Produced by Nicky Wu (吳奇隆), mainland Chinese drama, The Bride With White Hair <新白发魔女传> premiered on September 14 on Hunan TV. As the drama delivered excellent ratings, Hunan TV will air six episodes in a week instead of the originally planned four episodes. Although the drama has achieved ideal ratings, it is also heavily criticized by viewers. Too Many Animations? First time producer, Nicky Wu, added vibrant colors and many visual effects in the new version of The Bride With White Hair. However, many netizens blasted the drama for having too many animations and criticized the poor visual effects. Responding to the viewers’ feedback, Nicky indicated that the drama emphasized on the martial arts instead. “Maybe it’s the different perspective of the viewers. This is not a fantasy drama, and does not have too many animations and visual effects. The martial arts scenes are real and the other effects only enhance the drama. I feel that it is not bad at all.” Lead Actress Ma Su Not Striking? As compared to Brigitte Lin (林青霞), many viewers felt that lead actress Ma Su (马苏) is not attractive and striking enough to play the lead character. Defending his choice of the cast, Nicky said, “She is also pretty in her way, while cold and ruthless too.” Viewers also questioned the editing of the drama. The plot advances too rapidly as Nicky and Ma Su already had an underwater kissing in the first episode, which left many viewers baffled. In regards to viewers’ comments, Nicky said, “We hope to progress the relationship faster. However, we will be conservative managing the love scenes in the ancient drama. It will not be overly passionate. Haha… you will be disappointed!” Fourth Prince Voiceover? As Nicky used the same voice artist that dubbed his character from Bu Bu Jing Xin <步步驚心>, many netizens felt the presence of the “Fourth Prince in” The Bride With White Hair. Nicky stated that he selected the same voice artist as he is more familiar with Nicky’s voice, expressions and acting. Nicky also added, “As the same voice is utilized in another drama, it’s like I am still the same actor who acts in a different drama.” Post-production Still Incomplete Although the drama has premiered last week on Hunan TV, the crew is still rushing to complete the post-production for later episodes. Nicky revealed, “We still have not given the tapes to Hunan TV for this Friday and Saturday’s airing. We are still rushing and the pressure is so intense!” The production team of the drama is facing a tight deadline since the filming. Within a short five-month period, the team has to rush in the filming, post-production, voiceover, editing and even the promotional photos. Nicky said that they were targeting to wrap up the post-production and had no time to consider the ratings. As The Bride With White Hair will air six episodes in a three-day week, the production crew let off their frustrations on Weibo. The production chief, Li Longfei (李龍飛) wrote, “Six episodes! The joke is too big!” Another crew member also wrote, “The stage jumps too fast! The trailer and the promotional photos have not even disseminated yet! We need to buy the ingredients first in order to cook a lavish meal!” Creds: Sina
