Author/Huo Qingcheng
"Have you seen Los Angeles at 4 a.m.?"
"No."
"Then have you seen Shanghai at 4 a.m.?"
"Yes, the light is very warm, there are more than 20 kinds of Guandong Cook in convenience stores."
At 4 a.m., a cruise ship slowly entered the port, the low motor sound penetrated the night, and the sleeping crew was woken up, "Hey! We're in Shanghai."
In the city, the daytime congestion has receded, and the Bund has become spacious, and the warm street lights set off the pedestrians' faces, which are awake or tired; on the Nanpu Bridge, a taxi is speeding up at the turn, and two young people in the back seat are leaning together, and their reconciliational smiles are on their faces; in the convenience store, the lady who is hurrying to get off work is hungry, and the young waiter brings a familiar bento; in front of the wonton stall, a girl is helping a newcomer to Shanghai to send a arrival text message to his loved one.
This is the scene described in "Shanghai at 4 am", a warm air of fireworks. Many people say that Shanghai is xenophobic, but in this 17-minute short film, letting go of cultural differences and regional misunderstandings, one by one, a living person connects the group portraits of Shanghai at 4 a.m., kind and gentle.
Since it was broadcast on May 29, "Shanghai at 4 am" has started to flush the screen mode, with the 24-hour video playback volume exceeding 12 million, and Xinhuanet , China Daily, China Youth Daily and other official microblogs have been forwarded. #Don't sleep at 4 a.m.# Weibo topic also reached the top 3 of the hot search list that day.
As the first short film in the "4 am" series, "Shanghai at 4 am" became the first step for Xinshixiang to enter the film and television industry. This new media company that has created many topics such as "escape from Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou", "lost books to fight", "Buddhist youth", and "4 a.m.", is now extending "urban youth IP" to a broader field.
From the official account story to the finished film and television product
How many steps do you need to take in the new world?
The initiator of the "4 a.m." series and co-founder of Xinshixiang, Wang Zaixing, recently wanted to sell Guandong Cooking in Shanghai convenience stores.
"Give me a quilt, I can stay in a convenience store for a month!" Wang Zaixing couldn't help but sigh when he talked to Xiaoyu. This man with extremely fast speaking speed and leaping thinking looks like a satisfied big child.
Because of the convenience store, Wang Zaixing has a great impression of Shanghai. After visiting the crew all night for four consecutive days, he came to the conclusion that "even the roads in Shanghai are very lifelike." In his opinion, choosing to go to Shanghai to shoot the "warmth of human feelings" in big cities is the first step in the urban youth short film series.
's understanding of human feelings and a profound insight into the psychology of urban youth are the logic and hard power of Xinshixiang's many popular articles. Now this new media company with nearly 10 million fans is trying to move this logic and strength to the film and television field.
"Realistic stories are very popular now, and many people in the industry are speculating on the film and television of such stories. But I think that selling stories only cannot enter the core of film production. There is a distance from the story to the notebook, and there is also a distance from the notebook to the production. In my opinion, only by turning the story into production can capital recognize that you have the ability to enter the film and television industry." When talking about "ability", Wang Zaixing emphasized his tone.
Entertainment Capital Theory (ID: yulezibenlun) learned that the short film "Shanghai at 4 am" is fully funded by Xinshixiang. From story collection to script adaptation, production team, to filming, post-production, etc., Xinshixiang participated in the entire process. "It's not just about spending money. We want to build a brand. We are newcomers. If we don't talk about things, the big guys in the film and television industry will not play with us at all."
Speaking of the strength of Xinshixiang's film and television, Wang Zaixing seemed to hold his breath in his heart. In fact, Xinshixiang has 10 million readers in first-tier cities and holds more than 1 million real story materials. It has a natural advantage in content and dissemination. But he felt that it was far from enough and insisted that novices must participate in the production and accumulate experience slowly in order to have the same voice as those in the circle. "The film and television industry is very deep, and I am scared when I see some capital coming and going.”
After several months of preparation, Wang Zaixing invited Wu Jueren to serve as the producer of the short film.
has served as the director of the Chinese-speaking district of the Shanghai International Film Festival, the chief curator of the Shanghai Film Museum, and the judge of the 52nd and 54th Taiwan Golden Horse Awards. He quickly formed a professional team for Xinshixiang. Including Malaysian director Yang Junhan, who was shortlisted for the Venice Film Festival several times, Bulgarian new photographer Boris Kalaidjiev, the heroine Tan Zhuo who has worked with famous directors such as Lou Ye , Cao Baoping , Xin Yukun , and Kantana, the music refining team of "The Grandmaster" and " Genius Gun " Company etc.
Director Yang Junhan (third from left) at the filming site of "Shanghai 4:00 am"
communicated with actors Huang Shanghe (first from left) and Lu Qiwei (second from left) to film (photo: Gong Xing)
"At 4:00 am in Shanghai, we went to shoot at 4:00 am. Time is very fast, because it will be dawn soon. The 17-minute film took 5 nights to shoot and 10 days to do the post-production, which took a long time in the field of short films. "When talking about the shooting situation of "Shanghai at 4 am", Wu Jueren "told" to Xiaoyu. Because it is shooting at night, the requirements for light are very high, and many shots are very harsh.
" Convenience Store story at the end, the scenes that compare static and dynamics are shot at 1 frame per second. Usually, the speed of one second is 24 frames of images, so the actors must perform at a speed of one-24th of the normal movement. Finally, the shot of the cruise ship docking at the dock was that the real light could not meet the shooting requirements. We took the sink and swayed at the mysterious window, allowing the flowing light and shadow to be refracted into the cabin. This process took 7 hours, and the final shot was only two or three seconds. "
Wu Jueren mentioned to Xiaoyu that domestic short films have no stable distribution and dissemination channels, and have been impacted by low-quality short videos/microfilms. Urban youth short films are a blank area. Xinshixiang has picked this point now, which is very meaningful for boosting the domestic short film market. "The Shanghai Film Festival restarted the short film unit last year, and the domestic short film market is recovering. "
How does Xinshixiang build short film business logic?
" The operation of WeChat public accounts has a ceiling, and our vision is above the public accounts. "When talking about the current new media operation, Wang Zaixing showed some anxiety, "I think public account advertising will end soon, and it is not a sexy business. "
Xiaoyu learned that Xinshixiang's main business is divided into two parts, one is media business, and the other is knowledge payment. Media business is still the main revenue of Xinshixiang, including public account advertising, event planning, short film advertising, H5 production, etc.
However, in Wang Zaixing's planning, there is a longer road ahead: based on the real stories of young people, combined with the characteristics of specific cities to produce short films, and after forming a certain IP foundation, we will enter the field of feature films at the right time. "What we care more about is how to establish our own brand in the future."
"We want to connect urban youths to a deeper level, and truly communicate with them every day, every moment, and every moment. "Wang Zaixing said.
is the first short film series of "4 am" and has devoted a lot of energy to "Shanghai at 4 am". The production team has more than 30 people and the investment cost is 3 million, which is equivalent to the investment of an online drama or a small-cost theater movie.
one hand has huge traffic and massive content on the other hand. With the strong production team supporting it, "4 am" is about to debut at C position. But as a market-oriented product, the commercialization of "4 am" short films Where is the logic? Movies have box office, TV series have copyrights and split accounts, and public accounts have placement and rewards. What about short films?
Xiaoyu learned that domestic short films have not yet established a unified distribution channel, and it is difficult for audiences to form effective communication with film crews. Short films have not formed a mature and fixed business model.
"In the issue of commercialization of short films, I also thank Chen Kexin for " Three Minutes " directed by Chen Kexin, for adapting the real story into a short film, which shines the screen, and the audience is moved by it, and Apple has also gained a reputation.After "Three Minutes", many brands now recognize this way of adapting real stories, especially big brands. "Wang Zaixing said that on the first day after the release of "Shanghai at 4 am", several brands have already talked about subsequent cooperation. "Most are brands related to urban life. They think 4 am is an updated and cooler topic. "
" The most important thing is to talk to young people. The new world is very close to the emotions of young people. Young people are now a resource that is being fought for in all aspects, including city managers and brand owners. If they want to talk to young people, they have to find the right channels and methods. "Wang Zaixing told Xiaoyu that "Shanghai at 4 am" has received support from all aspects of Shanghai.
Photography director Boris Kalaidjiev (Bulgaria) Work Photo (Photo: Wen Ruoyu)
"How to establish a brand and seek long-term development is what Xinshixiang pays most attention to now. "Wang Zaixing told Xiaoyu. At 4 a.m. in the city, some people get off work, some get up, and some even have night shifts. People with large differences gather at this time. This is the most diversified explosion point. "What we want to do is to spread the tolerance of the city and the warmth of human feelings, and leave a memory worth remembering for the city and young people. "When Wang Zaixing said this, his eyes suddenly became very excited.
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