【Cultural Analysis】
In recent years, film and television works based on traditional culture have received unprecedented attention in the cultural industry market. Phenomenal films such as “Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage”, “Big Fish and Begonia”, and “Nezha’s Devil Child Comes into the World” reflect the audience’s expectations and needs for traditional cultural products. The recently released animated film “Shan Hai Jing: Goodbye Monster”, with its “Shan Hai Jing Cosmos” full of oriental charm, has brought traditional culture IP movies into the public view again, proving the lasting market popularity and timeless aesthetic value of traditional culture. .
As a cultural symbol with both recognition, influence and traffic monetization ability, film and television IP is not only an important part of the cultural industry, but also a direct manifestation of the country’s cultural soft power. Excellent film and television IP can transcend the barriers of words, languages, and nationalities, and become an important carrier for the dissemination of values. Hollywood movies and Japanese animation rely on many classic IPs to attract billions of viewers around the world. Although China has rich cultural resources, it has yet to produce film and television IP images with extensive international influence, such as Superman, Spider-Man and Ultraman. In order to break through the current pattern of domestic film and television, it is urgent to find the right positioning, to create traditional cultural IP with Chinese characteristics in line with the works that are in line with the Chinese people’s aesthetic and value pursuit.
To create excellent traditional cultural IP, film and television works must be rooted in the fertile soil of traditional culture, absorb nutrients from it, explore and refine themes and cultural elements with Chinese characteristics, and make the beauty and kindness in traditional culture the background color of film and television works. Myths and legends, historical stories, literary works, and folk culture can all be the source of themes for IP story creation. “Shan Hai Jing: Farewell to Monsters” draws inspiration from the ancient strange book “Shan Hai Jing”, the geographical environment where the story takes place on the Kunlun Island, and the characters, such as Bai Ze with a dragon head and green hair and a horn, and Bi Fang with a crane head and one arm , The Kushan God with three faces, and the beautiful nine-tailed fox with red skin, etc., also have evidence to rely on. The folk etiquette, daily life and character naming in “Big Fish and Begonia” are also derived from ancient cultural classics and folklore, reflecting the breadth and depth of Chinese culture.
Of course, excellent traditional cultural IP works should not stop at citing scriptures or stacking various traditional cultural elements, but should go deep into the culture and refine the cultural connotation that can reflect the national spirit. The Monkey King in “Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage” follows the image of freedom, unruly, defiance of hierarchy and clear love and hate in the classical novel “Journey to the West”; The philosophical outlook is vividly expressed. This kind of excavation and presentation of the inner spirit of traditional culture not only reflects respect and awe for traditional culture, but also conforms to the unique values and aesthetic pursuit of the Chinese nation. It is an effective way to condense national identity and enhance cultural self-confidence. It is the only way for traditional cultural IP to have global influence.
Traditional culture is not a stagnant pool of water, but a long river that continues to absorb trickles with the development of the times. Therefore, to create excellent traditional cultural IP, film and television works need to give traditional culture the connotation and form of the times from the perspective of modern people, so as to realize the creative transformation and innovative development of traditional culture. “White Snake: Origin” ingeniously tells the story of the past life of Bai Niangzi and Xu Xian, and integrates cultural elements such as “catching snakes”, cultivating immortals, and alchemy. The harmonious coexistence of man and nature. The combination of this traditional structure and contemporary social issues has explored a unique “new country style” animation road. “Journey to the West: The Return of the Great Sage” and “Nezha: The Devil Child Comes to the World” integrate universal topics such as self-salvation, breaking through prejudice, and fighting against fate into the protagonist’s experience, helping traditional culture in a wider range. The dissemination provides favorable conditions.
Creating excellent traditional cultural IP is not only the need to inherit the excellent traditional Chinese culture, but also the need to enhance the country’s cultural soft power. Rooted in tradition, based on the present, facing the world, and telling Chinese stories with profound cultural heritage and new spiritual temperament, should be the common pursuit of traditional cultural IP. Looking forward to more traditional cultural IP film and television works to stand out, let Chinese traditional culture come alive and go out.
(Author: Lv Zhenzhen, Associate Professor, School of Humanities, Guangzhou University)
Original title:[Cultural Analysis]Traditional cultural IP film and television: the market “face value” comes from cultural accumulation
(Jing Qiang)
[Editor in charge: Xu Ziming]