After watching the awards once, two young directors from Mianyang wanted to make a movie; after half a year of hard work, "Zhou Yongkai", which tells the story of Sichuan characters, was completed and will be released nationwide in the second half of the year. On July 2, the "China Literature and Art Report" column of CCTV-3 Variety Channel reported on this film, which used "small" things to write the "big" feelings of meritorious party members, and interviewed the main creators. Recently, a reporter from Mianbao Financial Media contacted the two directors by phone to explore the behind-the-scenes stories.
Group photo of Nie Yunxin (third from left) and Zhou Yongkai (fourth from left) and his family
Talking about creation, an award-winning burst of inspiration
"At the awarding ceremony of the July 1st Medal for the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Communist Party in 2021, I saw in the news that General Secretary Xi Jinping was presenting an award to the old revolutionary Zhou Yongkai, and I am very proud of being a Sichuanese." Recalling the original intention of the filming, Nie Yunxin on the other end of the phone was still excited. "After that, I searched a lot of information. The more I looked at it, the more I admired it, and the more excited I became. I wanted to tell the story of the old party members through movies, and I also wanted more people to inherit the revolutionary spirit of the older generation of Communists."
Nie Yunxin, a 26-year-old native of Jiangyou City, graduated from the Beijing Film Academy with a major in cinematography. He has participated in the main theme shooting of many provincial and municipal government departments for many times. He believes that he has the ability to tell Zhou Yongkai's story well. This idea coincides with the post-85 Lancheng preface of Pingwu. He studied film and television creation in Beijing and South Korea, participated in the shooting of many film and television works, and directed the cinema film "The Believer".
On July 2, the two returned to Sichuan to shoot micro-films. They received strong support from the Dazhou Municipal Party Committee, and finally turned into a film project-based on the prototype of Zhou Yongkai, a national outstanding party member and winner of the July 1st Medal. A tribute to the 20th National Congress of the Party.
Shooting scene, words and perception, one shooting to cleanse the soul
Before and after the Spring Festival, the weather was cold, the epidemic was repeated, and people’s hearts were fluctuating, which brought difficulties one by one: a star was trapped in the sudden outbreak of the epidemic and had to change roles temporarily; a lighting engineer’s itinerary code became yellow and had to be seconded Supporting the field; time was urgent, the crew went to Dazhou and Bazhong to shoot in three ways...
During the filming, what moved the two young directors the most was that the prototype character of the film, Zhou Yongkai, who was over 90 years old, came to the studio twice to encourage them; the mountains and snow blocked the road, and the local government staff sprinkled salt at 6 o’clock in the morning to clear the road; Hundreds of local villagers spontaneously participated in the scene of farewell to the masses...Nie Yunxin recalled, "On the first day of the new year, the entire crew of more than 100 people had to climb to the top of the mountain to shoot. The main character, Mr. Lu Qi, was in his 70s, and he declined. We provided crutches, and took the lead in rushing forward."
"One shot to cleanse one's heart, and Zhou Lao's revolutionary spirit of sticking to his original intention inspired us." Lan Cheng's preface introduced that the content strives to be truly restored, with both firm belief and simple feelings, such as Zhou Yong's business trip to bottle the seawater of a certain city Here, to my wife who has never seen the sea. The whole film seizes several important points, vividly reproduces the dedication spirit of the decades, and shows the charm of the characters in the artistic creation. "After filming, seventy or eighty people in the crew wanted to join the party, and some people have already submitted applications."
The crew is finished
Talking about the goal of a cooperation and firming up a belief "Thank you for your hard work! The filming time is so short, and the quality of the completion is so high..." In March this year, after Zhou Yongkai and his family watched the first cut film, they entrusted the Dazhou Municipal Party Committee Propaganda Department to call the crew to thank you . At this moment, the two young men in Mianyang were very proud, "Actually, the editing director of the film is also from Mianyang, which can be described as a successful experience of film and television talents in their hometown."
"Through filming, we have come into contact with many outstanding performers, and we have also strengthened our belief in making high-quality films and telling Chinese stories." They told reporters that the main creative team has assembled senior film and television producers in the industry and talented emerging forces, such as screenwriter Liu Jianwei He is the winner of the Mao Dun Literature Award and a national first-class screenwriter. The producer Liu Jin is a famous performing artist and a national first-class actor. Zhou Yongkai's actor Lu Qi is a famous performance artist, the best actor of the Golden Rooster Award, and a national first-class actor... They stick to their original aspirations. , The spirit of determination and innovation deeply moved the two young directors.
At present, the film has completed post-production and is expected to be released in theaters nationwide in the second half of the year. Nie Yunxin, who is also a producer, producer and director, is also directing a theatrical film for the first time. When he was interviewed by CCTV, his attitude was firm. "The biggest gain in filming is not forgetting the original intention and continuing to struggle." In the future, both of them want to pay attention to Hometown themes, drive the development of hometown film and television, and contribute to telling Chinese stories well. (Luo Rong, Mianbao Financial Media reporter Xiong Yan, picture provided by the interviewee)
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Zhou Yongkai, deputy secretary and secretary of the Disciplinary Committee of Yuanda County, Sichuan Province. Before the founding of New China, he risked his life to carry out the party's underground work in the northern Sichuan area. After the founding of the People's Republic of China, he fulfilled his duties to promote local development and became the "secretary of straw shoes" in the hearts of the masses. After retiring, he led the local people to build the Calyx Mountain National Nature Reserve. On June 29, 2021, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China awarded Zhou Yongkai the "July 1st Medal".