Why can we tell Chinese stories better? , "Chinese and foreign co-production"

On the 15th, the first "New Era·New Image" Sino-foreign joint creation project full results release event was held in Beijing. The 62 selected documentaries, short videos and other documentary video works show the vivid life of the Chinese people through true and intuitive expression, convey the spiritual characteristics of the Chinese nation, and provide a more professional, diverse and novel way for the international community to understand China. perspective.

In the creation of these works, a group of senior international directors, film and television workers worked closely with local Chinese teams. The works created not only vividly record Chinese practice, but are also understandable and accessible to international audiences. Why is the "Chinese-foreign co-production" approach better able to tell Chinese stories?

New perspectives and new cuts are the most prominent features of "Chinese-foreign co-production" film and television works.

In the series of short videos "My Personal Experience of China", the protagonist Tu Jianguo is an "elderly foreign intern" who works part-time in various industries in China every day. He has learned Kun Opera, cloisonne, traditional ventriloquism, worked as an AI trainer, a chef, a river chief, a forest ranger, and a beach scavenger...

In the short video, this British guy experienced many different professions in China from the unique perspective of a foreign intern, and also witnessed the development and changes in various fields in China.

“Experiencing and participating in many different professions has taught me that in China, especially in rural areas, all walks of life are developing rapidly. Practitioners in different industries are working hard to become rich and increase their income, creating a better life for themselves and their families. "Life." Situ Jianguo said, "It is very simple to look at China in the new era from a foreigner's perspective and make it into a documentary."

In the series of short videos "Foreign Son-in-law Abu "Can't Call the Stage"", the protagonist Abu is a handsome Turkish boy who wears a floral cotton-padded jacket every day and works hard in the countryside of Luzhou, Sichuan. After coming to Luzhou for love, the story of the foreign son-in-law Abu’s life in China happened to become a new way to present China’s image in the field of international communication.

The director of the film, Deng Yan, said that Abu, who is engaged in international trade, has lived in many countries and many big cities, but the one that finally made him fall in love was Luzhou, a small city on the Yangtze River in Sichuan, China. Why did the rural life here keep him coming back? Many people will be curious about his choice.

The answer lies in the film - the happiness he felt in the Chinese countryside, the drastic changes he saw in the countryside, and the Chinese people's longing for "picking chrysanthemums under the eastern fence and leisurely seeing the southern mountains" are all the most authentic and convincing in the field of international communication , a good and contagious story.

Abu said: "I like Luzhou very much. Luzhou used to be my second hometown, but now Luzhou is my hometown."

To tell the Chinese story well in international communication, it is very important to find a global narrative method and a common discourse among people around the world. This is also what many foreign production teams are good at.

The documentary "Lighting Up Ali" tells the story of 30,000 State Grid builders who traveled across no-man's land and spent more than a year building the power grid in the low temperature and stormy environment of Ali, Tibet. It was shot by Yingda Media Group, a subsidiary of State Grid, and later re-edited in cooperation with Warner Bros. Discovery Group of the United States.

How can such a Chinese story that took place in Tibet be told internationally? Wei Keran Channer, Vice President of Warner Bros. Discovery Group and Editor-in-Chief of Greater China and Southeast Asia, said that the international version of the documentary connects the narrative of the entire film in the form of an engineer's diary.

He said that the role of the engineer is not only the protagonist who lights up thousands of homes in Ngari, Tibet, but also a character that audiences around the world have been familiar with since they were children playing with Lego and building blocks. Narrating it from the perspective of an engineer will help more audiences who speak different languages ​​and come from different regions to understand this story that happened in Tibet, China.

"Our works originate locally, but they lead to the world." Wei Keran said, "We hope that the concept of product globalization will also become the production spirit of the Chinese film and television team, giving Chinese stories more global influence."

Ecological and environmental protection is also a common discourse for people around the world. Yu Shihao, director of the documentary "Light Up Ali" and deputy director of the editing and production department of the Film and Television Center of Yingda Media Investment Group Co., Ltd., said that in the joint creation of Chinese and foreign countries, he found that the Chinese and foreign teams had a very consistent understanding of ecological and environmentally friendly content and images.

"During the construction of the Ali Power Grid project, when large machinery entered the scene, Chinese workers would first lay a layer of brown mat on the ground to ensure that the turf on the plateau could grow normally in the second year. The film team keenly recorded these "Images." He said, "When Director Wei Keran saw these images, he was very excited and said that these lenses are great and are the lenses we need for exploration!"

Difficulties often arise in international cooperation in film and television productions, but sincerity and love will cross borders and help the filming team overcome obstacles and ultimately complete the filming task. This love that crosses national borders also makes the "Chinese-foreign co-production" works even more touching.

The documentary "The Birth of the Giant Panda Guardian", co-produced by a Chinese and Korean team, tells the story of experts from China and South Korea working together in the cloud to cooperate with each other and overcome many difficulties during the epidemic to help the female giant panda "Hua Ni" in South Korea. The story of natural conception and the successful birth of South Korea's first panda cub, "Fu Bao".

Since the filming was during the epidemic, the filming of the film in South Korea was completed by the Korean team. Film directors Zuo Tao and Yao Yuan said: "During the filming, even if there were too many difficulties, we and the Korean team really faced it together and were very empathetic - when we were excited, they were also excited; when we were nervous, They were nervous too; when we cried, they cried too.”

Despite the differences in language and culture, the common emotions of nervousness, expectation, and joy for the giant panda babies have become the strongest link between the Chinese and Korean filming teams. This love and sincerity also moved audiences in both countries.

On the Chinese Internet, in less than two weeks since the work was made available to the public, the total number of views on related topics has exceeded 500 million, and the number of interactive discussions among netizens on Weibo has exceeded 500,000.

On the Korean Internet, it also received rave reviews. Someone commented: "This video is so touching. The giant panda team of South Korea's Everland and the Chinese giant panda team worked closely together to create the 'Fu Bao' that everyone loves now. Thank you for everyone's efforts." Because "Fu Bao" "Fubao" will return to China next year. Some people commented: "I had no plans to go to China, but I decided to go to China next year to see 'Fubao'."

The "New Era·New Images" Sino-foreign joint creation program is guided by the State Council Information Office, the State Internet Information Office, and the State Administration of Radio and Television, and is supported by China Foreign Languages ​​Publishing Administration, Fujian Provincial Radio and Television Bureau, Fujian Radio, Film and Television Group, Warner Bros. Discovery Group, and Tencent Sponsored by the Sustainable Social Value Division and Bilibili.