The Drama Department of the State Administration of Radio and Television Holds a Seminar on Healthy Aesthetic in TV Dramas to Avoid "Appearance Over Substance" and "Traffic Dependency"

Author: Yang Xiangfei

China Securities News, China Securities Network reports: (Reporter Yang Xiangfei) On April 2, the Drama Division of the National Radio and Television Administration (abbreviated as “NRTA”) held a symposium on healthy aesthetics in TV drama.

Attending the meeting were representatives from key online audio-visual platforms such as iQiyi, Mango TV, Tencent Video, and Youku, as well as related personnel from production institutions including Noon Sunlight, Ningmeng Film and Television, Huace Film & TV, and Changxin Media.

The meeting believed that within the TV drama industry there are adverse creative tendencies of one-sidedly pursuing “beauty above all.” In some dramas, actors’ makeup is excessive, and there are also issues such as certain costumes and makeup props being disconnected from characters’ personalities and story settings.

The meeting proposed that it is important to deeply understand the significance of establishing and fostering a healthy aesthetics concept. We should integrate healthy aesthetics into the entire creative process, so that TV drama works become a vivid vehicle for showcasing Chinese spirit, Chinese values, and Chinese strength. The public’s needs for TV dramas have never been limited to “looking good” in terms of appearance; they are about “being worth rewatching,” about the works’ ideological depth, emotional resonance, and cultural nourishment—so that artistic value and social value are unified. The goal is not only to “entertain people,” but also to “educate people.”

Second, we must firmly discard distorted aesthetics, keep the aesthetic bottom line for TV drama creation, and resolutely carry out the shift from a “star-centered system” to a “script-centered system.” We must put an end to “beauty worship,” adhere to “content is king and people are the foundation,” and make characters full of flesh and blood, with warmth and a soul. The most basic requirement is: “If you play the role, you have to match it.” We should avoid “beauty above all” and “dependence on traffic,” and focus more on acting skills and the works themselves. We must ensure that wardrobe, hair, makeup, and other production elements serve character building and story expression, and match the characters’ images. Overall, the works should present healthy and uplifting spiritual traits, embody Chinese气派, Chinese style, and strengthen cultural confidence.

Third, we must strengthen primary responsibilities and promote the implementation and effectiveness of the healthy aesthetics concept. Through coordinated efforts and close cooperation among administrative authorities, industry associations, production institutions, and broadcasting platforms, we should enhance professional guidance and learning and training, and run the healthy aesthetics concept through the entire process of TV drama creation and production, broadcasting, and management.

The meeting emphasized that establishing a healthy aesthetics concept requires the whole industry to rally as one and work with persistence over the long term. We must adhere to the bottom line of healthy aesthetics, and with care, with feeling, and with genuine effort, create more premium works that live up to the times, the people, and the nation. This will make a new and greater contribution to promoting high-quality development of the TV drama industry and building a cultural power.

(Editor: Wen Jing)

Keywords:

                                                            TV drama