The character set overturned again!
The magic weapon of love variety show is really fragile
◎Yuan Danlu
Today, the voice of single people is getting louder and louder on the Internet. The love variety show "I Have Never Been in Love" seems to have found a convenient entry point to resonate. By showing a number of "mother-fetal solos" like ordinary people, it can gain audience's attention. Follow and bring in.
But it is a pity that the bland nature of amateur variety shows and the lack of "never been in love" makes the show only to "summarize" the unified performance of singles again and again, in the hope of triggering empathy by proving authenticity.
When Lian Zong has a strong reliance on the authenticity of the "personality", it is often hurt because of it.
Since the chaos of the whole meal circle in 2021, the flood of idol dramas and variety shows has been curbed.
However, the audience's attention to love content will not weaken as the "supply side" narrows, and various video platforms have also increased their investment in such programs in order to find a market in the air.
Love variety shows are often more efficient than idol dramas in creating scenes of intercourse between men and women. They do not need plot design and do not need to consider whether they conform to the logic of life. As long as the identities of the characters conform to the theme of the show and their appearance does not deviate from the public's aesthetics, they can start collective life and harmony. High-intensity "blind date".
The task of each time is to find the so-called "heartbeat moment" in the interactive arrangement of the executive program team, and let the photographer take it as the material for depicting love, so as to satisfy the audience's curiosity to spy on the emotional experience of others and their imagination and longing for a beautiful situation. .
But is it enough to be able to quickly create a love scene?
Different from fictional stories, reality show variety shows are inextricably linked with real life. Under the current situation that the "personality" is becoming more and more refined and the boundaries are clear, it is particularly important for the audience to choose to believe in the authenticity of the characters and emotions. difficult and important.
Not long after the broadcast of "I Haven't Been in Love", there were rumors that a certain member had been in many relationships and the fourth boy was "shielded". Lovers" and others also faced the problem that the real life status of the members did not match the variety artist's design.
Although this may not be a problem with the show itself, since it is set to be "real people" and "non-professionals", then it must stand the test of real life outside the venue. The collapse is like the lover's initial promise is found to be a lie, and the core competitiveness of Lianzong - witnessing true love - is gone.
However, variety shows are not documentaries (documentaries also have a guiding script), and authenticity is not the core pursuit.
Like idol dramas, it is most important to make the audience empathize with the protagonist so that they can continue to watch, and the setting and props scenes are an important part of the watchability.
In this regard, Lian Zong has learned a lot from idol dramas.
In "I Haven't Been in Love", the protagonists are concentrated in a picturesque seaside homestay. The independent cottages are built on the mountain, and the sea is outside the window. The summer sea breeze blows the light-colored fronts of the protagonists. Young men and women stand side by side and look into the distance. A classic love drama picture that does not need too much explanation emerges in front of the audience. No matter what they say or do in the next second, it will be the lightning of love.
There are also the use of props such as hanging bottles and writing notes. Although idol dramas have upgraded the plot of their hearts one after another, this kind of action can only be used in the content set by youth. But it still effectively shows a kind of love, almost shouting to the audience, "Watch out, these two are going to fall in love."
In addition, the program team will not wait for the protagonists to find out that love is established, which is inefficient and sometimes out of control.
So you need to arrange a variety of activities, and even create embarrassment.
In "I Have Never Been in Love", the program team arranged an activity where two people who have no understanding of each other face each other alone. This is a scene that is more difficult for ordinary people to speak than a blind date. It is obviously to find the most personal emotion. , but they are facing strangers. They know each other is looking for a reason to love each other, but they can't say "I don't like you now" or "I don't like you now".
In short, it is right to be young, as if saying "Look, people who have never been in love are like this".
Similar to other love dramas, "I Have Never Been in Love" also invited celebrities and star scholars in the entertainment industry as members of the observation group.
In addition to the appeal of the stars themselves, their own aura will also add some "credibility" to the interpretation.
At the same time, star interpretation is an important part of the content of Lian Zong. On the one hand, the reaction of the members of the observation group serves as a supplement to the special effects subtitles of the feature film, which replaces the audience's discovery. Watching the fun" guides form a "crowd gathering effect".
Through the "heart quiz", the reactions of people who have no love experience when facing the opposite sex are summarized, and He Guangzhi, who also has no love experience, is labeled as a "quiz expert" to make the audience believe that "it turns out that the protagonists have never been in love, they Really like me."
From straightforward love scenes to establishing stereotypes of people who have never been in love, "I Never Been in Love" has been emphasizing the characters of the protagonists who have never been in love, and the characters are almost the only ones in love variety shows. Things that can bring a sense of freshness, they use the different characters to find the entry point, trigger the topic, convey the concept of the program, etc., how to arrange and combine people with different personalities, and which pair of people is more like love, almost become this kind of thing. core elements of the program.
However, as mentioned above, it is extremely dangerous to rely too much on the reality of human settings.
Instead of struggling to find the characteristics of the characters, it is better to further study the characteristics of idol dramas - to find the stories behind the characters.
What kind of unwilling to mention the past is hidden behind the superficial characters of the protagonists, what kind of embarrassing past events have happened between men and women, what unexpected obstacles encountered by people who have the same mind and so on.
The story of the reunion, the story of Romeo and Juliet, and even the story of "Thunderstorm" are still waiting to be told in love variety shows that pay more and more attention to lens design, lighting effects, and setting atmosphere.
The classic drama conflict comes from life, and can be fed back to the love variety show based on "real love".
The truth of the drama and the truth of life may reach an agreement on this theme. It turns out that ordinary people can also become the protagonists of the drama.
But the audience who wants to seize the idol drama must surpass the idol drama. In addition to creating empathy and onlookers, love variety shows should pay more attention to the love itself. Only providing sweetness and sadness is not enough to bring fresh and real feelings. Self-interpretation is the next thing to do.