Only the truth is not broken, and it is touching with emotion", these eight words were printed on the cover of the script of the movie "The Three Teams", which is the core pursuit of the film's creation, and from the perspective of the finished film, it has indeed done it. This murder chasing story adapted from real events was interpreted by Zhang Yi, Li Chen, Wei Chen, Cao Bingkun, Wang Xiao, Zhang Zixian and others. Dai Mo, the director of the film, said that the film not only wants to show the ups and downs of individual fate, but also an ode to the true feelings and righteousness of ordinary people. The film is currently in theaters.
A one-man show becomes a group show.
In the process of handling a vicious case, the three teams led by Cheng Bing, the captain of the criminal investigation team, caused the accidental death of one of the suspects and was sentenced to prison. After being released from prison, although Cheng Bing has changed from a policeman to an ordinary person, he still insists on chasing the murderer. The story of "The Three Teams" is adapted from the writer Deep Blue's documentary feature "Please Tell the Director that the task of the Three Brigades is complete". On July 30, 2018, after the article was published in NetEase Human Studio***, it touched many netizens, and everyone left messages, hoping to make this story into a movie.
In 2022, director Dai Mo finished filming the drama "Ball Lightning" and was just going to take a good rest for a while, but he didn't expect producer Chen Sicheng to send a script for "The Three Teams", saying: "I know you're tired, but I think you're suitable for this scene." After reading the script and the article, Dai Mo immediately ended his vacation and began to prepare for "The Three Teams". "If I miss this play, I will miss a very important piece of work in my resume. ”
In the prototype story, Cheng Bing, who took off his police uniform, ran alone for many years, chasing the murderer, but under the pen of screenwriter Zhang Ji, it became a member of the three teams to chase the murderer together. This means that the movie focuses on group dramas. Dai Mo likes this adaptation very much, because the joining and exiting of the members is very similar to the gathering and dispersion in life. "We will face a lot of reunions and separations in our lives, some people will stay with you for a while and then leave, and some people will stay with you for a long time, but in the end they may still face their fate alone. ”
Because it is an adaptation of real events, Dai Mo feels that the style of the film should not be too "red and green", or too overhead, but should let the audience enter the story with a more down-to-earth temperament. "We used 185:1 format, closer to the feel of a documentary. There is less of a god's perspective on the shooting, and basically all this is recorded behind the actors. The director's technique was also removed as much as possible, and this drama was filmed in a more plain style. ”
Even at the end, Cheng Bing finally caught the murderer, and the film was flattened. Waiting for him, there was no applause of flowers, only a "thank you" from the young policeman. After 12 years of the case, he walked out of the police station and stood silent as he watched the people coming and going at the intersection. There is no expected dramatic climax, and such an ending is infinitely emotional. Dai Mo said that this kind of shooting is not only in line with reality, but also has a "romance of the lonely brave". "He has done something for so many years, and finally it has been done, and his heart is both full and empty. ”
There was no one on the set with a script.
Zhang Yi, Wei Chen, Cao Bingkun, Wang Xiao, Zhang Zixian, these actors showed tacit understanding and cohesion in the film, even Dai Mo felt incredible, as if in parallel time and space, they were really teammates in the police force. They have a WeChat group called "Three Teams", and until now, everyone still chats and shares in the group.
Several leading actors have almost cooperated before, and since the movie is made of good brothers, it is of course the most suitable for a group of old friends to play it. Dai Mo revealed that the first decision was Cheng Bing played by Zhang Yi, because he had Cheng Bing's stubbornness;Cai Bin, played by Cao Bingkun, is similar to the position of a political commissar in the team, and Cao Bingkun has his flexibility and open-mindedness;Ma Zhenkun, played by Wang Xiao, has a short temper and a soft heart, and it was Zhang Yi who recommended Wang Xiao;Liao Jian played by Zhang Zixian is more picky, has a good relationship with Ma Zhenkun, and always takes advantage of him, Zhang Zixian's comedy temperament fits the role;Xiao Xu, played by Wei Chen, is a recruit who has just joined the three major teams, and he wants to solve a big case, but he didn't expect his fate to be subverted ......
There is not only brotherhood but also personal characteristics in group dramas, and a solid script, the director's scheduling, and the presentation of actors are all indispensable. Dai Mo recalled that on the first day, they filmed the scene where the three teams had supper after the scene. On the one hand, the script already has an accurate positioning for each character, and on the other hand, he will carefully design the scheduling. "For example, Liao Jian and Ma Zhenkun have a scene of rubbing cigarettes and lighters, and the two have to sit together;Cheng Bing wants to give Xiao Xu money and let him go to the checkout, and at the same time, Xiao Xu wants to show the innocence of the newcomer, which leads to Cheng Bing's emotion of Lao Zhang. Dai Mo said that in the first scene, the actors have completely established a tacit understanding with each other, handing lines and giving each other glances, "And it's not the kind of thing where you finish talking and I will say it, but just like life, everyone gets together, some people are talking about cases, some people are gagging, here they are toasting, and that side is borrowing fire, and the rhythm is very real." ”
Cao Bingkun said that "The Three Teams" is the only one he has seen in filming over the years, there is no starring script on the scene, and it is also the only one that no one makes mistakes from the beginning of the scene, and it is directly the same as the real shooting.
Each leading actor has done their homework to the fullest, and has contributed a lot of "hanging" on the set. For example, in the first scene of the film, Cheng Bing investigated the scene of the crime, the victim's little girl's legs were exposed a little too much, and Zhang Yi had an action of gently covering the girl's skirt down during the performance, and this detail was captured by the camera and put into the feature film. And at the beginning of each operation of the three major teams, Cheng Bing's short and powerful voice of "move!".It is also from Zhang Yi's creativity.
The onlookers did not recognize Zhang Yi.
In order to make the film more vivid and real, Dai Mo also paid a lot of attention to the service.
In the office of the members of the three teams in the film, Dai Mo first asked the artists to design their desks according to each role, and then asked the actors to "claim" their workstations on the spot. "Basically every actor recognized it. For example, Cai Bin will have some bracelets on the table, which will form a foreshadowing for his later business;Lao Zhang is relatively old, and there will be a lot of things for the elderly on the table. At the beginning, the crew also designed a special office for Cheng Bing, but when Zhang Yi arrived at the scene, he proposed that Cheng Bing should not be in a separate office, so he and the team members would be too far away, he hoped to fight side by side with everyone, and his lone pursuit of the murderer in the later stage was also for this group of brothers.
In the 12 years since the case was solved and solved, several characters have experienced the vicissitudes of changing prison uniforms and police songs into prison rules, and their shapes are also very different. Cai Bin had black hair when he was a policeman, but later he made a fortune in business, and his hair was shaved off, giving him a bit of a "greasy feeling". Cao Bingkun first lost ten pounds and gained ten pounds for this reason. Ma Zhenkun later opened a supper stall and kept spooning, and the crew designed a plaster for Wang Xiao to stick on his wrist. Liao Jian took his son to sell insurance, and his hairline gradually receded. The most youthful Xiao Xu was training dogs in the dog farm, and he was disheartened and never wanted to communicate with people again, so the crew designed an image of Wei Chen with messy long hair.
Cheng Bing, who changed a lot of low-level work in the pursuit of the murderer, has the most styling in the film. "He also has to support himself when chasing the murderer, but he does a profession that touches many people. We designed him a lot of looks such as a cleaner, a ferryman, and a 'Little Red Riding Hood' carrying luggage at the station, and we also added eye bags to make him feel more tired. Dai Mo said, "After Zhang Yi put on his makeup, he was on the street several times, such as carrying things and sweeping the streets, but no one recognized him." The onlookers are still looking for where Zhang Yi went, in fact, he is around them, and he has integrated with the environment. ”
"Young Ambition Doesn't Say Sorrow", which sounded several times in the film, is the song that best represents the image of the police. But what is even more surprising is that the ending theme song "The Way of the World" is also sung by Liu Huan. 36 years later, he sang emotionally for another police story, completing an echo across time and space. The lyrics "I want this Lang Lang Qian, everything has a king's law", which touched many audiences and is the most powerful footnote to this story. At the premiere of the film, Liu Huan said with a smile that he finally joined "The Three Teams", and this scene was right.
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