TV thrillers take cue from hit online novels
Print Edition
EVER since its release on October 15, Dragon TV’s new weekly suspense drama “Love Me, If You Dare” has turned out to be the highest-rating series for the same time slot.
The drama, a co-production of Shandong Film and TV Group and SMG Pictures centers around a young crime psychologist’s efforts to solve a series of mystery cases. It is adapted from Ding Mo’s hit online novel. It is broadcast every Thursday at 10pm.
Different from previous Chinese TV dramas that followed a strict formula, the new series starring heartthrobs Huo Jianhua and Wang Kai has attracted young dedicated followers for its charming cast, love and romantic scenes. Some viewers have even compared the series to BBC’s “Sherlock.”
Zhang Kaizhou, director of the series, says that domestic TV dramas, which used to cater to middle-aged audiences, are now trying to reach out to young viewers with their creative styles and stories.
The weekly broadcasting of the series, though common in Western countries is still relatively new to Chinese audiences. But Zhang thinks it will open a novel production mode in China and change original methods of casting, script-writing and marketing.
It is not the first time that a Chinese suspense and crime series is being shot with stunning special effects and refined cinematography, while the stories are usually adapted from popular online novels to attract young Netizens.
Tencent Online Video’s latest thriller series “Darker 2” has received more than a billion click-through rates. This series has been adapted from the Internet novel “The Death Notice” and boasts new production and business model that specifically aims for young enthusiasts.
Viewers can send in their expectations about the future storylines and even vie to play bit parts with their idols in the series.
They can also pay for creative and tailor-made online content and special episodes.
Earlier this year “Evil Minds,” which is based on Lei Mi’s popular online novel, also became a sensation on the video sharing website iQIYI.
The series’ artistry, romantic elements and young charming cast have changed the public’s perception about domestic suspense dramas, which previously were considered boring and poorly made.
The 40-year-old Zhang, a native of Shandong Province, started his career as a cinematographer but showed a sharp acumen for direction.
His directing credits include “Battle of Changsha” — a series about Chinese people’s bravery and perseverance against the Japanese invasion in the 1930s, and “The Chinese Old Peasant,” which focuses its lens at peasants and rural lives in modern China.
Zhang, who was in Shanghai recently, spoke about his experiences in the new age of TV production.
Q: Is it the first time that you have attempted a suspense thriller series? What’s the difference between your work and the previous productions?
A: Yes, it is the first time I have worked on a suspense drama. However, I think it is not very appropriate to totally define it as a suspense thriller because there are many elements in the series. We hope to explore humanity and the delicate emotions of the people.
Q: Some people attribute the popularity of the series to its idol-drama style cinematography which is very romantic and visually stunning. As a director, how do you balance the elements of idol drama and suspense drama?
A: The style of the series is accessible to a much wider audience. We look forward to seeing that at the very beginning. Before the shooting started, we spent a lot of time discussing the script to explore a balanced portion of love and suspense in the storyline.
Q: Almost all the TV dramas in China are broadcast daily. Is it difficult for you to produce a drama with the new weekly broadcasting concept?
A: It is definitely a challenge for me. Making a weekly-broadcasting series is more difficult than working on a daily production. Each episode is required to contain rich information and diverse elements to engage and maintain the viewers’ interest and attention for a whole week.
Q: In your opinion, where does Chinese suspense series lag when compared to overseas productions? How do see the future of the TV genre in China?
A: In fact the genre has long been lacking on Chinese TV. It is good to see it flourish these days. We’re still lagging behind American and European works in scripting and cinematography. Time permitting, these problems will be improved. We hope audiences are tolerant and give us more encouragement.
Q: Many of the popular TV and film productions in China are now adapted from online novels. Is it a good sign for domestic TV and film industry?
A: The post-90s generation has taken up major proportion and they are also the new rising viewership for TV series and entertainment shows. Putting hit online novels onto screen is an inevitable trend because this group of people are used to reading online novels.
However, it is not easy to make films or TV adaptations of these novels. Script writing is one of the most challenging parts. The words have to be converted into visual media. The challenge for film makers is to find the right visual language to retain and reproduce the scenes which are described in the book.
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