Spy dramas were once the golden genre in Chinese TV dramas, favored by creators and audiences, and also gave birth to a number of classic works. After the peak is the trough, affected by various factors, spy dramas have encountered creative bottlenecks in recent years, and genre iterations have been blocked.
"The Sound of the Wind" is the classic IP of the Famous Writer Mai Jia, winner of the Mao Dun Literature Award, and TV series such as "Dark Calculation" adapted from his novels have opened the golden age of Chinese spy dramas. The movie "The Sound of the Wind" is a rare high-level spy film in China, and it is also a successful demonstration of the commercialization of the main theme. Based on this influence, bringing "The Sound of the Wind" to the screen has become a natural and challenging thing.
First, the content of the original novel is limited. The screenwriter needs to expand the content on the basis of the original content, which is a big challenge.
Second, the classic zhuyu is in front, and people are familiar with the relationships and storylines of the characters, which is equivalent to the audience already knows the mystery before it is broadcast, which is a taboo for a work known for reasoning.
Moreover, spy dramas need to be new, and "The Sound of the Wind" is bound to usher in more critical eyes under the aura of classic IP.
Therefore, whether it is a horizontal comparison or a vertical extension, the new version of "The Sound of the Wind" has a heavy burden. Fortunately, it resisted the pressure, whether in the suspense display, or logical reasoning, and even in the character shaping, it made the audience's previous experience of watching the drama invalid.
Obviously it is an "open volume" to watch the drama, how can it be suspenseful everywhere?
An unusual business seminar brings together spy genius Li Ningyu (Wen Yongshan), rich lady Gu Xiaomeng (Xu Lu), official veteran Jin Shenghuo (Zhang Zhijian), killing machine Wu Zhiguo (Yang Youning), and walking archive Bai Xiaonian (Niu Zifan) to an isolated password ship. They needed to decipher the code for the German second-generation Enigma machine within 96 hours.
Another fact is more desperate than the nearly impossible task: if they fail to decipher, they will be executed as scapegoats; after deciphering, the Japanese will kill them in order to keep secrets.
The opening story of "The Sound of the Wind" brought surprises to the audience. Instead of focusing directly on the original story that the audience is familiar with, it remakes a previous history to that story. The same chamber of secrets setting, the same werewolf killing game, the same verbal killing.
In the filming documentary of "The Sound of the Wind", director Li Yunliang said that when he read the first ten episodes of the script written by screenwriter Jia Dongyan, he was amazed and immediately accepted the shooting task. However, the script only completes the first step of the long march, and it is still difficult to put the setting of the werewolf killing in the TV series.
After all, TV dramas are different from the closed viewing environment of movies, and large sections of dialogue confrontation, even if the wonderful reasoning of the script is restored, it is difficult for the audience to settle down. This inevitably makes the viewing effect much less effective.
Therefore, in order to take into account the creation of a sense of suspense and the production rules of TV dramas, an experimental spy drama was born.
First of all, the experimental nature of "The Sound of the Wind" lies in editing. Flashbacks are not a new thing in spy dramas, and they often play a role in emphasizing and answering questions, but the flashbacks of "The Sound of the Wind" are much more complicated.
One is the pre-flashback, which moves the fate of subsequent characters or the ending of the story forward to enhance the sense of suspense, which is most frequently used in the appearance of the main characters in the first episode. For example, in the first episode, after the personable Professor Kim appears, what flashes back is the blurred scene of his flesh and blood on the execution rack.
One is the deductive flashback, which is most common in speculative dramas and is often used when detectives reconstruct the suspect's crime. In "The Sound of the Wind", when Ryukawa Hihara investigates Morita's killer, he restores the modus operandi that everyone present may have used.
In the deductive flashback, in addition to the deduction of others, it also contains self-deduction. For example, on the password ship, Wu Zhiguo knew that his side was in a desperate situation, so he quietly deduced the possibility of highlighting the siege in his mind.
There is also an argumentative flashback, which helps the audience recall key details when the mystery is revealed, often making people feel enlightened. For example, Li Ningyu was cold to Gu Xiaomeng on the password boat, but asked Gu Xiaomeng to take a photo for her when she disembarked. As everyone knows, it was this inconspicuous move that saved Gu Xiaomeng's life. The deep meaning of this was not until Li Ningyu came to the Gu family as a guest that it was pointed out by Gu Xiaomeng's father, Gu Minzhang.
At first, Li Yunliang and the main creative team took into account the audience's traditional viewing habits and planned to match each flashback with a different tone to make a distinction, but in the end they chose to believe in the audience's recognition ability.
The benefits are also obvious. It allows "The Sound of the Wind" to avoid becoming a single dialogue-style reasoning drama, and also artificially creates suspense outside the plot, becoming a sharp weapon to attract the audience to follow the drama.
From the bullet screen and commentary, it can be seen that some viewers are still confused about this in the first few episodes, but the more they look back, the more they feel that there are too many details worth watching and scrutinizing repeatedly.
Flashback editing also creates character suspense. On the basis of the original novel, "The Sound of the Wind" completes the characters' history and motivation, but it does not lay out a direct narrative, but hides it in the Rashomon-style expression of the crowd. The audience needs to follow the development of the plot and explore the secrets of the people step by step.
History and legend
It is undeniable that spy dramas are character legends. But if you incorporate the shadow of real events into the legendary story, it will make the fun of the series take another step.
Another feature of "The Sound of the Wind" is that it hides real events, but there are reflections of history everywhere.
In episode 11, in order to clear his suspicion of murder, Kim Sang-ho tells the crowd about one of his arrest experiences.
Ten years ago, Dai Kasa personally ordered the arrest of the CCP's underground party Lu Xunzhang. Lu Xunzhang was a thorn in the eyes of the Kuomintang at that time, known as the CCP's cipher machine, he was almost omnipotent, he could change his face, he could modify, and he would escape, but his biggest weakness was that he loved to show himself too much.
In order to carry out the arrest, Jin Shenghuo specially designed an escape magic performance on stage, and he expected that after Lu Xunzhang saw it, he would definitely be able to see the flaws in it and show it on stage, which would be the best time to arrest. I never thought that man was not as good as heaven, and seeing that Lu Xunzhang was about to enter the urn, he was full of branches and branches, so that he could escape.
In real history, Gu Shunzhang was the head of the CCP's early special branch, proficient in makeup, magic, machinery, psychology, and good at two-handed shooting, blasting and other skills, which made the Kuomintang a headache. But he also loves to be in the limelight and is openly identified as a magician. In 1931, during a magic show in Wuhan, he was arrested on the spot and subsequently mutinied...
All are CCP agents, similar names, all appear magic elements, the legendary stories in the play are cleverly related to history, which arouses people's imagination.
For example, the famous mathematician von Neumann, the father of game theory, worked as an assistant at the University of Göttingen in 1926 and went to the United States in 1930 to teach at Princeton University. These two universities are the schools where Li Ningyu and Gu Xiaomeng studied in the play, and the timing is also right, which means that both of them may have been students of von Neumann.
The two most important conflicts in "The Sound of the Wind" are deciphering and gaming. Deciphering requires solid mathematical knowledge, and games require logical abilities beyond ordinary people, and von Neumann is a master of both. Theatrical legend and historical reality are connected in this play, and also provide annotations for the genius-like performance of Li Ningyu and Gu Xiaomeng.
The interweaving of virtual and real is the key that the series gives to the audience. Find it to open the fun door behind the suspense.
Declare war on double-speed drama
"I want to make a series that will be watched repeatedly for years to come." Li Yunliang said.
If the above is the screenwriter and director in order to achieve this goal, in order to achieve this goal, in terms of innovation and breakthrough in type and content, then the production of "The Sound of the Wind" is undoubtedly worth mentioning.
Its characteristics are also very distinct, that is, detail control.
The first is the fine lines.
Li Ningyu went to Gu Xiaomeng's house as a guest, and during the meal, Gu Ningyu's father explained Li Ningyu's efforts to rescue Gu Xiaomeng on the password ship, and raised a glass to express his gratitude. Li Ningyu accepted the thanks, but politely refused to drink. Think about it, although both men ostensibly serve the Wang puppet government, they do not know the real political position of the other party. It is normal not to touch the cup.
Unexpectedly, Father Gu suddenly asked, "This is the Bote (wine name) of the Twenty Years of the Republic of China, can't you drink it?" ”
Li Ningyu's face became solemn, and he looked down and sniffed, "Is it brewed in September?" ”
"September, of course."
Li Ningyu thought about it, but in the end he didn't drink the glass of wine and got up and left.
The two seem to be discussing red wine, but they are actually testing each other. After all, the 20th year of the Republic of China was 1931, and in September, the "918" incident that shocked China and foreign countries occurred. The psychology of "don't forget the national shame" hidden in the hearts of the two superficial traitors was transmitted from that cup of wine.
The second is the prop fine.
In the first few episodes, Gu Xiaomeng's father, "Ship King" Gu Minzhang, is a character who is often mentioned. In awe, the crowd made this character more mysterious. It wasn't until Jin Shenghuo came to visit that the audience was able to find out.
See people first. After Jin Shenghuo entered the door, he looked up to see a photo of Gu Minzhang and Wang Jingwei, hinting at the intimate relationship between the two brothers, and then saw the clocks of various countries on the wall, and glimpsed a bookcase of precious books, even the curtains were made up of imported prints "Monet's water lilies". The furniture and furnishings all show the power and taste of the owner.
It is said that the superior will create momentum, Gu Minzhang is undoubtedly one of the best, did not see in the first few episodes of the people who called the wind and rain after the fine gold into the Gu family, cramped like a primary school student?
These carefully polished lines and prop details, if you use the current popular double speed to watch the drama, you will not be able to taste the fun.
Li Yunliang said, "We all know that double speed watching dramas is harming art, and creators cannot be indifferent to this, and "Wind Sound" has a purpose of 'anti-double speed watching dramas' from editing to line props. The audience either does not watch, to see it needs to be serious, only if it is seriously watched, can it experience the double fun. ”
If the audience can be more patient, the hidden details and production ingenuity of the show will not disappoint.
【Text/Noon Talk】