This article is from the WeChat public account: Yiyu Observation (ID: yiyuguancha), text / Wang Xinyi, Zheng Yijiu.
Driven by the wave of digitalization, the film and television adaptation of literary works has become an important driving force to promote the continuous development of film and television content. As a participant in the industry for many years, iQIYI Literature has also continued to explore and innovate, and is committed to injecting new vitality into literary adaptation of film and television content.
On April 24, at the 3rd Literary New Power Conference, a sub-forum of the 2024 iQIYI World Conference, iQIYI Literature announced a series of remarkable achievements and plans, further demonstrating its ambition and persistence on the road of literary film and television.
The combination of literature and film and television is not only the transformation of content, but also the joint release of the cultural forces of the two media. On this road, iQIYI Literature, with its unique perspective and mature mechanism, has opened up a new world for the film and television of literary IP.
Liu Huangfu, vice president, editor-in-chief and head of literary business of iQIYI, said: "iQIYI Literature will rely on the platform's mature film and television development mechanism and build a high-quality film and television growth track for new authors through targeted support and incentive measures. "This is not only a support for authors, but also a promotion of the entire cultural industry.
Liu Huangfu, vice president of iQIYI, editor-in-chief and head of literary business
As an important measure for iQIYI's literary IP incubation and film and television development, the "Wave Making Project" has successfully transformed many novels into high-quality film and television masterpieces on the screen since its launch. This year, the "Wave Making Plan" ushered in a new upgrade, and the launch of the iQIYI Literature Championship provided a broader stage for literary creators. iQIYI also hopes to connect creators with better producers, directors, and screenwriters through this program, and help their works transform from literature to popular works. At a time when film and television creation is constantly pursuing diversity, iQIYI literature has also shown unprecedented openness and inclusiveness in terms of subject selection. The first literary championship solicited works from the whole network, covering multiple genres such as ancient costumes, suspense, and reality, which not only provided authors with more creative freedom, but also provided richer materials for film and television adaptation. Liu Huangfu emphasized: "What we pursue is the diversity of content, and what we want to pursue is the unique, not the first. ”
iQIYI's exploration of commercialization is also worth paying attention to. Through the business model of "one fish to eat more", iQIYI Literature adapts fiction works into periodicals, paper books, e-books, audio books and comics and other diversified content, realizing the maximum use of literary works. This model not only brings more benefits to creators, but also provides more possibilities for the dissemination and influence of literary works.
In order to better promote the film and television of literary works, iQIYI Literature has built a whole-process support system covering IP value evaluation, project establishment, production and distribution. This system provides a strong guarantee for the film and television development of literary works, and also provides a full range of services and support for creators.
Yiyu Observation (ID: yiyuguancha) also took the opportunity of the upgrade of the "Wave Making Plan" to have an in-depth dialogue with Liu Huangfu, the head of iQIYI's literary business, revealing the unique advantages of iQIYI literature in the process of film and television, and how to further connect literary writers and film and television producers.
From the new upgrade of the "Wave Making Plan", to the comprehensive coverage of multiple tracks, to the business model of "one fish to eat more", iQIYI Literature is bringing new vitality to literary adaptation of film and television content with unprecedented strength and determination. We have reason to believe that with the promotion of iQIYI literature, more literary IPs will be successfully put on the screen, bringing more wonderful stories to the audience.
01 Literary Championship and Wave Making Program
Yiyu Observation: Why is the literary championship plan released at this point in time?
Liu Huangfu: We have observed a growing demand from the literature and film and television markets, especially for fresh and diverse content. The launch of the Literary Championship is in response to this market demand and at the same time to inject new vitality into our "Wave Making Program". We hope to provide a more open platform for more talented authors to showcase their ideas and stories, which in turn drives innovation and development across the industry. Liu Huangfu: The Literary Championship is a natural extension of the "Wave Creation Project". Through the "Wave Making Project", we have established an efficient selection and training mechanism for works. The addition of the Literary Championship provides a broader stage for our authors, so that their works have the opportunity to be seen by more professionals in the industry, thereby increasing the chance of their works being adapted for film and television.
Yiyu Observation: What are your thoughts on choosing the category of works?
Liu Huangfu: The three categories of costumes, suspense and realism were chosen because they not only have a wide range of demand in the market, but also each has a unique narrative charm and cultural value. Costume works can show rich history and culture, suspense works attract the audience with their tight plots and reversals, and realistic works can reflect social reality and resonate with the audience.
Yiyu Observation: What are the main concerns in the new work review process?
Liu Huangfu: Our review process is very focused on the originality and innovation of the work, and we want to find works that bring fresh perspectives and thoughts. At the same time, we also evaluate the structural integrity of the work, the expressiveness of the language, and whether it meets the narrative requirements of film and television. Our goal is to select those that have both literary value and potential for film and television adaptation.
Yiyu Observation: What are the main cooperation models with authors?
Liu Huangfu: At present, the copyright cooperation method of a single work is mainly adopted. We believe that this approach gives authors more flexibility and freedom, while also better protecting their rights. Of course, we are also open to long-term cooperation, and authors are more than welcome if they are willing to establish a deeper relationship with us.
Yiyu Observation: Will there be a long-term signing cooperation?
Liu Huangfu: We are open to long-term cooperation. If the author has trust in our platform and team, and is willing to establish a long-term relationship, they are more than happy. We will provide more resources and support to these authors to help them go further on their creative path.
02 The vision and process of film and television adaptation
Yiyu Observation: How to promote the combination of literary creation and film and television adaptation through literary championships?
Liu Huangfu: The Literary Championship provides us with a platform to discover and cultivate excellent works. Through this platform, we can closely combine literary creation with film and television adaptation. We will provide professional guidance and resource support for selected works to help authors turn their stories into works suitable for film and television. At the same time, we work closely with the film and television production team to ensure that the literary and original spirit of the work is maintained during the adaptation process.
One Entertainment Observation: Can you share some ongoing cases?
Liu Huangfu: The works currently in progress, such as "Looking for Li Shunzhang" and "Cuckoo Bird", are all works with strong film and television potential. These works are still in the script development stage, and the team is working closely with the author to polish and refine the script. We believe that through our efforts, these works will eventually be able to present their unique charm on the screen. This thing is not a simple one-time thing, it will take at least three or five years or even more. Even if the newly selected works are selected today, it generally takes one year to polish the works, another year to start the main creation, including all aspects of the later stage, and another year to review and promote it online, and the whole cycle will take at least three years.
The first phase of the "Wave Making Plan" has been signed
Yiyu Observation: Why do you emphasize the advantages of high-quality film and television fast track as iQiyi literature?
Liu Huangfu: Let's go back to the core of the question is iQiyi's literature, what can become the foundation of our life. The point that can attract everyone and make everyone feel that iQiyi Literature can still cooperate and move forward together is that we can help everyone better film and television. The biggest difference between us and some other companies on this road is that we are faster than these people, because we are the most direct communication with the corresponding main creative team producers, and the efficiency itself is completely different. The second is that we can do better, we have been doing dramas for so many years, and we are very familiar with which content can be done more brilliantly, which content can be safely reviewed, and which content can be adapted to the extreme within the scope of the process scale, so that everyone can have a better viewing experience and audio-visual enjoyment. So in these aspects, iQIYI is the biggest difference from others.
Yiyu Observation: For realist literature, what are the accumulation and cultivation methodologies of iQIYI literature?
Liu Huangfu: iQIYI Literature has always been committed to promoting the development of realist literature. We work closely with authors to provide them with professional writing guidance and market analysis, helping them to create works that are both literary and touching. At the same time, we will also use the resources of the iQIYI platform to provide more exposure opportunities for these works, so that more audiences can see and appreciate these excellent realistic literary works.
One Entertainment Observation: Is there a specific track or area of focus?
Liu Huangfu: There is no restriction on the author's ability to create a specific type of work. We encourage authors to use their creativity and create work that they are truly passionate about and good at. The core is not based on genre, but mainly on authors. If I give them a restriction that you can only do realistic themes, like the Aoyama Arazuka I just said, which is suitable for writing martial arts, including Beikebang, which is suitable for writing suspense, is it forced to break off cooperation, there is no need, or to promote this matter with the author as the core. We believe that this is the only way to create truly excellent literature.
Yiyu Observation: What are the selection criteria for works that meet iQIYI's "one fish to eat more" strategy?
Liu Huangfu: The core of the "one fish to eat more" strategy is the quality and influence of the work. We will select those works that can have a wide social impact after film and television adaptation, and develop them through a variety of media and forms to maximize the value of the works. This includes not only film and television dramas, but also audiobooks, games, comics, and other forms.
With the development of AI technology, what role does it play in script creation and evaluation?
Liu Huangfu: AI technology is playing an increasingly important role in script writing and evaluation. AI can help us quickly analyze and sift through a large number of scripts to find those with potential. At the same time, AI can also assist authors in their creations, providing inspiration and suggestions. However, we always believe that AI is only an auxiliary tool, and real creation also needs to rely on human intelligence and emotion.
Yiyu Observation: In the face of a large number of submissions, what is the screening rate?
Liu Huangfu: In the face of a large number of submissions, there are strict screening criteria and processes. This means that only the truly excellent works will be able to stand out and get our attention and support.
03 Future planning of literature and film and television
Yiyu Observation: What are the future plans and expectations of iQIYI Literature in terms of film and television?
Liu Huangfu: We are looking forward to the film and television adaptation of literature. I hope to help more literary works to be turned into film and television, so that these works can enter thousands of households through the screen. At the same time, we also hope to discover and cultivate more excellent authors and provide them with a platform to showcase their talents.
Yiyu Observation: What is the future plan for the film and television adaptation of literary IP?
Liu Huangfu: I hope to incubate more excellent literary IPs and transform them into film and television works. We will provide comprehensive support for these works, including script development, production team formation, financial investment, etc., to ensure that these works can be presented at their best on screen.
One Entertainment Observation: What is the initial goal we have set for ourselves?
Liu Huangfu: The first goal is to broadcast all A+ works in iQiyi, and now at the same time, the establishment of the content is checked, if it is not A+, the project will not be established, so I think this requirement is the most basic. As for how far it can go, it depends on the later links, because the creation of text novels is still a very, very front-end work, a very, very upstream work, and then who will get the script, who the director is, and who the actors are, all of which have a great impact on the content performance, but we will try our best to do these factors better on the basis of good novels, so as to form a boost for him.
One Entertainment Observation: So the competition will be done every year?
Liu Huangfu: The competition is done every year. Many people in the first session are in a wait-and-see state, and when everyone sees the works of the first session being launched one after another, they will feel that this thing is reliable. I hope that this competition and iQIYI literature can really form an influence in the industry in the future, and it will not have a large-scale influence in a few years, because at that time, the corresponding works have already appeared on the screen and met with everyone, and everyone will understand what is going on.