How the blockbuster that topped the box office of Chinese film history was made
Demystifying the "breaking circle" code of the "Changjin Lake" series of films
Our reporters Tu Ming and Zhang Manzi
The Spring Festival movie "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake" is being shown, and many viewers walked into the theater on the first day of the new year, feeling the surging feelings of home and country in the magnificent war scene.
In the past Spring Festival holiday, this film continued the movie viewing craze of the prequel film "Changjin Lake" with a box office transcript of 3.512 billion yuan in 15 days of release. It not only brought great poetic narrative to Chinese war films The new atmosphere has brought tens of millions of viewers into the historical scene of the song and tears.
Previously, "Changjin Lake" was postponed several times due to the voices of the audience, and finally created a miracle of 122 million people watching the film and a box office of 5.772 billion yuan. It won the 2021 global box office crown and became the box office champion in my country's film history.
How did the series of films that top the box office in film history and lead the Spring Festival stalls come into being?
How does it describe history, how does it allow hundreds of millions of young people to "break the defense", and make positive energy gain a large flow?
With these questions in mind, a reporter from Xinhua Daily Telegraph recently interviewed the producer and creator of the film, revealing the "breaking circle" code of the "Changjin Lake" series of films.
The Chinese story that made hundreds of millions of young people "break the defense"
In October 1950, the Changjin Lake area suffered a severe cold that had not been seen in 50 years.
The Chinese People's Volunteers, who were transferred from East China to participate in the Battle of Changjin Lake, rushed to the DPRK before they put on their winter clothes.
The average age of the soldiers is only about 20 years old. They have no cotton-padded clothes, tents, stoves, and hot food to keep warm. During the day, only the potatoes with thick ice and the snow and ice all over the mountains can satisfy their hunger and thirst. At night, they can only keep warm with their comrades.
Some warriors' shoes were torn off, and their bare feet were covered in ice; some warriors' ears were frozen and fell off when touched, but as soon as the charge horn sounded, all of them rushed out to fight immediately.
With the tenacious spirit of coming when called upon, capable of fighting, winning in battle, and never giving up, they forced the U.S. military to experience the "longest retreat" in history, creating a legend of the invincibility of Chinese soldiers.
The "Changjin Lake" series of films truly restored the memory of this asymmetrical battle, and finally defeated the strong with the weak.
"It is the first time in the history of Chinese films that Chinese fighters and foreign fighters have such fierce head-to-head confrontation and close hand-to-hand combat," said Chen Kaige, one of the film's directors.
Every shot and every detail restores the real and tragic battle of Changjin Lake, creating a shocking visual effect.
The detailed presentation of the magnificent scene puts the audience in the battlefield where the artillery fire is flying, and feels the suffocation of the shrapnel passing by and the fire of the bloody battle.
The sincere and moving brotherhood and the transformation of the rebellious teenager into a hero add a micro-level "closeness" to the grand war blockbuster.
"In the two films, there are both brotherhood and infinite loyalty to the motherland, and the narratives echo each other." Yu Dong, chairman of Bona Films, said that after brother Wu Qianli and younger brother Wu Wanli arrived at the Watergate Bridge, they were confronted at any time. with casualties.
Under the water gate bridge, the elder brother said to his younger brother, "How you want to fly and run next is up to you." In fact, it was an entrustment to his younger brother.
There is another line at the back. He held his brother's hand and said, "Be quick with your hands and feet, and throw the grenade as far as possible." The brotherhood conveyed by this dialogue runs through the two films, and the final entrustment by the Watergate Bridge is more like It was a confession that moved many viewers.
Yang Yuanyuan, a master student at Sichuan University, loves to watch the "hero growth story": Yi Yangqianxi plays the role of Wu Wanli as a recruit, from curiosity about guns to cherishing the glory of soldiers, from being brave when the team is withdrawing, and being in front of friends The fear of sacrifice, the composure to meet the enemy on the battlefield...
The young audience not only saw their childhood in him, but also empathized with his experience of growing and maturing in the next step in the care of the soldiers of the Seventh Company: 71 years ago, volunteer soldiers like Wu Wanli were like this. Grow up, actively participate in the ranks of defending the family and the country, and paint epic heroic epics with iron will.
Three directors "robbed" a winter, just for "classic left"
The Battle of Changjin Lake was a roundabout battle of purgatory, and the creative story behind the film was even more ups and downs.
This project started in summer 2019.
After organizing the creative team and preparing for 9 months, the crew was attacked by the new crown pneumonia epidemic as soon as the film was turned on.
"All provinces have launched a first-level response to public health emergencies, and all the work of the crew was forced to shelve on the spot." Yu Dong recalled that until the summer of 2020, the epidemic was under control, and the crew initially had the conditions to resume work, but the movie was a winter drama. If you miss the winter, you can only continue to wait for the next winter to come.
"Two preparations and two startups have brought huge economic losses. At the same time, the theaters do not know when to restart." Yu Dong admitted that he felt unprecedented pressure at that time, "but I am more worried that I will not be able to make it in time. Complete the shooting task before the important time point."
In order to catch up with the construction schedule, all the filming was completed in the only one winter left, and the "Changjin Lake" series of films, which was launched for the second time, gathered three directors: Chen Kaige, Tsui Hark, and Lin Chaoxian.
"We can't miss it anymore." Yu Dong said that at that time there was only one thought, that he must complete "Changjin Lake".
To this end, Bona used the resources from the bottom of the box, and the main creative team can be called "luxury": in addition to the concerted efforts of the three directors, the well-known director and screenwriter Huang Jianxin was appointed as the producer, and Wu Jing and Yi Yang Qianxi starred in the lead, just to complete a A "classic left behind".
Chen Kaige was in charge of the scenes before the Volunteers entered North Korea.
Since the film uses a traditional linear narrative, this part involves the appearance of the main characters of Qilian, which is the key to the beginning and setting of the film. Therefore, it is not only necessary to shoot the atmosphere of the times, but also to show the character background of the main characters.
In the original book, the story begins on the Loess Gaopo.
But Chen Kaige said: "I want to find a place with beautiful scenery and beautiful waters to start this film, to concretize everyone's love for the motherland, and to concretize the family and the country." That's why the film presents Wu Qianli to the audience from the very beginning. , Wu Wanli's hometown is a beautiful home with lakes and mountains.
In addition, there is such a glimpse in the first half of the movie - when Wu Wanli, a recruit who hit the wall, opened the train door in a fit of anger and wanted to jump home, he was suddenly stunned when the door opened, and he was stunned by the magnificent sight in front of him. Impressed by the scenery: the winding Great Wall is like a giant dragon, majestic and majestic.
The actors who participated in the filming were also deeply infected and projected the emotions of the characters in the story onto themselves.
Wu Jing recalled that during the shooting process, some people suffered frostbite and some people broke ligaments.
Sometimes the wind and snow blows so hard that tears flow down uncontrollably, and half of my face loses consciousness.
At the same time, I also learned that "if you shoot a gun without gloves outdoors at minus 20 degrees Celsius, your hands will freeze to the gun." What does it feel like to fall asleep?
"But no one complained about being tired and bitter. The volunteer soldiers won this battle under such difficult conditions. We have no reason to complete a 'hard battle' in a comfortable environment." Wu Jing said.
When the film was released, it received rave reviews and frequently broke film history records. Someone asked Yu Dong, what is the password for the main theme to be popular and popular?
Yu Dong replied: "There is no password, just the true feelings."
Behind the 12,000 names, a new level of film industrialization
At the end of the film, a long list filled with the names of more than 10,000 people scrolled on the screen for 8 minutes.
Director Huang Jianxin said that such a huge scale is a miracle in the history of world cinema.
"This is by far the largest Chinese film production investment, and it has pushed the level of Chinese film industrialization to a new level."
Yu Dong has made statistics: in the early stage, there were more than 7,000 staff members, and after adding the participants from more than 80 special effects companies in the later stage, the total number of team members of the two film projects of the "Changjin Lake" series exceeded 12,000, and there were many group performances. up to 70,000 people.
This makes Huang Jianxin, who has been engaged in film work for more than 40 years, lament the difficulty of its production.
Compared with the film and television works of the last century such as "Shangganling" and "Heroes and Children", this series of films uses the iteration of high-tech shooting equipment and post-production special effects technology to show the grand war scenes in a more three-dimensional and diverse way, which not only realizes the innovation of action movies, but also makes The audience immersed in the pain of hand-to-hand combat and the shock of the soul.
In order to give the audience the most authentic feeling and fully demonstrate the experience of the volunteers, Yu Dong made one point clear at the beginning: the film insists on not using a single material lens, and using real shooting and modern technical means to present and restore the arduous scene in the 1950s. battle.
This means a huge amount of special effects work.
Take the two shots of the Incheon landing as an example. Before filming, the pictures were finished and made for a total of 10 months. It only took more than two minutes to reflect in the film.
Huang Jianxin said that more than 80 special effects companies have joined the project around the world, and the number of shots made by each company is different.
So how many shots in total?
Too many to give an answer.
"Each shot has special effects. Even the simplest literary drama, the blood on the body after the injury, the snow in the sky, must be done." Yu Dong said.
Chen Kaige believes that although we still have a long way to go compared to Hollywood in terms of proficiency in the Chinese film industry, we have the confidence to make this film.
The generation of the new box office record also made Yu Dong excited: "We can have such output in a single market, and we will have the power to bring a larger epic to the screen in the next step."
"Great times call for more great works"
The "Changjin Lake" series of films not only helped a generation to better understand and remember history, but also completed an evolution of domestic theme films, bringing new inspiration to the creation of mainstream blockbusters.
- Get rid of the "superhero" narrative logic.
Rao Shuguang, president of the China Film Critic Society, believes that what is commendable in this series of films is the shaping of heroes such as Wu Qianli, Wu Wanli, Mei Sheng, Yu Congrong, and Lei Suisheng.
Among them are the brotherhood of "Hundred Thousand Miles", the father-son relationship between "Daddy Lei" and multiple generations of soldiers, and the comradeship of Qilian. These feelings are real and touchable, and they can effectively empathize with the current young audience. resonance.
The compact character setting and the delicate and complex emotional fetters of the characters allow every audience to see themselves in the story.
——A powerful presentation of the national image style.
The truly outstanding war blockbusters in the history of world cinema have always constructed and created new aesthetic styles, such as Saving Private Ryan and Schindler's List.
Chinese war movies are also calling for their own original national aesthetic style.
Wang Yichuan, vice chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association, said that the "Changjin Lake" series of films presented a national video style that blended "elegance and generosity" with "spiritual charm".
This style re-engraved the national collective memory of the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, inspiring young audiences to gain the motivation to accelerate their own growth with patriotism and heroism, and to build a national consensus.
Rao Shuguang said that the film created a strong sense of presence through multi-view switching, a large number of handheld photography and fast-paced editing.
The war makeup and special effects technology are perfect, the sound effects of the war scenes are realistic, and the ballistic sound effects are outstanding, which effectively renders the atmosphere of the film.
——Three-dimensional real details cast the vitality of the story.
Hu Zhifeng, deputy secretary of the Party Committee and vice president of the Beijing Film Academy, said that in many Chinese and foreign war films in the past, the soldiers' sacrifices, absolute obedience, and bravery with their chests to block bullet holes, but young audiences in peaceful times are often due to difficulties. Understand the psychological mechanism behind its behavior, and feel that the plot is "exaggerated" and "unbelievable".
Hu Zhifeng believes that the "Changjin Lake" series of films are not sensationalizing, but fully reveal the motives with details, promote the plot in a three-dimensional and true manner, and successfully realize the dual substitution of the audience's emotional direction and thinking position, saying "Xiaomi adds a rifle. "The key to defeating the "aircraft cannon" - Instructor Mei Sheng had already retired from the army, but when the War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea broke out, he rode more than 100 miles back to the army.
Why go back to the battlefield?
With the logical explanation of "If we don't fight this battle, our next generation will fight it", the audience's questions are answered, and the motivation of the volunteers to defend their homeland and the country is also revealed.
With the popularity of "Shuimen Bridge of Changjin Lake", the spiritual power brought by the epic works on the theme of resisting U.S. aggression and aiding Korea has continued to the creators and audiences.
Actor Wu Jing said: "Everything I experienced in this play is enough to affect my life. We commemorate the martyrs who sacrificed for the country in a movie. I really want them to see China today."
"The history of reform and opening up for more than 40 years makes me feel that I have lived to be 300 years old." Chen Kaige recalled that when he was very young, his life was poor and in vain.
It took our country only 40 years to walk the road that the West took 300 years to walk.
This is the hard work and brilliance created by generations of people. From the poor and the white to the great era, there are so many stories and subjects that can be written. Our literature, drama, and film reflect far from enough.
"The great era requires more great works. The "Changjin Lake" series is the beginning, and there will be more classic works, paying tribute to heroes, history and people." Chen Kaige said.