October 30, 2022 Issue | Total Issue 3040 , there is no lack of seriousness in exaggeration, and speculation in fanaticism.
This is not a topical sampling drama we usually see, but it can let you see the intermediate state of life in the ultimate aesthetic, and poke your private jokes in the hidden jokes. When
criticizes domestic female group dramas, the two key words we often mention are "exaggeration" and "anxiety". These two adjectives actually describe the relationship between the story and reality. Too far away, too abstract, is grandiosity; too close, to draw dilemmas, is anxiety. For these two diseases, is there any other solution besides digging the realistic prescription of the story from the dirt?
, which combines the sense of game and seriousness just right, gives a new reference answer.
deconstructs love routines
"Ripple Heart", which is currently on iQiyi , has a very unique structure.
On the one hand, it uses three relatively independent clues to bring three heroines of different ages into the same-frequency story mood. In the
drama, Zhang Fan, an interior designer played by Qin Lan and , encounters a business trip and encounters a loyal "little milk dog". The "Fancy" retired from the competition; the "Love Brain" female graduate student starred by Zheng Hehuizi was even deceived by the inferior "Boss", and liked to mention her status as a junior... Women of different ages, occupations, and little intersections in life , but encountered the same strong dramatic love. The structure of
also gives "Ripple Heart" an opportunity to jump out of the female group portrait routine. Because the clues are relatively independent,
does not need to forcefully implant the stereotype of "girls help girls" (women's mutual assistance) across ages, industries and classes. The talk show bar where Li Xueqin and appeared is the place where the three meet the most. The loose group portraits of women give each heroine sufficient and reasonable role space.
On the other hand, it uses the interspersed talk show to give the audience a breakaway perspective.
This is an outsider's perspective and an opportunity for the audience to adjust their position in the show. When Li Xueqin used a detached metaphor to give a speech on the plight of the three heroines, skilled audiences probably knew that they had to lift their heads from the exaggerated story of "love another woman faints" at the top of the play.
Back to the topic of deconstructing love routines.
In the way of drama, 's "deconstruction" can be roughly divided into two directions: one is betrayal, that is, the complete subversion of the program; the other is parody, which is used to ridicule and play. The deconstruction of love routines in 's "Ripple Heart" belongs to the latter category.
is in a foreign country that stirs up "sister dog love", and encounters a "train freak"-style breakup in a stable partnership. " love brain " has its own "sea king" physique. From the beginning, the love stories of the three heroines in the play are indeed familiar routine settings. However, after "Ripple Heart" borrowed the routine to set the opening, it quickly embarked on the development and confrontation of the anti-routine.
Take the love line of ordinary female spokesperson Pan Xiaochen as an example.
deduced according to the game routine of "Breakup Master". After the boyfriend who didn't have the courage to mention the breakup asked the gym coach to lure the heroine into cheating, the next thing that should come is jealousy, regret, and the sugar-sprinkling development of "chasing his wife crematoria". It should be a good comedy ending for the two to reunite.
but "Ripple Heart" is not. In the long run of love, tired is tired. Even if there is guilt and attachment, it is difficult to resist the depression of the relationship.
The boyfriend Wang Jun ( He Peng ) in the play did not change his mind. The reason why he wanted to suspend the transaction with the fitness coach Yang Wanqing ( Wang Guanyi ) and recover Pan Xiaochen was just to fulfill the wish of his seriously ill mother. "Sleeve within a set". In this game, women stand in the perspective of omniscience, but the routine of "jealous" grasping men's hearts does not create a miracle of love again.
Strictly speaking, although the beginning is "grabbing the horse", the direction of this love story is serious. Disappointment in lovers and inability to intimacy cannot be reversed by a breakup game. Since love has disappeared, we must have the courage to face it, and get rid of the firmness of relying on inertia. The
routine is the ultimate distillation of the drama of life. Because of this, no one can guarantee that their lives will be 100% free from routines. If "grabbing the horse" really falls from the sky, it is also a good choice to give answers that go beyond the vulgar "routines" like the group of interesting women in "Ripple Heart".
Comedy rehabilitates life
Comedy is an important style identity of "Ripple Heart". At the beginning of each episode, Li Xueqin's "pointing topic" talk show is a major feature of "Ripple Heart", but the comedy of the show is not limited to this. The three story lines of
"Ripple Heart" are driven by the core contradictions of secrets, misunderstandings and conspiracies. With the usual strong plot, the story becomes extreme and embarrassing. But with a comedy approach, irony can be shot with a light weight, which complements the slightly alienated parody style of the whole play.
The spirit of comedy is the core attitude of the heroines in "Ripple Heart", facing love "grabbing the horse". If we regard "grabbing the horse" as an abstraction of the uncertainty of life, the attitude of the three protagonists in the face of "grasping the horse" is "he is strong and the wind blows the hills", which is exactly in line with the spirit of fearless comedy. .
Take the confrontation between Zhang Fan and the "Nianxia" little milk dog Lin Sen (played by Wang Ziyi).
What is the attitude of an average mature woman when she encounters a little milk dog to her? Of course, it is the alarm bell of the self-protection system.
At the beginning of this scene, Zhang Fan's strong sense of boundaries and Lin Sen's tireless exploration formed a strong comedy conflict. Lin Sen said, if you don't want me to put you to bed, Zhang Fan will say "I really don't know how to lift"; Lin Sen took a marshmallow downstairs and waited for Zhang Fan to go home, but Zhang Fan's response was "Mosquito downstairs. More, you go to the guest house." It was not until the middle of the emotional journey that the two people were protecting each other and gradually had the same frequency of emotion.
However, even if Zhang Fan gradually lowered his defense line and let Lin Sen enter his life, the dynamic of the relationship between the two has not changed. Lin Sen's body is still whimsical and clumsy and romantic, and Zhang Fan still has the ability to independently forbear and reduce dimensionality. Lovely and the big devil's rivalry, there will never be a lack of contrast and joy. In addition to the comedy spirit of the protagonist,
also added the comedy level of "Ripple Heart".
If you want to ask what is the most dazzling comedy? Probably, if I tell you in advance how to tease you, you will still be amused by me. This is a very risky comedy technique, it is easy to be provocative and boring when not used properly, but it is the best way to counter the routine when used well. The main creator of
"Ripple Heart" tried to use this kind of comedy technique.
In Pan Xiaochen's story line, there is a scene where she suspects that her boyfriend is going to murder herself and her fitness coach because she is "jealous". At the beginning of that episode, the creator borrowed the plot of her and Zhang Fan watching a horror movie, and asked Zhang Fan to dictate this "routine".
Then, the whole scene revolves around Pan Xiaochen's psychological suggestion and suspicion. It was not until the end that Wang Jun took Pan Xiaochen to a remote mountain area, but took out the marriage proposal ring, and the unexpected hole card of the "routine" was finally revealed.
At this time, the main creator who lied to the audience for an entire episode was still unfinished, and through the mouths of Zhang Fan and Luo Xiaoxiao who rushed to the rescue, they shouted out the core screenwriting technique of this episode - "Misunderstanding, all of this is a misunderstanding."
For audiences who are not familiar with genre narratives and drama routines, this scene is simply interesting - the kind of "unexpected, reasonable" kind of fun. But for viewers who are familiar with the alienation technique, it is easy to be amused by the screenwriter's cunning "trick" after a little comparison before and after, which also adds more meaning to the comedy of "Ripple Heart".
A video that makes the heart more rippling
"Ripple Heart" is directed by Liu Ziwei . Prior to this, Liu Ziwei's film work " My Heart is Excited " and the female suspense drama " White Moonlight " have left a deep impression on the audience. Her images have a strong personal style. The narrative that can be completed with pictures will not interfere with the lines. She needs to use images to upgrade the emotional and psychological expression, and she will always give out-of-the-ordinary answers.
created "Ripple Heart" this time, she continued to use her expertise and sensitivity in video. Here the author only starts to talk about the feelings on two key points.
One is the color tone of the image.
Nowadays, when talking about video style, a concept that many audiences will mention is called atmosphere. In order to pursue a sense of atmosphere, many photographers are willing to use shallow depth of field, multiple occlusions, symmetrical composition, and use of colors in illustrations to enhance the dreaminess of images.
But the atmosphere is not only dreamy. In "Ripple Heart", Liu Ziwei found a green tone for the whole play, sometimes full of vitality, sometimes rich and dignified. There is no deliberate ambiguity or ambiguity in the picture, but it also forms a strong infectious atmosphere.
Another is the spatial scheduling with editing.
"Ripple Heart" has a three-line structure, but the life of the three heroines does not intersect much. In order to make the switching of the three leads more smooth, the director put a lot of effort into it. One of the biggest innovative attempts is to let the three clues meet in the same space, and then use the scene dispatch to make the story focus smoothly switch.
For example, in the fifth episode, Zhang Fan and Lin Sen made another appointment for the dumpling game, Pan Xiaochen met Wang Jun and Yang Wanqing for the first time at the same time, and Luo Xiaoxiao officially declared war on the scumbag. All three major events happened at the same time in a shopping mall. The director made the three clues cleverly handed over through difficult scheduling, such as meeting at the corner and looking at each other across the floor, making it cool and smooth to watch.
As an important new branch of urban emotional dramas and the pillar of commercial dramas, female group dramas have gained momentum in recent years. However, the by-product of intensive development is a creative crash, and the narratives of strong women, gender antagonisms, and women's mutual aid come out in a row, which makes the audience in front of the screen feel aesthetically exhausted.
The female group portrait drama needs to break through the stereotype. The exaggerated, comedy style and emotional seriousness of "Ripple Heart" may not be perfect, but it has taken an important step of exploration. We also hope to see more female dramas with changing faces, different styles and diverse orientations on the screen in the future.
[Text / Tin Snare Drum]
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