Recently, I became obsessed with a magical treasure variety show.
This program can be called the ace output library in the host world.
Many excellent hosts became famous and recognized by everyone after participating.
It is CCTV's "Host Contest".
The first show was launched in 1988. You may not have watched it, but you must be familiar with these "famous speakers" - they all appeared on the show as contestants when they were young.
For example, there is a huge amount of double business, and the only "Versailles" in the entire network that does not annoy people is Sa Beining. "Beijing University is okay," coming out of his mouth was quite endearing.
For another example, for Ju Ping, who was born in the 1980s and 1990s, who had unlimited childhood happiness, "the windmill whirled and spun" was the expectation and warmth of returning home from school.
CCTV's "Host Contest" is really good to watch, but it's hard to wait.
After the seventh session ended in 2019, I have been scratching my head. In October this year, I finally waited for the launch of the "China Central Radio and Television Station 2023 Host Competition".
First of all, I would like to say that the competition system is very friendly. Question setting, hosting, and scoring are all done in one go. It took one and a half hours to watch and it was very enjoyable.
Seeing it now, I feel very strange.
"CCTV Strict Selection" still has a way.
No familiar face, but very youthful
Although CCTV's "Host Competition" is an old program that is older than me, my biggest feeling after following it is: so youthful!
When I first watched the first three episodes, I struggled to identify the faces of each contestant. Finally, I discovered...why isn't there a familiar face? !
Then I patted my head, no, these are young and beautiful young people.
What surprised me the most was that there were many current students.
At this age, you and I are still clear-eyed but stupid college students, and people dare to stand on the stage to talk about poetry, history, and host parties.
What surprised me most about He Yikun, a 23-year-old college student, was his international vision of “telling Chinese stories well”.
3 In the 3-minute self-presentation, he used short stories such as two railway tracks, a pair of chopsticks and a young foreigner in China to tell the friendship between China and Africa. From the small perspective, there are deep insights and big patterns hidden in the small angles.
In the classic practical assessment "Yang Young Summer", I was not timid to share the stage with He Qing, who has more hosting experience. Impromptu rap, good at jokes, and full of comedy.
I think it is a good performance for a young host like this to be able to grasp the topic, sustain the scene, and convey an appropriate atmosphere.
In fact, starting from the sixth issue, the competition has started a "real combat" mode, which is twice as difficult.
Contestants must select classic programs in advance, and specific questions will be given on the spot.
Fortunately, we are familiar with these classic programs, but everyone has watched them too much and has basically formed a fixed mindset.
Because of this, it is difficult to say good things, and even harder to say new ideas.
But I think the performance of these young people exceeded my expectations.
For example, Yan Shangjia, a "post-95s generation", was once the host of a popular online program and was nicknamed "Watermelon Girl".
Although he came from a major in Chinese opera broadcasting and hosting, he also had a high starting point. After becoming famous as a host, he changed his career to become an actor, and then returned to the stage as a host.
The topic she drew was the cultural program "China in the Classics", which combined Nan Rendong, "the father of the 'Chinese Sky Eye'", with Qu Yuan's famous line "The road is long and long, and I will search up and down." , for introduction.
It was "Chu Ci" and astronomy again. I couldn't help but feel so nervous that my palms became sweaty.
Even though she was nervous, she solved the problem very well.
"Chinese romance lies in turning questions into answers."
"The ancients spent their lives asking questions to the universe, and later generations spent their lives writing answers."
These two golden sentences take romance to a new level.
The next design made me burst into tears.She captured the innovative form of dialogue with sages across time and space in "China in the Classics", and bowed to Qu Yuan:
"Junior Yan Shangjia, I come here today to tell you that oranges will not be so bitter, because every one of us in future generations will People all understand life in "Chu Ci", and their hearts are extremely sweet."
There is no pile of gorgeous words, it is plain and moving, and it is the transmission of spirit and character.
The recent episodes are really good to watch, and there are many remarkable performances by the contestants.
For example, Liu Xinyue, who hosted "Classic Chant and Spread" in the sixth issue, is gentle but sweet, and her atmosphere is still aura.
In just three minutes, she cleverly solved the topic with "youthful feeling", from Li Bai, who "passed the ten thousand mountains in a light boat", to Du Fu, who "sees all the small mountains at a glance".
connects the two pieces of question information just right, making it feel as stable as ever.
In the conversation clip between Liu Xinyue and the post-95s ancient book restorer in the third stage, many netizens instantly empathized.
Ancient book restorer: "Work brings me a lot of happiness."
Liu Xinyue: "Me too."
It turns out that simple emotional expressions can be so powerful. The host's love for his career is even more rare and valuable.
Another example is Gong Yunxi, who I personally like very much. She is the host of Youku’s online program. She is 27 years old, but she already has a “sister” aura.
hosted the "Online Spring Festival Gala" in the seventh issue. The atmosphere was very good, and the interaction with Sa Beining was not too cute.
Chang Daoqin, a dark horse in my heart. A 23-year-old graduate student, his specialty is sports commentary.
But the reversal was so sudden! The topic he drew in the seventh issue was actually "Moving China."
Chang Daoqin spoke calmly but without losing warmth, and eloquently described "ordinary people do extraordinary things and write capital Chinese characters".
Yang Xu of Shijiazhuang Radio and Television Station. Kang Hui commented on his "simple temperament and natural expression". Netizens said that he "looks like both Kang Hui and Ren Luyu".
Among all the top 60 contestants, the 90-second impromptu assessment in the first stage surprised me the most. He guest-starred as the host of the Lantern Festival Virtual Lantern Festival. Not only did he have strong scene construction skills, but his language was also fluent and approachable.
In the practical title "Open the Door to Good Luck", he also gave a touching account of two young people, "Grape Fairy" and "Magic Pen Ma Liang", who returned to the countryside to build the countryside.
In the latest "Going Global" practical assessment, Yang Xu introduced the palace lantern making skills. He is steady and confident. After a few years of practice, he should be able to sustain the big scene. The contestants of
's "2023 Host Competition" are not only young, but also have different backgrounds and areas of expertise.
There are college students, Ph.D.s, local TV hosts, and network program hosts.
Faced with the difficult problems of impromptu hosting, they responded quickly and flexibly.
Giving young people a chance to gain experience is actually a good thing. I have always felt that what a host should strive for is not talent or emotional intelligence, but experience and wisdom, which need time to accumulate.
A good host is trained through various on-the-spot challenges, not by memorizing lines.
Zhang Huixin, a "all-rounder" player that I am very optimistic about, has verified this truth.
The 30-year-old has 8 years of hosting experience and is the host of Jiangsu Satellite TV's "Noon Jiangsu", "Legal Online", "News Eye" and other top news programs.
Being upright and steady is just one of his advantages. He also writes very well about cultural tourism columns like "Traveling in Jiangsu".
What’s even more buff is that Zhang Huixin went to Peking University to study for a graduate degree in 2021.
As a student of Nanjing Baiju Rap, an "intangible cultural heritage", he directly performed a rap that combined with modern rap, creating a different 3-minute self-show.
In the second stage, Zhang Huixin took first place again. The topic I drew was "CMG Chinese TV Drama Annual Ceremony". It had many tasks, including connecting classic TV series and thanking the staff behind the scenes.
Zhang Huixin spoke eloquently, with a natural transition, drawing people into the atmosphere of the celebration.
This kind of ability is by no means "performed", but accumulated.
It is becoming more and more difficult to be a host
In addition to young newcomers, the "2023 Host Competition" also has a big feature, which is the change in the competition system.
In previous years, the news track and the literary track were distinguished. The former focuses on keenness and truth-seeking, while the latter focuses on cultural literacy.
But in this competition, this "tailor-made" rule was broken.
This also means that players with different backgrounds have to step out of their comfort zones to challenge.
For example, Dan Zhenqunpei, a 27-year-old Tibetan boy, is still studying for a doctorate at Tsinghua University. His area of expertise is the history and culture column, but there are constant contrasts on the field. From his narration, you can feel the word "sincerity".
I have to mention that he is also the translator of the Tibetan version of "The Prince", which is really amazing.
In the eighth issue, he was drawn to the "Avenue of Stars" public stage. Dan Zhenqunpei, who was originally very popular, sang "River Flows Eastward" and "Fate" acapella, trying every means to liven up the atmosphere.
Although his score is not as good as Liu Yuan, who is in the same group and has a natural affinity, I think he is already trying to break through himself.
In the last round of impromptu assessment, the question he got was still a relaxing "Hello Life". The default background was that the contestants went to an outdoor talent competition together.
Dan Zhen places the location in his hometown of Tibet, and the language is much more humorous.
The prize became a yak, and a special cue was given to Sa Beining: the famous host Mr. Xiao Sa was asked to perform 20 somersaults and 30 sit-ups on the northern Tibetan Plateau more than 5,000 meters away.
Xiaosa:? ? ?
In the end, Dan Zhen scored the highest among the five players and entered the next round.
I have also seen some people think that his performance is somewhat "inconsistent" with the high score of 97.14. But I think the evaluation criteria should not only be gorgeous lines, but also the fit between the performance and the column, and the shaping and delivery of the on-site atmosphere.
breakthrough is an important consideration. The
competition also has another player that has attracted much attention, Feng Lin.
In my opinion, a player with many auras, a high starting point, and a "balanced" player will have higher expectations from the audience.
In the previous self-presentation sessions of "Lin Listening to the National Trend", this Haiyan girl opened the show with a Haiyan accent and brought out the celebrity "Sanmao" from her hometown.
She quoted the famous saying of Mr. Zhang Leping, the "Father of Sanmao", "A big tree grows from seedlings." Combining her own ideals, she used microphones as branches and sounds as branches and leaves to grow up well.
I think her advantage lies in "youthful expression".
In the words of judge Kang Hui, it perfectly integrates youthful vitality and historical themes.
I think, "new" is the theme of this competition.
New faces, new competition system, new test questions.
I think CCTV and the contestants are very brave.
One dares to give young people a chance, and the other dares to face difficulties. There is a calm typhoon, but also a youthful expression.
There is a veteran who I think is also worth mentioning.
Fu Yan, the host of Zhejiang Radio and Television Group, participated in the "2019 Host Competition". Compared with four years ago, his improvement is still obvious, although the improvisation is still relatively weak.
In the seventh episode of the program, he got a very new question - "Online Spring Festival Gala".
He introduced the concept of artificial intelligence host, and the lines were very networked. Unfortunately, the time allocation was wrong. He introduced the rap of CCTV boys in a large amount of space, and could only rush through the other group of guests-Tsinghua University Alumni Group.
As a "veteran" with 14 years of rich hosting experience, Fu Yan did not stay in his comfort zone and forced himself to break through.
After losing this round to Gong Yunxi, who spoke younger and had a better online sense, Fu Yan entered the wheel race.
He used the cultural program "Chinese Poetry Conference" that he is good at to successfully enter the next stage with his profound cultural heritage and full of emotional expression.
As he said, in this game about courage, the stage is full of struggling teammates, and the real opponent is himself.
In fact, the changes in the entire competition are also related to the current changes in the environment.
The audience's attention has long been occupied by short videos that are full of excitement, and they are resistant to clichés and empty words; on the other hand, artificial intelligence, live broadcast, virtual reality, and technological tricks are also increasing.
In an era when traffic is king, what kind of host do we need?
One of the things CCTV has been doing is called "media integration", which means to open up various platforms and integrate technologies to cope with new changes. This actually places higher demands on the host.
Hosts in the new era must not only be easy to understand and "speak human language", be knowledgeable and capable of making famous sentences, but must also understand technology and be able to handle events.
I think the "2023 Host Competition" is actually a good start.
There are old programs such as "Classic Chanting" and "Opera Spring Festival Gala", as well as new competition titles such as "Short Video Conference", "Online Spring Festival Gala" and "Young Summer". The contestants are also trying "new" hosting methods. .
For example, Sun Qingkun turned "Mid-Autumn Party" into a live broadcast on CCTV, adding many interactive scenes.
Another example is Kong Hao, when introducing the century-old history of Chinese animation, he thought of using extended reality (XR) to interact with virtual classic characters such as Brother Monkey and Black Cat Sheriff.
Zhang Jingjing added the creative forms of "Cloud Applause" and "Cloud Point Opera" in "Spring Festival Opera and Spring Festival Gala".
I am looking forward to the next performance of the players. No matter how many filters you use, the glory of the past only belongs to the past. Instead of dwelling on the past, it’s better to look forward to the future.
