Since the announcement of the production of the TV series "Dream Back", it has attracted the attention of countless fans of the original book and costume drama lovers. As the producer, Tang Film and Television Company has won a good reputation for their previous works, so everyone's expectations for "Dream Back" are naturally rising. Adapted from the novel of the same name "Dream Back to the Qing Dynasty", this work itself has a huge fan base, and people hope that the TV series can faithfully restore the gripping plot and characters in the novel.
However, when "Dream Back" actually met the audience, the response was not overwhelmingly praised. Some of the handling of the plot has caused a lot of controversy. For example, the amnesia stalks that frequently appear in the play, this kind of plot technique has been used badly in many costume dramas, and the audience has long been aesthetically tired of it. For another example, the plot of the character of the fourth master in the play to cut off the favor of the heroine was also criticized by the audience as old-fashioned and lacking in novelty. These plot flaws disappointed many viewers who originally had high expectations.
In addition to the plot, the character's styling is also the focus of the audience's discussion. In "Dream Back", the styling design of some characters does not seem to meet the audience's expectations, and even some incongruity, which is in stark contrast to the description of the characters in the original book. For example, the heroine's costume is too colorful, which does not match her identity and personality in the play; The hero's hairstyle is considered too modern and lacks the charm of antiquity. These issues have caused a lot of controversy among the audience, and many people think that the producers did not put enough effort into the styling design and did not fully consider the feelings of the fans of the original work.
Despite the controversy, "Dream Back" is not without its highlights. Some viewers believe that despite the lack of plot and styling, the performance of the actors in the play is still commendable. In particular, several leading actors, their acting skills are online, and they can grasp the emotional changes of the characters well, which has left a deep impression on the audience. In addition, the set and cinematography in the play have also received some praise, and many people believe that the scenery design and shooting techniques in the play are quite ingenious, presenting the audience with a beautiful ancient world.
Overall, "Dream Back", as a highly anticipated costume drama, has indeed attracted widespread attention and discussion after it was broadcast. Although there are some deficiencies in the plot and styling, the performance of the actors and the visual effects in the play have won this work a certain amount of praise. For the producer, this is undoubtedly a reminder that in future productions, more attention needs to be paid to the innovation of the plot and the fit of the character modeling to meet the increasing aesthetic needs of the audience. And for the audience, while "Dream Back" may not have met all their expectations, some of its highlights are still worth appreciating and discussing.
Li Landi, the heroine of the TV series "Dream Back", stands out in the entertainment industry where plastic surgery is prevalent with her unique round face, and has a high degree of recognition. In modern dress, her temperament is elegant, giving people a fresh and refined feeling, which is impressive. However, when she changed into a Qing palace dress, it caused a lot of controversy.
In "Dream Back", Li Randi's character needs to travel between the modern and the ancient, and this cross-era costume transformation is undoubtedly a big challenge for her. In modern dress, her style is simple and elegant, which is very in line with her temperament, and also makes the audience feel comfortable and loved. But when the plot turned to the Qing Dynasty, her outfit looked a little out of place. Some viewers felt that her round face was too plump against the backdrop of the Qing court costume, and was even described as a "big pie face", which was far from the delicate image of a Qing court woman in people's minds.5
This controversy is not only an evaluation of Li Landi's personal image, but also a question of the design of costume dramas. In costume dramas, the styling of the characters often needs to conform to the historical background and character settings, and the aesthetic habits of the audience must also be taken into account. Li Landi's appearance in "Dream Back" obviously did not balance these factors well, which led to dissatisfaction and controversy among the audience.
In the face of these controversies, Li Randi himself also showed a positive attitude. She responded to the controversy about her body in the live broadcast, saying that she had tried her best to lose weight, but everyone's body shape is natural and should not be the target of attack6. This frank and confident attitude has also won the understanding and support of some viewers.
In general, the controversy over Li Landi's character image in "Dream Back" reflects some deficiencies in the modeling design of costume dramas, and also sparks discussions about aesthetic standards and actors' images. As an actor, Li Randi's positive attitude and professionalism in the face of controversy are also worthy of recognition and respect. Although the styling in "Dream Back" may not be satisfactory, Li Landi's acting skills and efforts are still worth looking forward to and recognizing.
In the drama "Dream Back", in addition to Mingwei played by the heroine Li Landi, the appearance and recognition of other female characters have also become the focus of discussion among the audience. First of all, Li Landi's sister, Minghui played by Sun Anke, has some features of a plastic surgery face, giving people a snarky feeling, which affects the affinity and recognition of the character to a certain extent.21 Although such a look may be to highlight the character traits of the character, in the eyes of the audience, it is easy to be confused with some modern plastic surgery aesthetics and lacks uniqueness.
The role of Zheng Chunhua is played by Zhang Leyun, she has the beauty of a two-dimensional girl in a state of modern clothes, fresh and refined, and it is easy to attract the attention of the audience. However, when she changed into a Qing palace dress, she seemed to have lost some of her spirit, and appeared a little thin, not as striking as she would have been in modern attire.11 This contrast in styling may be in line with the character's encounter and status changes in the play, but it may also make the audience feel the inconsistency of the character's image.
As for the female cannon fodder character "Xiaoyu" in the play, although her facial features are very delicate when viewed separately, they are a little unsatisfactory when combined, lacking a feature that people can remember at a glance. This lack of recognition may make the character's presence in the play less recognizable, and it is not easy to impress the audience.12
In general, the female characters in the TV series "Dream Back" do have some problems in terms of styling design, some characters lack recognition, and some characters do not match the character's personality or plot development. These problems may affect the audience's perception and evaluation of the characters, and also reflect that costume dramas need to be improved in character design. For the producer, more attention should be paid to the coordination and unity of the character modeling, the character's personality, and the plot background, and at the same time, the audience's aesthetic habits and expectations should be taken into account to create a character image that has both personality and conforms to the background of the times. For actors, even if there are deficiencies in styling, they must make the role more vivid and three-dimensional through their acting skills and understanding of the role, and win the recognition of the audience.
In the drama "Dream Back", the appearance and recognition of male characters have also been hotly discussed by the audience. First of all, the thirteenth elder brother, played by Wang Anyu, his appearance stands out among many characters and is very recognizable. Wang Anyu's appearance is handsome, with three-dimensional facial features, giving people a sunny and handsome feeling, which is very consistent with the enthusiastic personality of the thirteenth elder brother. Every time he appears in the play, he can attract the attention of the audience and become a beautiful landscape in the play.
And the fourteenth elder brother, played by Xin Yun, although he may be slightly inferior to the thirteenth elder brother in terms of facial features, his small eyes give people a unique impression of martial arts. Xin Yunlai's appearance is more inclined to a tough guy style, and his eyes reveal a sense of perseverance and courage, which is very consistent with the image of the fourteenth elder brother as a military general in the play. Although his appearance is not as eye-catching as that of the Thirteenth Elder Brother, he has his own unique charm that is impressive.
As for the fourth elder brother, played by Ding Qiao, his role positioning is mature and steady, and he has similarities with the thirteenth elder brother, but he has encountered some criticism in terms of appearance. The fourth elder brother's braided head shape is considered by some viewers to be uneven and lacks a sense of fluidity, which may not be consistent with the noble temperament of the character. Although Ding Qiao's acting skills are online and can well interpret the complex heart of the fourth elder brother, the lack of modeling still affects the overall image of the character.
In costume dramas, the modeling design of male characters is also very important, it is not only related to the external image of the character, but also related to the inner temperament of the character and the audience's sense of identity. For the producer, on the basis of respecting the historical background, combined with the character characteristics of the characters and the needs of the plot, design a shape that is not only in line with the characteristics of the times but also has personality. At the same time, it is also necessary to take into account the aesthetic habits and expectations of the audience to avoid hard injuries in the shape.
For actors, even if there are some deficiencies in styling, they must make the role more vivid and three-dimensional through their acting skills and understanding of the role. After all, the charm of a character comes not only from the appearance, but also from the inner temperament and emotion. Through the superb acting skills of the actors, they can make up for the lack of styling and make the characters more deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
As an important cultural product, TV dramas not only carry the function of entertainment, but also reflect the aesthetic trends and cultural values of society to a certain extent. In recent years, with the rapid development of the TV drama industry, the audience's aesthetic requirements for TV dramas have become higher and higher. However, in modern TV dramas, although the actors are handsome, they generally lack recognition, which makes it difficult to impress the audience with the character image compared to old dramas such as "Step by Step".
I remember that when "Step by Step" was broadcast, every character in the play had a distinct personality, whether it was the wit and courage of Mal Teruoxi, or the deep and introverted nature of the fourth master, or the gentleness and elegance of the eighth master, all of which made the audience remember it vividly. The shaping of these characters not only benefited from the superb acting skills of the actors, but also benefited from the careful design and creation of the character image in the TV series at that time. The styling of each character has been carefully thought out and strives to match the character's personality and destiny, so that the audience has a deeper sense of identity and substitution for the character.
However, on the other hand, in modern TV dramas, although the actors' appearance is generally higher, the shape of the characters is becoming more and more homogeneous. Whether it is a costume drama or a modern drama, the makeup, hairstyle, and costumes of the characters are becoming more and more similar, lacking personality and characteristics. This phenomenon is due to the unification trend of modern aesthetics on the one hand, and on the other hand, it is also due to the insufficient attention to the character image in the production process of TV dramas.
Here the author expresses his nostalgia for the aesthetics of past TV dramas and the appearance of the actors. In past TV series, the appearance of the actor is not the only criterion, but the actor's acting skills and character shaping are more important. And now, with the unification of aesthetics, the appearance of actors is becoming more and more homogeneous, and the image of the characters is becoming more and more single, which undoubtedly weakens the recognition of the characters and the audience's sense of identity.
At the same time, the author also criticizes the unification of modern aesthetics. While pursuing appearance, we can't ignore the personality and characteristics of the characters. As an art form, TV series should pay more attention to the internal shaping of the character, rather than just staying at the creation of the external image. Only in this way can we create more characters with depth, connotation and personality, so that the audience can get more thinking and insights while enjoying the TV series.
In general, the discussion of TV drama aesthetics and character recognition is not only a reflection on TV drama production, but also a reflection on the aesthetic trend of modern society. While pursuing beauty, we should pay more attention to the personality and characteristics of the characters, so that TV dramas can become an important carrier for conveying cultural values and aesthetic concepts.