If you have not studied calligraphy, how should you appreciate calligraphy and cursive? What should I do if I always forget to write? For these questions, many people often look for answers from books. However, with the broadcast of the first calligraphy aesthetic education program "Myo Mo Chinese Heart", more and more young people can also learn what calligraphy is through the variety media.
This week, "Miaomo Chinese Heart" will end on Zhejiang Satellite TV. Zhang Xiaohui, director of the Strategic Development Center of Zhejiang Satellite TV and producer of "Miaomo Chinese Heart", and Zhou Lusha, general director of "Miaomo Chinese Heart", were interviewed by reporters from the Beijing News. Zhou Xiaohui admitted that as a calligraphy program, whether it is peers in the industry or professional teachers, they are not optimistic about its broadcast effect, "Everyone has no idea what kind of form such a program will be." But the response to the first episode was far beyond their imagination. A program audience member has also repeatedly watched every episode of "Myo Mo Chinese Heart", and he even watched the "Seal Book" eight times, taking a notebook to make a record at any time. In Zhou Lusha's view, this is the answer sheet handed over by "Miaomo Chinese Heart", "We still hope that after watching each episode, everyone will learn some (calligraphy) tricks." This can also be of some help to the public in the process of introducing and understanding calligraphy. ”
The audience was invited to write calligraphy on the spot.
Find inspiration from the calligraphy exhibition
Producing a calligraphy program, Zhang Xiaohui did not have too high expectations at first. "At first we thought about the first step. After all, Zhejiang has been inextricably linked to calligraphy since ancient times. If we don't take the lead, it's not very reasonable. ”
But for how to do it, the production team has had a lot of discussions about the direction of the program. Some propose to tell calligraphy stories, some propose to emphasize aesthetic education, and others want to focus on the evolution of calligraphy techniques or the history of calligraphy. However, in Zhang Xiaohui's view, a calligraphy program cannot focus on a single point, otherwise it will make a program with a high threshold become more single and narrow. In the end, the program chose to highlight the concept of calligraphy aesthetic education, inviting experts and scholars including literary scholar Qian Wenzhong, vice chairman of the China Federation of Literary and Art Circles Chen Zhenlian, Lu Jinzhu, director of the Calligraphy Department of the School of Continuing Education of the China Academy of Art, professor Wang Dongling of the China Academy of Art, and other experts and scholars, as well as actors Wu Fan and Zhong Chuxi, singer Yu Xiang, lyricist Fang Wenshan and other well-known personalities to tell humanistic stories related to calligraphy from different perspectives.
Literary scholar Qian Wenzhong
In order to have a deeper understanding of calligraphy, Zhou Lusha has traveled to many offline calligraphy exhibitions to find inspiration. One of the exhibitions is hosted by calligraphy students, and many of the works incorporate the creativity of young people, such as writing calligraphy fonts on acrylic light boxes and then creating them on different carriers through light and shadow art. Zhou Lusha also watched the exhibition of Wang Dongling, Bao Xianlun and many other famous artists. "Different teachers have different (artistic) presentations. Like Teacher Wang's exhibition, more will present the sense of courage and continuity of cursive writing; like some of the works on the exhibition of Xiling Printing Society, they adhere to the concept of 'entering the ancient', such as the complete and systematic combing of Mr. Wu Changshuo's seal. ”
Zhou Lusha presents these elements as much as possible in the program. For example, the "Myo Mo Chinese Heart" also appears in the projection of cursive writing, ancient poems and four posts. "Calligraphy itself is a subject of 'entering the ancient and leaving the new', and we also want to combine the exhibition methods that young people like today." These are all very critical to the creativity of our show. ”
Zhong Chuxi wore Hanfu to write with a brush.
The content of calligraphy should be in-depth and simple, and the threshold of understanding should be lowered
When it comes to calligraphy, the public knows the five major styles of Chinese calligraphy: seal, li, grass, line, and kai. Therefore, the program also takes the five major books as the starting point, dividing the program into five chapters, each chapter is an issue, and their context is excavated.
But for a calligraphy program that has never had a precedent, how can an innovative form attract the audience? Zhou Lusha believes that the "entry into the ancient and the new" in calligraphy is similar to the production of the program. First of all, the program should be "ancient", starting from the five most basic five bodies of calligraphy that everyone knows best, and then in each issue, the story and characters are used as the carrier to cut in, so that from the story to the characters, from the characters to the art of calligraphy, it can be initially realized in-depth and simple. "We need to first effectively lower the entry threshold for [calligraphy programs] so that the audience can accept emotional resonance."
Calligraphy lovers by the West Lake.
Taking the "Kai Shu Chapter" as an example, this program uses Zhiyong as the entry point, which not only tells the inheritance of Zhiyong on the southern school of calligraphy founded by Wang Xizhi, but also presents the influence of his creation of "True Grass Thousand Character Text" on the calligraphy of later generations. The "Seal Book" tells the audience the history of the development of the small seal with a short film, from the moments when Li Sixang Xiaohuan, Li Yangbing revived the small seal, Wu Changshuo and Xiling Printing Society carried forward the culture of golden stone seal carving, and clearly sorted out the development of the seal book.
In terms of content selection, Zhang Xiaohui believes that instead of simply telling more vertical topics such as calligraphy evolution and writing skills, "calligraphy aesthetic education" can narrow the distance between the audience and the audience. For example, many people know the poem "Orchid Pavilion Collection" and even memorize it very well, but they do not know how to appreciate this calligraphy work. So the program focuses on the different writing methods of the 21 "Zigzag" words in the "Lanting Collection", the teacher not only has to speak, but also demonstrates to everyone on the spot, lets the audience write together, and then casts all the written "Zigzag" words on the big screen for comment. "In this way, more viewers in front of the TV set will have a sense of substitution, feel that the threshold of calligraphy is not very high, acceptable, and listen to it with great interest." In the same way, we also want to tell you through this word that the beauty of calligraphy is not exactly the same, but has its own form and is ever-changing. Zhang Xiaohui said.
"We also try to ensure diversity in the invitation of the crowd." Zhou Lusha added. The audience was not only calligraphy experts and amateur calligraphy enthusiasts, but also actors, students, and ordinary people who had no contact with calligraphy at all. "We hope that different groups of people can have a dialogue and demonstration with calligraphy, and show that calligraphy is a kind of communication without thresholds."
Avoid preaching with animations, small classes, fun interactions, etc
With the popularity of cultural programs in recent years, audiences have gradually become accustomed to deeply feeling and exploring the history and inheritance behind a certain culture and art through variety media. However, compared with ancient books, poems, and national treasures, calligraphy still has a higher threshold for appreciation, and the program is more likely to be "high and low".
"That's what we were most worried about when we started our idea." Zhou Lusha said frankly. During the production process, Zhou Lusha consulted many calligraphy experts and also investigated ordinary people of different ages, "If you want to watch a calligraphy program, what type of calligraphy would you want to see?" Absorbing the words of each family, we can find a balance point to make this proposition attack the pain points of more people. ”
In the process of research, Zhou Lusha found many interesting phenomena. For example, with the development of science and technology, many people will "forget the pen", including when the program team tests internally, almost no one can write the sneeze "sneeze" word. So they added this kind of interaction to the show as a bridge to communicate with the audience. "Calligraphy itself is a carrier of Chinese characters. Such an entry point is very intimate for the public, so it is as close as possible to the distance between calligraphy and the public. ”
Zhou Lusha also tried to make the LANGUAGE of television as interesting as possible. For example, when introducing Yan Zhenqing's "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript", if you just directly tell the audience how good the "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript" is, it is very much like preaching. So the program first put the "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript" in the "MyoMo Appreciation Workshop" located on the shore of Xizi Lake, whether it is the elderly walking on the street, young people interested in calligraphy, can vote for this work in this physical space, and then ask questions: Why is the popular vote of such a famous post ranked at the lowest? Then, the experts in the studio will make professional interpretations, and the artists will recreate the historical situation. These methods can close the audience's distance with the "Sacrifice Nephew Manuscript" and Yan Zhenqing.
Part of the Manuscript of the Sacrifice of the Nephew.
Not only that, but at the end of each program, there will be an interesting "Miaomo Small Classroom", through the simplest language and practical teaching, telling the public how to write a common word in our lives, such as "Fu", "Beauty", "Miao" and so on. "We hope that the audience can also learn some calligraphy tips after watching this show, so that everyone can also have the impulse to lift the pen in life, and find that it is not difficult to lift the pen, as long as it can be persevered." This is also our original intention. Zhou Lusha said.
Beijing News reporter Zhang He
Edited by Tong Na Proofreader Zhao Lin