reversal is an irreversible and unknown process. This is originally a special physiological phenomenon experienced by young opera actors during the voice-changing period. In director Chang Yudi's film, it has been given a more significant meaning. There are both growing pains and soaring dreams.
's " reverse " will be released on August 24, directed by Zhang Yudi, written by Huo Xueying and Zhang Yudi, and starring Bian Cheng and Zhou Meijun. The film won the first venture capital award at the 15th First Youth Film Festival, the winning project of the "Chinese Good Story" at the China Film Golden Rooster Film Venture Capital Conference, and this year won the most popular award at the 26th Shanghai Film Festival "One Belt and One Road Film Week" The film was loved by the audience and won the Best Screenplay Award at the 18th First Youth Film Festival.
Stills of "Reverse Position"
"Reverse Position" tells the story of three young friends, Sun Xiaolei, Shi Jiahui, and Xie Tianci, who faced different troubles due to "reversing their positions" in adolescence. They explored the path of growth in confusion, and finally climbed onto the stage of their dreams. story. Director Zhang Yudi uses a unique perspective to combine the traditional art form of Peking Opera with the confusion of adolescence, presenting a group portrait of youth that is both culturally rich and emotionally profound.
The sensitive changes of youth and the transformational choices of growth are blended into the experiences of three drama school students during the reversal period, becoming a graceful journey about identity, emotional initiation and self-exploration. The struggles and awakenings of young people on the road to growth also give traditional art a more modern vitality through the echoes of Peking Opera arias and the characters' hearts. Ignorant emotions are ready to emerge in the budding chaos, and the decline of tradition is radiating new possibilities because of the passion and stubbornness of youth.
It has been seven years since the initial idea for the film was conceived to the film's official release. "Seven years is the persistence of the young people in the story to their dreams, and it is also our persistence in creation."
In 2017, Zhang Yudi, who had just graduated from Fudan University with a bachelor's degree in journalism, learned from her classmate, co-writer of the film and senior fan At Huo Xueying’s office, I heard about the special “disposal” experience in the Peking Opera industry. Quite shocked, the two went to the Chinese Opera Middle School to spend the entire summer vacation with the children who were studying there. After that, Chang Yudi went overseas and became a graduate student majoring in film production at the University of Southern California. "Reverse Position" also opened the door of the film industry for Chang Yudi in the form of a short film and won the favor of many film festivals.
From a 15-minute short film to a 105-minute feature film, during the boy's reversal period, new partners were added, and the connection with the family, society, and culture behind him became solid and prosperous. In this debut feature film, the audience can see the growth and inheritance of the younger generation of opera performers, as well as the youthful appearance of every ordinary person. "Don't be afraid", "Stick to yourself", "Love your dreams" and "Cherish your companions in youth" are all in the film, and they are also what the creators want to say to the audience.
Before the film was released, director Zhang Yudi was interviewed by reporters from The Paper.
Director Chang Yudi
[Dialogue]
Youthful "Trio" of Theater Boys
The Paper News : How did you first pay attention to the entry point of "reversing positions"? How to interpret it in connection with youth?
Chang Yudi : I have always wanted to make a youth film, but I always felt that there was a lack of a suitable entry point. It's easy for youth films to be loosely written and have no grip. My college classmate and co-screenwriter Xue Ying is a fan. During a chat, she mentioned that some Peking Opera actors were famous child stars before they were liquidated, but their careers may be over after they were liquidated. , can only play a small role, and may never even be on stage again. Reverse position is the period of voice change, a sign of puberty, and the body begins to change. For these children, this is a fateful node, but they are powerless because they have no control over the success of the reversal.
As far as we know, the success rate of reverse position is very low, only about 10%. Although most boys will not be completely unable to sing due to reversing their positions, it is indeed rare that their voices remain good after reversing their positions.This feeling of powerlessness in the face of fate is particularly consistent with the confusion of adolescence, so we decided to use this as an entry point.
The Paper : How does the setting of the three protagonists correspond to your observation of some traits in adolescence?
Zhang Yudi : We constructed our protagonist based on observations of many real children, their youth, and their growth patterns.
Tianci is like a child who grew up in a traditional environment, but is eager for new things in the outside world. He has been on stage with his father since he was a child. The stage is no longer new to him. He wants to try new excitement and make a career.
Shi Jiahui is a girl who studies Peking Opera and hangs out with the boys. The role of a female old student requires her to act like a man on the stage, and she is also told that she cannot "look like a woman", which makes her in terms of gender. Confusion upon awakening of consciousness. Is there something a girl must be? These are all issues we want to explore with the character of Shi Jiahui.
Xiaolei's dilemma lies in his father's strict requirements for him. He has an authoritative grandfather, and the standard for singing well is to be the same as his grandfather. As he grew up, he gradually realized the reason why he wanted to sing, and more... A self-oriented exploration and acceptance of one's own growth.
Stills of "Reversal"
The Paper News : The background of the story is set in a theater troupe, which requires a lot of theater life and professional knowledge. How do you enter and complement these parts?
Zhang Yudi : We divided it into several stages. It was originally based on Xueying's years of experience in Peking Opera. When she started writing this story, it was first in the form of a short film, shot at the Chinese Opera High School. I spent a lot of time hanging out with these kids that summer and did a lot of collecting. That’s when I really found the prototypes of these characters. We observed their real lives, worries, and dilemmas, and learned about the similarities and differences between them and ordinary adolescent children. When it came to the feature film stage, we hired Peking Opera director Song Xiaochuan. He was both a Peking Opera actor and experienced in film and television shooting. He helped us check the details of every script and scene. From the use of arias to the authenticity of troupe life, he was very Check carefully.
The Paper : Based on your observations during that summer vacation, what do you think are the commonalities and differences between children studying drama today and ordinary children of the same age?
Zhang Yudi : What kind of sparks can be created by the collision of the vitality of adolescence and youth with ancient art? This is what we most wanted to explore when we first started creating. After going there, I found that they actually have many similarities with ordinary children. They also check their mobile phones, get access to new information, chase stars, and even choose boy bands. At that time, the male protagonist of our short film auditioned for a boy band and had a very "boy band" hairstyle. However, he was not chosen and returned to acting. They faced many new choices and temptations.
But at the same time, they are very different. For example, they have entered the drama school since they were very young, and have lived and trained with their classmates for many years. They have a strong sense of community and brotherhood, and the age difference is also relatively large. These are not very different from ordinary classmates. Same. They have a very strong sense of superiority among themselves, a strong sense of order, and they execute the teacher's orders very well. Even at the beginning, we spent some effort trying to capture their chaotic feelings.
The Paper : The group portraits of the fathers described in the film are also very interesting. Through them, we can see the issues of industry inheritance.
Zhang Yudi : Initially we only focused on a few children, but later we found that this was not enough, and we also needed to build an adult world. For Xiao Lei, the adult world is a field he is afraid of entering. He is afraid of growing up, and his fear needs an object, so we built an adult world to embody his fear. For example, his father showed a world of adulthood where you either become a hero or you die. Later, through the influence of Teacher Wang, Uncle Zhang and others, Xiao Lei gradually understood that the world of adults is not so single. As a result, his world became richer and he was no longer so afraid of growing up.
Stills of "Reverse Position"
The Paper News : There are many of these characters in the film. Do the roles and aria settings in the opera correspond to their status?
Zhang Yudi : Yes, we have done a lot of design, such as the direct correspondence between the lyrics and the current emotions. Shi Jiahui sang "Catch and Release Cao" during the rehearsal, which corresponded to Xiao Lei's current predicament; when Shi Jiahui sang "Wandering the Lake", she tried for the first time to change from Xu Xian to White Snake. This was her identity change. The attempt failed at the moment, which also confused her. Xiao Lei sang "Zhulian Village" in the preliminary round, which was a reflection of his father's high demands on him. Although the play was very difficult, he still chose to challenge it.
We have been looking for the most suitable play to put at the end, and have tried many different possibilities. The last scene has been changed many times and we are still not satisfied. At that time, we were really desperate, so we asked Teacher Song to find a way. We told him that each character had a clear need: for example, we really hope that Sun Xiaolei, who has always had this kind of masculine anxiety, can embrace and try his own ideas. If you want, sing a female role; at the same time, we very much hope that Shi Jiahui, who has always been troubled by her stage image and gender in life, will also embrace what she likes and truly sing an old student; and she has always been held in the palm of everyone's hands. Here, Xie Tianci, who seems to be the protagonist, plays a supporting role. In the end, it was Teacher Song who really helped us a lot. He helped us think of the drama " Yang Clan Female Generals ", which met all our requirements and fit the theme of youth very well.
I also particularly like the song "Dingjun Mountain" at the end. It was sung when they were saying goodbye at the end. "Everyone who steps forward has a reward. If you step back, you will inevitably get a knife. The generals will return to the camp with me. We will succeed at three quarters at noon tomorrow." "Lao", when we were writing the script, this was an ending that everyone felt was very poignant. It was about three teenagers looking at their confused youth who didn't know where they were going, but they sang such a high-spirited passage. A war song for yourself on the next journey.
Stills of "Reverse Position"
The actors learned opera a month in advance and had to sing for real during filming
The Paper News : I saw so many children in the theater school. When casting, why didn't you choose real opera actors?
Zhang Yudi : We have indeed considered it and even met many children of opera actors. But in the end, I chose the kid who paid more attention to performance, because the most important thing about this film is performance. Our characters are students of Peking Opera, not masters. It is acceptable for them to be somewhat "imperfect" during the learning stage. The key is whether these children can display the texture and emotional complexity unique to adolescence. Now these actors are in adolescence themselves. They are very close to the characters in the story, and they work very hard to immerse themselves in this role.
The Paper : Speaking of emotions, as a youth film, it does not seem to involve the love plot that is common in traditional youth films. Can you talk about the handling of the emotional state of the protagonist?
Chang Yudi : In fact, there is an emotional line, but it is handled very vaguely. Because for Xiaolei, the feeling of growing up points to a kind of fear. He thinks that liking someone means growing up, and he is very resistant to this kind of growth. Therefore, when he discovered that he had some vague feelings for Shi Jiahui, not only would he not admit it, but he would fight against this feeling by quarreling with her.
Shi Jiahui is a girl who has just begun to explore her gender consciousness. Before, she was friends with boys and never thought about whom she liked. When she began to realize the differences between genders, she tried to imitate the traditional ways of girls. For example, she should like boys like Tianci, but she felt that being with Xiao Lei had a more "sympathetic" feeling.
Although these emotions are involved in the film, we did not describe them in depth because their appeal for love is not strong. I feel that every relationship here is very unique and precious, whether it is friendship or something else. Maybe it is because it is not clear enough and has a kind of haziness and exploration that makes it more like our adolescence.
Bian Cheng plays Sun Xiaolei
Zhou Meijun plays Shi Jiahui
Chen Shaoxi plays Xie Tianci
The Paper News: What is it like to work with the three current actors?
Chang Yudi : I feel that I am a very, very lucky director because I met such good actors in my first film. When filming my first film, I will definitely have a lot of worries, doubts or uncertainties, but because these actors have given me the greatest trust and support, this is the biggest motivation for me to open my eyes and walk to the set every day, because I will think that today I can see them bring me new surprises. Their energy really fills me with electricity.
I am very lucky to meet each of these actors. Zhou Meijun has a very complex charm, and her eyes carry stories; Bian Cheng, I always tell others that he is really the leading actor given to me by God. He can still show his heart with so few lines. This is what Bian Cheng brings to this role; Chen Shaoxi, I think no one will dislike him. Everyone who sees him will think that this boy is really cute and charming.
The Paper : Is there any story about actors learning to play? Will the performance status be different if you have opera skills?
Zhang Yudi : Indeed, whether an actor has opera skills will have a certain impact on the performance, so in order to allow each character to truly demonstrate opera performance, we had all the actors undergo a month of Peking Opera training before filming started. Although one month is not a long time, it is a considerable investment in the preparation period. Among the three main actors in
, Chen Shaoxi is the only one who has a foundation in opera, and he also needs to pick up some basic skills this time. He is actually very similar to the mental journey of the character in our movie. He studied Peking Opera and then lost his position. After he lost his position, he switched careers and studied Kun Opera, so he was able to experience every mental journey of the protagonist. Therefore, during filming, he was a bit like a "squad leader", leading other actors who had no foundation to train together.
For actors like Zhou Meijun and Bian Cheng who have no opera foundation, the challenge is even greater. I asked them not only to learn all the arias, but also to actually sing them when filming, rather than just lip-syncing, because without vocalization, the performance in close-ups would appear unreal. So, they have to keep up with the Huqin rhythm and remember all the body movements. This kind of muscle memory is very important. Even when they are not performing opera, their movements, stance and use of props must show the characteristics of opera actors.
In order to ensure the accuracy of the performance, our Peking Opera instructor Teacher Song is on-site to provide guidance almost every day. He is very meticulous, even if it is as small as the actor's leg-pressing movement after pushing the door into the classroom, he will correct it one by one to ensure that every detail meets the requirements of the opera.
Stills of "Reverse Position"
Filming Peking Opera with a "rock and roll" feel
The Paper News : What was your own adolescence like? Is there any connection between your own youth experience and the subsequent production of this movie?
Chang Yudi : Before making this film, I had not thought about how closely related it was to my own adolescence, but after watching it, I found that there was indeed some connection. I changed schools once during my adolescence. I grew up in Qingdao as a child and returned to Beijing in high school. After I transferred to another school, my classmates already had a fixed group, and I came from a "provincial college entrance examination province", a marginalized person with good grades but very boring. During that time, I deeply felt the loneliness of being on the edge of my class, and as a result, I developed particularly strong friendships with others in similar situations. This sense of edge and friendship is also reflected in movies, such as Xiao Lei, Shi Jiahui, and Tianci. They all feel like they are on the edge of the class. This kind of feeling of hugging each other for warmth is particularly precious, even more precious than the so-called first love. .
So when I was about to make my first work, I knew it would be difficult to bypass my own life experience. The growth experience of adolescence is the most vivid in my limited life, and it is also what I want to express most.So I had a lot of personal emotions and memories of my youth that I wanted to mix into the film. Then when I heard the story of a Peking Opera kid who reversed his position and his fate changed because of the reverse, I thought it was a story worth telling. Although it is not completely related to my life experience, I am willing to learn more and add to it. These two reasons made me choose this subject.
The Paper : Compared with many young directors, your film career has been quite smooth. What aspects do you think are the biggest challenges in becoming a director?
Chang Yudi : For me, the biggest challenge is to switch from short films to feature films. Suddenly faced with such a complex project, Peking opera and actors are very complicated, and a lot of experience is invalid. What I learned in school, short films The experience of shooting is also invalid in front of feature films. So I’m really lucky to have found a suitable platform and professional team, which has been a huge help.
To be honest, there is no statistics that can tell us how long it will take for a film and television graduate to become a director. I thought it might take a long time, and when I was ready, I was ready to return to China and work in a film and television company for a few years to gain experience. As a result, I immediately entered the rhythm of shooting after graduation, which completely exceeded my expectations. So if you want to talk about a challenge, it may feel like "standing and talking without back pain", but it is indeed a bit "too fast".
The Paper : You studied film in the United States. Did your Western film and television education background have any impact on the subject matter of Eastern opera?
Zhang Yudi : I studied journalism at Fudan University as an undergraduate, and then went to the United States to study film as a graduate student. In fact, I didn’t stay in the West that long. But it is true that what I received at the University of Southern California was relatively systematic training in commercial films, especially Hollywood script writing training. I had just graduated when I wrote "Reverse Position", and the memories of those trainings are still very vivid. We will try to use the elements of genre films to tell this story, such as making it into a competition, with clear beginnings and endings. Although I don’t look at Eastern themes from a completely Western cultural perspective, I did make some attempts at technique. For example, I hope to make operas that can not only show traditional beauty but also make them come alive, and I want to make Peking operas look like rock music. The feeling makes it more impactful.
The Paper News : Speaking of "rock", in this movie, the three protagonists seem to be resisting different things. Some are resisting patriarchy, some are looking for gender identity, and some are chasing society. trend. What do you think of some of the mental dilemmas facing young people today?
Chang Yudi : During the casting process, we came into contact with many children who were really studying acting. Some were amateurs with no camera experience at all, and they would not hide their confusion. When they talked to us about the future, they seemed very confused and felt that they had no particularly good way out. A child once told me that he knew that his future was nothing more than choosing a college troupe. He could not be selected by the top college troupe based on his own strength. The only thing left was to go back to his hometown to find a job. He felt very confused about his future. That’s when I realized that these kids looked lively and energetic on the outside, but on the inside they were full of confusion. So I wanted to write this story, even though I couldn't give a clear answer, but I also wanted to convey my thoughts through the movie: it's okay to be confused, and it's okay to fail for a while.
Xiaolei thought that failure to reverse positions meant the end of his life, but in fact he found that this was just another beginning of his life. There is no way back in life because of one wrong choice, and even this "mistake" may lead you to another exit that is more suitable for you. Those of us who have just emerged from the fog of adolescence would like to encourage those who are still in adolescence not to be afraid of every path you take and every choice you make. You feel like you are standing in heavy fog. What you see is thousands of troops trying to cross the single-plank bridge. What you are afraid of is falling from the single-plank bridge, which is the abyss. But what you are facing is not a single-plank bridge, but a complicated overpass system. , it has a lot of different destinations, a lot of different exits.
