Old age subjects should not be marginalized
【Literary and artistic view
The main economic data for 2019 released by the National Bureau of Statistics show that as of the end of 2019, the elderly population aged 60 and above reached 254 million, accounting for 18.1%, and the “silver hair tide” will continue to have a profound impact on all aspects of society. For film and television creators, viewing this realistic issue and satisfying the viewing needs of the elderly group is both a realistic observation and a proposition of the times.
Many elderly people in popular dramas have not left Facebook
It is not a new problem for the elderly to find the movies and TV works they love to watch, but the "hidden pain" that has always existed but has been overlooked. Why is it difficult for older people's demand for drama viewing and old age themes to attract the attention of film and television creators? Judging from the subject matter itself and market laws, it is not difficult to find a middle cause.
On the one hand, under the influence of a long-term creative atmosphere, the elderly groups in film and television dramas are often marked with "negative labels" and appear mostly as supporting actors. In order to cater to the society's imagination of the elderly group and to give the work the so-called temperament characteristics, film and television creators are more inclined to present sharp social issues such as seeking medical treatment, maintenance disputes, and empty nesting phenomena in the elderly life to capture the public's attention. . It is undeniable that topics related to the elderly group have always been unable to avoid these "unbearable weights of life." However, the exaggerated rendering of some film and television works has made the theme of old age cast a lingering dark color.
In this year's popular "An Jia", a large space is drawn for the elderly group. "Some of the living beings", some of them are self-righteous and unreasonable, and some may not end up because of real estate disputes. Last year, a "All Good" was popular all over the street. The image of the elderly such as Su Daqiang caused a lot of controversy. The maintenance of the elderly in the play became the fuse of a series of family conflicts. Su Daqiang was portrayed as The image of "fancy making demon", cowardly, timid, and selfish... Most film and television creators have formed inherent thinking when presenting the elderly group. Repeating the old routines has deepened society's stereotypes about the elderly group, and also deviated The old people's cognition and expectation of themselves.
On the other hand, the elderly are not the core audience of the film and television market, and the theme of old age is not the mainstream type of film and television creation. Young people with spending power and willingness to spend naturally become the first choice in the film and television market, and the elderly group that is difficult to help the film and television works to realize the monetization is constantly marginalized. In recent years, the old-age film and television works, such as "Mom's Mood for Love", "Lao You Yi" and "Grandpa in the Empty Nest", etc., even though the quality is online, the concept is profound, the perspective is unique, and thanks to Song Dandan, Lin Yongjian, Li Xuejian The influence of actors such as Li Liqun and others aroused a certain amount of splashes in the film and television market, but it still continues the dilemma of "applauding but not applauding", and its spread is not high.
Under the dual effects of the particularity of the theme and the spontaneity of the market, the film and television works that truly reflect the life of the elderly and are suitable for the elderly to watch are in an awkward state where the supply is less than the demand and even the supply is cut off. The elderly have no drama to watch, and it is difficult to satisfy their spiritual and cultural life. At the same time, film and television works that negatively construct the image of the elderly are emerging one after another, which not only affects the public's attitude towards the elderly group, but also does not meet the elderly's perception of themselves. On the contrary, film and television creators should keep pace with the times, use warm and sincere strokes to outline a beautiful old life, and create more film and television works that are loved by the elderly.
Silver hair creation or become the "sunrise market" of film and television
Previously, most film and television creators believed that the audience for old age subjects was not large, but this was not the case. Although the theme of old age is mainly to show the life of old age, as long as the creator finds a suitable way of expression, these works can also have the ability to enter the public's vision and cause the resonance of the whole society. For example, "Mom's Mood for Love" depicts the image of a real and lively old man. The protagonist's love for life, the pursuit of happiness, and the exploration of life have also inspired many viewers; "Lao Yiyi" combines old age with young age. The stories of people are intertwined, and through the characters and stories that are close to real life, they convey the warm and healing emotional power; "Dear They" expresses the proposition of "old love" with a youth perspective, which fully shows the old age The positive and sunny side of the group vividly told their touching story of "regaining their youth".
In addition to creating empathy in the story, the actors in the play can also help the elderly theme works break the barriers of the audience and gain widespread attention. In general, the main roles of these works are often performed by actors who have experienced years of precipitation. They have the skills to perform well in the fire, and they have precipitated considerable life experiences. Therefore, as long as the image of the old man in the play is sufficiently authentic, typical, and personalized, and the story content is exciting enough, combined with the actor's icing on the cake, "breaking the circle" is not difficult. In addition, film and television creators also need to realize that film and television creation for the elderly group cannot be "enclosed in prison", because old people don't just look at the theme of old age. According to a survey, the elderly prefer grand and tough film and television themes, especially urban life themes featuring grounded content, real characters, and hot topics. War themes with national spirit and national sentiment as the main theme are very popular. In addition, themes such as social ethics, historical stories, anti-corruption, honesty and folk legends also attracted them.
The recently broadcasted dramas "Trident", the poverty alleviation drama "Everyone is indispensable", "Green Water and Green Mountain with Smile", "My Gold Mountain and Silver Mountain" and other film and television works have also won the favor of the elderly audience. Among them, the poverty alleviation drama shows the life style of the rural elderly in a considerable length, changing the prejudice of some people. Older cadres and younger cadres work together to fight poverty alleviation in "No One Can't Miss"; the elderly in "Green Water and Green Mountains with Smile" are old and prosperous, contributing to the revitalization of the countryside; in "My Golden Mountain and Silver Mountain" After years of grievances, the Tang Fans and the two families became happy as they finally became a family. While witnessing the changes in the countryside, they really realized that the green mountains and green mountains are the Jinshan and Yinshan...These works reflect the elderly group and the decisive victory to build a well-off society The inextricable links between societies make the public's eyes further focused on them-the elderly should not be forgotten, they still provide impetus for social development and progress.
Reference samples of respecting, respecting, loving and helping the elderly should be provided
In fact, in many film and television categories, the real theme is most likely to resonate with the society, which is like a mirror reflecting the real life of the audience. During the viewing process, the audience continuously substitutes their own experiences to generate identity, which in turn changes their cognition, attitude and behavior in real life. Facing the aging social reality, screens and screens call for more warm and beautiful works of realistic themes to present the life of the elderly, observe the inner world of the elderly, and resolve the gaps and contradictions between generations.
In recent years, "Hey, old man! "Happiness House", "Old Girlfriends" and other film and television works created with warm realism as the background, provide a new window for society to be more equal and to understand the elderly in good faith. It is also an important new beginning for elderly film and television works to improve their artistic level. In the future, on the basis of warm narrative, the film and television works focusing on the elderly group can be improved from the perspectives of concept, character shaping, audio-visual language, etc., to launch more high-quality and touching works, using warmth and beauty on the screen and screen Present a positive and true life in old age.
Social surveys on the psychological needs of the elderly group show that, unlike traditional imagination, the most desirable thing for the elderly group is to actively integrate into the society, do more things, and play the excess heat to show their own value. Film and television creators should also jump out of the current face-to-face construction of the elderly group, penetrate their real life, feel their inner world, respond to their diverse needs, outline the positive and beautiful aspects of life in their later years, and appeal to the elderly group in society Pass a positive attitude towards life. Of course, whether a high-quality film and television work can be created depends largely on whether its purpose is far-reaching and whether it can achieve resonance with real life. For example, "Hey, old man! 》Don’t evade the various trivial matters of old age life, the sense of reality comes out, which arouses the attention of the society; from the perspective of women, “Old Girlfriends” presents the colorful and rich possibilities of old age life; “Happiness Home” shows The initiative and autonomy of the old people in search of their own happiness breaks the stereotypes of the public about the elderly.
On the basis of taking into account the audiovisual expression and the core of the story, film and television works should also return to life, giving a strong response to the existing problems that exist in the lives of elderly groups in reality. Because finding out problems has never been the ultimate goal of realistic themes, and giving corresponding solution ideas or bringing enlightenment to the public is what literary and artistic creation should be. With the continuous emergence of film and television works reflecting the life of the elderly, these works will inevitably provide the public with a reference sample of respecting, respecting, loving and helping the elderly, further attracting the social attention to the elderly group, and creating a respect for the elderly The social atmosphere makes the elderly people's life in their old age more warm and beautiful.
Some people say, "If young people are the hope of a nation, then the elderly are the accumulation of a nation." The humanistic care and positive energy guidance of the old-age film and television works contain precious social significance. Paying attention to the film and television needs of the elderly groups and enriching their spiritual and cultural world is an important purpose of social development. Only by taking more warm realism works and observing the real life and spiritual world of the elderly can we promote the orderly development of the film and television industry and at the same time bring more warmth and care for the elderly community and promote the healthy progress of society.
(Author: Yellow River, the Department of National Development and Research Fellow Institute for Strategic Studies, Renmin University of China)