Where to start with He Fa’s work
All videos are public on the YouTube channel @p4theater510. Pick a group by how much time you have.
Under 5 minutes
Human Surrender (Shoot Self with You)｜Official Trailer · English SubtitlesYouTube · 2:25Directed by He Fa, co-created with the entire cast and crew
The Howler on the Rooftop in Two Minutes｜两分钟进入《天台上的嚎叫者》YouTube · 2:12He Fa’s role: P4 organizing and 3P documentation
Trailer with Chinese subtitles：《人类投降派》中文字幕预告｜Official Trailer (Chinese Subtitles) — Shoot Self with You
Understand the ideas: video essays (about 30 minutes)
Who Controls the Camera in an Intimate Scene?YouTube · 7:33Imaging with you / the camera inside the relation
Who Is Directing Whom? | A Rehearsal That Won’t ObeyYouTube · 6:45Action generated through relations
What Is P4 Theater? | An English Introduction to Beijing’s Experimental TheaterYouTube · 6:39P4 Theater overviewThe full film: Shoot Self with You (2 h 36 min)
Shoot Self with You (English Subtitles)｜Experimental film / Documentary｜Directed by He Fa, co-created with the entire cast and crewYouTube · 2:36:23English subtitles
Vimeo：vimeo.com/934438119 · Playlist：人类投降派｜Shoot Self with You / Human Surrender — Full Film & Making-of
A Documentary on the Making of Shoot Self with You｜制作《人类投降派》｜纪录片YouTube · 35:46Making-of documentary (here “documentary” names the making-of video itself).Performed scenes are not statements about the performers’ private lives. → Film facts and credit
Full performances (an evening each)
These are collective P4 works; He Fa’s role on each follows his artist site.
| Work | YouTube title | Length | He Fa’s role |
|---|---|---|---|
| Iceberg | ICEBERG 冰山 | Full Performance Film (4K, English Subtitles) | 2:08:27 | Producer |
| 天台上的嚎叫者 (English title not yet fixed) | Can You Escape the Howling? | P4 Theater’s Experimental Masterpiece | 1:18:25 | P4 organizing and 3P documentation |
| Vortex | 11 Performers Turn a Beijing Parking Garage Into a Stage | VORTEX | 1:05:23 | Collective creator, member of the announced performing roster, author of a signed article |
| 控诉爱情失败后的中间派自救指南 (English title not yet fixed) | The Middle Party — Full Performance｜第二排机位 | 1:12:36 | Author of the signed announcement “Who Are the Centrists?” |
| Cocoon | P4 Theater Archive | Cocoon | Edited Stage Film | 2020 | 44:26 | Production and organisational collaboration, signed writing and participation in backstage interviews |
| Shadow Counterpoint | What If Your Double Replaced You? | Shadow Counterpoint (Full Performance) — P4 Theater | 22:16 | Named collaborator; collective P4 creation |
Short films and excerpts
Hallucination: A Woman Trapped in a Web of Red Ropes | He FaYouTube · 6:03Hallucination, 2020. He Fa’s role: Production collaborator, according to his 2022 retrospective
第一次排练：当表演开始失效｜First Rehearsal: When Performance Fails — Shoot Self with YouYouTube · 7:56First rehearsal of Shoot Self with You.
《最后的排练》之前：谁决定下一幕？｜Before The Final Rehearsal: Who Decides Next? — Shoot Self with YouYouTube · 19:33Before The Last Rehearsal.The most-watched clip, in context
This intimate-scene rehearsal comes from Shoot Self with You. Read non-sovereign spectatorship first: to see another person does not grant ownership of their meaning. Performed scenes are not statements about the performers’ private lives.
After watching
Key ideas · Relational Image Theory · Viewing editions and chapters · Start Here: What Is P4 Theater?｜P4 剧场介绍
FAQ
- Where can I watch the full film Shoot Self with You?
- YouTube with English subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F1riPOyQuCI ; 4K without subtitles: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WH8cwipcVEI ; Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/934438119
- Are there Chinese subtitles?
- A Chinese-subtitled trailer exists (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QcxlDoPGqH4). The official sites do not say whether a Chinese-subtitled full version exists.
- What should I watch first?
- With half an hour, start with the video essays. With an evening, watch the full film Shoot Self with You.