The original novel of "In the Name of People" was written by the well-known author and screenwriter Zhou Meisen, who was invited by the Film and Television Center of the Supervisory Department to create an anti-corruption novel/script.
Zhou Meisen is not well-known among the general public, but he is actually very powerful.
Especially in the field of screenwriting, he participated in the creation of many official-themed works, including "The Right Path in the World", "Absolute Power", "State Prosecution", "My Master's Rise and Fall", "I Am a Hero" and other dramas.
It can be said that Zhou Meisen accounted for half of the related political dramas that were filmed in large numbers in the late 1990s and early 2000s.
This is also the reason why the inspection department asked him to come out when the relevant topics became loose. He is indeed a big shot in this field.
Later, the script derived from the novel "In the Name of People" was always in the hands of the department, which was planning to find a film and television company of sufficient weight to cooperate with, and then Blue Whale came to them.
In today's film and television industry, when it comes to making movies, there are still a few companies that can compete with Blue Whale.
But when it comes to TV dramas, Blue Whale is undoubtedly the number one, and it has also performed well in the main theme in the past two years, which also made it easy for the inspection department to reach a cooperation with Blue Whale.
After Blue Whale obtained the filming rights, it requested improvements to the script.
This situation is very common. No drama is filmed completely according to the original work, and Blue Whale is also known for optimizing the original plot. For example, "East Palace", "Nirvana in Fire" and "Ode to Joy" are all very vivid examples.
The overall plot of "In the Name of People" has not changed much. It mainly cuts and modifies some unnecessary side plots and slows down the pace.
The original version of "In the Name of People" was a long novel that was popular at the time, so in order to accommodate the platform, the plot was a bit bloated, and there was a lot of criticism about the yellow-haired man, and the rhythm seemed broken and slow.
Blue Whale has its own brand and channels, so it doesn't have many concerns in this regard.
So we need to sort it out, change what needs to be changed, and abandon what needs to be abandoned.
In today's environment, water injection is inevitable. Even if the crew does not do so, the platform will force you to do so.
Because this involves the broadcast cycle, popularity index, advertising revenue, etc., especially for popular dramas, the platform would like to broadcast a drama for a whole year at a time.
Given the market situation, Blue Whale dare not say that none of its dramas are watered down, but the premise of watering down is still to ensure quality, which makes it the most conscientious among many film and television companies.
But "In the Name of People" is different, it is a mainstream theme.
Previously, some Blue Whale executives speculated that Wei Yang had political considerations in mind when making a drama of this theme, which was a thankless task.
This is only half true.
Wei Yang is very optimistic about this drama and believes that it has a promising future and can make a lot of money.
But at the same time, he did have a little idea, which was to use "In the Name of People" to open up the situation and gild Blue Whale and even PPTV.
The original version of "In the Name of People" was not well received, so it was later picked up by Hunan TV. After it became popular, Hunan TV got a lot of attention and was praised in various ways, with slogans like "never forget your original intention" and so on.
If Wei Yang's subordinates were directly one of the producers and platforms of "In the Name of People" this time, what would the outside world think of it? Therefore, compared with money, Boss Wei values the hidden benefits brought by "In the Name of People" more.
In this case, the drama has to be filmed better, with quality being the first priority, and shortcomings, such as the slow pace caused by water injection, have to be reduced as much as possible.
In addition, since the screenwriter Zhou Meisen is from Jiangsu Province, the background of "In the Name of People" is Jiangsu Province, but it was renamed Handong and Quancheng.
But others may not know this, but Wei Yang knows that setting the story in Jiangsu Province may easily lead to lawsuits, so he went against the majority opinion and changed the story background and filming location to Shandong Province.
This way, even if some people feel unhappy, they won't have to stretch their hands so far.
Although Boss Wei's base is in Shanghai, he still has some influence in his hometown.
As for whether the other party can ban the drama from being broadcast on TV platforms, it will not have a particularly big impact on Wei Yang. It will just mean he will earn less money from the second and third rounds of production.
From a certain perspective, Wei Yang even hoped that the show would be banned after its premiere, so that PPTV would become the exclusive broadcasting platform and gain all the fans and traffic.
…
Wei Yang had limited time, so he started filming the next day. Taking his schedule into consideration, he adopted the strategy of doing the easy parts first and then the difficult ones.
We finished shooting all the easy parts, and spent more time polishing the final highlight. Even though the result was not good, Boss Wei felt embarrassed to leave, so he had more time.
This strategy is very cunning, but Boss Wei did not object. In fact, he felt a little guilty.
Even though he can comment on Lu Yi very well, he would feel nervous when he really has to compete with those veteran actors, so it would be good to have a few days of buffer time to get a feel for the role from other dramas and make some relevant preparations.
The first scene is in the hospital, which is relatively simple. Wei Yang put on makeup, looked weaker and thinner, and then lay down as a background board.
It's about the interaction and conversation between Lu Yi and his parents. There's even an assassination plot in the middle, which only has a few shots. Finally, there's the scene where Boss Wei wakes up after a long illness, and everyone is surprised.
It was completed in one day with continuous shooting and breaks. At least in this scene, Wei Yang was not included in the shot.
Wei Fei, who had been following beside him, was amazed and said jokingly, "I've been with you for so many years, and this is the time I see you filming the most relaxed. You're lying down the whole time. I can even do it."
"Come on, you'll know if you try it."
Wei Yang waved his hand and said, "Don't think that you can just lie down on the bed and be done with it when filming a scene like this."
It's okay to play the role of a Japanese soldier's corpse in Hengdian, and no one will watch you, but shooting a serious TV series, especially with close-ups and medium and close-ups, has requirements for the actors.
You can't move at all when lying in bed, and you have to control your breathing, you can't even lift your eyelids.
Not to mention, there are interactions between the actors, such as wiping bodies, shaking hands and talking, and acting with each other in front of patients. If Wei Yang is required to keep his body in the camera, he has to endure it in order to avoid being exposed.
It's okay for a short time, but it's actually quite uncomfortable over a long period of time.
At least for Boss Wei, he felt very uncomfortable. He would rather shoot a fight scene and be beaten up than shoot such a "bed scene" and feel uncomfortable all over.
In the next few days, Wei Yang finished filming some of Chen Hai's scenes in bits and pieces.
It mainly talks about the case with Hou Liangping, as well as some daily life and memories.
After all, Chen Hai doesn’t have many scenes. In the fifth episode, he went to the hospital because of a car accident. Even in the first five episodes, he didn’t have the most scenes.
After the simple scenes were filmed, what remained was the highlight, which was also the first episode of the drama. Chen Hai received a notice from Hou Liangping and prepared to arrest the corrupt official Ding Yizhen. Then, because of procedural issues, he watched several big guys arguing.
"In the Name of People" caught the audience's attention from the very beginning, and the excitement of the first few episodes was crucial.
There are two most exciting plots. One of them is about Hou Yong, a small official who is greedy but dares not spend a penny.
Second, a few big guys held a meeting to discuss whether to arrest someone or not. The participants were of extremely high level, and there were sharp verbal battles, swordplay, and many metaphors, making it difficult to distinguish between loyalty and treachery.
Wei Yang also followed the drama in his previous life. He remembered that in the early days, no one had discovered the novel yet, and the film producers had intentionally hidden it, so everyone guessed who was good and who was bad based on the plot.
Sometimes Gao is the bad guy, sometimes Li is the bad guy, sometimes Qi and Ji are the bad guys, and sometimes Sha is the final boss.
The reason why it is so confusing is mainly because Gao and Qi pretended well, and Li was too domineering and radical in the early stage, and Ji is an old fox, so it is a big drama that makes the audience enjoyable and confused.
Wu Gang, Zhang Zhijian, Li Jianyi, and Xu Yajun are all well-known veteran actors. Wei Yang still feels a little pressured, but he is not afraid.
Boss Wei has not been working for nothing over the years. In addition to Xu Yajun, he has worked with several other actors and has some experience in cooperation.
Moreover, the role of Chen Hai can be said to be the simplest in this scene.
He is honest and upright, and he interprets the dissatisfaction of impatience and wrangling, and this character is perfect.
Therefore, it is not difficult for Wei Yang to play Chen Hai well. The pressure mainly comes from how to act with the other actors, and to handle the role steadily without being overshadowed.
Wei Yang was already prepared, but when the filming actually started, he couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Li Jianyi is easy to talk about. The role he plays is an old fox, gentle and kind.
Qi Tongwei is now in the stage of pretending to be a good person, and it is not yet time for him to exert his strength, so he is easy to defend against.
The difficulty lies in the roles of Zhang Zhijian and Wu Gang. One is like spring thunder turning rain into rain, making light of heavy tasks, while the other is like dark clouds looming, clumsy and overwhelming. Neither of them is easy to get along with.
Especially the main actor Zhang Zhijian, who crossed his legs, had a calm face, was kind and dignified, and his eyes were questioning and listening quietly. Wei Yang seemed to think that a leader was coming.
Read the original text at Liu#9@书/吧!
Tsk, this guy has definitely studied it!
"This is not a small matter, especially since Sha... has just arrived. We can't just give him such a big gift right away, Old Ji, what do you say..."
"No matter how big the impact of Ding Yizhen's case is, we should not compete with... for the right to handle the case, so as to avoid being passive in the future..."
"Comrade Changping, I don't agree with your opinion..."
"Old Ji, I think Dakang... is very thoughtful..."
Several big guys were arguing back and forth. Wei Yang seemed to be thinking about something. He was just going to wait and see what would happen, but he didn't expect that it would drag on for longer and longer.
As time passed, he couldn't help but look down at his watch again and again. There was a hint of impatience in his eyes, but he still suppressed his emotions and continued to listen.
In the play, Chen Hai is not a fool. The narration clearly shows that he is aware of the complexity of the matter.
But even though he knew it, his personality and time constraints made him too busy to pay attention to it. He just wanted to get permission and arrest the person as soon as possible to prevent any accidents.
Seeing that several bigwigs had disagreements on whether to arrest or detain, whether to hand him over to the capital or to deal with him internally within the province, he finally couldn't help but stood up and spoke.
"Leaders, why don't we arrest him first and control him first."
"Sit down, what's the hurry?"
Zhang Zhijian spoke slowly, retorted to Wei Yang, and then started arguing again.
When Wei Yang watched this scene for the first time, he vaguely felt that something was wrong, but the amount of information was limited. Later, after watching the entire drama, he gained a lot of insights. When he read the script again this time and even participated in the filming, he felt even more deeply.
There are five people present, with five ideas, working together in a coordinated manner, and each has his own little thoughts.
Chen Hai is the most innocent and he quickly arrests people.
Ji Changming stopped Chen Hai and triggered this meeting, seemingly acting as a villain, but in fact he acted cautiously and was on Chen Hai's side in words and deeds.
Li Dakang's purpose was simple. The person he wanted to capture, Ding Yizhen, was his man and it might very well implicate him and even the projects he was promoting, so he hoped to intervene and gain more initiative to calm the situation.
Qi Tongwei is the most hidden one. He stands on Li Dakang's side. On the surface, he wants to curry favor with Li Dakang, but in fact, he is competing with Ji Changming and Chen Hai, delaying time and looking for an opportunity to report the news.
Gao Yuliang is the most complicated character. He wants to tease and stimulate Li Dakang and at the same time test Sha Ruijin. He seems to be out of touch with the world, but he is in control of the overall situation and is the highlight of the play.
Wei Yang, who was just observing most of the time, further observed several actors in this scene.
The more I watched, the more I felt that Zhang Zhijian's performance was sophisticated, with his posture, rhythm, and small movements just right.
"Sha... said, let's make the decision now."
Wei Yang asked, "Then make a decision quickly."
Zhang Zhijian looked at him disapprovingly: "Look, you're anxious again."
The force was so powerful that even Li Jianyi next to him couldn't hold it anymore. Wei Yang put himself in the role and felt speechless and uncomfortable, and he wanted to punch him.
It's just a trivial matter that has been dragging on for the whole night. Tell me, am I in a hurry? After the filming was finished, Wei Yang talked to Zhang Zhijian alone and asked him how he could find such a good mood.
"Think about it carefully, I don't know if it looks like it or not."
Zhang Zhijian smiled bitterly when he talked about this. He had never seen such a high-ranking official before. He had to watch TV and then rely on his own imagination to figure it out.
“Very similar.”
He had never seen it, but Wei Yang had seen it, and they had even chatted and had meals together. Many details were really similar to Zhang Zhijian.
On the contrary, it cannot be said that Sha Ruijin does not look like him, but he is a bit superficial. As for Li Dakang, his image is atypical and not very common.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Wei Yang simply gave Zhang Zhijian, Wu Gang and others some vague information about the non-exclusive features and details of some big guys he had met, to see if he could provide some inspiration to them.
Several actors were overjoyed. Although they were veteran actors, their status was not very high. Even though they had received some interviews, they could not get access to Wei Yang's "dry goods".
Of course, afterward Wei Yang asked several people to keep it a secret, and if others asked, they should say that they figured it out themselves to avoid trouble in the future.
When this scene is over, Wei Yang's role in "In the Name of People" will be completely completed.
Before the fresh flowers brought by the staff had even warmed up in his hands, several reporters blocked the door and interviewed Wei Yang.
Just kidding, Wei Yang is the publicity point of "In the Name of People", so naturally he has to put in more effort.
In addition to the reporters who made guest appearances these days, the crew specially assigned a photographer to record Wei Yang's behind-the-scenes footage, which will be used for promotion when the TV series is broadcast.
This kind of regular interview has a routine. Basically, it's just praising the drama, praising the actors, and talking about the characters. There's nothing new.
However, remembering his previous thoughts, Wei Yang played a prank and revealed "shocking news" in response to a question from a reporter.
"What's different about this shoot compared to previous ones?"
"There were too few scenes, which was a bit unsatisfying, and there were too many sex scenes, almost accounting for 90%, which was quite tiring to act."
reporter:"……???!!!"
(End of this chapter)