This summer, many IPs became screenwriters and were criticized.
The conspiracy of junior high school students to crush college students in "Can't Hide Secretly" has been questioned, and the values of the characters of "My Human Fireworks" and "Long Moon Ember Ming" have been controversial.
"Wrong point of view" and "outdated" are the most controversial issues in IP customization.
It is clear that IP was quite popular in the market before the adaptation. Why didn't the audience like it after it was adapted into a movie?
Is the IP obsolete?
The popular IP was criticized after filming. Is it the reason for the IP expiration?
Screenwriter Jiajia believes that some IPs are indeed outdated.
"Around 2015, there was a period when the intellectual property of online literature was out of control, and if it was exaggerated, IP could be sold for millions of yuan. In the face of huge dividends, many people buy IP not for creation, but for financial behavior. "After collecting, I wait for its value to increase.
Jiajia said: "It has been almost ten years now, and some IPs have indeed reaped benefits and successfully transformed into film and television. Some IPs are expected to be affected by factors such as the cold winter of film and television, and the reduction of film and television costs. "Platform and efficiency upgrades and IP cooling. In the hands of film and television companies.
Nowadays, it is more difficult to adapt these IPs into movies and TV series.
Since the same type of IP has been adapted many times in recent years, if it is adapted from the original novel, the homogenization is serious, and it is inevitable that people will complain that it is outdated. If it is renewed, it is likely that fans of the original and drama will be unhappy.
Jiajia revealed that his company has previously purchased multiple popular literary fiction IPs about pain. The writing is very hypocritical. All he had to do was find a screenwriter to adapt it. However, after several changes, he eventually found that they were not the same and the projects were shelved.
In fact, there are only a handful of companies like Jiajia, who stop losses in time. Most companies have bought IP at a premium and it is impossible to let them sit in the dust.
A producer revealed that IP has been cold in the past two years, and many film and television companies have tried to create original projects, but later found that original content did not work, and now they have begun to buy IP.
In order to tide over this wave of craze, many old IP projects that have been backlogged for many years have been quickly adapted into movies and TV series in the past two years. The quality of these hasty adaptations is astounding.
Screenwriter Wu Jia believes that following the trend is the cause of the aging of some IPs.
Wu Jia revealed that he mainly creates suspense scripts. Many of the IP adaptation projects he has worked on are only set and the story content is very poor.
"Why is the content so bad and so many people rushing to buy it? Because its setting may meet the needs of the current audience or market, such as the popular two-woman detective type at that time. ”
Wu Jia directly said that the decline in the quality of content on some online literary platforms is related to this trend. "As we all know, the character image of this online literary platform has been interpreted in recent years, and some IPs are achieved by good design." Of course we can sell film and television rights, but nobody cares about the content.
This was confirmed by Xiao Wu, the editor-in-chief of one of the video platforms. Xiao Wu revealed that the industry mainly looks at two dimensions when choosing IP. Big companies look at well-known online writers for older titles they haven't sold yet, or new books they plan to publish. Small businesses buy some of the settings are novel and interesting. Let the screenwriter customize the IP.
The setting of novel IP is indeed eye-catching, but if you are too stuck in the setting, trend, trend, and ignore the core of the story, then the setting will inevitably become old with popularity.
"This may have something to do with the fact that IP addresses are easily overturned by screenwriters. The setting of some dramas is very attractive, but the details do not stand up to scrutiny. Wu Jia said.
For example, the scene of soldiers/firefighters in urban idol dramas in recent years
Adaptation is a technical activity
However, many people in the industry believe that the IP adaptation of screenwriters has been criticized, and outdated equipment is only a small part. The bigger disadvantage is the adaptation itself.
Screenwriter Su Xiaoao directly said that if the setting of the novel is classic enough, it will never go out of style. It's up to the screenwriter to take another small step forward.
The brother-sister relationship between Meng Yanchen and Xu Qin in "My Human Fireworks" is actually a deformation of the sadomasochistic brother-sister relationship in "Blue Life and Death Love", and like the previous "Can Liang Sheng Not Be Sad", it is based on classic settings. Take a step. ”
Su Xiaoao said: "Meng Yanchen's domineering president image is also a classic character, but the reason why he can break the circle is because the screenwriter makes his humanity exude new charm through meticulous shaping. ”
His most charming little thing is that even when he is drunk and vomits on the street, he does not forget to apologize to the cleaner aunt for causing trouble.
"A small detail like this may be an inconspicuous scene in the play, but as long as it is done enough, even a small character can be highlighted." Su Xiaoao said.
The reason why the roles of Song Yan and Xu Qin fell apart was because the screenwriter not only did not let the two classic characters of firefighter and doctor go further, but also made a lot of "gaps" that the audience could not resonate. Xu Qin's family background. "Depressed and suffocated" coupled with unqualified performances and imrigorous workplace content caused the reputation of this popular IP to plummet.
Of course, too much pursuit of IP-based innovation can be counterproductive.
"Some IP characters and story structure are actually very complete, but after receiving the project, some screenwriters think that they are writing something else, and various adaptations cause the story to lose its original core. For some projects, the main creator always wants to add some new elements that are now popular, destroying the logic of the original story.
Xiao Wu said helplessly: "In other projects, because of the risk problem, I had to change some settings. To establish a new setting, you have to add more content to supplement, and in the end, I am afraid that it will not be a fish bird. ” ”
Wu Jia directly said that the failure of some IP film and television adaptations has a lot to do with the creative mentality of the entire team.
"They operate with the mentality of making financial products, they don't think about the content, they think about whether the product can make money."
Wu Jia said: "In their opinion, as long as they can maximize the plate within a limited range of capabilities, just like the typical model of big IP + high-traffic dramas, they can make money without losing money." Content customization isn't that important. ” ”。
This model may have worked well in the years of traffic growth, but now it is gradually losing its effectiveness. The backlash of "Supporting Roles Lifting the Table" and the ledger drama is the best proof of this.
So what makes a good fit?
Xiao Wu believes that a good adaptation should do two things, one is to optimize the character image, and the other is that the core of the story is in line with the current mainstream values.
"For example, the traditional arrogant president role, basically the golden-faced man, now this role has added a lot of down-to-earth or fun elements, the heroine role is no longer just silly and cute, but will be more intelligent." And independence, there are elements such as strength. The relationship between men and women is not limited to strong men and weak women, but double strength, or more contrasting strong women and weak men.
Xiao Wu said: "In terms of values, many male protagonist IPs have the setting of three wives and four concubines, and it is difficult for female audiences to recognize such a setting. Smart screenwriters choose to weed out these impurities when adapting. "Downplaying three wives and four makes concubines confidants, and the audience is more acceptable."
butterfly effect
IP changes for screenwriters are often controversial, and this has also had a significant impact on creators.
The screenwriters revealed that before the broadcast of My Human Fireworks, they initially created a story about the fire brigade, and the script received good feedback. However, after Fireworks, some businesses felt that Fireworks had reached the peak of their business, but the results were not satisfactory, so they were no longer willing to deal with such fire scenarios.
Xiaobai also revealed that the platform now allows the roles of special professions such as police, doctors, and firefighters to be touched as little as possible.
"For the content used, we also have to pay attention to its positioning. Including IP adaptation, we also have to consider whether the plot hurts the character's character and whether it hurts the audience's emotions and values. Now, whether the audience can accept it. Wait a minute. ”
The good effect is that everyone is more cautious when buying IP and customizing IP.
"In the past, everyone would pay for an IP and then think about how to adapt it. Now we are thinking more carefully about how to make IP into a film and television drama before buying it. ”
Jiajia said: "When buying IP, you also need to consider the impact of the actor on the project. If the project is small and it is impossible to hire actors with good acting skills, then when choosing an IP, do not choose a male protagonist, an IP that is difficult to play, like a character like "The Legend of Sword and Fairy" Li Xiaoyao, if the performance is not good, it is easy to get fat. ”
Buying IP is no longer just about buying data.
"Generally, when I recommend an IP to a boss, I recommend an IP whose story itself is valuable. It has to have a central idea that I want to convey so that we don't get lost in the adaptation. "That core."
Jiajia said, "If the IP address you buy is just a gimmick and needs a major transformation, then the IP itself has no meaning." ”
Wu Jia also said directly: "If you buy an IP, you don't know what to do with it, just because its data is good or there is a certain trick, then if the trick disappears, it is basically useless." And you can't change it later. , they all look the same. ”
In terms of adaptation, Su Xiaoao suggested that if it is a classic IP, the screenwriter should not innovate for the sake of innovation.
"The screenwriter has very little say in the actual creation, so from a production perspective, the entire team, including the company, the planner and the screenwriter, must maintain a high degree of unity in the creative philosophy and set a direction for the adaptation, rather than desperate to adapt." By destroying the original IP characteristics, you can't change it overnight, but then you have the opportunity to present a work with sincerity.
(At the request of interviewees, the names in the article are pseudonyms)