Film and television creation composes the song of laborers
[Viewing the tide of literature and art]
Praising the laborers and expressing ordinary and great individuals in all walks of life who live and work hard has always been the essence of Chinese film and television creation.
Among them, there are "Green Mountains Don't Ink", "The Age of Steel", "The Most Beautiful Retrograde", which focus on industry groups, "Love Fight Will Win" and "Big River", which show the entrepreneurial development in the social transformation period, and "In the Distance" with ink on emerging industries. "Ideal City".
These works show the production and life of laborers in a panoramic view from all aspects of the times, all corners of the industry, and all stages of life, and compose songs of laborers who pursue their dreams and continue to struggle.
Focus on real life to answer the questions of the times
Answering the questions of the times is a problem that every generation of workers must face in their careers, and it is also an important theme in film and television creation to express workers.
In the field of film and television, the best way to answer the questionnaire of the times is to eulogize and sincerely praise the struggle history and entrepreneurial record of thousands of laborers.
Whether it is in the early stage of reform and opening up, the transition period of the market economy, the era of poverty alleviation, or the new era, the social environment, occupational environment and living environment people live in are changing vigorously or quietly with the pace of the times.
The changes in the environment also make workers constantly think about and change their labor methods and labor characteristics. Whether it is physical labor or mental labor, they are deeply marked by the times.
Film and television creators keenly capture the relationship between people and the times. In the urging of the times to people, and in the inquiries of people to the times, they clarify themes, weave stories, and shape characters.
"Green Mountains Don't Ink" tells the story of three generations of forestry workers who struggled for decades in the early days of the Republic, the period of reform and opening up, and the period of green transition.
In the vast forest, on the thick black land, they fought against ice and snow, and fought against famines, and composed a green song of "green mountains do not have ink for a long time, and green water has no strings."
"Love Fight Will Win" focuses on the "Jinjiang Spirit", with Jinjiang-style business conditions and Southern Fujian-style family affection, telling the way of doing business by private entrepreneurs in southern Fujian who work hard and operate with integrity under the wave of reform and opening up.
The TV series "Big River" focuses on the tide of the reform and opening up era, comprehensively examines the ideology, system, urban-rural and human nature at the beginning of the reform and opening up, polyphonically shows the profound changes in the economy of various ownership systems, focuses on the relationship between the trend of the times and individual destiny, and uses Solid characterization and sincere emotional expression make for an epic realistic masterpiece.
"Shan Hai Qing" deeply engraved the concept that knowledge changes fate and hard work changes life on the once barren land of Xihaigu, Ningxia.
Those peasant brothers who were digging food in the land were unwilling to be driven away by fate. With the help of the Diaozhuang immigration policy, they worked hard and finally embarked on the road to a well-off life.
These works make the life trajectory of the laborers resonate with the pace of the development of the times. With vivid brushstrokes of realism, and artistic feelings that live up to the times and their youth, they capture the spiritual portrayal of generations of laborers.
Realize self-worth and achieve brilliant life
Achieving self-worth and achieving a brilliant life is the ideal of life that every generation of workers aspires to achieve, and it is also an important psychological motivation and character arc that film and television works endow with characters when they shape characters.
When good film and television works shape workers, they can always explain clearly the subjective will and behavioral logic of the characters engaged in production labor and industry construction, so that every simple individual has an opportunity to realize the value of life, and let the characters keep their original intentions. , The spiritual power of hard work has become the empathy point of the audience and the characters, and thus generates value recognition.
"Green Mountains Don't Ink" is based on the national labor model and forestry hero Ma Yongshun as the prototype of the story.
In that era of relative scarcity of materials, people's spiritual power was exceptionally strong.
Ma Yongxiang, the protagonist in the play, has become a role model and a spiritual idol for a generation of forestry workers with his hard work and determination.
In order to get rid of the injustice of fate and the predicament of life, Lei Dongbao, Song Yunhui and others in "Big River", one led farmers out of poverty and became rich, and the other was successful in the reform of state-owned enterprises. Inspired by the pace of the times, they worked day and night. , realized the value of life, and became a trend-setter in their respective fields.
Chen Jianghe and Luo Yuzhu, who live on the streets in "Chicken Feather Flying to the Sky", one is an orphan and the other is a homeless teenager. They met by chance at the lowest point of their lives. Similar life experiences and common life vision brought them together. With the concept of "feather for sugar" and honest management of Yiwu merchants, he worked hard and worked hard, and finally became an influential entrepreneur.
In "In the Distance", Yao Yuan, who started as a grassroots courier, discovered huge potential business opportunities in the logistics industry in his work, and finally became the industry leader after several market ups and downs.
In these characters, hard-working, good at learning, honesty and trustworthiness have become the common arc of characters, and their excellent quality of life is the source of their success in achieving a brilliant life, and continues to inspire the audience.
Focus on the beauty of industry development and continuous labor
Focusing on the professional characteristics of different periods, different industries, and different groups of people, making "the most glorious labor" become the value pursuit of every generation of laborers is the social responsibility shouldered by film and television works.
As the saying goes, "what do you yell at", occupational traces always leave a faint shadow on a certain group of people.
For a good industry drama, the creator can go deep into the front line to conduct microscopic observation and macro grasp, extract historical samples from the industry, and express the essential characteristics of certain industries and groups in a specific era and context from a professional perspective.
Industry dramas should show the unique industry stories belonging to a certain industry to the audience, and integrate the industry characteristics of workers in different industries of "workers, peasants, businessmen, and soldiers" into the characters, behavior habits and lifestyles, so that "workers are the most beautiful people". Become the value orientation of the work.
Not only that, the industry drama integrates the hard work and anxiety, sadness and joy, failure and success of different industry groups into the story, and continues the beauty of labor with awe and warmth.
"Steel Age" focuses on the development history of the steel industry in New China and tells the story of the first generation of steel workers in New China to build Ansteel.
In that fiery era, the fiery furnace produced not only steel, but also the life will and powerful energy of steel workers, creating the declaration of the times that "we workers have strength".
In "Spring", Tie Zhenguo, who returned home from the army, led a group of young people with dreams in his hometown to Beijing with his unyielding tenacity and conscience. A world of construction industry.
"Old Farmer" vividly describes the earth-shaking changes in agriculture, rural areas and farmers over the past few decades.
As a typical representative of Chinese farmers, the protagonist Niu Dadan vividly displays tenacity, forbearance, hard work, folk wisdom and a strong desire to survive.
The medical staff of "The Most Beautiful Retrograde" adhered to professional ethics in times of crisis. With their excellent medical technology and dedicated professionalism, they saved the lives of patients at the moment of life and death again and again.
"Our New Era" focuses on the stories of grassroots youth party members using labor to create a better life.
Among them are community volunteers, skilled workers, EOD, village doctors, college students and village officials and members of the civilian rescue team. With their practical actions full of vigor, vigor and courage, they have demonstrated the courage and responsibility of the new generation of workers.
China's achievements today are the result of the continuous efforts of workers from all walks of life.
By grasping this historical fact and taking this as the origin of creation, we know that film and television creation should start from the life vision of each ordinary worker, from the perspective of different industries, multiple time and space backgrounds, multiple character relationships and multi-level story structures, in an all-round way. To show the style of dream chasers in the new era, to see greatness in ordinary places, to show true feelings in labor, and to praise the symphony of the era that belongs to hundreds of millions of laborers.
(Author: Yang Hongtao, professor and doctoral supervisor of the School of Drama, Film and Television, Communication University of China, and special researcher of the Beijing Research Center for Xi Jinping Thought on Socialism with Chinese Characteristics for a New Era)