Static Movies

Still photography in the film industry serves not only to record but also to re-­create. Still photography would not exist if this element of re-creation were lacking. If truthful records were all that we ever needed, we could simply use modern technology to isolate static images from films. To re-create is to discover unique on-set subjects by gazing through your viewfinder with sharp eyes and a keen mind.

The process is closely related to filmmaking, but it can also be independent of it.

Still photography is regarded as a relatively independent branch of film production. Although still photographers have to work on set and quietly record images alongside the camera crew, they do not directly participate in film production itself. Film stills can also be taken off the set: during rehearsals, for example, we make arrangements to take photos of actors in costume. Only a few stills get to be published, but photographers have to know the plot and characters of a film well and familiar­ize themselves with the director’s objectives. Film stills attract public attention and help to boost audience numbers. They gain publicity through newspapers, magazines and online media.

Even though the still photographer and the cinematographer share many skills and functions, they differ fundamentally. The cinematographer focuses on filming the footage that will ultimately be edited to produce the entire film. The still photographer concentrates on capturing vivid images; they even record scenes which will not appear in the film itself, but which faithfully reflect its soul.

For me, becoming a still photographer was more by accident than by design.

In 1986 I worked as a still photographer for the first time for Hou Hsiao-hsien’s Dust in the Wind. It was not until 21 years later that I was invited by Chung Mong-hong to take photos for Parking, his first dramatic feature film. Over the past few years, in addition to being a director, Chung has produced many films, releasing new projects almost every one or two years. In the last 11 years I have taken stills for films including The Fourth Portrait, Soul, Godspeed, The Great Buddha+, Xiao Mei, and A Sun.

One might ask: “Why take still photos on the set? Why not wait until filming is over and then isolate individual frames from the film?” To answer these questions, let me cite the brief that Chung Mong-hong gave me as a still photographer: “I want the stills to be images that will not appear in the film.” This is precisely what is meant by re-creation. Still photography is intimately related to filming, but it can also exist outside of films. Still photographers derive their subject-matter from films, but they also enjoy independence. Through their own creative processes, these photo­graphers present their work to the public as if it were a static movie.  

Dust in the Wind (1986) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

Parking (2008) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

The Fourth Portrait (2009) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

The Fourth Portrait (2009) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

Soul (2012) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

The Great Buddha+ (2016) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)

A Sun (2018) (photo by Liu Chen-hsiang)