's "Snow Maze", which is currently being broadcast on Youku, uses a realistic creative approach to tell the story of the daily life of the anti-drug police in the Northeast in the 1990s as they carried out anti-drug work, showing a vivid image of the unsung hero with flesh and blood. The screenwriters of the play, Zhang Yuanang and Melias, have previously created anti-drug-themed works such as "Icy Rain and Fire". In "Snow Maze", in addition to showing the battle of wits and courage between the anti-drug police and criminals, a lot of space is also used to describe the daily life of the anti-drug police. Recently, Zhang Yuanang and Melias said in interviews with the media that they hope the audience will see some vivid and down-to-earth public security heroes. They are also ordinary people. These people have friends, family, and lovers, and they also worry about trivial things. "Their lives are also full of joy, anger, sorrow, and joy, and they are no different from us. But when they put on police uniforms and enter the anti-drug battlefield, they can use their flesh and blood to fight against vicious criminals and protect ordinary people. The lives of thousands of people. This is the most touching and shining thing about them."
Huang Jingyu plays policeman Zheng Bei.
Interpols also need to use their own humor to balance their emotions
Beijing News: There have been many anti-drug-themed film and television works in recent years, but most of them show modern times. Why did "Snow Maze" choose to focus on anti-drug stories in the 1990s? ?
Zhang Yuan: Throughout the 1990s, methamphetamine criminal groups became increasingly rampant. The time period from 1997 to 1998 selected in the play is also quite special. In August 1998, the Ministry of Public Security had just established the Narcotics Control Bureau. In September 1999, the major direction of anti-narcotics was established in the China Criminal Police College. Only then did the first batch of undergraduate students majoring in anti-narcotics in China be recruited. The story in the play takes place in 1997, on the eve of the establishment of the Narcotics Control Bureau. Police in many places lacked professional knowledge related to anti-drugs. The detection of drug cases is a matter of crossing the river by feeling the stones, which is particularly difficult for them. At the beginning, there was a very strong contrast between the weak anti-drug theory and the severe anti-drug situation. This was one of the biggest problems in anti-drug work during our investigation, so we especially wanted to focus the story on a special time period to focus on writing. Write about these difficulties and the heroic and fearless spirit of anti-drug heroes. In addition, criminal investigation methods in the 1990s were relatively primitive, and there was no way to use modern technologies such as surveillance cameras and mobile phone positioning to assist in solving crimes. It was even more necessary for front-line criminal police to use their brain power and physical strength to the maximum extent to fight against criminals, so it would also appear to be more direct. dramatic conflict.
Beijing News: The story is set in the fictional city of Haran in the Northeast, and a drug expert from the south is set up in the play. What are the considerations for such a geographical combination?
Zhang Yuan: In recent years, anti-drug-themed film and television dramas have been basically concentrated in the Golden Triangle area or the border between Yunnan and Myanmar. It is relatively rare for viewers to see what kind of stories happened on the northern anti-drug front line. I am a Northeasterner myself. Three of our screenwriting team are from the North, and two are from the Northeast. Therefore, I am more interested in my hometown and have more creative enthusiasm. This is (story background) choosing the Northeast. One of the reasons. Adding a drug expert from Huazhou to the crime team is not only to create drama about the differences between the north and the south, but also to rationalize the plot. For the police in Harlan in 1997, a Guangdong expert who had dealt with methamphetamine in the early 1990s and had very advanced experience was indispensable.
Beijing News: In your opinion, what kind of temperament and style do the "Northeast elements" in the play mainly show?
Zhang Yuan: I saw a saying on the Internet that "the Northeast does not support introverts". In fact, it is not that exaggerated, but Northeastern people do have a unique sense of humor. Because the three northeastern provinces have high latitudes and extremely long winters, basically everyone can’t go out, so they can only sit at home and talk, talking on the bed. In addition, Northeastern dialects like to use some onomatopoeia and universal verbs, and a very ordinary sentence will bring a sense of joy.When we went to the Northeast region for interviews and exchanges, the criminal police officers would unconsciously reveal this sense of humor when they recounted the process of solving major and important cases that year, which made the work of criminal police officers lively and interesting. The stories they experienced back then were thrilling, but now they talk about them with laughter. We also clearly felt at that time that no matter how brave the policeman is, he is not an iron wall. He is an ordinary person of flesh and blood like us. Especially on the particularly dangerous battlefield on the anti-drug front line, where bloodshed and sacrifice may occur at any time, they also need to balance their emotions in their own humorous way.
The detectives’ daily conversations have a sense of joy.
Beijing News: Compared with other places, what are the obvious characteristics of the criminal police in Northeast China at that time?
Zhang Yuan: When we were writing the story, we had an idea that the Northeast police were particularly tough, hard-core, and fierce. But when I actually conducted interviews, I found that many veteran detectives, especially those who had experienced front-line work in the 1990s, were actually very kind, had their own aura, and also had a sense of humor. When they face many things, they can resolve some pain with an optimistic and positive attitude. This is also an atmosphere that we focus on rendering during the entire creation.
Beijing News: In addition to showing the anti-drug process, the play also includes a lot of daily life of criminal police officers. It seems that work and life are basically integrated?
Zhang Yuan: Because the anti-drug police itself is a very special industry, unlike most people who clock in and go home after get off work. For them, as long as there is a drug scandal or a case occurs, they are always there, so their work and life are closely intertwined. That's why we put a lot of everyday life into the story.
The play adds many life-like scenes.
There is a book called "Introduction to Anti-Narcotics", and we have almost read it.
Beijing News: What things left a deep impression during the collection?
Melias: We interviewed several veteran detectives. Among them was a criminal police officer who was responsible for major cases, important cases, and homicide cases. But when he saw drug selling or minor drug trafficking, he would also arrest them. There is also a policeman who was engaged in anti-pornography at the time. He said that he would arrest people (drug trafficking) if they encountered them. At that time, they were indiscriminate. Drug trafficking was also a criminal offense. They arrested them all in one go. There were no special anti-drug police, criminal police or civilian police. They would arrest criminals whenever they saw them. We have also written modern anti-drug dramas, such as " Ice Rain Fire ", which all have special anti-drug units, but there were none back then. As a screenwriter, this is a very interesting point, so we took a closer look at what it was like to meet drug dealers before the Narcotics Control Bureau was established.
Beijing News: In the play, there is a relatively intense anti-drug work, but also a relatively joyful daily life. How to form a unified style?
Zhang Yuanang: audiences have higher requirements for the rhythm of suspense dramas and criminal investigation dramas. They hope that the plot will not be tedious and can advance the plot quickly. But at the same time, I can also feel that many viewers are under great pressure in their daily work and life. If the plot is too oppressive and there is no time to breathe, they will be very tired. If the suspense is not picked up, they may give up. We think a lot about how to integrate these two needs. We added a lot of life scenes to counteract the strong plot rhythm of solving crimes and suspense, so that when many relatively close plots are piled together, the audience can have a breather in the middle. At the same time, many comedy elements are also added. When you watch the strong plot and the rapid advancement, you will feel more relaxed and relaxed.
Beijing News: The play shows criminal investigation methods such as comparing fingerprints and recovering fingerprints at that time. It also includes an introduction to some chemical knowledge and drug knowledge. What desk work did you do during the creation?
Melias: The main thing about is to collect information and go to professional anti-drug units to consult criminal investigators and anti-drug police, including how they acquired and learned knowledge about anti-drugs.We will also buy some specialized books to read. For example, there is a book called "Introduction to Narcotics Control", which we have almost read through. This book was also recommended by the police comrades.
Zhang Yuan: has the basic relationship between the characters and the story framework first. Before collecting stories, we looked for materials and inspiration from various professional books, including news on a large number of related cases, and selected some real cases with prototypes. We used these frameworks to collect stories and talk to front-line anti-drug police officers who had experienced that era. Did we understand these cases correctly and were there any discrepancies in the details? During this process, they also told many stories about anti-drug related cases that had happened in the Northeast and that they had experienced. We then added more details to the plot. We also learned about many real drug dealers, especially the so-called big drug lords. They are not the big bosses in our stereotype. They walk around and lead the way when they appear. In many cases, they are no different from ordinary people. They can be very different when walking on the road. It is perfectly integrated into all ordinary people, but it is difficult for anti-drug workers to distinguish.
Zhang Xueyao is a relatively unique female character
Beijing News: Although it is a story from the 1990s, what is the part that current audiences can empathize with?
Zhang Yuan: For example, the character Zhang Xueyao is a relatively unique female character. We set her up to have been saved by a hero. But she didn't fall in love with a "hero" because she was "saved by a hero". Instead, she said that I want to be this hero. I think it is more in line with the current independent expression of female audiences. In fact, in the 1990s, female criminal police officers were relatively less active in the field. In addition to sitting in the office, they were mostly engaged in disguised investigation and other types of work. Zhang Xueyao appears in the task force as a character with a high force value. She has a nickname called "Mad Dog". This character is eager to use her abilities to punish and punish criminals. Another example is the character Zheng Bei. He is a person of flesh and blood, brave and resourceful, but especially not "slipping". We set Zheng Bei to be born in a relatively happy family. Including his parents, who were ordinary laid-off workers, started their own businesses and opened small restaurants and chicken rack shops. His sister is also lively and cute. There are real troubles in his life that the general public can feel, rather than feelings of bitterness and hatred.
Zhang Xueyao is a female police officer with a distinct personal image.
Beijing News: In some criminal investigation suspense dramas, the tension and popularity of the villain may overwhelm the positive characters. How to maintain the balance between positive and negative roles in creation?
Zhang Yuan: Once there is confrontation in the story, there are so-called decent guys and villains, this problem will exist. We want the villain to be smart and powerful, because if the villain is weak, it will appear that the villain is also weak; but if the villain is particularly smart and powerful, he will worry about whether he will outshine the villain. This is a creative problem that has existed since ancient times. What a screenwriter can do is to control the narrative perspective. "Snow Maze" itself is not a single-line narrative. It involves the criminal police and the task force solving the case, as well as drug dealers and villains. Some of their changes in crime plans are described on both sides. . But we also hope that the audience will take the role of the task force and use the perspective of the team represented by Zheng Bei to clear up the fog of the entire story. If we want to create suspense, we need to control the length of the villain's actions. If we write straightforwardly about how the villain commits crimes, how he disposes of stolen goods, how he destroys evidence, and how he makes deals, there will be no suspense for the audience because all the truth has been seen. Let the audience feel as much suspense as possible and enjoy the process of solving the case. The perspective will certainly not focus particularly on how the villain commits the crime.
新 Beijing News: In terms of plot development and character construction, will there be any new thinking in the creation?
Zhang Yuan: No matter whether good people or bad people, they may have experienced some pain, but not everyone chooses to commit crimes because of this. Crime is more of a personal choice, and you cannot use your family of origin or childhood trauma as an excuse. We hope that there will be discussions in this area to trigger the audience's thinking.Including our protagonist, a policeman or some good guy characters, he is constantly thinking about the antagonistic relationship between justice and evil throughout the development of the plot, and is also thinking about some methods of law enforcement.
Beijing News reporter Liu Wei
editor Tong Na
proofreader Zhang Yanjun
