Author / No Thoughts
"The sun is about to set in the west, and there is silence on the Weishan Lake. Play my beloved earthen lute and sing that moving song. ”
When the familiar melody of "Play My Beloved Earth Pipa" sounded, the classic picture of more than half a century ago reappeared in front of me. In the movie "Railway Guerrilla", the strong and optimistic revolutionary spirit and tenacious qualities of the guerrillas inspire and inspire generations of descendants, always keeping in mind the national spirit of unity of purpose, working tirelessly and moving forward heroically.
Today, 65 years later, another movie that shows the theme of railway anti-Japanese soldiers, "Railway Hero", has been released nationwide. The ending song of this film, re-filled according to the same melody, and sung by Andy Lau, is named "Playing My Beloved Earth Pipa Again". A "and" word not only represents a reinterpretation of classic songs, but also symbolizes the echo of the two films after many years.
Director Yang Feng said that after learning more about the background information of the Jinpu Railway Line and the Lunan Railway Team, he hopes to create a new story. As for why this popular song was still chosen as the theme song of the film, the director said: "I am paying tribute to the classics, paying tribute to the predecessors, and paying tribute to the feelings." ”
On the occasion of the national release of the movie "Railway Hero", the theater manager (ID: yxjlrvip) interviewed the director of the film, Yang Feng, and talked with him about the motivation and process of the film, as well as his understanding of the main theme of the film in today's market.
Old wine is newly brewed, classic reproduction, through the layers of fog of the times, what kind of spark can the legendary story of the railway soldier stir up today?
"I'm not making 'Railway Guerrillas'"
Many viewers may not know that the film "Railway Guerrilla" is actually based on the novel of the same name.
In 1954, the famous Chinese writer Liu Zhixia created a novel "Railway Guerrilla", which is based on the deeds of the railway guerrillas of the Lunan Military Region of the Eighth Route Army, describing the story of the anti-Japanese heroes who were active on the Jinpu Line (now the Beijing-Shanghai Railway) and the Linzao Branch Line (now known as the Xuezao Branch Line) in the Lunan region. The entire historical background of the novel is based on the Japanese occupation of Shandong after the Battle of Xuzhou.
It was because of this novel that there was the movie "Railway Guerrilla" in 1956, and the TV series version of "Railway Guerrilla" and other versions in 1985. That is to say, the whole story of "Railway Guerrilla" is actually based on novel literature, not real history.
In the view of director Yang Feng, it is obviously not enough to have a novel as basic information. For today's audiences, the story of the railroad soldiers has been around for a certain number of years, and if the background information is not clearly explained, it may be difficult for today's audience to enter.
Not to mention, real wars are quite brutal and not really as easy as the lyrics suggest. In these past film and television works, less involves the depiction of real cruel battlefields, which makes Yang Feng feel that the combing and establishment of the historical background is particularly important for the story of remake the railway soldiers in the current era.
The story of Yang Feng's first contact with the railway soldiers dates back to the creation of the previous work "Extremely Cold City". It's a story that takes place in Harbin, and it also has a background about the railway line. In the process of consulting the information, he learned about the Jinpu Railway Line, which was built in 1908. The Jinpu railway line was completed early in the year, starting from Tianjin and ending in Nanjing Pukou, running through the north and south, with a total length of more than 1,000 kilometers, which was prepared by Britain and Germany during the Qing government, and was opened to traffic in 1912.
After the completion and operation of the railway line, it has become an important north-south transportation hub, and it has also assumed the important significance of political, economic and cultural exchanges across the country. Through the Jinpu Line, many imported products entered China, opening the eyes of the Chinese people, and in wartime, the Jinpu Line carried countless refugees out of their homeland and fled to a foreign land. Whether it was a warlord melee, a war of resistance against Japan, or a civil war between the Kuomintang and the Communists, this railway line became the focus of competition between various forces.
Especially during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression, the Japanese army invaded the land of China on iron horses and took the lead in occupying the Jinpu Line. The Shandong anti-Japanese armed forces, who were in the battlefield behind enemy lines, took on the heavy responsibility of destroying railway lines and preventing the Japanese army from moving. On the basis of such a background, such a special unit as the railway soldier appeared, and the story of the railway team also came from this.
Director Yang Feng told the theater that in the past, too many people regarded the stories described in the novel as history, and the protagonists fabricated in the novels as real characters in history. However, when he consulted a large number of documents and visited many descendants of the railway soldiers, he found that there was still a big gap between the original real history and the literary creation with fictional colors. And the more he learned about it, the more interested he became in the story of the railroad soldiers, and the outline of a gunfire movie that belonged to China slowly took shape in his mind.
The movie "Railway Hero" is based on the real anti-war deeds of the "Lunan Railway Team" belonging to the 115th Division of the Eighth Route Army, and the real prototypes of Lao Hong, Lao Wang and others in the film can be found in history. In order to maximize the restoration of history, Yang Feng even spent a lot of money to buy video materials about the Jinpu Line from abroad, which is also the first disclosure of these video pictures, in order to allow the audience to instantly enter the historical situation of the past and present.
A large number of preliminary preparations and research, as well as the direct adaptation of historical materials, have made the film "Railway Hero" further close the distance between the audience and that era, and also let the audience most directly feel the tragic cruelty of the war, as well as the tenacious spirit and national integrity of the people of that era.
"Put the preparations ahead"
Historical materials are historical materials, from text narrative to video pictures, there is still a long way to go. But fortunately, for director Yang Feng, he is the kind of creator who will do all the preparatory work in the front, and when the preparation work is in place, the execution stage will save a lot of time.
Immersed in the film circle for many years, Yang Feng has accumulated a lot of experience, so he also has a strong sense of directing. In this film, he not only serves as a director and screenwriter, but also as a director of photography and editing. It is precisely because he is very proficient in all aspects of creation that he has the corresponding picture in his mind while writing the script.
The original screenplay for "Railroad Heroes" was written four years ago, and then the director started filming his last work, "Extremely Cold City". It wasn't until the outbreak of the epidemic last year that the director picked up the story again.
"I'm a person who likes to write, and when I write, I have a number in mind, and I don't dare to write aimlessly." Because I know that my staff, as well as domestic CG technology, can complete to which step, writing is too big to be afraid of completion, so the process of writing I am also restrained. ”
Then, Yang Feng added: "I will first write a literary script for the actors to see, and when the book is finalized, I will write another working script." I will write this script in great detail, what is on the table, what is the tone in the room, what the light should be, etc., all in detail. In this way, when the various departments of the Costume Road get the script, their purpose is very clear, and they will save a lot of time. In addition, I already have a large number of text pictures about that era in my mind, ready to be coordinated with the preparation of the field staff. So after a lot of preparation is completed, all that's left is execution, as well as polishing the details. ”
The entire script creation phase progressed quite quickly. In June last year, the film just finished the second draft, and by September, not only was the final draft completed, but even the crew was built. It can be said that such an efficient creative rhythm not only benefits from the director's large amount of time spent on the early desk work, but also shows the director's confidence in the whole project.
Moreover, according to the director's work habits, he likes to cut while shooting. Shooting on the set during the day, I went into the computer room at night to start working. On January 9 this year, the project was officially launched, and in just over 100 days, the movie was completed on April 21. After another 10 days, the rough cut of the whole film has been completed. And according to the director, the amount of CG special effects in the film basically accounts for 80%, such a huge post-production workload, more than a dozen special effects companies together, can still ensure that the entire project is methodically and high-speed operation, which indeed shows the director's ability to control.
However, even if the whole process is very fast and efficient, it is not without difficulties. Director Yang Feng admitted that one of the difficulties lies in the film scene and the arrangement of the art.
The director said that the studio part of the film accounted for 1/3 of the whole film, so the crew built a real train model according to the standard of 1:1 in the largest studio in Beijing, and all the scenes in the train carriage were completed in the shed. As for the exterior part, it is also built by the crew "building a building on the flat ground". That is to say, before the film started, the art department of the crew had been working for several months, and the AB two groups worked together to communicate with the director at any time every day to ensure that the pictures sent back from the scene were in line with the concept, which was undoubtedly a huge workload.
In addition, Yang Feng also mentioned that waiting for light when shooting locations is also a difficulty for people to control.
The film is set in a deserted charcoal factory, and the environment is more difficult. Due to the tonality and color of the overall aesthetic of the film, the director did not want to appear sunlight. However, the sky is not beautiful, and the days of shooting are sunny and sunny. To this end, the director came up with various tricks, and even spelled out a huge cloth to cover the sun like a cover, but the wind blew and tore it open. It can be said that in order to ensure that the entire progress is not wrong, but also to fight against the harsh natural environment, every second must be a huge effort.
In short, no matter what, the crew finally overcame these unpredictable difficulties, as far as possible in the preparation process to consider the thorough, art, makeup and other aspects of the emphasis on details, make full efforts, in line with the sense of the times and character personality at the same time, to complete the character shaping and plot promotion. In the end, with the efforts of many parties, the whole project has always ensured a smooth and efficient progress rhythm.
"I want to make a 'Hero Trilogy'"
In "Railway Hero", Lao Hong, played by Zhang Hanyu, and Lao Wang, played by Fan Wei, can be said to be the two soul characters of the whole film. Not only should the personalities complement each other, but also show the rich layering of the characters.
Lao Hong and Lao Wang are both inconspicuous little people in the factory, but in fact, they each shoulder important anti-Japanese tasks. Lao Hong needless to say, as a righteous party, he must not only show the courage and strategy of the characters, but also be able to hold his breath, be able to identify the enemy's tricks at a glance, and have the ability to plan and lead.
As for Lao Wang, the film spends a lot of ink on him to give his character arc. From the beginning of the "traitor" image to show people, nod to the Japanese and smile at the waist, and then to the disclosure of his real undercover identity later, from the initial flattering laugh, to the disdain and even sarcastic laughter afterwards, Fan Wei portrayed the richness of the role beautifully.
Yang Feng said that as early as the beginning of the creation of the script, it had been decided that Zhang Hanyu and Fan Wei would play, and even the lines of the role were completely written according to the two actors. Zhang Hanyu already has a relatively rich experience in war drama performance, so in the creation, he is more in the inner drama part of the director to run in. Fan Wei's role is more multi-faceted, in order to show the complexity of the image and rich inner activities, the director designed the role to be always drunk, because "wine can cover the face" and can cover up the tension in the character's heart.
In addition, Yang Feng also added that several young actors have also contributed good performances. For example, Wei Chen and Yu Haoming have had some experience in war dramas before, so they can directly get started with a simple guide, and the small stubbornness on them is exactly what the role needs. As for the little nurse played by Zhou Ye, he is also a real character in history. The script gives this small role more background and space to play, and the addition of female characters also adds a touch of feminine tenderness to this bloody "man's play".
When it comes to the main theme attributes of the film, the director also shares with us the criteria for a good main theme film.
"Don't shout slogans, be true temperament, don't deliberately render." After a pause, the director continued: "The really moving story is to show the exploration of human nature, to write the hero as a 'person'. ”
In the movie "Railway Hero", director Yang Feng has always adhered to this point. Lao Hong, Lao Wang and other railway soldiers are actually just very low-level ordinary working people, and they have the complexity of the individual humanity of the characters, such as the father-son emotional bond between Lao Wang and the boilermaker stone, which is to shape the revolutionary heroes as ordinary people, showing their seven passions and six desires and fragile delicacy.
Similarly, in dealing with the image of Japanese officers and soldiers, the director did not dwarf the enemy, but also poured a certain amount of care. This kind of drama idea can really let the audience feel the "truth" of the characters, and only then can the audience feel substitute and empathetic to the historical story.
Nowadays, the genre of the main theme film has become the creative trend of the current market, and many films that have achieved good market performance have also been born. In the face of such a practice, Yang Feng believes that such a form is desirable, at least to a certain extent, it proves its feasibility of commercialization. However, we must also be wary of this kind of swarming creation, because in the process, you may lose the most precious thing of the creator himself.
As director Yang Feng's first work on the big screen, "Railway Hero" poured his respect and reverence for the railway soldiers in history, and also contained his desire to create a beautiful idea of a "gunfire movie" belonging to China.
The director told the theater that he had a plan to make a "hero trilogy". The first "Extremely Cold City" has been completed, talking about "righteous soldiers" and will soon meet the audience; this "Railway Hero" is about "martyrs"; as for the next movie, the idea is already there, it is still a period drama, about "warriors".
Through this "hero trilogy", Yang Feng hopes to convey to the audience a concept: war is cruel, every era has heroes, and every hero is worthy of being recorded. Chinese is a peace-loving nation, the revolutionary spirit in its bones will not fade no matter what era.
Today, through the film "Railway Hero", the gorgeous music of the times is rewritten. And the profound patriotic feelings contained in this are also the most precious spiritual wealth that belongs to each of you and me.