Conversation with the special effects packaging team of "Run" to reveal the secret of "flower characters"

In the reality show battlefield where competition is fierce, in addition to competing for celebrity positions, variety show concepts, and game sessions, various production teams are now more interested in the special effects packaging of the program, namely "flower characters", which have also become a key factor in the ratings. A weapon for competition. With the help of God's editing, the lens language of variety shows began to express "emotions". Different from editors, "huazi" is more creative, which is an art that requires a lot of imagination.

Early mainland variety shows did not have a clear concept of flowery characters. Most programs would only appear with some auxiliary text when explanations were needed, and did not pay enough attention to flowery characters. However, with the arrival of variety shows from Taiwan, Japan and South Korea, the audience's viewing habits and psychology have continued to change, and the position of Huazi in the program has rapidly increased. The first time that this novel packaging format appeared on a large scale in a mainland variety show can be traced back to the first season of the outdoor parent-child reality show "Where Are We Going, Dad" that Hunan Satellite TV imported the copyright of South Korea's MBC TV station in 2013.

Tian Liang called out his daughter's English name "Cindy" in non-standard English, and Lin Zhiying and his son had an intimate conversation before going to bed. Many viewers were either amused or moved by these "fancy" subtitles. Pass. Since the shooting of reality shows is highly random, unlike movies and TV series, which are not shot according to the split-shot design, it is necessary to use colorful characters to emphasize the plot in post-production and use special effects to lead the audience to imagine the real recording of the camera.

Variety show memes are used in advertisements

The post-production special effects of the new season of "Run" are handled by Popo Media, which introduces an original two-dimensional animation style. Flower characters are the most intuitive presentation when viewers watch variety shows. They are an important tool to enhance entertainment, drama and interaction. They themselves can also become a punchline or variety show meme. According to its internal staff, in the past, most variety shows only used static patterns to make fancy characters, which made the audience jump to the stage. "Every word we use in the show is frame-chasing, and will move according to the character's situation, or even 'walk out of the frame.' We all use the method of producing movie-level special effects. How does this word appear and how does it disappear? , where to place it, whether it is primary or secondary, etc. are all strictly controlled based on our experience.”

What is the “flowery word” for variety shows? Mok Wenhao, the founder of Baogu Media, made a vivid metaphor, "Each set of shots is like a piece of text, and the flower characters and animated special effects are like punctuation marks in the text. They will make the plot richer when placed in the right place. Help the audience understand." It can be seen that the program seems to have a completely new and refreshing feeling after decorating the "flower characters". The sense of story conflict, suspense, and overall rhythm and mood in the reality show have been greatly improved. This kind of fancy characters that add color to the content of the program well taps into the inherent genes of the program itself, making the picture "alive" and maximizing the communication effect of the program.

Mok Wenhao, founder of Baogu Media

It is understood that flower characters are subdivided into many different types, “There are narrative flower characters, the most commonly used emotional flower characters, and game layouts. Explain the rules of the game, tailor-made facial expressions for the guests, comment on the characters from a third party’s perspective, and use them as suspense, paragraphs, etc. ”

The characters will be held in each episode. Changes due to program format or story requirements. Generally speaking, the number of characters required for a one-hour reality show is about 600 to 1,000. A staff member from Baogu Media said, “Take "Run" as an example, one issue may have 1,000 fancy words. The production process is probably that the editor and post-production director add some of their own ideas and ideas at the beginning of editing. The copywriting is then revised and supplemented by the Huazi director, who writes some interesting points, and is finally handed over to the special effects Huazi team, who will make some modifications based on the situation. The average production time for one issue is only about three to five days.

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He has participated in the post-production of films such as the "Zhiming and Chunjiao" series, the "Love in the City" series and "Chinese Partner" Mok Wenhao said, "To some extent, reality shows are very similar to Lunar New Year movies. They both create a happy atmosphere and create dense laughter, so that the audience can relax and get involved in the plot while watching." For example, in "Run". The seventh issue of "Brain-Burning Special" adopts a suspense-like approach, and thanks to the film production experience of the special effects director, it can easily create a cinematic feel in the variety show.

For the better. To effectively present the final effect, Baogu Media participates from the beginning of planning, extending the needs and awareness of the later stage to the early stage. They believe that editing and scripting are inseparable. “The special thing about our team is that every post-production director and Editors all know how to use flower characters and special effects to tell stories. Everyone is involved in the flower character thing. This is our strength. "It is understood that during the recording of the program, there will be post-production staff on site to follow the shooting and communicate with the pre-production director about the shooting needs. "Because of the pre-production experience, I can feed back the effects that will appear in the later stage to the pre-production director during the filming to provide reference for editing. "More comfortable".

Nowadays, Huazi seems to have become the language of variety shows for post-90s audiences and post-90s creatives to communicate through the screen. The staff of Baogu Media revealed that their colleagues are all in B They have one or two fancy directors for each program, and their main job is to sort out the editor’s text, make slight modifications, and refine and add some fun elements. They are still gossip-addicted teenagers and girls, and they can accurately know each guest's weaknesses, personality settings, and some very fresh jokes every time. "

The staff of Paogu said that their work is like a search engine. By entering keywords, you can immediately find the corresponding information and information in your mind. "Because the production cycle of variety shows is very short. , there is not much time for us to think. From conception to design to creation, we rely not only on an idea, but also on constantly collecting information and learning animation special effects from around the world. ”

The conscientious special effects packaging team deeply explores the value of “flower characters” in variety shows

It is understood that flower characters play the following functions in variety shows: they enhance the narrative plot and character relationships. Excavation, supplementing the background environment, refining and expanding emotions, visual packaging and modification, creating suspense, and making the laugh points concrete, the staff of Baogu Media said that the last one is what they are best at. When talking about outer space, we will change the entire background to space, just like using green cloth to cut out the pictures in a movie. By making abstract things concrete, the audience can get laughs in seconds and broaden their imagination. ”

Flower characters give a variety show emotion and aura, and make some flat shots come alive. When asked what is the most important thing about flower characters, they all agreed that it is to control the audience. Psychological rhythm. The team members said that only when the flower characters can be seen at the right time can the audience's excitement be aroused. "So the accurate placement of the flower characters is the most important; secondly, creativity, we are always innovating. , each episode strives to allow the audience to see something new, and every flowery character has its own life. ”

Mok Wenhao, who is a director, studied screenwriting under Eric Tsang, and entered the industry as a film editor. Together with his university classmates who are engaged in film special effects, cartoons, and advertising, they form the creative core of Baogu Media. Baogu Media Valley Media is transliterated in English as popcorn (popcorn). Mo Wenhao said, "The work of Popcorn Media is like processing corn into popcorn. Through post-editing, it becomes easier to eat, and the fancy characters and special effects make it more delicious. Tasteful. ”

At the end of the interview, they were asked “When do they feel the most accomplished?” They said they felt a sense of accomplishment when the characters created by the team created explosive points and amplified some phenomena.

For example, "Xiaoyuer 7 Second Memory" is a hot search topic on Weibo. "Our company's practice is to get together to watch every episode of the program we produce. When we see the barrage, the comments say, 'Add chicken drumsticks, it will be poisonous in the later stage. Later, 666' will make us feel that our efforts have been affirmed, and what we have produced will remain in the hearts of the audience."

Text/Wu Bihan

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