The Paper's reporter Yang Qian
The mist theater that the audience has been waiting for for a long time opens this year with "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" created by director Wang Xiaoshuai and Hua Zhen.
In a small southern town, Xuan Liang (Zu Feng) escorts her 18-year-old daughter Nian Mei to and from school every day. Nian Mei looked more and more like her aunt Xuanzhen, who had been killed more than a decade ago, which made Xuan Liang anxious. The little who pursues Nian Mei dies unexpectedly, and Xuan Liang has clashed with him, which once again pulls everyone in the Xuan family, including Xuan Liang's sister Xuan Min (Played by Wen Zhengrong), the police brother-in-law Yuan Fei (played by Duan Yihong), and The twin sister of Xuan Zhen (Played by Hao Lei) back to the fog in which Xuan Zhen was killed more than a decade ago.
Stills from "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog"
As an important figure in the sixth generation of directors in China, Wang Xiaoshuai has achieved extraordinary results in the field of film, and has won important awards at the Berlin Film Festival and the Cannes Film Festival several times. Such a literary and art film director to create online dramas, especially for last year's word-of-mouth mist theater to take the lead, many audiences have high expectations.
Why are you willing to take this step towards the field of TV drama at this time? Wang Xiaoshuai didn't think it was a big deal.
He observed that especially in the United States, many film directors have begun to create American dramas, and there are also Wong Kar-wai in the drama "Blossoms" in China, so since four years ago, he has been thinking about writing a longer story, "12 episodes is not short for me, so it can carry more content than the movie." However, Wang Xiaoshuai also admitted that the opening of the Mist Theater gave him the possibility of putting this idea into action, "By chance, by 2021, with the acceptance of iQiyi Mist for this length of drama." Although Wang Xiaoshuai has not watched other plays in the Mist Theater due to his perennial busyness with film matters, he knows the reputation and popularity of this brand among young audiences.
In the sequence of Wang Xiaoshuai's works, family is a recurring topic, from the early "Qinghong" to "Rizhao Chongqing" to "Intruder" and "Long Day", whether it reveals anger, resistance or warmth, his works try to show the complex emotional interweaving of a family.
"Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" is a story strung together with two cases more than ten years apart, suspense and solving cases are the main lines of this drama, but it also continues the family motif in Wang Xiaoshuai's works, just like the poster writes "Everyone is a corner of the family".
Poster of "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog"
"The perpetrator is not just a person, they have a family, they have relatives, they have social relations, and everyone does not jump out of the cracks in the stone. Once a person encounters such a change and disaster, what kind of impact will it bring to the family and to relatives? How can a living person continue to survive and live? Wang Xiaoshuai explained that abandoning the simple binary confrontation of good people and bad people in the usual case-solving dramas and turning to pay attention to everyone involved in the case is indeed his original intention of writing "The Mystery fog of the Octagonal Pavilion".
Not only to do enough suspense, arouse the audience's interest and speculation, but also to talk about the complex character relationship behind it, you have me, I have you, reflect the real human nature and social relations, grasp the balance of these two purposes, is the four years of creation of this script, Wang Xiaoshuai's most diligent place.
However, after the launch of "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", perhaps it is high expectations, and the audience feedback and ratings are polarized, and some viewers are not satisfied.
In the interval between the filming of "Fertile Land", Wang Xiaoshuai followed the drama intermittently, but did not care too much about some scoring and evaluation, joking that he only looked good, not looked at the bad.
In Wang Xiaoshuai's view, director and cinematographer Hua Zhen shot a "sense of film", which is exactly what he wanted, "This time they created, which is what I was looking forward to, breaking through the concept of ordinary web dramas, going to the film texture, and walking very well." ”
If 12 episodes are broadcast together, perhaps the audience can really see the show as a big movie, but according to the current scheduling speed, the sense of movie may not have an advantage in such a watching rhythm. The first six episodes also focus on family and character relationships, and some viewers believe that the progress of the case is too slow and the pace of the plot is too slow, which is very bad under the market unspoken rules of "seven minutes of life and death, the first three episodes of gold".
Wang Xiaoshuai is not unaware of such audience market rules, he explained that in his experience of chasing dramas, compared to the first three episodes, he is more concerned about the last three minutes do not end badly, "come up and give a lot of things, in fact, what you lose, may be the last guarantee, because the movie is like this." There are only 12 episodes of the short drama, and the Mist Theater has been established as a brand, and I think the audience should look at the play in a cinematic way. If you can't even catch up with 12 episodes, then why do you have to chase 42 or 80 episodes? ”
Wang Xiaoshuai feels that it is a good thing to have controversy, but he stressed that "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" can not be seen with the traditional understanding of suspense dramas, "The audience should lose the inherent thinking of the past, if you really think that this drama is too slow, then I don't think it is just to change the viewing habits, but it shows that he is anxious, maybe in other aspects of life, he has the problem of being too hasty, I would like to persuade him to sit down, just like we are advocating now, you have to enjoy the scenery, you have to take a slow train, you need to slow down, Experience every bit of your life instead of rushing to the end. ”
The set of "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog"
【Dialogue】
Break the fixed pattern of "cat and mouse"
The Paper: When you were writing an original script, why did you think of writing such a subject?
Wang Xiaoshuai: As an original author, the inspiration comes from the deep interest in this thing in my subconscious and soul. I think all of us, when we look at genres like this, we only focus on the police catching murderers. Does it feel like this? After catching it, everyone is happy, or not caught, just like "Memories of Killing" to continue the emotion, but has anyone considered that the victim is not only a person, the perpetrator is not only a person, there are families, there are social relations affected, these two people are real in our society.
Of course, it is indispensable for the audience to guess and track down who is the murderer. But if you only stay on this binary opposition, as you mentioned, some of the comments and opinions of the audience, then I can only be sorry for them, because there are more things behind them, whether it is who the murderer is, how the police go to catch the murderer, in addition to these things, the situation of the murderer, the situation of the victim's family, that is what I think is more interesting.
If the audience is willing to open their own perspective and feel this, I think it is a better possibility for this type of drama or film to develop, not limited to binary opposition.
The Paper: This script took 4 years to polish, what is the most time-consuming place in this process?
Wang Xiaoshuai: From the creation of the script, what we just said about breaking the simple cat and mouse such a dualistic state, more show everyone involved, is different from the traditional suspense drama, but we still have to put it under the framework of a suspense drama, this thing is necessary, to arouse the audience's interest in entering the big network, big social relations, we can't expose the intention behind it at the beginning, it is necessary to peel back the cocoon.
We have to take into account both ends in the script, on the one hand, to take into account the curious speculation that the suspense itself brings to the audience, and at the same time, we must avoid dualistic opposition and glue all the characters together. In retrospect, in some of the plays we see now, most of the character relationships are detached, the police are policemen, the bad guys are bad people, but our play hopes to make this a so-called mystery, to make the audience accept a new possibility, everything they see, like a ball of thread, is involved in each other, it has no boundaries, it has no opposition, you have me, I have you, it is a very complex structure, and finally presents a structure in which the victim and the perpetrator are not opposed, which is a test for the script. No matter who watches the show, the feelings he gets vary from person to person, but if he doesn't feel this, I can't help it.
Stills from "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", Hao Lei plays Xuanzhu
The Paper: In the drama market, there is now a phrase called "seven minutes of life and death, the first three episodes of gold", and the patience of the audience is scarce and limited. "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Mist" is a drama that slowly shows the relationship between the characters, and this process is a challenge for many viewers, unlike the movie that can be watched at once. When writing an original script, did you consider the risks of doing so?
Wang Xiaoshuai: I am different from ordinary audiences, when I watch the show, I must not be the person who chased the first wave, I must be the person who went to observe in the back, so from my point of view, the "golden first three episodes" you just said, I am not afraid that the first three episodes are not golden, what I am most worried about is the last three minutes of bad ending.
If you say that you have a wonderful look in front of you, and after chasing it, you can allow the end to be bad, then I think that this is the person who can't talk about the two channels, because I am a patient person, and I don't want to communicate with me at the same time, the person who is impatient. The front three axes, the back is gone; don't come with me three axes, you slowly, and finally we will see the results.
Of course, I also agree with the first three episodes of gold, and the best way is to achieve both the first three episodes of gold and the last three minutes without bad ending. A lot of people who chase dramas as long as the front is high, no matter what happens in the back, for me personally, I do not accept, I have also chased a lot of dramas, and have also been tested in this way, but I will be a little disappointed in the rotten end, from the perspective of a general audience.
The show is already there, and it's not long, the short drama is 12 episodes, and the Mist Theater has been set up as a brand, and I think the audience should look at the play in a cinematic way. If you can't even catch up with 12 episodes, then why do you have to chase 42 or 80 episodes? This is also the process of re-understanding the drama from the perspective of the audience.
Stills of "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", Duan Yihong played Yuan Fei
Surging News: The first few episodes are useful to draw frames such as suspenseful practices, and other popular suspense dramas in the past two years will also use the way of each episode of card points to attract the audience, the image method of drawing frames is actually very suitable for going to the card point, but although the drama uses frame drawing, it does not keep asking questions in each episode, giving a little answer, and then asking questions such a script rhythm, the audience will feel that there is a lack of rhythm, very slow, difficult to chase.
Wang Xiaoshuai: Drawing frames is just a technical means to immerse the audience in it. The director of this drama is Hua Zhen, and the photographer has also filmed "Spring Breeze Drunken Night" and "Jade Guanyin", and the combination of director and cinematographer is the quality of the film. I hope to raise the height that the series can reach to even the metaphorical concept, so the controversy caused by this broadcast, I think it can open up the audience's new understanding of the short drama, and even in the future, it may develop a new understanding of the 6-episode web series, watch it as a movie, rather than treating it as a dozen episodes, or even hundreds of episodes of the drama to look at, what happened today, what happened tomorrow, tomorrow has a conclusion, not like this, Hua Zhen is also doing the entire 12 episodes as a movie structure. This time the Mist Theater actually wants to open up a different model, a different movie viewing experience, and he does not want to make the same product repeatedly.
Stills from "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", Zu Feng played Xuan Liang
The "mystery fog" visualizes the real dilemma
Surging News: The narrative about the Xuan family will be a little strange, Xuan Liang seems to be very grumpy in every episode, the relationship between Nian Mei and her parents, the attitude towards the sister-in-law, are not ordinary people, everyone in this family is not normal, what was the idea of such a setting at that time?
Wang Xiaoshuai: On the contrary, if everyone is normal, is it also scolding? Because of a suspense drama, in fact, at a specific time, everyone should feel the complexity of each person's heart, do not think that the bad guys kill, the police solve the case is suspense, in fact, everyone's surface calm, his inner surge and the complexity of the relationship, which is a large part of the characteristics of the suspense drama.
Please everyone who watches, in the process of watching the play to think about their own life and family relationship is what it is like, I do not believe that when you watch the play, you are in the honeypot, even in the honeypot, there may be some harsh sounds, this is the normal life of people.
When we show the complexity of this family and society, we actually have empathy with every ordinary audience, even every audience at the bottom, or the audience at the top, whether it is between friends, relatives, family relations, and the relationship between themselves and society, it is not so sweet and smooth as it seems, who does not have a little inner secret, who does not have a little need to hide something ulterior? That's one reason why I think a play, or a narrator, should bring this aspect of life to life.
I just want to ask, when a person looks at something, he is full of hatred, or like you said, those people feel that the role here, here is not right, there is not reasonable, then ask them, their life is very sweet? Have they ever been in a hidden state because of a certain state, a certain kind of family relationship society, and he has to ask himself at this time.
The Paper: In other words, you want to convey your thinking on the issue of family relations through such a script.
Wang Xiaoshuai: Yes, because this scene, in fact, is the same as what my previous films do, it is a family, just like "The Long Day", the relationship between one family, two families, three families, if one family encounters an accident, then what about the other two families? This is the norm of life. I believe that such a normal, such a psychological feeling, exists in the hearts of 100% of all people, and everyone has it, which I am very confident to say. All the homes in the world are built, you see, there is no family that does not have a little bitterness, but "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" presents the irreversible discrete combing that such a case brings to a family.
The Paper: You repeatedly explore the family in different works, whether in a warm way or in a suspenseful way, to explore the growth of different roles in a family, what is the reason for the discussion of this motif relationship?
Wang Xiaoshuai: The motif is that 100% of the families have problems. I believe in the identity of the two of us in the conversation, I am the creator, you are the interviewer, and when we hang up the phone, your relationship with your colleagues, your relationship with your family, has been around you. Maybe you're going well now, and of course it's best if you keep going well, but in case something goes wrong, you're one of those people in Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog. In the "mystery fog", the dilemmas encountered by everyone can be found in it. This is an imagination of what people find in society, and my cognition and experience are like this.
Stills from "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", Zhai Zilu played Zhu Shenghui
The Paper: On the issue of actor selection, everyone has more questions focused on small actors, Nian Mei, Mu Ge, Zhu Shenghui three people, there are their own problems in the play. What were your criteria for selecting these little actors at the time?
Wang Xiaoshuai: My selection criteria for actors have always been very strict, so when "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" already has so many very great good actors in it, if you ask other roles to copy the requirements, I think it is a little harsh, I want to defend director Hua Zhen, so many good actors, you can't say that you are already a fairy fighting, and you are still harsh in the little fairy.
I still emphasize that for a role like Zhu Shenghui, everyone must break the inherent concept, which is that there is no breakthrough in the basic concept of cognition, and it is believed that small hooligans and small assholes are particularly ugly and particularly hateful, not like this, some people are handsome, or small assholes. People have different eyes, and everyone should not wear colored glasses. As for whether the girl is beautiful, that is everyone's aesthetic is different, it is impossible for everyone to be consistent, I think it can be put aside and not discussed.
In addition, in acting, we must give small actors room to develop, do not preconceived, there are some actors who are not the surface you see, just like the film "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", the appearance you see may not be the truth.
Screenshot of "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog", Mira played Nian Mei
The Paper: "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Mist" is made entirely according to the film texture, do you think this kind of short drama should follow the big movie model, or is there still a difference between the drama and the film itself?
Wang Xiaoshuai: There is still a difference, the first three episodes we also attach great importance to, we just pay more attention to the last three episodes, we treat it as a unified concept. We will not only pay attention to the first three episodes, maybe the scripts in the back have not been filmed, and now many TV series are like this, right? So it's a balanced project, it's a play that focuses from start to finish on the aesthetic rhythm of an audience that likes this type of audience. Until now, if there is some controversy, if there is some opinion from everyone, I think it is a good thing, on the contrary, it has spawned a sense of suspense in people's minds.
If you heard now that an episode was 100 episodes, how would you react? You can't watch it, all 100 episodes are broadcast and you watch it uniformly, the National Day and spring festival holidays add up, you can't watch it, maybe you have jumped ship three times in the process of chasing this drama. So people's concepts change. In fact, I think that the future rhythm of life will continue to develop, including the experience we pay attention to, it will slowly develop a film and television product of appropriate length, I am not easy to say now, because there are now 6 episodes of length, which may be the basic beat of the rhythm of our modern life.
The so-called long drama and short drama should coexist, when there is a short drama, as the perspective of the audience, you have to follow to change your viewing habits of the movie and the drama. These changes are an interaction between creators and viewers.
Editor-in-charge: Cheng Yu
Proofreader: Zhang Liangliang