The Birth of Love Myth —— Interview with producer Ye Ting

Whether you like Love Myth or not, this movie is hard to be ignored by the market.

A love movie about middle-aged people is different from previous works in its genre and structure. It is filmed in dialect and filmed in Shanghai all the time, and it is the director’s debut. According to the market’s judgment of mainstream works, this project sounds like there is no possibility of being invested until the shooting is successful. But on the contrary, what we want to say is the movie Love Myth, which is highly praised by the phenomenal audience.

"Love Myth" has brought a fresh atmosphere to the film market in China, which not only comes from the expression of the film, but also has the professional attitude shown by the younger generation of producers. It allows us to see the excellent ability of female filmmakers in film production, as well as the concept and style of the younger generation of filmmakers, as well as innovative thinking on the production of traditional types of film content.

Poster of Love Myth

The core production team of "Love Myth" is very wonderful, and the directors and producers are all "new generations" in the industry. The matching photography director, production designer, sound director, etc. are all very sophisticated and have rich working experience. In the end, they created a high-quality content work together. All the masters of Love Myth told me that I haven’t met such a cool crew for many years. In this creative atmosphere, they are willing to inspire their greatest strength to integrate into the work.

Why can this film maintain such a complete expression of the author and ensure the high quality of the script to be continued at the production end? What do the veteran crew members see in it? The film and television industry network chatted with Ye Ting, the producer of this film, about the shooting process of "Love Myth" and unveiled the realistic myth behind "Love Myth".

Before we begin, let’s sort out the background of the production cycle of Love Myth. The film started from September, 2020, and completed this discussion. In December, the actors surrounded it. In February, 2021, it was prepared in Shanghai, officially launched on March 20th, and released nationwide on December 24th. During the preparation period, I experienced the epidemic situation in Shanghai, and after filming, I used the whole process of shooting in Shanghai. Seemingly relaxed, in fact, it has won a chance in challenges and opportunities.

Producer Ye Ting

Ye Ting graduated from the Central Academy of Drama with a bachelor’s degree in directing in 2010. In the same year, he worked for Sohu Company, managing the film cooperation business of the Group; In 2015, he joined the director’s studio in Xú Zhēng (now True Music Culture) and successively served as the propaganda director of the film "Hong Kong" in Lost in Russia; Since 2016, he has been committed to the development and production of drama works for young directors, including Living Together in Time and Space (supervised by Xú Zhēng and directed by Su Lun), which broke the box office record of domestic love movies in 2018 and won favorable comments; In 2019, he was selected into the Cannes Young Producer Training Program of the Wu Tianming Special Fund of the China Film Foundation, and in the same year, he was awarded the honor of the winner of the "Exhibition Program" and the training opportunity by BAFTA; In 2021, he was the producer of the film Love Myth.

Film and Television Industry Network: Director Shao Yihui is a director for the first time. What considerations will be made in the early stage when she is chosen as a director?

Ye Ting: With his original story ideas, the director was very clear about his creative identity during the First venture capital roadshow, and that appearance was well received. It was also favored by Mr. Chen Lizhi (producer/chief producer of Love Myth) and Mr. Ma Yili, who served as the judges present, and laid an important foundation for the implementation of the project. Later, we read the literary script adjusted after her roadshow. The content conception (lines) is quite wonderful, and the perspective (love relationship of middle-aged people) is also unique. Teacher Xú Zhēng has been supporting young directors all these years, and attaches great importance to creators who have the ability of original scripts. He has been the producer and starring in the project and has given affirmative support to the project.

Shao and I had many explorations in the early stage, talking about the form of the work, the concept of creation, the concept of work, and even her imagination of audio-visual details around the script story. I found that although she had no experience in directing feature films at that time, she had full confidence in the content she created, at the same time, she knew how to absorb opinions and was highly aware of audio and video. As well as her own interest and relaxation, personality tension, etc., these qualities are gradually released through the process of modifying the script, communicating with actors, and selecting the main creation, which brings us confidence and helps everyone reach a consensus, convinced that she has the ability and aesthetics to tell a story well through the screen, as well as teamwork.

In fact, the most important cornerstone of this 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 director and potential partners.

Ye Ting and Shao Yihui first share the scene.

Film and Television Industry Network: The genre presentation of "Love Myth" is different from previous works in the market. What do you think of its "uniqueness" so as to locate the production focus of this work?

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

When I first saw the half-page story outline, I understood that it was a story about the love of (middle-aged) elderly people. Frankly speaking, it was this narrative perspective that attracted me. A young woman told the love relationship story of a group of mature people, and constructed a value view and regional ecology, which was unique in the current market. Since some people created the text and some people were attracted to it, how to realize the transformation is a very concrete process of integrating knowledge with practice.

Its production from specifications to volume is far from industrial level, and the Dojo is made in the screw shell. I think the key points are nothing more than three points:

First, ensure that the director’s authorship is continued and released continuously, and the value viewpoint is protected;

Second, ensure that the actors and masters who really like the script and have the same creative ideas join the project to gain creative freedom and security;

Third, ensure that the highly aesthetic details are implemented, and complete the production on time, with good quality and in line with the budget plan.

These three points are also the basic principles that run through my whole work, making important adjustments and making decisions.

　

I’m a big-sized drama lover myself, and my favorite author is Richard Curtis. His works include Notting Hill, Love Actually, Traveler in Time and Space, Four Weddings and a Funeral, and so on. Each film is full of intellectuals, fashion sense and decent characters. Look at his films, they are all commercial films, and they will be wrapped, moved and warmed by the love conveyed. I am also committed to developing similar works: the values are ascending, and the stories like bright gems are excavated in the most ordinary life. Everyone has a gem and they don’t know it.

Poster of Living Together in Time and Space

In 2016, I participated in the development and production of the first project "Living Together in Time and Space" (producer Xú Zhēng, screenwriter and director Su Lun), which is also a love movie. It was a very standard and excellent commercial film, romantic fantasy comedy, which did a lot of work for genre breakthrough and integration in the early stage. In the end, the story strictly followed the standard three-act structure and the law of commercial film creation. After two years of transformation, it was seen and liked by everyone.

However, the birth of the script of Love Myth makes people "caught off guard", and the uniqueness of its construction largely stems from the text: you can’t find the traditional three-act narrative structure only by looking at the script. It is not obvious, but it has a strong style from lines to characters. Like a submarine volcano, all emotions and details are erupting in the undercurrent. From another dimension, from the perspective of women, values are properly placed in a film, and love-type movies have the opportunity to be innovative in form, which is the "gem".

The Love Myth was rated in Douban movies.

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

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

Several of my friends said, "I want to invite you for a drink after watching the movie", not to celebrate, but to have a drink between friends and talk a few words. This is exactly what they are brought in by movies in their tired lives and healed by the conveyed emotions, which is the significance of movies affecting their lives. The word-of-mouth of Love Myth also proves the market’s (audience’s) desire for a breakthrough in genre themes. Is it possible to give investors more confidence and let everyone support innovative works? I think this also gives young creators confidence that their hard work is meaningful.

I have a reflection on myself. The core audience of Love Myth is in first-and second-tier cities, and the content is right for them. The attendance rate remains high, and the audience pays for it actively (for example, the box office in Shanghai is over 100 million). When we make commercial movies, the conventional thinking is that we hate not being able to penetrate all the films from the first line to the sinking. In fact, this is a beautiful expectation. Now that the investment environment of the industry is shrinking and the core resources are polarized, can we treat expectations more rationally at this stage: correspond the film volume to the segmented audience groups, and use the stock of the groups to push back the costs and risks, so as to achieve a balance between investment and income. I have a good friend’s WeChat avatar, which is very interesting, and it represents the view that a film is an arrival when it finds an audience who likes it. This is true from investment to creation.

Part of "Love Myth" takes a group photo, from left: Chen Lizhi, producer/chief producer of "Love Myth"; Actor Justin; Producer/starring Xú Zhēng; Director/screenwriter Shao Yihui; Starring wuyue; Producer Ye Ting; Photography director Chen Jun; Executive producer Wu Tingting

Film and Television Industry Network: In the specific production process, in the early stage, I helped the new director to build a team. What problems have you thought about in the cooperation with other masters? What have you done?

In fact, there is no secret for the new director to match the main creative team. From online actors and teachers to departmental guidance, just like looking for an object, we should avoid climbing the dragon and attaching importance to the phoenix, and stress the right match and empathy. Without the slightest love, it is difficult for a relationship to survive. I have had the privilege of working with four new directors with different personalities and creative styles, and I have gained a lot of experience and lessons. I always put "matching degree" in the first place to build a cooperative relationship.

When selecting the main creative works, I will come up with different ladder candidate schemes according to the consensus understanding of the works reached with the director and the tonality of the main creative works. I will fully communicate with the potential creative director face to face and have a high degree of adaptability before giving the script to the other party. After reading the script, I will introduce the idea to the director to meet and talk for several 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 with the passion of co-creation, and whether he has an open mind enough to integrate into the teamwork of the new director will be clear in the process.

In the early communication with the starring teacher, we followed the working method taught by the producer Xú Zhēng: telling stories face to face. For example, Teacher wuyue shared her thoughts on the role with us through face-to-face communication. She felt that her ex-wife Beibei was a "divorced, I still feel that you belong to me." The possessive mentality is very accurate and vivid, and these feedbacks are also boosting the creation and reversely nourishing the role. Through the process of telling stories, we build a sense of connection and role trust. Through this process, we also give up the partners who have different interpretations.

Stills of Love Myth

"Love Myth" is a story with a modern urban background. I think it is the most basic to have aesthetic and real life texture online. How do you understand the city of Shanghai, how to understand the taste of middle-aged people, and how to handle the aesthetic feeling presented by the script through your position are all the parts that the work cares about. When everyone has the same idea, full of creative passion, and the periodic budget is consistent, they can embrace cooperation with open arms.

Fortunately, we made the right choice, and the team attracted the best actors and teachers and the masters of the experienced core departments, who all burned great enthusiasm for the works. Therefore, the overall creative structure was very stable and positive, and everyone became a partner for the first time.

Screenshot of "Love Myth" stills: Guest school bus teacher in Ye Ting’s film

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

Ye Ting: The director is about the same age as me, and we are both idealists. We always put respect and communication first. The relationship between directors and producers, in my opinion, is not who controls who, nor who serves whom. On the positive side, it is more like a relationship of co-creation and growth.

We serve the work itself together.

In the early stage, the director and I reached a consensus on the concept of work: we all hope to lead the team work with a light attitude without losing faith, and the internal driving force is to concentrate on doing different good things, so we made three agreements:

First, between us, if there are doubts arising from work, we need to speak out directly at the first time;

Second, put an end to formalism and waste, spend all the money on the content production itself, and adjust the decision at the production level only around this purpose;

Third, take the lead in creating a friendly and respectful working atmosphere and refuse to brush the sense of individual existence.

We performed well.

　

As the producer of this project, I not only organize and manage, but also take on a connecting role. On the practical level, I work closely with the director, trudging hard, and on the major decision-making level, I need to keep close communication with the producer and the chief producer to ensure the stability and effectiveness of joint decision-making.

Stills of Love Myth

For example, a small matter, the main scene of the film shooting is Lao Baijia. This scene has been established in the early stage, and drawings have been drawn. When watching the scene of Miss Li’s home, I accidentally found this house. The director thinks that this house conforms to her positioning of the old White House in terms of structure and details. Therefore, it is controversial whether to shoot live or shed. The source of the dispute is the contradiction between aesthetic demand and production cost and uncontrollable risk. There are many problems to be faced in real-life shooting in the most densely populated residential area in the city center: residents’ complaints and stop shooting caused by long-term shooting, parking of shooting vehicles in urban areas, road traffic problems caused by equipment erection, and so on. This is not only a question of workload, but also directly leads to uncontrollable cost and cycle.

I remember that day when I returned to the station, the director pointed to the photos of that house, describing in detail the shape of the curtain rod and the design of the kitchen to tell why that house was the most suitable for Laobai. At that time, it was less than a month before the boot, and I understood the important functions carried by this core scene. In a sense, this house is also an integral part of our narrative. I didn’t immediately agree, but first held a meeting to sort out all possible unfavorable factors, and the production department evaluated the cycle and budget changes and the corresponding backup plan. To sort everything out, I should be responsible to the producer and the chief producer while supporting the director’s creative intention, stating why I did this, what the possible problems are, 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 are all very supportive of the creation that is conducive to the development of content. Finally, they gave us some instructions and let us do it according to our own wishes.

Stills of Love Myth

In fact, the whole city shooting is treading on thin ice every day. Shooting is not allowed after 21 o’clock in Shanghai, so we have to strictly follow this working time, which will have a great test on the shooting and total cycle of the night show. In "Love Myth", the main characters’ meals and parties all take place at night, which is very complicated to schedule. In the early stage, I discussed with the photography teacher whether we can use the working mode of shooting day and night. We made a scene of Shoot, and finally found that this shooting method would have an impact on the film texture. In order to ensure the artistic quality of the film, give up decisively. In order to complete the "Night Shooting" in a limited time, the main producer of the crew started to rehearse the play every day one week before shooting, and the director adjusted the content to be accurate by reading the script in Shanghai dialect. Therefore, when shooting, the core creative works have a good idea of the text content and shooting rhythm, which speeds up the work efficiency and completes the shooting ahead of schedule.

In the later stage, we also actively absorbed the evaluation opinions of the propaganda team in the processing of the edited version. After the discussion, we added eggs, and many people just laughed at the WeChat conversation.

Stills of Love Myth

Film and Television Industry Network: Have you ever been stopped when shooting in the city?

　

Ye Ting: Shanghai is a very open city with a high level of overall governance, which provides 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 reasons. At that time, the situation was irreversible. We quickly closed the team and went to the main scene, taking a lot of temporary shots, such as the scene of Lao Bai playing drums on the rooftop, and looking for the scenery again.

　

I am most worried about affecting the enthusiasm and efficiency of team work when this happens. We held a production meeting that night, and I expressed my views, and no one needed to be responsible for it. I think this is a very good thing, which reminds us to adjust and improve our working methods according to the environment. Later, when we went to shoot in the street, the producer gave us a lot of tips on shooting in downtown areas by streamlining the number of people and equipment. On the other hand, it helps us to improve the production management, and really makes our working environment space highly integrated.

"Love Myth" crew badge; We made a name tag with a "clap" prompt.

Film and television industry network: In addition to the main creation, in fact, a crew is very important to the production team in operation. Among these positions that are responsible for operation, which positions do you value more?

　

Ye Ting: First of all, I personally understand that the perspective of the operation of the crew is still an organism and an absolute community concept. All departments need to establish a unified frequency in a short time. If the production team must be singled out, of course, the focus is on the production director. Whether personality, professional ethics, work philosophy and ability can meet the demands of team work is very important.

There are more than 100 people in the crew, and it is equally important that everyone can produce safely and orderly. The entire production team is made up of very professional practitioners who have helped the project with their own experience. Of course, there are also young practitioners, our executive producer Tingting. She is the first executive producer, but her execution is very strong, and she can quickly absorb opinions and improve her working methods. My assistant, Yu Bo, has strong communication skills and is willing to help others’ needs while finishing his job. I think these people are in a very good state, which has nothing to do with their ability, and is part of a virtuous circle of talent development in the industry.

Work photo of "Love Myth": Take a break at the shooting scene, and the violinist will play for you.

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

　

Ye Ting: Our pre-planned shooting cycle is 42 days, and we will eventually finish the filming ahead of schedule.

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 didn’t shoot the whole scene. For example, at that time, some people suggested shooting some empty mirrors, but the director didn’t shoot them when he didn’t think it was necessary. Secondly, all departments create professionalism online, and the pre-production team has done a lot of content and cost communication, matching the most specific scheme in every detail, saving the communication cost in the middle and late stages; Finally, and most importantly, everything is based on everyone’s love for the work, and everyone does things with a creative attitude, and the investment is extremely high.

Work photos of Love Myth; There is a flower shop near Laobaijia. If I have nothing to do, I will choose flowers and put them on their dressing tables before the actors arrive.

Film and Television Industry Network: Budget and taste sometimes seem to conflict. In production, how to spend money will be an important consideration, so is there a focus on your specific production budget?

　

Ye Ting: I don’t have a coup for budget management, and it’s not a luxury production, but we are not short of money, and everything is fully in place. Our starring teachers are very good. They regard acting in the "Love Myth" crew every day as a part of Shanghai’s daily life.

My approach is to start with people. For example, when inviting the creative teachers, I should clearly tell them what kind of project this is and how it works. After reading the script, they will tell me their capacity estimates and real ideas about the script, so that everyone can judge whether they can reach an agreement on the expectations. Details to the need to configure the staff in and out of the day, etc., all parts should 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-pushing.

Work photos of Love Myth

Film and Television Industry Network: There are many expressions of women’s views in Love Myth, but the film producer to the general producer are all men. What do you think is the reason why "Love Myth" can be filmed and the quality of the content will not deteriorate?

　

Ye Ting: There is a big premise. My two leaders, xu teacher (producer Xú Zhēng) and General Manager Chen (chief producer Chen Lizhi), are top practitioners in their respective fields, but they can fully trust and respect the work of the young team, giving us room to play, and not everyone can have this opportunity. From the overall artistic control to the flexibility of fund scheduling, people are always in a relaxed state and devote themselves wholeheartedly to content production.

Without this premise, I believe that the form of this work would not be like this, it is a work supported by sincerity and love. Our creative relationship is very harmonious. Whether it’s me and the director, or between us and the producer and the chief producer, this cooperative relationship is very open. We have acquired scarce resources — — The creative security brought by full recognition.

In addition, we all have high requirements for our own professionalism. We can see each other’s bright spots, find shortcomings, and point them out for improvement.

There is also that everyone is fearless, fully trusts each other and dares to do this.

"Love Myth" started on the same day.

Film and Television Industry Network: A crew is actually 90% male, and the directors and producers are very young women. In the face of this problem, will 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 make them absorb your ideas? Twist into a rope in a short time to create works.

I think we have solved this problem in the simplest and truest way. Actually, it’s misplaced. Our crew has never organized any dinners to engage in relationships except for a dinner prepared for the New Year’s Eve. We are devoted to this project from top to bottom. This persistence and enthusiasm can be felt by each other, so we have established a professional working atmosphere from the beginning, which has won everyone’s respect. The creative teachers trust us very much, and everyone has smooth and equal communication channels.

A corner of the cast of "Love Myth"

Calligraphy works directed by photography in the preparatory period

Film and Television Industry Network: There will be a lot of problems in filming. For you, do you predict the problems in advance or how to reduce them?

Ye Ting: The problem of pre-judgment depends on limited experience, and my experience is limited, so I visited the local producers in Shanghai and the Cultural Tourism Bureau in the early stage and listened to their detailed suggestions on the whole city shooting. Now the social environment is very open, and I went to the door to ask people sincerely, and they also made sincere suggestions.

The rest is what I did myself. I went to the set every day, thinking, communicating, summarizing and reflecting all the time. My assistant is a post-90 s generation, and he said that I am the most reflective person in the world, and there is no one left. But this is my state. I build the trust of the team by solving specific problems and let the team move forward together. As the saying goes: people are United, Mount Tai moves. We are quite neat.

Thoughts; The director captured the producer when he was in sight, and eventually became the scenery prop of Laobai Art Museum.

Film and Television Industry Network: Both films have performed well. How do you plan your career development?

Ye Ting: Since I graduated, I have been in the industry for ten years. I only handed in two homework assignments, and I did some other projects in the interval. I worked hard for one or two years and was called to stop when I turned on my computer. No one could see it when I cried at night. But these experiences have made me more and more awed by my subordinate industry. It is fun and will be more standardized. From the perspective of time, these two assignments are just the preheating of career. From the perspective of space, individuals are only a small part of the industry.

An elder always told me: "People who do things seriously will always have a chance." I have to keep up with the changes and development of the industry. Under this premise, I should do more practical things, such as how I can continuously promote creative content acquisition opportunities, how to link creative young creators, and finally realize the content ideal through market inspection.

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

Stills of Love Myth

Postscript of the interview:

In fact, this interview made me feel a lot. Movies have the function of recording the times, and each time 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 and for the future? And what kind of posture to present, this is the subject of image creators.

The founders of Love Myth still have a long way to go, but we hope to see countless "Love Myths" appear, and we hope to see young people’s attitudes and gestures in doing things. It’s 2022. In the face of the epidemic or the cold winter of the market, how to make our industry see hope, let’s start from ourselves.

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