" Ice Hunting ", "The Boy Who Can't See a Shadow" and "The Lonely Boat". As of August, model worker Zhang Songwen in the film and television industry has already brought three works, plus a personal variety show "Brilliant Garden". Zhang Songwen, who has been working as an acting teacher for many years, still has the responsibility of "leading the new" even after becoming famous. However, at a time when youth spy dramas are becoming popular, sometimes "old and new" doesn't help.
"Gu Zhou" has a polarizing reputation
Ever since Gao Qiqiang in "Hurry", Zhang Songwen's acting skills and popularity no longer need to be proven. Many dramas have saved a lot of marketing expenses under the banner of "Zhang Songwen". But high attention is not necessarily a good thing, especially when the partner becomes a newcomer. Under Zhang Songwen's comparison, it will only expose the opponent's shortcomings. If the script is unsatisfactory, "drive high and go low" will not be able to run. Many viewers were attracted to Zhang Songwen's several dramas this year, but after watching them, they found that "Zhang Songwen couldn't even carry him."
The "Lone Boat" currently being aired is a collaboration between Zhang Songwen and Zeng Shunxi. The plot is set in "Suzhou during the Anti-Japanese War in 1941". It tells the story of the returned architect Gu Yizhong ( Zeng Shunxi ) who was forced to get involved in the crisis and staged a duel with Zhou Zhifei (played by Zhang Songwen), the head of the No. 90 Secret Service Station. , a story of continuous growth in struggle. This is the first time Zhang Songwen has played the villain of a spy drama since "Hurry". The showdown between him and Zeng Shunxi, old and new, is a highlight of the drama.
High attention means that the quality requirements for drama series are also high, but the reputation of "Lone Boat" can be described as polarized. As a junior, Zeng Shunxi did not make the audience feel the obvious gap in his scenes with Zhang Songwen, and the acting skills of other actors were also online. However, many viewers believe that the show has fallen into the trap of turning a "spy war" into a "spy couple". The first scene at the beginning shows "agent novice" Gu Yizhong and Xiao Ruotong (played by Wang Yuwen) on a date on a boat. "Gu Yizhong "went in and came out" No. 90 and both were safe and sound. The heroine successfully escaped a few meters away from the enemy. Everyone couldn't help but sigh that "a spy drama is like playing house." Although "Lone Boat" shows a strong blockbuster atmosphere in all aspects, there is still a certain gap between the blockbusters and word-of-mouth dramas expected by the audience.
In the first half of this year, Zhang Songwen also had a film "Hunting Ice" starring Anna Yao , which became a negative case because of too many complaints. Because of Zhang Songwen, this drama also attracted much attention before it was aired. Director Gao Qunshu has directed many popular film and television works such as "Conquest" and " wind ". He is very familiar with directing such themes. In addition, Zhang Songwen's partner this time is film and television. A newcomer to the industry, Yao Anna, known as the "Second Princess of Huawei", naturally has a lot of attractions and is full of attraction. However, after the series was aired, netizens started heated discussions on topics such as "Anna Yao's acting skills" and "pediatric plot", and the Douban score dropped from 4.7 to 4.3. Some media commented, "The perfunctory and rough production, the flat characters, and the performance of non-professional actors such as Yao Anna have greatly compromised the quality of the entire drama." Fortunately, the audience recognized Zhang Songwen's performance very much, and his own halo was hardly affected. implicated.
"The Boy Who Can't See a Shadow" was not so lucky. The play focuses on the social issue of "anti-trafficking", and through the narration of complex cases, it deeply shows the pain of families of missing children. As the third time that Zhang Songwen and Rong Zishan play father and son after "Summer in Xi Xiaohe" and "The Hidden Corner", this drama has attracted attention from the beginning of filming. However, contrary to expectations, "The Boy Who Can't See Shadow" not only failed to revive the reputation of "Mist Theater", but Zhang Songwen was also criticized for the lack of level in his performance, and the character he played was too flat and lacked highlights.
From "Ice Hunt" at the beginning of the year to "Lonely Boat" in the summer season, although these works have been criticized to some extent due to plots, co-stars and many other issues, Zhang Songwen is afraid that he will not be able to shake off the blame. dropped.
Youth spy drama is popular
Spy drama has become an "evergreen tree" in the drama market with its brain-burning plot, ups and downs of reasoning and passionate story core.In the early years, "Latent", "The Pretender", "Kite", etc. are all classics that are difficult to surpass. "Lone Boat" is not an exception. If you review the spy war works in recent years, it is not difficult to find that youth + spy war has become the mainstream creation method of this theme. In a spy drama, there will always be a few old faces that are familiar to the audience, paired with a young actor. Behind this trend, it is not only a reflection of market demand, but also the result of adjustments to the TV drama creation strategy. âBy introducing young idols and novel story elements, âthese dramas successfully attracted young audiences and âinjected new vitality into spy dramas. Starting from " sparrow " starring Zhou Dongyu, Zhang Ruoyun and others in 2016, spy dramas started the "youth+" route, but the vision is good, but the level is uneven.
In the first half of this year, "Storm Chaser" starring Wang Yibo , Wang Yang, Li Qin and others set off a spy whirlwind. The play tells the story of Wei Ruolai (played by Wang Yibo), a patriotic young man in the 1930s who witnessed the darkness of society, gradually found his life direction, and finally joined the historical torrent of the new democratic revolution led by the Communist Party of China. The biggest innovation of the play is to choose finance, an area rarely touched upon by spy war narratives, to open up a new path for spy war dramas to delve deeper into the theme of faith. It promotes the development of the plot through a series of financial events and guides the audience into the depths of history. Xu Nuo, Wei Ruolai, Shen Jinzhen and other characters have vivid images, creating a group of amiable and lovely group portraits. Douban also scored a high score of 7.8, which is indeed a high-scoring youth + spy movie in recent years. It was not easy for Wang Yibo to be recognized for his acting skills in the play, but later Wang Yang was shortlisted for "Magnolia", which caused dissatisfaction among fans, causing him a thousand losses and hurting his enemies eight hundred. The appearance of a popular actor in the main theme work added to the controversy.
Later, Li Xian and Ren Min brought a movie "When the Stars Shine", starring popular actors and actors, presumably for the popularity and reputation, but the feedback from the audience after the broadcast was relatively consistent, only It can be considered quite satisfactory. There are some plots in the play that highlight the protagonist's halo, such as climbing a tall building with bare hands, a scholar facing siege, and a car accident, and finally saving the day. This is considered a forced intelligence reduction in the eyes of the audience. All conflicts are forcibly designed to advance the plot, making it Logically untenable.
Another spy drama that has attracted much attention this year is "Harbin 1944". As Yang Mi 's first work after leaving her old employer Jiaxing, "Harbin 1944" is of great significance to Yang Mi's transformation. big. The play is directed by Zhang Li, screenwriter Wang Xiaoqiang, and the actor Qin Hao. In addition, it also has a powerful lineup such as Zhang Zixian, Luan Yuanhui, Lin Jiachuan, Zhang Guoqiang, and Tian Xiaojie. But unfortunately, Yang Mi is still too beautiful in the drama. She is beautiful when she shoots a gun, and she is beautiful even if her face is covered with mud. Some viewers thought her performance was just a formality, and her exaggerated expressions and ferocious features seemed like she was using too much force. What is gratifying for fans is that, to paraphrase director Zhang Li, "Yang Mi used to perform beautifully, but now she is starting to get rid of her beauty." Perhaps in this drama, Yang Mi has not yet met the audience's expectations, but she has already surpassed herself.
Although there have been few spy war dramas in recent years, they have a strong audience base and a number of "youth + spy war" works are about to be released. Chen Zheyuan, who became famous last year with "Secretly Can't Hide", will soon have the spy drama "Dark Night and Dawn" aired. The supporting cast includes Nie Yuan, Wang Zhiwen, Ni Dahong, Wang Jinsong and other acting talents. I believe it will also get a lot of attention.
There is nothing wrong with using popular actors in spy dramas. Hu Ge was just over 30 when he starred in "The Pretender", and Yao Chen was less than 30 when he starred in "Latent". But no matter what the cast is, the key to the spy drama being recognized by the audience lies in the plot. Screenwriter Wang Xiaoqiang said: "In the spy drama track, it would be better to find a new set of character relationships than digging for a 'new theme' in an old story." Character design is secondary, how to ensure The logic of the plot is online, and the plots are interlocking, giving people an exciting feeling of high IQ competition and undercurrents of various forces. Only by polishing the script carefully can we deliver a script that satisfies the audience.
For young actors, although spy dramas have a huge audience, they are not a shortcut to fame. A good spy drama is not just about the accumulation of traffic. What the audience sees is the ups and downs of the plot, the life-and-death battles, and the unsolved mysteries. The acting skills of the actors can add to the character, but the so-called good actors should give way to the role. Hiding behind the character, devoting yourself wholeheartedly to the performance, reducing the sense of personal presence as much as possible, and allowing the audience to only see the character but not the actor, can they reach a new realm of performance.
Source: Jinan Times
