From "main theme" to "new mainstream"

　　Not long ago, the 29th Beijing TV Program Fair (2021·Autumn) (hereinafter referred to as the "Trade Fair"), known as the "Vane of Chinese TV Dramas", was held at the Beijing Convention Center.

This fair is under the guidance of the TV Drama Department of the State Administration of Radio and Television, and hosted by the Propaganda Department of the Beijing Municipal Committee of the Communist Party of China, the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau, and the People's Government of Huairou District, Beijing.

　　As a sub-forum of the fair, the seminar "From the'Main Melody' to the'New Mainstream' Network Audiovisual Mainstream Value Communication" hosted by the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau and the Communication University of China was held at the fair on the 19th. The "2021 Research Report on the Mainstream Value Dissemination of Online Audio-visual Platforms" (hereinafter referred to as the "Report") was released.

The "Report" shows that the broadcast volume of the main melody works is growing rapidly year by year.

Online platforms have become the "main scene" and "mainstream media" for young users' audiovisual consumption, and online audiovisual programs have become an important carrier for the new mainstream communication.

Break through stereotypes and form a new mainstream unique aesthetic style

　　Once upon a time, the main melody film and television works were "outlied" by the market and audiences because they were far away from life.

However, since the beginning of this year, a number of thematic works have jumped out of the grand narrative routine, using one after another vivid characters and new era expressions closer to the audience’s true feelings, allowing the true blood of the story to be integrated into the blood of modern young people, passing through The space-time interval realizes empathy based on emotional support.

　　In this seminar, Wang Xiaohong, Director of the Academic Affairs Office of Communication University of China and Director of the China Online Video Research Center, expanded the extension of the concept of "new mainstream" and will use new media as the main channel to reflect the mainstream values ​​of an era. Literary and artistic works have also been incorporated into the "new mainstream", and for the first time, a new mainstream network audiovisual value communication core integrating new atmosphere, new groups, new discourse, new channels, and new technologies "five new" has been proposed.

　　The data content of the "Report" shows that 80% of the top 10 works with the highest click rate on the Internet and the works with the highest ratings on TV stations overlap. The truly quality film and television works have broken the barriers and circles of the media. The limitation of layers, the resonance of different screens online and offline, has won the recognition of the audience and the market.

Take the TV series "The Situation of Mountains and Seas" as an example. Among the 944 million online video users in China, only on the Youku platform, the use of online video in the 20 to 29-year-old age group has reached 97%.

Today's online platform has become the main new scene of young users' audiovisual consumption, and it is also becoming an important carrier of mainstream value communication. The main theme of online audiovisual programs has ushered in a "highlight moment".

　　With the changes in creative orientation and discourse expression, new trends, new mechanisms, new results and new paths for the mainstream value communication of network audio-visual platforms are taking shape.

Looking at these works, focusing on the big stories of small people and small stories of big people in the grand historical background is the key to the success of this new mainstream theme.

　　Whether it is "Mountains and Seas", "Awakening Age", or the just-concluded "Merchants", the character settings of these three dramas are pyrotechnic, and the dramas have eliminated the distance between historical figures, heroes and young people today. , However, more vivid, fresh and three-dimensional characters appear on the screen.

The frequent appearance of mainstream content has brought about a change in the direction of creation

　　As new mainstream film and television works such as "Mountain and Sea Love", "Awakening Age", and "Meritorious" have broken through the circle, such works have been sought after by young audiences, and "new mainstream" has become a high-frequency word in the film and television field.

The combination of mainstream value expression, commercial narrative techniques and artistic video techniques has become the vane of the creation of domestic film and television dramas in the new era.

　　Since the beginning of this year, new mainstream phenomenon-level film and television explosions have appeared frequently, activating the creation and production market, leading film and television companies and video platforms have ceased, and the quality of works has also ushered in a new growth point.

Zhang Su, deputy director of the Beijing Municipal Radio and Television Bureau, said: “These new mainstream works pay attention to the current audience’s thoughts, actively dialogue with youth and the times, and constantly innovate and make breakthroughs in creation and expression, allowing everyone to deeply appreciate the excellent audiovisual. The work has strong vitality in leading the mainstream value." In the opinion of Duan Peng, Vice President of Communication University of China, "Today's audiences are increasingly demanding values. In the creation of film and television dramas, there is no exception Arouse everyone's sympathy on the value level."

　　In addition, mainstream content frequently out of the circle is also reflected in the barrage field that young audiences love.

Nowadays, the barrage has set up an interactive bridge between the new mainstream content and the audience, and has become a way for young people to express their national pride.

Dong Chenyu, a young scholar at Renmin University of China, shared: "The'bulrage' provides an opportunity for the audience to modify the text. In the community dimension, the'bulrage' completes the audience's audiovisual experience from virtual coexistence to virtual and real resonance."

　　Regarding the changes in creative trends brought about by the frequent outreach of mainstream content, Professor Zhong Danian of Communication University of China said: “Online audio-visual platforms should also assume the main responsibility, adhere to self-discipline and heteronomy, and create more online audio-visual products that the people like to see and hear. work."

Focus on real life and explore the resonance of aesthetics and emotions

　　At the moment when the audience’s aesthetic level is constantly improving, the works that really move people’s hearts must be the pulse of the quasi-time, closely follow the mainstream value expression, focus on the important events of the party and the country, and respond to the realistic propositions of the audience’s concern, in order to cause the resonance of aesthetics and emotions. .

The "Report" shows that after the "Awakening Age" was broadcast, many young guests were welcomed in Shanghai Longhua Martyrs' Cemetery and Beijing Li Dazhao's former residence; the documentary "Wonderful City" promoted the development of tourism in Guiyang, Chongqing and other places, effectively bringing the mainstream Value is transformed into actual action, opening up a new scene of mainstream value communication.

　　Whether it is the main theme or the new mainstream film and television works, we must adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, draw inexhaustible creative energy from the fiery and vivid real life, and guide patriotism, core values, and the pursuit of truth, goodness and beauty. Create more masterpieces worthy of the times and the people.

According to Lu Lu from the School of Journalism and Communication of Peking University, "The Awakening Age and other works are loved by the audience. The key is that these high-quality dramas have the characteristics of'people-oriented and history-oriented', and they are based on authenticity and stories. Based on sex, we further pursued the artistic and innovative nature."

　　On the basis of responding to actual needs and social trends, the new mainstream audio-visual works present the true content and the true style with the help of new forms and new senses.

Whether it is a web drama or a documentary, the work must come from the lives of the masses, using small cuts to reflect the big themes and tell the big story in small stories, and truly show the joys, sorrows, sorrows and joys of the people’s lives.

　　Many experts and scholars believe that from "main theme" to "new mainstream", the characteristic is "mainstream value + mainstream market", which requires works to conform to mainstream values ​​and market demands.

In fact, there is no natural opposition between the main melody drama and the commercial drama, and "marketization" is not a derogatory term. The new mainstream film and television works that are gradually recognized by the audience are breaking the gap between the main theme and the market in the past, and conveying the mainstream in a way that audiences love to hear. Values.

(Our reporter Niu Mengdi, our correspondent Yang Yaoru)