Show the true stories of the eight "Medal of the Republic" winners, the gold team created a 9.1-point TV series, and the chief director Zheng Xiaolong was interviewed by the Beijing News

　　"Choosing "The Meritorious Merit" into a popular drama for the common people"

　　Major realistic-themed works organized and created by the State Administration of Radio and Television, the repertoire of "Ideals Illuminate China-Celebration of the 100th Anniversary of the Founding of the Communist Party of China", and the first TV series "Merchants" that fully displays the true stories of the eight "Republic Medal" winners During the broadcast, the play assembled the golden team in the field of contemporary film and television drama: Zheng Xiaolong served as the chief director, Mao Weining ("Ordinary World"), Shen Yan ("Chinese Relations"), Kang Honglei ("Soldier Assault"), Yang Yang ( "Heart Technique"), Lin Nan ("Golden Eyes"), Yang Wenjun ("Divorce Lawyer"), Yan Jiangang ("Zhao's Orphan Case"), etc. served as directors of each unit.

Up to now, the Douban score of "Meritorious" is as high as 9.1 points, and it has become another main theme TV series that has truly entered the masses this year following "Mountain and Sea Love" and "Awakening Age".

　　A few days ago, a reporter from the Beijing News interviewed Zheng Xiaolong, the chief director, and the directors, screenwriters and other creators of each unit, to uncover the creative story behind "The Meritorious".

　　Early stage

　　Zheng Xiaolong began to "lack of confidence"

　　Zheng Xiaolong has worked at the Beijing Television Art Center for 17 years. He has completed many "top-down" works and won many "Five One Project Awards".

However, in October 2019, Zheng Xiaolong was not confident enough to face the "Morticism" "issued" by the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television. Except for Yuan Longping, Shen Jilan, and Tu Youyou, Zheng Xiaolong did not understand the deeds of the first batch of meritorious figures.

Zheng Xiaolong hopes to look at the information first and think about whether "Merchants" can be made into a popular drama.

　　After more than 20 days, Zheng Xiaolong chose to take on this arduous task.

"I was completely moved by the deeds of these characters." He said.

For example, Shen Jilan, Zheng Xiaolong only knew that she had been re-elected to the thirteenth National People's Congress, but she did not know that it was she who proposed "equal pay for men and women for equal work" and why she proposed this transformative motion.

It turns out that since Shen Jilan married to Xigou Village in 1947, she has been actively participating in labor, but when the work points were recorded, women who worked harder received less than half of those of men and the elderly, or even lower.

This has affected the enthusiasm of many women to work in the fields.

And in the era when "good men go to the county and good women to the courtyard", in principle, women are not allowed to work.

Shen Jilan's proposal is undoubtedly a decisive step in the cause of women's liberation in China.

　　In Zheng Xiaolong's view, when you begin to understand these people, you will be moved by their stories; similarly, behind the splendor of their lives, those unknown stories are worth exploring and expressing through artistic means.

　　What to shoot

　　Adhere to the style of realism, be true and not exalt

　　After setting the tone in the early stage, Zheng Xiaolong began to choose the remaining seven directors.

Each director has a completely different personal style, and Zheng Xiaolong gives them great creative space.

The script can be told in any way such as flashback, flashback, and straightforward. The main creators of each unit can determine the story style according to the characteristics of their respective characters and the content of the interview.

Including the ending film, the director can also add his own creativity.

　　But in addition to reserving differences, it is more about seeking common ground, and the most important thing is the unity of realist style.

"The lens, language, and content must be restored to the appearance of that era. For example, the script wrote that a jeep came in 1968, and a colonel officer came down from above. I saw that this was wrong. In 1965, the troops were replaced by cadres. Clothes and soldier uniforms, how come you are a colonel officer?" Zheng Xiaolong requires that each team, from screenwriter to director, must penetrate into the life of that era.

Some of the details were found to be problematic after the shooting, and Zheng Xiaolong asked to reshoot or modify it later.

　　In addition, selecting real experiences and presenting the "high light moments" of meritorious characters in a short and succinct manner is also the unified creative direction of "Merritious".

For example, Li Yannian has participated in more than 20 battles such as the War of Liberation, the suppression of bandits in Western Hunan, the resistance to US aggression and aid against Korea, and the self-defense counterattack against Vietnam. However, "Neng Wen Neng Wu Li Yannian" only selected the story of Li Yannian defending the 346.6 highland in three days and two nights.

In Zheng Xiaolong's view, the most important experience in Li Yannian's life was to resist US aggression and aid Korea, and he won the title of "First Class Fighting Hero".

Not only did he fight bravely, but more as an instructor, he did a good job in the ideological and political work of the troops, telling everyone that he must charge bravely for the country and the people, and led the broken up troops to finally hold their positions.

"In the past we talked about the army, there were few that really talked about the political work of the army and created the image of a soldier capable of cultural and military skills. So this story will be more meaningful."

　　"The Obscure Zhang Fuqing" summarizes Zhang Fuqing's life.

In Zheng Xiaolong's view, compared with Li Yannian's classic battle of defending the high ground, Shen Jilan proposed that "men and women get equal pay for equal work." Zhang Fuqing seems to have no outstanding deeds for Sun Jiadong and Yu Min's extraordinary achievements in the field of space lunar exploration and hydrogen bombs.

But because of this, he was awarded the "Medal of the Republic" with more profound meaning. "He has won many honors in the army and became a grassroots cadre after retiring from the army. He is diligent and diligent." , Is the most shining point on his body.

　　"We must first understand why these meritorious figures were awarded the Medal of the Republic, and photograph these things so that the audience can know what shines in them. At the same time, we must also reveal what our party and the country are pursuing, encouraging, and setting an example. That's the same-it doesn't mean that great achievements are necessary to achieve greatness. Being a steadfast person who serves the people, the party and the country can also become a meritorious service." Zheng Xiaolong said.

　　How to write

　　Excavation of true stories to the extreme

　　Yuan Longping is perhaps the most well-known among the eight meritorious figures, with a lot of public information.

But this time, Song Fangjin used "remote" materials as the main material for his creation of "The Meritorious Merit."

Including reading through his precious past alumni records, many of his real names have been included in the play; interviews with Yuan Longping’s students, old colleagues, secretary, son... During the period, Song Fangjin accidentally harvested something unknown from the secretary Details: Yuan Longping did not stay overnight in other places except Hunan and Hainan.

Including the day the "Republic Medal" was awarded, Yuan Longping did not live in Beijing, but returned on the same day.

His secretary explained that because he was in the field all the year round and was steamed with dermatitis by the rice, he had to use a cork filled with hot water on a thermos every night to "cover" all the dermatitis on his body before he could fall asleep.

Song Fangjin and Yan Jiangang "like a treasure" for this.

There was such a precious moment in the play-Yuan Longping's wife gave him a whole body to stop the scald.

"This detail really shows the hardships and hardships of scientists."

　　If "The Meritorious" is different from other realistic production methods, most of the characters it wants to express do not have the so-called "dramatic tension", and the screenwriters are more about "realistic exploration" to the extreme.

For example, the creators of almost every unit have visited meritorious figures.

In 2019, Mao Weining went to the third retired cadre retreat in Nanning of Guangxi Military Region and met with 91-year-old Li Yannian.

The old hero's waist was very straight, and he didn't feel tired after talking with Mao Weining for three or four hours.

Although his memories of the past are a bit vague, Mao Weining remembers deeply the memory of his sacrificed comrades.

This also made Mao Weining and Liu Gejian firm that "Neng Wen Neng Wu Li Yannian" should not only write about Li Yannian's achievements on the battlefield, but also about Li Yannian and his comrades-in-arms.

"Later I understood a truth: Comrade Li Yannian is the smallest position among combat heroes. He (won the'Republic Medal') is actually a representative of many ordinary soldiers who gave their lives for war. He actually did every hero's job. What you did.” Therefore, the cowardly but righteous "deserant" Xiao Anton appeared in the final drama. Luo Houcai, who appeared to be greedy for life and fear of death but entered the enemy tank alone at a critical moment, accidentally stepped on the loose and thundered and died heroically. Li Yuan...These are all image interpretations of the comrades in arms that Li Yannian missed.

　　In the same year, Kang Honglei and Chen Ping met 95-year-old Zhang Fuqing.

Every time I saw Chen Ping and Kang Honglei, the old man always asked "Is it cold?" Then he covered the two people with cotton curtains.

"The old man is very kind and kind," Chen Ping said.

Just as he has sealed his achievements in the dust for more than 60 years, the old man did not ask anything about "The Obscure Zhang Fuqing", and only shared his own story between words; every time he parted, the old man always said, "Thank you for your hard work." No request has ever been made.

Then the drama presented such a story: In 2012, Zhang Fuqing had an amputation of his left leg due to illness.

In order not to affect his children's "working for the party and the people", the 88-year-old put on a prosthesis and continued to stand up tenaciously.

This is based on Zhang Fuqing's real experience.

Chen Ping said that when he wrote this story, he didn't deliberately raise the height, but when the pen fell, he would be emotional.

　　Late

　　The title should be re-makeup and re-modeling

　　The most impressive thing about "Merchants" is the title: Under the background of the huge "Medal of the Republic", the leading actors in each unit walked slowly with a smile on their faces in the image of the play.

But with the pace, everyone gradually becomes what a heroic figure looks like in real life.

Although this image is only 1 minute and 30 seconds, it is enough to shock people.

　　This idea was a whim of Zheng Xiaolong, but the process of realization was very difficult.

Most of these eight meritorious figures are old, and some are no longer alive. It is impossible to invite them to take pictures or do facial scans.

"(Many people have asked) whether it will be done or not, for fear that it will not be done in the end. But I still insist on doing it. I said at least we have to try it." Zheng Xiaolong said.

　　In the end, Zheng Xiaolong got the high-definition photos of the meritorious figures from the Xinhua News Agency. The special effects company asked the special effects company to remodel everyone from the skeleton frame, eyebrows, eyes and other parts according to the photo to restore a complete image of the character.

The difficulty of this process is huge.

Zheng Xiaolong can't remember how many editions of the modelling renderings he has seen. Either the eye lines are too few and the gloss is not enough; or the hair is not made one by one, or it is made black and thick, which is similar to the real old man. The image does not match.

　　From actors to meritorious characters, how the hair changes, how the military uniforms are worn, are all "picked out" a little bit.

Production began in December 2020, and until the start of the show, the title was still repeatedly revised; when the time was running out at the end, Zheng Xiaolong and the team lived in the office, and changed after receiving feedback, and then gave feedback after the change.

　　Including music.

In 2020, when Zhong Nanshan was awarded the "Medal of the Republic" ceremony was broadcast on TV, a magnificent piece of music was played, and Zheng Xiaolong immediately selected it as the background music for the title.

But the tempo of this melody was too slow, and it was difficult to keep up with the pace of the eight meritorious figures. So Zheng Xiaolong and his team re-edited the music again and speeded up the rhythm re-recording.

　　"It took a lot of effort, but the title effect is not bad." According to Zheng Xiaolong, it is not impossible to edit the scenes in the play or reproduce the animation in the traditional way of the title. Take more thought.

　　B04-07 edition written by Beijing News reporter Zhang He