Interview with Chen Hui, the mastermind behind the "First Ghost House":"I've had enough filming No. 81!"

Horror films, which were once praised as the "highest input-output ratio" and "most suitable for small and medium-cost control", have rarely been excellent in recent years. However, a horror film of worrying quality is released almost every week and has become the basic action of domestic films. Such a contradictory situation reflects the current dilemma of China thrillers.

In 2014, the ghost house-based thriller "Jingcheng 81" grossed 412 million yuan in the summer box office, setting a thriller record that is unbreakable to date. At that time, Chen Hui, general manager of Hengye Pictures, who was the driving force behind "Jingcheng 81", said in an interview: "Regardless of investment, production, publicity, etc.," Jingcheng 81 "is completely different from any previous film of the same genre. This is a milestone that has changed the status quo of domestic thrillers." In the past three years, the successful experience of "Jingcheng 81" in terms of content and marketing has not been effectively inherited by the industry. Horror films, which were once praised as the "highest input-output ratio" and "most suitable for small and medium-cost control", have rarely been excellent in recent years. However, a horror film of worrying quality is released almost every week and has become the basic action of domestic films. Such a contradictory situation reflects the current dilemma of China thrillers.

At the just-concluded "14th National Theater Domestic Film Promotion Conference", Hengye Pictures promoted the key summer project "Jingcheng 81 2". The screening of the two trailers showed that the film was well-made and beautiful in the East. Quality. The discussion among theater bosses seems to indicate that the long-awaited domestic thriller market is only waiting for this explosion. Later, we interviewed Chen Hui and unveiled the mystery of "Jingcheng 81 2" for the first time.

Reporter: What parts of the previous game has the sequel inherited at the story level, and what parts have changed?

Chen Hui: We talk about three upgrades. The first is the upgrade of the "building". As a sequel to "Jingcheng No. 81 2", the protagonist is still the legendary ghost house "Chaonei No. 81". During the filming, we fully restored two Western-style small buildings. Then they wanted to make some extensions on the basis of the ghost house, so the staff selected the one closest to the truth among nearby residents and various legends in old Beijing, which was the Tuanjie Lake Underground Palace. It just happened that Beijing Satellite TV broadcast an issue of "This is Beijing" to visit No. 81. During the program, a building manager led reporters into Tunnel No. 81, but the deep tunnel was blocked and the water was serious. Even the manager could not say where this tunnel led to. This is almost a real example of the legend that "Tunnel 81 leads to Tuanjie Lake and was blocked due to repairs to Metro Line 2." This discovery surprised everyone, and immediately screenwriter Cai Jun decided to add this space to the story, which made it more mysterious and gloomy.

The second episode is still the story structure of past and present lives. In doing so, we take into account the preference of most audiences in China for melodrama, and the cycle of cause and effect carries people's constant emotions of giving up. After the first episode was filmed, the team kept thinking about the story of the second episode. Love and fear are the driving force of all human emotions, and the psychological hints of fear will extend to ghosts. In the first episode, we used the patriarchal system to trample on human desires, forming resentment and becoming ghosts. In the second episode, we found an Oriental "original sin", which is fertility anxiety. In traditional society, the clan system is very strict, and everyone is afraid of not having children. This anxiety has always been in the consciousness of China. Even now, many people still care about these issues. Whether you can have children, whether you have a boy or a girl, is related to a woman's position in the family. Children are no longer a blessing, but a symbol of power. So in this episode, we designed the emotional levels in the extended family to be richer, and the explosive power presented in the end was naturally more touching. In my opinion, in addition to being neurologically stimulating, thrillers also have the ability to empathize, which is the success of typology.

The third upgrade is the element. The first episode focuses on love, and we put ancient ghost weddings into the movie. In this book, we want to show how traditional Chinese medicine and even witchcraft deal with fertility anxiety. The news that has been exposed in recent days mentions that people eat placenta. Placenta is used as medicine in traditional Chinese medicine. It is called Placenta. China think that the child came in this car. However, traditional Chinese medicine is very weak in terms of empirical evidence, and it can easily fall into the realm of "witch doctors cannot distinguish". From medical skills to witchcraft, this becomes terrifying. The two screenwriters, Cai Jun and Tan Guangyuan, extracted the elements of Zhu You's request for children and witchcraft from hundreds of traditional Chinese medicine classics, folklore, and mysterious stories such as the case of the loss of babies in the Republic of China, the thirteen needles of the Ghost Gate, and the delivery of a child from Guanyin. In the second part. The film style is still beautiful and thrilling, but the core is extremely thoughtful.

In particular, we learned the handling methods of Hollywood thrillers in terms of narrative rhythm. In the early stage, the two time and space corroborated each other, and occasionally the blocking of side clues, until the accumulation of emotions, and then to the momentum. The majestic turning point completely broke out. We recommend that children under the age of 14 and viewers with heart discomfort not watch it in theaters, especially in 3D.

Reporter: How is the cast matched? What are your considerations?

Our first consideration is that all actors must pay equal attention to acting skills and roles. Zhang Zhisheng was an elegant young marshal. In the era when warlords were divided, he did not have the spirit of courage and courage, but he deeply loved his wife. His characters were sad and loyal. We almost tailor-made this role for Zhang Zhilin. His attitude towards love and marriage, his own temperament and this character are more than two. Zhong Xintong's beauty has a charm, but it is not artificial and direct. This fierce feeling is very suitable for Jin Cui, who actively expresses her love. Mei Ting is suitable for hierarchical performances. She plays Niu Menghe forbears and suffers, suffers emotionally, and carries the fate of the family. Mei Ting is an actress who can withstand close-ups. Every frown and smile seem to be troubled, which is a temperament that other actresses don't have. The doctor played by Geng Le needs to be possessed, from madness to madness. Geng Le is a very malleable actor, who goes from submissive to neurotic in an instant, and performs very well. As soon as Wu Junmei put on the qipao, she was a woman from the old era. She was full of charm and scheming. The role of stepmother was just at her fingertips for Teacher Wu. There was a big drama about forced marriage. Several warlords played by Gao Jie, Lin Xue, and Lian Kai weighed the weight in their hands in a sarcastic way. The young marshal played by Zhang Zhilin was uncertain. His stepmother Wu Junmei stood up to mediate. The eldest wife played by Mei Ting was willing to sacrifice herself. The few of them fought each other, which was simply amazing. I can feel the exciting aura next to the monitor. Teacher Lian Kai also brought his special effects team,"Sheena Move"(representative works "Victoria One","War of the Worlds","X-Men"). Lian Kai's vitiligo makeup, female corpses, babies, burns and other special effects makeup are all made by this team. The visuals are cool and help us a lot.

Reporter: Was it taken at the original site of Chaonei No. 81?

Chen Hui: The old site is a cultural relic protection unit and is not allowed to shoot. Our entire crew went in for on-site inspections and went to major libraries in Beijing to find some picture materials of the building. Because the original owner of No. 81, Puyiya, is an architect himself, and he designed and built this house, the information is quite detailed. We built the 1:1 building completely as it is. The art team also looked through more than 1000 volumes of historical architectural materials, and hundreds of old photos of ghost houses including No. 81 Chaonei in Beijing, Xikai Church in Tianjin, Liwan Square in Guangzhou, etc. were used to make the interior decoration of the house.

We also built an underground palace with a radius of several kilometers and three floors. It was very spectacular. During the audition, the actor ran in the underground palace and got lost several times. Since the film is carried out in two times and spaces, one is the Republic of China opera and the other is the modern opera. After filming the Republic of China opera, the decoration of the entire Republic of China must be demolished and the decoration of the modern opera is restored. There are many places that need to be adjusted and renovated twice. Two buildings were really demolished and built several times.

Reporter: How long is the filming period? What about the preparatory period?

Chen Hui: The filming took about two months and the preparation time was more than a year. The preparation time is long because of the construction and manufacturing of equipment. There are more than 3000 props in the film, including carved door frames, stairs, room furniture, decorations, etc. in the dramas of the Republic of China, especially the sinister Chinese medicine clinic we specially made for the witch doctor played by Geng Le. My request is that when you see these objects on the camera, you must be able to smell the smell of traditional Chinese medicine. Therefore, the entire art group went to large pharmacies such as Tong Ren Tang to get inspiration for some magic tools and models. Later, several scenes filmed in that scene were particularly eye-catching with special effects. Gu worms danced in the pharmacy, and the objects seen by the camera were all very exquisite. More than 3000 props were all made with the help of the craftsmen referring to the legend. These details represent the "appearance" of the movie. The expense is really heartbreaking, but I think that to make a benchmark for genre films, we must produce quality.

Speaking of which, the preparatory period also spent some time persuading Mei Ting because she had just given birth to a child and was a little afraid of the characters in this film, but she felt that the characters were very good, deeply emotional, and polysemous, making it enjoyable to act. So she hesitated. I know that everyone has some concerns about filming ghost movies. In our underground palace, staff often hear the sound of rowing water sailing for no reason. Nowadays, during the announcement period, strange things often happen to the company, such as the editor who had just finished cutting the trailer of "No. 81 2" being hit by a car, etc. Mei Ting and I said that my life is tough. Our story has not vilify anyone or any creature. If we don't realize it, it must be obsession. With so many people and so many people working hard to make this movie, I think all things should be able to understand our reverence.

Reporter: How many special effects shots are there? How long will it last?

Chen Hui: The post-production special effects company we used this time is "Rabbit Jiang"(representative works "Heavenly General Xiongshi","Storm","Brain Palace"). About 1000 special effects shots were produced by teams from Taipei, Los Angeles, and Beijing. It has been doing it for almost half a year.

Reporter: I heard that this time "No. 81 2" and VR technology also have some alliances?

Chen Hui: Many people who make movies are technocratic. Technology innovates the way people watch, which in turn affects people's thinking when watching. When the first episode was finished, many people told me that they were deeply impressed by the scene of butterflies dancing and dancing. It was the enjoyment that 3D brought them. I hope to make some alliances with VR in this one. The form of real-life experience is simply created for thrillers. Many people who are under high pressure and those who like excitement love to watch thrillers. The reason is that this genre can firmly capture all the audience's attention without relaxing for a moment. If I watch the entire thriller through VR, I believe it will be an unforgettable experience for a lifetime. So this time we made a special trailer to be played on VR. At that time, these VR devices will be put into theaters, making the audience fly.

Reporter: Will there be a third episode or a fourth episode in this series?

Chen Hui: To be honest, I have really had enough filming the "Jingcheng 81" series (laughter). I think the second part will be the final edition of this series. From the first episode to the second episode, we studied the house to the bottom. This book also issued a special search notice, hoping to find the original owner and tell us some stories about the house. No. 81 Chaonei, a small foreign-style building in the Republic of China, has become a well-known landmark building through our series of IP movies. We have gotten the answer twice to the formula of the Republic of China background, closed space, and supernatural events. In our team's own opinion, the effect is satisfactory and even beyond imagination.

So everyone hopes to make some more interesting attempts. Recently, I watched some good Eastern horror movies such as South Korea's "Cry", Taiwan's "Little Girl in Red", etc., and I was very inspired. It is undeniable that from shooting, editing, narrative rhythm to the formation of cultural psychology, the functions that the genre can carry are becoming more and more complex. And like the "Jingcheng 81" series, thrillers that delve into the core of local culture are becoming increasingly popular in the international market. All of this prompted me to try a more distinctive thriller model so that Hengye could unlock new tricks on our old path.

Editor: yvonne