Editor's Note: "Crossing the Guandong" is a hit on the "Revisiting Classics" channel. The panoramic restoration of the folk life in Northeast China during a specific historical period and the poetic presentation of the Northeast scenery throughout the year have increased the reality and historical depth of the play. To achieve these effects, production work is crucial.
Dai Yuyao, the executive producer of the series, published an article in the sixth issue of China Television in 2008, recalling the challenges encountered during the filming of Crossing the Guandong. Now we have republished the article to see how this good thing called "difficulties" can create a classic work.
Adventures on the Set
——Brushing past a galloping team of horses
In August 2006, Dalian TV started filming its longest, largest and most expensive TV series, Crossing the Guandong. Trusted by the leaders of Dalian TV, I was assigned to the crew as an executive producer.
"Crossing the Guandong" is the drama with the largest crew, the most people, the most complicated departments involved, and the heaviest production task that I have ever come across. In addition, the drama was co-produced by Dalian TV and Shandong TV. It can be said that the entire project started under the situation of "the soldiers did not know the generals, and the generals did not know the soldiers". Looking back on the ups and downs of being an executive producer, I can sum it up in one sentence: difficulties are good things, and only those who love to fight can win.
The drama "Crossing Guandong" is a grand drama, involving many types of work and departments. In addition to the actors, a large number of horses, guns, sleds, etc. were also involved in the filming. The last scene on the riverside was filmed by the bandit cavalry chasing the raftsmen downstream on the shore, and the two sides fought fiercely on land and water. Once the raft started, it would never come back, so it was necessary to ensure that the filming on land and water was synchronized, and there could not be any mistakes, otherwise the whole scene would be ruined.
However, just a few minutes before the filming started, a strange man suddenly broke into the shooting site. At this time, the raft on the water had already started to move slowly. I rushed over without thinking too much. After some persuasion and persuasion, it had little effect. In the end, I could only drag the man away with all my strength. Before I could recover, the horse team galloped past me. The director succeeded in taking the shot, but I was stunned for a long time before I recovered. It still makes me tremble.
Break the routine and keep your work orderly
As an executive producer, I need to accurately grasp and control the project budget. On October 26, 2006, the crew moved to Shanghai, and the producer sent me to Wuxi to lead the team independently. I was mainly responsible for mobilizing more than 30 large ships, organizing more than 300 extras, arranging food, accommodation and transportation for the crew, and coordinating the set making. It can be said that every day was non-stop. What touched and comforted me was that whenever I encountered a "difficulty" that was about to be overcome, the leaders and producers of Dalian TV always gave me the most timely encouragement and support, which made me feel warm; Hou Hongliang, the producer of Shandong TV at that time, always helped me at critical moments.
After the filming of this big play, the crew returned to Shanghai. The producer asked me to take charge of the crew's meals. After careful consideration and research, I made a bold decision: to cook for myself. Although doing so is a lot of work, it can achieve nutritional matching, enrich the recipes, and make flexible adjustments to satisfy everyone's taste as much as possible, while also saving money, killing two birds with one stone. After a period of hard work, the quality of the food has not only been greatly improved compared to before, but it has also been recognized by everyone, and the crew's expenses on meals have also been reduced a lot compared to before (this is in Shanghai). Some people also said that they had never seen such a large crew cook for themselves. I thought to myself, there are many things I haven't seen, and sometimes it is more effective to play cards out of the ordinary.
The crew management is very complicated, how to grasp it and where to start is a science. The food issue had just made some progress, but before I could catch my breath, the bill reimbursement, car use, props and other troubles came one after another... Through this cooperation, I learned a lot of valuable experience from my colleagues at Shandong TV Station, especially witnessing and experiencing their work experience from controlling power to delegating power, from knowing people to assigning them to the right positions, and being able to control and release power freely and in an orderly manner.
The spirit of "Chuang Guandong" inspires people, and only hard work can win
Looking back at the days when I worked in the crew, I found that the achievements were accumulated from difficulties. In the process of participating in the production of "Crossing Guandong", I relied on the courage to overcome difficulties and the inspiration of the spirit of "Crossing Guandong". I stimulated the potential of being responsible and good at management, and accumulated the qualities and qualities of being able to rise and fall, bend and stretch, and be able to work in the hall and in the kitchen.
I firmly believe that as long as we have the overall situation in mind, disregard personal gain, believe in the organization, and believe in ourselves, any difficulty can be overcome. Difficulties are really a good thing for human growth. Today, the production and broadcast of the TV series "Crossing Guandong" have achieved remarkable results. In that bleak and sad national elegy, in this historical picture of rising up and struggling, in this epic work that closely follows the pulse of the times, embodies the spirit of the times, and upholds the main theme, it also incorporates the hard work and sweat of an executive producer.
