Cinematographer Wang Chongtu of the 1986 Journey to the West Reveals Behind-the-Scenes Insights on the Dragon Palace and Film Production.
Since the beginning of summer, Wang Chongtu, 78 years old, has garnered significant attention for using the social media platform Douyin (the Chinese version of TikTok) to engage with his audience. He has also created a Q&A section on the Weixin app, answering fans’ questions about the work.
The underwater scene in the Dragon Palace has been explained by the cinematographer.
Below is a question from a reader regarding the underwater filming in Journey to the West:
Why are the characters not wet when filming the scenes in the Dragon Palace (the palace beneath the sea)?
Haha, if we had actually filmed underwater, it would have been very dangerous. We placed a fish tank in front of the camera lens to create the effect as if we were in the depths of the ocean. If it were in the 1980s-1990s, I wouldn’t have revealed this. Now, nearly 40 years later, many secrets can be disclosed. This is a filming technique that combines fiction and reality.
