In 1954, the western suburbs guest house was erected on Zhongguancun South Street, which was specially designed for Soviet experts. With the changing times, this place has changed"Friendship Guesthouse"to welcome visitors from all over the world.
In the early 90s, it witnessed the grandeur of the Beishi Center, who spared no expense to gather a group of talented "Seahorse Studio" writers and provide round-the-clock luxury treatment, just to stimulate creative sparks.
At that time, the house price of 180 yuan was comparable to the salary of an actor in a TV series, and it was only 100 yuan less than the average salary in Beijing. This strong cast of freelance writers, including Liu Zhenyun, Su Tong and Mo Yan, stirred their minds here and co-created "The Story of the Editorial Department".
In an era when the market economy was not yet mature, they were cultural pioneers, not hired screenwriters in the traditional sense. They work side by side with television producers, directors and actors, serving the public with artistic passion and nourishing rich content for people's spiritual lives.
Consultant Zhang Yongjing was full of praise for their works and praised their energetic and innovative spirit.
Relive Classic Memories] "The Story of the Editorial Department" has witnessed the creative rise of an era. In that cultural boom, screenwriters were like artistic pioneers, filling in the gaps of history every step of the way.
The broadcast of "Editorial Department" not only made Ge You and Feng Xiaogang popular, but also opened a new chapter in their careers. In the market change in 1992, Mr. Wang's reputation was transformed into wealth, and his annual salary of one million and Italian sofas were the reward for his hard work.
He not only succeeded personally, but also influenced Wang Haiyu in "Love You is Not Negotiable", as well as Liang Zuo and Yingda team in "I Love My Home". Although these past events have been recounted, Liang Zuo's talent and salary difference are impressive: Song Dandan is 1,000 yuan per episode, and his script manuscript fee is several times that of it, and even a cameo like Cai Ming is only worth 400 yuan.
And the new star Zhang Yue's remuneration is even more than Cai Ming. Behind the brilliance of "I Love My Home", Liang Zuo's creativity and value are immeasurable. Similarly, Lu Wei's achievements as screenwriters are equally dazzling, from "They Are Young" to "The Price of Madness", to "Farewell My Concubine" and "Alive", his scripts not only earned huge profits for Western Film Studios, but also left a deep mark on the history of domestic and foreign films.
In those years, with their talent and persistence, screenwriters told artistic stories that were not bound by capital and were jointly created by directors and screenwriters.
The glory of "Farewell My Concubine" once symbolized the ** era of art, but after the market change after 1992, the balance of roles between directors and screenwriters quietly tilted. In the past, under the laws of the market, the achievements and works of Chen Kaige, Zhang Yimou and others have made them the focus of capital pursuit, and the role of screenwriters has gradually drifted away, from artistic co-progressors to directors' right-hand men.
The story of Lu Wei and Chen Kaige reveals this subtle transformation. At this time, the screenwriting industry ushered in a large-scale career development, such as Shi Kang, with the film and television heat wave and the influx of capital, changed careers from programming, and the script remuneration jumped from 1,000 words to 10,000 yuan, and even wrote a script with a generous advance payment for Feng Xiaogang's "Big Names", witnessing the drastic changes and prosperity of this era.
Liu Zhenyun was invited to write the script of the TV series "A Place of Chicken Feathers" in the early days, although the cooperation with Zhang Yuan was blocked, but it was finally taken over by Wang Shuo and Feng Xiaogang, and a piece of film and television history was achieved.
In those days, even if they started with a meager remuneration, college students poured into the road of screenwriting in pursuit of fame and fortune. The market boom brought about a boom in the screenwriting industry, but it also breeded"Gunners"Phenomenon.
These screenwriters no longer seek respect for the creative process, but a shortcut to make money quickly, such as Shi Kang and Lan Xiaolong. However, they warn that while a career as a gunman can solve financial problems in the short term, it will deplete talent and damage the dignity of screenwriters in the long run.
With the expansion of the TV drama market, the demand for gunslingers has surged, which seems to be a way for newcomers to enter the industry, while some famous screenwriters use the gunslinger team to create works, and the studio model has become a money-making tool.
Some newcomers seek more opportunities with this title, but the real value lies in maintaining the original intention and dignity of creation.
Lan Xiaolong took "Soldier Assault" as a turning point in his life, but the beginning of his screenwriting career was like stepping into a 'shopping factory'. Once upon a time, Mr. Yu Zheng practiced in "New Dragon Gate Inn", acting as an 'apprentice', dismantling the plot, filling in the gaps, and even acting as a personal assistant.
During that time, he lived in a dilapidated house of only 300 yuan a month, was riddled with frostbite in winter, and had to commute at his own expense. Participating in "The Legend of Jing Ke" only received a red envelope of 500 yuan, which prompted him to leave decisively.
For many novice screenwriters, they quietly work in positions with no name, no reputation, unstable income, and no authorship, just to accumulate capital and seek promotion. Today, the gunslinger can make a living with his understanding of the story structure and storyboards, and can pay thousands of dollars per episode.
Usually, when a script outline is released, they quickly fill in the details and then bring it to market under the name of a well-known screenwriter. These non-professional gunslingers dream of one day writing blockbusters.
Once the work becomes popular, they will have bargaining chips and more opportunities for cooperation. After Yu Zheng left Li Huimin's studio, he relied on his connections to connect with director Lai Shuiqing, and although he did not directly create for him, he subtly mentioned cooperation to enhance his industry status.
And the deeper industry secret is that works like "Desire" and "The Story of the Screenwriters" are actually the crystallization of collective wisdom, created by people from different backgrounds.
With the growth of market demand, the production of drama series has become more frequent, but the quality control is facing challenges. Lan Xiaolong's "Soldier Assault" comes from the deep accumulation of military life, Wang Liping's "The Beautiful Times of Daughter-in-law" originates from the in-depth observation of marriage and love programs, Jiu Meiyu's "Youth Pi" is written after experiencing a year of life, and Yan Geling's "Little Aunt Duohe" is behind hundreds of thousands of Japanese investigation investment ......Every successful script is inseparable from the creators' attentive life experience and professionalism. "
Yan Geling's personal experience of the story of Japan's creation of "Little Aunt Duohe" revealed the solid foundation behind high-quality TV series. From "Liu Laogen" to "Bright Sword", every masterpiece comes from in-depth life excavation and the hard work of screenwriters.
However, the reality is that investors can't afford to wait for a long creative cycle. As a result, the screenwriting team brainstormed ideas, found talented writers, and borrowed elements from international masterpieces to quickly build a framework, albeit a simple process, often at a low salary.
This is why Huang Ke, the screenwriter of "Before Dawn", warned newcomers to be cautious of joining the ranks of gunmen, because skill improvement is limited and difficult to sign, and in the end, the majority of profits fall into the pockets of investors.
This explains why the TV screen was once filled with mediocre series, often the first attempts of the "interns", with gorgeous packaging and lackluster substance.
Huang Ke turned over with "Before Dawn", but the road to screenwriting is not smooth, and novices often face the dilemma of not being recognized and unpaid. In 2000, a director owed wages to make student screenwriters suffer humiliation; Some screenwriters do not understand the rules of the market, but they work hard to create, but they face the threat of arrears or investors.
Mature screenwriters such as Li Yaling, "Big Girl" made a lot of contributions but was ignored by Chen Sicheng, and even suffered a cold reception when collecting the final payment. Zhou Ying's script of "Sister Daren" seems to be original, but it may actually be used for reference, but behind Director Chen's "original" aura, there is complexity and injustice in the industry.
In this world where success or failure is judged by heroes and capital dominates, the efforts of screenwriters are often ignored, and their efforts seem to become a byproduct of success.
In the film world, just like the Taoist view of the building in "Double Pupils", Quan Yongxian of "Cliff" also encountered the dilemma of neglect and alteration. The original open-ended ending was changed to Zhou Yi's tragic ending, which caused dissatisfaction among the audience.
Quan Yongxian reluctantly admitted his dissatisfaction with the plot revision, and Liu Heng of "Ju Dou" also experienced a second creation in "The Thirteen Hairpins of Jinling", although the name is listed in the screenwriter column, but the work has deviated from his original idea.
Today's screenwriter's status is more like the director's assistant, as Shu Ping said in "The Devil is Coming", the screenwriter is more to serve the director's artistic conception, rather than leading. The development of the market has increased the power of directors, the "director-centered system" is prevalent, and screenwriters are facing competitive pressure, and if they adhere to their personal artistic ideals, they may face the risk of being replaced, after all, in this era, screenwriters are no longer a profession with a high threshold.
The ending of "Cliff" deviates from Quan Yongxian's original intention and reflects the profound changes in the film and television industry. After 2010, capital poured in, and the power of directors was weakened"Producer Center"system rises.
Whoever controls the funds is the master, and the screenwriter's choice is greatly compressed. With the IP fever and the pursuit of rapid returns by capital, Xiao Xianrou has become the focus, and the status of the screenwriter has gradually drifted away.
The screenwriter even went from a prominent position on the poster to the last ** person. When some well-known directors sign the opening credits, they can only mark "co-screenwriters" in a low-key manner, and the superficial scenery is actually marginalized.
In 2008, the screenwriters launched a rights protection action, because the producers blamed the film's predicament on the quality of the screenwriters, and the unauthorized adaptation of "Sha Jiabang", the rights and interests of the screenwriters were seriously ignored, and the copyright seemed to be dispensable.
During this period, the strength of capital and the disregard for the value of screenwriters are thought-provoking.
Back in 2008, 13 years ago, the well-known screenwriter Zhang Shuxing paid only a symbolic HK$18,000 for "Ink Attack", and it was not signed in the film.
After the release of the film, the producer only mentioned it lightly at the end of the film on the grounds that it failed to meet the shooting standards, which actually hides the unspoken rules of the industry. Many crews operate in this mode, first using the author's creativity, informing them that they can't use it, paying a compensation, and then adapting it with its basic framework, but giving credit to the director.
They can still argue"It was not exactly as originally written", the means are lamentable. What's even more shocking is that in 2007, screenwriter Wang Yi was in trouble because of his friendly cameo appearance in "Mou's Manor".
I thought it was a private cooperation, but it was found in the contract that there was also a figure of the Qixia City Cultural Bureau. She and her partners worked hard to create 25 episodes, but when it was broadcast, it was expanded to 35 episodes, and the 60,000 yuan remuneration was far away.
In the face of salary bargaining, Song Xinhua, director of the Qixia Cultural Bureau, had a bad attitude, and even threatened that if it was not an official act, he would spare no expense to let people deal with Screenwriter Wang, and the salary battle of only 60,000 yuan turned into such a situation.
Fortunately, screenwriter Wang wittily preserved the evidence. "
Wang Yi's lesson at the price of 60,000 yuan profoundly revealed: The rights and interests of screenwriters should not be underestimated. She fought twice in court to defend her dignity and won compensation, but it reflected the difficult road of defending rights in the industry.
The cry of the screenwriters did not lead to significant changes, such as Ye Shisheng's victory in exchange for '** wealth management'. The disappearance of the Hundred Flowers Award for screenwriters is even more painful.
Some people see it as ungrateful, but others see a way out - new opportunities for adapting IP. Wang Hailin's experience shows that sometimes the originality of the story is more important than the ** itself, IP is just a stepping stone, for the sake of the topic and the love of fans, content innovation is the last word. "
Original copy: The era of screenwriters is gradually moving away, IP has become an upstart, and the creative freedom and innovation space of Chinese screenwriters seems to be compressed. Under the prevalence of IP, many works adapted from online literature only need to be simply applied to the model, without going deep into the screenwriter's thinking.
Some people even take over the IP of huge data, reusing the plot and characters as if they were different versions of the same story. According to statistics, 85% of scripts are adapted from IP, which may lead to an employment crisis for screenwriters who are truly creative and artistically aspiring.
However, the turmoil in the industry has also given rise to comedy talents, such as the rise of two teachers, Song Fangjin and Wang Hailin. Song Fangjin once became popular by speaking out about the shortcomings of the industry, such as excessive intervention and stand-in.
However, his screenwriting career does not seem to be going well, and he recently suffered elimination at the "Tucao Conference" and was ridiculed for having few works. Still, he has a unique insight into the bitterness and chaos of the screenwriting industry, such as the fact that his peers often die suddenly due to stress rather than suicide.
Overall, the advent of the IP era has brought new challenges to screenwriters, but it has also brought voices of reflection and change to the industry.
Looking back on the past, Mr. Song Fangjin has emerged with his unique talent and is known as an emerging force in the talk show industry, while his predecessor Mr. Wang Hailin is even older, as early as 1997, he stepped into the screenwriting industry as a graduate of Chinese opera.
At that time, a drama opportunity made Mr. Wang's life trajectory take a turn, and he was invited to rewrite the eight episodes of "The Legend of Zhu Shilang", with a salary of up to 2,500 yuan per episode, which gave him his first taste of success, earning more than 10,000 yuan a week.
However, as time went on, his status in the industry seemed to have declined, and he himself joked that the early days of screenwriters often took place in bathing places, and now, despite the diversified changes of investors from coal bosses to Internet companies, he still misses the era of relatively free coal bosses, who interfered with creation the least and only focused on the realization of art.
In contrast, real estate developers do not intervene in creation, but tend to manage, while the concept of Internet companies is becoming increasingly complex, with strict requirements for big data and traffic, which undoubtedly increases the challenge for screenwriters. "
Mr. Wang Hailin's outspokenness has still attracted attention for many years. Someone asked him if he could accept high school students as screenwriters**, on the grounds that even stars like Fang Zuming and Guo Meimei used their time in prison to create.
Now, Guo is suspected of selling drugs**, which seems to indicate another case of possible change to screenwriting. At the 2016 Beijing Film Screenwriters Forum, Mr. Song Fangjin led the trend of screenwriting and joined forces with Shu Huan, Shi Hang, Yingda and others"Screenwriter talk show"The audience was overwhelming.
Every year, Mr. Wang's sharp speech at the forum has become an indispensable classic for online talk shows. He once shared that in the face of the opinions of his boss and planners, he seemed to be humbly recorded, but in fact he secretly remembered"Silly fork"for a later date"Lessons"。
However, despite the enjoyment of the verbal war, the status quo of screenwriters' low position in capital and entertainment has not changed. In the money-driven era, it has become difficult to make money by relying on story talents, and fresh meat, IP and traffic hype are more likely to attract attention.
The creative value of the screenwriters pales in such a reality. "
Young people, you might as well try the charm of talk shows first, but for young people who are interested in creating classics, the road to the literature, film and television industry is not an easy road. You may have become a gunslinger in the early days, struggling with hardships and making a name for themselves as a director; Your unique ideas can be exploited and reduced to puppets in other people's scripts; The contract trap makes your expectations shattered, and the advance payment may not be received; has a slight achievement, but the signature has become a problem, and the work is a big hit, but it has become an unsung hero under the halo of others; In the midst of the difficulties, the ideal seems to be out of reach, and can only linger in the accumulation of low-quality works.
Looking at netizens questioning your works, those bitter tears are like the sadness of countless newcomers in the industry. However, even if he is unwilling, in the face of reality, his smile is still like Kagawa Teruyuki in "The Devil is Coming", silently bearing:" "'Uncle, what are these things?' Although he muttered like this, the inner struggle was not the common sigh of every struggler. "