Cinematographer and Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha is considered the one who breathes life into war-themed films. Born and raised in Hanoi, his childhood was especially attached to his hometown of Tu Ky. And few people know that his name is derived from the name of a district in Hai Duong province.
Documents about cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha of Vietnam Film Institute
Even though he has spent many years wandering around, dedicating his whole life to his film career, every time he mentions his homeland, the artist with two types of hair still always turns his mind to this land. This place is not only associated with his childhood but also a part of his spiritual life, forever indelible.
“My father, Pham Hung Tien (aka Hoang Thanh), was a revolutionary in Hai Duong since he was 13 years old. My hometown at that time was Toai An village, Dong Ky commune (now Chi Minh commune, Tu Ky). My father told me that Thanh Ha district on the other side of the river was where he participated in revolutionary activities with many life-and-death memories. My name was named after the place where he lived and participated in revolutionary activities, and the name Pham Thanh Ha came from there,” said cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha.
In the memory of Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha, Tu Ky is a peaceful countryside with a network of canals. As a child, every year his parents brought him here to stay for a month. In the low-lying commune of Dong Ky, families used to go to each other by boat, connected by rickety bamboo bridges. Along each canal were tall coconut trees covered with moss.
“I remember the time when my uncle Ma - my aunt's husband - carried me across the canal on a fragile, swaying bamboo bridge. I was so afraid that I would fall into the water at any moment. In my memory, the Tu Ky countryside also has ancient lychee trees with large trunks."
"Those peaceful childhood memories, the fragrant smell of ripe rice, seem to haunt my childhood, creating a lot of inspiration for my future artistic path," Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha said.
“I started my career as a film director, then joined the army. When I transferred to military school, I taught myself how to do commentary, take photos, and then tried my hand at writing for newspapers. I still remember the thrill of having my first photo published in a newspaper in 1983,” Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha recalled.
In 1985, instead of joining the army, he applied to work for the Border Guard Cinema. Here, he was fortunate to be an assistant cameraman for Meritorious Artist Phung Ba Gia (one of the first Meritorious Artists of Vietnamese Cinema) in Ha Giang. He did many tasks for the film crew, from measuring light to operating the generator, charging batteries...
In 1986, fate brought him to be admitted to the fully subsidized film class at the VGIK International Film School (former Soviet Union). Recalling the overwhelming joy at that time, Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha still jokes: “Thanks to the 2 priority points of the Army, at that time I took the exam with many children from famous families, and was tutored since childhood. I was not like that, I only knew a little about photography, but luckily I passed.”
(1) Student Pham Thanh Ha (far right) performs a filming exercise in the VGIK studio; (2) He performs a scene at the Novodevixchie Cemetery (former Soviet Union); (3) Pham Thanh Ha (far right) on the day of People's Teacher Nguyen Manh Lan's doctoral thesis defense; (4) Mr. Pham Thanh Ha at the All-Soviet National University in 1987
Studying in the Soviet Union at that time was an ideal environment that everyone wished for. Taking advantage of the learning conditions here, he diligently filmed, took photos, and developed films in the darkroom with instructors who were famous Soviet cinematographers at that time. Just like that, he "grew up" with very strict and methodical exercises.
After 6 years of studying in the Soviet Union, he graduated with a degree in cinematography and returned to Vietnam. In 1995, he worked and became the main cameraman of Feature Film Studio I before moving to the Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema to teach cinematography as well as hold the position of Deputy Head of the Faculty of Television in 2011 and in charge of the Faculty of Photography in 2014.
Recalling his time making films at Feature Film Studio I, he said that at that time, there were not many state-owned films, each year the studio only had 1-1.5 films, and there were even years when there were no films to film. He and his colleagues had to make television films to make ends meet and not forget their profession.
The country's situation was difficult, especially for the film industry at that time, films were always in a state of "lack of money", had to be filmed quickly, filmed in a way that saved film, saved filming time to free up actors, free up the setting.
At the time of filming, special effects were not yet popular in Vietnam. The war films shot by Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha required many difficult scenes, which were even more difficult when shot on film.
In some of Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha's memorable films such as: "The Scent of Burning Grass", "Life", "Cau Ong Tuong"... he and the film crew used special effects right on set by cutting and pasting model airplanes from paper.
With these scenes, the role of the cameraman is very important. Using camera movements to make the plane move is something that is difficult for anyone to do.
He created and applied the method of using a fan to blow smoke in the opposite direction of the paper planes, creating a realistic feeling as if the planes were flying in the sky.
“Using a paper-cutting plane, cutting exactly like an American plane, but the problem at that time was how to make the plane move. At that time, I remembered my childhood memories when my family evacuated to Lac Dao, Van Lam (Hung Yen). At that time, to avoid enemy planes, the children had a movement of herding buffaloes at night. At night, I followed my older brothers and sisters riding buffaloes, lying on the dike looking up at the sky and saw the moon moving. I suddenly said “ah”: The moon did not move, but the clouds passed over the moon, creating the feeling of the moon moving,” Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha shared.
Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha also did not forget to talk about the filmmaking process with many unforgettable memories: “Not only was I the main cameraman, there were many times I also had to become an involuntary actor. When filming “Tears Between Two Centuries”, there was an episode where an actor was so absorbed in a martial arts scene that he got injured and had to go to the hospital. The set still had to be returned, and the filming date had to be guaranteed, so I let the assistant cameraman take over and then jumped in to act as a substitute.”
Excerpt from episode 8, film "Tears between two centuries" - the scene where cameraman Pham Thanh Ha acts as an actor's stand-in (Source: Hanoi Audiovisual Company)
During his time as the main cameraman at Feature Film Studio I, the films he participated in won many prestigious awards such as: Golden and Silver Lotus; Golden and Silver Kite and individual awards for excellent cameraman, technical award of Vietnam Film Festival... For his contributions to the film industry, in 2007 he was awarded the title of Meritorious Artist by the State.
Cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha (third from right) received the Best Cinematography award for the film "The Scent of Burning Grass" at the 2012 Golden Kite Awards.Cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha (second from left) received the title of Meritorious Artist in 2007.
During her years studying abroad, Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha was always aware of the need to bring back documents and knowledge to build the country's film industry.
When he returned to Vietnam in 1994, his luggage included two suitcases full of books and documents. Looking at the number of books the young cinematographer brought back, the Principal of the Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema at that time, Mr. Le Dang Thuc - the first People's Teacher of the Vietnamese cinema industry, exclaimed: "This guy must return to school to teach."
Cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha said: “At that time, I had just returned to the country, with only theory and no products. Besides, I wanted to directly participate in the shooting and production of Vietnamese films to gain more practical experience.”
While filming for film studios and TV stations, he also participated in teaching since 2002. In 2011, he officially returned to Hanoi University of Theatre and Cinema to teach filming and hold the position of Deputy Head of the Television Department.
Teacher Pham Thanh Ha at the lecture hall of Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema
While teaching and making films, cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha has the opportunity to give students practical access to the film set. He recounted his memories of filming “The Scent of Burning Grass” set in Dong Mo (Son Tay town, Hanoi), when many students came to watch him shoot, some students were assigned to be assistant cameramen, some were assigned to be lighting staff…
“When I went to film, I saw both current and former students coming to visit me, even though I could only watch from afar. I was so happy to see my students,” cinematographer Pham Thanh Ha shared.
After many years of working, he always shares his experiences with young colleagues as well as students. He has published the book “Filming in Film and Television” - a bedside book for many students studying film and photography.
In particular, his theoretical and critical research work on cinema “Cinema and Television Cinematography” won the Silver Kite Award at the 2016 Kite Award Ceremony of the Vietnam Cinematography Association. In addition, he is also the co-author of the book “Cinema Techniques” published in 2015, and co-translated the work “Cinema Cinematography in 2016”...
Teacher Pham Thanh Ha
Introducing 3 books at the lecture hall of Hanoi Academy of Theatre and Cinema
Books he wrote and co-authored
is well received by many students studying art.
.
Film and Television Filming Book
It is also the bedside book of many students pursuing a career "Behind the lens".
Having devoted her whole life to the country's seventh art, Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha always believes that filming is a profession with many ups and downs.
In his twilight years, Meritorious Artist Pham Thanh Ha has won many prestigious awards, both individually and collectively. Along with that, he has many successful students who continue to contribute to Vietnamese cinema day and night.
Yet when asked what he still worries about in his more than 20 years of working in the arts, the artist's voice suddenly becomes lower: "I have filmed all over the country, but I regret that I have never made a film in the homeland that is associated with my childhood. Even though I have retired, I am still ready to return to stand behind the lens again if I have the opportunity to make a film in Hai Duong."
Content:VAN TUAN
Present:TUAN ANH
This article uses materials from:Meritorious Artist PHAM THANH HA
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