A county, two middle schools, a group of teachers and students, and several families.

On the screen, high school students have completed their life test, and the era has also completed a difficult test. The group portraits of the "big exam" that echo each other pull the audience back to 2020.

"Big Exam" poster

Now, the story of the video is over, but the warmth and emotion are still flowing in my heart.

"Big Exam" has handed over the answer sheet and completed its big exam, adding another splendid stroke to Chinese realist literary and artistic creation. What lessons did this thematic creation bring us to think about and learn from?

"Big Exam" stills

Today (October 25), a symposium on the creation of the TV series "The Big Exam" hosted by the State Administration of Radio and Television was held in Beijing. Literary critics, the main creators of the film crew, and industry experts gathered to discuss the spiritual connotation and creative value of "The Big Exam".

"Da Kao" Creation Forum

Personal "I"

Convergence into the "big self" of the nation

Back in time three years ago, on the day the college entrance examination ended, outside the examination room of Changsha No. 1 Middle School, a girl excitedly ran out of the school gate and jumped out of a beautiful horse in the air.

The starting point of the "big test" starts from here.

"Big Exam" stills

"The main creators visited 16 cities and several schools across the country to conduct research, and gradually formed multiple creative routes in the later stage." Gao Changli, director of the TV Drama Department of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, introduced the organization and creation of the play.

"Big Exam" abandoned the first-tier cities and turned to focus on a county town and the students there, because the county town has the widest coverage, the most sinking, and even more fireworks.

This was confirmed after the broadcast, and the real life texture in the play was highly praised by the audience.

Shen Jijun, deputy director of the Film and Television Documentary Center of China Central Radio and Television Station, said: "The Big Exam has delivered an excellent answer sheet with quality."

"It is an ingenious work that echoes the times. The play describes a small family, but it reflects everyone. It allows us to see the warm background of our entire society under the sudden epidemic and flood."

"Individual "small self" has become the "big self" of the Chinese nation who struggles tenaciously, struggles unremittingly, and becomes more and more courageous in the face of difficulties."

"Big Exam" poster

Demonstrate the spirit of the "big test"

works dare to be real

From the topic selection to thematic research, script creation, to the filming of the episode, to the final broadcast, the main creative team is also faced with a "big test".

"It took 64 days to complete the shooting, 81 days to complete the post-production, and the overall work of the TV series was completed under the tight schedule and heavy tasks." In the view of director Wang Xiaohui, the entire creative process showed the spirit of "big test".

"Opening a road in the mountains, building a bridge in the water, overcoming various emergencies all the way, and finally handing in the answer sheet of "The Big Test"." Director Shen Yan reviewed the creative process of this road and shared his experience in the creation of the main theme with everyone.

"From the time of filming "Together", I was thinking, how to sing the main melody in a soft and silent way and sing it into the hearts of the audience? It is to 'close to the people and dare to be real'."

He said that real life is often rough and has burrs. If these burrs are removed, the work will lose its real texture, which will shorten the distance from the people and reduce the original intention of the main theme creation.

Regarding the authenticity of the work, the screenwriter Nie Chengshuai also added: "The content of the 'live broadcast of raising the national flag', 'the principal who ate and lived with the students', etc., are all adapted from real events, although the film and television drama cannot be used for real life. Biyi' is completely reproduced, but we take authenticity, warmth and positive energy as the keynote of creation, and strive to restore the details of the content."

Yan Bingyan, who played the role of Zhou Bowen's mother in the play, shared her feelings about "The Big Test" from the perspective of an actor.

"I seriously discussed the details of the script with Mr. Wang Xiao, the director and the screenwriter, and made clear the causal relationship between the front and back. I believe that the actors can be more hypocritical in the early stage of creation, and the later presentation can be more infectious. some audience."

"Big Exam" stills

The chief producer Feng Weiwei looks back on this journey, and still has a deep sense of happiness: "I have visited more than 20 colleges and universities, interviewed hundreds of students, parents, teachers and relevant leaders, conducted in-depth field surveys, consulted and collected With a large amount of materials and materials, it shows the audience the fireworks of life with the realism of true feelings."

"Big Exam" stills

once to life

Aesthetic and artistic expression

"The greatest success of this work is that in the creation of major realistic themes, the creative team can not only understand the ideological value and creative connotation, but also successfully transform all 'rational thinking' into characterizations and plot stories, realizing aesthetic The perfect expression of art and art.”

Li Jingsheng, vice-chairman of the China Federation of Radio and Television Social Organizations, extracted a point from the "Big Exam" that is instructive for all realistic themes: "There are no slogans and slogans, no simple preaching, and its themes are included in all storylines. In the behavior of the characters, the thoughts and emotions are expressed through the details.”

Zhong Chengxiang, a librarian of the Central Academy of Culture and History and a famous literary critic, also gave the play a high evaluation.

"The Great Examination is a new era ode to the Chinese sons and daughters who have been bred by the great practice of Chinese-style modernization in the fight against the epidemic."

In the opinion of Yin Hong, vice-chairman of the Chinese Literature and Art Critics Association and professor of Tsinghua University, "The Big Exam" is an exploration of the creation path of Chinese-style TV dramas, which clearly reflects the background of realism.

"Not only because the background of the epidemic situation and the college entrance examination it describes happened, but also because of the group portraits of real characters it portrays. Each character has a typical small family environment, and the students are connected with the family, and the family is formed by the family. Linking up the society has completed the combination of all forms of life and all forms of society.”

Lu Rong, a professor at the School of Drama and Film, Communication University of China, extended from the narrative of "The Big Exam" to the creation of major realistic themes in China:

"The big test needs to deal with the relationship between publicity and individuality. This kind of creation faces the realities of people's livelihood. It not only needs to write well about the ego, but also to describe all beings."

Lv Fan, deputy director of the TV Research Center of Peking University, summed up his experience of watching dramas in three points: "comfortable, eye-catching, and surging".

"The "Big Exam" has a strong sense of problem and responsibility of the times, so that youth can get out of the ego and pay more attention to it."

"Big Exam" stills

A satisfactory answer sheet handed in by the "Big Exam" has brought the theme creation to another peak, and I look forward to more masterpieces that record people's lives and show the atmosphere of the times in the future.