In the Omnimedia Era, Dramatic Challenges Become Opportunities (Technology Empowers Art)

　　In the omni-media era, we can break through the limitations of time and place, and obtain the desired information through various terminals, which has had a great impact on theatrical art that must perform fixed content at a fixed time and place.

On the one hand, people are overwhelmed by massive amounts of information from mobile terminals such as mobile phones and tablet computers, and a large number of fragmented and superficial cultural products occupy our attention; on the other hand, with VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality) ), the application of 5G technology and the popularization of various live broadcast platforms, the immersive experience and on-site interaction that theatrical arts have been proud of for a long time have gradually lost their advantages.

However, challenges and opportunities coexist. As long as drama people accurately recognize changes, respond scientifically, and actively seek changes, they will be able to usher in new prosperity and development.

　　First, we should have full cultural confidence in drama.

The collective aesthetic sense of ritual brought to the audience by the physical theater performance is incomparable to the virtual space of the Internet. The thinking, moving, and aesthetic pleasure brought by the drama to the audience is beyond the reach of any fragmented and superficial product.

From this, we understand more clearly that the most important thing for drama creation in the all-media era is profound ideology, exquisite artistry and profound cultural heritage.

Paying attention to the spiritual level of human beings and maintaining the cultural character of theater performances is the eternal charm of theater.

　　Secondly, it is necessary to actively embrace the omni-media, and run the omni-media awareness throughout the drama creation, performance, dissemination, audience training and other links, and it is necessary to clarify the direction of breakthrough.

Throughout the history of the development of drama art, drama has never excluded advanced science and technology.

From the field to the city theater, to the screen, from a table and two chairs to the set of the office, to the use of modern sound and light, all of them demonstrate the quality of the drama that is inclusive and advancing with the times.

Using the omnimedia awareness to observe the whole process of drama art will inevitably push the current drama into a new realm.

　　Take Henan Satellite TV's "Chinese Festival" series of "Feast of the Tang Palace" as an example.

This work, formerly known as "Tang Figures", is an entry in the 12th Chinese Dance "Lotus Award" Classical Dance Competition. It has characters and plots and can be regarded as a small dance drama.

Once the work was broadcast on Henan Satellite TV's Spring Festival Gala in 2021, it was successfully "out of the circle" and became a hot topic on the Internet.

It must be admitted that if there is no "additional firewood" from all media in "Tang Palace Night Banquet", the presentation effect will be greatly reduced.

But if you only see the packaging of the program by AR and 5G technology, it will be superficial.

AR and 5G are just "technical elements", without strong "artistic elements", without the support of the lively and lovely young actresses, classical dance vocabulary and profound traditional cultural heritage, and technology has nothing to do with it.

The national treasure-level cultural relics such as the "Ladies with Hairpins" and Tang Sancai presented by AR technology only strengthen this point.

The audience can fully feel the splendor of Chinese culture and the richness of Chinese history, and thus arouse a strong sense of national pride, which is the soul of the show.

　　The omnimedia awareness is reflected in the creative level. First, it can expand the subject area, innovate the script structure, and enhance the narrative ability; second, it can develop the performance form, make the changes in the time and space field more concrete, and the stage appearance is new.

It should be noted that the use of new media technology in some theatrical works is still relatively blunt, and it is necessary to further realize the transition from "grafting" to "fusion", and to go beyond "physical changes" to realize "chemical reaction".

Only by activating and enhancing theatrical art with modern technology, and absorbing and applying modern technology in theatrical art can we better promote the innovative development of theatrical art.

In order to adapt to the characteristics of all media, we should also strengthen the supply-side structural reform of drama creation.

While creating large-scale plays in the general sense, we can create some linked scripts, short videos, and micro-dramas, and some plays can be more youthful and fashionable to meet the diverse and personalized needs of the audience.

　　At the communication level, the promotion and promotion of drama talents, especially performing talents, can be strengthened through all media to create idols in the new era.

For drama fans, the power of "Jiaoer" has never been underestimated. The influence of "Jiaoer" can determine the performance market of a drama.

At present, it is difficult to produce national drama stars only by traditional theater performances.

The theatre industry should make good use of new media and introduce potential artists.

The same is true for the promotion of repertoires. It is necessary to enhance interactivity in all aspects of repertoire production, performance and marketing, and mobilize the enthusiasm of the audience to participate.

With the development of self-media, the audience is also a communicator, and everyone is a propagandist. Good actors and works recognized by the audience can achieve geometric growth in their propaganda effect.

　　We can also cultivate teenage audiences with the help of omnimedia.

Teenagers' spirit of exploring the unknown is destined to keep them interested in new things.

Don't worry young people will see traditional art as old, for them, what they haven't touched is new.

As long as we can come up with high-quality masterpieces, we will surely make them fall in love with traditional art at first sight.

How to introduce young people from virtual space into physical theaters and shape the art of national opera into a fashion pursued by young people, the role that all media can play is irreplaceable.

　　In the context of the omnimedia era, the importance of copyright protection should be emphasized.

Dissemination cannot be at the expense of copyright, otherwise it may hurt the originality of the drama and the sustainable development of the drama.

　　"Those who are wise change with the times, and those who are knowledgeable make things happen." As long as we take advantage of the situation, take advantage of the situation, and follow the trend, drama will surely usher in new opportunities for development in the era of all media.

(The author Chen Yongquan is a national first-class screenwriter and director of the Chinese Dramatists Association)