The film and television industry continues the cold winter, where are young actors going
The cold winter of film and television has not passed, and the young actor Liu Le (pseudonym), who has been in the industry for 11 years, feels "uncomfortable." As a "familiar actor" for the audience, he has acted as the "male number one", has worked with well-known directors, and has acted in rival roles with first-line stars. He can list a long list of masterpieces, and he has a group of fans who like him. Nevertheless, in the past three years, he has made at most one movie per year, and the pay has fallen back to the level when he first entered the industry.
In 2018, the film and television industry was exposed to "yin and yang contracts" and Fan Bingbing's tax issues. These two incidents were seen as the fuse for the film and television industry to enter the cold winter. Insiders ridiculed: "Under the cold winter of film and television, first-line stars continue to shoot, second- and third-line actors appear on variety shows, and ordinary actors are eliminated."
Affected by the new crown pneumonia epidemic this year, data from Enterprise Chacha shows that from January to June 2020, 13,170 companies engaged in film and television have cancelled, far exceeding the number of film and television companies cancelled in 2019.
In early May of this year, the three major video websites of Tencent Video, iQiyi, and Youku also jointly published the "Proposal on Carrying Out the Industry's Self-help Action in Unity and Togetherness" in collaboration with six major film and television production companies. Data show that during the epidemic, In the film and television drama industry, about 60 crews stopped filming and 100 projects were delayed. The income of broadcasters fell sharply. The average decline in advertising revenue alone was more than 30%. It is expected that the output of TV dramas this year will be even lower than the winter of 2019. 30%.
In the cold winter, a "waist" actor like Liu Le who has worked hard for many years originally wanted to use the resources and acting skills accumulated over the years to take his career to the next level, but he did not expect that the reality would directly hit him to the bottom, and now he continues to stick to it. Changing careers is a problem that many young actors have to face.
Role competition and motivation are like squeezing a single-plank bridge in an art test
When Liu Le first entered the industry, he assumed the role of the male number one in a digital movie. Compared with many actors, he started and had good luck. At the busiest time, Liu Le made more than 10 digital movies and TV shows a year, all year round.
Two months ago, Liu Legang finished filming a movie. There were not many shows and the pay was very low. Liu Le revealed that during the three-month filming cycle, the producer gave a "package pay", and the average daily income was not as good as that of extras. But if you don't pick up, there will be many actors rushing to shoot, and Liu Le doesn't want to sit and eat.
Before winning this role, Liu Le had been at home for one year. As far as he knows, there are six to seventy people competing for his role as the male number three. If you want to win, you must not only use acting skills to conquer the director during the audition, but also personal connections and qualifications.
What's more cruel is that "many actors will be unemployed again after a film is finished." Now, Liu Le has fallen into a long waiting period again, and he doesn't know when he can pick up the role again. He also often checks WeChat Moments to see if there is a crew in preparation and if there is a chance to try it out, but the opportunities are very few. He repeatedly urged the agency to accept the play as long as there is a play, and not to choose a role, "at least there is a place where board and lodging can be included in the crew."
The 24-year-old actor Guan Aini has been in the industry for 4 years. When Guan Aini entered the film and television industry from a professional model in 2016, it was the golden age of the film and television industry. She said that it was easy to enter the industry and there were many opportunities. Although Guan Aini did not learn acting in a professional college, she began to serve as the female number one in many well-produced online movies after receiving professional advice from her acting teacher. In the busiest year, she filmed 12 consecutive plays.
At the moment, Guan Aini no longer asks for the role weight, and other actors are very envious of filming. Last year, she competed with dozens of actresses for a common role, and was finally lucky enough to be selected. In the past, resources and opportunities took the initiative to find her, but now in order to win the role, she must accept the "friendship price" pay. The industry's cold winter made Guan Aini experience the sense of a sharp decline in her acting career, which also made her more sober.
The post-95 actress Chen Qi graduated from the undergraduate class of acting at the Central Academy of Drama. In the eyes of her classmates, she is a "little queen of stage play" and her acting skills have nothing to say. Because he loves feathers, Chen Qi has always chosen scripts and roles.
"At present, it is most important to live." Chen Qi no longer insisted on setting himself a standard for the play. When some casting directors found Chen Qi, they told her directly that they could participate in the performance but were not paid. Even so, some people are eager for the role.
Producer Yue Hao, who has been in the industry for more than 20 years, has worked in Hengdian World Studios for 8 months. He revealed that after the outbreak, 31 crews in Hengdian Studios suspended filming. Later, more than half of the crew failed to resume work on time and the project was terminated. In previous years, during the peak season of Hengdian Film and Television City, there were multiple crews in a scenic spot, which affected each other during shooting. Now many scenic spots have only one crew.
Apart from filming, a young actor asked Yue Hao how to survive the current winter of film and television. According to Yue Hao, at present, many famous actors have no chance to play important roles, and can only play "special" roles with few scenes, while ordinary actors have no right to speak at all. There are dozens of people to try out a role, and the competition is fierce. .
There is no play to film, a dilemma in suffering
"When I first started learning acting, I didn't understand the difference between stars and actors." Liu Le said that after graduation and entering the market, he discovered that his family had no relatives or friends in the art industry, and he did not have too many contacts. It was difficult to make a big difference in the actor industry. "Unless you are sure you want to be an actor, don't be afraid of silence and suffering, and wait for the day to come."
In the cold winter of the industry, Liu Le gradually clarified his position: No matter whether he can become popular in the future, at least the career of actor is what he likes and is willing to stick to. Although it is difficult, he insists on giving up for more than 10 years. He feels it is a pity.
Gao Haicheng, who has been in the industry for 10 years, graduated from the Central Academy of Drama. In the cold winter, he has not filmed for up to 9 months. In his opinion, whether the performing arts career develops smoothly is not directly related to whether you graduated from a prestigious school and your acting skills.
"Whether you can win a role is not determined by your acting skills, but more on whether the director thinks you are suitable." Recently, Gao Haicheng went to interview a role he felt competent, although compared with other audition actors, his own The resume is outstanding, but the director thinks he is inappropriate.
In Gao Haicheng's opinion, the actor is very passive, squeezing through the single-plank bridge of the art test, and will continue to pass five stages and cut six generals during the audition. After receiving the role, he still needs to maintain the relationship between the top and the bottom. More opportunities.
When there is no play to film, Gao Haicheng chooses to stay with his family at ease, and at the same time adhere to daily exercise, strictly control calorie intake, scan movies, read books, and go to run groups and play trials when he has the opportunity.
This year, Zhao Zhen (pseudonym) graduated from a well-known undergraduate performing school in the country and signed a brokerage company. Because of his introverted personality and poor sociability, his agent often reminds him how to communicate with the casting director and how to maintain the relationship. The agent told him that when there are fewer plays and more actors, if you don't take the initiative, you will have to be eliminated as soon as you debut.
After disappointment, the actors gradually recognized the reality of the industry
Now, Liu Le looks through WeChat Moments every day, and often feels "too uncomfortable" and "very disappointed": some actors of the same level as him are mostly unavailable, so he switched to live broadcasting and WeChat business, stupefied to turn his sideline business into main job. Some actors simply stay in their hometowns, so at least they don’t have to worry about not being able to pay the rent in Beijing.
Seeing the surrounding actors and friends leaving the film and television industry, Liu Le also hesitated. He also considered whether to do a live broadcast of the goods. When he saw other actors enthusiastically promoting the goods in front of the mobile phone screen, he still felt a little embarrassed, "not opening his mouth."
While the number of film and television series shots has plummeted, the demand for short video ads has surged. Someone once asked Liu Le if he wanted to shoot such commercials, but he declined. He felt that this was his last persistence.
In college, Liu Le aspired to be a good actor, and powerful actors like Chen Daoming and Wang Zhiwen were his role models. He can't accept the shoddy production of many short video advertisements. He thinks that although taking these jobs can make a living, it will not benefit his future acting career.
And Zhou Yu, who debuted as a child star, didn't want to "walk all the way to the dark". Recently, he has prepared a resume for applying for a media job.
Beijing boy Zhou Wei entered the children's acting class of the Central Academy of Drama to learn acting when he was 5 years old. He started filming at the age of 6, and has played an important role in many film and television works such as "There are Children at Home", "Dating in the Aquarium", "Don't Make Children".
Zhou Yu, who was almost admitted to the performing college, became a communication student in college. After graduation, Zhou Yu, who returned to the film and television industry with all his heart, unexpectedly caught up with the industry winter. The rich performance experience failed to help him. It has been three years since graduating from university. Except for participating in a main melody drama, Zhou Wei hasn't won any role in film and television drama. "We can't wait. We are all adults. We must solve the livelihood problem first." Zhou Wei is not optimistic about the continued cold winter of film and television.
Zhao Wei, a senior producer who has participated in the production of TV dramas "Impressive Tears", "Big Bathing Hall" and "No Devil Left Behind", believes that not only the film and television industry, but all walks of life will experience a cycle of rapid development. Reach the peak, then descend, entering a period of flattening.
Zhao Wei said that the downturn is a survival of the fittest for film and television, and unprofessional investors, companies, screenwriters, producers and actors will inevitably be eliminated. The entire film and television industry has shrunk, with celebrity film remunerations halved or even lower. In the past, large projects that cost hundreds of millions of yuan were difficult to find. Instead, more short and sophisticated film and television works were replaced. In the cold winter, first-line stars can maintain exposure through variety shows and commercial activities, while ordinary actors are very difficult.
In Yue Hao's view, the cold winter of film and television has made the entire industry calm, especially ordinary actors need to examine and evaluate themselves, and weigh whether they are suitable for continuing to squeeze the "single-plank bridge" of performing arts. He suggested that some actors can go behind the scenes according to their own circumstances to serve as assistant directors or producers, and they can also try live broadcasts or WeChat business to make a living. For actors with good overall conditions, Yue Hao believes that he should continue to stick to it, improve himself, and wait for opportunities.
In the opinion of many "waist" actors interviewed by reporters from China Youth Daily and China Youth Daily, it is the only way to survive the industry's cold winter by reducing complaints, ignoring roles, keeping themselves at work and being active in the circle. .
China Youth Daily · China Youth Daily reporter Wang Peilian Source: China Youth Daily