Original author by dingjiaoone | Wang Lu Editor | Wei Jia "Being popular while being scolded at the same time" is how many viewers commented on the recently aired reality-themed urban drama "Mortal Song". The play is about three...

fixed focus (dingjiaoone) original

author | Wang Lu

editor | Wei Jia

"One side explosion "Fire, while being scolded" is how many viewers commented on the recently popular reality-themed urban drama " Mortal Song ".

The play tells the story of three couples with different professions, ages, and personalities who encountered various workplace and emotional problems during their journey to Beijing.

including 40+ couples, full-time housewife Shen Lin ( Yin Tao ) and company executive Na Wei ( Wang Xiao ); 30+ couples, CBD white-collar Xie Meilan ( Chen Haoyu ) and Beijing civil servant Shen Lei ( Qin Junjie ); and the couple composed of Li Xiaoyue ( Zhang Ruonan ) who likes to have fun in time and Na Juan ( Zhang Zhehua ), a programmer with a million-year salary.

In addition to targeting the Beipiao people, another major selling point of the show is the creative team. It is produced by Noon Sunshine and directed by Jian Chuanxi, the director of the "Ode to Joy Series".

The drama was broadcast on CCTV 8, iQiyi, and Tencent Video, and ended on September 18. Overall, its ratings performance is good. Yunhe data shows that the effective market share of the feature film during the broadcast period exceeded 20%, ranking first in the TV series list. However, the drama's highest popularity in iQiyi's history did not exceed 9,000, which was not as good as in the summer. "Tang Dynasty Strange Stories" from the archives.

The show’s reputation is also very controversial. Although Douban has not divided it, it is filled with many one- and two-star reviews. Netizens even pointed out that it cannot escape the common problem of realistic themes - suspension.

However, this does not affect the fact that the drama has always been highly topical since it was broadcast. As netizens discuss it more and more, the popularity of the drama has also increased. "Mortal Song is Horrible", "Mortal Song" Hot searches such as "Broken Defense Literature" and "Watching Mortal Songs Anxiety" continued. In the play, when Na Juan said to Li Xiaoyue, "People with a second degree make me happy" was broadcast, netizens also extended various opinions on academic qualifications. discuss.

Although the show’s high level of discussion is indispensable with the help of marketing, its continued dominance in hot searches also proves the show’s popularity to a certain extent.

Does the hotly discussed "Mortal Song" induce empathy or exaggerate anxiety?

(The following content contains spoilers)

"Mortal Song" became popular, and it is inseparable from anxiety

"How strong must one be mentally to watch "Mortal Song"?" Many viewers expressed emotion after watching it.

"Mortal Song" is an urban drama with a realistic theme, and it is also a Beipiao group drama. On the one hand, it brings together young people of different ages, occupations, and personalities. On the other hand, it also summarizes the difficulties faced by migrant workers of different ages and puts them on the characters one by one, showing Various workplace anxieties.

Na Wei, a company executive with an annual salary of four to five million, was forced to lose his job in middle age due to internal strife among the top management; Na Juan, a programmer with an annual salary of one million in a major Internet company, was so anxious about work involution that he became deaf; and Shen Lei, who worked within the Beijing system , stable but abandoned by his wife because he didn’t make much money; Shen Lin, who was also a full-time housewife, fell directly from the personnel director to the nanny after returning to the workplace... There are many posts about "anxiety", and they are all accompanied by a lot of comments.

A worker born in the 2000s in a first-tier city said that his work nature is similar to that of Juan Juan (Na Juan) in the drama. He works overtime until 11 or 12 o'clock, commutes for at least an hour, and eats endless takeaways every day.

Originally she was full of longing for the future, thinking that she could achieve promotion and salary increase and stay in a big city through "Juan", but after seeing Juan Juan's long-term high-pressure deafness, she was a little confused, "I don't have as strong an ability as Juan Juan. It is estimated that it will be difficult to earn an annual salary of one million in this life, and I may end up with a lot of problems. Maybe this city is not suitable for me.”

A netizen living in the county also said that compared with the characters in the play, his abilities are average. , poor ability to withstand stress, and no plans for the future, preferring to live in the present, "But such an outstanding person still lives like this, I dare not think about how miserable my life will be after the age of 30."

"Mortal People" "Song" also touches on anxiety about marriage and love.

The three couples in the play all faced issues such as how to choose between emotional and material foundations, and whether their three views and goals were in sync. In the end, the two couples parted ways, ending their relationship that had lasted for several years.

Shen Lei, a civil servant in Beijing, and Xie Meilan, a white-collar worker in the financial industry, originally went from school uniforms to wedding dresses. However, after experiencing pregnancy, mother's illness, etc., Xie Meilan wanted a better material life. Shen Lei's complacency made her choose divorce.

Netizens are also very controversial about the role of Xie Meilan. Some netizens think that she dislikes being poor and prefers being rich, and "had an affair in marriage" for money. Shen Lei, who was admitted to the Beijing civil service, should not be labeled as "unmotivated". But there are also people who support Xie Meilan. They feel that the two of them have different goals and it is understandable that they want a better material life.

The couple Na Juan and Li Xiaoyue are also highly discussed. The main problem between the two is that they have different lifestyles. One does not want to be bound by work and likes freedom, while the other is extremely introverted and has a plan for everything in life. Both of them also use practical methods. Actions have proven that we can share adversity together. For example, when Na Juan fell ill due to work pressure, Li Xiaoyue, as his girlfriend, chose to take good care of him. But in the end, Li Xiaoyue rejected Na Juan's proposal when he recovered.

This has also triggered the anxiety of some young viewers about marriage and love. Questions such as "Which is better, complementarity or similarity? In the absence of principled issues, can the other party accommodate each other's habits and personalities because of love?" and other questions have been discussed one by one. discuss.

html The 298-year-old Northern Drifter Asteroid said that her ex-boyfriend’s personality was very similar to that of Na Juan. She felt that although she would have a more stable material life with him, she would be mentally bound by his views. . "If you can't be yourself in a relationship, it's chronic consumption. It's bearable for people who pursue material things, but it's difficult for people who pursue spiritual satisfaction."

Many industry insiders said that before the play ends, Before the show started, I was not optimistic about the popularity of this drama, because there were too many stories about the Beipiao family before, and it was difficult to write new ideas. However, as the drama unfolded elements such as workplace, age, marriage, etc. one by one, "Mortal Song" "It's true that it became popular, but not because of the plot itself, but because of the anxiety.

"Mortal Song", do not understand "mortal"

In fact, the audience is not unable to accept the presentation of the pressure and helplessness of real life in film and television dramas, but the problem with "Mortal Song" is that it is somewhat exaggerated and deliberate.

"Perhaps in real life, these outstanding people do have such broken lives, but they are not representative. "Mortal Song" seems to use the 'extreme misery' of a few people to sell anxiety." One audience member said.

characters, the mortals in the play are not real mortals.

Let’s take a look at the three male protagonists first. Na Wei is a company executive with an annual salary of nearly hundreds of thousands, Na Juan, a top student, sits on the upper echelon of Beijing, and Shen Lei is also a civil servant with a Beijing household registration. As for the heroine, Shen Lin is a former human resources director, and Xie Meilan is a white-collar worker in a financial company.

Film and television critic Jingwei believes that at a time when unemployed and frustrated people are everywhere, the drama captures the emotions of the era very accurately, and the story line and actors' performances are very convincing and can generate empathy. However, it is a pity that mortals In the song, there are only "middle-class mortals, and there are no real bottom-class mortals".

"So even if the Nawei family falls to the bottom, they still own a house worth tens of millions in Wangjing and a BMW worth 500,000 yuan; Shen Lei, even with a monthly salary of 8,000 yuan, still has the Beijing household registration that countless people dream of. Identity as a civil servant. Can it be called a mortal song if it doesn’t describe ordinary people like low-level workers, delivery boys, courier boys, and construction workers who are living below the poverty line? "

How can the protagonists in the play be called ordinary people in terms of their academic qualifications and abilities? They are above the level of the Northern Drifters in terms of employment, job opportunities, etc. However, they are still at a loss when faced with the plight of ordinary people such as middle-aged unemployment, involution of large factories, and stay-at-home mothers. Therefore, when ordinary viewers see these outstanding figures encountering problems such as middle-aged unemployment and being unpopular with the marriage and love market, their own anxiety directly rises.

A netizen ridiculed, "Shen Lei's work within the Beijing system is still despised. Kaogong and Shandong people are going to be emo."

In terms of plot, the drama follows the common routines of urban dramas. , that is, when the character appears, An elite character who experienced a series of accidents and fell to the bottom, and finally managed to get out of the crisis through his own efforts. In addition to such a setting of ups and downs, this drama also superimposes many difficult points when the protagonist encounters hardships, , which makes the audience feel that the anxiety is further aggravated.

For example, it is very obvious in Na Wei and Shen Lin, a couple over 40 years old.

As a middle-aged man, Na Wei has experienced difficulties in the workplace such as the boss of the company running away, owing millions in debt, and being unemployed in middle age. At home, he still has to support his wife, two children, a house, and a car.

When the drama depicts the dilemma, there are still some places that cannot help but logical scrutiny. For example, many netizens cannot understand what Na Wei did. "As an executive, he should have a high level of business intelligence. He also has a highly educated military advisor brother. Why?" Willing to bear millions of debts, he seems to have chosen the most difficult wrong answer from a bunch of correct answers. "

Not only that, in order to relieve anxiety, the play also opened the golden finger at the end. , then. Wei's millions of dollars were recovered, and he and his wife opened a braised food shop, while Na Juan owned a 160-storey building and got a new job with a higher salary.

"The mortals in the play only experienced calamity. In reality, it is really difficult for ordinary people to stand up. This makes the play seem suspended." One netizen thought.

Realistic themes, is anxiety the password for traffic?

The controversy faced by "Mortal Song" is not a single problem of this drama, but a common problem of many reality-themed dramas.

"With current realistic themes, if you want to get ratings, you have to rely on anxiety." A film and television practitioner said.

Why do realistic themes exaggerate anxiety? Based on the views of several practitioners, there are roughly two main reasons.

is first determined by the difficulty of subject creation.

Film and television screenwriter Xiao Ke said that the way of creating realistic themes is very different from that of sweet pet dramas. Writing sweet pet dramas has a clear "frequency of sprinkling sugar". The creator can just follow the rules and follow the rules step by step like a product manager, but Realistic themes are difficult to stylize and require a lot of effort in background presentation, character creation, plot advancement, and polishing of details.

For example, in terms of plot advancement, although literary creation does not need to completely copy real life, real-life themes must also conform to a certain logic, especially the "strong plot" and "gold finger" methods commonly used in creation. If they are frequently used in a short period of time appears, it will cause the plot to be suspended.

Realistic creation itself is difficult, and many creators still want to be lazy.

"Anxiety is one of the elements that is easiest for the audience to empathize with. The other is anger and desire. These labor-saving and safe creative methods also make realistic-themed creations like to over-exaggerate anxiety." Senior producer who is good at this type Clearly stated.

In addition, ’s current creative ideas also contribute to anxiety about rendering realistic themes.

"The current market trend is that everyone advocates that long videos should have short video ideas. Although I don't agree with it, it seems to have become a strong momentum." clearly stated.

The so-called short video idea means that the script has an audience profile from the beginning of the project, and then the creator focuses on the points of interest of this audience, setting up actors, plots, conflicts, marketing and other aspects. This model is very useful in harvesting short videos. It has been tried and tested by drama users.

Xiao Ke also felt deeply. She felt that "Mortal Song" is a long drama in terms of production and actors, but the story is very much like a short drama, full of anxiety points.

Although the play is about the life of working elites drifting to Beijing, the topic is lower-level, involving middle-aged unemployment, full-time housewives, civil servants, blind dates and other workplace, marriage and love survival dilemmas. These are topics of great concern to many second- and third-tier audiences.

More than one viewer said that they first noticed the highly topical clip of "Mortal Song" on social platforms, and thus paid attention to the drama. Some people chose to open the long video platform to follow the drama, and some people directly watched it on The short video platform is finished.

"I was attracted by the two video clips of the show. Later, big data recommended many workplace topic clips from the show to me. I originally wanted to watch it after the show has fattened me up, but there were too many short videos. I finished it without realizing it, and I understand the plot very well,” said one netizen.

Whether it is the difficulty of this type of subject matter itself or the current creative idea of ​​​​seeking "fast", it is a test for creators. Appropriate reflection of social hot topics can often quickly arouse the resonance of the audience. However, once the drama and conflict are pursued too much, it will easily gain popularity and lose reputation.

*The title picture and the accompanying pictures in the article are from the official Weibo of the TV series "Mortal Song". At the request of the interviewee, Xiaoxing, Xiaoke, and Mingming are pseudonyms in the article.