"I used to look at this building and think it was very tall and dazzling, but now I look at it, it's just that."
Tired of seeing the bustle and busyness of the metropolis, returning to his hometown to pursue the tranquility of the soul and the relaxation of body and mind has become a new consensus of urban people.
Recently, the wind of returning to the hometown drama has blown to Jingdezhen, the "porcelain capital".
Directed and written by Li Ang, "Another Blue" starring Song Qian, Zhou Yumin, Liu Mintao, Liu Chang, Zhu Yan Manzi, etc., was broadcast on Hunan Satellite TV and Mango TV.
The new combination of handsome men and beautiful women with a modern sense, the display of Jingdezhen's humanistic and natural beauty, the new attitude of urban young people to work hard, and the family inheritance and craftsmanship forging of traditional craftsmen are the multiple highlights of "Another Blue" that distinguish it from most of the dramas on the market that advocate "slow life" and return to their hometowns.
"Another Blue" is not just about "finding utopia" and "returning to rural life". In the play, we can clearly feel the influence of different cities and two attitudes towards life on the values of contemporary young people, as well as the different life choices brought about by them.
Recently, "Film and Television Monologue" chatted with the director and screenwriter of this play, Li Ang, what treasures are still hidden in "Another Blue"?
The next stage of life for urbanites
How to sum up "Another Blue" in one or two words?
Director Li Ang said two words, one is migration, and the other is companionship.
A person's life is to constantly wander between the fast pace of the big city and the comfort of idyllic paintings, draw strength from the latter, turn back and fight on the battlefield, and then look for a place to heal.
The other is companionship. In the past, Li Ang was more concerned about the popularity or discussion of a drama, starting from "Another Blue", he was more concerned about the drama being able to accompany a group of audiences and spend a special time.
The story of "Another Blue" starts from the financial workplace in Beijing, where the heroine Chen Xiaoman (played by Song Qian) and the male protagonist Ke Yan (played by Zhou Yumin) encounter bottlenecks and crises in their careers.
Looking around, Chen Xiaoman's friends have also encountered all kinds of difficulties in Beijing, some of them are fortunate to rely on the help of relatives and friends to solve them, and some of them are mired in the quagmire and can only end their lives.
In Leon's view, "Another Blue" wants to talk about a certain stage of life. The Beijing scenes in the first four episodes were shrouded in sluggish and tired moods. is not broken or standing, such a synopsis is to lead to the part of Jingdezhen behind.
As the writer and director of the play, Li Ang believes that the transfer of life stages is not a decision to go, and the bond between people and a city is not broken, "At a certain stage, we will feel tired and powerless, which is an atmosphere in the early stage of the plot." The heroine Chen Xiaoman returned to her hometown not because she couldn't get along in the big city, or for some specific reason, it was a compound reason. She still has a lot of ties to Beijing. ”
In 2021, Li Ang's team went to Jingdezhen for the first time to collect style, met many craftsmen in the local area, and also saw many people who came from big cities and decided to stay, some moved for some reason, and some came voluntarily.
At that time, Li Ang heard the word "Jing Piao" for the first time, and the number of them was not small, so he developed a strong interest in creation.
The famous epicenter of porcelain combines painting, handicraft, firing and other technical links, Jingdezhen also brings together many domestic and foreign artists, Jingdezhen is not only a porcelain capital, but also an art capital.
"We went to Jingdezhen twice more in 2022 and started writing this story officially in 2023. There is a kind of magic in Jingdezhen, which can make you stop, slow down, or even stay here, with a sense of healing and comfort. Here, no one is chasing you for a result. ”
For the creators, the creative process of "Another Blue" went through two different stages. There are many good things, and when I look back at such a slow life drama that returns to my hometown to heal, I have a different perspective and attitude.
"At first, everyone thought that it was a very beautiful thing to leave the big city and press the pause button on life, and to escape from a lot of contradictions and conflicts. But someone still left and came to Jingdezhen, and the problem of human relations or involution that he wanted to escape from was not really solved, and even in a narrower society of acquaintances, it would be magnified. Man cannot live alone in the world. This is also a new question that many people need to think about. Li Ang said.
is different from the homecoming drama based on a truly leisurely life, the "slow-paced" Jingdezhen in "Another Blue" still has "fast" plots such as family disputes, business wars, and entrepreneurship.
The veteran craftsmen represented by Chen Huafeng (played by Huang Pinyuan) and Zhou Shi'an (played by Hou Yansong), the family business operators represented by Xu Man (played by Liu Mintao), and the businessmen represented by Ma Muzhi (played by Hao Ping) are all worried and calculating their own acres and threes of land.
And Chen Xiaoman and Ke Yan, who stepped into it, never really "escaped" anything at the spiritual level, but moved to another city to continue their careers.
The creator hopes that the story that takes place in Jingdezhen can echo the contradictions in Beijing, and that only by agreeing on these different contradictions can the protagonist bring real transformation. Leaving the big city and returning to the small city will not solve everything. A large part of the "making money" shouted by young people is the sense of self-worth and self-awareness.
How to fight against "not being recognized" is the core contradiction of young people's anxiety. After escaping for a period of time, people often wake up: continuing to work hard is the last word. What the atypical "homecoming drama" "Another Blue" wants to seek is the resonance of such a social mentality.
"In an industry, people's sense of identity with you directly determines whether you can make money. In 2024, everyone will be more motivated to work hard and dream. After all, people can't leave the contradictions in their twenties and thirties and live an ideal utopian life. This is idealistic, and we still hope that there is some reality to be cared for. Leon said.
Show Jingdezhen with typical characters
Previously, few film and television dramas focused on Jingdezhen, a city that is famous and full of mystery at the same time.
Since it is not the original intention of the creator to carry out "slow life" from the perspective of tourists, how to open up a traditional craft and family with the appearance of an urban drama, let people feel its superb intangible cultural heritage skills, and integrate the life experience and thinking of the protagonist into it is a difficult problem for "Another Blue" to give itself.
Li Ang admits that it is very difficult to show from text to picture, "Our team thinks every day, should we show this porcelain-making process? If it is to be shown, it will definitely take up a lot of space, will the audience feel that the pace is too slow? But we still want to keep something secretive, real and interesting in it. ”
In the end, under the guidance of local masters and craftsmen, the crew of "Another Blue" decided to recreate some of the rituals that were omitted at the moment, and filmed the kiln opening ceremony full of traditional local characteristics. They all said that they hadn't done these things for a long time, and we wanted to restore these rituals to show visitors, which is an experience, not just a city walk. ”
As the central character of the story, Chen Xiaoman is a girl with an incomplete family, but full of courage and optimism. As a friend, he is chivalrous, as a subordinate has loyalty, and as the heir to the family business, he also has his responsibility. Song Qian also continued the drama she has always been good at, interpreting a sunny and warm heroine Chen Xiaoman.
Li Ang believes that Song Qian is innate and similar to Chen Xiaoman, and also takes a fancy to her market recognition in the field of urban dramas, "Song Qian has received a professional dance education, and has rich experience in urban dramas, both modern and some literary temperament, we including the platform and the market side are very recognized by her." ”
Ke Yan, played by Zhou Yumin, is a relatively complex person with bigger problems to be solved. The process of gradual harmony of this contradiction is the process of the unfolding of the plot of "Another Blue".
"Ke Yan tasted the sweetness of the past battles, and the person who was once carried away by victory, he can gamble for the one percent possibility. So he lost his friends and lost his most important career, but he was unwilling to admit defeat, which was a contradiction. The atmosphere and the state of people in Jingdezhen have a subtle influence on Ke Yan. ”
Among the two protagonists, the heroine Song Qian was set earlier. The main creator hopes that the actor Ke Yan will conform to the age of the capital predator, and at the same time have a youthful spirit, retain his inner obsession, and will not be a particularly complex and sophisticated person. He has a sense of vigor and strength in the pursuit of ideals, a feeling that does not weaken as he gets older.
So, the crew finally found many people's childhood "Bai Yueguang" Zhou Yumin to play Ke Yan.
"When we first met and communicated with Tsai Tsai, the question he asked was, should I love more or be more conflicted? My answer is that it is more contradictory, because if love is mixed with conspiracy, then love is also fake. Soon after, we reached an intention to work together. ”
Regarding the creation of a sense of CP, Li Ang said that he paid more attention to the attractiveness and sense of fate of the two characters themselves. From bosses and subordinates, to friends and lovers, the changes in the inner world of the characters are in place in the play, and the sense of CP can be naturally revealed.
"We want the age of the characters and the actors to match, not too detached from reality. In addition, two people must be able to give each other, Xiaoman can give Ke Yan the power of sunshine, and Ke Yan can give her some references or suggestions in social experience. ”
Balance business and personal creation
Nowadays, the genre dramas on the market are becoming more and more abundant, as a young creator born after 85, Li Ang has already had many masterpieces such as "South Wind Knows My Mind", "Mother-in-law's Bracelet", "Where Our Heart Wants in the Past Ten Years", "Another Blue" and so on.
However, Li Ang, who has personally experienced the two stages of TV stations and online dramas, still maintains an upward enterprising spirit and learning mentality.
He said that he didn't want to fix himself on a certain track too early and keep copying successful cases.
"I hope that I will continue to grow, and in the process of trying, I can sum up my experience and learn lessons, form a deeper understanding and cognition of realistic themes, and prepare for a longer and farther road in the future. There are parts in each work that I feel proud of, and some experience precipitation, "Another Blue" is a work that uses Jingdezhen and porcelain as a starting point to knead all the previous experiences together. ”
"Our Decade: Where Our Hearts Aspire" is Li Ang's first contact with the theme of returning to his hometown, and he saw that there are still many young people in the fields, mountains and seas who devote themselves to the cause of their hometown, with ideals and pursuits that are different from our traditional cognition, and they are also struggling, and have a new attitude and mode of struggle. This drama also accumulated a wealth of creative experience and skills for the creation of "Another Blue" in the future.
In Li Ang's view, the creation of the homecoming drama is divided into two steps, one is to find the characters on the basis of a large number of styles. Find some characters that he finds interesting, powerful, and characteristic as the basis for his creation.
The second is to find the difference between homecoming dramas and urban dramas, urban dramas are more about looking at the way characters cope through the influence of external forces, while homecoming dramas are more about a choice, a new stage of life. There is a conflict between the external demands given to the character and the real needs of his heart. It's not just the plot, it's a lot of the time it's a clash of emotions and mental states.
Li Ang began writing scripts in 2008 and witnessed the content innovation brought about by the change of the broadcast medium of TV dramas. Later, with the advent of the Internet era, a large number of works were placed in the market, and the choice was handed over to audiences of all types and ages. "In the past, the protection net of TV creators was broken, and both creators and investors had to be judged by the user."
Li Ang has his own thoughts on a series of new standards and new demands brought about by commercial creation, "I think commercial standards are the basic ethics of creators, and I hope to be able to find the specific demands of audiences of each genre, and at the same time be able to express more innovation and personality." We can't focus on the genre that the audience likes in front of us, to paint cats and tigers, we still have to feel the times, get in touch with society, and don't rest on our laurels. ”
After directing and creating a number of urban dramas, Li Ang's next step will be to get involved in criminal investigation and costume themes.
The criminal detective drama "Lighthouse" is different from traditional crime films or suspense dramas, telling the story of the criminal policemen facing the alternation of the old and the new, the moral test and the responsibility in the wave of change of the times.
The legendary costume drama "Bones Are Not Ashes" tells the story of the comeback of heroes in troubled times, and the extreme characters in the extreme environment will be full of cool burning effects.
After incorporating practical social observations and reflections into his work, the next goal of Ang is to shoot his favorite subjects and show a more complete self-expression.
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