Producer Ye Ting talks about the birth of “Myth of Love” and reveals the details of behind-the-scenes shooting

Why can this film maintain such a complete author’s expression and ensure that the high quality of the script is continued on the production side, and what are the veterans of the crew looking at in it? The film and television industry network chatted with Ye Ting, the producer of the film, about the filming process of “Myth of Love” and revealed the real myth behind “Myth of Love”.

Before we start, let’s sort out the background of the production cycle of “Myth of Love”. The film will start the script literature in September 2020 to complete this discussion, the actors will read around in December, and the preparations will be held in Shanghai in February 2021. It will be officially launched on March 20, and will be released nationwide on December 24. During the preparatory period, we experienced the Shanghai epidemic, and the shooting method of the whole Shanghai urban area was adopted in the later shooting. It seems easy, but in fact, it has won a silver lining amid challenges and opportunities.

Producer Ye Ting

Ye Ting, graduated from the Central Academy of Drama in 2010, majoring in directing. In the same year, he worked in Sohu Company and managed the film cooperation business of the group; in 2015, he joined Xu Zheng Director Studio (now Zhenledao Culture) and successively served as the publicity director of the films “Hong Kong 囧” and “囧 Mom”; since 2016, he has been committed to serving young directors in the drama category The development and production of works, including “Cohabitation in Time and Space” (produced by Xu Zheng and directed by Su Lun), which broke the box office record of domestic romance films in 2018 and received high praise; in 2019, it was selected for the Cannes Youth Program of the China Film Foundation Wu Tianming Special Fund In the same year, he won the honor and training opportunity of the winner of the “Zhanyi Plan” awarded by BAFTA; in 2021, he will be the producer of the movie “Myth of Love”.

Film and Television Industry Network: Director Shao Yihui is the first time to be a director. What considerations will you have in the early stage when choosing her as a director?

Ye Ting: The director brought his own original story ideas to the First Venture Capital Roadshow and was very clear about his creative identity. That appearance was well received. It was also favored by Mr. Chen Lizhi (producer/chief producer of “Myth of Love”) and Mr. Ma Yili, who were present as judges, laying an important foundation for the implementation of the project. Later, we read the literary script that she adjusted and completed after the road show. The content concept (lines) is quite wonderful, and the perspective (middle-aged love relationship) is also unique. Mr. Xu Zheng has been supporting young directors over the years, and he values ​​creators who have the ability to create original scripts. He has given positive support to the project as a producer and star.

Director Shao and I have explored many times in the early stage, and talked about the form of the work, the concept of creation, the work concept, and even her imagination of the audio-visual details around the script story. I found that although she had no experience in directing feature films at the time, she had full confidence in the content she created, and at the same time knew how to absorb opinions and was highly aware of audiovisuals. As well as her own fun, sense of relaxation, personality tension, etc. These qualities are gradually released through the process of revising the script, communicating with the actors, and selecting the main creator, which brings us confidence and helps everyone reach a consensus. I am sure that she has the ability to speak through pictures. The ability and aesthetics of a good story, as well as teamwork.

In fact, the most important cornerstone here is the script itself. If a new director can write a script and write an excellent original script, it will be the most powerful blessing for his directorship and potential partners.

Ye Ting and Shao Yihui share the scene first

Film and Television Industry Network: The type presentation of “Myth of Love” is different from the previous works in the market. How do you view its “uniqueness”, so as to locate the production focus of this work?

Ye Ting: I think it is a priority to ensure that the production level is highly restored and the quality of the text continues.

When I first saw the half-page synopsis, I understood it to be a story about a (middle) older person’s love, and frankly it was this narrative perspective that attracted me, a young woman to tell the love relationship story of a group of mature people , build value points, regional ecology, which is unique in the current market. Since some people have created the text, and some people have been attracted, how to realize the conversion is a very specific process of integrating knowledge and action.

Its production is far from industrial grade in terms of size and volume. I think the key points are three points:

1. Ensure that the director’s authorship is continued and released, and the values ​​are protected;

2. Ensure that actors and creators who really like the script and have the same creative concept join the project to gain creative freedom and a sense of security;

3. To ensure that the highly aesthetic details are implemented, and at the same time, the production is completed on time, with high quality, and in line with budget planning.

These three points are also the basic principles that I follow throughout my entire work, making important adjustments and making decisions.

I myself am a big fan of drama works. My favorite author is Richard Curtis. His works include “Notting Hill”, “Love Actually”, “Time and Space Love Traveler”, “Four Weddings and One Funeral” and so on. Each film has a strong intellectual spirit, a sense of fashion, and decent characters. When you see his films are all commercial films, they will be wrapped in the love conveyed, moved and warmed, which is really amazing. I am also committed to developing works of similar form: rising values, digging stories like bright gems in the most ordinary life, everyone has a gem, they don’t know.

“Cohabitation in Time and Space” poster

In 2016, the first project I participated in the development and production of, “Cohabitation in Time and Space” (produced by Xu Zheng, written and directed by Su Lun) is also a love movie. It was a very standard and excellent commercial film, a romantic fantasy comedy. In the early stage, a lot of work was done for genre breakthroughs and integration. In the end, the story strictly followed the standard three-act structure and the creation rules of commercial films. After two years of transformation, everyone see and like.

The birth of the script of “Myth of Love” makes people “overwhelmed”, and the uniqueness of its construction largely stems from the text: you can’t find the traditional three-act narrative structure just by looking at the script. Its beginnings and transitions are not obvious, but it has a strong style from the lines to the characters, like an underwater volcano, all the emotions and details are erupting in the undercurrent. From another dimension, from the current female perspective, values ​​are properly placed in a film, and love movies have the opportunity to get innovative forms, which are “jewels”.

“Myth of Love” on Douban Movie Score

Film and Television Industry Network: “Myth of Love” has gained a good reputation after its screening. What do you think of this situation?

Ye Ting: Yes, Douban 8.3 is the best of the year. During the release period, I received a lot of feedback from friends inside and outside the industry, and I found that when everyone expressed their liking, they included the interpretation and observation of many details of the film, and the attention to details was surprising.

I have several friends who said, “I want to invite you for a drink after watching the movie”, not to celebrate, but to have a drink with friends and talk a few words. This is exactly what they were brought into by the film and healed by the emotions conveyed in their tired life, which is the meaning of the film’s influence on life. The reputation of “Myth of Love” also proves the market’s (audience’s) desire for breakthroughs in genres. Is it possible to give investors more confidence and let everyone support works with innovative content? I think this also gives young creators confidence that their hard work is meaningful.

I have a reflection myself. The core audience of “Myth of Love” is in first- and second-tier cities, the content is just right for them, the attendance rate is high, and the audience is actively paying (for example, the box office in Shanghai exceeds 100 million). When we make commercial movies, the conventional thinking is that we can’t penetrate everything from the front line to the sinking. In fact, this is a beautiful expectation. Now that the investment environment in the industry is tightened and core resources are polarized, can we treat expectations more rationally at the current stage: map the volume of films to subdivided audience groups, and use the stock of groups to push back costs and risks, so as to achieve revenue balance. The WeChat profile picture of a good friend of mine is interesting, and represents this point of view: a film finds an audience that likes it is a kind of arrival. From investing to creating.

Group photo of some of the main creators of “Myth of Love”, from left: “Myth of Love” producer/chief producer Chen Lizhi; actor Huang Minghao; producer/starring Xu Zheng; director/screenwriter Shao Yihui; starring Wu Yue; producer Ye Ting; director of photography Chen Jun ; Executive Producer Wu Tingting

Film and Television Industry Network: In the specific production process, in the early stage, you helped the new director to set up a team. What problems have you thought about in the cooperation of other main creatives? What did you do?

In fact, there is no secret to matching the main creative team for the new director. From the online actor teacher to the departmental guidance, just like looking for a target, avoid climbing the dragon and follow the phoenix, and focus on the right family and the same mind. It is difficult for a relationship to survive without a shred of love. I have been fortunate enough to work with four new directors with different personalities and creative styles, and I have learned a lot from it. I always put “fit” in the first place in building a partnership.

When the main creator is selected, I will come up with different ladder candidates based on the consensus understanding of the work reached with the director and the tonality of the main creative work. I myself will fully communicate with the potential creators face to face, and the degree of adaptation is high, and then I will give the script to the other party. After reading the script, I will bring the idea to the director to meet and talk a few times. Whether this person is willing to listen to the director’s ideas, whether he really likes the script, whether he has prepared a plan and has the passion for co-creation, and whether he is open enough to integrate into the new director’s teamwork will all be clear in the process.

In the early communication with the leading teachers, we followed the working method taught by the producer Xu Zheng: telling stories face to face. For example, teacher Wu Yue shared her thoughts on the role with us through the opportunity of face-to-face communication. She felt that her ex-wife Beibei had a possessive mentality of “I am divorced and I still think you belong to me.” It was very accurate and vivid, and these feedbacks also It is boosting the creation and nourishing the characters in the reverse direction. Through the process of storytelling, everyone builds a sense of connection and character trust. Through this process, we also give up partners who have inconsistent interpretation concepts.

“Love Myth” stills

“Myth of Love” is a story with a modern urban background, and I think aesthetics and real life quality online are the most basic. How do you understand the city of Shanghai, how do you understand the tastes of middle-aged people, and how do you deal with the beauty of the script through your position, these are the parts that the work cares about. When everyone has the same idea, is full of creative passion, and has a consistent cycle budget, they can embrace cooperation with open arms.

Fortunately, we made the right choice. The team has attracted the best actors and teachers, and experienced main creatives from the core department. They have all burned with great enthusiasm for the work. Therefore, the overall creative structure is very stable and positive. It’s the first time we all work together.

Screenshot of stills from “Myth of Love”: Ye Ting’s cameo as a school bus teacher

Film and Television Industry Network: As a producer, how do you position your relationship with the director, as well as your relationship with the project?

Ye Ting: The director and I are about the same age and are both idealists. We always put respect and communication first. The relationship between the director and the producer, in my opinion, is not who controls who, nor who serves who. From a positive point of view, it is more like a relationship of co-creation and growth.

Together we serve the work itself.

In the early stage, the director and I reached a consensus on the work philosophy: we all hope to lead the team work with a light and faithful attitude, and the internal driving force is to concentrate on doing different good things, so we made three agreements:

1. Between us, if we have doubts due to work, we need to speak out directly as soon as possible;

2. Put an end to formalism and waste, spend all the money on the content production itself, and make adjustments and decisions at the production level only around this purpose;

3. Take the lead in creating a friendly and respectful working atmosphere, and refuse to brush individual presence.

We performed well.

As the producer of this project, in addition to organizational management, I also take on a linking role. At the practical level, I work closely with the director and work hard. At the major decision-making level, we need to maintain close communication with the supervisor and the chief producer to ensure the stability and effectiveness of joint decision-making.

“Love Myth” stills

For example, a small matter, the main scene of the filming of the old Bai’s house. This scene has been established in the early stage and has already begun to draw drawings. When watching the scene of Miss Li’s house, I accidentally discovered this house. The director believes that this house is in line with her positioning of Lao Bai’s house in terms of structure and details. Therefore, there is a controversy about whether to shoot live or in studio. The source of the controversy is the contradiction between aesthetic needs and production costs and uncontrollable risks. The most densely populated residential area in the city center needs to face many problems: residents’ complaints and stop-shooting caused by long-term (nearly 1/2 of the whole cycle) shooting, vehicle parking in urban areas, road administration and traffic problems caused by equipment erection, etc. Wait. This is not just a workload issue, but also directly leads to uncontrollable costs and cycles.

I remember when I went back to the station that day, the director looked at the photo of the house, describing in detail the shape of the curtain rod and the design of the kitchen, to explain why that house was the most suitable for Lao Bai. At that time, it was less than a month before the launch. I understood the important function of this core scene. In a sense, this house is also an integral part of our narrative. I didn’t immediately agree, but held a meeting to sort out all possible adverse factors, and the production department evaluated the cycle and budget changes, as well as the corresponding alternatives. After sorting everything out, while supporting the director’s creative intentions, I am responsible to the supervisor and the chief producer, stating why I did it, what the problems may be, and how to solve the problems within my ability. If there is a variable that cannot be solved, what is the loss and what kind of support is needed. They all support the creation of content that is conducive to the development of content, and finally gave us some instructions, and let us do it according to our own wishes.

“Love Myth” stills

In fact, shooting in the entire urban area is startling every day. Shooting is not allowed after 21:00 in Shanghai, so we have to strictly follow this working time, which will put a huge test on the shooting and overall cycle of night scenes. In “Myth of Love”, the main group scenes of the main actors eating and partying all take place at night, and the scheduling is very complicated. In the early stage, I discussed with the photography teacher whether it is possible to use the working method of day and night. We did the scene test shooting, and finally found that this shooting method would have an impact on the quality of the film. In order to protect the artistic quality of the film, I gave up decisively. In order to complete the “Night Shooting Night” within a limited time, the main creator of the crew rehearsed the scene every day for the week before the shooting, and read the script in Shanghai dialect. Therefore, during the real shooting, the core creators have a good grasp of the text content and shooting rhythm, which speeds up the work efficiency and completes the shooting ahead of schedule.

Later, in the processing of the edited version, we also actively absorbed the comments of the publicity team. After the discussion, Easter eggs were added. Many people laughed just by watching the WeChat conversation.

“Love Myth” stills

Film and Television Industry Network: When you were shooting in the urban area, did you have any experience of being stopped?

Ye Ting: Shanghai is a very open city with a high level of overall governance, which provided a lot of convenience for our shooting. Even so, when we were filming the grocery store on Huashan Road, we were unexpectedly stopped for some reason. At that time, the situation was irreversible. We quickly closed the team and went to the main scene. We shot a lot of temporary scenes, such as the scene of Lao Bai playing drums on the rooftop, and at the same time. Rediscover the scene.

When this happens, I am most worried about affecting the enthusiasm and efficiency of the team’s work. We had a production meeting that night, and I expressed my opinion without anyone being responsible for it. I think that’s a very good thing, it’s a reminder to adapt and improve the way we work in context. Later, when we went to shoot on the street, we simplified the number of people and equipment, and the producer gave us a lot of tips for shooting in the downtown area. On another level, it helps us improve production management and really make the work environment space we work in highly integrated.

“Myth of Love” crew badges; we made badges with “Applause” cues

Film and Television Industry Network: In addition to the main creator, in fact, the operation of a crew is very important for the production crew. Which of these positions will you value more in these positions that are specifically responsible for the operation?

Ye Ting: First of all, my own perspective on the operation of the crew is still an organism, a concept of an absolute community, and each department needs to establish a unified frequency in a short period of time. If we must single out the production team, of course, the key consideration is the production director. Whether personality, professional ethics, work philosophy, and ability can meet the demands of teamwork is very important.

There are more than 100 people in the crew. It is also very important whether everyone can produce in a safe and orderly manner. The entire production crew is made up of very professional practitioners who help the project with their own experience. Of course, there are also young practitioners, our executive producer Tingting. She is an executive producer for the first time, but she has a very strong execution ability and can quickly absorb opinions and improve her working methods. My assistant, Yu Bo, has strong communication skills and is willing to lend a helping hand to other people’s needs while completing his own work. I think the composition of these personnel is very good, regardless of their ability, they are part of a virtuous circle of talent development in the industry.

“Love Myth” work photo: the shooting scene rests for a while, the violinist plays for everyone

Film and Television Industry Network: How long is the shooting cycle of “Myth of Love”?

Ye Ting: The shooting cycle we planned in the early stage was 42 days, and it was finally completed in advance.

Film and Television Industry Network: What do you think are the main reasons why your crew can really achieve efficient shooting?

Ye Ting: First of all, the director had a clear idea and did not shoot the whole process. For example, some people suggested to shoot some empty scenes at that time, but the director didn’t think it was necessary, so he didn’t shoot; secondly, the main creative professional degree of each department was online, and the early production team did it. A large amount of content and cost communication, and the most specific plan is matched to every detail, which saves the communication cost in the middle and late stages; finally, and the most important point, everything is based on everyone’s love for the work, and everyone does things with a creative mentality , the investment is very high.

The work photo of “Myth of Love”; there is a flower shop near Lao Bai’s house. I will choose the flowers and put them on the dressing table of the actors before they arrive.

Film and Television Industry Network: Budget and taste sometimes seem to be in conflict. When it comes to production, how to spend money will be an important consideration, so do you have a specific production budget to focus on?

Ye Ting: I don’t have any clever tricks for budget management. It’s not a luxury production, but we’re not stretched thin, and everything we should have is fully in place. Our leading teachers are all very good, and they make it a part of daily life in Shanghai to come to the “Myth of Love” crew to act every day.

My approach is to start with people. For example, when inviting the main creative teachers, I must clearly tell them what kind of project this is and how it works. After reading the script, they will tell me the capacity estimate and real thoughts of the script, so that everyone can judge whether they can reach an agreement on the expectations. From the details to the staff entry and exit days that need to be configured, etc., each part must be discussed in great detail. The premise of my cooperative decision-making is to try my best to meet your needs and plans for your creative field, and refuse to make do with half-assistances.

Moments forward one of the super high episodes of “Myth of Love”: The Soldier’s Sweetheart

There is a very practical example, such as the music in the film. In the film, there are songs used by foreign bands, as well as domestic ones, and some are composed by Mr. Fuzi. In the editing stage, the reference music selected by the director is all foreign music, and she hopes to put it into use, but obviously the budget cannot support it, but I agree and understand her creative concept. Then let’s sit down and talk, can we just choose the three most wanted foreign band copyright songs, replace the two public copyright songs, and choose the rest from domestic bands? The director made a good judgment, and I adjusted some of the budget arrangements.

I think this is a process where everyone reaches a consensus on content taste and debugs for the sake of consensus, rather than simply playing a number game. If we agree that the choice is good for the content, then we should cooperate with each other and allocate the budget scientifically. The goal is to make the content better and richer. Sometimes it’s a small thing. go get it.

“Love Myth” work photo

Film and Television Industry Network: “Myth of Love” has many expressions of women’s views, but the film supervisor to the chief producer are all men. What do you think is the reason for “Myth of Love” to be filmed and to keep the quality of the content unchanged?

Ye Ting: There is a big premise. My two leaders, Mr. Xu (Producer Xu Zheng) and President Chen (Chief Producer Chen Lizhi), are top practitioners in their respective fields, but they can fully trust them. And respecting the work of the young team gives us room to play, and not everyone has this opportunity. From the overall artistic control to the flexibility of fund scheduling, people are always in a state of relaxation and devote themselves to content production.

Without this major premise, I believe that the form of this work would not be what it is now, it is a work supported by sincerity and love. Our creative relationship is very harmonious. Whether it’s between me and the director, or between us and the producer and the executive producer, the partnership is very open. We have access to a scarce resource – the creative security that comes with full recognition.

Furthermore, we all have high requirements for our own professionalism. We can see the bright spots in each other, and we don’t dislike our shortcomings, so we can point them out to improve.

Also, everyone is fearless, trusts each other fully, and dares to do this.

“Love Myth” starts on the day

Film and Television Industry Network: In fact, 90% of a crew are men, and the directors and producers are very young women. Faced with this problem, do you have any concerns in the early stage?

Ye Ting: I did have some thoughts in the early stage. We are all too “young”. How can we unite this group of people to work? How can you get them to absorb your ideas? In a short period of time, twist into a rope to create works.

I think we solved this problem in the purest and truest way. In fact, it is overthinking. Apart from the New Year’s Eve dinner, our crew did not organize any dinner parties to engage in relationships. It was to do this project wholeheartedly from top to bottom. This kind of dedication and enthusiasm can be felt by each other, so we From the very beginning, a professional working atmosphere has been established, which has been respected by everyone. The main creative teachers trust us very much, and everyone also has smooth and equal communication channels.

A corner of the cast of “Myth of Love”

The calligraphy works of the director of photography during the preparatory period

Film and Television Industry Network: Filming will encounter a lot of problems. For you, do you predict problems in advance, or how to reduce the occurrence of problems?

Ye Ting: The prediction problem relies on limited experience. My experience is limited, so I visited local producers in Shanghai and the Cultural and Tourism Bureau in the early stage, and listened to their detailed suggestions on the whole urban shooting. Now The social environment has been very open. When you come to your door to ask people sincerely for advice, they also sincerely offer advice.

The rest is what I do by myself. I go to the set every day, all the time, fully thinking, fully communicating, fully summarizing and reflecting. My assistant is a post-90s generation. He said that I am the most reflective person in the world. People, there is no one. But that’s where I am, building trust in the team by solving problems concretely and moving the team forward together. As the saying goes: When the hearts of the people are united, Mount Tai moves. We are pretty neat.

“Thoughts”; when the director captured the filming of the producer, it eventually became the set props of the Laobai Art Museum

Film and Television Industry Network: The two films you made performed well. How do you plan your career development?

Ye Ting: Since graduation, I have been in the industry for ten years, and I have only handed in two assignments. I have done some other projects in the intervening time. I have worked hard for a year or two and was called to stop when the machine was turned on. I cried in the middle of the night. when no one else can see it. But these experiences have made me more in awe of the industry I belong to, which is fun and more regulated. From the perspective of time, these two jobs are only a warm-up for careers. From the perspective of space, individuals are only a small part of the industry.

There is a senior who always said to me: “Those who work hard will always have opportunities.” I have to keep up with the changes and development of the industry. The premise is to do more practical things, such as how do I continue to promote creativity how to link up creative young creators, and finally realize the ideal of content through market testing.

The most important function of a producer in the early stage of a project is to “push”. To move forward, I hope that I can gather like-minded partners, a group of people, to move forward together.

“Love Myth” stills

Interview postscript:

Actually, this interview touched me a lot. Film has the function of recording the era, and each era has a unique language system and irreplaceable observation and thinking. What exactly are we trying to convey? What do we want to present for others, for the future? And what kind of gesture to present, this is the subject of the video creator.

The main creators of “Love Myth” still have a long way to go, but we hope to see countless “Love Myth” appear, and hope to see the attitude and attitude of young people in doing things. In 2022, whether in the face of the epidemic or the cold winter of the market, how to make our industry see hope, let us start from ourselves.Return to Sohu, see more