Twenty is not confused, how to write the hesitation of young people?

A sequel to a domestic drama, rarely has the chance to get a better reputation than the first one.

" Twenty Do Not Confused 2" is an exception. On Douban, it has become the most popular urban drama in the domestic film and television industry this year, with a score of 8.1. Many viewers commented that the new season of the drama brought them "happy development": "It's the taste of youth, there are troubles and happiness, the people in the drama are alive, and they are as worried about life as everyone else, the company It will go bankrupt, life will pass, boyfriends will break up, unemployment or love, everything is difficult."

Li Zhi is the chief director of the two seasons of "Twenty Do Not Confused", and he resigned ten years ago. After working in Dachang, he turned and returned to his professional field - being a director. He has directed film and television dramas such as " Unexpected Love Time " and " Beijing Women's Guide ".

For the new season of "Twenty Do Not Confused", Li Zhi repeatedly emphasized, "The workplace is only the soil for them to grow up." What he wants to explain more is the confusion and anxiety that young people are currently facing, and they may have different incomes , different native families, different emotional experiences, but facing the fate of "confusion" is no exception.

What is the common confusion of 20-year-olds growing up? How to "coexist with confusion"? The female group portrait drama reached a small blowout in 2018. Is it still necessary for domestic dramas to write about the distress of young people and tell a growth story?以下是黎志的讲述——

文｜零一

编辑｜楚明

图｜《二十不惑2》（除特殊标注外）

《二十不惑》的「惑」是指年轻人The confusion and doubts you are currently facing.

We may have different incomes, different families and backgrounds, but we will encounter the same workplace problems and emotional difficulties. The first story of

's "Twenty Do Not Confused", the background is still the campus. They stepped into the society half-legged and began to explore some career paths, and occasionally a little bit of confusion when they just started working as interns. But in the second part, in comparison, life is much more cruel.

For example, Jiang Xiaoguo , she encountered a workplace problem as soon as she came up - the leader gave you a possible promotion opportunity, but the competitor is your master and your benefactor, so why not Compete with her? Do you choose career advancement or favor?

Jiang Xiaoguo and Fei Qiming played Qi Song in a case where they encountered workplace injustice. Originally thought that signing a contract with Party A was a sure thing, but unexpectedly, it was sacrificed by the company as a pawn, full of grievances. At this time, for the younger generation in the workplace, should they choose to swallow their voices and continue to walk forward, or slap the table and simply quit?

also has some peer pressure, the anxiety that comes with running faster than you. In the first part, there was a colleague who entered the company as an intern with Jiang Xiaoguo. A few years later, they ran into each other downstairs in the company and found that the other party was much ahead of themselves in the career path, and they even paid for their house. After the down payment, when the two chatted together, you said it was uncomfortable.

I think these are all things that resonate with young people.

​​Jiang Xiaoguo

, who works in an investment bank, actually still has a problem in her current workplace, that is, she found that she did not get much sense of accomplishment in her work. In the end, should you change the runway bravely, or should you wait for the 10,000-hour rule to take effect? Turn yourself into a more valuable golden brick and wait for a better career promotion opportunity.

Like this season, Liang Shuang has a new leap forward. In the second half of the plot, she was framed by her colleagues and had to climb up from the bottom step by step. In the process of climbing, she suddenly had doubts about the position of anchor that she was looking for. Her curiosity and freshness were gone. Well, at this time, she was following day after dayTo achieve the old goal, or to turn the bow to touch the new possibility?

Whether it is young people or people of the earlier generation, everyone has the same motivation and purpose for choosing a career. First, they must solve the problem of food and clothing, and then solve the problems of career advancement and growth. This exists across the times. The meaning and value of our work in this play is actually to give the audience a little bit of such power and let them see a little bit of possibility. Not that switching the track itself is the right option. But I hope you are still motivated to try to discover a new you.

"Twenty Do Not Confused 2" is actually not a workplace drama, it is a growth drama or a youth drama with a plot orientation.

In the face of family affection, young people are still confused. In this season, Jiang Xiaoguo faced her mother, Sister Juaner, who was suspected of having cancer. So for the 25-year-old, she is not strong enough to face such a big change for her loved ones. She is not prepared at all, but the disease came so unexpectedly.

Many young people may also face similar problems. They have already struggled in the workplace and in the emotional world. The family should have been a solid backing, but now, the escape route has also caught fire.

includes the line of Duan Jiabao . Her family suddenly went bankrupt. She realized that she could not carry such a big responsibility on her shoulders. She was also confused: "It's not that I don't want to help the family solve these problems", " Do I want to carry this banner?" But the reality is cruel, and she really has limited ability and is not ready yet. Similar wandering and helplessness is very cruel to young people. Later, Dabao's artist agency couldn't do it anymore, so he decided to close his own company and only sold furniture for more than 200 yuan. She used to think that 1,000 yuan is not much at all, but now she thinks that 1,000 yuan can do a lot of things. Before she finally made the decision to close the company, she stood at a crossroads and looked up at the traffic light. This crossroad is not only a choice, but also represents various possibilities of life, and it has some symbolic meanings. The hesitation and confusion of

young people are still very necessary to write. I myself came here at that age, and there have been times like this when there is no answer, and I don't know how to find the answer. I would just walk around on the street and get lost, not knowing where to go, it's that distance anyway. However, it seems that in the process of walking around, something suddenly becomes clearer.

In the end, no matter what choices these people make, what they imply is our Slogan: "Do it, you will regret it anyway." There is no prototype, but they have more or less the shadow of a few screenwriters. The average age of several young screenwriters in

is post-95s. When writing the first part of "Twenty Do Not Confused", several screenwriters were only part-time screenwriters, and they still had their own jobs. By the time they started writing the second part, they were all professional screenwriters. They will first discuss the big story framework and the fate of the characters together. After that, several screenwriters will each claim a character story line, and then create separately.

may sometimes have some tugs with them. Every time when the meeting comes to the conclusion, I say OK, let’s decide when the new draft will be delivered. Of course, I hope to see the new version earlier, but they will be eager for more time, so they can delay it. (laugh). But there has never been a situation where they suddenly disappeared or disappeared when it was time to hand in the manuscript. Although they are young screenwriters, they are still very professional. Several screenwriters of

have been renting together since the creation of the first "Twenty Do Not Confused". There is still a lot of experience that can be used when outlining the shared life of girls. There is a scene in the

play. Dabao has just moved to Jiang Xiaoguo and Ding Yixuan's house. When they were renting together, they were not familiar with each other. There was a friction when Ding Yixuan found out that Dabao always took food and drink from the refrigerator, but They wouldn't go in again, and the girls quarreled and embarrassed each other for a few days. This is a small conflict that several screenwriters have experienced themselves.

To avoid embarrassment, Duan Jiabao and other roommates went outI only entered the public area for activities

Sometimes when we have a meeting on site, we can often hear them bickering. When they see a few of them, they are very close. Although they are noisy, they are completely inseparable from each other. Such a relationship. If

has to come up with one commonality, it is that they have more individuality and will pursue their own independent expression and space.

Like during filming, we had some discussions about the script, and I often read a kind of "okay" "that's it" reaction and expression on their faces (laughs). After

started construction, time was relatively tight. Usually it's the night when I get back to the hotel, and I have a meeting with the writers to make adjustments to the script. Will stay up very late at night, two, three, and four o'clock. The writers will think I'm sloppy. The next day, their expressions would make me feel that by pulling them to a meeting so late, I seemed to put a lot of invisible pressure on them.

When I was so old, I would not easily write this inner OS (monologue) on my face or express it in my language. But they will write this feeling on their faces more clearly. Even if they accept it, it is a kind of helpless acceptance, and it is rotten (laughs).

When I get along with them, I can also experience a lot of behavioral habits of the post-95s generation, and these cognitions may also be brought to my role-building in the future. One of the details that impressed me the most is that we sometimes have work meals together. I feel like the post-80s generation often encounters a situation where no matter how well-cooked everyone is, there will always be the last bit left after eating the last dish. No one is going to lick it , leaving the last piece of meat, no one moves at all. But this is never the case with them (several screenwriters), it's always after this one that we order another one. This can be considered their more individual side, at least it is very different from me at the time.

Their perspectives will also bring freshness to me, contributing some interesting ideas to serve our stories and characters.

For example, Liang Shuang climbed to a high point in the live broadcast list again, but finally decided not to continue her live broadcast industry, and immediately resolutely gave up and was ready to start a new journey. Regarding the new career she wants to try, we have been thinking about how to find a suitable industry.

Finally, several screenwriters suggested that she could start making baroque pearls, which not only conforms to Liang Shuang's perception of female consumers' shopping and long-term aesthetic habits, but is fresh at the same time. This made my eyes shine, at least I didn't know this at all before. I think this is the observation and attention of the young people born in the 1995s to the world, and it is also very individual.

Liang Shuang at work

​​The "suspension" in the TV series may be detached from life, a little bit farther from life.

is actually because there is such a dramatic appeal, the creators want to let the audience see a more exaggerated and larger plot. TV dramas are not documentaries, and some dramas may just hope to present strong drama with more exaggerated plots.

I myself am willing to pay attention to the subtler details.

My personal advantage is also here. When I was a child, I grew up in Chongqing, and life in Sichuan and Chongqing was very comfortable. I miss Chongqing very much, and I am willing to go back whenever I have the chance. Because I feel that there are family members on that piece of land, and when I communicate with you in dialect, I will feel comfortable, cordial, and relaxed, and I will have a sense of fireworks. I grew up with my aunt, uncle, and their children in a relatively large family. In this big family life atmosphere, occasionally there will be some frictions, so I will learn to observe words and expressions sooner and earlier, and to know how to capture the details of people's emotions. When I speak, I will think about whether the word is used correctly, and I will understand what adults and children are thinking in a certain environment and atmosphere.

Those subtle and touching things between people may be a little bit of connection between individuals and the world around them. If

wants these four characters to be more established, they must first use the details of the surface to realize the difference, which is the first layer of reality. At

, we are doing meticulous treatment in terms of clothing styling and matching, and even their mobile phone styles, WeChat avatars, and the style of each girl's bag. For example, Liang Shuang, she herselfWhat she does is a more front-of-the-stage industry, and her makeup will be more fashionable and modern.

Jiang Xiaoguo's bag was a big-name bag that her mother bought for her at a high cost in the first season. This bag has been carried until this season. In fact, her bags are only two or three, and they are changed back and forth. Ding Yixuan uses the canvas bag more, which is very soft. She often goes to the vegetable market and the supermarket to buy some food, and returns with her bag.

Look carefully, every time a "home" appears, we take an empty shot, that "home" is in the middle of a tall building, and a small building exists. We live in such a huge and prosperous city with tall buildings everywhere. This is the relationship between the individual and the city. The vision of

's "home"

wants to prevent the real confusion of these young people from being lightly displayed, and the second level is psychological reality. In fact, this is also a homework of film and television language. The most important thing is how I want to tell the story to the audience.

The first example I can think of is Liang Shuang's two breakup scenes. The two people pressed the elevator repeatedly to convey their remorse. Also, after Zhao Weiwei left, Liang Shuang stayed in the rental room alone. , The moment that finally broke her down was because the last face towel was used up and she couldn't find it. It turned out that Zhao Weiwei was helping her take care of it. Only then did she put down all her defenses and sat on the ground crying.

and others like Jiang Xiaoguo and Master did not break out face-to-face after they had a conflict over the promotion of a senior manager, but both of them wanted to cancel the membership of the Khan Steaming Hall they registered together. Later, Jiang Xiaoguo found out that Master had canceled it first. Standing in a daze.

has to endure, suffocate, and secretly poking contests between colleagues, which is also a manifestation of the workplace ecology. She doesn't have too many lines, and she doesn't use too many words, just one look is enough.

I just hope to find some emotional points, to find some small actions that can establish a connection with the audience, so that the audience can more easily bring in that real emotion. Some viewers of

will have a feeling that the four girls' lives are too smooth and too lucky, which is not realistic. I can understand this. But I don't think they are special or lucky myself, they are just four ordinary people. We can also see that the four girls are covered with chicken feathers in addition to their surface life. This is actually our story space.

To be honest, regardless of their choices, or the situations they face, I don't think the experiences of the four of them are clearly different from the lives of the audience. It's just that, maybe not everyone is an anchor, everyone works in an investment bank, or everyone experiences family bankruptcy, but these things also exist in our lives. At the beginning of

, Luo Yan quit her stable job. In fact, when we were working on the script, a screenwriter teacher raised an objection. She said that for today's young people, a stable job may be the mainstream in a sense, or a cultural atmosphere, which is a choice and setting based on reality.

A TV series is indeed a microcosm of real life, but at the same time it must jump out of life to convey the creator's attitude towards life. It is also an independent entity. As a growth story with a realistic theme, we will definitely pay attention to reality, but it is impossible to copy reality completely, and only some fragments and parts are presented.

​​Some viewers feel that love scenes appear repeatedly in domestic dramas, and in the end they are all about love. I think this is understandable. Because everyone does have the habit of nibbling CP, or this is a kind of demand. A good love drama must make any type of drama look better.

I have observed that some young people now don't regard love as the whole of their lives. It may be good to have love, but it doesn't matter if you don't have it. You can live happily alone or with friends. For today's young people, the proportion of love in life and the importance of love are getting smaller and smaller. Therefore, a drama also has discussions on the future of the workplace, the direction of family life, and the growth of friendship in all directions. Love is not the only main dish in this dish, but a side dish full of flavor.

But you have to take care of the proportions and priorities. A TV drama still needs to have an element of love. It will increase points and provide more fun. In the process of

's creation and shooting, one of the difficulties is the characterization of Ding Yixuan. She is a mother womb solo and has not experienced an intimate relationship for more than 20 years. After suddenly starting an intimate relationship, it took a lot of effort to see how her life would change.

We studied a detail at the time, which impressed me deeply, that is, how to change the names of the two people after the beginning of this intimate relationship. Just started falling in love, in the end you want to call the other party's name, or you want to call it baby or folded characters. After Ding Yixuan established an emotional relationship with Zhu Zhouchen on the first day, she would still call him Dr. Zhu, but her sisters started booing him, saying why you are still calling him Dr. Zhu, you should change your name to "Dear" or "Baby" . Ding Yixuan was horrified after hearing this, and felt so nauseous that he couldn't speak at all. We asked a lot of different friends around us at that time, mainly the group of solo mothers, and wanted to know what they would be called. Finally, I found that there is a way to be commensurate with each other's occupations.

In the early stage of the filming of "Twenty Do Not Confused 2", we did more homework in unfamiliar places. If you want to shoot scenes related to the workplace, or even work dramas, if you don't have workplace experience, I think it's not good to shoot. If you don’t have these workplace experiences, you will need to do a lot of internships and experience life in the early stage of creation, so as to be able to clearly capture the problems in the workplace. I think all creators should have this understanding.

Director Li Zhi at the filming site Photo courtesy of the interviewee

Before I graduated from university, I worked in the TV column group for a long time, working from 9 to 5, commuting during rush hour. After graduating from graduate school, I still worked as a reporter for , Sohu, and . I worked in a big factory at that time for a while, so I still understand the workplace environment.

but I don't know that much about the live streaming industry. To be honest, before filming this drama, I watched very few live broadcasts, and I did not buy anything in the live broadcast room. This is a very current career and state. Before filming, I went to the live broadcast rooms of some friends who are currently anchors in Beijing and Hangzhou, and stood beside them to observe and record the ecological appearance related to this industry.

In my original natural imagination, I felt that the anchor was sitting in front of the camera and talking, feeling like the host of a news program or an entertainment program.

When I really got to this kind of actual scene, I found that these streamers were extremely relaxed. They chatted and said hello to people outside the camera, and started talking about things that had nothing to do with the live broadcast. I went into the live broadcast room that day, and they said directly to the camera, "Who is the director, do you want to come in and say hello to us?" I was so scared that I backed away.

This was my first subversive perception at the time.

Also, the shelves in the live broadcast room are always full. People who upload products and links are like fighting a war, and the overall feeling is that lively and compact. Practical observations like this, and presentations that are close to reality, are also used to support Liang Shuang and her team.

Now, I can't summarize the entire market's definition and understanding of growth dramas and workplace dramas. Whether there is fire or not, whether there is a bonus or not, is not in my vision as a creator. I may be more concerned about the issue of "will the audience get tired of watching it". What the audience is tired of is not those events and emotions, but the similar and identical bridges. In the processing of some bridges, I hope to use a new bottle to fill the old wine, even if it is still those things, but it can bring out some new melodies.

So after thinking about it again and again, I still hope that the protagonist has some attitudes of his own, that is to say, no matter what kind of environment he is in, he must have the courage to seek a wider world, which is why at the beginning of the story, let Luo Yan resigned to go abroad, let her go out to have a look and make a breakthrough. This is indeed another life solution for young people's future lives.

Even though it may be different from what most people think now, I still think we are willing to try and shape such a character. In the end, the

drama did not tell you what an ideal workplace and an ideal life are, because everyone's desire for life goals is different. Some people may wish toWhen you are young, use the fastest speed to accumulate more capital; some people may wish to live a dull life, which is customized.

"Twenty Do Not Confused 2" actually gave the audience another answer, that is, I still have such a lofty goal, but I am no longer so anxious and eager for quick success. For example, Jiang Xiaoguo may have been looking forward to a house the most, but now she wants to try a more relaxed life, and in the end, she may not even want to buy a house. I think this is a progress and growth. It is not necessarily the right path to achieve the original goal. Focusing on the present, focusing on the achievement of each step, it is good.