1. Hype marketing in the era of self-media has quietly risen, and low-key works have inadvertently gained countless word of mouth
With the increasing popularity of self-media platforms, the promotion of film and television dramas can be described as meticulous. From character selection, makeup styling to on-set completion, from spoiler photos to various teaser clips, the major production companies did their best to create a warm atmosphere of "hot sales in advance". In the overwhelming hype of information, the audience's expectations for the new drama are pushed to the peak, but once the series is officially launched, the quality of the actual word-of-mouth often surprises the audience.
Some of the episodes have been slammed and mercilessly labeled as "fraud dramas" by viewers. However, there are also some dramas that are unique in that they don't require too much marketing promotion, low-key starts, temporary upgrades, and even a group of little-known young actors, making the outside world always vigilant about them.
For example, the 2016 youth-themed TV series "Together Through the Window", although the crew is not luxurious, lacks well-known actors, and the overall production level seems ordinary, but once the show was broadcast, it immediately won good word-of-mouth feedback among the audience, and then launched two sequels.
The reason for this is that "Together Through the Window" successfully integrates the two elements of "truth" and "sincerity". The plot is deeply rooted in the hearts of the people, and the director himself adapted his own perception of college life, eliminating many old-fashioned plots, and focusing on depicting the most simple campus life. It is this authenticity that is close to reality and fits the audience's life experience that gives the show its unique charm and texture. At the same time, as a work of art, it re-examines and refines ordinary life, and conveys many thought-provoking philosophies of life.
2. Review the wonderful performance of "Imperial Gifts".
When it comes to the popular drama series "Royal Gift" in 2021, many viewers are full of praise. However, if you go back in time to that May Day holiday, when the show just premiered, I am afraid that few people would have high hopes for it.
As a B-level web drama, the crew lineup is also mediocre, and the male and female protagonists are all newcomers and have low popularity. According to common sense, this kind of drama should be quickly overwhelmed by other large-scale production hits, and no one cares.
However, just as the May Day schedule was about to come to an end, the show was like a bombshell, which instantly aroused a warm response! It not only topped the popular search lists of major video websites with lightning speed, but also boldly opened the super on-demand mode, which made countless fans crazy about it. What is the reason for this? It turned out that since the show was broadcast, it has quietly captured the hearts of a large number of audiences with the help of excellent word-of-mouth, like the spread of the virus.
First of all, the play cleverly avoids the outdated role settings in traditional costume dramas, and innovatively creates the image of a "pretend" heroine, that is, a modern forensic scholar; The male protagonist subverts the stereotypical image of the previous prince, showing a new style of humility and courage to pursue Secondly, as a detective mystery drama, each case of the show does not exist in isolation, but is carefully laid out from the first case, and gradually builds a huge story line This compact and fascinating narrative method makes the plot full of endless suspense, and once people indulge in it, they can't resist the strong desire to chase it all in one breath Because of this, "The Royal Gift" In a low-key manner, he has accumulated a group of hardcore fans, and the original intention of the director of "Passing Through the Window Together" is interspersed.
Before being praised as a masterpiece by the audience, "Together Through the Window" actually encountered a lot of doubts and criticism in the early stages of filming. Factors such as the lack of well-known actors, the mediocre strength of the production team, and the intricate relationships between the characters make many people skeptical about whether they can make a good work. However, have you ever thought that some plays may be born from the purest creative impulse in the director's heart? "Together Through the Window" is just such a work.
The director of the play left a deep imprint on that college life full of ideals and innocence during his college years. Many years after graduating, he came up with the idea of recreating that good time in the form of a TV series. So, he personally wrote the script, trying to restore what he saw, heard, thought and felt back then. At the beginning of filming, the director did not engage in too much commercial hype, but only hoped to present his college life in an authentic way.
Therefore, the play is full of the director's real perception and rustic depiction of life.
The film does not involve traditional and old-fashioned early love, miscarriage, car accidents and other plot settings, but focuses on the most simple and real campus daily life: such as military training meals under the scorching sun, early morning self-study classes, and scenes where teachers carefully review homework, etc. However, it is such a pure and immaculate expression that enables the audience to understand the true meaning of life in the ordinary, and find emotional resonance from the trivial details of daily life.
At the same time, although "Together Through the Window" is just an ordinary youth campus-themed TV series, there is a director's unique insight into life and profound philosophical thinking behind it, and these elements throw out some thought-provoking questions and issues from time to time in the bland plot. It is this original motivation of sincere dedication that has earned it the reputation of "God's work".
Born in the midst of sorrow and suffering, the advent of this excellent work "Together Through the Window" has not been subjected to too much commercial hype and packaging, but only stems from a pure creative heart. However, it is this purity that ultimately makes this work extraordinary.
The fourth part: "The Road to the Counterattack of the Great Song Dynasty" word-of-mouth counterattack
In the early spring of 2019, when the TV series "The Chronicles of the Song Dynasty" was quietly launched, it was almost impossible to predict that it would achieve such a brilliant success in the future. In the initial stages, the show was undoubtedly a little-known little transparency - there was no hype, no one paid attention, and the audience didn't know anything about it.
However, in this "obscure" environment, the prelude to a word-of-mouth counterattack is quietly kicking off. First of all, of course, there are those viewers who stumble upon the show, and they are deeply attracted by its unique storyline and vivid characters.
The play depicts a group of passionate and high-spirited teenagers in the Song Dynasty, although they come from different backgrounds, they all have the ambition of "serving the country and the people, and doing chivalrous deeds". Whether it is the crown prince Fu Jian or the guard Xiao Yi, every character is portrayed vividly, and people can't help but have endless reverie and distress about their fate.
In addition to the charismatic character creation, the theme of this TV series is also thought-provoking. It delves into whether the original intentions of teenagers will change and transform under the impact of the torrent of the big era.
It is no exaggeration to say that "The Chronicles of the Song Dynasty" skillfully integrates fantasy and reality, and affectionately tells a touching and heartfelt growth process. In addition, the plot is also quite interesting in terms of reversal processing, and sometimes a touch of comedy is integrated into the dramatic atmosphere, bringing many unexpected surprises to the audience.
5. Review the history of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" when it started filming and encountered doubts
Before the audience revered it as a classic of palace fighting dramas, the preparatory stage of "The Legend of Zhen Huan" actually endured countless doubts and controversies. In the initial stage, the cast released by the crew attracted a lot of attention and questions.
The first to be impacted was Chen Jianbin who played the emperor, who was over forty years old at the time, and in the eyes of many people, he had entered the "twilight years". After all, in the costume drama market, handsome and extraordinary young actors emerge in an endless stream, and Chen Jianbin 's slightly vicissitudes of face seem to be difficult to arouse people's associations with "concubines competing for favor and love".
What's more, some people have even directly questioned the appropriateness of his casting. After all, during the reign of Yongzheng, the political situation was turbulent and the power schemes were complicated, if the actor could not show the courage to be calm and control the overall situation, it may be difficult to be qualified for this role.
In addition, the heroine Sun Li also suffered a lot of criticism in the initial stage. In the makeup photos announced, Sun Li's bangs are thick and thick, which is far from the light and agile screen image in the later stage, which makes many viewers exclaim "bland" and "lacking in features".
The focus of the controversy is that the play is adapted from a novel suspected of plagiarism. Given the notoriety of the original book, many people are suspicious of its nature, treating it as a vulgar costume romance drama.
In the face of so many doubts and controversies, the crew was naturally apprehensive. However, they were not disturbed by these "noises", but firmly polished the script according to the established plan.
In the end, with the full attention of the director team and the superb acting skills of the actors, the finished product of this series not only successfully surpassed the original book, but also climbed to the peak of the classic and became a well-known masterpiece of palace fighting dramas.
6. Conclusion: The story is the soul of film and television dramas
No matter how many doubts and controversies it has experienced in the preparation stage, or how much popularity and marketing it has experienced after it has been launched, the core element that determines whether a film and television drama can last forever and immortally is always its inherent story charm.
In the face of many TV series such as "Together in the Window", "The Chronicles of the Song Dynasty", "The Royal Gift" and "The Legend of Zhen Huan", there is no doubt that their starting points in the initial stage of creation are very different from each other, but after all, they can be regarded as classics by the audience, and the core lies in the creators' persistent pursuit of telling good stories.
The director of "Together Through the Window" is just a deep nostalgia for his college life, and uses the method of copying reality to truly and vividly portray those ordinary but profound campus life; "The Chronicles of the Song Dynasty" skillfully integrates fantasy and reality, and affectionately tells a touching story of the growth of a teenager; "The Royal Gift" makes the plot full of fascinating exploration fun through the close connection between the cases and the clear presentation of the cause and effect; As for "The Legend of Zhen Huan", it has made bold innovations on the basis of respecting the original work, giving this work a new connotation and values of the times.
It is precisely because these creators have worked hard to polish the script, carefully shape the characters, and go all out to present one wonderful story after another to the audience, that these four TV series can spread word of mouth among the audience, accumulate a strong word-of-mouth power, and finally break through many obstacles and reach the pinnacle of classics.
It is no exaggeration to say that no matter how high-profile and flashy the hype is in advance, or how surging the doubts in the matter, as long as the story itself is exciting and moving, it will definitely find a narrow path to success.
For film and television drama practitioners, marketing strategies will eventually become a thing of the past, and only by taking stories as the foundation and telling each story well can excellent works be passed on forever and become immortal legends.