A few days ago, we learned from relevant parties that the Fujian Provincial Radio and Television Bureau and the Fujian Provincial Department of Finance are jointly revising the "Fujian Provincial Measures for the Management of Special Funds for the Creation and Production of TV Drama Online Dramas" (hereinafter referred to as the "Fund Management Measures"), and vigorously attack in the whole process of supporting and rewarding Fujian TV dramas, accurately grasping the selection of characteristic topics, improving the TV drama shooting service system, and promoting film and television tourism routes.
Fujian TV dramas have sprung up in recent years and have become a force to be reckoned with in national TV dramas. Any drama that is set up or filmed in Fujian, integrates Fujian elements, tells Fujian stories, and interprets the spirit of Fujian can be called Fujian TV dramas.
Among them, the theme of revolutionary history and the main theme of the era are the two traditional dominant repertoire of Fujian TV dramas.
Revolutionary historical themes such as the "Red Three Uniques" series, "Desperate Defender Division", "Desperate Sword" and "Top Secret Mission".
Among the main themes of the era, "Mountains and Seas", "Love Will Win", "No Regrets" and "Gu Wenchang" are representatives.
In recent years, Fujian TV dramas have made strong breakthroughs in the young and market-oriented repertoire genre. "Going to a Windy Place", "Love for You is Beautiful", "Can't Hide Secretly", "The Beginning" and so on not only won both popularity and reputation, but also significantly boosted the local cultural and tourism economy.
Nowadays, Fujian TV dramas are entering the fast lane of development.
In 2020, on the basis of the existing "Provincial Special Fund for the Development of Cultural Industry" and "Provincial Special Fund for the Development of Literature and Art", the Fujian Provincial Finance Department will set up a special support fund for the creation and production of TV dramas and online dramas.
In 2021, the Fujian Bureau of Radio, Film and Television issued a five-year action plan (2021-2025) to comprehensively promote the high-quality development of Fujian TV dramas, exploring a characteristic development path.
In 2022, "Filming in Fujian" will be fully promoted, film and television bases such as Xiamen, Pingtan and Taining will be developed in tandem, and the TV drama shooting service system of "one window to the outside world and one-stop service" will be carried out horizontally and vertically to the end.
In 2023, the first China TV Drama Conference will be successfully held in Fujian, sounding the clarion call for Fujian TV dramas to advance into the "first phalanx" of domestic drama creation.
At the same time, the Fujian TV series have always maintained the mentality of embracing all rivers, and shouted the slogan of "come to Fujian to shoot more dramas, shoot more Fujian dramas" to the country's outstanding crews.
Below, we will talk about the highlights and changes of Fujian TV dramas in terms of topic selection, support, rewards, services, film and television cultural tourism from seven aspects.
Wide chromatography, close to people's livelihood, 25 masterpieces are focused on promotion
The "Min School Key TV Drama 2021-2025 Topic Selection Planning List" has released three batches and more than 77 films, the first batch (30 films) will be announced in December 2021, the second batch (30 films) will be announced in December 2022, and the third batch (17 films) will be announced in March this year.
At present, 19 films have been broadcast or completed, 25 key projects are being filmed and produced or preparing to start, and other projects are polishing scripts.
There are 2 major revolutionary themes, namely "Bloody Glory" and "Test of Life and Death".
There are 9 theme dramas, including "Happy Grass" with the theme of "The Belt and Road", "The Long Wind and Waves", "Seeing the Smoke Again", "Three Rivers Tide" and "Good Sunny Day on the Coast", "The Beautiful Life of the Boat People" with the theme of contemporary rural areas, "Walking Through the Roof of the World" with the theme of Fujian aid to Tibet, "Dajin Lake" and "Your World is So Beautiful" with the theme of ecological civilization.
There are 2 modern revolutionary themes, namely "Fierce Battle in the Sky" and "Deep Sea 1950" (also known as "Dawn").
5 contemporary urban themes, including "When I Wake Up", "There Is a Red House Under the Tree", "Youth Pie 3", "Huan Yu" and "Benevolence Club".
There are 2 contemporary political and legal themes, namely "Executive Judge" and "Invisible Blade".
3 ancient themes, including "Splendid Tranquility", "Water Dragon Yin" and "Shaohua Ruojin".
There are 2 other contemporary themes, namely the TV series of the same name adapted from the 1999 Stephen Chow movie "The King of Comedy", and the series of short dramas "Happy Farmhouse".
The 10 dominant plays are ready to go
This year, there are 10 Min style TV series that are expected to meet the audience this year.
"Bloody Glory", which tells the "teacher's story", has been selected for the "Big Drama Watching Station" list for two consecutive years, which has the flavor of a revolutionary road drama.
From 1927 to 1935, the young Communist Party of China led the army to fight bloody battles and grow stronger in major events such as the Nanchang Uprising, the Gutian Conference, and the Zunyi Conference.
This drama is written by Ding Han, directed by Chen Li, starring Wang Renjun, Wang Zhifei, Liu Zhiyang, Sun Weimin, Zhang Yishan, Tao Huimin, Gong Zhe, etc., filmed at many revolutionary sites in Fujian, after more than 9 months of live shooting, it was completed at the end of May last year, and it is planned to be broadcast within the year.
"Happy Grass", based on Professor Lin Zhanxi, the "father of Juncao", was selected as a key TV series for the 10th anniversary of the "Belt and Road" initiative of the State Administration of Radio, Film and Television.
Professor Lin Zhanxi's hometown is Liancheng, Fujian, and "Happy Grass" tells the story of China's Juncao technology aid. Juncao expert Li Changhuan (played by Guo Tao) went to the South Pacific island countries to improve the lives of local people with Juncao technology.
This drama is produced by Zhao Dongling, written by Li Jiuhong and Fan Shengzhen, directed by Bai Tao, starring Guo Tao, Tini, Zhang Chao, Han Dong, etc.
"Executive Judge" (formerly known as "Executive Bureau"), which is expected to meet the audience at the earliest, is a theme of the rule of law, focusing on the role of the "executive judge" of the court, and showing the various human situations in the "last mile" of fairness and justice.
Written by Zhi Yaqing, directed by An Jian, co-directed by Li Donglin, starring Luo Jin and Yang Zishan, it has been certified and is being rehearsed.
"Fierce Battle of the Firmament" (also known as "Jedi Breaking the Secret") is the fourth part after "Desperate Defender Division", "Desperate Sword Forging" and "Top Secret Mission", which is based on Cai Wei, a martyr from Ningde, Fujian.
Yuan Jingui is the chief planner, Qian Linsen is the screenwriter, Lin Ke and Wang Fei are directed, Liang Jingkang and Guo Xiaoting starring, and they are also about to meet the audience.
The costume legend drama "Splendid Tranquility" is adapted from Wen Tan's novel "Shoufu Cultivation Manual", directed by Mai Guanzhi, starring Zhang Wanyi and Ren Min;
The suspenseful romantic drama "When I Wake Up" is adapted from Ding Mo's novel "When I Am Guilty", starring Jing Tian and Zhang Xincheng;
The youth growth drama "There is a Red House Under the Tree" is adapted from the novel of the same name by Douban Reading Xiaoge, starring Zhai Xiaowen, Yang Dizi, Zhou Keyu, etc.
These three dramas have all been completed and strive to be broadcast within the year.
"The Long Wind and Waves Will Come Sometime", "The Beautiful Life of the Lianjia Boat People" and "Dajin Lake" all start from the 80s and 90s of the last century, respectively telling the transformation of women in the wave of reform and opening up, the process of "moving up, living down, and getting rich" of the Lianjia boat people, and the story of common prosperity of the people in the old areas of Fujian.
Period dramas have always been responsible for composing the song of the times, preserving the history of social letters, and recording the style of the Chinese people.
8 major characteristic topics, the Min school is unique
Paying attention to topic selection and planning "selecting good seedlings" has always been the focus of the development of Fujian TV dramas, and the Fujian Bureau actively implements a set of effective methods for finding topics: the vertical and horizontal coordinate method. Vertically around the multi-dimensional Fujian story, horizontally closely related to the important publicity time nodes.
This year's important milestones include the 75th anniversary of the founding of the People's Republic of China, the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Anti-Japanese War, the 90th anniversary of the victory of the Long March, and the 100th anniversary of the founding of the army.
The cultivation and practice of new ideas in Fujian, for example, the ongoing creation of "The Long Wind and Waves End Time" interprets the practical power of the "Jinjiang experience";
"Dajin Lake", which is being prepared for broadcast, shows the picture of the times when the old area of Fujian practices "lucid waters and lush mountains are invaluable assets".
The wisdom of the Fujian people, such as "A Generation of Craftsmen", which was broadcast on the Central Eight last year, presents the inheritance and development of Puxian wood carving skills;
"See Cooking Smoke Again", which is planned to be launched in the near future, will show the development story of Shaxian snacks, a "national snack".
During the Red Revolution, Fujian was an old revolutionary base area, with many events in the history of the Party, many red resources, and many revolutionary ancestors. "Deep Sea 1950", "Test of Life and Death" and "Fierce Battle in the Sky" are respectively based on the true deeds of heroes and models such as General Wu Shi from Fuzhou, Wang Hebo, a martyr from Fuzhou, and Cai Wei, a martyr from Ningde who contributed to the Long March;
"Going North and Going North", which is currently being created, focuses on the story of the Chinese Workers' and Peasants' Red Army's anti-Japanese advance team in the north.
Due to Fujian's unique geographical location and historical factors, it has given birth to special topics such as overseas Chinese and the integration of Fujian and Taiwan, such as "Born to the Sea", which tells the story of overseas Chinese in Fujian "going to the South Seas".
"Thorn Blossoms" shows young people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait chasing and realizing their dreams together.
In addition, there are also green ecology, "Your World is So Beautiful" focuses on the construction of ecological civilization in Fujian, blue ocean, such as "Good Sunny Day on the Coast", which first recommends the theme of marine healing, and reform and opening up, such as "Spring Tide on Ludao" and "Spring and Autumn by the Sea", which tell the development stories of Xiamen Special Economic Zone and Pingtan Comprehensive Experimental Zone respectively.
Support: The whole process is low-key, and TV dramas and online dramas are incentive
From 2020 onwards, the Fujian Bureau has set up a "Special Fund for the Creation and Production of TV Dramas in Fujian Province" to support the whole process of TV drama collection activities, script creation, special seminars, filming and production, publicity and promotion, external communication, filming service system construction, important activities, as well as broadcast awards and award-winning TV drama awards.
Fujian's support policies have always been famous for "cashing".
Last year, Fujian's provincial finance accumulated more than 30 million yuan in various types of support funds, and nearly 100 million yuan in local matching funds. At the first China TV Drama Conference held in Xiamen, 33 TV dramas were signed and invested 3.28 billion yuan to prepare for the filming of 33 TV dramas.
Now, the newly revised "Fund Management Measures" intends to add support directions such as "external communication" and "TV drama scripts incubated into novels of the same name" on the basis of the original policy, with a maximum subsidy of 300,000 yuan per party for each direction.
What is "whole-process support", and how much can a drama get?
Let's do a simple formula calculation. According to the latest "Measures for the Management of Funds", taking a 30-episode TV series that has been filed and approved in Fujian Province as an example, if it can receive full support and broadcast rewards at the provincial, municipal, and county (district) levels, then:
At the provincial level, there are subsidies or awards such as collection, scripting, shooting, publicity, seminars, broadcasting, and awards;
At the municipal level, taking Quanzhou City as an example, subsidies or awards can be obtained for scripts, local shooting subsidies, broadcasting, distribution, etc.;
At the district level, Fengze District of Quanzhou City, for example, can receive subsidies such as local filming and awards.
Added up item by item, it will receive a total of more than 20 million yuan in subsidies.
In addition, after expert review, online dramas also enjoy corresponding support and rewards according to script creation, filming and production, category volume and other directions.
For example, 300,000 yuan for boutique incubation and script creation projects, 1 million yuan for filming, production, communication and promotion projects, 500,000 yuan for 25 episodes or 1,000 minutes or more of online dramas, and 400,000 yuan for 24 episodes or 800 minutes or less.
Service: Improve the global model and guard the "support line" of the crew
With a warm climate, abundant tourism resources and a well-developed transportation network, Fujian has always been a natural studio and a traditional advantage for TV drama shooting.
Throughout last year, 119 film and television crews such as "Spring Sending Lover" and "Secretly Can't Hide" were attracted to Fujian for filming.
In Q1 this year, "Deep Sea 1950", "Long Wind and Waves Will Come Some", "There is a Red House Under the Tree", "Benevolence Club" and "Crime Hunting Guide 2" have been launched in Fujian.
In addition to Fujian's own natural advantages, a large number of high-quality repertoire choose to be established and started in Fujian, which is inseparable from the thoughtful and considerate service of the Fujian Bureau.
The service concept of Fujian Bureau is to do "subtraction" and "addition" at the same time.
"Subtraction" is to reduce the burden on the crew.
The Fujian Bureau has clarified the service mechanism of "one drama and one work class", tracked and grasped the needs of production institutions and project progress in a timely manner, and actively coordinated location resources.
When approving work, we strive to "not have to run once, but at most once".
Completed the "synchronous operation and simultaneous revision" of film review, and the processing time was compressed to 1/3 of the statutory time, maintaining one of the fastest provinces for TV drama approval.
"Addition" is to improve the global model, vigorously promote "filming in Fujian", and set up TV drama co-production service agencies in various cities and counties.
Xiamen, Pingtan and Taining have all been awarded the "National Film and Television Designated Filming Locations" by the China Canton Federation, and the "1-hour" shooting circle in Xiamen and Zhangquan is being continuously built.
The TV drama cloud location survey platform is getting better and better, adding 396 (804 in total) scene AR views, which is convenient for production agencies to conduct 720° online scene surveys.
Xiamen, Quanzhou and other places have promoted the establishment of workstations in counties (cities and districts), released a new version of the "TV Drama Shooting Service Guide", and launched the WeChat mini-program "Filming in Fujian - Film and Television Drama Shooting Service Platform" to promote scene resources, support policies, and Fujian stories.
At the same time, the Fujian Bureau has incorporated the actors of various troupes at the provincial and municipal (county) levels into the group performance system, and is guiding Zhangzhou City and Quanzhou City to hold training courses for extras.
Strongly promote the film and television tourism check-in route, Xiamen first try first
Last year, the Fujian TV series "Going to a Windy Place" became a big hit, which greatly promoted the tourism industry in the filming location, and was called a successful case of integrated development of "film and television + cultural tourism" by the People's Daily.
The youth romance drama "Secretly Can't Hide" was filmed in Xiamen, and after it was broadcast, it became popular in Xiamen filming locations, with a maximum of 100,000 visitors in a single day.
Xiamen Municipal Bureau of Culture and Tourism (Radio and Television Bureau) struck while the iron was hot, and launched a series of Xiamen film and television tourism routes last summer, including "Let's Watch the Meteor Shower", "The Beginning", "Opponent", "Blazing Road", "Twinkle and Twinkle Star", "In the Name of the Family", "Crime Hunting Guide", "Walking to the Wind", "Secretly Can't Hide" and other 10 TV series filmed in Xiamen, packaging 35 film and television check-in points, which are widely praised by tourists.
This is an effective "mass line", and the idea of film and television tourism check-in has also prospered Quanzhou. For example, in the popular "Spring Lover", the starring Li Xian posted a Weibo check-in Quanzhou filming location, and Zhou Yutong released a work to experience hairpin flowers in Quanzhou, attracting a large number of fans to check in.
Li is now in Quanzhou
"Executive Judge", "Long Wind and Waves", "Hunting", "Hidden Things", "Run, Emergency Doctor", which were also filmed in Quanzhou, are to be broadcast. Fujian Bureau adheres to the integrated development model of "TV drama + cultural tourism", and constantly launches film and television tourism check-in routes, and Quanzhou is becoming another film and television Internet celebrity check-in place after Xiamen.
Promote production with the meeting and strengthen the "literary and artistic Fujian army"
"Promoting production by meeting" and "promoting production by festival" are also important means for the development of Fujian TV dramas.
Last year, the Fujian Bureau founded and successfully held the first China TV Drama Conference, inviting 5 provinces including Guangdong as the guest of honor, and supporting 23 activities such as the 4th China Film and Television Base Summit and the Chinese TV Drama Masters Lecture Hall.
The main creators of the TV series "Three-Body Problem" and "The Road of Life" walked into the campus to share, to a certain extent, this is to "plant seedlings" for the development of Fujian TV dramas.
It is reported that the Fujian Bureau, together with Xiamen City, is preparing for the 34th TV drama "Feitian Award" and the 28th TV Literature and Art "Starlight Award" award ceremony, and will also hold a series of forums and activities to collect Fujian stories of famous Chinese TV dramas.
Obviously, this is bound to have a positive and far-reaching impact on consolidating the local creative power of Fujian TV dramas and calling on Xiangxian film and television companies to return.
[Text/Zhao Jianyi]