The film is directed by China Filmmakers Association , with Chen Daoming as director, Huang Bo as producer, Zhang Hong as chief producer, and directed by Zhou Nan, Zhang Chi, Tian Yusheng , Dong Yue , Rao Xiaozhi , Zhou Dongyu , Yin Fang , Song Xiaobao , Pan Binlong , Wang Jingchun , Zhao Jinmai , Huang Chao, Yang Si, Huang Xiaoming , Song Jia, Zhang Hangcheng and others co-starred. On the first day of the release of
, Jiupai News had a chat with director Zhou Nan. He talked about love in special times and boys swimming against the current. "Love makes people mature and even become great. In this process, the film also transitions from a love movie to a grander and broader love."
He told Jiupai News that the people of Wuhan are very enthusiastic. During the filming process, onlookers watched The crowd not only cooperated, but also asked if they needed help. "The feeling of being pampered is so happy." When he was collecting photos, a mother and daughter said to him, "You must make Wuhan beautiful." , which allowed him to see the tenacity of the Wuhan people and their yearning for beautiful things.
Director Zhou Nan also talked about his impression of Wuhan, a "fierce" and romantic city.
Dialogue with Director Zhou Nan
[1] From loving a person to loving a city
Jiupai News: When did you receive the invitation to film "You Are My Spring"?
Zhou Nan: I should be the last one among these directors to receive the invitation. I remember it very clearly. It was January 16, 2021. They said that there was a film related to the epidemic to be shot. Do you want to make it?
I was very confused at that time because my last movie did not do well at the box office, and my child had just been born for a few days. But I still want to film in my heart, because when the epidemic happened in 2020, I was filming a movie abroad. I felt like I missed something, so I really want to understand this period of time.
I asked my wife, and she was very supportive of me, so I came to Wuhan to collect stories before my child was even one month old.
Jiupai News: Your main plot in this film is love. Why do you want to tell a love story?
Zhou Nan: The story of love is actually a theme in the entire film. This film starts with a love story. But it is actually quite difficult for me to tell the story from a perspective that is easiest for mainstream audiences to understand, because talking about love in the context of the epidemic seems very speculative, and some people may think that we are consuming the epidemic. During the creation process of
, the script also changed many versions, but as I continued to create and revise, I finally understood what I wanted to say.
Jiupai News: What kind of opportunity is it?
Zhou Nan: The night before was launched, which was the Lantern Festival, we went to Wuhan Railway Station to find the last scene, which was the scene where the male protagonist came to Wuhan and saw everyone leaving, but he came. . That day we were standing in the outbound passage of Wuhan station . The passage was empty. I even joked with the producer, saying that our budget was not enough and how many people would we need to fill this place.
Just when we were about to leave, we suddenly heard the sound of a train entering the station. The announcement said that the train number had entered the station. Suddenly, the exit of the station was filled with people. You can see that every exit channel is full of people. In Churen, there are many young college students and migrant workers. There is a thermometer at the exit of
. He will frame a person's face and then write a temperature on it, 36.4 degrees, 36.1 degrees, 36.5 degrees. Although everyone is wearing a mask, everyone's face has a temperature. Although this happened a year after the outbreak, I was shocked by that scene.
After I went back, I changed the plot so that the male protagonist would stay. Because a man's love must not be selfish or niche. He loves this girl, her family, and her city. Love makes people mature and even become great. This is the growth of a man. In this process, the film also transitions from a romance film to a grander and broader love.
Jiupai News: How were the two actors Zhou Dongyu and Yin Fang initially selected?
Zhou Nan: I tried many different versions when I was writing the script, thinking about how to make it more real and touching. Zhou Dongyu fits the character in this story very well.
As for Yin Fang, I have always wanted to find a boy who not only has the sophistication and future-rich feeling of living in Shanghai, but also needs him to be sincere, sincere, and have a sense of determination that will never give up. I searched for many actors, and the first one that jumped out was Yin Fang. I am very grateful to them for investing in this role without hesitation.
Jiupai News: Why did it focus on a long-distance couple in Shanghai and Wuhan?
Zhou Nan: Li Zhiyi has a poem, "I live at the head of the Yangtze River, and you live at the end of the Yangtze River. I miss you every day without seeing you, and drink the water of the Yangtze River together." In China, there is such a dualism in the choices of young people, hometown Or far away?
For this story, Wuhan is the origin and hometown. In the distance, I wanted to write about a city next to the sea, a place that represents the dreams of many young people, so I chose Shanghai. Geographically speaking, when Shanghai comes to Wuhan, it goes against the current. You feel that in this difficult time, some people will leave, but some will also swim upstream.
[2] Preserve the calmness and positivity of Wuhan people
Jiupai News: Compared with previous films, what do you find challenging about this film?
Zhou Nan: In addition to the inappropriateness of talking about the love between children and children in this difficult time, also has the setting that the male and female protagonists are almost not in the same frame. How can you interact without being in the same frame? How do they fall in love?
But as we learn more about that time in Wuhan, we have more and more respect for the city. In the end, I chose to shoot in a very restrained and meticulous way, and we turned all obstacles into experiences. When an actor expresses his emotions, he has to go through a layer of goggles, a layer of mask, and a layer of screen. Separated by three layers of things, he can only convey it through his eyes, lines, and all micro-expressions. We don’t want the audience to think how good the actors are at acting, but we want to convey the ordinary and real state of the public at that time.
Jiupai News: How did you understand the current situation during that period when you were collecting stories?
Zhou Nan: There is one thing that impressed me deeply about . When I first came here, I spent all my time communicating with people. I got to know the people I met on the road, the driver who took us, and the hotel lobby manager. I knew that I would definitely not understand enough in a short period of time, but I wanted to Learn as much as possible.
Once I was chatting with the driver. To be honest, I wasn’t very careful at that time. I asked, were you afraid when the epidemic started? He said it was not fear, and then he paused for a long time and said it was fear. He said someone in his family had died at that time. He said it lightly, but as if a fist hit me, I suddenly realized, is death so close to me? Is suffering so close to me? So I worked hard to make up for it later.
I remember one time when it was raining, I passed by a small flower market and went in to take a look. I held my camera there to take pictures and frame the scene. During this period, a mother came over with a little girl holding a wreath. The mother asked me why you were taking pictures. I said I wanted to make a movie about the epidemic and record it. Then the mother told me very optimistically, then you must take pictures of Wuhan beautifully. The little girl also said, thank you uncle.
At that moment, I felt that these are the people of Wuhan. They have experienced the cold winter. After passing the cold winter, they do not complain or vent, but hope that others can see their best side. Some people may think that my story is not true, but I want to say that I want to retain the calmness and positivity of Wuhan people, and I want to be worthy of the mother and daughter.
Jiupai News: What do you think the "spring" in the film's title "You Are My Spring" refers to?
Zhou Nan: It’s summer now, and this title feels a bit out of place. But I think the word "spring" is particularly good.We all know that "spring is the beginning of a year". I think spring is the beginning of everything. I especially hope that when we shoot the epidemic, we can give the audience a reminder, that is, starting from today, it will be counted as the first day of spring. Let's start over and plan our future.
Another thing is about temperature. When I was filming in Wuhan, it was actually very cold and it rained every day. The year before, the people of Wuhan also experienced a difficult moment in the cold winter. We have often said before that when the weather gets hotter, the epidemic may be over. That winter everyone was looking forward to warmth.
In the end, you will find that this warmth does not come from the sun, but from everyone who supports and cares about Wuhan. The epidemic is really afraid of temperature, but it is not the temperature caused by the earth's revolution, but the temperature caused by the people gathering together to stay warm.
Jiupai News: Was the filming in Wuhan smooth?
Zhou Nan: is going very smoothly and the people of Wuhan are very enthusiastic. I remember one scene where we were on a bridge. The people watching were very cooperative and asked us if we needed help. The feeling of being pampered was so happy.
【3】A "fierce" and romantic city
Jiupai News: Have you been to Wuhan before? What is your impression of Wuhan?
Zhou Nan: I was 13 years old when I first came to Wuhan. At that time, my understanding of Wuhan was Yellow Crane Tower and the poet Li Bai . It was summer vacation and it was extremely hot. It was so hot that I wanted to buy a ticket to go back the next day. At that time, I thought Wuhan was a bit dangerous and scary.
The second time I came here was around 2016. I wanted to shoot a romantic love story in Wuhan. Because Wuhan has many bridges, a lot of water, and this romantic atmosphere. This is my second impression.
After experiencing the filming of "You Are My Spring", I feel that Wuhan is a fierce and romantic city, which is a combination of the two previous impressions. Wuhan people are very stubborn and won't say soft words, but they will take care of you in action, which is a bit of a charlatan. After the filming, I came to Wuhan several times. Every time I came, I felt like a gracious guest and one of my own.
Jiupai News: What do you think is the significance of filming a movie related to the epidemic at this time?
Zhou Nan: I think the most important significance of is that in the past two years, we have always complained about why the epidemic has not passed yet, but if you look back at that period of time, you will find that those years were actually very promising. We are looking forward to the end of the epidemic, we are looking forward to dining out, traveling, and resuming work and production.
Suffering has really existed and cannot disappear. We need the courage to look back, to know that the happiness we have now is hard-won, and to cherish our current life.
Jiupai News: Do you want everyone to remember those years and turn grief into strength to move forward?
Zhou Nan: Yes, I don’t expect everyone to discuss the box office of this movie, nor do I want everyone to keep staring at the past. The movie is not for complaining. This film is to commemorate that in Wuhan in 2020, there is a group of people who use more courage to live, struggle, struggle and fight with more courage than today.
Even if this film becomes a topic of conversation after dinner, that is enough for me. In the streets and alleys, after tea and dinner, everyone talked about the past years and said that you should go and see it. There was a film recording that time. I think this is enough.
(The pictures in the article are provided by the interviewees)
Jiupai News reporter Wen Yanli, intern reporter Wang Xu
[Source: Jiupai News]
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