"Fengshen" is every Chinese's childhood memory - Wu Ershan used this as the opening remarks of the interview. "From the comic books circulated in childhood, to "The Romance of the Gods" written in the Ming Dynasty, and then to various brilliant film and television adaptations, th

"Fengshen" is the childhood memory of every Chinese - Wu Ershan used this as the opening remarks of the interview. "From the comic books circulated in childhood, to "The Romance of the Gods" written in the Ming Dynasty, and then to various brilliant film and television adaptations, the "Fengshen" has gradually taken root in our hearts, and we have recognized it from the age of 8 to the age of 80. It is a national myth." The director said that this is also the motivation for him to spend more than nine years and lead a team of more than 8,000 people to complete the pioneering and industrialization exploration of Chinese mythological epic films.

In the past nine years, director Wu Ershan has been with the movie "Fengshen Trilogy" almost day and night. The first planning meeting was held in 2014, and it took five years to polish the script. Eight casting teams brought back 15,000 audition materials, the director interviewed 1,400 people, and nearly 30 people were selected to enter the "Fengshen" performing arts training camp for six months. Afterwards, 438 shooting days continued to shoot the trilogy... Only some data can show the huge project, let alone the difficulty and length of the creative process that cannot be quantified.

Tomorrow, "Fengshen Part 1" will officially "open the list" with the audience. Yesterday's Shanghai premiere, the magnificent mythical epic and the magnificence presented by the high level of industrialization made the first audience in Shanghai hard to calm down for a long time. Wu Ershan explained the original intention of creation: "I want to tell the story of "Fengshen" belonging to contemporary Chinese people with advanced film technology and contemporary value perception." He believes that a story that has been passed down for 3,000 years will not become obsolete, because people reshape it again and again in the context of the new era.

Contemporary perspectives are injected into the new story, making the myth span the river of time.

The story of "Fengshen" has been passed down for 3,000 years, and has been told and adapted by various artistic styles. The story of "Fengshen" interpreted by later generations is mostly based on the script "Wu Wang's Fighting Zhou Pinghua" in the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and the Ming Dynasty novel "Fengshen Yanyi". The latter combines historical facts, myths, and legends, and combines traditional Chinese political concepts and grand imaginations. It has a unique position in the history of novels and has become a treasure trove of material for various film and television adaptations since 1990.

The movie "Fengshen Trilogy" follows the three-stage structure of "Fengshen Yanyi". The first part corresponds to chapter 1 to chapter 33 of the novel, talking about King Zhou’s innocence and the princes’ rebellion against the court; the second part of the film runs from chapter 34 to chapter 66, and the theme is the defense of Xiqi; the third part includes chapters 67 to 100.

Wu Ershan said that the word "everyone knows" is the most obvious theme bonus for the adaptor, and it is also the biggest creative problem. "In the new version of the story, the iconic characters and iconic plots of generations of legends will be retained. Jiang Taigong's fishing, wine pond meat forest, Bigan's heart digging, etc. are the basic standard features of the movie. But from the perspective of contemporary people, the emotional relationship, value choices, and worldview consensus accepted by contemporary people have actually changed." Different eras say "Fengshen" includes the expression of contemporary values. Sima Qian's narration in "Historical Records Yin Benji" is more than 1,000 years away from the historical coordinates; "Wu Wang Fa Zhou Ping Hua" is the "contemporary" of the Song and Yuan Dynasties, and "Feng Shen Yan Yi" is a renewal of the Ming Dynasty. For the movie "Fengshen Trilogy", the creators stand in the 21st century and tell ancient myths. Contemporary values ​​and dramatic principles constitute the dichotomy of the adaptation, allowing classical themes to span the river of time.

For example, the film no longer imitates the novel with Jiang Ziya as the core, but chooses the young "Zhou Wu King" Ji Fa as the protagonist to reorganize the story line. Through the process of a "proton" worshiping Shang Wang Yinshou to recognizing his tyrannical true face and completing self-awakening, the hero's growth is tracked; and through Ji Chang, Boyi Kao, Ji Fa, Yin Shou, and Yin Jiao's two fathers and sons, it tells the ancient truth that the Chinese nation's constant justice overcomes evil.

For another example, in the traditional impression, Su Daji was a "beautiful woman, a disaster" and "helped Zhou to abuse", and King Zhou became a tyrant because he was bewitched. The movie "Feng Shen No. 1" follows the setting of the fox demon in the novel, but rewrites the relationship between her and King Zhou.The film uses Jiang Ziya's mouth to overthrow the logic of "beautiful beauty and water": "There is no way for good and evil, only people call, evil thoughts, and evildoers come."

With a high degree of film industrialization, it illuminates the magnificent imagination of three thousand years.

"'Fengshen' is the history of the Chinese people's own hero myth, which is both mythical and historical." In the interview, Wu Ershan mentioned similar words several times. He always remembers that the release of "The Lord of the Rings" brought him a great shock, "I think China should also have its own mythical and epic works."

In fact, although the nine-year shooting cycle was difficult and long, in a sense it may not exceed the creator's expectations. Because from the very beginning, he was determined to make "Fengshen" a long-term project, "I have waited for 3,000 years, let alone nine years." He feels that it is the duty-bound mission of today's filmmakers to illuminate the magnificent imagination of three thousand years with a high degree of film industrialization and advanced technology. So, he led a huge team of more than 8,000 people on a trek that was not without pioneering significance. Whether it is the first time that a Chinese-language film adopts trilogy continuous shooting, or scientifically manages and dispatches a team of 8,000 people, it has accumulated valuable experience for the industrialization of Chinese films.

For example, in the selection of roles, all the actors of "Proton Brigade" have gone through layers of selection. There are more than 20 people competing for the two main roles of Ji Fa and Yin Jiao. During the six-month training camp, they learned acting, practiced martial arts, and double-shaped their bodies and minds. Who is more suitable for the hot-blooded Ji Fa, and who is more suitable for the arrogant prince, practice and time make the choice.

Another example is visual aesthetics. The story of Fengshen was written from Shang and Zhou Dynasties to Ming Dynasty "Fengshen Yanyi", with a time span of 2,500 years. In order to find the visual basis from this historical cycle, the main creative team made field visits and research materials, integrated Yuan and Ming Taoist water and land paintings, Shang and Zhou bronze ware elements, and the aesthetic style of Song people's landscapes to build a classical visual system that is close to modern aesthetics. Regardless of whether it is persuasive or setting, Wu Ershan insists on being retro and not old-fashioned. "The logic of constructing a mythical world is that it must be imagined, and at the same time it must give people a sense of reality." And the "growthy and beautiful" Shang Wang Yinshou, Jiang Ziya with common wisdom, Yuanshi Tianzun with dignified demeanor...the appearance of these characters in the movie may be beyond the public's imagination, but they all have classic texts to support them.

Let's look at the new application of technology called in the video. How did Lei Zhenzi transform into a giant creature with an anthropomorphic expression? How does the ink unicorn move so vividly? Can the nine-tailed white fox make movements with human emotions? How should Taotie create creations that conform to biological logic? Every question mark points to a digital character, which is the pinnacle of difficulty in visual effects production. How to integrate these living digital characters into the scrolls of traditional Chinese mythology without any violation is even more difficult.

*Wenhui exclusive manuscript, please indicate the source for reprinting.