Let's have to say, it's really difficult to find a costume drama that doesn't make people roll their eyes these days. As far as the eye can see, it's either Mary Sue or Jack Sue on the screen, and the plot is so thunderous that it can thunder you ten miles away. Occasionally, there is something that can be watched, and everyone rushes to tell each other: "Oh mom, this is simply a clear stream in costume dramas!" "Tell me, isn't this bar a little too harsh? 
Looking back on the past few years, classic costume dramas have been produced one after another, which is endlessly memorable. Nowadays, this demonic atmosphere in the film and television drama circle makes people laugh and cry. Sometimes I wonder, what do these producers and screenwriters think? Do you really think that the audience is so stupid that they can't tell the difference between good and bad? The mystery of the shape of the popular little flower: the kaleidoscope of a drama, or the beauty of "mass production"? In the past, film and television dramas seemed to be a colorful dream. Each character, big or small, is dressed in a unique cloak that makes it easy to identify their identity and personality at a glance. 
Alyssa Jia's Zhao Min, the braided hair on the side is like the melody of flowing water, jumping in the sea of ancient costumes, playful and smart. Jiang Qinqin's appearance in "Dominating the World" also seems to be a footnote to classical poetry, which is so beautiful that it is intoxicating. However, when we return to reality and open the hit drama in front of us, will we feel a sense of déjà vu? Bailu's appearance in "Long Moon Embers" and "Ning An Like a Dream" is like a twin star traveling through time and space, which makes people wonder: Is this the ever-changing of the same drama, or the beauty of "mass production"? Xianxia and costume love, two completely different themes, have reached an amazing tacit understanding in terms of styling. 
Not only that, longitudinally observed, Bailu and Zhao Lusi also seem to be shrouded in the same "fashion magic" in their respective dramas. 
Buns, hairpins, color ......Everything is so similar, it's as if the stylist is working a "copy-paste" magic. We can't help but ask: Is this the "laziness" of the stylist, or the aesthetic fatigue of the crew? Traffic is in charge, why do actors "act"? In the glamorous entertainment industry, the title of actor seems to be becoming more and more undeserved. Once upon a time, the reason why "actor" was called an actor was all because of the word "acting" - going deep into the role to confuse the real with the false. However, time has passed, and when selecting actors, current directors seem to pay more attention to the traffic and topicality of the actors, rather than their fit with the role. Take the 2024 New Year's drama "Sword and Fairy 4" as an example, this popular IP with its own traffic is a big surprise in casting. The beauty of the traffic actor has become the object of ridicule in the play, and the heroine's unchanged costume style, the actor's thick lips and nasolabial folds are exposed under the high-definition lens. Such casting can't help but make people doubt the director's vision and aesthetics. 
An even more distressing example is the film and television of Zhang Ailing's famous work "The First Incense". The depiction of the heroine in the original book is vivid and expressive - "Her eyes are long and charming, and the deep marks of her double eyelids sweep straight into her sideburns." And when I saw the casting, the hearts of countless anticipation instantly cooled. Ma Sichun, an actress known for her well-behaved and orthodox image, is far from the image of the heroine who is drunk and socialized in the original book. 
And the casting of the actor is even more laughable. The male protagonist in the original work is "pale and suave", while in reality, although Peng Yuyan has the reputation of "national husband", his dark complexion and burly figure are very different from the original image. Such casting is undoubtedly a blasphemy of the original work and disrespect to the audience. The appearance of ancient puppet dramas is not as good as before, and the audience shouted "I miss the era of beautiful men" In this showbiz that seems to be "appearance is justice", ancient puppet dramas, as one of them, seem to take handsome guys and beauties as the standard. However, when we open the ancient puppet dramas in recent years, we can't help but ask: Where have all those beautiful men who have amazing times gone? The ancient puppet drama in the hearts of the audience should be a romantic love story performed by handsome men and beautiful women, so that people can feel the sweetness of love while appreciating the beauty. But the current ancient puppet drama market seems to have fallen into a strange circle: traffic Xiaosheng Xiaohua takes turns, arranging and combining into various CPs, but the appearance and freshness have both declined. 
Thinking back then, Liu Shishi partnered with Huo Jianhua and other beautiful men, and the picture was simply a beauty crit. And now, Liu Shishi has returned to the costume drama "Yi Nian Guan Mountain", but the male protagonist is Liu Yuning. Although he performed well in "Long Song Xing", he still made many viewers feel "powerless" to support the appearance of the ancient puppet male protagonist. 
Not to mention those supporting actors. In the past ancient puppet dramas, the male supporting actor was also responsible for his appearance, but now he is a "ugly" match. Chen Youwei, who was born in the draft, looks handsome outside the play, but in the play, there are all kinds of collapses. The audience just wanted to shout, "Please spare my eyes!" ”
We can't help but miss the ancient puppet dramas we watched when we were children, when the male protagonist and male supporting actor coexisted with both appearance and acting skills. Look at the present, the protagonist's aura is so heavy that it makes people breathless, and the audience's eyes are also greatly challenged. The battle of the original sound: the delicate balance between actors and dubbingIn the performing arts, line skills used to be the "golden signboard" for actors to walk, but now it has gradually evolved into a scarce ability. Memorize the lines, this is an actor's "business", when did it become a capital worth showing off? 
When we see more and more "actors" relying on voice actors to shape their roles, we can't help but have a trace of doubt in our hearts: Is the glorious era of costume dramas just drifting away? The presence of voice actors, of course, is not original sin. Their pairing with excellent actors can often produce a "perfect match" chemical reaction. Think about Huan Huan played by Sun Li, with the blessing of Teacher Ji Guanlin's voice, she is even more powerful and has become a classic in the hearts of the audience.
However, the current entertainment industry seems to be caught in a strange circle. Many actors rely so much on the "life-saving straw" of dubbing that they seem at a loss after losing this straw. Wang Hedi successfully turned over with the dubbing of teacher Wang Baoshun in "Canglan Jue", but he was exposed when he starred in the original voice in "Love as the Camp", which undoubtedly sounded the alarm for us.
Acting and voice are two sides of the same coin. Wang Hedi, who was not born in a professional class, showed his shortcomings after losing the blessing of dubbing, which was undoubtedly a heavy blow to his acting career. But this also reminds us from another angle: as an actor, improving acting skills and line skills is the foundation of the foothold. The battle for the position, winning the rankings and losing the pattern When "Fairy Sword 4" came out in 2024, the audience originally thought that it would usher in a visual feast. However, during the promotion of this drama, a battle for the "fan position" was staged, which was a big surprise.
Ju Jingyi, the undisputed female number one in the hearts of many fans, originally sat firmly on the throne of "Ichiban". However, when the official Weibo of the film and television drama magically changed the order of the leading actors and pushed Chen Zheyuan to the front of the stage, a storm suddenly came.
Fans quit, they fought for the "status" of their idols, and fought for the black and white letters on that contract. In their opinion, the fan position is not only the order of a name, but also a recognition of the value and influence of the actor. How can this kind of recognition be easily conceded to others? As a result, the two fans insisted on their own words and argued. And in this farce, the brokerage companies of the male and female protagonists also took a stand to defend their artists. For a while, there was a lot of gunsmoke on the Internet, and it was very lively.
However, in this seemingly battle for honor and status, the most important point is overlooked - the quality of the work. No matter where the actor's name is ranked, if the work itself is not good enough, then all efforts will be in vain. Because the audience's eyes are bright, they will not be fooled by the superficial prosperity.
There are no winners in this battle for the spot. Because the real winners should be those actors who perform their roles with their hearts and present high-quality works. They don't need to rely on the fan position to prove their worth, because their strength is enough to speak for themselves. The screen embarrassment of traffic stars: acting skills are not as good as makeup, and special effects are not as good as cutouts? Ju Jingyi, this traffic flower whose makeup seems to be the same forever, is really "eye-catching" in the horse riding show in "The Legend of Jianan". However, this "brightness" is not because of how superb her acting skills are, but because of the "horse" - oh no, it should be said that it is the "horse-shaped object".
The post-production actually used a horse that couldn't be faked anymore, which simply challenged the audience's tolerance limit. I have to say that the perfunctory degree of this drama in terms of details is simply breathtaking.
Let's talk about Ren Jialun, the handsome guy who played the extraordinary strength of the merman in "Acquaintance with Jun Chu". He obviously has good looks and acting skills, and he can speak with strength. However, the "plastic feel" of this drama is a big surprise. Especially the scene of the merman's "bathing", it should have been a shot full of benefits, but when I looked at it, the male protagonist was actually wearing "fake abdominal muscles"! The special effects of the tail are also difficult to describe. This makes people wonder: is it really that difficult to make special effects with heart? Speaking of special effects and props, we have to mention Zhao Liying's postpartum comeback "You Fei". This drama partnered with Wang Yibo, a traffic niche, which should have been very interesting. But the result? There was a lot of scolding after the broadcast, and there was no other reason than that, because it was so obvious that it couldn't be more obvious than the cutout green screen.
This can't help but remind people of "Journey to the West" filmed in the last century, when the conditions were so difficult that the crew could visit all over the country to find a suitable filming location. Now that the conditions are good, how can it become so perfunctory? In fact, the audience's eyes are bright. A big reason why they think the previous dramas are good is because although the conditions of those dramas are limited, they reveal "sincerity" everywhere.
And what about some of the current dramas? In addition to relying on traffic stars to support the scene, it is to rely on fancy special effects and props to attract attention. But a really good drama doesn't rely on these. I hope that the producers can understand this and make the drama with their hearts, rather than treating the audience with perfunctory.