Poster for Midsummer Future.
On July 30, the youth film "Midsummer Future" directed by Chen Zhengdao was released, and the film Douban scored 7.7 points, telling the story of two students who are about to take the college entrance examination, Chen Chen (Zhang Zifeng) and Zheng Yuxing (Wu Lei), who accidentally met because of a lie, and they witnessed each other's growth and transformation after a summer. Some fans said that this youth film "does not pretend to be a posture, shoots lightly enough to please", and "found a different Chen Zhengdao, a different Zhang Zifeng". This is also Chen Zhengdao's second time shooting youth films since directing "Midsummer Lightyear" in 2006, in the past 15 years, he has gradually grown from a cutting-edge director to a stylistic genre director, after shooting the suspenseful themes of "Master of Hypnosis", "Master of Memory" and "Secret Visitor", why did he decide to re-direct youth films? What new impacts did the new generation of Zhang Zifeng and Wu Lei bring to him? What exactly does the mysterious character MING represent? In an exclusive interview with a reporter from the Beijing News, these questions were answered one by one by Chen Zhengdao.
Inspired by Zhang Zifeng to create "Summer Future"
When I met Wu Lei for the first time, I decided that "this is Zheng Yuxing"
When Chen Zhengdao's "Midsummer Lightyear" was released in Taiwan in 2006, it embodied the lonely, uneasy and chaotic youth film temperament, which was a starting point for Chen Zhengdao, and he found that "everything he wanted to say" was no longer interested in the genre. In 2010, Chen Zhengdao went north and directed a series of films, "101 Marriage Proposals", "Return to 20 Years", two master series and this year's May 1st hit "Secret Visitor", making Chen Zhengdao a very prolific director in Hong Kong Taipei and favored by fans and investors. Many years after the release of "Midsummer Lightyear", on the creative set of "Secret Visitor", when he met Zhang Zifeng, he suddenly had the inspiration to create "Midsummer Future". "I must say that Zhang Zifeng is an actor who can stimulate the director's desire to create, she is alive in front of the camera, I told her mother at that time, give Zifeng's first youth film to me to shoot." 」 Based on the old friend relationship of the familiar door, Zhang Zifeng was very happy to agree to play the heroine Chen Chen.
Zhang Zifeng and Wu Lei play Chen Chen and Zheng Yuxing respectively.
Chen Zhengdao and Wu Lei only met for the first time when they identified "this is the Zheng Yuxing in my heart". When we met, Wu Lei wore a hat and cut his head, "I asked him why he had this hairstyle, and he said that he had cut his hair in a gamble with others." In addition, he said that he would be very excited to meet something that interested him, and the sense of youth in his eyes and the sense of naturalness on his body made me think that he must be the most suitable. ”
Electric sound is the most representative element of young people
Song selection and copyright "most worrying"
In "Summer Future", zhang Zifeng and Wu Lei's performances are very natural, Chen Zhengdao said that Wu Lei and Zhang Zifeng have cooperated in the film "Love" released in 2019, so he almost does not need to create an atmosphere for them, and they shoot naturally on the set, chat normally, and live. Zhang Zifeng's performance in "Midsummer Future" surprised Chen Zhengdao, who said that he had never seen such a happy sister. In Chen Chen and Zheng Yuxing, there are many characteristics of contemporary young people, and when talking about being a very brilliant electronic sound in the film, Chen Zhengdao said that he uses the electric sound as the clue to the story in the film. "Halfway through the script, we decided to use electric tone. Electronic music is very inclusive, there are many genres, but also very private, everyone will collect private playlists, these songs represent different emotions of people, full of differences in popularity, which is consistent with the expression of contemporary young people. Chen Zhengdao introduced that many of the songs in the film are repeatedly discussed by many people such as dubbing soundtracks, DJs, etc., neither want to be too cold nor rotten, and through countless efforts to buy music rights, even if it only takes 11 seconds of a song, it also takes a long time to "negotiate", which is probably the most "worrying" place in the whole film.
Zheng Yuxing's dream is to become a DJ.
The withdrawal agreement signed the drama Zhang Zifeng did not compromise
The director and screenwriter laugh at the opinions of young people
At the end of the movie, Zheng Yuxing was ordered to withdraw from school and needed Chen Chen's signature, the original script was signed by Chen Chen, but because of Zhang Zifeng's opinion, this plot was changed. "She told me I couldn't sign it, and we wouldn't do it. Because I and the screenwriter are both post-80s, we think that in that kind of pressure reality situation, we will eventually compromise, but Zifeng feels that she can be braver not to make this compromise, and the post-00s give us a thinking, just like I will not do things that go against my heart. Chen Zhengdao said that later the script changed because of this opinion, and he and the screenwriter walked out of the door and could not help but sigh, "We may really be old." This creation is too exciting, young actors will give us a lot of advice, such as the director I can't laugh here, such as I can't talk like this, I will adjust according to their opinions, that is really a very natural state, is the treasure in the creation. ”
The director talks about six deep behind-the-scenes scenes
Many fans have said that "Midsummer Future" has the laughter of youth, the pain of youth growth, and even a hint of youth inspirational secrets... They seem to see a very "fresh" director Chen Zhengdao. Chen Zhengdao also agrees one by one, he believes that "Midsummer Future" represents a very different self, he has not made a youth film with a light comedy and a partial musical theme, and the whole shooting process is comfortable and smooth, with a sense of freedom from the reins, full of electric music representing young elements, by two actors with a sense of youthful impact, Zhang Zifeng and Wu Lei, to show the freshness of youth films. In order to better interpret the film, Chen Zhengdao uses six deep behind-the-scenes scenes to provide fans with the most "fresh" deconstruction.
(The following are from Chen Zhengdao's dictation)
Does the character MING in the film represent longing?
MING is probably a person's yearning (character) when he was young. MING in Beijing, in the big city to do zheng Yuxing yearning for the work, the age is older than him, in fact, MING does not represent love, but we want to be adults in life, want to do work, want love, but this desire can always reject you. For example, Zheng Yuxing can't respond to Chen Chen's liking, because at that moment he knew that there were some things that could not be forced, and you could only ask yourself to do a good job.
Zheng Yuxing's love for MING is not only love, but also a yearning for beauty?
I think not, this is not like the symbolic definition that everyone speculated in the past, in fact, MING is the epitome of Zheng Yuxing's desire but not get it from beginning to end, just a yearning for beauty in his heart, not necessarily just love. More accurately, it is probably the beginning of the love sinus, what I want to do and reality is not as willing as I wish, he is skeptical, he is also very moved. It's like an inner fantasy, he invested a lot of his own desires in MING, such as being a DJ, going to the big city, he wanted to live in MING, and found more people who agreed with him, so he couldn't forget when he was rejected.
What was Hao Lei's first feeling when she saw the comedy script?
Hao Lei plays Chen Chen's mother.
Hao Lei in my heart is a very powerful, experienced actress, she created a lot of layered, deep roles, when Hao Lei teacher first read the script told me, very clear that I want to play a mother, is the kind of mother who has a little control over her daughter but also has her own ideas, I said "Hao Lei teacher, we are a comedy", she was very surprised, said that she re-watched, we all want to know what kind of reaction Hao Lei played comedy, and the result was that the first scene filmed her dialogue with Zu Feng. At that time, Hao Lei was very shy and said "I sent you a message why don't you reply", Zu Feng teacher, as a full-time actor, looked at the sky and said, "I am in heaven", the chemistry at that time was particularly in place, they were really cute, and Hao Lei gradually recognized the shooting sense of this light comedy.
Chen Chen and Zheng Yuxing dubbed adults from improvisation?
There is a scene where mother Hao Lei and Uncle Wang Zufeng meet and chat and greet, Chen Chen because he suspects that his mother has an affair, and Zheng Yuxing is watching upstairs, the two of them "dubbed" the elders in the distance, contributing a lot of laughter, this play is the original script, but also told the two actors their intentions, but with what content, what to say, all are Wu Lei, Zhang Zifeng improvised, just watched the actions of the mother and Uncle Wang, and then temporarily jumped out of a lot of particularly funny words.
Sanya Music Festival is the most expensive play?
The Sanya Music Festival in the film is the climax of the whole drama, and it is also the most difficult scene to shoot, and it is also the scene that spends the most money in the whole film. Before the investor said, "Chen Zhengdao wants to make a very comfortable, very relaxed little youth movie, we definitely support", and then the offer of the music festival came down, the boss of the investor joked and asked, "Not to say that you want to shoot a very comfortable, very relaxed youth film, the result of such a large-scale music festival, but also thousands of people to the scene, fireworks, hot air balloons", the budget is really very much, but they also very much support me to use this method to show a dream in youth. There were a lot of things scheduled during the shoot, and there was a cold snap, and I was grateful to the actors present for their best efforts to complete the performance.
Chen Chen and Zheng Yuxing at the Sanya Music Festival.
The ending of the movie is not very satisfactory, you have to have the courage and faith to face life
Maybe it has something to do with the values I convey, but I think it's important that you learn to accept that "what you like, not necessarily likes you; the life you want, not necessarily there.". What I want to convey is that I must have the courage to face setbacks, to have my own efforts and beliefs to become ideals, and I don't want to say that love is the only destination, which does not need to be told in youth movies.
【Interview】
Shooting any type of film is a lot of money
Beijing News: This is your second cooperation with Zhang Zifeng, and it is also the first love film she starred in, what is your evaluation of her performance?
Chen Zhengdao: Zi Feng is a very personality and assertive actor, for the play, she must do a good job, do not do you can not force her, maybe she just wants to do it without any entanglement, she is usually a very Buddhist girl, for example, in "Secret Visitor" is always in a state of vigilance, but this time her lively appearance on the set also refreshed my cognition, I did not expect that she could still be like this! She is very capable of bringing herself and others into the film with emotions.
In "Summer Future", Zhang Zifeng played Chen Chen.
Beijing News: This shooting is more yellow and blue in the tone of the painting style, is it deliberately to express emotions?
Chen Zhengdao: It should be less technique than my previous films, a little more pure. This time, in the use of the lens, lighting are more natural, relaxed, such as the characters are light makeup or almost no makeup, tone, yellow represents the feeling of warmth, night, blue represents daylight, based on the tone of these two colors.
Beijing News: What is the atmosphere of the scene shooting? Isn't it also very relaxed and casual?
Chen Zhengdao: But it was interesting, on the spot, I found that I spent more time discussing gossip with Wu Lei than discussing the script (laughs), and he later told me that every time he thought I walked toward him, I had something to say, and he was ready to listen carefully. But he later found out that I was talking to him every time I walked over. This shooting was really interesting, for example, I thought that it would be more beautiful to put two or three books on the table, and these students all told me, "Director Chen, before we took the college entrance examination, two or three books on the table were really not enough, there were many, many." ”
Beijing News: Some people think that youth films are quite simple, a large number of literary dramas, the expression of emotions in place, no visual effect gimmicks, with youth films "started" what do you think?
Chen Zhengdao: For me, it is quite simple, provided that I have only made it once in many years, and it is better to make this kind of film. There is time to accumulate, to find the state of the young people and shoot again, now it seems that all genres are like this, just like from "Master of Hypnosis" and "Master of Memory" to "Secret Visitor", for me, shooting any type of film is thick and thin, not because for a while you are good at this genre, and then you do not accumulate well and then continue to shoot. Youth films are also like this, accumulated for many years and then shoot, I will find that I want to talk about a lot of things, to pick out the really good, the movie will be very good.
Chen Chen and Zheng Yuxing reviewed their homework in the classroom.
Beijing News: So you have to have enough experience to do a good job in youth movies?
Chen Zhengdao: At least you have to play your imagination, to find, to feel the new experience in order to shoot, this time I have to re-like a lot of small details after 00, whether it is brushing vibrato, reading Weibo, watching B station, looking at the Beijing News, that is, after absorbing a lot of things, it will be very good to shoot again.
Beijing News reporter Zhou Huixiaowan provided a picture of the film
Edited by Huang Jialing Proofreader Zhai Yongjun