Whether it is the main theme or the costume drama, creating good characters is Jiang Daqiao's long-term pursuit.
I met the screenwriter Jiang Daqiao in the "Hello Youth" company located in the Twenty-second Courtyard Art District.
On the street and in front of the Today Art Museum, there are young people with bright eyes, and Jiang Daqiao holds a cup of coffee, but there is a slight tiredness that contradicts the environment.
At this time, he should have been in the crew, but in the fourth "Chu Xin List" just held, Jiang Daqiao won the honor of "Top Five Young Screenwriters of the Year" with two masterpieces of "Ideal Shines on China", "Show Meets Soldiers", "I Am Xiaofang", "173 Meters" and "Eye of the Storm".
The award must be received, and things cannot be left untouched, so shortly after the interview, Jiang Daqiao returned to the group.
In fact, during the dialogue, I could feel that he was not a workaholic who was "exhausted and killed by his peers". But in response to the fact that life can't stop, Jiang Daqiao said three reasons. It is both real and can see his feelings for the profession of screenwriter.
First, if you do not advance or retreat, everyone is moving forward, if you stop, not only will you cut off the room for progress, but you may even be eliminated.
Second, in order to enter the industry, Jiang Daqiao has not suffered less since graduation, and his desperate obsession for many years has made him cherish the opportunity and is reluctant to perfunctory any project.
Third, this time he won the honor of the "Initial Heart List" and defeated other excellent works, and Jiang Daqiao worried that others said that he won the award because he ate the dividends of the theme. Therefore, creating more good works in the future and proving his ability has become another reason to support him.
Three points added up, and the work certainly couldn't stop, like the cigarette in his hand and the dry goods in his mouth.
During the interview, about the creation, about the current situation of the screenwriter, about how the young screenwriter entered the industry, about the "Yunxiang Biography" that was also written by him and just released the first trailer, Jiang Daqiao could say what he could say, and what he could not say also revealed a lot.
Whether it is a fan of "Ideal Shines in China" and "Eye of the Storm", or a practitioner who wants to enter the film and television industry, or a practitioner who is struggling, he may be able to find direction and answer from the following (there is an Easter egg at the end of the article).
Because it has just won the glory of the "Initial Heart List", the topic naturally starts from the "Initial Heart".
Jiang Daqiao recalled that when he was about 7 or 8 years old, his father always took him home from school. Once I passed by a movie theater, which was playing the movie "Predator" starring Schwarzenegger. I don't know if I thought about addiction or took the child to increase my knowledge, my father not only took him to watch a movie, but also asked the teacher for leave, and used the "excuse" of illness to avoid Jiang Daqiao's homework for a day.
Stills from Predator
Strong "positive feedback" made Jiang Daqiao have a strong interest in video art, and then other children turned on the TV to watch cartoons, but he preferred American dramas such as "Mysterious Island" and "24 Hours" that had just entered the mainland market.
Gradually, entering the film and television industry became his dream, and he chose a related major when he entered the university.
Arriving at a more liberal environment, Jiang Daqiao began to systematically study professional courses. At that time, American dramas were just beginning to become popular, and classic works such as "Prison Break" and "Lost" were very popular. With the help of professional teachers, he began to watch a lot of dramas, pull films, and deconstruct and analyze the plot.
At that time, for every professional course, Jiang Daqiao's final works could rank among the best in the whole major. "Positive feedback" again and again makes him full of confidence in entering the industry.
Stills from Prison Break
Who expected that as soon as he entered the society, his self-confidence was shattered. Jiang Daqiao said helplessly: "When you come to society, it is a round of beatings, there are no mature works in this industry, there are no particularly good resources or relationships, and no one will trust you." ”
But Jiang Daqiao was not defeated, and he never had the idea of giving up.
Without script work for TV series and movies, he worked part-time in an advertising agency and wrote micro-film scripts. Often a book has to be polished for a long time to get 2,000 yuan in compensation, and you can't support yourself at all.
So he stayed up until he was 27 or 8 years old, he paid off his credit card, and with many years of experience in "underground" creation, he came into contact with the script work of "The Front Without Gun Smoke", and thus slowly entered the industry, polishing his "skills" in one project after another, until now with the two works of "Ideal Shines on China" and "Eye of the Storm", he has won the honor of "Top Five Young Screenwriters of the Year in the Initial Heart List".
Speaking of this year's two works, whether it is the series of short dramas "Ideals Shine on China" that pays tribute to the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party of China, or the contemporary national security urban counter-espionage drama "Storm Eye", the themes are quite serious.
But in addition to showing the shining moments of the characters, both works portray the life-like side of the characters, making it easier for the audience to empathize and explore a new feasible way for the main theme of the series.
For example, "The Ideal Shines on China", Jiang Daqiao said: "At that time, the screenwriting team reached a consensus, that is, while expressing a little politicality, absolutely do not shout slogans and do not say empty words. Just create a good story and character that people can empathize with. ”
"Ideal Shines on China" work photo
At the same time, when choosing archetypal characters, Jiang Daqiao also tends to be an unsung hero who is old and not well known to the public.
One is that the creative space is greater, and the other is to let the public know more about the great people who pay silently. In his words: "As long as the audience watches an episode and is willing to search for the name of the archetypal character on Baidu and learn more about his experience, I think it is very good, and the purpose has been achieved." ”
It is true that Jiang Daqiao's portrayal of the small lives of big people gives the story a stronger emotion, not only narrowing the distance between history and reality, but also sublimating the greatness of the archetypal characters. Especially at the end of the three units of "Xiu Cai Meets the Soldier", "I Am Xiao Fang" and "173 Meters", the accumulated energy is quietly erupted, just like "a gentle sword", and the audience's nose is sour.
Jiang Daqiao added: "Many people, including myself, if they see a drama with gift-giving attributes, they will instinctively think that it is preaching a big truth, and what "Ideal Shines on China" wants to do is to try to reverse the audience's such ideas. Tribute dramas and patriotic themes should not have shouted slogans and empty words, and the stories should all be living ordinary people, but they did something extraordinary. If one day everyone does not mention the term 'tribute drama', but sees it as a kind of genre drama, then it is really mature and tells a good story. ”
Another work, Eye of the Storm, is even more challenging.
The project began in 2010, and Jiang Daqiao intervened in 2016 because everyone had no experience in creating national security dramas and could only feel the stones to cross the river. Once the stone is not touched, people are easy to fall into the river, so the previous screenwriters can't change it.
However, after Jiang Daqiao and the chief screenwriter Liang Zhenhua took over, they found that what the national security department required was not science fiction and action types, but to tell a story with flesh and blood and a real and credible plot.
So according to the requirements, he began to create positive and negative characters, and the story of confrontation between them, a few years later.
During the period, the relevant personnel of the national security department helped to solve some technical problems, and even played the role of literary planning, grasping the balance between story adaptation and real situation.
Stills from Eye of the Storm
However, some problems in the play still need to be solved by the screenwriter. Jiang Daqiao still remembers how to grasp the strength and weakness of the villain: "Now the detection methods of the national security department are too yuan and too powerful, and the story takes place on China's territory, so it is difficult for spies to get away with it under a strict reconnaissance system." The strength of the positive and negative sides is not actually equal. ”
But if the bad guys are written too weakly, and there is no sense of crisis, so in the creative process, the most laborious thing is not how to eliminate the villain, but to let the villain live a few more episodes under the premise of ensuring rationality, which has the meaning of black humor.
Fortunately, after repeated adjustments, coupled with the strategy of focusing on the living conditions of national security soldiers at the beginning of the creative project, the script was polished after several combinations.
Talking about this, Jiang Daqiao's creative method surfaced. That is, in time and space, try to be grand, and the human setting is closer to ordinary people.
Therefore, even if it is not to create realistic themes, Jiang Daqiao's works will imply a concern for the present and the individual, which is caused by the commonality of "people" themselves.
But he is not a believer in "characters driving stories": "In real life, people are actually marionettes, and every decision they make will be affected by the outside world, so what I really believe in is that the story drives people." Willing to write small people is also the reason, the big people have to make choices at critical times, but the small people will be hit by fate at key moments, and will struggle fiercely, which is the moment when the drama has charm. ”
With this set of creative methodologies, even if it is the creation of costume themes, Jiang Daqiao is not satisfied: "In the process of social development, it is only a change in productivity and the level of science and technology, and the change of people themselves is not much, so I think the background of the times will not have a particularly big impact on the creation of characters." ”
Just like "The Legend of Yunxiang", which has just released the first trailer, with the principle of no spoilers, he briefly introduces the story: "The story line of "The Legend of Yunxiang" is revenge, but it also includes martial arts, jianghu elements, and the exploration of the meaning of life. For example, Yun Xiang's personal transformation, even if he is extremely intelligent, but blinded by revenge, he still has to learn and change in the process of getting along with friends and enemies, until he finally reconciles with himself. ”
"Yun Xiang Biography" boot photo
In "The Legend of YunXiang", Jiang Daqiao still focuses on the characters themselves. In the interference of the complex external environment, the inner choice of the characters is the fullness of the drama, and it will also play a decisive role in the development of the plot.
Jiang Daqiao, who took advantage of the shooting gap to receive the award, said frankly: "I will implement this creative method for a long time, and I will write more good works in turn." At this stage, at least you have to prove that you have not eaten the dividends of the theme, so even if the long-term high-intensity creation is very grinding, you must grit your teeth and persevere. ”
In addition to the "main plot" of Jiang Daqiao himself and his works, out of selfishness, the author also asked some screenwriting questions. For example, the current situation of screenwriters, what preparations should young screenwriters make, what training to carry out, what to be wary of after having mature works, and so on...
Whether it is a screenwriting student, a fan who intends to become a screenwriter, a young screenwriter, a confused practitioner, or a friend who is curious about the creation of the series, you can continue to look down.
Cooking: Has the current situation of screenwriters improved?
Jiang Daqiao: In the industry, I don't feel that screenwriting is not valued. First of all, the screenwriting is behind-the-scenes work, and it is impossible to shine as brightly as an actor. Secondly, if in a benign group, producers, directors, and screenwriters will cooperate and communicate with respect, and there is no distinction between high and low.
There are several possibilities for a screenwriter not to be taken seriously, and a screenwriter is really not very good at it, and there is no way to get respect. The second is that the project is not very good, does not respect the group of plays, and finally makes a very NB thing, which I believe does not exist.
Cooking: What do you need to do to become a screenwriter?
Jiang Daqiao: First pour a basin of cold water, the screenwriter is particularly boiling behind the scenes, especially destroying health, and there is no so-called vanity to support you. So if you are not particularly determined to do this line of work, you can consider other work.
If you really want to enter the industry, you must first read a lot and watch movies. And the film and television industry is constantly renovating, even if there are works and status, if you do not understand the status quo, you will be eliminated immediately. So this accumulation must last throughout the career.
Second, if possible, look at the scripts of mature projects and learn how mature screenwriters help other types of work in the project to achieve film and television.
Finally, I am not particularly good at socializing, but in any industry, in addition to cultivating my own skills, properly cultivating my social skills, supplemented by it, may get more opportunities to accumulate experience. After all, this industry must have word of mouth, qualifications, and works in order to gain a firm foothold.
Cooking: Is there a particularly effective training method?
Jiang Daqiao: First, you must exercise your empathy ability, observe life, understand the characters you see in novels, film and television works, and their motivations for action. While empathy is more innate, acquired techniques can enhance this ability.
Second, when reading books, watching dramas, and watching the news, learn to think about the story, not necessarily long, but must write it out, dozens of words on the line. Waiting until I have time to write the whole story according to the brief description at that time, this is the training I have done countless times.
Cooking Xiaoxian: If you can really enter the industry, what advice do you have for young screenwriters?
Jiang Daqiao: Don't forget your original intention.
Most people in this industry have a spiraling career. But the more money is made and the life is better, some people will forget the life they once lived, and even lose empathy. This is a very big trap for screenwriters.
Cooking Fresh: How to Avoid Falling into traps?
Jiang Daqiao: It's hard, it's human nature to go up and want to stand at the top of the food chain. I will definitely sacrifice a lot of things during this period, but suddenly one day I realized this problem, I should immediately change my way of thinking, I can't think of myself as a superior being, I must see, listen, and think about everyone's point of view, and his story.
The mode of social operation is, to some extent, to constantly wear away people's empathy. The further you go, the more you will focus on the more successful people, giving up downward communication. I think it's a trap for everyone, but for the screenwriting profession, it's a professional trap.
Once I get to this point, I find it hard to write empathetic content anymore, to tap into the motivations and deeper emotions of the characters. So I think as a screenwriter, you should always be vigilant about this.