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Text: Li Yonghao
Editor |
Preamble:
What are the kiss scenes in the TV series that can't bear to look at directly?
What exactly was the original intention of the director and screenwriter?
What's more, how much psychological shadow does this kind of kissing scene that makes the audience's teeth ache bring to the actresses?
When these behind-the-scenes stories surfaced one by one, we couldn't help but ask: what kind of jungle world is this entertainment industry?
"Noodle kiss" : sticky and terrible expression of love
At the beginning of 2024, the urban drama "Me and Two Him" starring Zhang Zifeng and Xiong Ziqi has sparked a lot of heated discussions.
The director arranged a "noodle kiss" scene in the play that made the audience unforgettable.
I saw that Xiong Ziqi, who played the male lead, firmly leaned in front of the heroine Zhang Zifeng, who was eating noodles, and then directly pasted it to ask for the noodles from Zhang Zifeng's mouth, and finally the two were entangled, and it was difficult to separate.
Such a seemingly romantic kiss scene made many viewers feel "sticky and terrible".
Some netizens sighed: "I really don't understand why the director added this kind of picture, this is no longer filming a love drama, but a food and sex feast."
Others bluntly said: "It's disgusting to look at, and I really can't accept this kind of noodle kiss." "
It turns out that this is not the first time that "Me and Two Him" has appeared in such a "noodle kiss" scene.
In last year's hit "National Husband 2", the male protagonist Xiong Ziqi also had a similar kiss scene with the heroine.
At that time, the female protagonist held the ring in her mouth, and the male protagonist took it with his mouth.
This kind of "ring kiss" made many viewers feel "greasy and disgusting".
It can be said that this kind of "noodle kiss" and "ring kiss" have become a well-known "standard" in TV dramas in recent years.
In addition to Xiong Ziqi, actors Liu Ye and Ma Yili's "noodle kiss" in "In the Distance" is also a classic case.
At that time, Ma Yili was eating noodles with relish, and Liu Ye suddenly came up and snatched the noodles from her mouth, and the two kissed each other affectionately.
Such an abrupt kiss scene is really confusing.
Is it to create a plot conflict, or is it to get the audience's attention?
Whatever the purpose, this "noodle kiss" undoubtedly greatly reduces the audience's viewing experience.
Some netizens bluntly said: "This kind of kiss scene is too greasy, it is simply ruining the atmosphere of the whole show." "
So, why did the directors choose such a disgusting way to express the love between the characters?
Perhaps to create an "unexpected" effect and make the audience feel "surprised".
However, if this "surprise" is based on the discomfort of the audience, I am afraid it will be difficult to achieve the desired effect.
"Old cows eat tender grass": aesthetic conflicts caused by age gaps
In addition to the "unique" expression of "noodle kiss", there is another type of kiss scene in the TV series that is criticized by the audience - "the old cow eats tender grass".
The so-called "old cow eats tender grass" refers to the selection of actors with a large age gap in the TV series to play the role of a couple.
This practice often brings a strong visual impact to the audience, which is difficult to accept.
Zhang Jiayi is undoubtedly a representative figure in this regard.
In the hit drama "Born on a Bright Day" to be broadcast in 2024, the kissing scene between the 53-year-old Zhang Jiayi and the heroine made the audience disdainful.
The age gap between the two is too big, making people feel like "an old cow eats tender grass".
In "My Physical Education Teacher", which was broadcast in the same year, Zhang Jiayi played a couple with an actress who was about the same age as his daughter, and the audience's reaction was equally fierce.
The famous actor Yan Ni also encountered a similar dilemma when filming the movie "The Final Truth" in 2023.
In the film, 54-year-old Yan Ni has a fierce kiss scene with an actor who is much younger than herself, which makes the audience feel that "this is like a father and daughter kissing".
Netizens said, "It's too uncomfortable to watch, I choose to abandon the drama."
The reason why this kind of picture of "old cows eating tender grass" arouses strong disgust from the audience has a lot to do with our so-called "aesthetic standards".
In the public's aesthetics, it is difficult for the male and female protagonists with too much age difference to make people feel sincerely in love.
In addition, TV series often have to arrange scenes where such a couple has a lot of intimate contact, and the result is that the picture and plot are unconvincing.
Perhaps, this phenomenon reflects one aspect of the flow and replacement of talents within the entertainment industry.
In recent years, with the rise of idol dramas, more and more young actors have attracted attention and favor.
In order to continue to gain a foothold in the industry, some powerful actors also have to accept scripts that are partnered with young actors.
For example, in "A City in the City" to be broadcast in 2023, 59-year-old Yu Hewei and Lonnie play a pair of lovers, which also caused discomfort among the audience.
But in any case, this plot setting of "old cows eat tender grass" has become one of the audience's unbearable pain points.
After all, what the audience is looking for is a reasonable picture and characterization, not a deliberate "aesthetic conflict".
"Too much force": brings a psychological shadow to the actress
In addition to the above two uncomfortable kiss scenes, there is another type of problem in the TV series, that is, some male actors "use too much force" when filming kiss scenes, which causes a certain psychological shadow for actresses.
A typical case in this regard is Zhang Tielin's performance in "Heaven and Dragon Slayer".
During the important kiss scene of life and death with the heroine played by Tao Hong, Zhang Tielin's strength made Tao Hong startled.
It is reported that Tao Hong still had mouth ulcers at that time, and Zhang Tielin's "crazy" kiss undoubtedly traumatized her.
It can also be seen from the stills that Tao Hong was very resistant at first, and his eyes were full of fear.
A similar situation has occurred in other works.
In "His Highness the Wolf", Wang Dalu's big mouth kissed so that Li Qin's nasolabial folds were "kissed".
Some netizens joked that the kiss scene between the two was like "cupping".
In "Three Lives, Three Worlds and Ten Miles of Peach Blossoms", Zhao Youting closed his eyes tightly and bit Yang Mi's upper lip fiercely, making people feel as if he was going to "eat" Yang Mi.
This kind of "overly violent" kiss scene not only makes the audience feel too explicit and abrupt, but also causes a certain amount of psychological pressure on the actresses.
After all, these intense kissing scenes require the actress to actively cooperate and also maintain her composure, which undoubtedly adds to their burden.
According to industry insiders, many actresses feel very uncomfortable when filming this kind of scene.
Especially some powerful actresses, they often pay more attention to their image and bottom line, but for the needs of the script, they still have to endure this kind of "abuse".
It can be said that this kind of "overforced" kiss scene not only affects the mental health of actresses, but also brings uncertainties to their future careers.
It is worth mentioning that this type of problem is not limited to actresses.
In some costume dramas, there are also many male actors who are scolded for kissing scenes that are too intense.
For example, Xu Zhengxi's kiss scene in "Fragrant Honey Sinks Like Frost" was criticized by the audience for "simply trying to swallow the actress alive".
It can be seen that regardless of men and women, this kind of "too hard" kiss will bring discomfort to both parties.
Lack of accountability: Who is responsible for these "victims"?
Whose responsibility is it for these questions? the director, the screenwriter, or the actors themselves?
To some extent, the root of these problems lies in the imbalance of the entire TV drama industry.
On the one hand, with the rise of idol dramas, more and more young actors have entered this circle.
On the other hand, powerful actors also have to "grab food" with them.
This kind of talent turnover and turnover has undoubtedly intensified the competition within the industry and led to some unreasonable production choices.
For example, in casting, in order to cater to the audience's aesthetic preferences, directors and screenwriters often choose young and beautiful actors, ignoring the cooperation of age and temperament.
Or, in order to create plot conflicts, the screenwriter did not hesitate to add some "gimmicky" kiss scenes.
During the filming process, the director may also ask the actor to increase the intensity of the kiss in order to achieve a certain "visual impact" effect.
However, this irresponsible approach has brought indispensable trouble to the actresses.
On the one hand, they must cooperate with the script and the director's requirements, even if they are reluctant in their hearts, they have to act hard.
On the other hand, during the filming of these scenes, they may also be "abused" by the actors, causing both physical and mental trauma.
It can be said that from preparation to filming, the lack of responsibility of the entire TV drama industry has become a "victim" of actresses.
It is difficult for them to change this situation by their professional ethics alone.
As an industry insider said: "Actresses are often the most vulnerable group, and they cannot fully control their acting life." "
So, how to avoid these problems and safeguard the rights and interests of actresses has become an important topic that the industry needs to solve.
On the one hand, directors and screenwriters should pay more attention to the audience's aesthetic preferences when creating, and try to avoid some uncomfortable plot settings.
On the other hand, during the filming process, the protection mechanism for the actors should also be strengthened to effectively safeguard the dignity and rights and interests of the actresses.
Only in this way can we truly put an end to these "unsightly" kiss scenes, so that actresses can devote themselves to their acting careers with peace of mind.
After all, the hard work and price they paid far exceeded the imagination of ordinary audiences.
Epilogue:
After all, they have made too many unknown sacrifices for the sake of this industry.
We should use a more rational and caring eye to appreciate their artistic efforts, rather than just focusing on those uncomfortable pictures.
Only in this way can we truly change the status quo of the industry and make TV dramas a stage that is fairer and more respectful for everyone involved.