Cover News Trainee Reporter Wang Yili
Profile
Lu Ke, graduated from the New York University Film School, is a male director and producer from Mainland China. Representative works: " Ultimate Survival ", " Mr. High Heels ", "My Love from the Dog Star".
In 2016, produced by Jin Yimeng and directed by Lu Ke, Du Jiang, Xue Kaiqi, Yu Xintian starred, Chen Xuedong, Wang Zulan specially starred in the urban weird comedy "Mr. Heels", under heavy pressure, it became a "dark horse" "The gesture took a different approach and successfully counterattacked, becoming the only film with a box office of over 100 million during the Valentine's Day period that year. That year, Lu Ke, who was only 26 years old, earned over 100 million in box office. There are always some comedy elements in his works. "Maybe it has something to do with my personality. I want to bring cheerful things to everyone through my works." Lu Ke said that after that movie, he has also been Looking for new themes and hoping to explore more possibilities.
In 2024, after 8 years of preparation, Lu Ke will return to the big screen again with his new work "My Love from the Dog Star", which will be released on April 12. The film is produced by Zhang Jiazhen, starring Aaron Kwok , Lan Yingying , and is also escorted by a powerful team such as art consultant Zhang Jialu, director of photography Li Yaohui, and editing director Lin An'er. It shows the profound father's story from a new perspective. like. On the afternoon of April 5, "My Love" officially started advance screenings in 10 cities across the country. At the screening site in Chengdu that day, many viewers shed tears for the father-daughter relationship interpreted by Aaron Kwok and Lan Yingying in the film. Moved to tears.
What do the two images of father and daughter in the video represent? Why spend a lot of effort to create special effects "Awang"? Why didn't this film about "separation" follow the routine? On April 6, director Lu Keke accepted an exclusive interview with Cover News reporter and shared the creative process behind the film.
"My Love from the Dog" movie poster picture according to the film studio
The theme of "separation" comes from reality
"My Love from the Dog" tells the story of a sugar factory worker Jiang Siwang (played by Aaron Kwok) raising his daughter Jiang Lu (played by Lan Ying) alone Ying) grew up and turned into a puppy due to an accident. However, when he found his daughter, Jiang Lu had grown up, so his father decided to start a "guardian journey" story as the puppy Awang.
The film is adapted from a short story. It shows the deep love between father and daughter through the separation of father and daughter in different scenes. In fact, the inspiration for this story came from a friend of Lu Ke's. Because his father was seriously ill, he temporarily changed some life plans and held the wedding in advance to reassure his dying father. Lu Ke told reporters that at present, his friend does not know the creative background of this film. He just told her that there is a gift for her, "but I will invite her at the premiere to reveal the gift." ."
Before "My Love from Dog Star", the original name of this film was "Dad Is Prosperity". In Lu Ke's original plan, he wanted to present a pure comedy film, but after the final editing, he found that the subject matter and creative staff had given the film more connotation and thickness. "After the film is made, you will find that it is actually very strong. After all, it tells a story of separation, and the superb performances of Aaron Kwok and Lan Yingying also give the story more depth." Lu Ke said, if Using the original name may not accurately reflect the ideological connotation and emotional tone behind the film.
"No matter how I do it, I will eventually come back to you." This is a sentence that appears after the film ends. Lu Ke hopes that through this plain and straightforward film, he can also educate his children on separation. Use the most fairy-tale and gentle way to resolve the seriousness and heaviness of the topic.
Lu Ke
"It's an honor to work with these outstanding actors"
In this performance creation, Aaron Kwok changed his previous domineering and majestic character image and transformed into a puppy to challenge cross-species performance. The interesting setting also made the film more interesting. The originally tragic atmosphere was tinged with comedy.When asked about cooperating with Aaron Kwok, Lu Ke said bluntly: "I'm very lucky!" Aaron Kwok on the set was humorous, cheerful, and sometimes like a "big kid", and even showed his "daughter slave" during breaks. side. In Lu Ke's eyes, these were indeed things he had never expected before working with Aaron Kwok.
In addition to the actor's own personality charm, Lu Ke gained a lot from this filming by working with experienced actors. "He really added a lot of ideas and details to this scene."
For example, in terms of styling, because Jiang Swan had curly hair and always wore a red scarf when he was alive, Aaron Kwok also suggested the image design of the dog. Preserve the design of these shapes. In addition, considering that the audience of the film also includes children, Aaron Kwok also changed his performance style in an attempt to present it in a way that is more acceptable to children.
"Teacher Aaron Kwok has given us a lot of inspiration and help, and he is very dedicated and careful in his work." According to Lu Ke's description, after Lan Yingying finished performing on the doll, Aaron Kwok would transform Aa according to the inner activities of the characters in each scene. Each emotion corresponding to Wang is replayed, and then the artist can draw the corresponding state and expression of the dog based on his expression.
Lu Ke also did not hesitate to praise Lan Yingying, the actress who plays the heroine in the film. "Lan Yingying is an actress with solid professional skills. It's really easy to work with her." Lu Ke said that Lan Yingying can always get into the role quickly on the set, and there is basically no need for him to talk too much about the drama. , Lan Yingying can also accurately grasp the character's inner movements in each scene, and the large number of non-physical performances in the film also demonstrate Lan Yingying's sense of belief, imagination, and sensibility as a professional actor. Not only that, Lu Ke said frankly that Lan Yingying is the best candidate for "Jiang Lu" in her heart, whether it is the actor's personality or her own experience.
Lu Ke is on the set
The details of the special effects puppy are revealed
In addition to starring Aaron Kwok and Lan Yingying, the little yellow dog "Awang" is naturally one of the most important characters in the film. During the interview, Lu Ke explained to reporters why the original design of the little yellow dog image used special effects instead of real puppies. "Although some viewers will be very concerned about this issue of realism, in fact we have used the best technology possible." More importantly, in the plot setting, the little yellow dog was transformed by a human , if a real dog is used, the deep love of a human father for his daughter cannot be revealed from the dog's eyes.
In addition, regarding the choice of the "Awang" breed, Lu Ke first decided to use Chinese pastoral dogs in the early stages of creation. In his view, our own local film and television works must first choose our own most traditional things and stick to them. good our own cultural attributes. As for the special effects production of this dog, Lu Ke revealed to reporters that the production of this film has been focused on "Awang" for a long time, not only the synthesis of hair, but actually the most difficult point is how to accurately Personify an animal character. "Fortunately, there is a professional technical team behind the scenes, so we can finally fully present this image."
At the end of the film, there is a scene where Jiang Siwang changes into a human form and partes with his daughter on the rooftop. This is the second time between father and daughter. Parting, during the screening process, many viewers were moved and shed tears at that moment. Talking about this important scene, Lu Ke told reporters that in fact, his father Jiang Siwang had left his daughter Jiang Lu a long time ago, and this final separation can be seen as her daughter's imagination, expressing Jiang Lu's farewell to her past self.
There are tears and laughter in this film. Even when presenting the intersection of parallel universes, director Lu Ke also tried to express it with more relaxed comedy elements. Lu Ke said: "Maybe it has something to do with my cheerful personality. I personally like light-hearted movies. Even if it is this kind of movie, I hope everyone can actively live in the present and feel the beauty around them."
Cover Q&A
Cover News: After becoming the first post-90s emerging director in China to have a box office of over 100 million with "Mr. Heels", is there any box office pressure this time?
Cover News: Most of your works contain elements of comedy. , so how do you view the role of comedy elements in the film?
Lu Ke: Comedy elements are very important to me. I have a cheerful personality. I want to present a relaxed atmosphere in my works, and We already have a lot of worries in our lives and work, so don’t dwell on them in the movies you watch.
cover news: What other new works are being prepared for ? Is it convenient for Lu Ke to disclose them? : has two works, one is about work and the other is about time. You can look forward to it
(picture according to interviewee)
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