When the contestants of competitive variety shows are no longer idols, singers, and actors who are accustomed to the spotlight, but directors who are hidden behind the scenes, how will the show be presented?
The recently launched "Director Please Advise" on Tencent Video provides a sample. In this show, the Mesozoic, the second generation of the circle, and the cross-border directors competed on the same stage; professional film critics and audience representatives broke their heads several times; Bi Zhifei burst into tears at the scene, Wang Jing was ridiculed for "not being Wong Kar-wai", and Li Chengru output no less sharp than "like sitting on a needle felt"...
The controversial footage full of gunpowder has once again become the focus of the audience's attention. And when we are used to the topic first, where is the real meaning of a director's reality show?
When the director came to the front of the stage
When acting variety shows such as "Actors Please Be in Place" and "I Am an Actor" were stuck in a bottleneck, the camera was aimed at the director behind the monitor. They were invited to the front desk, given funds for the topic, and completed a short film of about 15 minutes in two days.
The program team invited four producers, Wang Jing, Fang Li, Chen Zhixi, and Hao Lei, among whom there were special directors and special actors, as well as those who threw money and made money; in addition, they also prepared actors for the director to choose from, including old drama bones such as Hui Yinghong and Li Chengru, as well as young and newcomer actors such as Niu Junfeng and Huang Minghao. There are also 50 professional judges and 200 public judges participating in the viewing and voting, and the winning directors can cooperate with these well-known producers.
It's just that the contestants invited by the show seem to be quite well-known.
Sixteen directors participating in the competition / Tencent
The most unexpected is probably Guan Jinpeng, who has many high-scoring works and international awards. And Bi Zhifei, who seems to be the opposite of Guan Jinpeng — refreshed people's perception of bad movies with Douban's 2.2-point "Dream Showbiz" — also appeared on the same stage.
Guan Jinpeng talks about "Director Please Advise" / screenshot of the program
In addition, there are young directors who have had some excellent works but need to be improved in popularity, such as Zeng Zhi, Degna, Wang Yichun; Wu Zhongtian, Bao Bell, Xiang Guoqiang, and other filmmakers who have had mixed reviews of cinema films; actors Han Xue, Wu Zhenyu, rock singer Liang Long, host Cai Kangyong and other cross-border players... There are even Huayi Qianjin Wang Wenye, Xing'er Generation Ning Yuanyuan and so on.
Fully prepared crossover director Han Xue / screenshot of the show
When the program was announced, the core value of "supporting high-quality directors" was mentioned, but combined with this list of contestants, it is inevitable that people will have some doubts. However, there is no doubt that when the director enters the variety show, it must be an opportunity that attracts everyone's attention.
Directors, actors, producers, film critics and audiences, the program has created a relatively complete "industrial closed loop". Under such a closed loop, an experiment in refracting the industry is taking place.
How did it become a spit conference
At present, the pilot film and the first program have been broadcast, and the appearances, works and actor selection of 16 directors have been completed, and two groups of four directors have been played. The debate between the director and the producer, the director and the professional judge, and the professional judge and the audience around the four works is much more "wonderful" and "lively" than the work itself.
Program part of the hot search / cloud in the data
It is not difficult to see from the relevant hot search that the program group has the intention of creating a topic - this is also more obviously reflected in the competition group.
The first group of directors to screen pk were Xiang Guoqiang, a college teacher sent from the academy, and Bao Bell, who directed two commercial films in the half-way family, and they adapted "Nezha Noisy Sea" and "Nezha" respectively. Xiang Guoqiang's films have some jianghu and black humor, with more flower work and skills; Bao Bell fully expresses emotions through a two-line narrative, although the relationship between the two lines is not clear.
Producer Chen Zhixi's praise and encouragement to Bao Bell / screenshot of the show
In the end, Xiang Guoqiang's "more flattering" Bao Bell won. The focus of the on-site discussion also shifted to the clichéd dispute between "literary and art films and niche films" and "commercial films and popular films", and the balance between "films that the audience wants to see" and "what the director wants to express".
The more the director argues, the more disgusted the judges become; the director says "insist on self-expression", and the judges say "both ideas and business, far from "Let the Bullets Fly" and "Ready Player One". Between the cuts and counters, there are different opinions, estrangement and chains of contempt between directors in different circles.
The second set of duels took place between rock singer Liang Long and "much criticized" Bi Zhifei, who adapted the IP of "Crazy Alien" and the classic good film "Spring in a Small Town". One is a black-and-white silent film style experimental film; the other is a sincere and humble but almost old hulu painting scoop.
The audience can't watch the obscure "Alien", according to the rules, the film was forced to stop before it was broadcast, which triggered a fierce debate between the professional film team and the general audience.
Back and forth of the scene with whispers / screenshots of the show
Although he won more votes than Liang Long, the one who could withstand the fiercest fire was Also Bi Zhifei at the center of the topic. Bi Dao, who felt encouraged, once burst into tears and sincerely chatted a lot about the understanding of "Spring in a Small Town" and oriental aesthetics on the stage.
It doesn't matter, as soon as he talks about it, he ushered in three consecutive criticisms from the producer and the professional film team: criticized for being charming, not understanding film history, and not knowing innovation in concept decay...
Professional reviewer with Bi Zhifei / screenshot of the program
There is nothing wrong with the need for traffic in variety shows, and Bi Zhifei and a series of other controversies are obviously good topics to expand the heat. However, under the editing and fragmentation of variety shows, the original academic discussion will inevitably become a sword-rattling of you and me.
The fight is over, and then what?
In fact, from the original intention of the program, the setting up of different groups and the exchange of views between groups is probably to present the real status quo of the film and television industry.
Such as Cai Kangyongsan's invitation to Li Chengru and not to be able to do so, Degna and Qi Xi's two-way choice; various accidents during filming, the distribution of power between directors and actors on the set; the balance between literary and commercial films and the hidden chain of contempt between them... It may all be the epitome of the current Chinese film industry.
The purpose of presenting these profiles is to let the audience know more about the film and television industry, let young directors show themselves, and run to the industry for the better.
In addition, I don't know if you have noticed that the show has made knowledge cards for the professional concepts mentioned by the professional film team and the producers in many places and attached them to the corner of the picture. Those who are professional, historical, and in-depth may be able to do better, rather than being overwhelmed by variety-based debates.
Knowledge cards/screenshots of the show that appear in the show
As for the most controversial "controversial part", the professional film team laughed and said this paragraph: My imagination of this variety show, it should be a laboratory. It is not to make everyone take sides, but to communicate with the director on an equal footing with more patience and curiosity. Opinions on this statement vary, but at least he throws out a reflection about respect or disrespect, identification or disapproval.
"Lab" theory / screenshot of the program
On the road to directing a competitive reality show, "Director Please Advise" has taken an exploratory step, and also revealed some of its original intentions and ambitions. Obviously, it fought a beautiful first battle in terms of heat; but controversy has always been a double-edged sword. iQiyi's "Let's Shoot a Movie" has also begun recording recently, and broadcasting is not far away. At that time, the two programs will jointly interpret the understanding of the film and television industry, which is better or worse, and the audience will wait and see.