The last two episodes of the "Yunnan Worm Valley" controversy ushered in
How to break the domestic series "Fire But Three"?
Starring Pan Yueming, Zhang Yuqi, and Jiang Chao, "Yunnan Worm Valley", adapted from the Tianxia Basang novel "Ghost Blowing Lantern: Yunnan Worm Valley", was broadcast on Tencent Video on August 30. It was online for only 8 hours, and the number of views was broken. 100 million.
After 5 episodes, word-of-mouth began to decline, and it is currently stable at about 7.0 on Douban—far lower than the high score of 8.2 in the previous "Longling Lost Caves", falling back to the combination of Pan Yueming and director Fei Zhenxiang. The first "Fu Qing Xiangxi" of the origin is basically the same.
From "Love Apartment 5", "Country Love 12" to "Big River", "Ode to Joy" and "Zui Son-in-law", the unified IP series have been developed in the domestic market for many years and have formed a relatively stable industry structure and production process. Into a climate.
The development of a series of dramas is sought after by the market because of its inherent advantages, which can reduce development risks through accumulation of heat.
However, unfavorable factors such as policy changes, the replacement of actors, and the increased difficulty of adaptation will also cause great fluctuations in the market. Therefore, the lifespan of domestic series is generally short... The performance of "Yunnan Worm Valley" is very typical: on the one hand Audience loyalty is high, and a large number of regular viewers flowed in immediately after the broadcast; but after 5 episodes, the newly added Zhalongzhai villagers branch caused strong dissatisfaction with the original fans, even ordinary viewers were not satisfied with this adaptation, which made the adventure along the way nervous Feeling and refreshing slow down.
In any case, whether it is the "Ghost Blowing the Lantern" series or the "Dajiang Dahe" or "Ode to Joy", the status of the series in the market has been different, but the "fire is not three" is still a "magic" that cannot be unlocked generally. What is a sustainable development model?
Embarrassment under the bustle
Development risk is reduced, but word of mouth is not as good as one
The main reason why the market is keen on series development is to reduce risks.
There has always been a saying in the industry: "After finishing one project, the second project is zeroed, and you still have to bear 100% of the risk."
However, the series naturally has the accumulated heat and reputation of the previous work, and the audience and the market have higher expectations for it, and the development risk is lower than that of a single drama.
Even if the first movie is not very profitable, as long as the brand is launched, there will be huge commercial returns in the second and third seasons. If further development, this series is not just a film and television work, but one that can generate great derivations. Value IP.
From reserving IP to developing series of dramas, "sustainable development" has become a huge increase in the film and television industry.
However, for a long time, due to the lack of pre-planning, a sequel was only wanted after a drama became popular, and even rushed for over-development. There was no long-term development of the series concept, and the challenges and obstacles caused were difficult to crack.
For example, most domestic series are adapted from IP. The authorization period of an IP in China is usually 6 years. From obtaining authorization to pre-planning, developing scripts, shooting and producing, and then successfully broadcasting a series, it needs Three to three and a half years, which means that the second work may expire before the IP authorization for shooting.
If the producer continues to obtain IP authorization, he will face re-negotiation, and the sky-high copyright fees are enough to stop the project.
If the first work becomes popular, the value of the actors and production staff will also increase, and it will be very difficult to maintain the original crew.
Therefore, few domestic series have survived the three seasons, or they are in an embarrassing situation that one word of mouth is not as good as one.
Production model shift
Plan ahead and develop overall
A reporter from Beijing Youth Daily learned that the relatively successful series of dramas currently on the market have been planned for at least two to three seasons before IP development.
Drama production is a huge project that requires the cooperation of many departments. A stable production team can not only ensure the quality of the work, but also continue the temperament of the work.
In this way, even if the works are not related in content, they will still give the audience a sense of intimacy and familiarity, gradually forming the concept of the system, and giving play to the advantages of the series.
For example, "Ode to Joy" and "Big River" are all developed by the same production company at Noon Sunshine. The consistency of the most important links such as screenwriters and actors is guaranteed through contracts. Directors are changed, but the style and tone of the series are always Emphasizing the unity, the plot continuously achieves a one-stop effect, so the two "Ode to Joy" and "Dajiang Dahe" that have met with the audience so far have maintained the "high level" of the national dramas.
In contrast, it is also the "Langya Bang" series developed by the Sunshine at noon. The second "Wind Up in the Forest" was re-developed after the first fire. Both the story and the actors have started anew, and the market recognition is very different.
The IP development of "Ghost Blowing Lantern" was very chaotic. N different versions of "Hu Bayi" make it difficult to remember, and the content may overlap or be faulty, and it is impossible to connect a coherent and convincing "Ghost Blowing Lantern" in series. "story.
Until 2015, Penguin Films bought the right to adapt eight web dramas of "Ghost Blowing Lantern" and announced that they would be developed and launched one by one.
In 2016, Penguin Film and Television and the Noon Sunshine filmed the first "Exquisite Ancient City", with Jin Dong as Hu Bayi.
In 2017, Guan Hu took over the second "Huangpizifen". This is the first time that Guanhu's team has directed a web drama. Perhaps it lacks experience, and the final market evaluation is average; after the first test, 2019 will also be The third "Angry and Sunny Xiangxi", produced by Guan Hu and directed by Fei Zhenxiang, finally stepped on the audience's excitement for this type of adventure theme, and completely bid farewell to the era of "Grave Head Dance".
"Longling Miku" can be regarded as a turning point in the "Ghost Blowing Lantern" series.
Taking this as a starting point, Penguin Films launched a five-season series of continuous shooting, and finally determined a fixed cast composed of Guan Hu, director Fei Zhenxiang, Pan Yueming, Zhang Yuqi, and Jiang Chao.
The hot airing "Yunnan Worm Valley" is the second one, followed by "Kunlun Maze", "Return to the South China Sea" and "Wu Gorge Coffin Mountain" to be broadcast.
This means that on the basis of integrating copyrights, after 6 years of attempts, "Ghost Blowing Lantern" IP has become one of the few domestic series that can be stably broadcast in recent years.
The core passwords for these five “achievements” are advance planning and overall development: a script master planner is set up, and a fixed team of screenwriters is adopted. Among them, "Longling Miku" and "Yunnan Worm Valley" are both screenwriters Yang Zhe. .
At the same time, while ensuring the continuity of the five stories, let each have its own characteristics, go to the original story to learn from the story, and make a differentiated presentation of the geographical features. For example, "Longling maze" reflects The yellow scenery of northern Shaanxi, "Yunnan Worm Valley" will show the green color dominated by tropical rain forests, and "Kunlun Shrine" will reflect the whiteness of glaciers.
These are all modes of thinking for the overall operation.
Crack the puzzle
From being controlled by actors to achieving a win-win situation for actors
For a long time, first-line actors have been the invisible voice masters in the Chinese drama market.
For the series, a stable cast is the most difficult practical problem to overcome.
Employing first-line actors usually has busy schedules and it is difficult to cope with the series' development period of three years or more. When activating actors in the rising stage, the value of the first drama has skyrocketed and the cost will be greatly increased.
Therefore, the difficulty of gathering the "original crew" has become one of the main reasons for the series' "dropping fans".
The "Dajiang Dahe" and "Ode to Joy" developed by Sunshine at noon, and the "Longling Miku", "Yunnan Worm Valley" and "Ghost Blowing Lantern" series developed by Tencent, have formed a stable "three tides" and the "five" series on the 22nd floor. Beauty and the “iron triangle” of exploring the grave lies in the fact that when the actors are determined, they are not looking for actors to carry the ratings like the development of a single drama, but to find the most suitable candidate from the perspective of the win-win situation of the drama and the individual development of the actors.
For example, Wang Kai, before "Big River", he obtained a very high starting point for newcomers through male group portrait dramas such as "Langya Bang", "The Pretender" and "Being No War". At this time, he is in urgent need of a strong work to prove that he can be alone. The leading actor and drew a clear line with the idol actor.
Three consecutively filmed "Big Rivers" is a very suitable opportunity for Wang Kai. Only one performance of "Song Yunhui" in three years has turned into a kind of accumulation rather than consumption of popularity for an actor who is on the rise. .
Facts have proved that Wang Kai's choice has made his work and himself more successful.
The same goes for "Ode to Joy" to Liu Tao, and "Ghost Blowing Lantern" to Zhang Yuqi.
The former has always been labeled as "good wife" and it is difficult to broaden the drama. "Andy" helped him open the "Strong Woman" personality, including later variety shows and live broadcasts. Liu Tao's personal development in recent years does not violate the label of "Ode to Joy" And; the latter was troubled by multiple negative news such as divorce and domestic violence at the time of the shooting. The market believes that its reputation is difficult to save, and its personal status is very depressed.
In a variety show with an agent as the protagonist, Zhang Yuqi’s agent recommended "Ghost Blowing Lantern" to him. The "disadvantage" of this project is that in addition to the difficult working environment in the field, it also has to be continuously filmed in the crew. "Circle" disappeared for a year, but the advantage is that you can temporarily avoid external disturbances and devote yourself to performance creation-a good work is the only chance to save his acting career.
Zhang Yuqi finally accepted the agent's suggestion.
Film adaptation
You have to sing well to set up the stage
After setting up the stage, we still have to sing well.
Under the layout of serialized development, the key to the continuous output of high-quality series is the control of quality and content.
The "Ghost Blowing Lantern" series of web dramas are very sincere in special effects and original restoration. In "Longling Miku" and "Yunnan Worm Valley", the tombs of the Western Xia Kings, the Yellow River waterway, and the rain forest are all shot for real scenes. Looking at it, the texture and realism of the real scene are obviously better than matting.
However, what is regrettable is that after five episodes of "Yunnan Worm Valley", there has been a significant decline in word-of-mouth. The reason is that the adaptation has not been recognized by the audience.
The play adds a branch of Zhalongzhai villagers that is not in the original, and the plot accounts for a large proportion. The original party considers it to be a "random play", and ordinary audiences also feel that the focus is shifted, and chasing the drama is not addictive.
In fact, this kind of dissatisfaction is also a difficult problem that is difficult to circumvent in the adaptation of IP film and television: Pan Yueming's version of the Ghost Blowing Lantern series of web dramas, the protagonist is always in a state of tension of "there are wolves before and there are tigers" in the process of treasure hunting. These are the natural foundations given by the original work, and it is enough to be adapted into a web drama "copy".
Although "Yunnan Worm Valley" is the most exciting and scariest chapter in the original series, it is also a chapter that many original readers are looking forward to seeing the film and television, but the only drawback is that the length is short, the characters are single, and the plot is single-line, which is not suitable for film and television. The play needs the law of conflict promotion. "As a last resort", the side plots and characters are added. The original intention of joining the villagers of Zhalongzhai is to increase conflicts on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is also to finally embody the theme of reconciliation and cooperation.
After "Yunnan Worm Valley", the series of Ghost Blowing Lanterns also includes "Kunlun Maze", "Return to the South China Sea" and "Wu Gorge Coffin Mountain" lined up to be broadcast.
In addition, this year, there will be "The Great River" and "Zui Son-in-law" that are worth looking forward to.
I believe that after more and more works have been running in with the market, with a mature and stable production team, a fixed audience, and an increasingly popular character image, the future of the series is not only a good business, but also the audience can entrust. An expectation.
Text/Reporter Yang Wenjie
Coordinator/Man Yi