There is no costume drama like Xiao Bicun . There is only Xiao Bicun, which the crew cannot get an appointment with.
In the photographer industry, there are only a few who can be called "masters".
A photo of Chen Man is worth millions. As the most expensive photographer in China, Chen Man has made countless celebrities famous and is a "top photographer" standing in front of people.
Xiao Bicun, who has stayed in Hengdian for more than 30 years, is a "big photographer" who stands behind others and contributes silently.
Perhaps, before his death, no one had heard of Xiao Bicun.
But when it comes to the works he shot, no one would say they are unfamiliar.
" The Deer and the Cauldron ", "The Legend of the Dragon Slayer in Heaven", "A Dream Behind the Curtain", "Mulan", "Swordsman", "Lotus Lantern"...
70+ works are all written by Xiao Bi Handmade by a village, each one is a masterpiece.
Throughout the year, you may not find Xiao Bicun elsewhere, but in Hengdian, you will definitely see him running around with a camera.
Chen Man is a business photographer, and Xiao Bicun is a real artist.
1. Xiao Bicun, who likes to engage in art.
Xiao Bicun was born in Taiwan in 1958. His parents were ordinary working-class people in the area.
Before entering elementary school, Xiao Bicun showed extraordinary artistic talent.
When his parents took him shopping, Xiao Bicun would walk very slowly. Occasionally he would see a good-looking billboard and stand motionless under it.
Once, Xiao Bicun accidentally discovered a colorful billboard, which he found very novel.
stood under the billboard and studied it. When his father saw that he wouldn't leave, he slapped him on the head.
Xiao Bicun suddenly looked back at his father, and said in a childish voice:
"Dad, I know how this advertisement was filmed"!
His father didn't want to listen to his nonsense and pulled him away.
"Xiao Bicun, I don't care how this advertisement is shot. If you fail the exam this semester, be careful of getting beaten."
The father looked angry. When his son was not in school, he liked to watch advertisements.
But I didn’t expect that after reading, I would like to watch advertisements more, and I would delay my studies for this reason.
’s classmates will go home after school, reading or playing ball. But Xiao Bicun was the only one who went to the street to study one advertisement after another.
When he gets older, he will also hold a notebook to record the color combinations, angles, etc. of advertisements. If his parents knew photography, they would definitely send him to learn photography early.
However, my parents are ordinary people and do not understand art. I only know that my son's poor academic performance will delay his ability to find a job in the future.
Xiao Bicun, who is in junior high school, is no longer satisfied with just watching advertisements. Instead, he takes a pen and draws advertisements.
In school, the teacher saw that Xiao Bicun was quite capable in painting and asked him to apply for an art college. Teacher
’s words gave Xiao Bicun motivation. When graduating from high school, Xiao Bicun enrolled in the Taipei Fuxing Art Department and became an art student.
"What's the point of applying for art? What can you do in the future?" 's father was very angry when he took the admission notice. In this field of art, there is not one person in ten thousand who can truly become a master.
Rather than engaging in art, his father prefers his son to study finance, management, etc., and then work in a large company, where his income will be more stable.
Xiao Bicun explained to his father that he could do advertising and find a stable job in the future.
But his father insisted on asking him to change schools, so Xiao Bicun had no choice but to take advantage of a time when his parents were out on business and secretly dragged his luggage to the school to register in advance.
If Xiao Bicun lived in the interior, his talent would be enough for him to study in Chinese opera. However, when he studied in Taiwan, the things he came into contact with were more practical.
For this reason, after working, Xiao Bicun also made a lot of efforts to shoot the pictures beautifully and delicately.
Reality and beauty are two different shooting techniques, but how to combine them into one is the key.
Four years of college went by in the blink of an eye. After graduation, he applied for a job as a photographer on a film crew. However, his young photography skills caused countless directors to politely reject him.
htmlIn Taiwan in the 1980s, TV drama production was quite mature. He had no experience, so he had to become a photographer's assistant first, working hard and fast.
Such days passed for more than ten years. It was not until 1987 that he came to the mainland and began to truly shoot independently.
2. Working 20 hours a day, just to produce good works
9-year-old Xiao Bicun came to Hengdian for the first time, a shabby shooting location. At that time, Hengdian had not yet developed, but it had already attracted many film crews to film here.
There are many antique buildings in Hengdian, but many of them have been damaged during the long-term filming.
Xiao Bicun thought to himself, this is the only place in the interior where there is a lot of drama. If you take root here, you will definitely find a job.
Just like that, Xiao Bicun found a house to live in in an old neighborhood nearby. Because he didn’t have much money, Xiao Bicun had to eat dirt almost every day after buying the equipment.
The room is very small, with one bed, one table, and not even a cabinet to put clothes.
Half of the space on the bed was filled with cameras. They were bought from friends at very cheap prices, but Xiao Bicun regarded them as treasures.
"Mom, I'm fine here, you don't have to worry about me." On the first day moved in, his parents were already very concerned about him.
After Xiao Bicun hung up the phone, he closed the doors and windows, carried a small camera on his back, and went to Hengdian to find the director.
There were countless crew members. When he handed over his resume, the other party took one look at it and realized that he was from Taiwan and immediately kicked him out of the crew.
only met director Liang Kaicheng after running for countless days and nights.
Liang Kaicheng was filming in Hengdian at the time, but there was already a photographer. However, after seeing Xiao Bicun's work, he told him that he would return to Taiwan to film in the near future.
Finally came to the mainland, but now want to go to Taiwan?
But if he didn't go to the filming, he would not be able to find a film for the time being. After thinking twice, Xiao Bicun followed Liang Kaicheng to Taiwan to film his own independent work "The Woman in the Tower".
was filming independently for the first time, and the technique was still a bit green, but Xiao Bicun was extremely excited when he saw his film released.
Later, when I returned to the inland development of Xiao Bicun, I no longer had to worry about being out of filming.
From "Hero Boy" to "The End of the World" and "The Deer and the Cauldron" and other dramas, Xiao Bicun has mastered the essence of shooting ancient costumes.
While working as a photographer in Hengdian, Xiao Bicun also formed deep friendships with countless people in the industry.
Director Xiao Bicun and Director Lai Shuiqing knew each other when they were in Taiwan. The two have collaborated on many works, among which "The Swordsman" is the one with the best reputation.
When "The Swordsman" first started filming, Lai Shuiqing had been thinking about who should play the role of "Let Me Go".
Xiao Bicun thought about many people, but in the end he recommended his old friend Li Liqun to Lai Shuiqing.
" Brother Dabao , don't worry, as long as you ask, I will definitely come." Xiao Bicun and Li Liqun met in the early 1990s and have always communicated with each other.
Every time Li Liqun came to Hengdian inland to film, Xiao Bicun would take Li Liqun to eat barbecue and drink draft beer together.
"The Swordsman" has been filmed before, and filmed it again, which is a remake.
What Xiao Bicun was most worried about at that time was that his photography techniques were wrong and he would not be able to capture the effect of Jianghu Fengyun. For this reason, Xiao Bicun studied day and night.
Many times, other filming staff have left, and Xiao Bicun is still in the crew, holding a heavy camera and running around the set to find suitable shooting angles.
"Do you still need your body? It's past 12 o'clock, it's time to rest." Li Liqun and Xiao Bicun, one is a theater fanatic and the other is a photography fanatic.
After Li Liqun finished studying the script in the tent, he had rested for a while, but he did not expect that Xiao Bicun was still busy.
In fact, Li Liqun this year has already won the Golden Bell Award for Best Photographer Technology and is the most sought-after photographer in the crew.
But Xiao Bicun did not slack off, but became even busier at work. He will be strict with himself and shoot every shot to perfection.
After the version of "The Swordsman" by Ren Xianqi and Anita Yuen was broadcast, the ratings in mainland China and Hong Kong and Taiwan were extremely high. After
, there were several remakes, but the visual effects of this version can no longer be shot.
But everyone has only seen Ren Xianqi's dashing appearance, but they have never seen the scene where Xiao Bicun half-knelt on the ground in order to shoot a fight scene in the air.
In life, Xiao Bicun is a true artist. He does not care about fame, fortune, or salary. As long as there is a suitable work, he will spare no effort to shoot it.
365 days a year, Xiao Bicun will take root in Hengdian for at least 350 days.
occasionally returns to Taiwan to see his parents and family, but soon takes a flight back to the mainland.
In 2013, Xiao Bicun was filming "The Great Han Xian Wei Zihu" in Hengdian.
The filming time was in the summer, but in the drama, there were scenes that had to be shot on location.
The clothes worn by the actors are very thick, but they can also put ice packs inside to enjoy a bit of coolness.
But the staff around could only carry the equipment and follow the actors.
In the hot summer, 55-year-old Xiao Bicun was busy following the actors with dozens of kilograms of photography equipment on his shoulders.
Often after filming a scene, his short sleeves would be soaked through. But whether it was severe cold or hot weather, or late at night or early in the morning, whenever the crew needed it, Xiao Bicun was the first to rush to the crew to prepare.
In 2015, Xiao Bicun laughed at himself on social platforms. He worked 18 hours yesterday and another 20 hours today. He takes less than 5 hours of rest every day, which shows how intense his work is.
Sometimes when Xiao Bicun is busy, he completely forgets the time. He works until early morning today and gets up before dawn tomorrow morning. Day after day, the body keeps getting sick over and over again.
Starting in 2018, Xiao Bicun occasionally felt dizzy when filming, but he was reluctant to go to the hospital and did not want to waste time.
"Brother Dabao, you should go to the hospital for a checkup. Look, your face is pale."
In 2019, Xiao Bicun was working as a photography director in Hengdian when he suddenly turned pale and had a cold sweat.
Xiao Bicun quickly took out a bottle of medicine, took two or three pills, and continued shooting.
Friends around him asked him if he was sick? Otherwise, stop filming, go to the hospital for treatment, and then go back to work.
Xiao Bicun shook his head, endured his dizziness, and continued to pick up the camera. Probably because of his professionalism, he moved countless actors.
They all call Xiao Bicun "Teacher Xiao" when they are on the set.
But no one expected that Teacher Xiao would suddenly pass away due to illness in July 2022.
If he had gone to the hospital for examination earlier, would he have died later?
It’s a pity that there are no what-ifs in this world, let alone regrets about taking medicine. Xiao Bicun has devoted his life to photography. He has never been greedy to go international, nor does he want to be famous in China.
You can only see him in Hengdian and on the Taiwanese crew.
Back to May 7, 2022, Xiao Bicun was still in the interview, talking about the development of young actors on both sides of the Taiwan Strait. He said:
I very much hope that more Taiwanese actors can develop in the mainland. study.
also said that he has been in Hengdian for more than 30 years and it is difficult to find another Hengdian in China. Hengdian was still in its early stages of establishment in the 1980s and was not developing well.
However, as the domestic film and television industry has developed day by day, Hengdian has also grown stronger and has now become the number one choice for filming domestic TV series.
In Hengdian, several crews enter filming almost every day, and a work will be released in 3-5 months.
If it is a small web drama, more than ten works can be filmed in the same location in a year.
3, Xiao Bicun passed away, friends have posted messages to mourn
actor Huang Weide After hearing the bad news, they could not believe it.
In the post , Huang Weide expressed that he was a little shocked, but fortunately Brother Dabao returned to Taiwan, which can be regarded as a return to his roots.
Huang Weide worked with Xiao Bicun for a short time in Hengdian, but both of them are from Taiwan, so they have always been in contact after filming.
Occasionally, when Huang Weide came to the inland to film, Xiao Bicun would take the initiative to invite him to dinner.
Huang Weide expressed deep sorrow for the death of such a senior photographer.
Although Li Liqun, Xiao Bicun's old friend for more than 30 years, did not send a message to express his condolences, it is reported that he has returned to Taiwan and may attend Xiao Bicun's funeral in person.
Director Fan Panyirui, who worked together in Hengdian, lamented that Xiao Bicun has always been his role model, but he did not expect to pass away so suddenly.
Xiao Bicun’s family has not yet revealed the cause of his death.
Perhaps it is because Xiao Bicun kept a low profile during his lifetime, and his family members almost never appeared in public.
However, according to his friends, Xiao Bicun is a good man who loves his family. His wife has quietly taken care of the family in Taiwan for decades and has never complained.
I have to say that things are really unpredictable.
In April 2022, Xiao Bicun was still directing the new drama "Little Star's Meat Bun is a Fish" in Hengdian, but just 3 months later, the drama was not finished filming, but the person left!
Conclusion:
Many people know Chen Man, but most people don’t know Xiao Bicun. Perhaps, this is the gap between the two.
Xiao Bicun was a dedicated artist for most of his life. Until a few months before his death, he was still working hard in Hengdian.
It is really a pity that such a talented and capable photographer passed away suddenly.
High workload will always make people suffer.
Although Xiao Bicun has made great achievements in photography and has been quietly dedicated for more than 40 years, he worked too hard and exhausted his body.
I hope that the story of Xiao Bicun can make everyone understand that work must be balanced with work and rest, so as not to overwhelm the body and cause sudden death.
64-year-old Xiao Bicun, thank you for bringing so many excellent works to everyone. I hope you will have no worries in heaven.
