"The Best of Us" is a dream related to time|Interview with director Zhang Disa

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"Every generation, when his youth passes away, will cherish youth; and every generation of youthful audiences also want to see works that reflect their current life. Youth is an eternal theme.” Talking about why he chose to shoot youth-themed movies, director Zhang Disa said.

Therefore, regardless of the external situation of the market, in his opinion, youth films will never go out of fashion. And he chose to shoot "The Best of Us" because the original novel touched him. "August Chang'an's novel is the most delicate of these youthful literary works I have ever read. After reading the novel, my heart came to my heart, with a feeling like a knife in my throat, which stimulated my desire to create. "

However, from novels to movies, how to adapt is a big problem, not to mention that there is a TV series adaptation that has been recognized by many audiences before. Therefore, for Zhang Desha, shooting "The Best of Us" has a double pressure.

On the one hand, as it said, "After all, he is a 40-year old man", while "The Best of Us" is entirely a work from a female perspective, and it is difficult to shoot. On the other hand, the volume of the original novel is very large, and the TV series may have enough time to convince the audience that all this is true, and there is still a lot of space to describe the details. But the movie is a highly compressed time and space. “There must be a strong enough emotion to present all of this, so it has to make up for it.” Zhang Disa said.

is precisely because of this, in the shooting process, Zhang Disa chose to have reservations and innovation. For example, extracting the most classic pictures in the original work, such as the scenes of life and death in the division of the arts and sciences, the reunion of Geng Geng and Yu Huai under the big tree planted in the late autumn highland seven years later, or Yu Huai in class. Raising hands to answer questions and other small details with boyfriend power are presented in film language. "These tacit emotions are well formed in the original book and must be used. This is its nutrition."

, ​​like the freak senior played by Wang Sulong, Geng Geng and the others gathered on the riverside, looking at the iPad. Recalling the past, these are the newly added content, which can resonate with the audience. "I think everyone on campus will have people who are as stupid as freaks, and even have a bit of a rib, who are easy to get into the corner when doing things. He mirrors Geng Geng and Yu Huai." Zhang Disha explained.

And like the scene in Jiangbian's memories, as it said, "Have I become the person I wished to be when I was a child", this feeling must be moving. "When we cherish the memory of youth, we actually have a dream about time. These are not in the novel, but it will make the concentration of the whole story, especially the concentration of emotions, stronger."

Empathy can only be moving when you live in an emotional outlet

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In fact, emotion is a word repeatedly mentioned by Director Zhang Disa during the interview, and it is also the most important footnote to "The Best of Us". The

film tells the story of Geng Geng and Yu Huai, a pair of high school students who got married because of their names. They grew up together in their school days, experienced separation and then met again. Among them, there are young and ignorant love beginnings, innocent friendships of wanton youth, years of misses that can’t bear to say it, and regrets that years have passed because of the passage of time. All kinds of pictures, what touches the audience, is the word "love".

In Zhang Disa's view, this is not only "The Best of Us", but also the most important quality of all youth-themed movies. "Youth film must be emotional. The audience can use this film to find who they used to be, remember the past, vent their emotions, and then have the courage to continue to face reality, then this film is a pass."

Therefore, in order to better present this unique youthful emotion on the screen, "The Best of Us" adopts real-time shooting to impress people with reality. Just in July a year ago, the film was shot in Wuhan. Although even the local driver brother can't help worrying about the crew, "Why do you come here to film in such a hot day?" All this is the best interpretation of youth and summer in Zhang Disha's eyes.

"The weather in Wuhan during that time was also a rare good. It was the shining feeling. The light would shine through the leaves, and the shadows of the trees would sway, mottled light and shadow; two people were holding hands and running on the boulevard, or riding a bicycle. However, youth should be such a beautiful feeling.”

can see that the whole film presents such a lush, vibrant youthfulness, bright and transparent. Of course, this has something to do with the role shaping of the actors in the film, especially the male and female protagonists. "Every one of them is very engaged, and I can feel that these young actors also want to use this movie to prove their acting ability. For example, Geng Geng has a playground running and then wrestling scenes. He ran seven or eight times and even put his shoes on. I ran away. It's just acting over and over again, very seriously."

Besides, actors also have to be savvy to perform the most real emotions. In the film, there was a scene in which Yu Huai deleted photos, which won tears from the audience. During the filming process, under the guidance of the director, Chen Feiyu gave the character stronger emotions with his past life experience. In the words of Zhang Desha, “The actor’s comprehension is very important. During the performance, some things can be empathized. You have to help the young actor find important memories in his life, to create a connection and find Empathy.”

It is worth mentioning that the film sets the starting point of the past time in 2008. That year, the Seventh Flying God, the Olympic Games, the Wenchuan Earthquake... all kinds of memorabilia are the collective memories of everyone about this special year. In the years after that, the predictions about the end of the world were rampant. Therefore, in the film, whether it is the ubiquitous symbolic slogans about the epochs, or the "permeable romantic apocalyptic mood", you can find it in the details.

It can be said that these detailed foreshadowings make the film appear more real, and also give the whole film a larger format that can resonate with more people. In the final analysis, the details and emotions are all paving the way for "The Best of Us" and the empathy of the audience.

No talented person will be buried.

Facts have proved that only movies that can move people with true feelings can gain wider audience recognition and higher market returns. Undoubtedly, "The Best of Us" has done this. After its release,

has become one of the most noteworthy domestic films in this summer with a dark horse, and the box office effect continues to heat up. Even if it encounters the fierce offensive of many Hollywood blockbusters before and after, it can always maintain domestic films. The single-day box office was the highest, and finally won over 400 million box office 23 days after the release, becoming the most domestically produced youth film in the past three years. It can be said that the achievement of "The Best of Us" is also an encouragement to the recent ill-fated market.

In fact, this is the first feature film directed by Zhang Desha. In his opinion, the main reason that the film can be loved by the audience is that it creates a sense of presence and allows the audience to have a good emotional outlet. At the same time, ordinary stories that are not heavy can also draw the audience's distance better.

therefore, not onlyOnly young audiences were touched, and the film was also loved by many "older" audiences. "We have done research. In fact, this film most impresses female audiences between the ages of 32 and 38." Zhang Disa said. The reason behind it, as it said, “probably because the farther away from youth, the more sad things in their hearts can be evoked by the youth film, and the weaker underbelly of them.”

Of course, after all, it is the director’s debut, and Zhang Disa is not satisfied. Here. He feels that the film still has room for improvement. "The Best of Us" should be said to be neat, with the elements that a youth film should have, and can basically meet the expectations of the audience, but it may be a bit regular in the narrative. Something new and refreshing for people.”

Before that, Zhang Disa had actually been in the film and television industry for more than ten years. He graduated from the Oil Painting Department of the China Academy of Art, and then went to the Beijing Film Academy for further studies. He was born in a discipline class and has been working in the production team since 2005. He is the director, deputy director, and executive director, one step at a time. After 2009, he also started a screenwriting career. Because of this, years of experience have tempered his craftsmanship, and his background in painting has shaped his aesthetic system in subtle ways.

now finally has a directorial debut, which is also a new beginning for him. "I think the current market is still very friendly to young directors. No talented person will be buried, because there are too many opportunities and platforms. Like when I first entered the industry in 2005, maybe young directors can only pass international The film festival is a way to let people know. Now that there are more channels, you can always find people who appreciate you." After

"The Best of Us", he is already on the way to prepare his next work. Now, thinking back to the summer one year ago, Zhang Disha is still full of emotion. Suddenly, he talked about the scene of the four people gathering on the riverside. In order to film the sentimental feelings after the early morning hangover, they stayed up all night. At that time, there happened to be a train that drove by, accidentally. It resembles the mood and atmosphere that the movie needs at that time.

"You do one thing seriously, God will help you in the dark," he said.

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