The real danger with visual arts and in many areas of both interest and study is the subjective point of view on both the artist and the viewer’s part. With so much meaning injected, or none at all, it’s so dangerous to be so random in art. What may look so good may project subliminally something so evil or amoral (if any). What makes me so hesitant to express opinion about artwork to an artist or to a member of the intelligentsia is thinking about the remark “You can look at it that way…” I mean, that’s a hanging statement. And though art can be in ways a barely disciplined science (desirable to some and yet limiting if it becomes so), the artist and beholder should take responsibility for the fluidity and vague objectivity in the works.

Actually, understanding the dynamics of the design principles is just the tip of the iceberg.

Having a clear vision of what you want to visually achieve and convey is perhaps more important.

The design principles are just tools that we can use to amplify or foreground our ideas. The bottom line is the idea itself. No amount of visual organization can substitute for content. In fact, some films are criticized for merely being too glossy while miserably lacking substance. Hero is just one example of a film that possesses a visual and thematic unity that beautifully resonates. The consistency in cinematography, editing, production design and direction reveals the agreement of the film’s subject, form and content.

What I like about the film Hero is VISION of its filmmaker Zhang Yimou. As an artist, he clearly understands that the message is inextricably intertwined with the medium.