Your Microphone, My Voice
“Once we import a program, we really change things up,” admitted Tian Ming, CEO of Star China Media (SCM), which produces The Voice of China.
Tian Ming says Chinese television networks have gone through a number of phases in how they go about importing copyrights. In the early days, many TV stations copied outright foreign programs – often without permission from the copyright holders. After a while, Chinese TV networks started purchasing the authentic copyrights to programs, though the rules and regulations that came with the purchases were usually ignored. “We insisted on doing things entirely our own way and turned a deaf ear to the suggestions made by experienced foreign production teams,” said Tian.
Chinese producers eventually got around to studying original programs seriously, and discussing core issues with the copyright holders, said Tian. They would follow advice, while also “integrating their input with our own interpretation of the Chinese market,” said Tian.
Chen Wei, chief coordinator at The Voice of China, recalled his awe on watching the American version of the show. It reminded him of a program produced by Zhejiang TV in 2011, only much, much better. “We’re doing the same thing, but they’re doing it on a whole other level. It would be crazy not to utilize foreign expertise,” he said.
As with most TV copyrights, everything down to the smallest detail is outlined in the copyright manual for The Voice. The purpose of the show, the operational protocol, the candidate recruitment strategies, the location of the band and audience, a map of the cameras and lighting... everything is in there. The copyright holder can change or rewrite content in line with different situations in different countries. In preparation for the launch of The Voice of China, the team from the Netherlands flew to China to give advice on the show’s production and even offered suggestions on the effective use of marketing on social and online media.
“The Dutch producers promised to help us get through the fine details of the show’s manual,” said Li Yuan, a project executor at the International Program Content Network (IPCN), the copyright agent for The Voice of China. He was the one who ensured the production team would fly to China to train Chinese producers. “At one point in time, there were seven consultants here to guide the live shooting. They monitored every detail,” he said. For a 90-minute show, there was more than 1,000 minutes of raw material.
The effort paid off. “The show was successful in over 40 countries and regions. The key to this success was loyalty to the original show and maintaining all the detail,” said Li.
But Tian Ming still holds that some changes should be made to cater to Chinese audiences, who “focus on human interest, and like good story development.” The Dutch version of The Voice attracted people with fresh – strange, some might say – performances, while contestants’ backgrounds were sidelined. The Voice of China, however, spends more time on personal stories and slows down the narrative, building more emotional resonance between the contestants and the audience.
As sad stories emerged in greater numbers, the show provoked controversy. The producers were taking advantage of contestants’ lives to manipulate audience’s feelings, people said. But in the end the criticism just added to the show’s popularity and ratings.
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