Building bridge
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E-mail China Daily, November 3, 2020
In this season of patriotism in China－commemorating a war fought seven decades ago－a slew of films and TV dramas have been released, also indicating better production techniques and storytelling skills.
Topping the country's box-office charts, The Sacrifice, earlier titled Jin Gang Chuan, has become the most talked-about film marking the 70th anniversary of Chinese People's Volunteers in the War to Resist US Aggression and Aid Korea (1950-53).
Many industry insiders say the production process was a "miracle" like the story that the film is based on: the real event of Chinese soldiers building a bridge under intense bombing by US-led forces in order to transport tens of thousands of Chinese troops to the front lines during the Battle of Kumsong－the last battle before an armistice was signed to stop the Korean conflict.
The film's co-directors Guan Hu, Guo Fan and Lu Yang－all seasoned in steering spectacular cinematic productions exemplified by their respective directorial efforts The Eight Hundred, The Wandering Earth and Brotherhood of Blades－started shooting in early August, along with around 5,000 crew members, including around 2,600 special-effects artists, all working around the clock.
Usually, a war film takes years to make. Guan's last film, The Eight Hundred, was in production for nearly a year after he had prepared for the project for 10 years.
However, The Sacrifice took very little time. Liang Jing, the film's producer and Guan's wife, says Guan drafted a 400-word synopsis in a short time, deciding the film would unfold from three perspectives－the Chinese troops, a US fighter pilot and several anti-aircraft gunners. Such a plan made filming more efficient with the three directors simultaneously working on their respective parts.
When Guan and Lu were shooting battle scenes in the wild in Dandong, Northeast China's Liaoning province, Guo was spending most of his time on the outskirts of Beijing working on the visual effects.
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