Jiang Wei talks about TV series: interesting, then positive

Jiang Wei is a screenwriter and a director. He has won a Magnolia Award for best screenplay. His films such as Lurk, Don\'t Respond To Strangers, and Absolute Control are popular in China. Jiang participated in the Shanghai Television Festival as a jury member again and had an exclusive interview with Daily News.

 

Daily News: The spy war play is a new start for TV, and Lurk is also one of the best. What do you think is most important in making a good spy war play?
Jiang: Not only the spy war play, but all work should be done according to the following: first, make it interesting and then make it positive. "Interesting" refers to the tension in the plot and dealings with the enemy, full of suspense, intelligence and wit. This is the foundation, and we should do it better and better. "Positive" refers to the content you are promoting, including the spirit of fighting or sacrifice. You have to find something deeper below the surface, instead of focusing on the external.

 

Daily News: Has the spy war play market reached saturation, what\'s your opinion?
Jiang: I do not think it has hit the saturation point. Although there are a number of spy war plays, this does not mean they are all of high quality. The high quality is the real high quantity.

 

Daily News: How does the screenplay respond if some movie styles reach saturation ?
Jiang: First, we had to be a person of aesthetics, with a higher level of evaluation and an guiding expression.

 

Daily News: Apart from the spy game play, you have also written and directed a number of anti-corruption works, which are very popular in the TV industry, such as Absolute Control, what\'s your opinion on these anti-corruption plays?
Jiang: "Anti-corruption" is not a type of creation, but that which relates to official corruption. I think several of my works you just mentioned are not "anti-corruption," but melodramas that include tense plots that include some corrupt individuals.

 

Daily News: What styles are interesting, but losing the attention of the TV industry?
Jiang: Many, there are still many worthy things to do for life and idol play. In my opinion, romances and life movies, which have existed in literature for a long time, will continue to thrive. Relatively, there are some new subjects, such as disasters, horror, and animation, but the innovative and challenging works are few.

 

Daily News: What kinds of TV series do you want to create?
Jiang: Anything with a strong plot. Personally, I like intense plots, such as spy games, gangsters, smuggling and narcotics, which are different from life plots.

 

Daily News: Comparatively speaking, which is your strength, writing or directing?
Jiang: The strength? It is hard to chose between these two similar things. Actually, I like both, a screenwriter is full of fret and racks their brain to write. Being a director is very tiring, with less sleep, poor health, and high pressure. Both are similar, but incomparable. I carried out both alternately, gaining both joy and sorrow from each.

 

Daily News: I know you majored in history, does this contribute to the progress of screenwriting?
Jiang: When getting to the middle age, you will find the knowledge is very useful for either scriptwriting or something else, especially the manities.

 

Daily News: So what\'s the contribution of your professional knowledge to your creation?
Jiang: I can operate from a strategically advantageous position instead of a general level, which was attributable to my rich knowledge and high intelligence. Your question is very enlightening, reminding me to keep learning. It is never too late to learn.

 

Daily News: What standards do you require to give a TV series a high mark?
Jiang: High viewer ratings, the viewers love it, and social benefits. Daily News: What\'s the overall trend in Chinese TV?
Jiang: Better and better.