China News Service, Beijing, August 9 (Reporter Shangguan Yun) Not long ago, the hit drama "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories: Journey to the West" came to its finale. The Douban score has also been rising, from the initial 8.1 to the current 8.4.
This drama has a total of 40 episodes, consisting of eight unit stories including "Conquering the Devil". It is also the second season of "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories". It is adapted from Wei Fenghua's novel of the same name and tells the story of Lu Lingfeng, Su Wuming and others. story.
Picture source: Douban screenshot
As the series comes to an end, people have begun to pay attention to a question, that is, has "The Secret of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West" broken the "sequel curse"? For film and television dramas, what is the key factor for a sequel to surpass its predecessor?
Have you won a good reputation?
Compared with the first season, "The Strange Story of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West" is still largely the same cast, produced by Guo Jingyu and directed by Bai Shan.
From the time it first aired to the finale, many topics related to "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories: Journey to the West" have been on the hot searches. Several stories have their own characteristics, and the audience is keen to discuss the content structure and the growth arc of the characters.
For example, regarding the content of the story, some netizens believe that the logic of the case is average and "still cannot escape the style of a detective idol drama."
However, some viewers believe that the quality is on a higher level than the first part, and the photography and martial arts are more exquisite; in addition, it continues the fast pace of the first part, and the sequel starts very simply, and tells a relatively smooth story in a few episodes.
Picture source: "The Strange Stories of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West" video screenshot
However, judging from the Douban score, "The Strange Stories of the Tang Dynasty: The Journey to the West" has basically maintained a relatively good reputation, and many people have started to "urge for updates" early. "The third season, I look forward to continuing filming."
"This drama has strong control over the overall planning of the series. Its continued popularity also shows the importance of source creation. High-quality images and fascinating stories allow the strengths of long videos to be fully utilized. Very good." Columnist Han Haoyue said.
How to break the "sequel curse"?
On another level, the high popularity of "The Strange Story of the Tang Dynasty: Journey to the West" has also attracted people's attention to another topic, that is, how can film and television dramas break the "sequel curse"?
Earlier, Zeng Xiaoxiao became popular after the broadcast of "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories". The plot, the way of persuasion, etc. were the focus of people's attention. At that time, some viewers expressed their desire to see a sequel, but were worried that the quality would not keep up, resulting in a poor reputation.
In the field of film and television dramas, there is an unwritten saying, that is, the "sequel curse", which generally refers to the fact that it is difficult for a sequel to surpass the first one. For a popular film and television drama, it is indeed not easy for its sequel to reach the level and attention of its predecessor.
For example, the Douban score of the first part of the "Young Bao Qingtian" series that hit the screen earlier reached 8.6 points, and the score of the second part was 7.6 points, which is not low. However, many years after it was broadcast, there are still netizens Leave a comment: The first part is the most classic.
Picture source: Douban screenshot
This cannot be completely said to be caused by the "age filter". The popularity of the previous work often raises the audience's expectations, which requires that the second season must be creative and surprise the audience while ensuring the continuation of the original style as much as possible.
"Through the previous work, many viewers have established a relationship with the characters. The so-called authenticity, the first requirement is that the sequel must use the original cast as much as possible to ensure the continuity of the characters. Changing the leading actors is often a taboo." Han Haoyue analyzed .
"High quality" is the core element for film and television dramas to win the favor of audiences. Han Haoyue agreed with this. Excellent story content, character settings, etc. are the basis for whether film and television dramas can gain a good reputation. If you want to break the "sequel curse", you must first refine the core of the drama and have continuity between each season. Attract the audience to keep watching.
For example, the previous "Iron Teeth and Bronze Teeth Ji Xiaolan" series, which has a good reputation, has a basically similar storytelling style and will not cause too much sense of fragmentation; the same is true for the "Tang Wei" series, where the "sense of suspense" is consistent and the storytelling is Always stronger.
In addition, there is another point. He believes that no matter what type of film and television drama, it is for the audience to watch, so it is necessary to respect the audience's pertinent suggestions, always be in touch with the present, and find resonance with the mainstream audience and the story.
"Nowadays, the value of IP is becoming more and more prominent, and many domestic dramas have sequels. Consciously controlling the rhythm of the drama as a whole and improving the quality of the drama are the keys to a drama's ability to 'break the circle'." he said. (End)
Source: China News Network
