Original title: How to turn the heat “watch a movie in minutes”
On November 12, the “Network Literature and Art” edition of the Guangming Daily published an article “‘Fast-food’ short video dramas can go a long time”, commenting and discussing the phenomenon of “secondary creation” of short film videos and television dramas. This is an interesting and hot topic that deserves to be explored further. I would like to express my opinion on this matter, mainly in the form of “watch a movie in a few minutes.”
In December 2021, the “Detailed Rules for Reviewing Standards for Online Short Video Content” issued by the China Network Audiovisual Program Service Association clearly stipulates that unauthorized cuts, adaptations of films, television dramas, films and online television dramas and other programs and audiovisual clips should not be broadcast short video content. “Watch a movie in minutes” must first solve the copyright issue. On this basis, we discuss the characteristics and outstanding problems of this emerging phenomenon of networked literature and art.
From a morphological point of view, “Watching a Movie in Minutes” respects the laws and characteristics of narratology, and collaborates with skilled fast editing skills to realize the double-speed advancement of the plot; The narrative language connects the main plots, complemented by short and incisive interpretations and comments; in terms of effect, “Watching a Movie in Minutes” relies on the influence of the Internet platform to get targeted pushes for specific audiences, and continues to grow. traffic makes it an online literary phenomenon worth studying at the moment.
So why are netizens eager to watch short compressed cookie videos that “talk about movies”? What kind of social and cultural context and psychological motivations of the audience are reflected behind the popularity? What kind of impact does this type of secondary creation have on original creators and viewers?
“The brain likes stories,” this feature of human law derived from ancient genes is still generally applicable to today’s Internet audience. Exquisite suspense, exquisite reversal, exquisite conception, wonderful foreshadowing and exquisite creativity, these highlights of a feature film carefully thought out by the screenwriter are just the narrative editing points in the eyes of the secondary creators of “Watching a Movie in Minutes”. Relying on the sensitivity of narrative rhythm cultivated by a large number of continuous and repeated “immersion” in the text of the film, we media can bring netizens to live the audience experience of the film in a few minutes with the skillful editing method of the ” selection selected-extreme compression”. -high-frequency output”. A story that can be fully experienced only in a few hours. “Watching a movie in a few minutes” is deeply in line with the modern high-speed urban life. People are eager to save time and money, realize the psychological charm of efficient entertainment, and help them accelerate to enjoy the “peak experience” as smooth as riding a roller coaster.
The advantage of “watching a movie in minutes” is different from double-speed playback is that through the “talking movie” method, the leading role of self-media conductors as narrative agents is further strengthened. Self-media knows that when people whip out their cellphones to unwind during busy times, they’re eager to know the plot and ending of the film as soon as possible.
Overall, “watching a movie in minutes” replaces the delicate and timeless audio-visual temperature and depth of thought in the empty space of the original film with turbulent narrative acceleration and plot impact. reading countless movies” in a short period of time creates the illusion of understanding movies. “Watching a movie in minutes” relies on the powerful microwave-like “story heating” ability, trying to attract the attention of the audience quickly and slowly.
However, after all, “compressed cookies” cannot replace “dinner meals”. In addition to the main weakness of being extremely easy to infringe copyright, “watching movies in minutes” still has some outstanding problems that urgently need to be addressed. This is a neat and tidy process of “skinning and cutting” the original film, which essentially removes the flesh and blood of the film, leaving only the skeleton-like “PPT film”. When netizens watch “squeezed movies” with insufficient flesh and blood, they lack the gaze and reflection on the film’s blank spaces. Although technical editing techniques achieve the emotional resonance of “instant gratification”, it is difficult to truly stimulate the delayed aesthetic retrospective of “delayed gratification”, let alone cause a real deep resonance due to touching the audience’s soul. The process of watching “watching a movie in minutes” is just like tasting food that melts in your mouth. No matter how delicious the ingredients are, after all, there is no aftertaste that remains in the mouth. Such a “compressed cookie” eaten one bite at a time, although it may “become a fat man in one bite,” is essentially a kind of “bloat,” which is a superficial pleasure of watching a movie that lacks the flash of aura.
For “watching a movie in minutes”, its “quick hot” story editing method, “quick food” streaming media viewing mode, and the “express” push of big data algorithm can make some unbearable netizens. , but can only accept a fragmented movie-watching experience, which is likely to subtly shape the thinking of netizens who are used to “listening to movies” and “talking about movies” instead of “watching movies”.
The creators of “Watching Movies in Minutes” need to use their rich movie-watching experience, skillful editing techniques and mature creative thinking to change the nature of their work and enter new fields. For example, film and television companies own the copyright to the content of film and television works and must produce a large number of creative and well-edited main channel trailers, promotional videos and short “sub channel” promotional videos. To engage in this work, you must have comprehensive skills such as grasping the essence of editing, grasping the rhythm of the narrative, digging up hidden Easter eggs, and controlling the psychology of the audience. It is more than capable for the creators to “watch a movie in minutes”.
Ultimately, “second innovation and originality” is a path of transformation and updating. Self-taught people who can achieve results in the short video field of “watching movies in minutes” often have keen observational skills and deep thinking about human affairs and world affairs. Enthusiasm for art also shows keen quality of interdisciplinary cultural creativity and literary criticism. Therefore, they can often transfer this ability to the broad and current social phenomena and fields of literary criticism, and become the original creators of new topical interactions with the help of current new and cutting-edge methods of communication. In fact, many of the current well-known anchors of “watching movies in minutes” have already “outside the circle” to explore and cultivate for a long time, and give full play to their video narrative thinking and technical advantages, showing their talent for comment on cross-border topics.
“Watching a movie in a few minutes” also belongs to the category of “literary criticism”. Building the current talent team of online literature and art criticism requires not only the training of “academic” theoretical experts, but also the full mobilization of “practical” professional talent who have long been working on the Internet’s frontline. Some of the laws and understandings they explored from practice, if they can be creatively absorbed and refined, will help improve the relevance and enlightenment of network literature and art theory.
(Author: Zhou Su, deputy editor-in-chief of Beijing Normal University Press, member of China Literary Critics Association)
