Industry insiders: Charming villains are popular on the internet because they cannot be generated with just one click
What would be your image if you became the villain in movies and TV dramas?
Recently, "becoming a charming villain with just one click" has become popular on the internet. With just one filter, you can turn yourself into a "charming villain". "One click to become a charming villain" not only appeared on the hot search list of social platforms yesterday, but also this afternoon there was a popular activity like "All Tiktok is unlocking charming villains".
From Gao Qiqiang, the "Black Boss" in "Fury" at the beginning of the year, to the infamous King Zhou in "The First Part of Fengshen", looking at the popular film and television works in recent years, many villains have become more popular than the positive characters. In the eyes of some industry insiders, the reason why these successful villains are charming is often because they demonstrate the complexity of human nature and a rich growth curve. "Whether they are villains or righteous, the 'charming' characters are precisely because they cannot be generated with just one click."
Zhang Songwen's portrayal of the villain Gao Qiqiang in "Fury" is very popular
"I just want to see what it looks like to be both cool and cool." Lv Yue, who works in early childhood education, has a typical "preschool education face", a doll like face with affinity, and rarely gets angry in real life. "This filter allows me to see what it would look like to turn into a villainous face." Lv Yue tried four different "villainous looks" yesterday, sometimes with a "wicked smile" when looking at the camera, and sometimes with a "sideways glance" as a gesture.
On short video platforms, many people make their villainous selves flourish. Some people design scenes for their own characters, such as shooting "fugitive male and female dual demons" with friends in a car; Some people try to change their faces in one second, covering their faces with their hands and instantly becoming villains. Because it is not possible to record sound during video production, some people first record a video of themselves becoming "villains" and make a speech with their lines, then shoot a screen and dub to interpret the plot; Some people even focus their shots on the characters in movies and TV dramas, turning positive characters like Bai Suzhen in "The Legend of the White Snake" into "villains", or making villains like Jiang Yuyan, who is popular on the internet in "Little Fish and Flowers", "even worse".
Netizens have turned Zhao Yazhi's portrayal of the righteous White Snake in "The Legend of the White Snake" into a "charming villain"
It is reported that "becoming a charming villain with just one click" is actually a short video special effects filter. When shooting, using this filter can cartoonize one's portrait and change according to the changes in one's expression. Why do people want to become "villains"? Lv Yue said that he is a person who follows the rules in life, so he likes this way of change. "Look at your different faces. Compared to the 'normal' of the upright, the villain often has more complicated stories." Many professional actors have also publicly expressed their desire to play the role of the villain. Chris Evans, who played Captain America, one of the most influential positive characters in the Marvel film series, has expressed his willingness to play the villain in the series. Wang Yibo, who played a street dance youth chasing dreams in the summer film "Passionate", also expressed his "super desire" when asked if he was willing to play the villain.
In the eyes of some film and television industry insiders, in recent years, many villains in film and television dramas have gained more popularity than positive characters as protagonists. In the popular TV series "Fury" at the beginning of this year, villainous characters such as "Black Boss" Gao Qiqiang were favored by many viewers; In the science fiction TV series "The Three Body Problem," Ye Wenjie, who launched the Earth coordinate system towards the civilization of the Three Body Problem, still received sympathy from the audience.
The "charming villains" on short video platforms have highly similar faces
"The hot topic of 'becoming a charming villain with just one click' reflects the audience's stereotypical impression of villains in film and television works." Ms. Du, who works as a screenwriter, said that the reason why villains are charming is precisely because they cannot be generated with just one click, but have undergone complex shaping.
Ms. Du noticed the audience's enthusiasm for villains on the Internet, "but you should pay attention to these villain images generated by one click, which have full stereotypes, such as tall eyebrows, dangling eyes, and slender eyeliner; when netizens portray themselves as' charming villains', they turn back and forth with similar actions: eyebrow picking, mouth twisting, and eye squinting. In fact, they are all stereotypes." In her opinion, the "charming villains" popular in recent years often have complex personalities. Ms. Du used the example of the major villain Hua Fei in the early stages of the TV drama "Empresses in the Palace", and her behavior and demeanor met all the audience's imagination of the villain. However, as the plot progresses, the audience will find that this character's arrogant and domineering background is pure, and compared to other characters in the play who hide knives and hidden dangers, her tragedy is almost destined to inspire sympathy from the audience.
"Compared to the 'logical' growth of positive characters, the 'blackening' of villains is actually easier to express clearly. In the eyes of Ms. Du and many industry insiders, another major reason why successful villain characters are charming is that the process of change is convincing and the experience is sympathetic.". Mr. Wu, who works in film and television production, understands the reason why the villains such as Gao Qiqiang are popular in "Fury". "From being bullied by fish vendors to a group of black and evil forces, the design of several key plot points has transformed Gao Qiqiang's emotional journey and behavior, making it acceptable and empathetic for the audience. In contrast, positive characters find it difficult to highlight their growth and change with" key conflicts ", making them appear hollow and suspended."
Are the three young people in "The Long Season" considered righteous or antagonistic?
How to make positive characters equally charming? Faced with such a question, Mr. Wu asked in response, "Can movies and TV dramas not create opposing factions, but instead portray people as real and complex individuals?" He used this year's highly acclaimed "The Long Season" as an example, in which the three members of the middle-aged and elderly detective team each had significant personality flaws, making "righteousness" appear forced; The experience of the murderer Shen Mo is sympathetic, and it is more of a mixture of victim and perpetrator than a villain. "Jiang Qiming's portrayal of his mute younger brother Fu Weijun is very popular. Can this character be considered a righteous or antagonist? In my opinion, this is a tragic character with flesh and blood that makes people sigh. Mr. Wu said that" becoming a charming antagonist with just one click "is a glimpse into the dark side of his inner self by many netizens, and an imagination of a more complex and three-dimensional self. The inspiration for film and television dramas is to explore the complexity and growth curve of constructing characters, and" I hope there will be more 'charming characters' in the future. "
