Dialogue with Yu Dong: After the rescue of “Changjin Lake”, how did “Water Gate Bridge” take over?

The filmmaker’s sense of mission.

Article | Entertainment Capital, Author | Meat Floss

Two weeks before the Spring Festival, “Water Gate Bridge of Changjin Lake” (hereinafter referred to as “Water Gate Bridge”) was officially announced as the last film to join the Spring Festival.

On the day the file was set, some viewers said on the Internet: It is not “Water Gate Bridge” that needs the Spring Festival file, but the Spring Festival file that needs “Water Gate Bridge”. Yu Dong agrees with this statement very much, “The Spring Festival file needs a super blockbuster, set a new record with other films, and make a good start to 2022 to boost the morale of the industry.”

There are traces of this expectation and confidence. As of press time, the box office of “Watergate Bridge” has exceeded 2.2 billion in 5 days of release. And more confidence comes from last year’s “Changjin Lake”, the 5.77 billion box office broke the record of “Wolf Warrior 2” maintained for many years and became the box office champion in Chinese film history.

Looking back on the past three years, the birth of these two super blockbusters has been “tossed” for three winters, starting and stopping in 2019, restarting in 2020, and re-shooting again in 2021. Although this answer sheet was not easy to hand in, its impact Power has proven its significance beyond ordinary movies: epitomizing the creative power and industrial level beyond Hollywood, attracting audiences back to theaters and driving the market…

Therefore, there are still many topics worth discussing: Where is the upgrade of “Watergate Bridge” as a sequel? How is it done to the extreme? What does this series mean to the market and to Bona? On the eve of the film’s release, Entertainment Capital found the answer through a conversation with Yu Dong, the chief producer and chairman of Bona Films.

upgrade

Before “Watergate Bridge” was officially unveiled, audiences had been curious about the relationship between the two films, and even its existence was rumored earlier.

Last year, when Xiaoyu asked Yu Dong for confirmation, the answer was: the story of Qilian is not over, and there are new tasks waiting for them.

Now it seems that this task is to go to the Watergate Bridge for reinforcements. In “Changjin Lake”, the Seventh Company led by the company commander Wu Qianli entered North Korea together with the large army of the Volunteer Army, and experienced multiple rounds of battles: from the air raids by the US military on the Yalu River and the rocky beach, to the encounters with the houses in the middle of the mountain, And repel the “polar bear group” in Xinxing.

When it came to “Watergate Bridge”, the First Marine Division of the US Army continued to evacuate to Xingnan Port. The Watergate Bridge was their only way, and the headquarters decided to block their retreat here. At this time, Seven is connected to the order: reinforcement of the Nine Company, blowing up the Watergate Bridge, which is also the core event of the whole movie. The creators agreed that this sequel has been upgraded in every way.

First of all, unlike the previous ones, this time the battle was concentrated on the Watergate Bridge. However, due to the huge disparity in strength, the US military would repair the bridge every time it was bombed, so the bridge was bombed three times in succession, and each time it was outsmarted.

Therefore, whether it is the tactical design of the battle or the scene presentation, “Watergate Bridge” as a war film has a strong watchability. Yu Dong told Xiaoyu that more than 90% of the film’s scenes were filmed by Tsui Hark, except for part directed by Chen Kaige and Lin Chaoxian. Tsui Hark has filmed “Taking Tiger Mountain by Wisdom”, which also involves war scenes in an ice and snow environment. His aesthetics and visual style are also reflected in “Watergate Bridge”.

In addition to the shock brought by the battle, another important aspect of the movie is the escalation and progression of emotions.

Yu Dong reminded that the tragic mood and ending were paved at the very beginning. When Qilian met the commander of the artillery battalion played by Geng Le, he made everyone fall into silence with one sentence, “Where’s Lao Lei?”

Then the Seventh Company came to the Shuimen Bridge. Although the war continued to escalate, they always showed their tenacious fighting spirit in the desperate situation. According to Tan Ziwei’s plan, the Seventh Company was divided into three routes to bomb the bridge: sneak attack on the headquarters, control the bridge deck and disperse the enemy. Arms, waiting for the opportunity to explode in the pump room. But inevitably, the three bombings of the Watergate Bridge happened in tandem with a series of sacrifices. From Pinghe, Yu Congrong, Mei Sheng to Wu Qianli, in the explosion and burning again and again, everyone’s life came to an end in ice and fire, and the emotions revealed in the film gradually reached a climax.

In the small group of Qilian, the most worthy of the audience’s attention are brothers Wu Qianli and Wu Wanli. From “Changjin Lake” to “Water Gate Bridge”, the relationship between the brothers has undergone subtle changes, and Wu Wanli has a complete character arc.

There are two details in the two movies that can be contrasted and echoed, and Yu Dong directly recited the lines, “One can be seen in the trailer of “Watergate Bridge”, when the bridge was about to explode, Wu Qianli told Brother, ‘I didn’t let you run around in the past because I was afraid that you would cause trouble. Today, you can decide how you want to run and fly.’ When he was on the train to North Korea, he said to his brother, ‘An egg, if you If you knock it open from the outside, it is destined to be eaten. If you peck it from the inside, it may be an eagle’.”

After training on the battlefield, Wu Wanli was no longer the new recruit who was repeatedly told by Lei Gong to follow behind his brother, and after everything was over, only this eagle flew home.

extreme

Four years ago, when “Operation Red Sea” became the top box office hit on the third day of the Lunar New Year, it not only brought tears to Yu Dong’s eyes, but also brought an inspiration: as long as the film is done well, no matter what the schedule, the audience will definitely be there. , will definitely support.

So he knows that there is only one way to go for a big production like “Changjin Lake”, and that is to express it to the extreme. Create with no regrets.

Yu Dong told Xiaoyu that he wanted to set “Watergate Bridge” on October 25 last year.

That day was the anniversary of the Korean War to Resist U.S. Aggression and Aid Korea, and it was also a key stage in the box office climb of “Changjin Lake” after its release. It was only five days away from October 20, when it broke the 5 billion mark. The audience can get a complete viewing experience after watching “Changjin Lake” and then watching “Water Gate Bridge”, or vice versa. From a distribution point of view, the way the two films are screened in succession is also very new.

Time is also completely in time, because the content of the two films have been filmed before May last year. As for “Water Gate Bridge”, Yu Dong recalled, “It was all finished at that time, and it was possible to deliver the film.” After thinking about it, he felt that it would not work, “If I was to make quick money, that plan was feasible, but the last episode Many of my emotions will continue into the next episode and there will be regrets. When the film is added in the winter, it will be stronger and more moving.”

Based on these considerations, the decision to supplement the shooting was made. It is understood that the filming this time is mainly about the connection between the two films, such as the reason why Qilian went to the Watergate Bridge and how to get there. Before the movie was finalized, a common saying on the Internet was that the crew took 12 additional days of filming. In response, Yu Dong corrected, “This is actually inaccurate. It took 12 days from when I went to visit the class to the final shooting, but we had been filming for a month and a half before that, and we started shooting at the end of October.”

It is said that movies are the art of regret, and re-shooting can reduce regret to a certain extent, but it is also an extravagant and willful behavior. Yu Dong said with a smile, “I will teach the students of the film school in the future. Only when the boss understands the film will he be willing to pay for the filming. If you invest enough in the film, you will not be able to pass any regrets. This hurdle in my heart.”

The reason is very simple, this not only involves the difficulty of specific implementation, such as recalling the main creator and staff, coordinating schedules, and more importantly, as an investment, the cost of the movie is controllable at the moment of shutdown, and re-shooting means going out again. Take the money, the same goes for “Watergate Bridge”.

Fortunately, in the face of such a movie, every actor is willing to come back. Yu Dong joked, “Everyone is obliged, including Lei Gong, who wants to come back and watch it.” The crew couldn’t continue filming at the previous location — not in Dandong, there was an epidemic in Dalian at that time, and dispatching thousands of extras would put pressure on the local epidemic prevention, and Hebei could not go back. As the Winter Olympics entered the 100-day countdown, Zhangjiakou control is very strict. Finally, half a year apart and another winter came, the crew reunited in Hengdian.

In addition to reshoots, the pursuit of the ultimate creative concept is also reflected in other production links.

For example, the replication and construction of the main scene Shuimen Bridge, the real Shuimen Bridge is located 5.6 kilometers south of Gutuli. It is not a bridge between the two banks in the traditional sense, but a dam. The pump house is close to the cliff, and four long water pipes protrude from the bottom. The crest of the dam doubles as a bridge deck for road transportation.

Producer Huang Jianxin mentioned in an interview with the media that he could not find any terrain that conformed to the records, so he had to dig up the mountain on the set. “Now it has become an important tourist attraction in Tianmo, you can go to see it, and you can take pictures again.” Yu Dong said.

If there are any regrets left in the movie, the only thing Yu Dong can think of is the casting of the US military such as MacArthur and Smith.

If there are more well-known foreign actors, they will be more recognizable to the audience and their performances will be more exquisite. In fact, he has invited qualified people, the cost can be covered, and the other party is willing to participate, but the inconvenience caused by the epidemic made this plan abandoned.

03 Node

It can be said that the “Changjin Lake” series is a minority in the film, and has node significance beyond ordinary films on many levels.

Yu Dong has emphasized many times on different occasions that it has set the highest number of participants in Chinese films. The total number of staff in the early and late stages exceeds 12,000, and the group performance exceeds 70,000, so the scrolling of the ending subtitles is as long as 7 and a half minutes. Two ending songs are required. From 2019 to 2021, its creation took three years and three winters. For those who are deeply involved in it, it has also become a kind of scale.

At the New Year press conference on the eve of the release, Huang Jianxin was wearing the crew’s overalls jacket. He told everyone that he also had a thicker padded jacket. From the inside to the outside, the crew’s overalls spanned the four seasons of the year. As a producer, he needs to go back and forth between the three directors’ crews, leaving a lot of freeze-frame pictures on the set in his heart, “What Kai Ge told me, turned back and shouted ‘Jianxin’, I remembered it, went to Xu Kena, he stared at Looking at me and asking me ‘what do you think about this question’, I remembered it again, and Chaoxian is the same, so many pictures are fixed in my heart, which is very important.”

Li Chen, who plays Yu Congrong, clearly remembers that last year’s “Changjin Lake” topped the box office on November 24th. When he heard the news, everyone was reuniting in Hengdian for reshoots, which happened to be his birthday. , Counting that time, he has had three consecutive birthdays in this crew.

There is also director Tsui Hark, who was filmed on the set to demonstrate actions to the actors in person in the snow, and his working state moved many audiences. This is also what Yu Dong is most touched and thankful for. “He was born in 1950. He was filmed from the age of 69 to the age of 72 in the past three years. To hand over such an answer sheet in Benming Year, the special significance of the film to Tsui Hark is self-evident.

Jumping out of the individual level and placing the “Changjin Lake” series in the current film market and industry, it also wrote a key stroke.

In 2020, the film and television industry has been severely impacted by the epidemic, and the overall film market has shrunk, and the annual box office is only 20.3 billion. Last year was the first year of resumption of work and production. At this time, it was necessary to attract audiences to return to the theater and boost the morale of the industry. The role of “Changjin Lake” lies in this. In 2021, the box office will exceed 47.2 billion, recovering to 74% of the pre-epidemic level, and “Changjin Lake” single-piece won 5.77 billion and became the first in film history.

This year, “Watergate Bridge” passed the baton again. Yu Dong said, “Actually, it’s okay to go earlier, but I think the Spring Festival is a bigger period, and it needs a super blockbuster to start the year. On the day it was set, I saw a sentence on the Internet that said it very well,’ It’s not that “Water Gate Bridge” needs the Spring Festival stall, it’s the Spring Festival stall that needs “Water Gate Bridge”‘.”

Although it joined the Spring Festival file at the latest, the pre-sale results after the official announcement led all the way, and more importantly, “Water Gate Bridge” really drove the market, “The number of other films in the same period that Maoyan wants to watch has increased by three on the original basis. Times.” The data released by the Maoyan Research Institute confirmed this. Beginning on January 13, while “Watergate Bridge” jumped to the top, the other films showed a significant increase in the trend of wanting to watch.

At the same time, the “Changjin Lake” series is also an all-round reflection of the creative power and industrial level of Chinese films. On the one hand, the film assembled three directors, Chen Kaige, Lin Chaoxian and Tsui Hark, and mobilized a large-scale crew to complete all the shooting after three winters. On the other hand, a total of 86 companies participated in post-production, and more than 95% of the special effects were completed in China. At the beginning of the film’s preparation, Yu Dong clarified the principle of “not using any material footage” – only the two-minute footage of the Incheon landing took 10 months to produce. In his opinion, this is the only way to tell the story in modern film language. way of the story.

Therefore, to apply the audience’s phrase “The Spring Festival stalls need “Water Gate Bridge”, all these can make people come to the conclusion that the film market needs the “Changjin Lake” series.

What is more certain is that it is also a key node for Bona.

Yu Dong previously described the filming of the “Changjin Lake” series as “an attempt that does not allow for failure”, and the approach that is more in line with the general environment is actually “shrinking the front”, but Bona chose to attack with all his strength.

Later, things like the movie box office proved that the risk was worth it. He won the “2021 China Economic Person of the Year” New Talent Award last year. He told Xiaoyu that this is an extremely rare honor for entrepreneurs in the cultural industry. One sentence in the award-winning comment impressed him: he led Bona Films The industry has made a turnaround in the cold winter of the industry.

This turnaround has also given him a lot of confidence. When looking at this breakout against the trend, he can also take a longer-term perspective. “Changjin Lake” was only released in the mainland, and the 5.77 billion box office was recovered in the single market, excluding Hong Kong, Macao, Taiwan and overseas regions. Relatively speaking, the resumption of work and production in Western film powers is much slower.

At this time, can Chinese films, especially the main theme narrative represented by “Changjin Lake”, go to the world? He’s also thinking and pushing about this.

So next, “Watergate Bridge” will be released in North America and Australia on February 11; if there is a chance, Bona hopes to release a 5-hour and 40-minute hardcover version of “Changjin Lake”.

Looking back at the birth of “Changjin Lake” and its achievements, Yu Dong sighed, “I am very happy, I think I have passed another level and climbed a mountain.” At the same time, he also admitted that it was not easy to create this series. , “You can’t go anywhere, you have to be quarantined when you go out and come back, and you can’t get sick, otherwise it will involve a lot of people who fight with you.” In the future, there will also be relatively light-weight works to meet the audience, such as “Ordinary Heroes” directed by Chen Guohui.

But there is no doubt that the growth brought about by this process will still attract Yu Dong to continue moving forward, because of the filmmaker’s sense of mission and because of the most universal truth, “A mountain is always higher than a mountain, so it is impossible to stop. down.”