Xiang Nan then invited director Wang Wenjie. He is currently the best director for martial arts dramas in the Mainland.
"The White Eyebrow Hero" in 1993 and "Gan Jiu Mei" in 1996 both achieved good ratings and reputation.
In addition, his representative works include "The Great Dyeing House", "Genghis Khan", "Red Cross Squadron", "Ranger", "Su Dongpo", "Journey of Glory", etc. He can be regarded as a prolific and famous actor. Talented director.
Because of this, Xiang Nan still valued him and hired him from Qilu Satellite TV.
For the first Jin Yong drama, Xiang Nan did not choose the most well-known works such as "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Legend of the Condor Heroes", "The Legend of Heaven and Sword of the Dragon", "The Eight Parts of the Dragon", and "The Swordsman". He wrote a film called "The Secret of the City" as a test of the waters.
Because, like The Condor Trilogy, Tianlong, Swordsman, etc., they have just been adapted into TV series by Hong Kong and Taiwan, and they are all works with excellent reputation.
For example, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" by Louis Koo and Li Naotong, "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" by Huang Rihua and Chen Haomin, "The Swordsman" by Lu Songxian, "The Deer and the Cauldron" by Chen Xiaochun, and "The Legend of the Dragon Slayer" by Ma Jingtao "etc.
If Kirin Pictures follows suit and the quality is slightly worse, they will be accused of imitating others. What's more, the mainland lacks experience in martial arts drama production, so poor filming is almost certain. As a result, it will attract a lot of criticism. For Kirin Pictures, it is a thankless effort and naturally not worth it.
Therefore, it is better to choose an unpopular work to film. Even if the film is slightly inferior, it will not be easy to compare, and the audience's evaluation will be better.
And "Lian Cheng Jue" is an unpopular one among Jin Yong. Only in 1980 and 1980, a movie and a TV series were filmed, but no one touched it at other times.
More importantly, neither TV series nor movies have ever been introduced to the mainland, so for mainland audiences, this is likely to be their first time watching "The Secret of the City". As long as it is made with care, I believe it should have a good reputation.
The version starring Wu Yue and Shu Chang, although not very influential, has a very good reputation.
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The script of "Liancheng Jue" was written by Xiang Nan himself. The actors were also selected by him personally.
The protagonist Di Yun is still Wu Yue. Not only is he a martial arts athlete, but he was also admitted to the Central Academy of Drama with the first place in the acting major. It can be said that he has skills and acting skills and is worth cultivating.
As the female protagonist Shui Sheng, Xiang Nan chose Chen Hao after careful consideration.
On the one hand, among many current artists, Chen Hao's appearance is considered top-notch; on the other hand, her acting skills are also very good. In addition, she had just acted in "Endless", which gave her a certain degree of popularity; on the one hand, Chen Hao served him with the utmost care, so of course he had to reciprocate.
After considering the female supporting role Qi Fang, Xiang Nan recommended Jiang Qinqin. Her image and temperament have a kind of weakness and sadness, which makes me feel pity for her.
The male supporting actor Ding Dian is played by Hu Jun. He is just right to play such a tough guy. Ling Shuanghua is played by Zhao Mingming. With her looks and temperament, she is just right to play this beautiful woman with a miserable life experience.
The villain, the Blood Knife Ancestor, is naturally Ji Chunhua, and he is the perfect choice to play this role. As for the other villain Hua Tiegan, he still considered casting a six-year-old boy.
Liu Xiaolingtong's acting skills are very underestimated. He can not only play monkeys, he can also play other roles very well. For example, the eldest son in "Chinese New Year" was played very well by him, who was cowardly and introverted. And Hua Tiegan is another classic created by him.
In addition, Xiang Nan is also planning to play a role in the play, playing Wan Zhenshan. On the one hand, I am addicted to acting, and on the other hand, I am assisting Wang Wenjie in filming.
After all, when mainland directors make martial arts dramas, people are always a little worried. After all, Xiang Nan has decades of acting experience, so he still has some experience.
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Filming preparations for "City Linking" began immediately.
From the very beginning of the clothing styling, Xiang Nan was involved and designed together with the costume designers and stylists.
Because mainland martial arts drama production experience is scarce, the costumes and styles are mostly directly borrowed from ancient costumes, similar to orthodox historical dramas.
But martial arts dramas are not orthodox historical dramas after all. It is an adult fairy tale with a certain mysterious color, so the clothing style should be more freehand than realistic.
Of course, it is not advisable to completely trust the horse and rein. After entering the new century, the styles of mainland martial arts dramas were once eye-catching because the stylists went crazy. Not realistic but purely freehand, just do whatever you want.
Xiang Nan is proficient in the appreciation of cultural relics, calligraphy and painting, and is familiar with the clothing regulations of past dynasties. In addition, he is good at painting and has studied costume design for a period of time. Therefore, with his participation, the design of "Liancheng Jue" is not only based on ancient prototypes, but also has certain innovations. Everyone's feedback has been very positive. very good.
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In May 1999, after four months of preparation, the filming of "City Links" officially started.
Although this drama only has an investment of 15 million, it is the most important work of Kirin Pictures. After all, the big boss Xiang Nan is busy with the work, so how can anyone else dare to be lazy?
Even Chen Hao and Jiang Qinqin spent a period of time practicing martial arts moves to avoid being too fancy when filming started.
This TV series was first shot at the Huairou Feiteng Film and Television Base on the outskirts of Yanjing. This film and television base was built in 1995 by Taiwan Feiteng Film and Television. It is currently the largest film and television base in northern China.
"The Return of the Princess", "Kangxi's Private Interview", "The God of Wealth Arrives", "Yongzheng Dynasty", "Li Wei as an Official", etc. were all filmed here.
Nowadays, Feiteng Film and Television City has also started filming a number of TV series, such as "Little Li's Flying Knife" starring Jiao Enjun and Xiao Qiang; "Peerless Twins" starring Su Youpeng, Lin Zhiying, Chen Derong; "Dharma" starring Lu Liangwei and Yu Xiaofan, etc.
Several groups of people gathered together, as many as a thousand people. Coupled with tourists, extras, vendors, etc., the film and television city is extremely lively.
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The TV station immediately started filming.
The first filming was about Di Yun and Qi Fang following Qi Changfa into the city to visit their uncle Wan Zhenshan.
Qi Changfa is played by Ni Dahong, and his acting skills cannot be underestimated. It can be said that he is among the people with the highest acting skills in the mainland.
Fortunately, Xiang Nan is not too bad. He is not as proficient as Ni Dahong, but he is still very familiar with it. Therefore, it is still possible to take the role.
This is already very impressive. After all, he is not a professional actor, so it is really not easy for him to act so well. This also put a lot of pressure on the other actors in the same crew, and none of them dared to relax.
Even if there is no announcement, come to the crew to report. Either watching the filming or reciting the lines and trying to figure out the characters, this also made the atmosphere in the crew very good.
Unlike some crews in real life. The lead actor messes up things, the director messes up things, the top beam is not straight and the bottom beam is crooked, and other actors are also fooling around. You can naturally imagine the quality of the drama produced.
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