Ning Hao: I shoot people who can't keep up with the society.

At the end of September, the day he met Ning Hao in the studio in the outer suburbs of Beijing, My People and My Home had completed all the preparations before the release, and only waited for two days to meet the national audience.

Perhaps because the change of identity has brought more responsibilities, this time, Ning Hao, as the general director, is still a little nervous. During the interview, he suddenly chanted "Opening, Wheat". After searching in my mind and sending a message confirming the opening scene, the stone in my heart fell to the ground. "Confirm, afraid of making mistakes. The work density of continuous rotation and high-intensity brain operation at all times make him look a little tired.

But when it comes to creation, the relaxed expression on Ning Hao's face slowly came back. "Hey, just play, let's play together. 」

Don't make trouble.

Shortly after the publication of Our Country, Ning Hao received the task of Hometown in June, 65438+ last year 10. "Soon began to write the script, and catch up with the epidemic, we this group of people, also didn't do anything else. 」

Like last year, "Hometown" still adopts the way of fragment story. The difference is that seven stories in My People, My Motherland last year were connected in time, while five stories in My People, My Motherland this year were connected in five places.

"Our idea is to discuss with director Yi Mou, Bai Yi and the National Film Bureau. We should choose five locations to cover all directions. Northeast, northwest, east, southwest, with Beijing in the middle, telling stories covering the whole country with the concept of east, west, north and south. After setting this tone, it will be easy. Start planning and material selection. At this stage, people often have meetings. All the directors get together to discuss the situation and give advice to each other. When the material selection of the later script is almost the same, we will do it separately. 」

Five stories, nine directors, everyone got together from the press conference to the small meeting, and finally each story showed a strong personal style under the unified theme. As the general director, Ning Hao feels that every story, whether intentionally or unintentionally, will definitely bear the director's personal brand and aesthetic tendency. "These five stories have their own merits and characteristics," he said.

"Deng Chao, this character, played silly, well-shaped. Then Sicheng brought the story in with Detective Tang, which was brilliant. Lao Xu, this is a little exploration. He is not in a hurry to make this special comedy. Yan Fei and the desert are great, with tears in their smiles. People are happy to see them. The actors are in tune. The village chief is actually a Sichuanese, speaking with a Sichuanese accent, and acting very well. 」

Ning Hao said that while performing a classic line of the village chief, his expression and tone were vivid, and he laughed with everyone after the performance. It seems that guest roles in movies are not only his hobby, but also his skill.

Asked why he didn't have a "drama addiction" in Hello Beijing this time, Ning Hao said with a smile, "Stop that now and let everyone play better. I just want to play, and I don't have any special needs. 」

But interestingly, although Ning Hao didn't appear in the camera this time, she quietly arranged an implant for herself.

In the film, I mentioned, "My name is Ning, Dr. Ning", and that will do. 」

Say that finish, Ning Hao like an old urchin hiding eggs waiting for the audience to find, and happy.

Zhang de's story Beijing

In this year's My People, My Home, Ning Hao continued to write a story about Beijing with a good man from Beijing. Unlike several other stories that moved the main scene to the countryside, Zhang, the protagonist of Beijing Good Man, was born in Hengshui, Hebei Province, but the main body of the whole story is still unfolding in Beijing.

"The great changes in my hometown have actually affected everyone, because no one in our country can escape the connection with the countryside, and the blood of the whole country is connected with each other, so the changes in my hometown will actually affect the changes in the city. This is a fact. Moreover, Uncle Ge's personality is the most natural in Beijing, and he still has a strong Beijing flavor. 」

Although it is only the second cooperation with Ge You, Ning Hao has clearly grasped the strong Beijing characteristics of Ge You. He even started from this tacit cooperation and came up with the idea of shooting a series of stories about Zhang Beijing. "Recently, we are also studying the possibility of making a feature film, such as Summer in Beijing." Ning Hao said.

After the second cooperation with Ge You, Ning Hao was obviously more "rude". This time, in addition to letting Mr. Ge continue running, he also sang a high-profile song and gave him a sigh of relief directly.

"I prefer shooting and running. I like watching people run. Movies should move everyone. Besides, Grandpa Ge runs funny. We came back from a trip to study. I asked him if he could run with his legs crossed. I thought it might be interesting, so suddenly, he ran there alone. He said yes, he said yes, I could run, and then I ran again.

In fact, after working together once, the two sides really got to know each other better, and I got a better understanding of his habits and his personality. He is the kind of person who works hard for himself, so in fact, he doesn't need to practice too many times, just do the preliminary work well, and then don't bother him too much, just let him act on his own.

We usually tell the story in advance, and we have already communicated it, so we don't have to be on the scene. When I arrived at the scene, I probably just mentioned a content. 」

Say that finish this paragraph, Ning Hao, it seems, are still immersed in ge's performance, leng for a while and then let out a sigh with emotion, "that's amazing! 」

Ge You and his cousin sang "Liberating Nature" in the food stall, and the sharp-eyed audience could count many directors and screenwriters. The realism and lively atmosphere of that scene are quite similar to the wedding banquet in Ang Lee's The Wedding Banquet many years ago. Coincidentally, this food stall scene in Ning Hao really invited a group of relatives and friends from the domestic director's studio to eat a food stall.

As far as drama is concerned, this is a group of actors. As far as people are concerned, this is a real gathering of friends.

"When shooting this scene, we couldn't find a group performance at that time, so we had to shoot it and told the director that we had all done nucleic acid testing. Then I transferred people from various director companies. In the end, more than 200 people in the troupe were buddies. At that time, I told everyone that there was not much money, just eating and drinking Lazar to make do.

I remember saying in the afternoon that I couldn't find a group performance, and I called people everywhere. Everyone was very happy, and many people came temporarily. In any case, this epidemic is nothing else. After everyone came, they began to eat and drink first, and then I studied with Uncle Ge how to shoot the play.

The music of "Through the Woods and Over the Snowfield" is high. Uncle Ge asked which key to look for, and I said, just look for what you think you can recite. Grandpa Ge is also funny. He said that we couldn't come to many lines of this song because the real singing had to be memorized later. I said don't worry, I don't need it.

I thought about it at the scene. I said walking would be more fun. Uncle Ge, let's discuss it. We should take a few steps to "slap" others and then shake hands with others after drinking too much. The scene was rehearsed for some time, and the shooting was very fast. Uncle Ge is right. That little gesture and that look will definitely make an expression pack. 」

In this play, the red faces of Ge You and "cousin" Zhang Zhanyi also left a deep impression on people. Ning Hao said it was to shoot this scene, and they really drank some beer.

Drinking beer is a good way for professional actors to get drunk. But for more original non-professional actors, their magic weapon is only one-to be themselves.

Of course, the essence of wanting an actor to be himself and perform well is the director's training skills.

Last time in Hello My People, My Motherland Beijing, Ning Hao chose a Sichuan boy who had no performance experience. This time, in Peking Good Man, Ning Hao chose Zhang Zhanyi, an actor who also lacked performance experience.

"Mr. Ge regretted it. Why did you find another one that didn't need to take a taxi? It just didn't work." Ning Hao talked about Zhang Zhanyi's performance, and evaluated it with Uncle Ge's "inability to play".

Zhang Zhanyi, who plays the role of "Spreading Wings" in Sherlock on the Plain, is in the film for the second time, and this is the first time that he has participated in a play with an experienced actor like Ge You.

I asked Ning Hao to describe Zhang Zhanyi's reaction when he learned that he would cooperate with Mr. Ge You. "Try to be calm," Ning Hao said with a smile.

"I asked Xu Lei to call Zhanyi directly that day. He is wearing a white shirt. We sat in the yard for a while, and he sat up straight. There was an audition in Tangshan at that time. He observed and then paved the way for himself. " Director, I think Tangshan dialect has an advantage over mine. I think I may not be able to choose this ... "I may still be very nervous, so lower my psychological expectations first, and I will definitely come." But there has been no expression, acting very calm. 」

Ning Hao's choice is not entirely based on the diabolical vision. He didn't just choose this person, but "I'm going to put this person's image into the script and look at every situation bit by bit, right?" I thought it could be realized, so I made a reservation. There you are. 」

Finally, everyone saw Zhang Zhanyi's performance. He is really the best cousin candidate in Beijing.

I love those little people who keep up with the times.

Ning Hao's comedies have their own unique style. Many times, he even has an obsession with the delicate comedy structure. Whether it is a feature film or a short film, his comedy always grows naturally from a very complete comedy structure. But Ning Hao, who plays with structure, sometimes wants to let go of her obsession and drama.

"Structure is actually the basic training of drama. We still have to be sensitive to the basic framework of drama theory, but it's actually too dramatic and boring, right? I'm also thinking about doing something else recently, patting and playing. 」

"Play" is a word that appears very frequently in the whole interview. Perhaps it is this relaxed attitude that brings joyful laughter to Ning Hao's films. The jokes in his films come not only from lines, but also from the sense of humor and absurdity brought by stories and characters themselves. "Of course, movies still come from life, and so do the jokes." Ning Hao said.

The story of "Beijing Good Man" involves "medical insurance", so when I first saw it, I couldn't help worrying about him. But in the end, the story returned to the track of comedy in a very harmonious way, which was very satisfactory.

I asked Ning Hao, is this for a happy ending? He said no, it all started with his relatives who came to Beijing to see a doctor last year.

It turns out that the story of "relatives coming to Beijing to borrow money to see a doctor" also comes from life.

"Last year, our relatives went to Beijing to see a doctor. He didn't know how much his medical insurance could cover. He was in a hurry at first, and then I said don't worry, I will help you. Then the next day he was embarrassed and more anxious. Then our relationship became strange and polite. As a result, when he went back to medical insurance after the operation, he really reported 80% to 90%, which touched me a lot. I said that medical insurance is really powerful now. The key is that so many people in China can manage it. This is really a difficult thing. It's really beautiful and makes everyone feel safe. Yes, and then our relationship will be normal when our relatives come back, so he won't be so embarrassed anymore. 」

From a starting point of inspiration to a funny story, in the middle is the Long March that Ning Hao and his screenwriters have to walk together. His method is to perform all the plots with the screenwriter first. "You have to call, this thing can't be called." Ning Hao said.

There is a particularly funny joke in "Beijing Good Man"-drawing blood. He also performed this with the screenwriter.

"It was here at that time, and I made it more difficult. I had to let my acquaintances see Zhang Beijing and draw blood. What should I do? Oh, I'm worried about the writer. I'm worried about sitting on one side of this table. When I said this, I walked behind a screenwriter, so I took out my hand. I asked another person, and I said, do you think this looks like his hand? He said it looked that way. I said yes, then do it. 」

"I think the screenwriter just needs to play all the plays well. When writing a script, I play with the screenwriter. When filming, I just let the actors experience it. 」

But if you want to perform, you always have to think of it first. The characters in Ning Hao's movies can always come up with unexpected tricks and unexpected tricks.

Of course, in fact, most people who come up with these "bad ideas" are Ning Hao hiding behind the characters. He attributed this to himself, "I did too many bad things when I was a child, so I could come up with some ideas." 」

"When I was a child, I went to a physical examination. Stand behind a classmate when Cha Se is weak. He looked at it for me and then drew it behind me. I've been feeling what's drawn in the back. I did too many such bad things when I was a child, so I can feel what it should be like. 」

These harmless "bad ideas" make the characters in Ning Hao's movies always try to resist the fate left behind by the times with all kinds of cleverness, which is funny but also sad.

"I actually shot people who were eliminated by the times. They have been chasing and catching up, but they all have their own dignity and pride. Judging from your own behavior, you have been struggling all your life. I like this kind of person, although we will be eliminated by the times at any time. Life is not good for me, but I still love life. 」

The panic left by the times has been bothering Ning Hao. He said that it is his normal state to lag behind the times.

"I first learned to draw movie posters, but later I didn't have to draw with a printer. This craft is useless. I used to study film, and after I finished it, digital photography came, and the second round of elimination came again. In fact, it is constantly being eliminated, right? Being eliminated by the world will always fall behind, and backwardness is a normal state. I am a very conservative person. Everything I shoot is actually quite traditional, and the emotional description is also quite traditional. 」

Even as Ning Hao said, "it is normal to lag behind the times", but every time, he can always come up with new weapons and strive to catch up with the train of the times so as not to fall behind.

Creation is a group of "good people" playing together.

Perhaps it is because Ning Hao has trained more and younger new directors in his Bad Monkey 72 Change Plan in recent years. Naturally, compared with these newer directors, Ning Hao himself became the "big brother".

Speaking of Ning Hao now, people often regard him as an "old director" who is deeply loved by the audience. It's as if this man and his movies have been with the audience for decades.

However, from the first film "Xiang" to now, Ning Hao's film director career has not yet entered the twentieth year. Even a few years ago, Ning Hao was the representative of the "New Force of China Film". Now, he himself is the cultivator of a new generation of young directors.

Saying "cultivate" may be a bit one-sided. Because in Ning Hao's eyes, the cooperation with young directors in these years is a kind of mutual exchange and dedication. "I will also look at their works and learn their advantages. Learning is never one-way. " He said.

In recent years, filming with younger creators, Ning Hao seems to have found the pure happiness of creation again. "I really can't sell tickets and settle accounts. I don't understand. Every time I read the report, I don't know where the evil fire came from. People still have their own strengths. I don't do anything else, just create. 」

Recently, I made a collection with the directors of "72 Change Plan", each with a short film, and Ning Hao made a story about surrogacy. He described it as "an untyped narrative story". This description sounds "not Ning Hao", but when you think about it, this is what he would do. Because movies, for Ning Hao, are fun and "fun".

In fact, art should not have clear boundaries, because basically everyone is a "good person" and it is not surprising to know each other. 」

In addition to the Monkey King carved by Wang at the door of Ning Hao's studio, Yue Minjun's iconic laughing painting also appeared in The Good Man in Beijing, and of course, Hao Yun, who was a guest singer temporarily.

Art always flows naturally in various ways for interesting people to play with.

Just like many years ago, he played with the Tang Dynasty band, Pu Shu, Hao Yun, a group of rock musicians and a group of painters. Today, Ning Hao just has a group of younger movie playmates. He and his partners are still enthusiastic, using all kinds of wonderful ideas and creativity to play the film into various styles and modes.

People who can play will never be bored. Whether it's a feature film or a short film, Ning Hao takes his partners to the stage like Mr. Rock Six, with special skills. He sweated profusely in this performance and was addicted to it.

Now he has finally finished his new song, wiped his sweat and tuned his instrument. He is already thinking about the tune of the next song.