House of Cards author Michael Dobbs

Reference news network reported on May 11, 2013 in February, the American drama "House of Cards" in the United States online video platform "Netflix" came out, the outside world said that Netflix did a subversive thing in the United States industry - the first time the whole season of the series all broadcast. It is the show's solid foundation of original content that has helped Netflix surpass the traditional HBO network in terms of subscribers.

The hit show follows the changing political ecology of American politics, the exchange of interests between politicians and the dilemma of human nature, and skillfully creates a fictional reality. There is no shortage of "gossip" and drama: murder, pornography, extramarital affairs, money and power trading, intrigues, but it is brilliant in that these fictions have a convincing sense of rationality and reality.

British Michael Dobbs, as the original author, can be described as the "founding father" of the "House of Cards" story. On April 22, 2018, Reference Culture met Michael Dobbs, who was attending the New Cultural and Creative Industry Summit in China, and had the opportunity to know him face to face.

Why is' House of Cards' so popular?

The cover of House of Cards

Michael Dobbs entered British politics in 1975 as a special adviser and chief of staff in the Thatcher government.

Dobbs described working for Margaret Thatcher's campaign in 1987 as particularly difficult: "Margaret Thatcher was a brutal person who loved confrontation, and I remember her swinging her handbag around and hitting people." Thatcher was, perhaps, too difficult to get along with. "The words' sorely missed 'will never appear on her gravestone," he said, with typical British irony.

Interestingly, he may have been inspired to write House of Cards by Margaret Thatcher.

After Thatcher's election victory, Dobbs decided to take a vacation immediately - the only one he would take after two and a half years of hard work. It was during that vacation that he read a terrible political novel and said to himself, "If I'm angry about this novel, why not write a better one?" So he took a tablet, a pen and a bottle of white wine to the pool and started writing.

However, when the bottle was empty, the paper in front of him said nothing but "fuck you".

But in the end, how did he finish the book?

"It seems to be catharsis and therapy," Dobbs said. If it's all about Francis Underwood, it's just so enjoyable."

"You don't have to decide to write. It seems to me that writing a political novel is pretty easy." He believes that it is only necessary to draw from reality and then flow from the pen, but he also has a special writing technique: "Real politicians never exaggerate or go to extremes. But in fiction, you often have to portray them as incredible."

Dobbs does not have the pain of ordinary artists, but full of joy.

"Writing House of Cards made me feel free, and it nourished me. I'm back in the role of politics now, and it relaxes me that what you write is what you live, not what you write. People encouraged me to give it a go in politics, but there were always setbacks, that was the norm." At 70, he is clearly at peace.

Convey his own understanding of Western politicians

Michael Dobbs is deputy chairman of the Conservative Party

Michael Dobbs was so well known in the Conservative Party that he was even referred to as the "baby-faced killer of Westminster".

"Politics is a very tough business, and actually the really successful politicians make very tough decisions," he said.

Dobbs has published a book about former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill.

Dobbs' portrayal of the hero in House of Cards well conveys his own understanding of Western political figures.

Francis Underwood, for example, says he won't get the job, and then his fingers clank, the agony of a politician's heart.

In his depictions of political figures, Michael Dobbs's dry British humor and honesty also come through at times, which is refreshing.

"House of Cards" changed my life

Michael Dobbs and the creator of House of Cards

Perhaps most Chinese viewers are familiar with the story of House of Cards because of the American series produced by Netflix, but in fact, the BBC also filmed a British version before.

If he was decisive in agreeing to allow the BBC to adapt the novel, he was sceptical in deciding whether to grant the rights to MRC in America. "They mentioned Kevin Spacey, David Fincher, Robin Wright, Netflix, one by one, and I started to trust them. "I thought how could I get Ian Richardson and Kevin Spacey to play them, it was like winning two Olympic gold MEDALS without breaking a sweat." "I didn't expect it, and I can say that 25 years later, it changed my life forever."

He described selling a copyright as like selling a house: "You build it, you design it, you live in it and you raise a family, but once you sell it, it's not yours anymore."

"House of Cards" is an extremely politically sensitive show. The British version opens with the main character holding a framed photograph of Margaret Thatcher, face down, and then saying "Nothing lasts forever", which sets the tone for the show's mocking sophistication.

The timing of House of Cards is perfect: America is going through a crisis, it seems to be dying, and people are desperate for someone to step up and make a difference. That's when people need someone like Francis Underwood. Dobbs believes that Francis "really gets things done, no matter what the process is, he even smiles at the camera and talks to the audience, he breaks the fourth wall and brings the audience into complicity."

Dobbs said his involvement in the US version of House of Cards was "unique and enjoyable, I didn't expect it to be so enjoyable". He also shared some interesting facts about the shoot:

Dobbs said the US version of "House of Cards" is more than a TV series, like a 13-hour movie, with twists and turns and climax. "The sound of the door closing, the lighting effect is directly taken from the White House, the Capitol, and even if the audience can't see what's in the bedroom closet, the characters open it and it's full of clothes." Toilet flushing, lights out signals, furniture appliances... You can actually live on the show for weeks and have this luxury." It's all about getting the actors to really get into character, he says, and the show sets an unexpectedly high bar from the start.

It is necessary to balance the acquisition and acquisition of big data

The US version of House of Cards is available on Netflix

The best-selling US version of "House of Cards" is not unrelated to its being broadcast on the new streaming media big data playback platform "Netflix". Netflix users can watch a vast array of movies and TV shows on their TVS, computers, XBOX game consoles and other devices, while Netflix streaming and DVD rental subscriptions cost as little as $7.99 a month.

The most critical change is technological innovation. In the case of House of Cards, fans of Kevin Spacey will see trailers that focus on him, and female viewers will see trailers filled with female characters... Netflix records every time you play, pauses, fast-forwards, and analyzes your tastes to recommend more suitable content.

Michael Dobbs believes that this kind of movie and television big data operation has the hidden concern of violating user privacy. "For a large company, how much specific information does he need to have? It's a balance. Big companies can create new and better businesses, but on the other hand, they can ensure the rights of individual users, such as personal privacy, the right to have their lives not disturbed."

He even thinks it's not so smart to cater to users' tastes.

For example, he said, "There used to be a car manufacturing company that would give customers whatever car they wanted. You want the black car, we give you the black car six months later, but the company didn't survive." In Dobbs' view, producers and consumers "have to have a balance between taking and taking."

But he is unquestionably positive about the technology represented by Netflix: "People used to be afraid that new technology would compromise creativity and lower standards, but the opposite is true. "From the beginning, Netflix understood the importance of quality and set the bar a little higher."

However, dramatic changes in technology have begun to promote lifestyle changes. For example, the British Theatre has partnered with streaming media to open the broadcast function, so that the entire UK and even beyond the region can watch the performance in real time.

But this convenience also has a price, it hurts the audience in the theater sitting solemn sense, "I am in a very comfortable environment, in front of the big screen to watch Shakespeare's work Othello." I got a pretty good look at Othello on the big screen when he did this to his wife, but what's the problem? He killed his wife for more than ten minutes, and you can still see the actor's chest rising and breathing." "Dobbs said.

Michael Dobbs has mixed feelings about the new technology. But as a cultural creator, he has his limits

"The worst thing that can happen is that you go out there and you try to please everyone, and in the end you don't succeed, you have nothing."

And that certainly won't happen with Michael Dobbs.