Picture source @Visual China
Text | Shen Tong Business, author | Shen Fuyi, editor | Chu Qingzhou
The long-awaited serious literary adaptation has unknowingly returned to the audience's field of vision.
"Flowers" ended with a bang. People have long understood that "Flowers" is by no means a middle-aged version of "Tiny Times", nor is it a Shanghai version of "The Great Gatsby". When
first aired episodes 1-4, public opinion was more negative than positive. People were concerned about whether it looked like Shanghai in the 1990s. It was more like a castle in the air created by Wong Kar-wai with a memory filter.
The next few episodes will be Director Wang's area of control. Mixed with business wars, the emotional lines of a man and four women are foreshadowed, secretly infatuated, romantic, and full of BGM atmosphere.
It is indeed a reflection and echo of the distant time by the Huangpu River. Although the story is old, the friendship between people is still enough to arouse resonance.
Of course, for book fans, it is "incomprehensible" (it doesn't matter) from the beginning. I borrowed the name, mixed it with Jin Yucheng's other 4 books, and started a new story again. If this kind of adaptation method was put on the Internet IP, fans of the original work would be in a quarrel.
What does "Flowers" belong to? Serious literature, winner of Mao Dun Literature Award. Although the
adaptation is "unlike", the series has a unique artistic tone and a finely polished film quality. How can the audience not go crazy? At present, the popularity on Tencent has exceeded 31,000, and it has entered the hit club. You must know that last year, only three dramas exceeded 30,000.
"We can fill in the original work 'No Sound' and complement each other."
"'No Sound' is the secret code of the adaptation. The creator only tells what he wants to say, and it is well said."
The above are all Wong Kar-wai's ideas. Does it point out a clear path for the adaptation of serious literature?
This time, the market trend has indeed changed.
Serious literature comes back to life: Familiar IP comes up with a new recipe
Once upon a time, there were countless dramas adapted from serious literature, such as "The Bell and Drum Tower", "The Choice" and "There Are Good Woods in the South" in the 1980s and 1990s, and the "Young Emperor" and "The Young Emperor" in the 2000s. "The Years of Burning Passion", "The Dust Has Settled" and "Song of Everlasting Sorrow".
It can be said that the texture of the original serious literary work is solid enough, and the reputation of the film and television version of the work is basically good.
[Left: "Young Emperor" Right: "Song of Everlasting Sorrow"]
and online literature have many "rich mines" such as Jinjiang starting point. In the same way, serious literature also has its own "special area" -
is first of all famous. Modern and contemporary literary writers, especially those like Mo Yan and Yu Hua, are more familiar to netizens;
followed by a number of well-known literary awards represented by the Mao Dun Literary Award. Especially the top prize winners are like the chosen ones. 24 of the 38 novels in the previous 8 editions have been adapted. The long novels of more than 130,000 words obviously leave enough narrative space, and the subject matter pays more attention to reality;
The last one is "Novel Monthly" Mainstream literary journals and magazines such as "People's Literature" are usually shorter and suitable for film adaptation.
With the rise of Internet literature, urban involution has intensified. People’s life pressure urgently needs a channel to relieve their pressure. Compared with the various “dopamine literature” on the Internet, serious literature, which is mostly dull and solemn in tone, is really “unbeatable” and has to go into hibernation. period of silence.
Occasionally there are one or two dramas that break the silence, such as "The Ordinary World" (2015) and "White Deer Plain" (2017), like ice floes on the water, but spring has not yet arrived.
The resurgence of serious literature in recent years has been accompanied by the revival of realistic themes.
When the golden sign of Internet IP begins to fade, urban dramas are trapped in the "sexuality brain" and all kinds of bloody plots, costume dramas encounter the "restriction on ancient times", popular stars have repeatedly suffered backlash from public opinion, and the plots are watery and homogeneous. In addition to serious socialization, the lack of grassroots and realistic care is an even more fatal problem.
The drama market is beginning to crave works with more realistic backgrounds and aesthetic differences. The "warm realism" creative style advocated by Ningmeng Films, and more realistic online websites such as Douban, began to ride on this trend.
Serious literary adaptations around the millennium tend to focus on earlier history. For example, "The Elegy of Qinhuai" is from the late Ming and early Qing Dynasties, "The Young Emperor" is from the Qing Dynasty, "Song of Everlasting Sorrow" is from the Republic of China, and "The Dust Has Settled" is from before liberation. .
In recent years, the market has focused more on contemporaneity and topicality, writing about individual life changes through the overall narrative framework of historical changes, covering people from different classes and backgrounds, such as Song Yunhui and Lei Dongbao in "Big River" (2018) , Yang Xun respectively reflected the cross-sections of the times of state-owned enterprises, rural areas, and individual economies. "Flowers", "The World" and "The Road of Life" also have similar treatments.
The new wave of serious literary adaptations are also more proactive and skillful in finding points of integration with the current audience psychology.
After all, this is no longer an era where the audience watches whatever the TV station broadcasts. For example, the writer Chen Yuanbin's "The Legend of Qiu Ju" was adapted into "Happiness to Ten Thousands of Homes", which can cater to the current hot topics. At the beginning, He Xingfu (played by Zhao Liying) first enters Wanjiazhuang successfully aroused heated discussion by challenging the bad marriage customs in rural areas.
This wave of realistic creations has also produced some breakthrough works. "Mountains and Seas" and "Awakening Age" are not only popular in broadcasts, but also popular in audience discussions and secondary creations. High-profile characters such as "Chen Qiaonian" and "Water Flower" have also appeared, and young people such as Reyza and Zhang Wanyi have appeared. Actors have won awards or become famous for their dramas.
"Human World" can be said to be the most successful serious literary adaptation in recent years. Its highest ratings on Yangyi exceeded 3, and the number of Weibo topic views reached 14.645 billion. Netizens are very concerned about the fate of the Zhou brothers and sisters, the "Six Little Gentlemen" and other characters, and at the same time understand better the difficult years of their parents.
A serious literary IP adaptation, it is indeed capable in some aspects.
First of all, it has a good reader base, the audience is more mature, and it is not easy for fans of the original work to fight.
Secondly, copyright is more cost-effective than online writing, and it is less likely to be inflated by capital.
Once again, the author can also understand and agree with the screenwriter's "hands-on". For example, Liang Xiaosheng, Alai, and Jin Yucheng have all expressed their support for the screenwriter to avoid the drama of a fight between the online article author and the screenwriter.
also has a high-quality creative team. For example, "Dajiang Dahe" is directed by Kong Sheng; "Dragon City" and "Heart Residence" are produced or directed by Teng Huatao; among the upcoming dramas, "Protagonist" is said to be directed by Zhang Yimou, and "Going North" is written by Zhao Dongling, the screenwriter of "Happiness to Ten Thousands of Houses" write.
is easy to win but hard to win? The Eternal Problem of Adapting TV Series
However, it is not easy to make popular and popular film and television works based on serious literature.
literary works have deep psychological depictions of characters, rich environmental atmosphere, dense scene details, many branch lines, and multiple and complex values thinking, so adaptations have to consider how to interpret and make choices.
As Jin Yucheng, the author of "Flowers" said: "The text of a book must be transformed into a three-dimensional interpretation of sound, light and electricity. This is why a film and television adaptation of a novel is more exciting."
True Because it is difficult to adapt serious literature, the initial investment is not small, and the preparation takes a long time. Just like the handiwork of famous artists, it is destined to not be "mass-produced."
"White Deer Plain" took 10 years from project establishment to filming. Screenwriter Shen Jie claimed that he had read hundreds of materials and "his hands did not tremble when he wrote." Beijing Yiwei Culture is preparing to adapt Wang Meng's "The Scenery Here" and has "six drafts" changed within a year. "Flowers" collects old objects from the society to build the scene 1:1, "slow work makes careful work", and it takes three years to shoot.
The second production-level problem is that it is somewhat difficult for dramas adapted from serious literature to be appreciated by both refined and popular audiences. Audiences who are accustomed to watching short videos have begun to become desensitized to dramas adapted from "dopamine literature". How can they calm down and enjoy such a somewhat dull drama?
The result is that either the overall popularity cannot increase, or the station broadcast data is good but the online broadcast is unsatisfactory, and even the reputation suffers Waterloo.
However, it is still too early to judge that "no one will watch serious literary adaptations".
After careful study, it seems that the lack of popularity is due to the outdated subject matter. The original work is too deep, making it difficult for the audience to resonate. In fact, it is still poorly shot.
is the fault, the original work is not memorized.
Take several dramas from last year as an example. "The Road to Life", "Mature Years" and "Dragon City" all had Douban ratings of around 6 points. "The Road of Life" is the one with the highest popularity and scores, and its bugs are also obvious.
This drama is adapted from Lu Yao's novella "Life". It is set in a mountain village in Shaanxi in the early 1980s. Gao Jialin, played by Chen Xiao, is a portrayal of a rural scholar who yearns for knowledge to change his destiny, but is frustrated one after another - the college entrance examination is failed. He was an impostor, because his mother gave up on repeating his studies, and his position as a teacher was taken away by his son, the village party secretary. The TV broadcast data of this drama is acceptable, breaking 2 on CCTV, but the online broadcast is average, and the iQiyi popularity is less than 9,000.
Can’t the audience find resonance with this feeling of longing to get out of a certain situation, but always facing obstacles? Certainly not. What is the problem with
?
Netizens complained about the outrageous makeup in this drama, calling it a "tanned version of Li Qin"; they complained about the scenes that made people laugh, with rural people riding 28-inch bars that are rare in cities, and there are many shots of air-conditioning units on asphalt roads. ; Complaints about the screenwriter changing a simple country drama into a vulgar youthful bourgeois idol drama. The creative team of
claimed to have worked hard for six years, and the screenwriter claimed that he worked hard to "integrate Shanghai into the play", but his efforts were not used at the critical points.
"Mature Years" and "Dragon City" were criticized for this reason. Serious literary IP is not a "gold medal" to avoid death. The audience will have high expectations because of their recognition of the original work. However, if the adaptation is improper, the drop in reputation will be even more serious.
A drama adaptation of serious literature must at least achieve the following points -
The first thing is the story. builds reasonable plot logic and strengthens dramatic conflicts.
As Wang Hailu, the screenwriter of "Human World" said, "TV dramas need these sighs, twists and turns, and things that are all coincidental. Now that "Human World" has the literary quality, I want to strengthen its drama technically."
"Flowers" "The original work is a densely woven picture of the world like "Along the River During the Qingming Festival". If it were shot entirely according to the original work, it would probably be loose. The drama version focuses on the entanglements between Po, Miss Wang, Lingzi, and Li Li in the shopping mall and love. , two lines run in parallel, and emotional undercurrents flow to shape the character image and relationship tension.
The second is the details, whether it is the degree of scene restoration or the carving of characters and plot details.
The reason why "Flowers" has been criticized by some people is that the dressing and setting are "not like Shanghai in the 1990s". Compared with "Human World", the characteristics of the latter's era will be more easily perceived by the audience. The crew built a phototype community with a total construction area of about 8,000 square meters, and a prop library with a total area of 14,000 square meters.
Ice skates under the eaves, posters in old houses, newspaper-pasted walls, ceramic jars, thermos bottles, kangqins, radios... and the details involving the characters must also conform to the background of the times, such as Zhou Bingkun's "passed down from generation to generation". "The woolen trousers are evidence of the growth of a generation suffering from material scarcity.
The most important thing is the values conveyed by the series.
In Wang Hailu's adaptation of "The Human World", a touch of warm and bright colors are added to the background of successive human sufferings.
"Flowers" is set in the background of foreign trade, stock market and so on in the last century. Through the ups and downs of the fate of various characters on the Yellow River Road, it seems to ask us, what are the opportunities? How should one choose his destiny in this life?
As Mr. Liang Xiaosheng said: "In the fireworks of the world, morality and responsibility are demonstrated, and feelings and aspirations are expressed in the joys and sorrows."
" Blossoms " After that, the pressure was put on them
Serious literary IP adaptation, as if it requires precision Polished jade is quite difficult to process. Among the current film and television companies, Xinli Media and Noon Sunshine are the two leaders in this field.
Xinli Media has created many popular dramas in terms of reality-oriented dramas, such as "Parents' Love" and "In the World", which are popular contemporary life dramas, and "The First Half of My Life" is a hot topic on the Internet. urban life drama.According to
data, Xinli will continue to work hard in the field of serious literary IP adaptation dramas in the future. The top-notch dramas such as "The Dust Has Settled", "Zhang Juzheng" and "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains" have the possibility to become a new batch of high-quality dramas. Xinli is good at arousing the audience's resonance at the emotional level such as the feelings of home and country, Chinese-style family, etc., which is a great help in shaping the social reputation of serious literary IP.
The quality of Noon Sun’s dramas has declined in recent years. In addition to "The Beginning" and "Children of the Qiao Family", the "Ode to Joy" series continues, "Welcome" has a false and realistic magic doorman, and "We Meet the Season" is a high-concept drama. The "Blood Revenge" drama was boring and uninteresting, and other works with the main theme always had a restrained and bland taste.
There are not many serious literary adaptations at hand. "Hard Made" has already failed due to the starring role. Now that the too conservative noon shooting of "Dajiang Dahe 3" can save its precarious reputation? For Zhongwu, there is an urgent need to achieve mutual success with serious literary IP adaptations.
What is even more anticipated is the addition of new forces. Xingge Media, which has teamed up with iQiyi to produce "City Within a City", will soon launch Enlightenment Pictures of "Going North", and will produce a new version of the period drama "Glory of Our Fathers" In the media, 2016, which has created "The Stage" with a strong regional flavor and will next direct "The Protagonist", has the opportunity to inject fresh blood into serious literary IP dramas. The attempts of different film and television companies to shoot styles will also enrich The artistic expression of such a series.
Among the three major platforms of Aiyouteng, Taochang is undoubtedly the one with the most IP layout for serious literature. "Dajiang Dahe" (2018) "Rebel" (2021) "Wind Blowing Pinellia" "The World" (2022) "The Road of Life" "Dragon City" "Mature Year" (2023), you can see the peach factory here The "intensive cultivation" of the experimental fields has a clear context, but unfortunately last year the quality control was not up to par.
's "Going North", which is expected to be broadcast this year, is adapted from Xu Zechen's work of the same name. It tells the story of the growth of a group of teenagers along the canal and connects the canal culture with the development of the times. The entry point is still somewhat new. Similar to
's future film list is Zhang Ji's "Nanhuo Store", which uses a Nanhuo store affiliated to the state-owned supply and marketing cooperative system as the background to open up the Jiangnan urban scene from the 1970s to the 1990s.
It can be seen that Taochang strives to create a distinctive "little character story" that is more novel, more growth-oriented, and more focused on shaping group portraits. The "one north and one south" angle is easy to resonate with today's young people, but it remains to be seen The final effect.
In addition, Taochang will also continue to explore local genre dramas. Not only will it have a sequel "Dajiang Dahe 3", but it has also signed a contract with Mo Yan's "Big Breasts and Wide Hips".
Jia Pingwa's "Happiness" was also on last year's list of investment films. It tells the story of Liu Gaoxing, a villager in Qingfengzhai, who went to the city to collect rags. The story of the characters and the social scene that are connected together will be interesting to watch.
protagonist Liu Gaoxing's optimistic and witty qualities should make the tone of this work warmer, take into account the comedy effect, and respond to the current "tired" social psychology. The feedback may not be too bad.
Tencent has not invested much in serious literary IP before. Although "The Ordinary World" was released in 2015, in the past few years, only "I Am Yu Huanshui" has barely managed to survive.
However, Goose Factory has been catching up recently. In addition to "Flowers", which was a hit at the beginning of the new year, in the reserve film list, you can see two adaptations of the top prize-winning works "The Wind and the Wind, Zhang Juzheng" and "A Thousand Miles of Rivers and Mountains", which take the route of historical sentiment and depth.
In addition, there is Yu Hua's "Wencheng", which was announced in 2021 to be made into a film and television, focusing on the fate of individuals wandering in the era, and "Protagonist", which tells the story of the famous Qin opera singer Qin E's ups and downs in her life - the next set of plays is "Cultural style",
digs deep into historical figures, cultural relics, and traditional cultural themes, and also fits everyone's sense of identity with Chinese culture.
Generally speaking, when platforms and film and television companies explore the field of serious literary IP, they need to do a good job in IP product selection and development, deepen the connection with the times and social psychology, control the details and texture, and use characteristic and high-quality works. speak out.
After all, the era of "content is king" has arrived, as we have said many times.
Does our era still need serious literature and drama adaptations?
The answer is unquestionable. In the impetuous era of pan-entertainment, people's hearts feel as if the wind is coming from all directions, and they are confused and helpless. The end of entertainment is endless emptiness. "Nipple fun" and short videos cannot give us thinking and direction, but serious literature can.
Through the ups and downs of human relationships, the ups and downs of the world, and the passage of time, our hearts also experience ups and downs, emotions, and precipitation.
Know where you are coming from and where you are going. When serious literature truly returns, it is also the return of people's hearts.
