Interview with author Sun Haohui
Print Edition
PROFESSOR Sun, a native of Shaanxi Province, is a scholar of Chinese history and law at the Northwest University. It took him about 16 years to complete “The Qin Empire” fiction series, which has more than 5 million words.
The award-winning series romanticizes the rise of the Qin state in the Warring States period and the founding of the Qin Dynasty, the first dynasty of imperial China.
Q: Can you share some details about the planning of “The Qin Empire” film and TV franchise?
A: We have set up a new production enterprise to shoot and develop the franchise in collaboration with Ciwen Media. We will also build two film studios and theme parks in Hainan Province, particularly for the sets of China’s early 3,000 years of history.
The film franchise, with four installments about the story of Emperor Yingzheng, will be a mega-production. We hope that it will be among the highest-grossing movies in China. The TV series will have a new interpretation of the period, and we can learn a lot from its reforms and changes.
Q: What’s the highlight of the new franchise?
A: It will highlight many facts about wars and politics in ancient China with astounding and spectacular scenes. People will be amazed by the wits of ancient Chinese people. The customs and lifestyles of people from that period will be rightly displayed.
Q: What are the criteria for selecting actors in the series?
A: There are over 140 characters in the 100-episode drama about Yingzheng, so casting is both difficult and important. Authenticity is the top priority. For instance, according to historical materials, Yingzheng was a very tall man. We will take a lot of things into consideration to select the best candidate who may just be an amateur actor.
Q: What is the major problem facing today’s historical epic dramas?
A: Some directors don’t show much respect for script and history. Some scriptwriters just write a story structure and leave behind lines and dialogues, so many of the lines are improvised while shooting. I think it is not a proper way to make a good historical epic drama.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
