"The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty", a costume suspense detective TV series that integrates elements of "half of the entertainment industry", has brought new vitality to domestic costume suspense detective dramas during this Spring Festival. The new drama was launched, the audience quickly gathered, and the style of the Tang Dynasty prevailed again. This drama was already popular before it was broadcast, and the number of pre-registered viewers on the Youku platform was as high as 8.44 million, which is the largest number of pre-orders among all categories on Youku. The plot is confusing, but Di Renjie's demeanor is still the same. Since February 6**, the station's popularity has climbed to 8088.
Di Renjie is a well-known TV screen character, he is known as a "detective" in the hearts of the Chinese people, and even known as the "Sherlock Holmes of the East", but the young Di Renjie is rare on the screen. Di Renjie showed a resourceful side in the "Progress Bar Loading" case, and constantly transformed into a more calm and mature image with a greater sense of the overall situation. Di Gong showed his wisdom and strategy in the "progress bar loading", and his growth direction is more stable and macro maturity. Di Renjie faced the lark chirp case and fell into a puzzle. The Phoenix Seal Case, the Screen Case, the ** Strange Case, the Legend of the Rain Master, the Red Pavilion, the Desert Chasing the Murderer, the Empty Gourd, the Skylark Chirping, and the Chaoyun Library-these nine strange cases are independent, but they echo each other with the main line, and the three strong "strong reasoning, strong logic, and strong reality" jointly build the hardcore suspense elements of this drama. In the process of Di Renjie's investigation, he not only showed extraordinary wisdom and courage, but also showed awe and respect for the law. In addition to the investigation process of uncovering the mysterious case, the theme of "Di Renjie has the courage to face difficulties, sticks to the bottom line of the law, and walks on the road of fairness and justice" gradually emerged.
The formation of Di Gong's world depends on the attractive plot, the best performances of all the members, the high quality of the film, and the way of thinking about the narrative. In Gao Luopei's **, Di Renjie's image is more profound. The show is unique in that it is inspired by the Dutch writer Gloupe's eponymous name. The cross-cultural dissemination of the story of "Di Gong" not only shows the exchange and collision of Eastern and Western cultures, but also reflects the commonalities of cultures. An expatriate uses a highly typological narrative technique to recount in detail the Oriental legend of Di Renjie, a famous Chinese politician in the Tang Dynasty, profoundly revealing the core idea of "life is impermanent, righteousness and reason are eternal", and building a bridge for the exchange between ancient and modern, East and West. The success of Di Gong lies in the combination of Dutch culture and Chinese history to create a new audio-visual experience. Not only does this form the basis of the adaptation, but it is also a unique and unrepeatable core quality of the work.
Discussion on adaptation: "What really matters is not the era in which the inscription was engraved, but the era in which the inscription was written".
Beijing Youth Daily: Regarding the film and television adaptation of the original book**, which part do you think is the most challenging?
The second challenge is how to inherit the core spirit of Mr. Gao Luopei's original book. When Mr. Gao Luopei created "Sherlock Holmes", he had a deep study of traditional Chinese culture and traditional art, so he applied this knowledge to his own **. The remarkable thing about this literary work by Mr. Gao Luopei is that it marks the first time that a classical Chinese story has been narrated from the perspective of a modern Western detective. This is because Gao Luopei was the first person in China to write an ancient Chinese legend from the perspective of a Western detective. Although Mr. Gao Luopei's creations were inspired by the Qing Dynasty in China, he bravely made some innovations, employing the techniques of modern Western detectives to describe the plot of Di Renjie's handling of the case. In "Gao Luopei's Family", we can see Mr. Gao Luopei's ingenious conversion between ** and film and television works. This place is extremely valuable in the original work, and at the same time the main direction of adaptation. So here I will analyze this event in conjunction with the movie. In film theory, there is an opinion that "the era of the seal inscription is not the most critical, what really matters is the age of the seal inscription". That's one of my thoughts on the Gorope-style **. In other words, each work is intimately connected to himself and the real world. I think the story in the movie "Journey to the West" is actually the product of the collision between Chinese culture and Western culture. In the original work, Di Renjie served as a judge, and he was very law-abiding. This is also written in the script of "White Deer Plain", so I want to process and transform it to make this character more flesh and blood. In the process of adaptation, this is seen as the core content of inheritance and expansion. The character portrayal of the main characters in the play is relatively successful, especially in some important plots in the play, which highlights the author's role in shaping them. In the play, Di Renjie is not only a witty detective, he is also a ruler who strictly follows the law, adheres to his principles, and believes in the law.
According to Beiqing Daily, "The Case of Tang Di Gong" is actually a unit drama. Are there some challenges you might have encountered while writing your screenplay?
Jing Yu pointed out: For screenwriters, the biggest challenge for unit dramas is how to disperse the form while still focusing on the spirit. Because everyone has a different understanding of the plot, in order for everyone to accept it, it is necessary to make some adjustments to the plot. Although the protagonist of the story and his crime-solving team remain the same, the villains and messages conveyed in each episode are different, so how to bring the two together more effectively becomes a challenge. If you can tie the main plot of each episode closely to the main character in the play, then you can make the whole script more full and vivid. One of the ways to solve the problem is to ensure that the progress of the unit story is closely linked to the fate of the protagonist by setting the main line; On the other hand, there is the grasp of the theme. The firm belief held by the character of Di Renjie has become a key clue through the entire unit.
Beijing Youth Daily: Among the nine cases in the play, which case attracted your attention the most?
Jingyu: About the ** event in the desert. In the interrogation room, Di Renjie faced the sharp-eyed suspect and hesitated. From a strict point of view, this case does not possess strong reasoning ability, rigorous logic and suspense elements, it is more social in nature. In this case, Di Renjie was caught in a difficult dilemma. The work succeeds in creating a series of complex characters and presents a situation that leaves the audience confused and at a loss as to how to make a choice. He began to think about the nature of the law, whether it was to protect the innocent or to maintain order. Due to the collision between emotion and law, Di Renjie's soul experienced a huge shock. In the dead of night, Di Renjie gradually understood that although the law sometimes cannot answer everything, it is the cornerstone of social order. Di Renjie may have questioned in his heart what was the value of his rock-solid law. After experiencing constant questioning from himself and others, he gradually determined the direction of his decision-making.
Talking about roles: "Wei Wuji" played by Zhang Jiayi and "Diao Xiaoguan" played by Zhang Ruoyun are two notable characteristics in addition to the "squad".
Beiqing Daily reported: In the "Squad", Di Renjie, Cao An, Hong Liang, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai are key consecutive characters, can you share the unique strategies and thoughts you used to shape them?
Jing Yu: Di Renjie is a well-known Chinese, and his image has always been a sensible and positive ** image. Under Di Renjie's calm and wise appearance, there is a deep heart. However, no one can actually say for sure about his specific personality traits. The boat swayed, and Di Gong stood on it, looking firmly ahead. The spiritual core depicted in the ancient painting "Returning to the Boat from the Wind and Rain" in the Song Dynasty successfully reveals the character characteristics of the character of Di Gong in the play. In the picture, the captain's face is vicissitudes, but his eyes are firm, holding the oars in his hand, and trying to move forward. ** Shows a captain just rowing against the wind. Di Gong faced the wind and waves, his brows did not wrinkle, and he saw him holding the tiller in his hand and looking firmly into the distance. In the play, Di Gong shows a brave and fearless character, who is not afraid of power, ghosts, and even fate. There was a resolute light in his eyes, as if he would never be knocked down by difficulties. He was an unwavering man with a strong belief in the law and a believer full of ideals. Di Gong's figure gradually moved away in the turbulent river, his gaze firm and deep, as if he could understand the mystery of fate. In the play, there is a sentence that very accurately describes the character of Di Renjie: he is a person who is willing to challenge his own destiny.
Hong Liang played an indispensable role in Di Renjie's growth: when he was young, he always accompanied Di Renjie's father, and after Di Renjie's father died, he stayed by Di Renjie's side and became Di Renjie's most loyal companion, and his role positioning was like Di Renjie's father; Hong Liang silently supported Di Renjie, and his existence was like a solid lighthouse, guiding Di Renjie in the direction of his progress. In the original work, Ma Rong and Qiao Tai are both male characters, they are part of a gang of bandits, and Di Renjie is chosen by Di Renjie as his right-hand man to help solve the case together. Qiao Tai, a guy who can never look at women accurately, is always caught in some troublesome emotional entanglements. The characters they create have distinct personality traits and are quite colorful existences. In the process of solving a case by chance, Jotte once again finds himself in a dangerous emotional entanglement. Qiao Tai is the kind of person who can never accurately judge the eyes of women, and the person he loves every time is often ** or a person who brings him danger; In order to rescue the kidnapped Cao Niangzi, Di Renjie found Ma Rong and Qiao Tai. In the original work, Cao Niangzi was only Di Renjie's spouse and did not participate too much in solving the case. She is not only the breadwinner of the family, but also a member of a smart think tank, often providing Di Renjie with key clues and advice. In the adaptation process of this work, she not only played the emotional role of Di Renjie, but also represented the independent spirit of women. She has an incredibly strong heart and never indulges in the shackles of tradition. She is an ancient woman with a modern outlook, she is completely financially independent, has the ability to think independently, and is not dependent on men.
Beijing Youth Daily: When you describe Di Renjie's growth trajectory, how should you ensure the coherence between the side story and the main story?
Jingyu said: The first task in writing the script is to build the main line. Secondly, start from the clues to set up the story development context and plot structure. Based on a detailed analysis of the case, we constructed the character's personality traits and set a direction for Di Renjie's growth through his family background. For example, when the case takes place in a relatively remote place, clues can be easily discovered. In the next step, we will select cases according to the needs of the main line, and each case has a different depth of involvement in the main line. In this process, clue tracing and incident analysis can be used to determine where and when the case occurred. As the main line gradually climbed to its peak, the connection between the case and the main line gradually strengthened. At this stage, the writing of the main line will be completed in advance and applied to the cases of each unit.
Beiqing Daily reported: In "The Case of Tang Di Gong", which core characters of the case left a deep impression on you?
Jingyu: Mr. Zhang Jiayi's role in the first case was Wei Wuji. Wei Wuji's life experience is confusing, and he seems to be inextricably linked with the eldest grandson Wuji. This case is based on the struggle between Wu Zetian and the powerful minister Changsun Wuji in real history, so Wei Wuji can be regarded as a branch of the eldest grandson Wuji. His words and deeds are full of wisdom and depth, as if he carries an ancient wisdom in him. What impressed me about this man was that his complexity was quite high. Wei Wuji's background is mysterious, but he does not blindly follow the scheme, but out of adherence to moral beliefs. As a teacher, he was seen as a model of morality from every point of view. Although Wei Wujian was a moral model, he had to oppose Wu Zetian under the interweaving of political ideals and personal beliefs. Due to his political ambitions and personal views, he chose to side with Wu Zetian, which led him to commit many unfavorable actions.
Zhang Ruoyun's Diao Xiaoguan is a character in the desert murder case. He has a complex aura, which has both a righteous side and hidden selfishness and ambition that no one knows. The character has a grey tone, and we can't simply describe him in terms of traditional good or bad.
Sharing his experience: "Life is impermanent, righteousness is eternal" forms the tone of the whole play.
Beiqing Daily: In the process of writing the script, how did you present the humanities and traditional culture of the Tang Dynasty?
Jingyu: Gao Luopei is an outstanding researcher of Sinology, and his work is actually based on a relatively broad ancient Chinese background, and does not explicitly highlight a specific dynasty. Gao Luopei never imagined that his ** would be played so profoundly in the adaptation. In the adaptation, we not only inherited the Chinese cultural characteristics in Gao Gong's original work, but also added elements related to the culture of the Tang Dynasty. The design of the case is more original, closely following the historical context, incorporating Wu Zetian's phoenix seal into the ** case, skillfully integrating the connection between power struggle and crime, and injecting deeper historical connotation into the story. These characteristics are not only reflected in the key props and character costume choices, but also in the planning of the case. This case involved Wu Zetian's phoenix seal, which caused countless speculations and disputes. Take the first case of the Feng Yin case as an example - the Feng Yin is actually the seal of Wu Zetian, representing the supreme authority. This Fengyin case involves not only a struggle for power, but also an important case related to the etiquette and law of the Tang Dynasty. Everyone knows that Wu Zetian is the only female emperor in Chinese history, and it was only at that time that she had such great power. The phoenix seal in this case is not only an object symbolizing power, but also a symbol of the essence of Tang culture. The phoenix seal is not only the cause of all cases, but also a clever application of Tang Dynasty culture.
Next, the play delves into the origin of ancient Chinese culture. The Tang Dynasty was indeed rooted in Tang Dynasty society. The protagonist of the story, Di Gong, is a person who has a high respect for the law, and he constantly reiterates his firm belief in the laws of the Tang Dynasty. Di Gong has always pursued the laws of the Tang Dynasty, and its roots can be traced back to the "Tang Law Discussion" during the Tang Gaozong period. The content of the Datang Decree is by no means groundless. In the plot, the rain master Chi Matsuko is endowed with a richer personality, not only a god in charge of the rain, but also a wise and profound immortal. The oldest legal code preserved in China is the "Tang Law Shu Yi" revised in the Tang Gaozong era, also known as the "Yonghui Law Shu", so in the Tang Dynasty, there was indeed the existence of the Tang Dynasty law. From another point of view, China's classical culture, such as the role of the rain master red pine nut in the legend of the rain master, is actually inherited from the classic document "Classic of Mountains and Seas" in ancient China, and this image has been further amplified in the drama after the research and verification of historical data.
Beijing Youth Daily: Can you share your experience of creating this drama in the past eight years?
Jingyu: This is a quote from Mr. Gao Luopei's set words at the beginning of the ** case, which can be summarized into eight words after refinement: life is impermanent, and righteousness is eternal. The reason why "White Deer Plain" can achieve great success is that it perfectly combines this "reason" and "love", and uses it as the main line and soul throughout. This is not only the core idea of the original work, but also forms the foundation of the adaptation, and it is also the tone of the play.
News link: Netflix bought the broadcast rights of "The Case of Di Gong of the Tang Dynasty".
Not long ago, Youku launched the latest English trailer for "The Case of Tang Di Gong". The next day, Netflix announced that "The Case of Tang Di Gong" would become its exclusive global hit drama. The relevant staff have confirmed that Netflix has purchased the broadcast rights of the TV series "The Case of Tang Di Gong". After the English version of "The Case of Tang Di Gong" was launched on Netflix, it set off a global Chinese film and television boom for a while. The show is expected to be launched on Netflix and Youku International, covering more than 190 different countries and regions around the world. The news has attracted a lot of attention at home and abroad, and many fans are looking forward to enjoying this high-profile costume suspense drama on Netflix. This marks Netflix's first purchase of a costume suspense drama, and it is also a new milestone in the history of Chinese dramas going overseas. This means that after "The Twelve Hours of Chang'an", there is another costume suspense drama from China to the world, and it is also after "Chasing the Murderer in the White Night" that Youku suspense drama has landed on Netflix again. Audiences can't wait for the world premiere of "The Case of Tang Di Gong". It is understood that "The Case of Tang Di Gong" provides subtitle versions in 10 languages such as English, Portuguese, and Thai, and premiered on Youku on the international version of the app on February 6, providing a platform for netizens at home and abroad to follow the drama simultaneously.
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