[Editor's Note] Almost every month, some Internet articles are adapted into film and television dramas, and there are always a lot of rights and wrongs in the adaptation of Internet articles. Monthly observation of online article adaptations, extracting certain common problems existing in the adaptation of online articles that month, and working with everyone to see the essence through the phenomena. January's online article adaptation survey will use "Love for a Long Time" to discuss whether "top-class + ordinary online articles" can "turn stone into gold".

"Love for a Long Time" starring Yang Zi and Fan Chengcheng did not become a hit after it was aired. As one of the post-90s florets with the most ability to carry dramas, Yang Zi has both national popularity and popularity, and the audience also has high expectations for her. It is assumed that as long as she leads the starring drama, it is likely to be a big hit.

"Long Time Love" Poster

The online broadcast results of "Long Time Love" are quite satisfactory, and the third-party effective broadcast volume can still get an S+ rating. However, the current highest market share barely exceeds 10% - if it is a blockbuster drama, this number can reach more than 30%. "Long Time Love" was also broadcast on the stars at the same time, and the ratings were quite mediocre. It even flew off the CVB ratings list, and related entries immediately ranked first in the hot searches.

Standing at the top of the pyramid, Yang Zi is naturally stared at by many fans. Other fans enthusiastically use the unexplored data of "Long Time Love" to question Yang Zi's ability to carry the drama. The popular searches always rise very quickly. . But in fact, the original novel "Who Do You Like at Seventeen", the original novel of "Long Time Love", is an unpopular niche online article. Yang Zi's participation allowed the project to proceed smoothly and made this niche online article gain such high popularity. .

This also raises several issues worthy of discussion: Why is an Internet article that is obviously a niche one being adapted? In recent years, when "traffic stars" have gradually become a negative term, why do they still have a strong empowering effect on projects in actual practice? The flat broadcast of "Long Time Love" also shows that the series will not naturally become a hit as long as top actors join it. What is the real decisive factor?

Why are niche internet articles being photographed?

Nowadays, a few of the dramas that top actors star in are original scripts - if it is an original script, it is written by a big screenwriter; more often than not, top actors choose scripts adapted from top online IPs. Top web IPs bring their own traffic and attract more attention, which not only matches the top "position", but the superimposed effect of traffic also helps reduce the risk of project failure. It takes a little courage to choose a top-notch work adapted from a niche online novel.

"Long Time Love" is adapted from "Who Do You Like at Seventeen" by online novelist Sakura Roku. This is a conventional youth romance novel, telling the story of several friends who grew up together, gradually separated as they grew up, and then reunited and renewed their relationship.

The novel will be serialized in 2019 and completed in 2020

The novel began to be serialized on Palm Reader in 2019 and was completed in March 2020. It was not until the end of 2022, after the project was officially launched, that many fans knew that the series was adapted from "Who Do You Like at Seventeen" and went back to read the novel. Fans who had read the novel for the first time expressed on the forum that the novel was too unpopular. “It was so unpopular that not many people knew about it.” “I went to see it before the filming started, and it was all Zimi (note: the nickname of Yang Zi’s fans). "... Fans also honestly say that the novel is "generally written" and has its merits, such as being delicate, warm, and real, but its shortcomings are also obvious: it is loose, fragmented, and bland.

Some book friends’ comments on the novel

It is understandable that top IPs are being snatched up, and many people will naturally wonder: Why are producers willing to buy the copyrights for adaptations of some mediocre, niche and unpopular Internet articles that cannot even be called "IP"?

There is a possibility speculated by netizens. For example, the author of the novel himself is from a production company, and the first to get the most is the one closest to the water. But more often than not, purchasing the copyright of niche online articles is a common industry operation. On the one hand, although some online articles are niche, it does not mean that their quality is very poor, and the producers may "pick them up" - although the probability of this situation is very small, readers who have read countless online articles generally will not let good novels Dusty.

On the other hand, in the field of screenplays, the reason why originality is difficult is often because the screenwriter can’t think of a good idea even after trying his best. A good idea is half of the story. Although some online articles are averagely written, they provide a particularly good framework, character relationships and creativity, which greatly touches the producers. If the producers think there is room for exploration, they purchase the copyright and then form a team of screenwriters to create. . For example, last year's hit drama "Good Things Come in Twos", the original novel is not a big IP, the drama series has been greatly changed from the novel, and the novel also provides a novel idea: the main wife teams up with the mistress to fight the scumbag.

"Who Do You Like at Seventeen" most likely falls into this situation. It focuses on teenage friendship and the pain of growing up, and also has popular elements such as childhood sweethearts and reunions after a long separation, which provides the character relationships and story foundation for the adaptation.

How important is the lead actor to a project?

When "Long Time Love" was launched, the producer of the series posted a message on WeChat Moments to thank everyone who helped complete the project, especially Yang Zi. The producer said, "Initially, no one was optimistic about our topic selection." "When we told everyone about this project with a ppt, many people told me that no one would watch youth movies." Yang Zi and her team, "She was the first to trust us to complete this work" "She really summoned all the collaborators just like the heroine Huang Yingzi"...

This screenshot comes from the hot search #久久爱的producer sent a message to thank Yang Zi#

Before Yang Zi joined the project, its rejection was not due to the "snobbery" of the platform or the employer, but the fact that years of practical experience on the market side have given ample feedback: it is difficult for youth campus themes to become a hit, and it can be produced at a low cost The sweet pet drama can be a split-account drama, but it may not be suitable for the production idea of holding high and beating high. The online article "Who Do You Like at Seventeen" adapted from the series is not a big IP like "To Our Fading Youth", "That Year in a Hurry" and "The Best of Us". To take a step back, due to the changes in the context of the times, these youth literature big IPs are still worried about being "outdated" even if they are adapted today. Therefore, it is not surprising that "Love for a Long Time" (it was called "199 Love" when the project was launched, which was a more earthy name) was not favored at first.

We all know the follow-up direction: Yang Zi's joining (Yang Zi had previously collaborated with the producer on "The Female Psychologist") brought the project "Long Time Love" to life. With Yang Zi, it is easy to get the actors together, and the broadcast platform does not have to worry about even bidding. The rating given by the platform is at least S-level, and the project also receives more resource investment.

In the past few years, the film and television production model centered on "traffic stars" has resulted in "traffic + big IP" being almost equivalent to bad dramas. The salary of traffic stars accounts for the majority of production costs, and film and television production is more like working for traffic stars. Subsequently, the control of sky-high remuneration and the change of public opinion towards popular stars have led to an effective reorganization of the film and television industry: the proportion of starring actors' remuneration has declined, the investment in scripts and post-production has increased, and the number of film and television dramas starring popular stars has increased. The texture has improved compared to previous years.

Popular celebrities are no longer a sufficient condition for hits, especially in the film field. The box office is bought by the audience one by one. It is difficult to achieve high box office by relying on fans alone (after all, it is real money). Fans can also enjoy themselves. It cannot be converted into an advantage in film arrangement. But in the field of drama series, traffic stars can still drive a certain amount of traffic. Fans will spontaneously become "data workers". They are familiar with the platform's popularity mechanism and the statistical mechanism of effective broadcasts. As long as they are willing to invest time, one person can contribute 100 effective views and 1,000 comments. These are all indicators of popularity statistics. .

In other words, part of the popularity of the series can be generated. A skinny camel is bigger than a horse. Most popular celebrities can create A+ or S broadcast effects just by relying on their die-hard fans. Although passers-by may have never heard of this drama and it is an invalid drama, the broadcast data of drought and flood guarantee can at least give an explanation to the platform, producers and advertisers.

From the perspective of the outside world, traffic has receded and traffic stars are no longer favored - giving the audience a feeling of "relief", but the real situation is not like this: major projects rely heavily on leading actors. Whether they join or not directly affects the project rating and production scale.

Yang Zi is a top-notch actor with national status. To use a term from Korean entertainment, she is a "trustworthy actor" (an actor who is worthy of trust and therefore goes to see her). The dramas she stars in do not need to rely on fans to gain popularity (although some fans may do it spontaneously). Many viewers will take the initiative to watch the drama because they believe in Yang Zi and have a good impression of Yang Zi. This is the case with "Love for a Long Time": because of Yang Zi's participation, things are bright and clear. No matter how poor the ratings are, the effective playback volume of "Love for a Long Time" still gets an S+ rating - higher than "Fairy Sword" adapted from the top IP "Fairy Sword" next door. Four" and "Pray for Today". Moreover, the advertising investment of this drama on the platform is very impressive.

Comparison of the effective broadcast data of several currently aired dramas (January 27), there is no doubt about Yang Zi’s ability to carry dramas

Top streamers can't "turn stone into gold"

"Who Do You Like at Seventeen" is a niche and unpopular online novel. The addition of top-notch Yang Zi gives the film and television adaptation project of this online article the power of a top-notch IP. As long as the drama is of a normal standard and relies on Yang Zi's nationality, it will achieve a satisfactory broadcast effect. No matter how others ridicule it, it is obviously not objective to say that this drama "hit the streets".

It is also true that "Long Time Love" did not become a hit. Compared with Yang Zi's hit "Sauvignon Blanc" last year, its topicality and discussion volume are not on the same level. This still emphasizes an important "common sense" in the industry: although top traffic can empower a project, it only guarantees a baseline of popularity. There is no "Midas touch" unless the project itself is "gold"; although traffic Celebrities are still useful, but film and television dramas have entered the era of "word of mouth is king", and this general direction will not go backwards.

"Long Time Love" did not become a hit, and the main reason was that the script itself was not good enough.

"Love for a Long Time" tells the story of the six-member protagonist group including Huang Yingzi (played by Yang Zi), Jiang Yi (played by Fan Chengcheng), Fang Mingyu (played by Zhu Yanmanzi) who have grown up together with each other since childhood. After the college entrance examination, due to various reasons , go their separate ways and work hard in the adult world. When they were 30 years old, they received the news that one of their friends was about to get married. The old friends reunited and the past slowly unfolded, only to discover that the feelings that sprouted when they were seventeen had never dissipated, and there were many misunderstandings behind the accident...

"Long Time Love" focuses on the "youthfulness" of the post-90s generation (although the protagonist of the novel is a post-80s generation). Of course, it is difficult to say that this type of youth drama only targets the audience born in the 1990s, just like the target audience of "Reply 1988" has never been just those born in the 1970s. Although the youth of each generation is different, some of the growth experiences in youth and adults' understanding of the passing of youth are common. "Long Time Love" is suitable for everyone whose youth has passed away. It captures the basic emotional elements of the "To Youth" theme.

First, it corresponds to the strangeness, embarrassment and alienation of the adult world through childhood sweethearts, inseparable, and even childish "everyother vows." "All friends of flowers and fruits cannot be bees. Although more friends cannot be said to be short-lived, they have certain stages and periodicity." This is the normal state of friendship in the world. We will have different experiences in different stages of life. Friends, young friends all dispersed while walking. "Long Time Love" vividly presents the regret of a broken friendship.

The six grew up together and were inseparable

Although we grew up together, we only added WeChat and the six groups have only been formed now.

Secondly, the passionate dreams and ambitions of youth are compared with the tiredness and the walking dead in the adult world. Dreams have long since surrendered to life. The group of six people all had beautiful fantasies about the future when they were young. Now they are either doing jobs that are completely different from their original intentions, or they are doing the jobs they once dreamed of, only to find that there are many holes behind the gorgeous robes. "Long Time Love" also focuses on the heartbreak of things changing and people changing.

Huang Yingzi (played by Yang Zi) wanted to be a reporter who upholds justice when he was young, but now he has encountered obstacles everywhere as a reporter.

Regarding these two common expressions of "bringing youth", "Love for a Long Time" is written at a level of 60 or 70, which is watchable, but there are no big surprises. The comparison between youth and adulthood is more about the comparison of "labels". For example, the key word for friendship in adolescence is "good", while the friendship between adults is extremely "alienated" and lacks the kind of vague and ambiguous area. Being able to write personalized details that are difficult to copy, indescribable, and full of blank spaces like the "Please Reply" series; the dreams of adolescence are very beautiful, and the work as an adult is also filled with various labels: being splashed with water, being stabbed in the back by colleagues...

The biggest problem with the script of "Love for a Long Time" is also the biggest feature of this drama - the two-line narrative.

The script has relatively large ambitions. It was originally intended to feature a dual-line narrative, interweaving the narrative through the past and present, clearly reflecting the contrast and creating a certain amount of dramatic suspense: How did the six-person group get separated? How did Huang Yingzi and Jiang Yi, who had a secret love for each other, miss each other in the past? Is it possible to finally get married today?

The dramatic structure of a dual-line narrative is feasible and the conception is very sophisticated, but it places high demands on execution - both the past and present lines must have strong dramatic points, and the contrast between them must embody a rich sense of life. . Last year's suspense drama "Thirteen Years of Ashes" was the most successful drama in the use of dual-line narratives. Both lines have strong suspense: how the murder happened thirteen years ago, and how the murder was solved thirteen years later. , the contrast between the two lines can reflect the heavy weight of the changes of the times.

The problem with "Long Time Love" is that the two lines lack dramatic appeal. In the past line, its portrayal of youth narratives has basically been shaped in the direction of "beautiful" - although there are also growing pains and cruelty. For example, more than half of the six-person group's native families are unhappy, and Lan Yi, who has experienced the most difficult times, Fei seems to be no longer alive; but in general, every time the past timeline flashes back, the audience can know that it is intended to write about how good the relationship between the six is, how Huang Yingzi and Jiang Yi secretly fell in love with each other, and how they missed each other (some secret love details It pokes people, but it’s too draggy and repetitive).

In contrast, the line of the adult world is all kinds of "feathers in one place". Then the key point is when Huang Yingzi and Jiang Yi confessed their secret love to each other, and when they went in both directions. In order to create resistance to their love, the screenwriter arranged a potential "love rival" for each of Huang Yingzi and Jiang Yi, forming a "love quadrilateral", and mixed in some of their respective career lines... These don't seem very interesting and too cliché. .

Huang Yingzi visited the aquarium with different people at different stages. In the end, she chose Jiang Yi (played by Fan Chengcheng) or Ding Ye (played by Jin Shijia)

As a result, the dual-line narrative of "Long Time Love" did not fulfill the function of this dramatic structure. Not only did it make people feel that the frequent jumps were a bit messy, but the dual-line plot mostly stayed in place, advancing slowly and lacking in highlights.

In short, because of Yang Zi's participation, a film and television drama project adapted from an ordinary online text has gone from being ignored to gaining a lot of attention, which shows the importance of leading actors to drama projects. But it does not mean that a project will become a hit with the addition of top-notch actors. In the final analysis, it depends on the quality of the project itself, the script and production. "Long Time Love" is not a bad drama, but it is not good enough. Such broadcast results are a normal reaction of the market.

All creative web articles, large and small, are being purchased. This reflects the scarcity of high-quality scripts in the field of drama creation. The number of excellent scripts is no more than that of popular stars on the market. Creating a good creative ecology and improving the level of script creation are top priorities for film and television production.