouldn't have a constant rise in tension.

在編劇中一個眾所周知的規則是電影不應該一直保持緊張感上升的狀態。

They should include peaks and valleys, providing a break from the action every so often to keep the overall story balanced.

它們應該包含高峰和低谷，時不時在在動作情節中休息一下，以保持整體故事的平衡。

This is done all the time.

這種情況經常發生。

And yet, Hayao Miyazaki doesn't treat his valleys as obligatory pauses.

然而，宮崎駿並不將他的低谷視為必要的暫停。

He uses them to create non-traditional pacing to create an immersive experience for the audience,

他利用它們來創造有別於傳統的故事節奏來為觀眾創造一個身臨其境的體驗，

and to underline his themes.

並強調他的主題。

A common theme in Miyazaki's work is the clash between humans and nature.

宮崎駿作品中的一個共同主題是人與自然的衝突。

Especially the destruction of the natural world through war.

尤其是戰爭對自然世界的破壞。

We can see this in "Howl's Moving Castle".

我們可以在《霍爾的移動城堡》中看到這一點。

After settling in an idyllic location around Star Lake, we have a quiet and serene moment.

在星湖周圍的田園風光中定居後我們有一個安靜祥和的時刻。

Sophie and Markl enjoy a tranquil picnic.

蘇菲和馬魯克享受寧靜的野餐。

Tiny waves gently lap the shore as Sophie admires the view.

細浪輕拍海岸，蘇菲一邊欣賞著美景。

This scene is the time between claps as Miyazaki put it.

這一幕正是宮崎駿所說的，拍手之間的時間。

And its serenity is juxtaposed with the next scene.

它的寧靜與下一個場景形成了鮮明對比。

Howl soars over an apocalyptic scene as airships drop bombs on the city.

霍爾在末日場景上空翱翔，空中飛艇向城市投下炸彈。

By placing these extremely disparate scenes next to each other, Miyazaki creates a clear message.

通過將這些極不相同的場景並排放置，宮崎駿創造了一個清晰的訊息。

First, showing us everything we can appreciate about the natural world.

首先，它向我們展示了自然世界的一切。

Then showing us its destruction.

然後向我們展示它的毀滅。

Without taking moments like this in his storytelling, without 'ma', his themes would not be as strong.

如果在他的故事中不像這樣安排這些時刻，不加入「間」，他的主題就不會如此強烈。

Another way Miyazaki uses 'ma' is to make us feel present in the scene with the characters by creating an immersive experience for the audience.

宮崎駿另一種使用「間」的方式是通過為觀眾創造一種身臨其境的體驗，使我們感覺自己與角色一起在場景中。

For example, in "My Neighbor Totoro," Satsuki and May wait at a grizzly bus stop for their father to return from work.

例如，在《龍貓》中，皋月和梅在一個破舊的公車站等待他們的父親下班回來。

(Japanese) Daddy was not on it.

（日文）爸爸不在車上耶。

(Japanese) He'll be on the next one. Why don't you wait at Nanny's?

（日文）他肯定是搭下一班車。你要不要去奶奶家等呢？

May splashes in a puddle, observes a darkened shrine, and drifts off to sleep.

梅在水坑中跳躍，觀察著一座昏暗的神社，然後入睡。

A toad slowly makes his way down the road.

一隻蟾蜍慢慢地走在路上。

Someone on a bike squeaks by.

有人騎著自行車嘎吱地駛過。

All quiet moments surrounded by the light batter of rain.

所有寧靜的時刻都被輕微的雨聲所環繞。

Moments of no obvious significance.

這些沒有特別意義的時刻。

And then Totoro arrives and Satsuki has a first interaction with the lovable giant.

然後龍貓出現了，皋月與這可愛的巨大生物首次互動。

For nearly seven and a half minutes, the plot is put on hold.

在接近七分半鐘的時間裡，情節被暫時搁置。

The way Miyazaki fills this time with serene innocence is compelling nonetheless.

宮崎駿以恬靜無邪的純真填滿了這段時間，仍然非常引人入勝。

Both the tranquil sound design and lengthy pacing give the audience an opportunity to fully immerse themselves in the moment.

寧靜的音效設計和長時間的節奏，讓觀眾有機會完全沉浸在此刻之中。

Dedicating this much time to a scene where nothing happens is what separates Miyazaki from the rest.

將這麼多時間奉獻給一個毫無事件發生的場景，正是宮崎駿與其他人的區別之處。

And yet another way we see 'ma' is how Miyazaki creates non-traditional pacing.

而我們另一個看到「間」的方式是宮崎駿如何創造有別於傳統的故事節奏。

In screenwriting, pacing is the speed at which a story is told.

在編劇中，節奏是故事被呈現的速度。

In a very broad sense, most movies start slow and pick up speed until the climax.

從非常廣泛的意義上來看，大多數電影開始時都較緩慢，然後在達到高潮之前逐漸加快節奏。

But watching a Miyazaki movie, our expectations for traditional western narrative pacing go out of the window.

然而觀賞宮崎駿的電影時，我們對於看到傳統西方敘事節奏的期望會完全被打破。

There is a great example of this in "Spirited Away."

在《神隱少女》中就有一個很好的例子。

Chihiro befriends a boy named Haku, who is dying from a deadly curse.

千尋結交了一個叫做白龍的男孩，他因受致命詛咒折磨而危在旦夕。

On her way to save him, Chihiro encounters the monstrous No-Face wreaking havoc in the bathhouse.

在前往拯救白龍的路上，千尋遇到了在浴室中肆虐的妖怪無臉男。

After the clap of the bathhouse scene, we sit with her in silence as the train passes through painterly dreamlike landscapes.

在浴室場景的掌聲過後，我們與她一同靜靜地坐著，當火車穿越如夢似幻的繪畫般風景時。

With her friend's life on the line, we would expect more urgency.

面對朋友的生命危在旦夕，我們本能地期待更多的緊迫感。

But the silence allows us to consider what must be going through Chihiro's head.

然而，這份寧靜使我們能夠思考千尋內心正在經歷的種種情緒。

Is my friend going to die?

我的朋友會死嗎？

Will I be able to rescue my parents?

我能救出我的父母嗎？

A more traditional treatment of the scene would have a cry, panicking, or voicing these concerns through dialogue.

對這場景的更傳統處理可能會包括哭泣、驚慌失措，或透過對話來表達這些擔憂。

Instead, we share this contemplative moment of 'ma' with her.

相反，我們與她一同分享這個充滿思考的「間」的時刻。

Hayao Miyazaki isn't the only filmmaker to use this technique but he might just be the best.

宮崎駿並不是唯一一位使用這種技巧的電影製片人，但他可能是最優秀的一位。

No matter the genre you're working in, all filmmakers can follow Miyazaki's lead with a little 'ma'.

無論你從事哪個類型的電影製作，所有的電影製片人都可以借鏡宮崎駿，注入一些「間」的元素。

Consider the story you're telling and ask yourself how you might be able to fill in the time between claps.

思考你正在講述的故事，並問問自己在掌聲之間如何填補時間。

With silence?

用寂靜來填補嗎？

With romance?

用浪漫來填補嗎？

Or with a giant fuzzy magical beast.

或者和一隻巨大的毛茸茸的怪獸在一起。

What's your favorite moment of 'ma' you've seen in the movie?

在電影中，你最喜歡 哪個瞬間的「間」？

Share it with us in the comments.

請在評論中與我們分享。

And when you're ready to write your next script, get started for free using StudioBinder's screenwriting software.

當你準備好撰寫下一個劇本時，可以免費使用 StudioBinder 的劇本創作軟體來開始。

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按下訂閱並開啟小鈴鐺，這樣我們就能將未來的影片直接送到你的手中。