Published on December 13, 2021| No. 2717
In 2021, under the continuous impact of the epidemic and short videos, the "cold winter" of long videos is still continuing.
As the most important content category of long-form video platforms and TV stations, the number of dramas, whether it is the establishment of projects, the start of filming, or the final successful launch of projects, has decreased compared with previous years.
But the harshness of the environment does not mean that there are no good works "out of the line".
After synthesizing the factors such as the volume of discussion before and after the broadcast, the performance of the broadcast and the word of mouth, the film and television monologue found that there are five episodes that can be called the dark horse series of 2021.
Among them, there are both small-cost productions that broadcast S-grade effects against the wind; there are also works of empathy that were not optimistic at the beginning of the broadcast, but later created a new high reputation; and there are also original dramas that have attracted fans with the "anti-routine" plot of Qingqi. Without exception, they all use good stories to knock on the door of the audience's increasingly critical aesthetic.
Their "out of the circle" also makes more and more people realize that concentrating on polishing the script and telling a good story is the most direct path to success.
"Si Teng"
Perhaps before the start of the broadcast, no one expected that this fantasy drama telling the love story of designer Qin Fang (played by Zhang Binbin) and alien descendant Si Teng (played by Jing Tian) would be on fire.
After all, its investment cost is less than 90 million. Because it involves a large number of post-special effects, fantasy dramas often invest hundreds of millions of dollars, and the main location of "Si Teng" is filmed in Yunnan, and the setting cost is not bandit. The investment of 90 million yuan is not a heavyweight project in the early stage.
At the same time, the cast is also controversial, and it is also full of "five-cent special effects" that are visible to the naked eye. It is also reasonable for the platform party Youku to give an A-level initial rating, and even before the start of the broadcast, it was distributed to iQiyi and Tencent Video, which is afraid that "it will not be able to return to this".
However, it is such a drama that is not very optimistic, but it occupies the entire March online drama hit list, and Weibo hot search has also been on more than 100 times.
"Si Teng" is adapted from the tail fish novel "Half Demon Si Teng", just to deal with The identity of Si Teng's "half demon", the screenwriter has made enough efforts.
Si Teng, who appeared on the scene, only showed the characteristics of "half-demon" but did not indicate the reason, and as the suspense plot advanced, the identity of her alien descendant was revealed, so that the audience not only did not feel blunt, but also had a desire to explore the truth. This kind of adaptation not only respects the original work, but also sublimates on the basis of the original work, and even the original party can't help but look down curiously. Coupled with the fact that the love between Qin Fang and Si Teng in the play is indeed sweet, the "Wanton Vine You" CP has become the hottest screen CP in the first quarter.
As a fantasy suspense love drama, it is a success in itself to be able to present fantasy, suspense and love elements without being conventional.
"The Imperial Gift"
Also running out of the "big flow" with a small cost is "Royal Gifts of Small Works". The main cast of this drama was unknown before this, and before Wang Ziqi and Su Xiaotong participated in this work, they were only college students with few works and unremarkable acting. The investment cost of the series is less than 40 million, and the initial rating of the episode given by Tencent Video is only B-grade.
However, it is such a traditional impression of the "poor crew", but with the heart of the story and the production with "micro-innovation", it has won nearly 1.4 billion plays. Tencent Video even opened the "advanced on-demand" in the middle of the broadcast, and the "gold absorption" of "Royal Gifts" is self-evident.
Chu Chu (played by Su Xiaotong), a young girl with a dream, and Xiao Jinyu (played by Wang Ziqi), the king of Anjun who has decided the case like a god, are particularly in tune with each other when working together to investigate, reasoning and analysis, and repeating the case, and treat love and career, and the three views are surprisingly consistent. The love between the two career personalities is particularly precious in the costume drama.
Coupled with the fact that the crew also came up with a simple comic as an annotation to solve the case and a review of the case, this innovative method made the audience shout "pick up the treasure".
A B-grade platform network drama, but can harvest nearly 270,000 people in Douban to play 8.0 points, "Royal Gifts of Small Servants" can be regarded as this year's ace "dark horse".
"I'm Fine Elsewhere"
After "Thirty Only" brought urban women's group portrait dramas to a new height, it has not been seen for a long time that there is a breakthrough in the same type of drama. Until the summer vacation of 2021, a 12-episode "I'm Fine Elsewhere" appeared.
Three girlfriends with the dream of "Drifting North" Qiao Xichen (zhou Yutong), Ji Nanjia (played by Ren Suxi), and Xu Yan (played by Sun Qian) suddenly jumped off a building to commit suicide because their mutual friend Hu Jingjing (Jin Jing) suddenly jumped off a building and began a journey to find the truth and self-healing.
Because it is cut enough, it can arouse the audience's deep empathy. Especially for young people working in big cities, seeing the drama's rush hour can not squeeze into the subway, without warning to be laid off, framed by colleagues, cheated by black intermediaries, driven out of rental houses by landlords, etc., it is like looking in the mirror, causing resonance and poking tears at the same time.
Even so, when many parents are on the other end of the phone asking, "Are you okay in another country?" As a child, I can only reply with the sentence "I am very good in other places".
According to the final choice of the protagonist in the play, whether it is to continue to drift and struggle or return to their hometown, everyone has gained a spiritual belonging in the experience of urban life. What is even more rare is that as an audience, at least you can find a peace of mind that belongs to you from their experiences.
Before the broadcast of "I'm Fine Elsewhere" scheduled at the Monsoon Theater, the attention and volume were not as loud as "Wolf Hunter" and "True Detective of Lies". However, the popularity and hot discussion of "Other Places" have made monsoon theater usher in the first true "word of mouth work".
My Babylonian Lover
The heroine Chen Meiru (Bu Guanjin) wrote a romance novel in her diary at the age of 12, fantasizing about being able to start a long-lasting love affair with the brave and handsome ancient Babylon prince "Murong Jay". When she was 24 years old, the "diarist" Murong Jay Lun (Feng Xiaoyue) actually appeared in front of her eyes and loved her alone...
This kind of Mary Sue and Secondary Two breath, which can be perceived across the screen, comes from a web drama that will be launched in 2021 - "My Babylonian Lover".
As a love drama, this style of falling in love with the "diaries" is indeed rare, and various "anti-routine" settings have attracted many viewers who come in with a "fun" mentality at the beginning. But as the plot progresses, as the audience approaches Chen Meiru's world little by little, they find that this is a heart-warming growth story about adults gradually reaching self-reconciliation.
There are many ordinary people like Chen Meiru in society, but everyone has had dreams when they are teenagers, but as they get older and the pressure increases, these dreams may be temporarily buried. "My Babylonian Lover" inspires the audience with the story of Chen Meiru's recovery of dreams and original intentions.
Perhaps because the title and plot setting are more "secondary two", "My Babylonian Lover" was named "Thunder Drama" in the early days of broadcasting, and audience expectations were generally low. However, with the unfolding of the three clear-thinking love lines in the play, and the opening of the inner world of Chen Meiru, the "social fear master", many viewers are laughing and falling in love. "My Babylonian Lover" has become a dark horse in the National Day drama market.
"Love Is Delicious"
There is no IP base, nor a super strong card division, and even three days of official micro-fans are not even 4,000 people... Who would have thought that "Love Is Delicious", whose title is a little "earthy", could become a dark horse at the end of the year?
Today, when the urban female group portrait drama is almost tired of being watched by the audience, "Love is Delicious" has conquered the hearts of many audiences with three ordinary female characters and approachable perspectives.
The story is actually very simple, Liu Jing (played by Li Chun), Fang Xin (played by Zhang Hanyun), and Xia Meng (played by Wang Ju), three girlfriends who work hard in the metropolis, are still optimistic and confident after experiencing different family, workplace and emotional problems.
The drama takes food as the guide, depicts the real problem of women's social survival, and also makes interesting settings for realistic emotional problems such as how couples with "strong women and weak men" should interact. The whole drama does not deliberately create harmony and warmth, nor does it strengthen gender antagonisms, but instead appears relaxed and pleasant under the fast-paced narrative and embarrassing life bridge.
In "Love Is Delicious", the three heroines are not perfect characters who opened "goldfingers", and the charm of "complex and three-dimensional" characters is fully reflected in them. As an audience, after getting tired of seeing the "big heroine" that everyone loves, I am even more intoxicated by such a relaxed and warm female character. The stories of Liu Jing, Fang Xin and Xia Meng have also brought warmth to this winter under the epidemic.
【Text/Liu Bingqian】