How to deal with the ＂light of the times＂ in the new martial arts？

Text | Lao Zhang

Martial arts drama, as an important type of domestic drama, has always had an unshakable position. It has gone through glorious historical years and has been sought after by the audience. However, around 2015, the ancient dolls and Xianxia were in full swing, and the martial arts dramas lingered at the crossroads. Not only did the output drop sharply, but the rivers and lakes were also slightly silent. Some people even assert that "the martial arts are declining, and the rivers and lakes are no longer."

Until last year, with the launch of "Knife in the Snow", it triggered a heated discussion and once again aroused the audience’s dream of martial arts. This year, new martial arts dramas such as "Young Songs", "Shadow of Mountains and Rivers" and "Biography of Yunxiang" have been launched one after another, and the theme of martial arts has gradually warmed up, which has rekindled expectations. But how should the new martial arts develop? It is still a problem worthy of consideration by the industry.

Speaking of martial arts films, many people’s first reaction is the film and television dramas adapted from novels by Jin, Gu, Liang and Wen. In the 1980s, the martial arts literature works of Hong Kong and Taiwan adapted for film and television just happened to catch up with the golden age of TVB, and TVB martial arts dramas mushroomed on the screen. After 2000, although there was some controversy at that time, Zhang Jizhong, a mainland producer, filmed Dragon Eight Parts and the legendary swordsman, but it was also recognized by everyone with the passage of time.

However, with the development of technology, the martial arts drama relies too much on slow motion, editing and body double, which has caused the audience to vomit widely. The cool play has changed from fancy tricks to slow motion plus body double. In the past, actors who had no martial arts foundation wanted to "don’t make a fool of oneself" in front of the camera, they had to train martial arts at least two or three months in advance.

The CCTV version of "Water Margin" was filmed for three years before and after, and it took more than half a month to play for more than ten minutes. The elegant appearance of the little dragon girl in the 03 version of "The Condor Heroes" lasted five nights. But now, adequate shooting cycle is more like a luxury for most film and television projects.

In addition, compared with artists with martial arts skills, the lack of experienced and unique martial arts guidance is even more difficult, which is also an important reason for the convergence of martial arts dramas in recent years. Exquisite movements are one of the core elements of martial arts. However, with the aging of the martial arts guidance of Yuan Heping, Sammo Hung, Yuan Kui and other golden generations, the development of martial arts seems to face a "dating crisis" with no successors.

An excellent Wushu finger should not only have martial arts skills, but also know how to present the lens in film and television. From the aspects of conception, design, shooting, mirror operation and editing, he has repeatedly deliberated and pondered, and finally presented a classic action scene. In the past, Wuzhi basically started as a martial arts actor. After more than ten years of study and accumulated experience in the crew, it can grow into a martial arts finger. In recent years, many Wuzhi have been a martial arts actor for several years and have no idea about the camera, let alone designing different actions for different roles.

Most importantly, the loss of chivalrous spirit, the subsequent remake of the martial arts drama even actively avoided the point of "martial arts", which not only made no achievements in "martial arts", but also made it more difficult for the characters in the drama to support the role charm of "chivalry". In casting, he began to idolize, and the plot also focused more on emotional drama. It gives people a sense of "dimensionality reduction", so the reputation of these works has collapsed like a cliff.

The traditional martial arts drama seems to have reached a dead end, and it can no longer afford a wave.

With the lessons from the failure of the remake, some capital began to change. Since we can’t revive the classic martial arts, and we can’t "play ancient dolls in the cloak of martial arts", the creators began to try to improve and innovate, and several small-scale new martial arts dramas came into being. They adapted to the times and evolved into more specific chivalrous spirit of young people, which attracted attention to a certain extent.

For example, the plot case of "I don’t know about Xia Jian" is similar to that of Chu Liuxiang and Lu Xiaofeng, and we can also see the familiar Jianghu feelings. It has also built a brand-new Jianghu system: the magical valley of the sect responsible for investigating cases, the institution recording the history of Jianghu, the first killer organization with both light and dark, and the detective who collects the truth … which makes people feel familiar and fresh.

"Songs for Teenagers" combines many elements, such as teenagers, blood, martial arts, etc. At the beginning of shooting, the concept of "new martial arts" was put forward, and with the "sense of teenagers" as the core, the play showed the growth process of young people by means of group portraits, reflecting the growth issues faced by every teenager.

The Legend of Yunxiang is not a typical traditional martial arts. In blood shed’s Jianghu stories, complex elements such as commercial warfare and revenge are incorporated. The hero does not appear as a hero with unparalleled martial arts, but walks in the Jianghu with strategies. The heroine and a group of supporting actors are responsible for the martial arts "martial arts" part, which makes the martial arts type drama more interesting.

Shadow of Mountains and Rivers not only continues the style of the film Embroidered Spring Knife, but also adds multiple elements and points of view. The two leading actors are funny and humorous, and the other is calm and restrained. In order to pursue points of view, the drama also increases the scenes of court and spy war, and combines court tactics with martial arts.

These dramas can also represent the direction of "new martial arts" at this stage.

First, the new rivers and lakes are the epitome of society, and the new rivers and lakes will be the symbol of contemporary society. The new martial arts will inject modern rich and colorful multiculturalism into the martial arts world, expand the territory for martial arts culture, adapt to the spiritual needs of the new era, and be tolerant.

Second, the new chivalry focuses on letting the hero fight with himself. Martial arts is no longer the main line of character growth, but more respected the realization of individual value, pursuing freedom, realizing oneself and showing unique personality in the growth of rivers and lakes.

Third, "martial arts+",the traditional martial arts is not easy to break through, but the mix of elements can make the martial arts drama produce new variations and new flavors. By exploring new possibilities, martial arts dramas have produced wonderful chemical reactions by integrating other theme types, thus having more possibilities.

Change is a difficult road. Although the changes made by the new martial arts have improved, it is still unknown whether they can restore their former style. However, what is certain is that with the changes of the times, the audience’s demand for martial arts works is different, and martial arts have a chance to seek novelty and change.

The creators are also thinking about how to integrate more fresh elements into the martial arts, and find the real new martial arts works. This year, there are more than a dozen new martial arts to be broadcast. For example, "Lotus House" combines martial arts with suspense detective stories to make up for the gap in the creation of suspense detective stories. In addition, the protagonist’s CP-free highlights are also very fresh to meet the needs of different groups. "One Mind for Eternity" upgrades the traditional martial arts and adds elements such as fantasy, comedy and growth. "One Mind to Pass the Mountain" is a story of "being a great man, serving the country and the people", which is from being affectionate to the righteousness of the home country.

Everyone has a dream of martial arts, and the new generation also has their dream of martial arts. If you want to do a good job in the new martial arts, you should actively face the current challenges, grasp the key of cultural upgrading in the new era, and grasp the unchangeable core of chivalry. Besides paying attention to the unique and peculiar martial arts design, you should pay more attention to the shaping of characters’ personalities and the laying out of drama plots. For the country and the people, being independent and uninhibited are all great men of chivalry.

While affirming the chivalrous man’s pleasure, drawing out a sword to help him, distinguishing between good and evil, opposing between good and evil, and serving the country and the people, he also advocates diversified and relative chivalrous values. In terms of aesthetic style, he can not only retain the charm of the rivers and lakes, but also improve himself with the technology of the new era, so as to carry out better self-innovation.

Any type of film and television works has its peaks and valleys, but martial arts dramas always have a certain market and audience base. At present, the new martial arts are still in the process of exploration and development, and it will take time to change. If there is a very excellent new martial arts benchmark work in the future, the whole market will move with it, thus promoting the further development of this type, just like the once-popular Gongdou drama and suspense drama. I believe that at that time, the new martial arts was "the top of the legendary swordsman".

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