Secret Routes – True Power Exists When Real
This lifetime is short for travel, and a lifetime for life. As a collaborative production between Jinlan Yi and Xingua (Beijing) Cultural Media Co., Ltd.'s documentary 'Secret Routes' explores the beautiful mountains and seas, seeking the real self and the relationship between friends and nature in the journey.
'Secret Routes' – How 'True' is it? – Xiao Ge's brother, Xun (Nine Holes), has made a special guest appearance, and he's learning to swim and 'chong shui' (gulp water) – Ren Ren (Hyun Bin) admits Xun looks like a sea turtle… And the shaky 'real' footage viewers see are all shot by the guests themselves using GoPro cameras.
These awkward moments of truth are the show's biggest highlight. There are no traffic stars, no pre-scripted storylines, it's refreshingly 'long-sigh-worthy'.
'In the initial planning, we didn't worry about whether young people would like to watch this kind of documentary. We just had one idea: to go into the wilderness and find a non-artificial self. There were no whining-about-illnesses 'chicken soup' or exaggerated, fabricated scripts and performances. We just wanted to truthfully bring travel back to the real level. We hope people can suppress their rebellious walks in society and still have the motivation to explore their true selves and explore this world.' Director Han Bin told 'Yidian Zhuanxin' (One Inch Info).
Unlike conventional programs that invite traffic stars with pre-set topics, many 'accidental' moments are designed. 'Secret Routes' breaks the shackles of top stars, allowing guests to genuinely immerse themselves in nature and perceive 'sudden' selves.
Many shots in the program are filmed by guests using GoPro cameras. This method greatly eliminates the barrier between viewers and guests, bringing them closer together, and allows viewers to follow along with the guests as they search for themselves and gain new reflections and insights in human society.
Perhaps 'Secret Routes' doesn't intend to convey a grand theme, but simply presents the world 'outside of life' in a more real form in this visual world, and tells a story of 'reverse walking' through the lens.
