Film and television drama creation is in an awkward situation. The era of big IP needs nourishment from traditional culture

"The professionalism of the 'big IP' transformation of film and television dramas is obviously insufficient. Only those rooted in China traditional culture, traditional aesthetics, and promoting the China spirit can survive."

Original title: Where have the excellent film and television works gone? The "big IP" era needs to be nourished by traditional culture.

"The professionalism of the 'big IP' transformation of film and television dramas is obviously insufficient. Only those rooted in China's traditional culture, traditional aesthetics, and promoting the China spirit can survive." Recently, Wang Leiqing, director of the Film and Television Theater Center of SMG (Shangshi Pictures), made remarks at the annual meeting of film and television dramas that attracted industry attention: In the era of "big IP", how should excellent traditional culture nourish the creation of film and television dramas?

On the eve of the Spring Festival, the General Office of the CPC Central Committee and the General Office of the State Council issued the "Opinions on Implementing the Inheritance and Development Project of Excellent Traditional Chinese Culture"(hereinafter referred to as the "Opinions"). Article 11 of the "Opinions" states that to nourish literary and artistic creation with traditional culture, we must "be good at extracting themes, gaining inspiration, and absorbing nutrients from the treasure house of Chinese cultural resources, and combine the beneficial ideas and artistic values of China's excellent traditional culture with the characteristics and requirements of the times. Combine it with the use of rich and diverse art forms to express it, and launch a large number of excellent literary and artistic works with profound heritage and inspiring people's hearts." The promulgation of the "Opinions" reflects the country's emphasis on excellent literary and artistic works, and also points out the direction for practitioners.

Why does film and television drama creation fall into "embarrassment"?

Recently, relying on its good reputation, the ancient costume historical drama "Yu Chenglong", which tells the life stories of a generation of "honest officials" in China, has entered the second round of replays. Such a TV series that has neither first-line stars to join nor high production fees has broken through the siege of many immortal sword dramas and fantasy dramas and became a "clear stream" on the big screen in China in 2017. At the same time, another movie "The Rise of the Great Qin Empire" broadcast on CCTV 1 was quickly captured by sharp-eyed viewers and gave good reviews both online and offline. Today, when unhealthy trends such as "big IP" speculation and relying on "small fresh meat" to support the film and television industry are prevalent, cultural and well-produced literary and artistic works such as "Yu Chenglong" and "The Rise of the Great Qin Empire" are rare.

According to the "China TV Series Industry Survey Report 2016", from January to September 2016, there were 892 TV dramas and 34946 episodes registered with the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television, an increase of 10% compared with the same period in 2015, reaching a new high; However, at the same time, in a questionnaire survey for TV series-related companies, more than half of the respondents believed that the overall quality of newly broadcast TV dramas in 2016 declined significantly compared with 2015. Some viewers lamented that many films and television dramas nowadays simply pursue lively stories, bizarre plots, and good-looking actors. They seriously lack cultural connotations. There are very few super IPs that can truly become "ratings responsibility".

As there are more works, there are fewer and fewer works that truly satisfy the audience. Drama critic Gao Xiaojiang expressed concern about the current "embarrassing" situation in film and television drama creation: "There are not many well-produced literary and artistic works that reflect excellent traditional culture, and China audiences often have no choice."

Where have all the "good works" gone?

"In fact, I receive well-written scripts from young playwrights almost every week, but I can't find investment." Famous film director Wu Ziniu lamented that in today's market environment, there are not many investors with real feelings and cultural cultivation. Many of them enter this field with a speculative mentality,"just want to make money, and shoot whatever you make money."

Mr. Ding, who has been engaged in the production and distribution of the film and television drama industry for more than 10 years, revealed that some experts and critics, driven by interests, adopt an indifferent attitude towards shoddy film and television dramas without commenting on them, becoming low-quality film and television dramas spreading to the market. Another reason.

It is true that today, with the rapid development of online literature, online dramas, and new online technologies, the post-90s and post-00s generation have gradually become the mainstream audience of film and television dramas. In order to cater to their preferences, some industry insiders do not hesitate to subvert the inherent values of China, using funny, traveled, and even distorted history to impress the public; and using fantasy visual effects and star effects to attract the public's attention. "Two-thirds of the same investment cost was originally spent on content production, but now two-thirds is spent on post-stage technology and inviting stars. Rudimentary film and television works will inevitably appear." Mr. Ding said.

Tracing the roots of film and television dramas is the art of storytelling. Only good stories can attract audiences."Where are the good stories? It is in our historical memory and real life. However, today's young creators are too eager for quick success and instant benefits and are unwilling to spend a lot of time polishing literary and artistic works. They lack the awareness of fine quality and national mission, are derailed by the times, and ignore the educating and nourishing role of China traditional culture on people. This makes it difficult to create literary and artistic works that the people like to hear and see." Gao Xiaojiang believes.

China's traditional culture cannot be broken

down."In the era of market economy, we should consider market factors, but practitioners cannot be blindly influenced by the market." Gao Xiaojiang believes that literary and artistic workers must find the right connection point between literature and art and the market, draw nourishment from the treasure house of traditional culture, and let themes and themes be rooted in the fertile soil of Chinese culture.

Gao Xiaojiang also noticed that from "Hua Mulan" that incorporates China elements to "Kung Fu Panda", the international film market is increasingly favoring the display of China traditional culture in works. "Even the Hollywood team pays attention to the integration of China elements, and we China ourselves should pay more attention to it," Gao Xiaojiang called,"Every practitioner should have a sense of urgency. China's traditional culture cannot be broken down, and don't wait until the day you regret it to make up for it."

At present, the creative environment is impetuous. How to down-to-earth and concentrate on creating and how to integrate the profound and profound Chinese excellent traditional culture into his works tests every literary and artistic creator. Ma Lianlun, a screenwriter who has written works such as "Liu Hulan" and "Kong Fansen", was deeply touched by this. He still remembers the process of polishing the script of "Yu Chenglong": he visited Yu Chenglong's hometown several times in person, stayed up late to study historical materials, textual research every detail, and try to figure out every line, which has become the normal work of the entire creative team. Always adhering to a serious and rigorous creative attitude,"Yu Chenglong" finally won a good reputation.

The recently released "Opinions" excited Zheng Kaijun, a post-80s director who has been keen on China's traditional culture since childhood. "Chinese Cuisine", a movie he filmed about traditional Chinese food culture, has been released online, and the broadcast results are good. This year, he plans to make his first theater movie, and the theme will still be based on traditional China culture. "I hope the country can launch some special fund support or set up some targeted support projects, so that we will have more room for development!" Zheng Kaijun is full of hope for the future.

Editor: Nancy