Out of the circle and out to sea, where is the fire？
The word "indulge in beauty" is derived from Japanese "たんび" (meaning "indulge in beauty"), especially for all kinds of creations with the theme of romantic and beautiful feelings between men. In our country, the expression of beauty is mainly literary works, which belongs to the category of minority culture. However, in recent years, the film and television achievements of the drama-the novel of Tanmei have not only stepped out of the minority circle and entered the public’s field of vision in just a few years, but also caused certain repercussions overseas.
First, what is a drama?
Tan Gai Drama, also called Tan Mei Drama or BL Drama, is a kind of film and television works adapted from tanbi literature’s works. Its biggest feature is that there is no female host and the story line between two male hosts is the main one. There are three reasons why Tangai drama is "Tangai": First, Tangai drama, as a new type of film and television, is adapted from Tanmei novel; Second, in order to conform to the mainstream values, it is necessary to make appropriate changes to the emotional line between men and women in the process of making beautiful works film and television; Third, it is necessary to delete the content that is not suitable for film and television communication in the original work.
Figure 1.1 The Untamed stills
The development history of China’s Dramatic Reform is not very long, and it was not until 2015 that the Dramatic Reform was broadcast, which was adapted from Dramatic Reform. With the success of popular dramas such as "The Soul of the Town", The Untamed and "The Order of Mountains and Rivers", this kind of emerging film and television theme has been recognized by many audiences, and the film and television copyright of more and more popular works has been bought out. By 2021, some dramas have entered the stage of filing or shooting.
Figure 1.2 Dramas that have been broadcast in China from 2015 to 2021
Second, the craze of breaking the circle and going out to sea
In 2019, the online drama The Untamed, which was adapted from the popular IP "The Master of Magic Road", attracted numerous attention and discussions once it was broadcast, and achieved impressive results on all platforms, setting a record of "The Official Micro-drama with the most fans in Weibo history" and "The drama with the most ratings from Douban", and once won many awards such as Tencent Video’s annual online drama, Weibo’s annual hot drama, Baidu’s boiling point annual TV drama and one of the top ten influential TV dramas in China in 2019.
Figure 2.1 Data of some platforms in The Untamed
In 2021, "Mountain River Order" came in the spring, stood out from a group of online dramas, and then chased the drama craze. Near the end of the show, the enthusiasm of "Shanren" ("Shan He Ling" drama powder claims to be) for pursuing drama is increasing instead of decreasing. In response to the audience’s demands, on April 16, "Mountain River Order" sold tickets for Suzhou concert; On May 3, the concert was officially held, and the popularity was the same.
Figure 2.2 "Mountain River Order" concert fever
Outside the circle, the overseas achievements of the two dramas are also remarkable. In 2019, the annual list of global film and television popularity published by Tumblr, a well-known overseas blog site, showed that The Untamed was ranked 36th in the authoritative list of "TOP50 TV dramas with global popularity", becoming the first domestic drama to be listed. In 2021, on IMdb (similar to Douban in China), the largest foreign film and television drama rating website, overseas drama powder scored 9.1 for Mountain and River Order, and the plot, roles, actors and China martial arts became hot topics for overseas audiences.
Figure 2.3 Evaluation of Mountain and River Order External Network
3. What are the audience watching?
In recent years, although there have been endless dramas, there are only a handful that really make the audience relish. In Douban’s vote on "Why do you like watching domestic dramas?", netizens said that some came for actors, some for the original works, and more were attracted by the world outlook and the spirit conveyed by the plays. It is not difficult to see that only by carefully polishing the production and providing high-quality content can the drama be recognized by the audience.
Figure 3.1 The main reasons why the audience likes to change the drama.
Fourth, why do you suck powder out of the circle?
1. The theme is unique and the audience is curious and innovative.
In recent years, the homogenization of film and television dramas is serious, and the shoddy mindless love dramas are flooding the screen, and the audience has long been tired of it. Just at this time, there is no tangled emotional line between men and women, and the drama that is plot-oriented will inevitably make people shine, bring freshness to the audience and gain more favor.
Figure 4.1 The Untamed (left) "Mountains and Rivers Order" (right) word cloud
Dramatic drama has been changed into novel, in which the depiction of feelings between the same sex is different from the conventional feelings between the opposite sex, and the creator also prefers to give it mystery and romance, which arouses the audience’s curiosity and desire to explore. Coupled with the influence of film and television censorship mechanism and market preference, the drama has beautified the emotional line between men and women, depicting it more obscure and complicated. Love, affection or friendship are all interpreted by the audience themselves, giving full play to the audience’s subjective initiative.
2. While the iron is hot, you need to be hard, and high-quality content is fundamental.
① High reduction. Most of the dramas are adapted from popular IP and have their own traffic. Only by respecting and being loyal to the original work can the original work be recognized and the original audience base be maintained.
Figure 4.2.1 High degree of reduction in angle selection.
Figure 4.2.2 The scene is highly restored.
Figure 4.2.3 The plot is highly restored.
② The plot is fascinating. When The Untamed and Mountain River Order were adapted, they both took the essence of the original and discarded its dross, and introduced the values of chivalry and family into the play, which expanded the scope of communication and increased the appeal to non-book fans.
③ The elements of national style are beautiful. The integration of a large number of national wind elements has brought an antique audio-visual feast to the audience.
Figure 4.2.4 The Untamed shows the elegance of Chinese architecture among pavilions.
(4) strive for perfection in service and culture. The costumes of the five big families in The Untamed have their own characteristics. For example, the elegant blue-and-white tone is the dominant color of Lan’s family, while the dazzling red tone is the dominant color of Wen’s family, which distinguishes the styles of different families and the personalities of different characters in detail.
3. Multi-platform linkage, many IP derivative patterns
In the new media environment, users’ awareness of participation is greatly enhanced, and the drama side takes into account all new media platforms, and the official output and fans’ second creation are parallel. In addition to the solo broadcast platform, the two dramas have also launched publicity activities in Weibo, WeChat, Tik Tok, bilibili and other platforms according to the characteristics of different platforms, and Weibo, bilibili and lofter are the main positions for fans’ second creation.
Figure 4.3 Main linkage platforms in The Untamed
The Untamed official blog once launched the topic of "Chen Qing Ling 101" in combination with the hot spot of "Creation Camp 101" at that time, which not only improved the activity and participation of fans, but also made frequent hot searches and frequent circles. Surroundings, albums, concerts and other series of drama derivatives followed closely, and multi-platform linkage marketing and perfect industrial chain ran through, making the drama not only attract attention during the broadcast, but also remain hot for a long time after the broadcast.
4. "She" economy is prevalent, and capital is aimed at new markets.
Danmei’s works conform to the increasingly awakened women’s rebellious psychology towards the patriarchal society, and their pure love beyond gender also conforms to the pursuit of ideal love by contemporary women, which has captured the hearts of a large number of female audiences. Although The Untamed and Shan He Ling were broadcast in 2019 and 2021 respectively, they are strikingly similar in audience, and they are mainly women aged 20-49. At this stage, most women have a certain economic ability and a stronger willingness to consume.
Figure 4.4.1 Gender Distribution of the Audience of Delayed Drama
Fig. 4.4.2 Age distribution of the audience in the drama of delaying reform
Most of the decent male images in Tan Gai’s plays have the characteristics of outstanding appearance, lovable personality, wisdom and courage. "Girlfriend powder", "Mom powder", "Sister powder" and so on, almost all female audiences can satisfy their fantasies about the opposite sex from these perfect images, and love me and my dog and have a desire to consume related goods. According to the statistics of netizens, in the role-related surrounding officially launched by Shanhe Ling, the total sales of Zhou Zishu’s single product is about 6.2 million, the total sales of Wenkexing’s single product is about 11.5 million, and the sales of cp’s single product is about 2.1 million. The sales of two male related products total about 75% of all the products, and the strong purchasing power displayed by fans is self-evident.
Figure 4.4.3 Contribution Ratio of Sales Roles around Shanhe Order
Dramatists have to rely on the investment of capital to create freely, and capital has taken a fancy to the huge business opportunities in the women’s consumer market, and they have come to the end one after another, led by Ai Youteng, and "Long Reform 101" has emerged one after another.
Fig. 4.4.4 Platform to which the drama has been broadcast.
Fifth, the reason for being praised at sea is this.
1. High face value and excellent acting skills are the stepping stones.
Without being familiar with the story and related cultural background, the actor’s face value and acting skills have become the first concern of overseas audiences. Handsome appearance, gorgeous clothes, exquisite makeup, high-value actors are more likely to attract the attention of overseas audiences. Sean Xiao, the actor of Wei Wuxian, won the first place with more than 100,000 votes in the 2019 China Star Popularity Awards held by foreign websites.
Figure 5.1 2019 China star popularity selection held by the external network.
2. Internet and subtitle groups are passports.
The Internet has broken the time and space constraints, enabling audiences from different regions to interact and communicate in real time on social platforms. They are both receivers and disseminators of information. Due to the subject matter, the drama can only be broadcast in the form of online drama, but relying on internet technology is also its communication advantage. It is common for audiences of different nationalities and identities to comment and interact under the same drama. In addition, the Internet big V, bloggers using Twitter, YouTube and other self-media platforms to spread materials, and publishing movie-watching reaction make the overseas communication effect of the delayed drama by going up one flight of stairs.
Figure 5.2 Subtitle group is an important medium for cross-language and cross-cultural communication.
The language barrier is a big hurdle for film and television dramas to go out to sea, and the importance of subtitle groups can not be ignored to solve this hurdle. There were only Chinese subtitles in the early days of the broadcast of "Mountain River Order", so the "wild subtitle group" came uninvited-a group of enthusiastic netizens spontaneously provided translations in other languages through social platforms. After Youku responded to the voice of overseas drama fans, it launched 14 kinds of subtitles on YouTube except Chinese, while The Untamed’s subtitles on YouTube covered 18 languages, which removed the language barrier for overseas drama fans to follow the drama. If there is no subtitle group, overseas audiences are watching pantomime.
3. Chinese style and new martial arts are attractive.
Costume drama has always been one of the main types of Chinese film and television dramas going to sea. Elegant and subtle oriental aesthetics, exquisite pictures and beautiful China elements are undoubtedly a visual enjoyment for overseas audiences. In addition, the chivalrous spirit displayed in China’s martial arts culture and the "mysterious power" of China’s kung fu have also made many foreigners feel refreshed and fascinated.
Fig. 5.3.1 Comment Cloud of Mountain and River Order
Figure 5.3.2 The Untamed’s Comment Word Cloud
With the background of five families, The Untamed created a "group-like, panoramic" martial arts Jianghu full of chivalry and pride; On the basis of traditional martial arts, The Order of Mountains and Rivers introduced the concept of "New Martial Arts with National Style" and derived a drama about Wulin disputes, Jianghu wars and children’s love and hatred. Different from the traditional martial arts, The Untamed and the martial arts in "Mountains and Rivers Order" cater to the preferences of young people, taking the national style as the shape and shaping the martial arts, showing the elegance and chic of China’s chivalrous rivers and lakes to overseas audiences.
4. Good stories and resonance are the charm points.
Different regions and countries have their own unique historical and cultural traditions and aesthetic preferences. The objective cultural differences are hard to change, but we can seek common ground while reserving differences by telling the story of China well and finding emotional resonance, so as to realize the value transmission of Chinese culture.
Figure 5.4.1 YouTube Viewer’s Message
Good stories can often move people with emotion. Wei Wuxian and Lan Forgot the Machine. Zhou Zishu and Wen Kexing show appreciate each other’s like-minded bosom friends in the play. They all have the thoughts of loving the country and the country in traditional martial arts, and this noble friendship has also moved and lamented overseas audiences. During the finale of the overseas version of "Mountains and Rivers Order", overseas audiences expressed their reluctance in the comment area, and even some viewers left a message saying that "nationality separates us, mountains and rivers make us meet, and mountain people are family".
Figure 5.4.2 Comparison of the number of BL-themed dramas in China, Japan, Korea and Thailand
Relatively speaking, China’s long-changed dramas are more popular in Asian countries, such as Japan, South Korea and Thailand. On the one hand, thanks to the closeness of geographical relations, countries in the Asian region have similar cultural backgrounds and are more likely to resonate with the values conveyed in China culture; On the other hand, the beauty-obsessed culture has a certain development history in some countries, so it is not surprising that China’s drama "Tan Gai" is just what he likes and is highly sought after.
5. Policy support helps export
In order to change the position of long-term trade deficit, since 2002, China has successively introduced a number of policies to encourage the export of domestic dramas. Taking advantage of the situation by going out to sea can not only open up overseas markets, but also help improve the deficit of China’s film and television export trade, which can be described as the right time and the right place.
Figure 5.5 China’s film and television drama policy of going to sea
VI. Summary
As a new type of film and television drama, it’s really rare that the drama can achieve remarkable results in a short period of time. In detail, its going out to sea is not accomplished overnight, but there are traces to follow. However, the big fire and the influx of capital have also made the drama controversial. Excellent dramas with long-term changes do have advantages, which can provide reference for the development of other types of film and television dramas and the export of excellent traditional culture in China in terms of production and dissemination. At the same time, it is necessary to weigh the commercial value and social value, focus on creating excellent works that the public likes, shape correct values, and promote the universal value transmission of Chinese culture. Don’t take minority culture as a gimmick and make minority culture a target of public criticism.
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Author: Luo Anna, School of Journalism and Communication, Xi ‘an International Studies University, majoring in network and new media in 2018.
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