Web Drama: From Traffic Supreme to Content is King

Web Drama: From Traffic Supreme to Content is King

【Film and Television Sharp Review】

In recent years, driven by national policy guidance, deepening interaction between Taiwan and the Internet, and technological innovation, the standards for literary and artistic creation of online dramas and traditional TV dramas have gradually converged, and the content ecology of online dramas is undergoing profound transformation and iteration. The development of network dramas emphasizes the direction of high-quality products, with richer themes and more sophisticated production, and returning to content from traffic first. Creation has paid more and more attention to the artistry and ideology of works, and deep involvement in social reality has gradually become a new atmosphere for the development of network dramas.

The new atmosphere is first manifested in the intervention of network dramas in the changing themes of the times. The theme of the main theme network drama is more diverse, focusing on shaping flesh and blood characters and fascinating storylines, stimulating strong emotional resonance of the audience, thereby constructing the audience's sense of identity and mainstream values. At the same time, these network dramas try to explore the path of flexible expression between the traditional main theme narrative and the new generation of network sense narrative, forming a life-like and romantic aesthetic style to attract more young audiences. The poverty alleviation drama "On the Field of Hope" directly faces a series of practical problems in rural society, truly portrays rural life from the perspective of young people, inspires the majority of young people to devote themselves to rural revitalization with the power of images, and helps the countryside to rejuvenate. "Sweeping The Storm of Organized Crime" is based on a real case that has caused a sensation in the country, touching on social pain points such as routine loans, industry monopolies, and violent demolition, and carrying forward the healthy atmosphere of sweeping away criminal syndicates and eliminating evil, fighting corruption and promoting clean government. "Deep Breathing Together" opens up the theme gap of online dramas in the field of foreign aid medical treatment, reflecting the benevolence of doctors who save lives and help the injured, and China's humanitarian responsibility in promoting the construction of a community with a shared future for mankind.

Historical theme network dramas also embed the fate of individuals in the picture of the change of the times, establishing a biography for ordinary people and a portrait of the times. "Ace Troops" explores the youthful expression of military dramas, refracts the changes in the Chinese army since the reform and opening up with the growth process of soldiers, and integrates the youthful atmosphere of individual narratives with the epic quality of grand narratives. "Braveheart 2" tells the experience of ordinary people during the War of Resistance Against Japanese Aggression who sacrificed their lives for righteousness and took the national salvation and survival as their own responsibility, highlighting national integrity. The spy drama "Rebel" deeply depicts the mental process of young people who cherish the ideal of serving the country and establishing their communist faith, and expresses the revolutionary romantic feelings in the torrent of the times.

The head network audio-visual platform plays an important role in the upgrading of the network drama industry and the exploration of mainstreaming, not only introducing high-quality content, but also strengthening the planning of the main theme and the development and production of original content, highlighting the social responsibility of the platform, grasping the pulse of the times, and leading the cultural trend. This also marks that the network drama industry has further broken through the field of subculture, ranked among the mainstream cultures, and reached all circles of audiences.

Secondly, the new atmosphere is manifested in the intervention of social hotspot issues. With the maturity of genre, online dramas pay more attention to developing themes that can resonate with society and participate in exploring hot social issues. Urban emotional dramas are close to real life and reflect the current lifestyle and social mentality. For example, "Love Is Delicious" echoes people's life experience in the context of the epidemic, showing the difficulties encountered by women in marriage and the workplace in the form of light comedy, and triggering emotional resonance among the audience in witty humor. Suspense dramas that reveal social problems have become popular, borrowing the shell of suspense genres to explore the living conditions of human beings and the complexity of human nature and society. "Octagonal Pavilion Mystery Fog" carefully constructs complex and delicate family relationships, delicately portraying the psychological trauma and repair in the tragedy of the original family. "Female Psychologist" looks into the current problems of school violence, workplace bullying, postpartum depression and other issues, and calls on people to care for mental health.

In addition, the realism of online dramas is not limited to the current time and space, although "Son-in-law" is a costume film, it is injected with the awareness of contemporary gender equality. "Knife In the Snow" breaks through the narrative of traditional martial arts dramas, delicately portrays the psychological state of the protagonist, and shows humanity and morality in the choice of individual freedom and ji shi, which is a kind of "psychological realism" that is more in line with the spiritual pursuit of contemporary youth.

Third, the new atmosphere is also manifested in the intervention in the dissemination of local cultural tourism. Some online dramas carefully implant cultural elements such as local landscapes, folklore, and cuisine, create local images, integrate and develop cultural tourism resources, and explore new paths for the dissemination of local cultural tourism. "Si Teng" was filmed in Yunnan, bringing fire to the beautiful scenery and local characteristics of Yunnan, and was praised by netizens as a "Yunnan tourism propaganda film". The Luoyang Municipal Government has taken "Wind Rises Luoyang" as an important starting point for reshaping the city brand and building a youth-friendly city, using the drama to promote urban culture and elevate the Creation of Luoyang Film and Television IP to a cultural tourism strategy. On the one hand, excellent traditional culture empowers network dramas and strengthens the Chinese aesthetic style with profound cultural heritage; on the other hand, network dramas empower local cultural tourism and promote the dissemination and innovation of traditional culture.

In short, with the continuous deepening of the development of high-quality products, more network dramas that emphasize social benefits have emerged, which not only meets the aesthetic needs of the audience, but also cultivates the aesthetic taste of the audience and produces social influence and cultural value. It is true that network dramas with social intervention will also have problems such as contradictions and conflicts routines, exaggerated and abrupt plot design, destroying the real quality of life and making the intention out of focus. Moreover, the excessive stacking and rigid grafting of genre elements will also lead to the fragmentation and collage of the narrative, which will damage the power to intervene in reality.

The social intervention of network dramas should truly "originate from reality" and draw artistic nutrition from rich and vivid daily life, but it should also be "higher than reality", with deeper insight and reflection, intriguing and thought-provoking. We look forward to the new year, the creation of online dramas can further abide by the integrity and innovation, adhere to the people-centered creative orientation, improve the quality and realm of literature and art, enhance the supply-side optimization of the online audio-visual industry, and create a healthy and high-quality online content ecology.

(Author: Yuan Mengqian, Associate Researcher, School of Arts, Nanjing University)

(Guangming Daily)