In the genre of "medical dramas", the audience is used to seeing doctors in white coats, shuttling between the operating room and the emergency room with serious expressions, racing against death and fighting against the disease. When the show ends and the audience disperses, what remains in the mind are often those exaggerated dramatic conflicts - life-and-death decisions, ethical and moral tortures, and the collapse and reconstruction of professional ideals. The background of medical dramas seems to be always heavy. But after watching "The Kind Heart Club", what remains in the audience's mind is the trivial and interesting daily life of doctors.
In an interview, Xu Li, the chief producer of "The Kind Heart Club", admitted that the difficulty of creating this drama is much higher than previous works. It is necessary to find a delicate balance between medical professionalism and light comedy style, so that the audience can feel the seriousness of the doctor's profession, but the drama cannot be reduced to an "urban idol drama in white coats". This is an experiment on "ratio" - how to make emotions strong and emotional healing, while not losing the deep thinking of life and living.
Stills from The Kind Club
A few years ago, Xu Li watched a lot of documentaries, many of which were about medical subjects. She was deeply touched by the greatness of the profession of doctor and wanted to make a medical drama. But at the same time, she hoped that this work would be "more down-to-earth, lighter, and without so many stereotypes."
"The audience is usually tired from work, so it's better to relax by watching a drama at home." Xu Li's words reveal the original intention of creating "The Kind Heart Club". The form of light comedy seems to cater to the entertainment needs of the audience, but in fact, it carries the creator's deep understanding of the essence of life.
In the play, five doctors with different personalities form a "marathon club", but the daily life of this club is full of absurd contrasts: they have almost never seriously trained for a marathon, but instead turned every gathering into a carnival of dinner, complaints and mutual ridicule. At a dinner, they even accidentally cricketed their leader and were heard, and died on the spot, which became a famous funny scene in the play. Xu Li especially understands the audience's empathy and said with a smile, "Who doesn't 'cricket' their leader? I think my employees will definitely 'cricket' me in private, right?"
The cast of "The Kind Heart Club" includes powerful actors such as Xin Zhilei, Bai Ke, and Zhang Zixian, who have injected strong performance tension into the series. Yao Anna, who is well-known to netizens as the "Second Princess of Huawei", has shown her performance ability beyond expectations in the play and has been recognized by the audience. Xu Li said that the role of Gu Shiyi requires a sense of contrast in appearance - if a "female sea king" appears as a sexy girl with big red lips and big waves, it would be too "smooth", and Yao Anna's fresh and healthy image makes this role more layered.
At a time when short dramas are on the rise, "The Kindness Club" is particularly special as a long drama with a slow rhythm. Xu Li believes that the rise of short dramas is not the end of long dramas, but the stratification of audience needs. "The audience not only needs novelty or excitement, but also emotional resonance. Whether it is a short drama or a long drama, as long as it touches people's hearts, it is a good work."
Xu Li, Chief Producer of "The Kind Heart Club"
【dialogue】
A capable female protagonist + a gentle and considerate male protagonist
The Paper : The story of "The Kind Heart Club" is easier to write because of its strong plot, but it is actually very difficult to write about the subtle details of life. You are also the chief screenwriter this time. How did you work together with the screenwriter team to complete such a creation?
Xu Li : I knew what kind of style I wanted very early on. For example, the previous projects we worked on at Lize Films, such as "The Character of a Lady", were about female childbirth, but they were in the form of a light comedy. This may be a gene of our team.
It is true that this style of light comedy medical drama is relatively rare in China, and most medical dramas are made very serious. But I think that the audience is tired enough at work, and it is more relaxing to watch dramas at home. So I hope to make the story more emotional and healing on the basis of medical professionalism, and have more thoughts about life and living. During our exploration, we have been considering the "ratio" in it, and gradually formed what you see now.
To be honest, light comedy is really difficult to make, but I have a few good friends around me, and the state of everyone playing and partying is very similar to the five protagonists in the play. But some screenwriters tend to write this kind of interaction between friends in a very positive way, especially "respectful to each other" (laughing). I think that's not quite right. Close friends talk very freely and insult each other. For example, among our friends, there is a kind of "breakdown therapy". For example, I have been under a lot of pressure recently and the project is not going smoothly. Let's make an appointment, and friends will talk about their "misery". In the process of comparing misery with each other, they get comfort: Hey, why are you more unlucky than me? I'm still okay! Then everyone laughs and the pressure is much better. We put this kind of character relationship and state into the play, and I found that the audience likes it very much.
This may also be a reminder to us creators. In the past, everyone thought that the events in current dramas must be dense and the plots must be fast, but now it seems that the audience also likes the "breathing feeling" brought by this kind of light comedy daily life.
Stills from The Kind Club
The Paper : In terms of casting, Xin Zhilei, Bai Ke, Zhang Zixian and others are all very good actors. Partnering with Yao Anna and Shi Mingze, the five-member team also has very good chemistry this time. Can you talk about the casting?
Xu Li : When I was filming "The Lady's Dignity", I had already cast Bai Ke as the male lead, so I was familiar with his overall feeling or the state he interpreted. And it may be influenced by my original family, because my father and mother, in the current popular words, are a combination of "female alpha and male beta", so when I make a drama, I tend to prefer a capable female lead and a gentle and careful male lead. I think this combination is the warmest. So when the character Qin Wenbin was created, I felt that it was very suitable for Bai Ke.
Xin Zhilei is someone I really liked when I watched variety shows. She is straightforward, honest, and humorous, and is very suitable for the role of Liu Ziyi. When the script was handed to her, she read it and told us: Every line of Liu Ziyi's dialogue is like what she would say in her daily life.
I really liked Zhang Zixian's performance after watching "Ordinary Road". When we created the character of Wang Gaosheng, we basically wrote it based on his appearance.
Bai Ke, Xin Zhilei and Zhang Zixian
It can be said that when we were writing, we had a first choice of actor in mind, and then wrote the character in a way that was close to their state, just like Yao Anna, whose agility also fits the setting of Gu Shiyi's role as the "little sun". Among the many actors who auditioned at the time, Shi Mingze was chosen by the director because he felt that he had the restrained, introverted and affectionate temperament of Dr. Jiang, and he was chosen after three rounds of auditions.
Shi Mingze and Yao Anna
The Paper : Before, everyone had some doubts about Yao Anna’s performance. It was quite unexpected that she was chosen this time. What’s even more surprising is that her performance was very good this time?
Xu Li : We also met many actors for this role. When I met Anna Yao, my first impression was that she was very friendly and came with a canvas bag. The first time we had dinner together, we chatted and she talked about ordering takeout at home. I teased her and said, "Why do you want to order takeout? Don't you have several nannies lining up to bring abalone to your house every day and say "Princess, please have dinner"? She was very happy. Moreover, this role is a "female sea king", but if she has big red lips and big waves, it may be too "smooth". We hope that the actor of this role has a contrast in appearance.
Of course, we can’t predict the audience’s reaction and judgment, and we are still exploring a lot of the time. For me, choosing her at that time was indeed a “gamble”, and the day before we started filming, “Hunting Ice” was broadcast, and you know the public opinion at that time... I also pondered all night, and I can say that I was very nervous (laughs), but she was very humble and serious. She talked to me about the role many times before filming, and after filming, she went to the machine room almost every day to watch the playback and discuss the role with us. She showed me her awe of acting, so now the audience likes her role as Gu Shiyi, and everyone is very happy for her.
The Paper : In the "Marathon Club" of "The Kindness Club", the protagonists have never practiced seriously from beginning to end. This setting is very interesting: they can never train for a marathon.
Xu Li : Yes, if we write it in the same way, the marathon is something that the protagonists take very seriously. How do they train hard, overcome difficulties, and win first place? But at that time, our first consideration was: Do Chinese doctors have so much time to practice marathon every day? The second, and most important thing, is that my friends and I often make appointments to exercise on weekends and play badminton. In the end, we only play badminton for five minutes at most, and then go to eat skewers and massage our feet. In the second week, everyone saw through themselves: Don’t play ball, just eat skewers directly. So the five-member group in the play is also like this. They are busy with work and have little time to train. It’s hard to have time to rest. Everyone is more willing to do other things, so it turns from practicing marathons to having dinner together.
The setting of the Marathon Club is very important in drama. First, it is a group drama, and we need a "frame" to bring everyone together. But the five people are from five departments, and there are very few things for the five departments to collaborate on, so we have to find something outside of work to bring them together.
Stills from The Kind Club
In the early stage of creation, we also did some field research. Hospitals do organize medical staff to participate in basketball teams, choruses, marathons, and other positive collective activities. One day when we were finishing work at the hospital where we were filming, we saw a group of doctors practicing a small chorus downstairs. Our consultant doctor was very young, and he pointed at them and said that his teachers were all singing a small chorus downstairs, and he was the only one working here - that moment was very lifelike and interesting.
From so many activities, I chose marathon because one day I saw a news report online that a doctor in Shaanxi was saving lives while running a marathon. It was very touching and funny: he was clearly there to compete, but ended up working overtime.
Stills from The Kind Club
The Paper : As a producer, what do you think is your most important task?
Xu Li : A producer is like a project manager. You must first ensure that the project can be completed and broadcast, and then ensure the quality. From selecting topics in the early stages of creation, to forming a team, selecting actors, shooting and controlling budgets... to post-broadcast publicity, each stage is actually difficult, but you have to overcome each one.
The Paper : Film and television creation involves collaboration among multiple departments, and collaboration among multiple departments is bound to lead to inconsistencies. As the chief producer, coordinating these inconsistencies must take up a lot of your time, right?
Xu Li : I think effective communication is very important. First of all, you have to find people who can reach a consensus with you to work with, and then discuss and adjust on the basis of consensus. Effective communication can reduce friction and improve quality. Of course, it may also be that I am lucky. Every time I find a creative or cooperative team, everyone is very harmonious. The whole shooting process this time was very pleasant. After the shooting, everyone told me that they were still not satisfied. I am very happy that this creation is like opening the blind box I wanted.
"Dating in the guise of a medical drama" is the stigma we least want to bear
The Paper : In the later stages of the story, some viewers complained that the relationship between the male and female protagonists was progressing too slowly, and why there were so many love triangles? Can you respond to these questions?
Xu Li : To be honest, we watched the play no less than dozens of times from filming to post-production. The post-production team, screenwriters, and publicity and promotion teams all watched it many times. We discussed which parts the audience would like and which parts they would dislike, and what public opinions might arise, but we did not anticipate this kind of feedback from the audience. To be honest, we were a little confused at the time.
At first, we positioned "The Kindness Club" as a medical life drama. We did not want to make an urban love drama or an idol drama. We tried to avoid these two. Because everyone knows that in recent years, the audience is very disgusted with the so-called "dating in the guise of a medical drama", which is the last thing we want to be criticized for.
Moreover, as a doctor, Qin Wenbin could be the deputy director of cardiac surgery. He couldn't be a young man, and it was impossible for him to play the love of a young man. Liu Ziyi was already in a bad relationship, so we didn't force the progress bar between the two of them. After Qin Wenbin fell in love with Liu Ziyi, he hesitated, and then met a competitor, which slowed down even more. Moreover, they are colleagues and friends. If they want to develop into lovers, they need to consider many issues. Otherwise, they will not be friends anymore and have to work together every day, which will be very awkward. It was not until I went through a lot of things that I felt that the person next to me was the most suitable one.
Including the return of Qin Wenbin's ex-wife, our original intention was not to make a "bloody" or "love triangle", but to make the dilemma between the characters and the state of him being both a doctor and a family member. Including Gu Shiyi's serious illness later, we also wanted to make the point of "when a doctor becomes a patient". Maybe everyone thinks it is too heavy, but it does serve our original intention of expression when creating.
Of course, we have a lot to think about in response to this feedback, and it will become experience in future projects.
Stills from The Kind Club, Qin Wenbin and Liu Ziyi
The Paper : Lize Films has produced several works that reflect your personal aesthetic and style. What are your future plans?
Xu Li : Actually, I am not a person who is easily satisfied. Maybe I have reached this age and have some understanding of life. In the future, I will continue to grow in this process and have new understandings. I hope to have the opportunity to convey these feelings through my works.
The audience's needs are changing a lot now, so we must find a unique subject matter in the audience's needs and develop it from a fresh perspective. So I hope that the projects I will do next will have different perspectives or very unique subjects.
The Paper : As a producer, how do you view the changes in the current era and industry? How do you respond to the changes?
Xu Li : To be honest, I personally feel that the industry has been shrinking in recent years. After the great waves, those who still stick to this industry are improving their quality.
As for the "long drama to short drama" that has been mentioned frequently in the past two years, I think it is a classification and a stratification. When I was young, I also liked to watch some fast-food works. They are fast-moving consumer goods, but they do bring pleasure. But I also appreciate works that are more expressive and nourishing. Like this "The Kind Heart Club", it is not a fast-paced plot, it is not a curiosity, it is not exciting, it is just about what kind of people there are and what kind of things they do. There are still audiences willing to watch it. Short dramas have indeed risen, but this is not the end of the world. This kind of thing has happened more than once or twice. When online movies appeared, everyone said that there would be no movie theaters in the future, but now it seems that this is far from the case.
As for the current development trend, I think fast-moving consumer goods should be made as fast-moving consumer goods, and regular meals should be made as regular meals. We still have to wait and see, and don't make a conclusion too quickly. Now is still a chaotic period, so don't lose your composure, stick to your own track and do good works, it's always right.
