There are more than 400 ＂green leaves＂ in Xiangshan Film and Television City. They are ＂passers-by＂ floating.
Group performers who play the role of the people in "Snow in the River of the Wilderness". Photo courtesy of Kou Xiangzhi
Do you know that?/You know what? To the sky kingdom, nirvana in fire and other popular TV dramas in recent two years were all shot in Xiangshan Film and Television City. In this film and television base, where the domestic filming crew ranks second, there is a special group-"Elephant Drift" extras.
They are walking in the street with vague faces, and they are soldiers who fell on the battlefield when they attacked the city and plundered the land. However, just as red flowers can’t be separated from green leaves, any red TV series can’t be separated from group performances after the opening.
At present, in Xiangshan Film and Television City, major dramas such as "Wu Dong Gan Kun", "A Fire Like a Song", "Your Highness the Wolf" and "Stinging Bureau" are being filmed intensively, and hundreds of people are required to perform in groups every day. Several nearby villages, such as Shangpan, Shangling ‘ao, Zhongling ‘ao and Xialing ‘ao, are called "Actor Villages" because of their collective performances. Recently, the reporter came to Xiangshan Film and Television City to explore the glory and dreams, sadness and hardship of group performances.
More than 400 people have become professional "passers-by" here
The so-called iron group performance, the flowing crew. Wang Xi, the head of the Actors Association of Xiangshan Film and Television City, listed a set of data to reporters: the number of permanent group performances was only 50 around 2006, and now it has increased to more than 400; There were only two group performance studios last year, and this year it has suddenly increased to six.
How good is the group performance business? The data shows that last year, Xiangshan Film and Television City received 232 crews, including 103 shooting crews, and the number of group performances reached 49,650, a year-on-year increase of 35%, a record high. "The situation this year is even better." Wang Xi said that by the end of June, the number of group performances this year had reached 26,500, surpassing last year’s record is a high probability event.
In Wang Xi’s view, resident group performances can be divided into several categories. The first kind is an actor’s dream, diligent, dedicated and proactive. Some people will eventually become big special guests or group actors, and very few will be promoted to deputy directors to help the crew find people. The second kind can obey the arrangement and complete the shooting task well; The third category needs to supervise and manage, and it is so-so but it can pass the customs; The last category is the smooth dough sticks, who muddle along, and sometimes they are persuaded by the crew to return. After several times, the studio will also repel them.
"Group performances should also talk about professionalism. Although the qualifications are good and bad, at least we must not be afraid of hardship and fatigue, and we must not be lazy. " Wang Xi said that although the threshold for group performances is low, it is not without "rules".
Some are motivated by idolize, and some fantasize about being a star.
In recent years, in addition to resident group performances, many young people have come to the film and television city to experience the life of group performances for a short time.
Some people imagine Studio City as a show for auditions, thinking that there are talent scouts everywhere, and they can become stars by performing one or two plays themselves. These people usually come back disappointed.
Some people come to idolize, mostly young women. They will ask the group leader (the person in charge of the group performance studio) to arrange themselves into the crew where a certain star is located. However, group leaders generally use fans with caution, fearing that these fans will lose control when they see idols and disturb the order of the crew.
Some people are playing with tickets, taking advantage of holidays, or changing jobs, to string a play to satisfy their curiosity. There are also people who are very obsessed with performance, and they will report every once in a while.
There is another kind of people who come to "heal the wounds and avoid the world." They may be frustrated by their work, or their emotions, or their families have changed. They can put on costumes and be in the crowd, so they can temporarily forget their anguish.
In recent years, with more and more crews stationed, there are not enough group performances from time to time. At this time, the actors’ guild will find people from nearby villages or other places to perform as a group.
Kou Xiangzhi plays the role of a military chef in "The Story of Pasturing Clouds at Sea".
Xie Jianqing plays one of the "heroes" in a martial arts film. Photo courtesy of respondents
The income is 8 hours a day, starting from 60 yuan, and you can get a small red envelope from 10 yuan when you play the corpse.
Group performance is hierarchical. The lowest level of group performance income is generally calculated by 8 hours of 60 yuan a day, and "overtime" is counted separately. Generally speaking, for overtime work exceeding 8 hours, 5 yuan will work every hour before 18 o’clock and 8 yuan every hour after 18 o’clock. When encountering strong winds and heavy rains, or wearing armor and other special scenes on a hot day, it will add tens of dollars of hard work. This level of group performance has the lowest threshold and the largest number of people.
At the next higher level, there are certain requirements for image, sometimes tall, sometimes short, sometimes fat, and sometimes small face. They can get an extra 20 to 50 yuan every day.
Further up is the little special envoy. When the big crew is well funded, the small special envoy can get the 200 yuan at most every day. When I met a small crew, the funds were tight, and the small special guests also took 30 yuan’s "opening fee".
The next level is China Special Envoy. According to the number of scenes and lines, the income for 8 hours is about 300 to 500 yuan.
The highest-level group performance is a big special guest. In Hengdian, individual big special guests can get 5,000 yuan a day, and in Xiangshan Film and Television City, 1000 yuan is almost the same.
The daily income of large, medium and small special guests is much higher than that of ordinary group performances, but they are used once or twice at most in a play, and if they are used too much, they will be ruined. In this episode, the old farmer who guides the man in the mountains can’t be the boss who greets the woman in the inn in the next episode, can he? Therefore, today is a special guest, and tomorrow may be a faceless ordinary group performance.
There are also minors who act as group performers, and the price is about one or two hundred yuan. Most parents hold the psychology of letting their children exercise. Because of the need for family transportation, they have an extra transportation fee than ordinary group performances.
The group performance of the corpse will get a small red envelope, usually 5 yuan and 10 yuan. If you need to shave your head, you will also get extra money. Men can get an extra 50 yuan to 100 yuan, but women generally don’t want to, so when the crew needs a nun, they usually find another way.
According to incomplete statistics, the monthly income of resident group performances usually does not exceed 3000 yuan.
Story A He used to be a chef, but now he is the leader of the group.
With slender eyes and a high nose, 28-year-old Kou Xiangzhi does not have a public face, but many people who first met him will feel that he looks familiar.
"This is probably because I have been a group performer in many film and television dramas." Kou Xiangzhi told reporters that in his early years, he was a "drifting" in Hengdian Film and Television City, and in 2013 he came to Xiangshan Film and Television City as an "elephant drifting" because there were more opportunities here. Now he has occasionally been addicted to drama in film and television dramas. "I’m usually a special guest, the kind of group performance that can show my face, say a few words and live for one or two episodes."
But more often, Kou Xiangzhi is the "leader" and runs a local actors studio-Jinglongfei Film and Television Culture Studio with more than 110 group performances, and more than 150 in the peak season. "The off-season peak season of the film and television city has nothing to do with the weather, but mainly depends on the number of crews."
Kou Xiangzhi was a chef in his early years. By chance, he was introduced by a friend and became a group performer in Hengdian. The first play is My Anti-Japanese War II. I have to change two or three sets of clothes a day. In the morning, I am still in communist party, and in the afternoon, I become a Japanese soldier. "goof? No, most group performances don’t even have a chance to show their faces. " Yan Xiangzhi said.
Costumes often make people sick. A 30-episode costume drama takes about 3 months to shoot. From the start to the end, the costumes of the group performances may not be cleaned once, and hundreds of people have worn a pair of shoes. "Some group performances will arrive at the crew early, hang the clothes and sprinkle some toilet water. Some girls, no matter how hot it is, don’t take off their close-fitting clothes. " Yan Xiangzhi said.
Group performance has the bitterness of group performance, and the group leader has the difficulty of group leader. The group performance didn’t work well, which led to the blame of NG and the crew, and it was the group leader who was scolded. It is said that the price has shrunk for some reason, and the group leader has to go through several rounds between the crew and the group performance. On a daily basis, the group leader is responsible for the food and accommodation of the group performance, and sometimes even handles dormitory conflicts like the aunt in charge of the dormitory and supervises the hygiene of the dormitory.
B He wants to sign up for an actor training class and become a special guest.
Xie Jianqing, 27, never thought that one day he would turn acting into a career. "At that time, there were some changes at home, and I was in a mess. I’ hid’ in the studio. Unexpectedly, I didn’t want to come out as soon as I entered the show."
Xie Jianqing also changed from "horizontal drifting" to "elephant drifting", because the group performance in Hengdian is almost saturated, and it is difficult for newcomers to get ahead, while there are many good opportunities in Xiangshan. Over the past few years, originally from Henan, he has made this his second home.
Many people think it’s easy to perform in a group, just stand on your feet. Xie Jianqing shook his head: "For filming, it is common to go out early and come home late, and three meals are not good. In the big summer, the average person can’t stand staying outside for half an hour, and we can stick to it for three hours. "
Sometimes, filming is dangerous. There is a scene in which the protagonist drives a truck and crashes the whole street. Bamboo poles, boards, pots and bowls are flying everywhere, and the group performers are going to flee. The director asked not to run too early, and he had to get in front of the car to avoid it. In that scene, Xie Jianqing was brave enough to finish filming, and a few days later, in retrospect, he was still jumpy.
Having said that, he is still unwilling to let him not film. Why do you love filming? Xie Jianqing said that every time he puts on different costumes, it is like experiencing a different life, and the knowledge he has gained from the play is precious to him who graduated from junior high school. The most important thing is that we have a group of like-minded friends around us, and we all work hard together, feeling very full and happy.
Xie Jianqing loves drama, and sometimes when he walks on the road, his lines will pop up in his mouth. He said that it is very interesting to ponder lines and characters.
At present, Xie Jianqing often has the opportunity to become a small special envoy or a middle special envoy, and his goal is to become a big special envoy. To this end, he is planning to sign up for an actor training class. "I am not a trained person, and I feel that there is still a big gap with them. I often watch some big special performances next to me, and I feel that I still have a long way to go. "
C is respected, which is the aspiration of many group performances
Xie Jianqing likes actor Eddie Peng Yuyan very much. During a filming break, he was playing mobile games in the corner. Eddie Peng Yuyan came to chat with him: "Brother, what are you playing?" In this sentence, his affection for this popular niche doubled.
Group performers like a certain star, which is different from the people who eat melons. Most of them will be moved by similar plots and like some kind, kind and unpretentious stars.
"When filming, we are often bossed around, and some crew members will not really look at us. There are also some small actors who have a particularly big temper and especially love to play. " Kobayashi (a pseudonym), a group performer, said it was hard to be treated as a second-class citizen.
He gave an example. It was hard to film in summer, and the leading actor sometimes invited the crew to have a cold drink, but the crew didn’t count the group.
Sometimes, when it is clearly wrong for a group performance, the director will scold all the group performances, saying "you guys", "you guys" and "you guys". This made Kobayashi puzzled: "What happened to’ we’?"
Kobayashi told reporters that he may quit next month, his income is not high, and he often suffers from anger. Why bother?
But more "elephants drift" choose forbearance and persistence, for the sake of the actor’s dream in their hearts and the immediate livelihood. Only in the bottom of my heart, they are still eager to be respected and better continue their life drama.
research
More than half of the "elephant drift" is born after 90, and nearly 90% of the education is high school or below.
Culture is an important soft power for Ningbo to build a "famous city". Xiangshan Film and Television City has become the most shining cultural card in Xiangshan.
The youth group performance active in Xiangshan has also attracted the attention of the Communist Youth League Committee. All the students in the first group of the 19th training course for young cadres in Ningbo learned about and entered the group performance of "Elephant Drift" through personal experience of group performance, home interviews and questionnaires, and submitted a copy of "Investigation on the Living Conditions of Young Mass Actors in Xiangshan Film and Television City and Countermeasures".
According to the survey, among the youth group performances, Xiangshan natives account for 3%, Ningbo outside Xiangshan County accounts for 3%, Ningbo outside Zhejiang Province accounts for 9%, and Zhejiang Province accounts for 85%, mostly from Yunnan, Anhui, Sichuan, Guizhou and Hunan.
The ratio between men and women is quite different, with men accounting for 75% of the total number and women accounting for only 25%. At the same time, the young extras in Xiangshan Film and Television City are generally younger, aged between 18 and 35, and 54% of them are born after 90.
Most young extras in Xiangshan Film and Television City have not received formal and systematic art education, and their cultural quality is low. The survey shows that only 1% of them have a bachelor’s degree, 10% have a junior college degree, 50% have a high school or technical secondary school degree, 37% have a junior high school degree, and 2% have a primary school degree or below.
60% of the youth groups have been in Xiangshan for less than three months, and only 6% have been in Xiangshan for three to five years, while almost none have been in Xiangshan for more than five years.
About 30% of the group performances are satisfied with their jobs.
According to the research report, there is almost no minimum salary for group performances, and there is no special insurance mechanism. Unless there is a major accident and the crew is forced to pay compensation, the personal safety of the group performance basically depends on their own care. In addition, most of the group performances did not apply for an actor’s license and other relevant certificates. As a third-party coordination organization, actors’ guild can only guarantee that wages will not be deducted, but most of the group performances have weak legal awareness, and there is no basis for claiming compensation if other economic disputes occur.
A staff member of the Communist Youth League Committee who participated in the survey told the reporter that what impressed them the most was that "the leading role is tea, the group performance is boiled water, and this tea is not complete without boiled water." However, the present situation of youth group performance is not optimistic, and their satisfaction with the job of group performance is mostly "average". They may have dreams, but their wages are not high, their working environment is unpredictable, and whether they have a job every day is not fixed, all of which are the shackles of their dreams.
It is suggested to improve the living security level of "Xiang Piao" and "bridge" to help them realize their dream of becoming a star.
In view of the living conditions and many difficulties faced by "Xiang Piao", the research report puts forward many suggestions from the perspective of integrating the resources of relevant government departments to better serve and manage these "floating" new Xiangshan people.
The report pointed out that with the investment and construction of Xiangshan Film and Television (base) of Zhejiang Radio and Television Group, the reception capacity and reception capacity of the future crew of Film and Television City will be greatly improved, and the demand for group performances will be further increased. It is necessary to strengthen the humanistic care for "Xiang Piao" and create a good soft environment for it to truly integrate into Xiangshan. While reporting the stars, we might as well pay attention to the "elephant drifters" appropriately. League organizations can combine the construction of Youth Voices column, unite the two Youth League committees of xinqiao town Municipal Government and Studio Management Committee, and set up interactive columns such as consultation, interviews and special topics to pay attention to the lives of "elephant drifters" and promote their better growth.
In addition, the living security level of "elephant drift" has been continuously improved. Further clarify the responsibilities of the Actors Association of Xiangshan Film and Television City, promote the cooperation between film and television companies and insurance companies, purchase accident insurance, and gradually establish a minimum living guarantee and social assistance system for "elephant drift".
Many "elephant drifters" have dreams of being a star and are eager to become talents in this land. Our government might as well unite the strength of enterprises and all sectors of society to strengthen the vocational training of "elephant drift". Strengthen cooperation with large domestic film and television shooting bases such as Hengdian, enhance the mutual exchange and learning of extras, and help them realize their "film and television dreams". At the same time, the service level will be improved, and the film and television tourism brand will be launched to provide a more stable and comfortable living and employment environment for the "elephant drift" group.