Aliens
The First Release of Hua Chenyu's "Aliens" Music Video
The music video of "Aliens" tells the story of a misunderstood alien who breaks free of entrapment as if he is being reborn out of a shell and then gains a new life. The story begins with the dream of a teenager. In the atmosphere of a two-dimensional world, the teenager is besieged by a group of people, confronted by the strong ones, and tries to break free. People are shouting loudly. The teenager wakes up from the dream and opens the bedroom door into another space. Here he is rejected by people who are homogenized and numbed by the world. They are hostile and do not understand him. The teenager falls into another space in panic. He sees that young people's arms, which should be raised, are strangled by questioning and slander instead. He struggles with all his might, tears things apart, and enters a launcher to a new space in life (representing the courage and self-consciousness that the alien needs to maintain). He gets this new life and conveys a sound of transcendence. The director of "Aliens" was affected a lot after hearing the song. According to his feelings after listening to it, such a script emerged within his mind, and he intentionally adopted unrealistic two-dimensional elements. It fit well with the rebellion and wildness hidden in Hua Chenyu's heart.
Two large sheds were rented at the filming site which was arranged like an exhibition hall of a postmodern installation filled with the tension of not only being held hostage by a knife, but also rows of arms hanging down, the depression of single beds in a dark room, and the filthy dark colors in the flickering light. The camera work of the whole film is fluid and rapid which tightly holds the audience's attention.
The image of the MV pursues a sense of granularity. Using large apertures, it shows the floating dust that depicts alternative dark violence. The director meticulously buried a lot of details such as the English phrase "Aliens fight against the world" on the tape, which means that every young person has had alternative independent thinking and expressions, but in the end, some succeed in struggles, and some are assimilated, which then reincarnates from generation to generation. The tape is constantly recording and playing back, which is very thought-provoking. Hua Chenyu returned to Beijing to record the final narration, "Unable to understand does not mean unable to listen. The victims who are defined as Aliens make vows with their silence." This annotates the true meaning of the entire MV.
Hua Chenyu's team made a special trip to Taiwan for the filming of this music video, which lasted for 2 days. It was filmed all night until the morning of both days. The director had very high requirements on the picture quality. Two sets of clothes, shoes, and undershirts were prepared. One set was made dirty and the other was new which were switched between scenes. In Hua Chenyu's dream as an alienated teenager, there are many fights. The director specially arranged a professional martial artist to guide Hua Hua's martial arts movements the night before. The "cold and serious" martial arts instructor asked Hua Hua what sports he usually plays, whether he played basketball or football. Hua Hua shook his head. The instructor's face turned more serious. During the shooting on the second day, when faced with the "siege" by more than 30 dancers, Hua Chenyu was kicked at the waist and head many times. But he was so dedicated that he didn't call a stop one single time. Instead, his acting skills broke out. He punched, dodged, and perfectly performed the over-the-shoulder throw without special effects during the whole process. The fighting sequence was shot for nearly 4 hours. After the shooting, the serious martial arts instructor came over and gave a thumbs up, praising that it felt very good. Due to the excessive force used during the filming on the first day, Hua Chenyu returned to the hotel with a sore body at night. The next morning, every small movement became difficult due to severe muscle pain. But he still had to face the challenge of the wirework to continue with filming the part in the water. Hua Chenyu was hungry and tired because the filming lasted till 4 am in the morning. The director team warmly provided a lot of desserts to feed the foodie, Hua Hua.
The filming of the "Aliens" MV allowed Hua Chenyu to show his talent in acting. It also encouraged people to look forward to more of his performances on the big screen in the future. At the same time, with its outstanding camera work, Hua Chenyu's performance, and the depth of its meaning, this music video surpasses the average.
《异类》MV讲诉了一个不被理解的异类从突破重围、破壳而出，获得新生的故事。故事从一个少年的梦境开始，在二次元世界的氛围里，少年被一群人围攻，跟强者对决突围，大声呐喊，少年在梦中惊醒，打开卧室的门进入另一空间，他被一群被世界同化和麻木的人排斥，敌对和不被理解，少年在惊恐之下跌入另一个空间，他看到了年轻人本应该高举的手臂被质疑和非议而扼杀，他奋力抗争和撕裂，进入新生空间的发射器（代表着异类需要保持着自我的觉醒和勇气），获得新生，传达超越的声音。《异类》这首歌导演听到后很有感觉，根据自己听歌的感觉浮现出这样的脚本，并有意采用非现实的二次元元素。正合华晨宇内心隐藏的叛逆和野性。
导演拍摄现场租用了两个大棚，布置得像后现代装置艺术的展览场，如被尖刀胁持的紧张感、一排排垂下的手臂、黑暗房间单人床的压抑感，以及污秽黝暗的彩色光影。全片运镜流畅而快速，紧扣住观众的心弦。
该MV画风追求颗粒化感，用大光圈、尘埃灰土飞扬展现另类黑暗暴力。导演精心埋藏了很多细节，比如磁带上的英文"Aliens fight against the world" ，代表每个年轻人都有过"异类"的自我思维和表达，但到最后有的抗争成功，有的被变成同类，一代代人轮回，磁带在不断记载和讲述，引发回味。华晨宇最后回到北京录制的旁白，"听不懂不代表听不见，被认定为异类的牺牲者用沉默宣誓"诠释了整支MV的真正内涵。
华晨宇团队为这支音乐大片专程赴台湾拍摄，为期2天，每天都是通宵拍到早上才收工。导演对画面要求颇高，从服装到鞋，到里面的衣服都需一模一样两套，一套做脏，一套崭新，交换拍摄。华晨宇此番出演的异类少年的梦境里，有不少打斗的重头戏，导演特意安排了专业武行前一晚来简单指导华晨宇的武打动作。"高冷严肃"的武行指导问花花平常做什么运动，是否会打篮球，踢足球，花花都摇头。武行指导的脸色更严肃了。第二天的拍摄中，面对30多位dancer的"围攻"，华晨宇虽多次被踢到腰部、头部，但敬业的他没有一句叫停，反而演技大爆发，出拳、躲闪、过肩摔完美展现，全程无特效，打斗动作拍了近4个小时，全程严肃的武行指导在拍摄结束后特意走过来竖起拇指夸赞，feel很好。由于第一天拍摄用力过度，华晨宇晚上回到酒店全身酸痛，第二天早上，连起床的每一个小动作都因肌肉剧痛变得艰难。却仍然要面对吊威亚继续拍摄水中的部分，拍摄到清晨4点的华晨宇又饿又累，导演团队暖心提供了很多甜品，犒赏吃货花花。 《异类》MV的拍摄，华晨宇的表演天分大展，让人愈发期待他今后大屏幕上的更多表现。同时，对于这部镜头语言应用相当出色的作品，华晨宇的表现和MV内涵深度，都超越一般的音乐视频。
