"snow maze" shows the "alternative" anti-drug frontline
2024-09-30
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author: yang wenjie
the tense and exciting black and white confrontation, the sharp and pyrotechnic lens language, the desolate comedy style without losing the characteristics of the northeast, "snow maze" broadcast on youku white night theater not only has the relaxation of northeastern people, but also creates a "criminal investigation" the unique temperament of "life drama". for example, a lot of the highlights of the confrontation between good and evil are done in steaming chicken shops and skewer stalls, which are very "food-for-you"; the villain leader "sister-in-law" is ruthless, but in daily life she is the most ordinary housewife; the elder sister played by huang jingyu the case captain "zheng bei" is a "ruthless person" when handling the case, and he is optimistic and humorous at heart, and he is even quite "unscrupulous".
the screenwriters of the play, zhang yuanang and melias, have previously created contemporary anti-narcotics works such as "ice rain and fire". in an interview with a reporter from beijing youth daily, they revealed that the story of "snow maze" is set at a special time: august 1998. before the establishment of the narcotics control bureau by the ministry of public security. how do public security officers detect drug-related cases when there are no dedicated anti-narcotics police? these all leave huge dramatic space for "snow maze".
the humor of northeastern people is engraved in their bones
zhang yuanang revealed that "snow maze" chose to show the anti-drug story in the 1990s because methamphetamine criminal groups became increasingly rampant in this era. the time period from 1997 to 1998 selected in the play is also quite special - in august 1998, the ministry of public security had just established the narcotics control bureau. in september 1999, the china criminal police college established the professional direction of anti-narcotics and enrolled the first batch of domestic undergraduate students majoring in anti-narcotics.
"the story in the play took place in 1997, on the eve of the establishment of the anti-narcotics bureau. police in many places lacked professional knowledge related to anti-drugs. the detection of drug cases is to cross the river by feeling for the stones. the weak anti-drug theory and the severe anti-drug situation have formed a "strong contrast, this is one of the biggest problems in anti-drug work during our investigation, so we especially want to focus the story on a special time period to focus on these difficulties and the heroic and fearless spirit of anti-drug heroes." zhang yuan. ang expressed.
in addition, the criminal investigation methods at that time were relatively "primitive", and there was no way to use modern technologies such as surveillance cameras and mobile phone positioning to assist in solving crimes. it was even more necessary for front-line criminal police to use their brain power and physical strength to fight criminals to the maximum extent, so there would also be more direct consequences. dramatic conflict.
regarding the strong "northeast elements" in the play, zhang yuan'an said, "i saw a saying on the internet that 'the northeast does not support introverts'. when we were collecting stories and communicating in the northeast, the detectives were talking about that year in the process of solving those major and important cases, the humor revealed unconsciously made the thrilling criminal police work vivid and interesting. we also clearly felt at that time that no matter how brave the police were, they were not impregnable, but just like us. ordinary people with flesh and blood, especially on the dangerous battlefield of the anti-drug front line, may bleed and die at any time, and they also need to use humor to balance their emotions. our director lu xing, including the starring huang jingyu, and a large number of crew members are from the northeast. region, the entire filming process was immersed in a strong northeastern atmosphere. you can hear the accents from various places when starting the filming, and when it was finished, it was basically all northeastern.”
anti-drug work and daily life of criminal police
in addition to showing the anti-drug process, the play also adds a lot of daily life of criminal police officers. in zhang yuanang's view, the anti-drug police itself is a very special profession. unlike most people who clock in and go home after get off work, they are always there whenever there is a drug case or a case occurs, so their work and life is very tightly wound together. "that's why we put a lot of everyday life into the story."
although it is a story set in the 1990s, many plots and settings in "snow maze" can resonate with current audiences.
zhang yuanang gave an example. for example, the character "zhang xueyao" is a relatively unique female character. in the character setting, she was once saved by a hero, but she did not fall in love with the "hero" because of it. instead, she wanted to be a hero herself. zhang yuanang believes, "i think it is more in line with the independent expression of the current female audience."
zhang yuanang said that in the 1990s, female criminal police officers went out in the field relatively rarely. in addition to sitting in the office, they mostly did disguised investigation work. "zhang xueyao" appeared in the task force as a character with a high force value. she was nicknamed "mad dog" and she was eager to use her abilities to punish and punish criminals. another example is the character "zheng bei", who is a flesh-and-blood, courageous and resourceful person, but also a particularly "unscrupulous" person. "we set 'zheng bei' to be born in a relatively happy family with ordinary parents. the laid-off worker started a new business and opened a small restaurant and a chicken stand shop. his sister is also lively and cute. there are real life worries that the general public can relate to, rather than a feeling of bitterness and hatred. "
select real cases with prototypes for processing
"snow maze" shows criminal investigation methods such as comparing fingerprints and recovering fingerprints at that time, and also includes the introduction of some chemical knowledge and drug knowledge. when creating, zhang yuanang and others chose to collect stories with a frame, constantly checking details with front-line anti-drug police, and trying their best to present the real anti-drug story to the audience.
"because we first have the basic relationship between the characters and the story frame, we look for materials and inspiration from various professional books, including news on a large number of related cases, before selecting stories, and select some real cases with prototypes. we take these frames and then we went to collect stories and talk to front-line anti-drug police officers who had experienced that era. did we understand these cases correctly and were there any discrepancies in the details? in the process, they also told many things that had happened in the northeast and that they had experienced related to anti-drugs. we added the details of the case into the plot." zhang yuanang revealed that during the process, they also learned about many real drug dealers, especially the so-called big drug lords. they are not the kind of gangsters who just show off. he looks like a big shot, and is often no different from ordinary people. he can perfectly blend in with ordinary people when walking on the road, which is difficult for anti-drug workers to distinguish.
balancing the roles of good and bad actors is always a difficult problem
in many criminal investigation-themed works, it is easier for the villain to "get out of the circle." in zhang yuanang's view, "once there is confrontation in the story, there are so-called decent people and villains, this problem will exist. we hope that the villain is smart and powerful, because if the villain is very if you are weak, you will appear to be decent and weak; but if the villain is particularly smart and powerful, you will worry about whether he will outshine the decent. this is a creative problem that has existed since ancient times. "
in order to maintain the balance between the good and the bad characters, what zhang yuanang can do as a screenwriter is to control the perspective of the narrative. "snow maze" itself is not a single-line narrative. there are criminal police and task forces solving the case, as well as drug dealers. , some changes in the villain's crime plan are described on both sides. "we hope to immerse the audience in the task force and clear the fog of the entire story from the perspective of the team represented by 'zheng bei'. control the length of the villain's actions so that the audience can feel the suspense as much as possible and enjoy the process of solving the case. "
zhang yuanang said, "both good people and bad people may have experienced pain, but not everyone chooses to commit crimes because of this. family of origin or childhood trauma cannot be used as an excuse for committing crimes. we hope that there can be discussions in this area that will trigger the audience's emotions." thinking.” (yang wenjie)
source: beijing youth daily
