作者： admin

With the opening of Universal Studios Beijing, Megatron, the interactive highlight in the park, frequently boarded hot searches, and its verbal properties gained a large number of fans. However, few people know that Megatron in the park is artificially manipulated by a real actor standing on stilts and wearing a mecha. Most people only see the prestige and humor in front of him, ignoring the hardships and helplessness of the actor behind him. In addition to the physical effort and the incomprehension of others, Megatron in the park also received complaints and reports from some tourists because of his classic line "stupid human beings". This article is intended to explore the bitterness and helplessness behind the cool mecha.

author　| qianjiang evening news Hour Journalist Liu Qiaoyan Rong Zhang

edit　| Cao Yumeng

source　| qianjiang evening news

The text is 3848 words in total | Estimated reading time is 10 minutes.

△ Photo courtesy of Megatron CFP at Universal Studios Beijing

"Crazy, netizens are crazy, and even Megatron’s mantra has to be reported."

With the opening of Universal Studios Beijing, Megatron, the interactive highlight in the park, frequently boarded hot search. This well-known villain in Transformers captured the hearts of tourists with his huge body and talkative attributes as soon as he appeared. However, its life in China was not so smooth. Just a few days after its opening, there were successive controversies.

According to BRTV Capital Economic Report, Megatron was reported and complained for calling tourists "stupid humans" every day.

But this sentence was originally Megatron’s classic line in Transformers. If you can’t even say this, your mouth is full of love and peace, which really doesn’t conform to Megatron’s original setting in the movie.

In fact, Megatron’s "descent to the world" was a bit miserable. He "killed the crazy autobots" in the movie, but he often acted as the aunt of the neighborhood Committee in Universal Studios Beijing, adjusting the contradiction of tourists jumping in line. After the adjustment failed, there was no way but to regret leaving.

Just a few days ago, a little girl kicked Megatron and went on a hot search. In the face of the "violent behavior" of human cubs, Megatron seemed helpless. Finally, it posed for a photo with the girl’s parents, without the risk of being a villain.

Even in the face of unfriendly gestures from the audience, Megatron can only borrow lines from the movie to deal with it. Finally, Megatron still took a group photo with the tourist as a souvenir, which can be said to be completely out of line.

In fact, it is not so much Megatron as the staff of Universal Studios interacting with tourists. Many netizens speculated that Megatron was AI before, but in fact, it was actually arranged for a staff member to stand on the knee of the mecha like walking on stilts, carrying a 30-pound mecha, artificially controlling the movement and sound, and finally processing it through a voice changer.

Behind Megatron are actually migrant workers like us ordinary people, ordinary lives and shining dreams. Qianjiang evening news Hour News interviewed Wang Ming, the "China Mecha Operator" who once played Megatron. He endowed the Mecha with soul and satisfied people’s infinite imagination of the Mecha, and behind this, there were thousands of runs-in between man and machine.

Wang Ming, 33, once performed in Hangzhou in armor. On September 30th, he told us the secret of Megatron and his little-known professional joys and sorrows.

Megatron is played by people.

There may be voice changing devices and sensors in the mecha.

△ Photo courtesy of Megatron CFP at Universal Studios Beijing

"Megatron in Universal Studios is about 3.3 meters tall. Like us, actors have to step on stilts, with their feet almost at Megatron’s thigh and their heads at the breastplate, artificially manipulating the whole mecha." Wang Ming told qianjiang evening news Hour reporter with a smile.

When Wang Ming first put on the mecha, Universal Studios Beijing had not yet opened. Because he liked Transformers, he first learned about Megatron of Universal Studios Los Angeles. At that time, this field in China was still blank.

With the megatron fire out of the circle, more and more people are beginning to wonder, is artificial intelligence behind this megatron, which is taller than human beings and can pose all kinds of actions at any time, and even has some verbal properties, or is it played by innocent people?

Wang Ming gave the answer that he had been in this business for many years-the role of innocent people.

"One leg weighs almost 20 pounds." Wang Ming revealed that the actor who plays Megatron should stand on the knee or thigh of the mecha like walking on stilts, and complete the action of manipulating the mecha. When performing, the people inside need to wear invisibility cloaks to completely hide the possibility of the human body that can be seen by the naked eye. As for the twisting of the mecha’s head, it is actually the same as the principle of wearing a hat. The actor is equivalent to wearing a mecha’s hat on his head, and the real-time twisting of the mecha’s head is realized through the twisting of his head.

As for how to interact with people around him, Wang Ming explained: "People inside need to look around through the cracks in the mecha. Because the field of vision is narrow, visitors can’t get too close. When preparing for interaction, the people inside need to match the corresponding body movements with language, and the sound is transmitted to the tourists’ ears in real time through the voice changer, thus completing the interaction. "

Wang Ming said that there should be at least sound changing devices, sensors and other equipment in the Megatron Mech of Universal Studios, which should be synchronized with the actors’ performances. As for the internal details, "this is a commercial secret of Universal Studios, and they should not disclose it to the public. In short, it should be a part without artificial intelligence. "

Mecha manipulator

A profession that has no name for the time being

△ Photo courtesy of Megatron CFP at Universal Studios Beijing

Wearing a wearable mecha on his back, he makes all kinds of movements and interacts with people at the same time. At home, people in this line of work can’t find a very suitable word to define their occupation. In the United States, they are called "actors" and "special technicians", but in China, the mecha performance is still in the blank. Wang Ming looked up a lot of information on the Internet, and found a word from science fiction movies, comics and novels to define his occupation-"Mecha Manipulator".

Different from the common name of "actor" in the United States, Wang Ming wants to give life and soul to the cold mecha, and he wants to create a mecha culture that belongs exclusively to China.

At first, Wang Ming’s performances all started with imitation, such as playing bumblebee.

"Here comes the bumblebee!" Often, Wang Ming is surrounded by groups as soon as he appears. Facing the noisy crowd, Wang Ming curled up slightly, put his hands around his head, stepped back and squatted in the corner like a shy child.

All of a sudden, Wang Ming stood up again, raised his right arm, lifted his head slightly, and looked around at a 45-degree angle-this was Wang Ming’s trademark action when he performed "Bumblebee", which meant that it entered a state of "fighting".

After long-term practice, Wang Ming can transform three kinds of sounds freely without a voice changer. As long as the mecha are changed, Wang Ming can be a naughty bumblebee, a powerful Optimus Prime, and a scary Megatron.

In the past few years, Wang Ming has completed thousands of similar performances, with more than 20,000 hours. Wang Ming has heard countless people curiously discuss, "Is there anyone here?" He thought, what would the audience call themselves if they knew there was someone inside? "Wear a mecha? Or the performer? "

General weakness after the performance.

But I feel the heat between people

△ Wang Ming took off his heavy armor

Behind the prestige or interest of the audience is the hardship of a profession that is unknown.

In the first few years, the mecha controlled by Wang Ming were all made of EVA. "It’s not much different from ordinary clothes." At the beginning of 2019, he came into contact with NK01, the first exoskeleton mecha in China. Although it takes 30 minutes to take off this mecha with the help of two engineers, Wang Ming feels that this is the real "Iron Man".

"When performing, it’s like dancing with a person on his back." Usually, after performing an activity, Wang Ming was caught in a heavy rain, his clothes stuck to his body, and his hair was soaked with sweat, forming plumes on his forehead. And this kind of performance often lasts for several days, just like Megatron of Universal Studios, as long as he stands out, he must always be in a role state. Wang Ming, who unloaded the mecha, felt weak, almost dizzy, and his shoulders and elbow joints were particularly sore.

△ After taking off the mecha, the whole body of the mecha manipulator was soaked with sweat.

Go outside the mecha, Wang Ming became silent, "I talk to others about mecha, few people understand; Even if someone understands, I am worried that I am very wonderful in their eyes. "

Wang Ming said that few people understood him, including his family, and once branded him as "doing nothing". Many people question, "It’s just like cosplay, it’s very simple, and it can’t be counted as a career."

For a two-hour performance, Wang Ming’s price ranges from 1,200 yuan to 3,000 yuan. And NK01, which has scientific and technological elements, is worth as much as six figures, and Wang Ming can get thousands of dollars. However, in the past two years, due to the epidemic, the number of performances in Wang Ming has dropped significantly. "I don’t know when the next performance will come." He told qianjiang evening news Hour reporter some reluctantly.

Wang Ming is full of guilt for his family because of his precarious job, but he is addicted to his heroic and fearless role interpretation. "When I was a child, I was very naughty. I was king of the children; But when I grow up, the world seems different. " Wang Ming said.

From Gundam to Transformers, the mech robot carries Wang Ming’s childhood memories, all his dreams and the definition of bravery.

"There is a wonderful feeling injected into the body, which is very healing." At those moments in the mecha’s body, Wang Ming felt that he was really "deformed", became a fearless hero, and became fond of communicating and hugging strangers. "This is the other side of me."

"In this world, the relationship between people is more indifferent. On the street, if you see a stranger, you won’t talk; But if it is a robot, you will take the initiative to go over and see, touch and even communicate. " Wang Ming regrets ground say, let him feel the heat between people under the mecha.

The dream continues.

I hope to have my own Megatron as soon as possible.

△ Wang Ming took off his heavy armor

Before contacting the mecha, Wang Ming was a soldier. After retiring from the army in 2011, he returned to his hometown of Puyang, Henan Province, worked as a security guard and waiter, sold mala Tang and mobile phones, and changed jobs almost every six months. He once fell into the confusion of life. "I don’t know what to do every day, I can’t find the value of life."

Wang Ming once suffered from narcolepsy. For half a year, he slept in bed for more than ten hours every day: "Why am I not a hero?" "What can I do to get others’ love?" Memories of childhood came into his mind. "Is it possible for me to become a Transformers, a hero and be noticed?"

With the help of Internet extending in all directions, Wang Ming found that someone had boldly tried his "fantasy"-playing Transformers. Later, Wang Ming found a group of like-minded friends who loved the Mecha. From the hot online discussion to 2016, they formed a team to manufacture and perform the Mecha.

At first, Wang Ming can only take the initiative to run, go to large and small shopping malls and media companies to promote their own mecha, usually only two months before a chance falls from the sky. Later, Wang Ming gradually became a minor celebrity in the circle, and the gap period was shortened to half a month. Wang Ming traveled all over the country with his mecha and appeared on various occasions, playing the role of welcome robot, warm-up guest and marriage guardian. Wang Ming will also be on the stage of various variety shows, taking photos with stars and shaking hands with celebrities.

"It’s like being possessed." Wang Ming is immersed in this world. Whenever he has time, he repeatedly watches his own performance videos and robot-related movies, always pays attention to the information in the field of mecha, fiddles with robot models, constantly studies, imitates and learns, and regularly integrates new elements into the mecha and adds new actions that are more in line with the role positioning. On one occasion, Wang Ming stayed up for three consecutive nights and was taken to the hospital the next day.
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About the mecha, Wang Ming is still having more and longer dreams. In the dream, Wang Ming dressed the robot in costumes, painted Facebook, and went to the world with a mecha full of China elements; In the dream, the mecha industry has formed a complete industrial chain, from manufacturing and training to control and evaluation; In the dream, professional mecha controllers have norms and grades, which bring happiness to many people and are respected.

Wang Ming thinks that one day, China will have its own image of a mecha like Megatron, and go to the world.

△ Photo courtesy of Megatron CFP at Universal Studios Beijing

Wen | Jiashipai fish is not a fish.

In our impression, American car manufacturers don’t seem to be very active in treating real sports cars. Detroit’s Big Three have had many classic muscle cars and small carriages in history, but there are very few sports cars in a narrow sense. Although both Ford GT and Dodge Viper have made a blockbuster, the former has only been revived for two or three years, while the latter has been discontinued for two or three years, and there is still no sign that it will continue to be updated. The historical accumulation can not be compared with Porsche 911, or even as long as Nissan Z series.

But there is also an exception, that is, Chevrolet’s Corvette.

In fact, Corvette is probably the oldest car in the world. The first generation of Corvette appeared as early as 1953, which was better than the other two senior Nameplate— — 9/11 and Mustang were 11 years earlier. Since then, Corvette has produced seven generations without interruption, and the eighth generation will be launched next year.

The 2019 Chevrolet Corvette I test-drive this time is the last model of the 7th generation Corvette(C7). The version is Corvette Stingray Coupe, that is, the power is the basic model of natural inhalation, and the car body is Targa Top created by 911. The carbon fiber hardtop can be disassembled manually, and behind the detachable hardtop is a high roll cage, so it is more like a semi-convertible feeling after opening.

At first glance, you can feel that Corvette is obviously different from Camaro, which belongs to Chevrolet. Corvette’s body is much lower, and the height of the car is only 1234 mm. Although the 6 th generation Camaro has lowered the body in order to get closer to the sports car, the height of the car is still 1350 mm. At the same time, Corvette is much shorter, the length of the car is only 4493mm, which is nearly 300mm less than that of Comalo. The low car height and short body, combined with a large car width (1877mm), give this car a tight feeling of lying on the ground. On the other hand, Corvette’s posture is more backward, which is very similar to the GT model like Ferrari 812 Superfast.

The feeling of driving this car is actually more like a GT than a sports car.

Why do you say that? First of all, although this car has a huge displacement — — Although it is only a V8, it has 6.2 liters, and the maximum horsepower of 461 horses is not low, but this car will not make people feel particularly "sporty" or "fast".

Just looking at the technical parameters of the chassis, you may think that this car has a very good sports foundation.

The first is the layout of front center and rear drive. This layout, in which the engine is placed between the front axle and the driver but driven by the rear wheel, is generally considered as one of the most balanced and maneuverable automobile layouts. This is the layout of Honda S2000. The 7th generation Corvette does have a 50: 50 front and rear axle weight distribution.

The suspension structure does not hold back at all, and its front and rear suspensions are generally considered to be the most suitable double wishbone structure for sports cars. In addition, Corvette’s unique point is that its front and rear suspension damping mechanism is not a coil spring, but a Leaf Spring.

Generally speaking, leaf springs are generally used on trucks because they are harder and have poor shock absorption effect, but they are more rigid and have stronger load-bearing capacity.

However, Corvette’s spring has several major differences: first, it is single-layer rather than multi-layer; Secondly, its material is not steel, but fiber reinforced plastic, which is much lighter than steel plate under the same strength; Finally, it is arranged horizontally rather than vertically, running through the whole axial direction, which can not only reduce vibration in the vertical direction, instead of spiral spring, but also play the role of transverse anti-roll bar. This damping system is considered to greatly reduce unsprung weight, thus improving handling. In fact, this kind of damping structure is also called Corvette Leaf Spring— — Corvette leaf spring.

However, its real sports performance experience is not as beautiful as the technical data said.

In fact, the feeling of driving, the rear of this car is very unstable. First of all, it still shows a certain tail flick in the corner, which makes it feel difficult to control. Secondly, its suspension seems to be a little too soft, its travel is too long, its movement is still slow, and the ups and downs of its body posture will be obvious, and it also lacks confidence because of too little road feeling. Finally, although many lightweight designs are used and the figure is not big, its weight still reaches 1.6 tons because of the excessive displacement of the 6.2-liter engine. Although this figure itself is not too high, it is particularly cumbersome to cooperate with the body that is not stable enough. There is always a feeling of dragging one’s ass around the corner quickly, which is easy to make people panic.

In addition, although its steering virtual position is very small, and the steering wheel has a small width, these are closer to a good steering feel. But on the other hand, its direction is not particularly clear, the steering ratio seems to be a little small, and it will not make people feel particularly easy to control.

And the displacement of 6.2 liters, although it is already the largest displacement among hundreds of cars I have driven, is not fast.

This aspect is the problem of vehicle orientation — — Its sound insulation is good, and the suspension is stable and comfortable at high speed cruising, which leads to its weak sense of speed.

On the other hand, it is the problem of dynamic response — — GM’s 8AT gearbox has a good shift comfort, and there is no obvious setback in fierce driving, but the downshift action is obviously a little slow. It takes one second to think about it when stepping on the accelerator. The exercise mode will be better, but the improvement will be limited.

The only thing that makes the whole car feel passionate enough is the sound of the engine.

In fact, the sound of S2000 and Bosxter are also very good, but compared with this 6.2-liter LT1, it is still slightly inferior. With the advantages of displacement and cylinder number, it is still more detailed and vigorous. What makes people want to stop most is its backfire sound. I don’t know whether it is because of the design of exhaust or something. This car is prone to backfire sound. Just step on the accelerator a little deeper and then take it all away. Sometimes it will sound several times in a row, even when it is ignited. It seems that there is a temper in exquisiteness.

Excluding the sound, just looking at the driving pleasure, it is actually obviously not as good as many cheaper cars, such as Honda S2000, Ford Mustang, BMW 2 Series, and even Subaru Impreza.

So I don’t like this car? Not really.

It’s probably the most comfortable sports car I’ve ever driven for high-speed cruising. That’s why I say it’s more like a smaller GT. Corvette’s chassis is neither as hard as Bosxter nor as dynamic as S2000. This suspension is like a typical American adjustment — — It is soft and the journey is long enough, so it is comfortable enough, and the big ditch will not have excessive impact; The gasket is made of enough materials to look thick. However, because the rebound damping of the suspension is relatively large, the movement is slow, and it feels that it can hold the car body, which is more stable.

And its sound insulation is also quite excellent, especially when driving beyond the legal speed limit in the United States. On the one hand, the rigidity of the car body is good, on the other hand, the 8-speed gearbox is matched with a large-displacement engine with good low torque, and the speed ratio is set low enough. At 130 km/h, the gearbox is in the seventh gear, and the engine is only 1000 rpm. Although the engine is not particularly passionate at high speed, the torque at medium and low speed is quite good. Everyday driving overtaking, lightly stepping on the accelerator, there is enough power without downshifting, and it is very easy to drive.

In addition, its sitting posture is also very comfortable. Although the sitting posture is very low and very backward, it will be more difficult to sit in. But after sitting in it, you can find that the ergonomic design and seat material are comfortable enough, and they are also open and unyielding. I have been driving for 4 hours without any discomfort, which is much more comfortable than Porsche Boxter. The only slot point is that for people who are a little taller, because the roof is too low, the upper edge of the windshield will obviously block the line of sight.

So will I buy this car? It seems unlikely.

The price of this car is not cheap. The starting price of $56,000 in the United States is only 10% cheaper than that of Porsche Bosxter, and after all, the brand, design and interior and exterior workmanship are not as high-end as the latter — — Although the leather and stitching of the interior of American cars are not low-grade, they still have a little flavor. At the same time, although the horsepower is greater, both the power feeling and the control feeling are far behind, and it is not a car that can make people enjoy the feeling of driving too fast.

The place that can make it more like a duck to water is actually Autobahn in Germany. When you really drive 160 km/h or even 200 km/h just to get to your destination faster, this Corvette is relaxed, stable, quiet and comfortable enough, and it can really make the eighth gear useful. But embarrassingly, because of the strict emission, fuel consumption and displacement restrictions in Europe, its price in Europe is very expensive — — It is more than 50% more expensive than Bosxter, which makes it equally uncompetitive.

It’s not easy to say I love you!

Figure | Fish is not a fish

　　Data Map: It is the graduation season for college students, and college graduates from Qingdao, Shandong Province are shooting personalized graduation photo on campus.

　　Reference News Network reported on June 11 that foreign media said that China is about to usher in the "graduation season" for students to graduate collectively. Graduates all want to keep good memories on campus in their own way. The "graduation economy" such as graduation dinners, travel and photo shoots has emerged from time to time and is very hot. Nearly 20% of graduates spend more than 10,000 yuan on graduation.

　　According to the China media report on the website of Lianhe Zaobao on June 8th, the hotels around the school will have a "harvest season" in the graduation season of college students every year, and most students choose the hotels around the school for graduation dinner. In order to attract graduates, some hotels also advertise that "every graduate can book a table with 8.8 discount, and drinks are free".

　　The owner of a restaurant near Northeast Petroleum University said that with the graduation season approaching, the peak of booking graduation dinner is coming. A coffee shop near Heilongjiang Bayi Agricultural University has held a graduation party with the theme of "First Love" since May 14th.

　　A graduate of Qingdao University said that since mid-May, he has had graduation dinners every night and spent a lot of money.

　　He said: "Usually, the living expenses for one month are around 1000 yuan. Now I have calculated in the graduation season, and 3,000 yuan may not be enough."

　　According to the report, in addition to graduation dinners, travel and photo shooting are also an indispensable part of graduates’ good memories in college.

　　Since the end of last month, all kinds of innovative graduation photos have been screened on various social platforms. In addition to the traditional graduation bachelor’s clothes, graduates can rent all kinds of clothes, and many people even seek the help of photography studios to shoot creative graduation photo.

　　A private photographer in Guangxi said that at present, the appointment for taking graduation photos has been arranged until the end of June, and people are still coming to consult, and the original fee has also increased from 100 yuan to 500 yuan.

　　Although Xiao Qin, a graduate of the School of Finance and Economics of Guangxi University, spent a month’s living expenses shooting graduation photos, she thought it was worth it. After all, "Youth never comes again. If you can, why not record your youth?"

　　According to a survey conducted by Qingdao Daily on 40 graduates from China Ocean University, China Shiyou University (East China) and Qingdao University, nearly 20% of the graduates will spend more than 10,000 yuan in graduation season, and most of them will be spent on graduation trips.

　　In addition, in order to impress the interviewer in the job interview, some students spend money to buy interview clothes. Xiao Chen, a graduate of China Ocean University, spent 2,000 yuan on brand suits and leather shoes, and spent a lot of time in making resumes, specifically looking for someone to design resume templates; He spent two or three hundred yuan on printing and copying his resume alone.

　　According to the report, Yuan Jinqiu, from the Department of Political Economy, School of Politics, Guangxi University, analyzed that the emergence of the "graduation economy" conforms to the laws of the market, and many businesses are ingenious in meeting the needs of graduates, which is a very positive economic situation.

　　However, since graduates are not yet financially independent, most of their expenses come from their parents. In this regard, Yuan Jinqiu believes that it is ok for graduates to participate in some job hunting and graduation commemoration activities if conditions permit, but it should be appropriate.

　　Wu Lianhai, consultant of the Mental Health Education and Counseling Center of China Ocean University, agrees with the above view. He said that college students’ consumption in graduation season is a way to express their classmates’ friendship, and some expenses are understandable, but the concept of face and conformity will inevitably contribute to the "graduation economy", so the expenditure in this respect must be measured.