Author: Shen Wanting

Editor: Park Fang

The finale of "Burning Years" will air tonight (December 6th) on Youku VIP. It has been less than 20 days since the drama premiered on November 17th, and it has already surpassed 7,000 in terms of popularity on the Youku platform.

From its understated premiere to the VIP finale, "Burning Years" has truly captivated the audience with its "quality." The drama brings together renowned creators from the film industry. It goes without saying that Wen Muye, who has directed several successful films, serves as the executive producer and art director, bringing a cinematic standard to the series.

Joining him in their television debut are director and screenwriter Han Xiaohan and screenwriter Xiu Mengdi. The two previously collaborated as screenwriters for the film "Miracles of the Namiya General Store," which won the "Golden Deer Award" last year. The addition of music director Huang Chao, art styling director Li Miao, and editing director Liu Jinghao, who are all experienced in film production, ensures an exceptional audiovisual experience for the drama.

As a result, the film-like quality of "Burning Years" permeates every aspect of its storytelling structure, cinematography, costumes and makeup, and music. Notably, the intense and well-choreographed fight scenes leave a lasting impression. The clean and impactful action, hardcore combat sequences, and character-specific movements all enhance the visual presentation and effectively convey the characters' emotions.

There are many other details that contribute to the film-like experience, such as the use of long shots and tracking shots, which deepen the sense of realism and dynamism in the visuals. The integration of music is also noteworthy. It is reported that some iconic scenes in the series were created with the music first, allowing the music to better align with the emotions of each scene. Overall, the cinematic audiovisual quality elevates the viewing experience of "Burning Years" as a long-form drama.

However, more importantly, this external audiovisual quality enhances the internal quality of the series. Beyond the audiovisual language of montage, the drama combines the portrayal of a hardcore youth group with rich emotional displays. With a well-paced narrative, it offers an ultimate depiction of human nature, from gazing into the abyss to looking back from within it, thereby elevating the overall theme of the series.

When it comes to the localization of the "gangster genre," most dramas set in the era of social and economic transformation in the 1980s tend to focus on the youthful years, emotional stories, and opportunities of that era. However, "Burning Years" chooses to take a retrospective perspective on the passionate youth of five ordinary boys, each taking different paths and futures due to their individual choices.

Nevertheless, the sense of excitement and pain is not the ultimate goal. The exceptional audiovisual elements always serve the expression of the content, and this drama showcases the creators' precise control in their craft. Let's take the most representative action scenes as an example. It is evident that the drama does not deliberately create a fast-paced and intense atmosphere in handling action scenes. Instead, it combines each character's unique traits, infusing emotions into the fight scenes, making them more than just physical combat but also visually appealing and emotionally charged.

Therefore, each character's fighting style in the drama is distinct. For example, Xu Wei Biao is a "fierce fighter" who likes to go all out, charging forward and using his robust physique to overpower opponents. In contrast, Wang Lei, the strongest combatant, is an "endurance type" who, with his natural ability to endure pain, depletes the opponent's stamina through taking hits before launching a counterattack.

Furthermore, the drama pays attention to the portrayal of local elements. For example, objects and music associated with Hong Kong films, such as jeans, floral shirts, the hairstyle of Aaron Kwok, and the theme song of "Shanghai Bund," create a stark contrast with the authentic appearance of old Beijing at that time, while also exuding a strong historical charm.

Furthermore, in terms of scene construction, efforts were made to accurately recreate the appearance of that era, such as the closed and narrow hutongs, hygiene slogans on the walls, aluminum lunchboxes, and water bottles, which are consistent with the scenes in the collective memory.

Therefore, in a sense, "Burning Years" is more like a "warning record" about human nature. It focuses not on the fate of the grand era but on the cause and effect of individual choices. No matter how many Xu Wei Biaos, Wang Leis, Zhong Yu Nans, and Zhang Pengs there are, there will always be a Lin Zhi Hua, and you can turn back and change direction at any crossroads.

As mentioned earlier, the core creative team of "Burning Years" comes from a film background, and they are all part of the Dream General led by director Wen Muye. In this series, they have broken the mold of the "gangster genre" in the domestic drama market and demonstrated precise control over genre creation.

Dream General Film, a young film and television company with creators at its core, has previously produced several excellent films. With the entry into the drama field through "Burning Years," they continue to adhere to the concept of "creating warm and attitude-driven works" and present good stories and works to the audience. It is worth noting that another drama created by Dream General, "Vanishing Birds," has been selected for iQiyi's 2024 youth drama lineup and has already released a concept poster.

It is reported that the drama focuses on the suspenseful science fiction genre and revolves around the story of a father and daughter in a parallel timeline. The themes of human choices and human emotions in the series are of great significance in reality.

From realistic period dramas with a sense of reality to suspenseful dramas with a touch of science fiction, the Dream General team maintains an open and diverse attitude towards different types of works.

What is even more commendable is that within the framework of genre storytelling, Dream General has always maintained a gentle humanistic care and consistently conveys positive values that align with Chinese local values. Their inclusive and open attitude is also reflected in their absorption and collaboration with excellent creators. In addition to director Wen Muye, who continues to delve into realistic themes, Dream General has always opened its doors to more young creators, providing them with a comfortable creative environment and developing works of different genres.

For Dream General, "Burning Years" not only accomplishes the breakthrough of a "alternative" period drama in terms of high-level audiovisual language and emotional expression but also signifies the beginning of director Wen Muye's core creator-centered Dream General Film, together with outstanding young creators, adhering to the original intention of creating youthful, vibrant, warm, and attitude-driven works, and starting off on a good note by delivering a high-quality production to the audience.