Wang Xiaoshuai: Wang Yuan is suitable for "Earth and Forever", the new film may start shooting at the end of the year

Wang Xiaoshuai: Wang Yuan is suitable for "Earth and Forever", the new film may start shooting at the end of the year

 Wang Xiaoshuai was interviewed to talk about the production and directing of new films.

　　 

　　Sina Entertainment News Wang Xiaoshuai is one of the representative figures of the sixth generation of directors. In recent years, he has also devoted himself to discovering young directors. He has produced a number of works of different genres and styles with varying reputations. At this year’s Shanghai International Film Festival, Xiaoshuai Wang is the producer. The photographer Wu Di, who has been acquainted with nearly 30 years, served as the director for the first time. The film "Up the Mountain" starring Tu Men, Wu Xiaoliang, and Ni Hongjie was shortlisted, and it is composed of "The Willow Wave" and "Northeast Tiger" This year, the three mainland Chinese films in the main competition unit of the Shanghai Film Festival. In the end, "Up the Mountain" unfortunately failed to win the prize.

　　After the premiere of "Mountain" at the Shanghai Film Festival, producer Wang Xiaoshuai talked to the media, revealed some of the behind-the-scenes production of the film, responded to some controversies just released, and explained the way of cooperation between a producer and a young director. Speaking of cooperating with young people, Wang Xiaoshuai mentioned that Wang Yuan was invited by "Long and Tianchang" because his age is just in line with the plot and role needs. They will never create a movie specifically for traffic actors.

　　Wang Xiaoshuai also revealed the latest development of the second movie "Wormous Soil" of the "Homeland Trilogy" after "Everlasting Earth": It has been prepared for half a year, and it is still in the stage of setting the scene, and strives to start it by the end of this year.  It is a rural movie about the relationship between farmers and land.

　　On the casting of "Up the Mountain":

　　Invited Wu Xiaoliang for "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", Ni Hongjie is a treasure actor

　　Reporter: There is a key line in "Going Up the Mountain", "It's easier to go up the mountain and it's hard to go down the mountain", which refines the whole story. How did you conceive the title in the first place? How would you define this movie?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Originally, the screenwriter thought about "There is a Temple on the Mountain", but because of some circumstances, it was not allowed to use this name, so everyone said what to do. We had to publish a name as soon as possible. At this time, our producer Liu Xuan said that "Up to the Mountain" would also work. , It is easy to go up the mountain and difficult to go down, which also fits this line.

　　This movie mainly takes place in one space. I hope that the less outside the better, the problem of cats and mice can be solved in one space. This becomes a challenge and an attempt. Interpreting it from the perspective of genre films will be a little different from the past. We are also summarizing whether it is a suspense film or a gangster movie. It may be more like a gangster movie. The police catch the thief, but the arrest is in a single scene, a stage-style scene.

　　We often go to the countryside to survey sceneries and run around. We have really seen many Taoist temples that combine different religions. When we were young, our cultural beliefs were indeed mixed. This actually carries a hint that as soon as people come here, they will naturally want to change their minds from the inside out. This aspect is actually very important for a person to change. Even though he was a criminal who had fled for seven years, he also wanted to change.

　　In fact, many criminal motives in society are unavoidable, whether it is deliberate or whatever. Excavating everyone's past will find out his motives, and the starting point will be very different. At the end of the play, it’s not that he is a good person or a bad person. It can only be seen that he must have hurt a lot of people. But in fact, it is out of a naive and simple emotional relationship. I think the audience will see it. There is a resonance, that is, each of us will be more or less hurt in this (emotional) aspect, and then we will change our own destiny.

　　Reporter: You invited Wu Xiaoliang to star in "Up the Mountain". In the film, he plays two roles, one is a monk and the other is a criminal. There is a big contrast between the two roles. Why is it set up like this?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: First of all, there is such a setting in the script (two people look very similar). This is a very difficult problem. You can never find two exactly the same people. You have to solve the problem of his dual identity in one person. . This also took some thought, from the makeup, as well as Xiaoliang's entire temperament. Everyone will think what is going on with these two people, and have all kinds of questions. But as long as the audience approves in the end, I think it is a victory. The monk is laying a postscript for the subsequent reversal. This drama is not afraid of spoilers. It has content at the end and has a greater motivation in it. I think Xiaoliang's performance is not bad.

　　The reason I approached Wu Xiaoliang is that I like his temperament in "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an". After the actual meeting, I found that he was younger than I thought. He may be more mature in appearance or photogenic in "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an". Then we have to rework his sense of age and let him act as a monk. When I was a little older, I did a little bit of his youthfulness in the past paragraphs. It took some time in this regard, and he also cooperated very seriously. The actor's willingness to play a good role in a play is very important. Otherwise, if he doesn't cooperate, then we can't help you.

　　Tus too, we thought he was more suitable for the first time (meeting). We have worked together in "Old Beasts" and they are all very good. Tus are rare artists of the older generation, and they pay more attention to the film itself. Whether he cooperates or not, on the one hand, it depends on the object of cooperation, on the other hand, it depends on the script. After reading it, he sent me a voice message and told me, "I read this script, (the role of the policeman) is me", because his brother used to be a policeman, I think it's good, everyone is willing to put themselves in .

　　Reporter: Ni Hongjie didn't have a lot of roles this time. It only appeared in the memory. Her performance was actually quite restrictive, because her role was actually quite complicated.

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Yes, I think the cooperation with her this time is a reward. Ni Hongjie used to give people the impression of melodramas, and even commercials. We saw that famous commercial when we were young. It seems that everyone is skeptical that she can act, but I have seen her performance in Cui Jian's play, it seems to be a very formal role, it is no longer a comedy, it is okay, and then proposed to cooperate with her.

　　It's true that she doesn't have many roles, and if there are not many roles, some actors will pick them and want to add more roles to herself. But she is very good. She respects the script and the big structure very much. What impressed me was that when I came the first day, I came up to film and interrogate her in that scene. I came back from the field that day and rushed to the scene, but I didn't recognize her! Did you know that she got the makeup done? According to reason, we are all in the same crew, and we would say hello like "Oh, long time no see", which was a bit of a conversation, but she ignored me that day and looked at the (opposing show) actors .

　　I was surprised at the time. Although her role was small, she did enough homework and entered the state when she came up. I think it is very good. In the last scene, she made herself very haggard and a tear came down. Several of us, including the director, and the executive, all said they were really good actors. It felt like finding a treasure actor.

　　Responding to the word-of-mouth of Shangshan:

　　The soundtrack is made in the direction of suspense films and Hollywood, and the director will accept both good and bad evaluations.

　　Reporter: General genre films and literary films are separate. Is "Up the Mountain" an attempt? Even the genre film is also very artistic.

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: I prefer to separate genre and art films. Genre films have methods of genre films. It has some things that must be solved, or elements that need to be incorporated. To make the audience feel enthusiasm, you only need to do the homework well. Of course, genre films can also strive to do it. Advanced.

　　For example, comedy movies, now slowly the audience knows, you start to laugh at that point, all kinds of exaggerations, as if you are scratching my armpits, you have to make me laugh, it will be very uncomfortable. On the contrary, through lines, through some bridges, and through collisions, it makes me laugh naturally. This is relatively advanced. The development of Chinese films must be studied in various genres.

　　As for literary or author films, many people have the desire to make artistic films, but they don't have real talent. It's not that you have to wear glasses to watch an art film. You have to admire this art. It's not like that. Every type must be done well.

　　Reporter: The poster of "Up the Mountain" is full of Zen. What kind of Zen do you think the expression of this movie contains?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: First of all, he is trapped in a Taoist temple on the mountain. It is a strange Chinese-style mountain temple shared by Confucianism, Buddhism and Taoism. This has already projected that the character may be a dead end. These religions can calm his mind and avoid it. It is best to wash away the past. As long as you live and live to death, you are already satisfied. This is a concept. So whether this is a kind of salvation, is it a kind of cleansing, is it a kind of subtle help, we are still quite implicit about this, and we can't take out the too religious aspects.

　　Taoism, which is shared by Confucianism, Buddhism, and Taoism, is actually very common in rural China. My intention is to hope that this aspect can be more sufficient, to show a character more in this special environment. But some things cannot be rendered excessively, which I am rather regretful.

　　Reporter: Today is regarded as the first screening of "Up the Mountain" at the film festival. The first batch of reviews has already been released. Are you concerned about it?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Tell me about it, I don't know yet.

　　Reporter: Just ten minutes ago, some people commented that the soundtrack of this film has lost a lot of points, and some people think it is too full. What were your considerations in making the soundtrack at the time?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: My own films often have very little music, and some films have almost no music on the whole. But this, like some early American films or suspense films that we often watch, the music is very sufficient. The mood of this kind of film is not the same as that of an art film. We do hope to be full of music. We are okay, unlike some horror movies that often make a sound to scare you, we try to keep this as little as possible, but we are doing it in the direction of suspense movies or Hollywood movies.

　　Reporter: There are also audiences who bluntly said that this work "looks like student work on the whole".

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: That's it, this feeling is directly transferred to the director. It is not convenient for me to comment, because I am the person behind the scenes. I hope everyone will ask the director or the audience about this question. I haven't had time to listen and see some feedback. In fact, no matter good or bad, I believe that Wu Di, as a director, will accept it from his experience in film and television. Unlike when he was a photographer before, it is the director's business whether it is good or bad. Everyone has the first time, as long as they have enough experience and enthusiasm, they can continue to go down.

　　Reporter: In the end, a lot of flashback techniques were used in the editing, and many viewers were a little drowsy. What are your thoughts on editing?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Some audiences may have watched more movies, he will have his needs, and he will not be drowsy. I often avoid flashbacks when I make movies myself, but for this type of thing, it needs to be clear, and flashbacks are a basic method. There are some types of films, if they can be completely innovated and reach a new height, they are also very remarkable, but they can't be met. Our first work as a director, I think those things are a little bit (super-concept), which can make the director work harder in the future. Flashback is a basic narrative method for genre films, it can't be helped.   

　　Reporter: You and Wu Di have worked on many movies. Would you worry that this movie will still look more handsome than Wang Xiaoshuai?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: I don't know this anymore. I don't think I'm too worried, because I have never done this type and story. I also like genre movies, suspense movies, police and criminal movies, but I have never done it before, so there is no trace on this, but this time I have the opportunity, as a producer, I can try this type. I don’t know if there is any mark on me, because I have never made this kind of film.

　　Supervisor experience talk:

　　Genre films and author films should be treated differently, but in the end it’s the director who has the final say

　　Reporter: Wu Di, the director of "Uphill", is a photographer you have known for nearly 30 years. Why do you encourage him to be the director this time? You act as the producer behind the scenes? Do you have any comments on shooting and post-editing?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Wu Di has been very successful as a photographer. After so many years, many people are now willing to try (as a director) in such a large environment. I think he also had this wish. The overall scale of the film, I think he can give it a try. After seeing the script, he is also willing to convert his years of experience as a photographer into a director. I think it is natural and a matter of course.

　　I used to supervise a very author's film, and I haven't been to the scene for almost a day. I will help them solve the problem when there is a problem. It is all peripheral problems, and I have become a life or peripheral producer. Everything on the set is the director's final say. Except for the actors and photographers to communicate with him, everything else is ultimately the director's decision. No one's will can be imposed on the director. The director will be messed up. I feel that once you choose a director, trust him and leave it to him.

　　But this time, because it has the nature of a genre film, I will be on the scene a little bit, even if it is not at the shooting scene, I will also observe in the hotel whether the shooting is going well. It is necessary to remind the director’s style at any time that he cannot leave the big script frame, because it is similar to a genre film. The suspense must be buckled to the end to satisfy the audience. You can’t tell the story without telling the story. You can’t just play with art. Sometimes I just watch it when I get to the scene. As long as all the settings are in the frame, I won't talk. The director is the soul of a movie. If you insert a sentence in the east and a sentence in the west, it will disrupt his thoughts, that won't work.

　　After I helped him adjust the script this time, I chose the scenes. The local government's contact, including the Taoist temple, and the art were all fixed, and then handed over to the director. I think that's the way it is, holding it while letting go, (producer) is a very well-measured job.

　　Reporter: Will you choose different production methods according to different types of films?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: I will make a clear distinction. If you are a film with a small cost and an author, and the director has just started the first film, he has no expectations for the market, but in order to fulfill your dream, we support you. At the same time, we are also pushing genre films. The director of the genre film will get a lot of investment, and he will get a lot of remuneration, so we treat them separately.

　　Only move forward in this way, don't envy anyone. But in the end, directors who have market expectations may be very envious of author-type directors, because I admire everything they like, or they have put forward some opinions, but they recognize their ideas more. But the things that do market behaviors become a lot of digging, which is very tiring. We have to knock, hit, and dig it, which is very painful and very collapsed. If you want to go like this, you have to do this, if you want to go like that, you have to do that. I think it’s better to make a distinction.

　　Reporter: How did you choose your projects as a producer? Would you choose something closer to your own style?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: First of all, the script cannot be particularly low. In order to pursue an effect, it has to be messy. Many people do this. It still has to be a more normal and serious type trend.

　　My own film still goes my own way, but now (the market) is in great demand. Everyone asks a company or other people to try to make something, so I find some like-minded people or are willing to try this. People with the subject matter come to serve as the director, and I do this behind the scenes.

　　Talk about cooperating with Wang Yuan: plot needs, can’t make a play for traffic

　　The new film "Fertile Land" strives to start shooting at the end of the year, and talks about the relationship between farmers and land

　　Reporter: You have been in contact with many young directors. What is your overall observation of the current young directors in China?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: First, I think we should pay more attention to my creation. Second, I feel a good phenomenon is that a certain kind of film has a huge market success the moment it appears, then these young directors know very clearly how I want to structure in the film, such as Hollywood or traditional drama. A few scenes, reversal, made it very in line with the public's aesthetics, a debut director can achieve great success.

　　Like "I'm Not the God of Medicine", Wen Muye, with everyone's help, made a relatively traditional feature film very clearly and achieved such a big success all at once. Some directors can directly enter the Cannes Film Festival for the first time, and they are all in a very good situation now. I think the root of these conditions lies in the Chinese society. Only with the smoke and the quality of society can we succeed.

　　Reporter: Now that more and more young people are joining the film industry, do you have any suggestions for them?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: Nowadays, young people are very good. First of all, their environment is very good and there are more and more opportunities. Some directors were very good in the first part, but slowly came to a point in the back. This is the phenomenon. Basically, you exercise more, you really persist, and really love the industry. Don't give up and lose confidence in yourself just because you get hit and others say something. I think making movies requires a little bit of maturity and progress, and there is a process.

　　Reporter: You have worked with many powerful actors, such as Wang Jingchun and Tu Men. Will you cooperate with more young actors in the future?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: It mainly depends on demand. You have many people who want to cooperate, but if there are middle-aged and elderly characters in this drama, there is no way. But if you have a 15 or 16-year-old child like our "Earth and Forever", then Wang Yuan is just right. It cannot be said that we should cooperate if we want to cooperate with Wang Yuan. We must have this opportunity and this role. We will not do a play for the sake of young traffic, but will look at what actors are suitable for the play in preparation.

　　Reporter: There is your "Octagonal Pavilion Misty" in the new "Mist Theater" film list. What kind of new attempt is the web drama for you? Apart from this web drama, what other projects have you been advancing recently?

　　Wang Xiaoshuai: It is a standard 12-episode series from Europe, America and the United Kingdom. The length of each episode seems to be 40-50 minutes. The whole is a long (story). The director is Hua Qing. He is a very good director. I am behind the scenes.

　　I'm still preparing for my new movie, called "Fertile Land", and I posted a concept poster before. It was a rural theme and talked about the relationship between farmers and land. This movie has been in preparation for half a year. We are selecting scenes. After we find a place, we have to sort out the relationships. If we come to make a movie then, please support me. Some places are very welcome, some places just Not necessarily, you have to find someone who welcomes us to increase the popularity of cultural tourism. Only when you decide the place you can set up the scene, go down step by step.

　　Let's see if "Fertile Land" can be filmed at the end of this year, because it is still during the epidemic. Everyone is thinking of ways to hurry up. If you don't film it, another year will pass.