Director's Interview | The "Double Male Lead" setting in "Republic of China" is a "duality" experiment

Wen | Zhai Xiaoqian

ten miles of foreign markets, a mixture of fish and dragons, feasting, feasting, and drunken fans... During the Republic of China, Shanghai Beach, a high IQ boy who returned from Cambridge University in the UK, a gang-born inspector, a newspaper reporter and the daughter of a Shanghai gangster, three People work together in the Shanghai concession to solve one case after another and get justice.

Iqiyi’s self-produced drama "Republic of Strange Detectives" with elements such as the background of the Republic of China, the setting of dual male protagonists, and the relationship between the Iron Triangle characters, appeared to be "normal" before the broadcast, but it ushered in after the audience clicked the play button. Really fragrant" life. Douban scored 7.1, Zhihu scored 8.6, the popularity value of the site exceeded 7800, ranked first in Maoyan's March online drama popularity list, ranked first three in the major data lists, Weibo topic reading exceeded 1.8 billion, popularity, Both popularity and word-of-mouth show a steady upward trend.

At a time when it is not easy to achieve complete innovation in the theme of suspense detectives, how to control the suspense drama and comedy of "Republic of China", which uses elemental innovation as the fulcrum to deepen more room for development? How to make a comprehensive and innovative shaping of stories, characters and setting clothes? How to take the suspenseful subject matter away from the limits of the circle and to a wider audience? With many curiosities and questions,

(ID: yidianjd) interviewed Zhang Weike, director of "Republic of China" to capture the creative light behind this dark horse in the market.

is an "incomplete" suspense detective light comedy

breakthrough, innovation, and differentiation.

Before the launch of "Republic of China", the three keywords proposed by iqiyifang have become the goals of the entire project and the crew. Driven by the three major keywords, is it suspense or comedy? It became the first problem that director Zhang Weike had to overcome after getting the script of "Republic of China".

"Comedy and suspense drama are like fish and bear's paw." Director Zhang Weike said that in the past, there were people who combined suspense and comedy, but excellent cases were not common. Suspense and comedy are easy to take off in the process of fusion. A large part of the reason is that the two belong to completely different styles and their narrative methods deviate. Suspense pays attention to the continuous peeling of the story, the more ups and downs of the plot, the more detailed the logic, the more fascinating, while the comedy requires satirical humor, exaggeration and fast-paced sections, and is entertaining.

The key to solving the problem of "Republic of China" is: chooses the light and joy element and the space zone with a little more fast-paced in the gap between suspense and comedy, and strives to be "incomplete" or "not deep" suspense Detective light comedy.

In order to find the middle ground in the genre, the "Republic of China Detective" is presented in a super fast pace in the unit detective drama of the light joy mode. In the framework of 36 episodes, it contains 23 cases, with an average of 1-2 episodes. Cases, frequent scene changes, smooth narrative rhythms, informative dialogues and reasonable logical combing give the audience a complete look and feel.

At the same time, in the process of investigating the case of "Republic of China" with a focus and a smile, it is not difficult to find that the film style and visual effects of the show also have a unique and comfortable presentation.

"Republic of China", which takes the Republic of China as the background of the story, naturally has "Republic of China style" in the play. However, based on the market situation where the Republic of China drama already has a certain ceiling, and the objective conditions that emphasize the possibility of breakthroughs are not great, in order to achieve breakthrough, innovation, and differentiation, director Zhang Weike said that "Republic of China" mainly chooses from different angles. Especially looking for a breakthrough point in the details of .

According to reports, in the preparatory stage, the crew discussed a lot of proposals in the art, modeling, style and other aspects of "Republic of China", and finally decided to use the special diversified environment of "British Concession", the birthplace of the story. Based on the improvement of the Republic of China, the final appearance of the Republic of China presented to everyone is actually more modern style, and the "new Republic of China style" , which is a mix of French, Japanese and Korean.

In order to achieve the desired "New Republic of China style" effect, "Republic of China Detective" abandoned many old-fashioned buildings on the base, and redesigned and built more than 7,000 flat sheds in Hengdian. The Luyao residence shown in the film, Street outside the apartment, clock tower, patrol room, inspector Qiao’s office, interrogation roomThe construction of the autopsy room, etc., was completed after many plans and improvements. In the end, 36 episodes of "Republic of China" involved more than 700 scenes, which is equivalent to completing the scene workload of 3 dramas.

"Able to challenge, should be the greatest pleasure of life." As Director Zhang Weike said, it is not only him who enjoys the great pleasure of life through "Republic of China", but also the actors who walked into the role wholeheartedly.

portrays characters with "flash"

character settings and character relationships change , which is another key point repeatedly emphasized by Director Zhang Weike during the interview.

"Since "Republic of China" is set as a light comedy, tall characters will naturally easily create a sense of isolation from the audience." Director Zhang Weike's interpretation of the characters and settings is that is "grounded" and "has rough edges." ".

You can see that as the "head of the mind" in the play, Lu Yao, one of the protagonists, is a great god with IQ and no knowledge blind spot, but in life is a "three-year-old baby", with a solid family background and an embarrassing and financial love economy The situation, Ling Ran when defending justice, and the timid fear of death when in trouble, gave the characters a sense of contrast that was flawed, contradictory, and no longer perfect. Compared with the perfect and all-powerful detective in the past, this kind of Lu Yao It is undoubtedly more real and fresh, and it can gain the sympathy of the audience; and the "army duty" in the play, Qiao Chusheng, who is from the underworld and appeared as the inspector of the patrol house, is in the mixed rivers and lakes. Although he often wanders in the gray area Shuttle in the fireworks willow alley, but he is bold, brave, loyal, and intelligent.

The setting of "double male protagonist" in "Republic of China" is more of a "dual sex" and "dual male" , two men and one martial artist, one to escape, one calm, and one cute bean. The coldness, the contrast between the characters themselves and each other, to a certain extent, also increases the visibility and interest of the plot.

It is worth noting that at a time when the double male lead drama is not new, and the phenomenon of CP is also popular, "Republic of China Detective" did not deliberately link up the relationship between the characters for the purpose of forming CP. The trust between the two parties, Qiao Chusheng vs. Lu Yao Lu Yao's protection of Qiao Chusheng, Lu Yao's "exploitation" of Qiao Chusheng... The interaction between the two of you and me all grasped a certain sense of proportion.

At the same time, as the only female member of the detective team, the addition of Bai Youning also injected new blood into the female role stage of "Republic of China". Bai Youning, a daughter of the underworld who has the same contrast with Lu Yao, could have relied on the authority of her fathers, but she walked out of the house, self-reliant, and was kind and enthusiastic by nature. She had the ideals of news and always walked the first scene of news. With this character setting, not only represents the penetration of female characters into male-dominated suspense detective dramas, but also breaks the stereotype of female "vase-like" subject matter.

The "detective trio" composed of Lu Yao, Qiao Chusheng, and Bai Youning, apart from having their own outlook on life, values, and principled standpoints, the relationship between the three is no longer the relationship between two men chasing one woman. It is from the beginning of mutual dislike and daily antagonism to the mutual sympathy and mutual support after experiencing life and death together. This kind of friendship is a mode of getting along with each other, and it is exactly representative of the current emotional expression of young groups. Therefore It can also be accepted and loved by the audience.

has raw edges, down-to-earth, flesh-and-blood and interesting character settings and relationship between characters. It is the first step to narrow the distance between the characters and the audience. Whether the methodology is effective and whether the characters can enter the hearts of the audience, The emphasis is still on the interpretation and performance of the actors.

Director Zhang Weike said that he has certain concerns before choosing actors. “There is too much technical terminology, astronomy, geography, and firearms knowledge. I am worried that it will cause obstacles to the actors’ performance and make them more difficult. But the current facts have proved that Choosing three actors is the right .”

can see that whether it is Hu Yitian’s precise grasp of Lu Yao, Zhang Yunlong’s hand in hand to Qiao Chusheng, or Bai Youning’s lively life under Xiao Yan’s interpretation, young, sunny, energetic and hardworking. When interpreting the self-contradiction of the characters, their appreciation of each other, pulling and mutual assistance, the three actors in, all collided with different sparks. What is even more rare is that, in addition to striving for breakthroughs in style, subject matter, characters, and character relationships, they are responsible for certain socialRen's commitment has become a social value in addition to the artistic value of "Republic of China".

It is the responsibility of a work of art to cause thinking.

In the suspense detective drama, behind the complex brain-burning cases and the truth after the scalping, the theme of discussion and disclosure has always been inseparable from the analysis of the good and evil of human nature. Detective is no exception.

From "The Murder in the Mirror", "The Mysterious Disappearance of a Tram", "The Police Chamber Secret Chamber Murder", and "Vampire Spontaneous Combustion", to "Fire Kiss", "Blood Clock Tower", "The Bride of the River God", "The Scourge", and the Editor's Death ", then to "The Ballroom Murder", "The Murder in Liulin Apartment", and the two cases of "Shadow Puppet Murder" and "Golden Robbery" in parallel... After repeatedly polishing the original script, "Republic of China Strange Detective" The 23 short and succinct cases and the philosophical thoughts caused by the truth of the cases have become the most deeply buried but brightest innovative breakthrough in the play.

. Behind the relationship between doctors and patients in the Republic of China in "Vampire Spontaneous Combustion" is the revelation of capital chasing benefits and disregarding patients; "Fire Kiss" hides the sorrow of the female painter being squeezed by the boss and the true feelings of the beloved; "Heavy Cross" uses the bizarre revenge of the dead souls, alluding to the phenomenon of sensitive domestic violence against children; "Porcelain Carver's Fury" shows the porcelain carver's adherence to the original intention, reflecting the increasingly lacking craftsmanship; "Editor-in-Chief" "The Death Case" is based on the murder of the editor-in-chief of "New Moon Daily" to analyze the media's right to speak...

"Analyzes human nature through the story behind the case and reveals the evil that breeds due to inflated desires. In fact, it is a kind of right Praise for the good.” As Director Zhang Weike said, the 23 cases outlined in "Republic of China", the investigation period has been compressed to the maximum extent, and there is no excessive rendering or suspense or horror atmosphere. Many scenes avoid it. The following is an empirical analysis of the modus operandi, the motive of the case, and the humanity involved.

Following Lu Yao, Qiao Chusheng, and Bai Youning’s search for the truth, the audience can see the good and evil of human nature through a relaxed and happy atmosphere, and although this good or evil is wrapped in the story of the Republic of China, the commonality of human nature also makes them It is not limited by time and space to touch the real society, the emotions and lives of modern people. Therefore, behind every seemingly bizarre case, there are certain realistic social issues and the exposure of human nature hidden behind, and the thoughts brought out intentionally or unintentionally at the end of each case also give the story more social discussion value and warning effect. "It is the responsibility of a work of art to cause thinking in . Even if it only allows everyone to think a little bit, we are very satisfied."

is based on the breakthrough of the suspense detective light comedy and the modern fashion "New Republic of China". Differentiation, the vividness and tension of the character setting and the relationship between the characters, and the compact and deep consideration of the story, under the comprehensive latitude of innovation, "Republic of China" successfully broke through the vertical circle of inherent themes and entered The most representative of a wider audience group is the younger and "female friendly" tendency of the audience market.

According to Dai Ying, the chief producer of "Republic of China", vice president of iQiyi and general manager of the self-made drama development center, "From the perspective of user portraits on the platform, more than 70% of "Republic of China" are women Users, among them users under 30 account for 60%."

Now, through user feedback and market reputation, it is not difficult to see that the challenge of "Republic of China" to "breakthrough, innovation, and differentiation" has achieved impressive results. While becoming an audience after dinner, it also provides new ideas for the creation of suspense investigative themes. As for whether the story of the "Detective Team" will continue, Director Zhang Weike sold a key point: "The whole story actually has 60 cases, and only 23 have been used now. As for whether other stories have a chance to be presented to everyone, we respect the market. Demand."