Wednesday, August 17, 2011

Expert: Art Film survival will be difficult to delay the development of Chinese commercial film

Ishikawa, Shanghai Film Association Vice President, doctoral tutor of Shanghai University Film School

"This is the best I have seen this year, domestic films." Microblogging a general audience on the "Steel Chin" commented.

"I believe this film to show the steel frame of the piano will be a place in the history of Chinese cinema." Cui in the "Steel Chin" premiere on the say so.

However, the audience's good reputation and high professional evaluation, not in exchange for "Steel Chin" at the box office success. According to statistics, "Steel Chin" first weekend box office only 300 million, showing in many theaters only a few days early off the assembly line. In this regard, "Steel Chin" starring one of the Qin Hailu in Bowen, "a confession," he wrote, mere passion, depth and conscience, in such a materialistic environment, like a bullet without a warhead, really not fly!

"Steel Chin" dismal box office is not by chance, to a certain extent, reflects the survival of our current predicament art film. Survival of the art film into trouble, why? How can out of the woods? With these questions, the China Youth Daily reporter recently interviewed the Shanghai Film Association Vice President, Shanghai University Film School PhD supervisor Professor Shi Chuan.

China Youth Daily: how do you evaluate "Steel Chin" movie?

Ishikawa: "Steel Chin" is a very good realistic movie. I've seen four times on different occasions. As far as I know, audience, media and film professionals have a relatively high rating.

China Youth Daily: Why not give a good reputation, "Steel Chin" bring good box office?

Ishikawa: "Steel Chin" are not the subject matter and type of business, cinema box office can do 5 million yuan has been very good. With television, Internet and foreign copyright, should finally be able to recover costs or a slight surplus. In the current market structure, this result should be said is normal. We can not take large standards to small-budget film, how could a film do thirty-five million cost hundreds of millions at the box office?

China Youth Daily: Why is the "Steel Chin" word of mouth and box office are so great?

Ishikawa: movie box office on behalf of the commercial success, word of mouth is the audience judge the quality of the film. Two different perspectives, without imposing uniformity. The history of cinema really can do both popular and critically acclaimed films are not many, ticket sales and word of mouth is not surprising that some contrast.

China Youth Daily: not just "Steel Chin", the current art film mostly struggling to survive, many publishers are doing publicity and even "art films" are the words to avoid any fear.

Ishikawa: there is indeed a phenomenon. This shows that the film market is not mature, the film style, the type of tolerance is not enough. Small and medium-budget film, only comedy, thriller and a very few types of comparison by the market. Art types of film and mass market level often enough, hardly impressive box office returns. As a result, investors are reluctant to invest, film theaters do not want to row, even row, and may not have many viewers point of view. The other is the art of film is usually limited funds, there is no issue of sufficient funds for publicity and marketing. In recent years, the film Xuanfa Cheng greatly increased, even accounting for some 50% of production costs. An investment of $ 5 million film, production costs are often only 300 million, the remaining 2 million yuan to be used to send promotional propaganda. Most art films are hard to do that, of course, affected the box office.

China Youth Daily: like "Steel Chin" such art films to survive, what will bring the problem?

Ishikawa: In fact, the ultimate victims of not only art film itself, art films to survive, the development of commercial films will be blocked. Usually in the style of art film, style, type with experimental, exploratory characteristics, like an experimental field, or R & D base, it can continuously provide new commercial films for the material, inspiration, style and talent. Those who enter the so-called "billion club" of the director made films, including Zhang Yimou, Chen Kaige, and, later, Jiang Wen, Zhang Bai, Gao Qun Shu, Lu Chuan, Ning Hao, art films are not all from the start it? They are more assertive personality of early film, do not belong to the established business types. Films are concerned, some people invest in them, have more opportunities. In this way, step by step they become the backbone of mainstream commercial films. So, there is no exploration of innovative art films, mainstream commercial films, and the whole film industry is very difficult to progress.

China Youth Daily: commercial films and art films of the pattern in the end is what kind of state?

Ishikawa: commercial films, art films are not strictly the concept of the film classification, they have different production systems and distribution channels of financing, each with its own market space and way of life, there are relatively close to each other interactions. People know that Hollywood is the production center in North America, but in fact, there are two independent filmmakers Center in New York and Vancouver, have gathered a lot of independent filmmakers. They have a variety of ideas, themes, stories, and there are many funding sources, among them those who are gifted, talented director, will be 好莱坞片商 fancy, so that they cooperate with Wall Street's financial capital.

China Youth Daily: in our commercial films and art films to establish a good pattern, you have any suggestions?

Ishikawa: China's film market in the future should develop in the direction toward the audience. Like I'm going to the supermarket to buy shampoo, there will always be on the shelves of dozens of different products, I can according to their preferences, purchasing power, product characteristics selected at random. But the film still can not do this, the market seems too simple, not much choice the audience, can only squeeze in one pot meal, ultimately, is difficult to reach. If our future movies, but also buy the shampoo as it is today, as digital products, you can choose according to taste, "high-low box office, word of mouth" or "high-low box office, word of mouth" phenomenon will be much improved.

China Youth Daily: the Focus of the film market, the market must be large enough to film, the premise of the film production is more than enough, right?

Ishikawa: Of course, the audience of the market is only a vision, a short time is difficult to do. Because the Chinese film market is still in solution, "subsistence" stage, the audience of the market is "well-off." China currently has more than 6,000 screens, most concentrated in central cities, a considerable number of second and third tier cities in almost no modern cinema. So the most urgent is to continue to expand the film market size and coverage, so that more people can fancy movie.

Of course, given the uneven development in China, but also to promote the market segmentation of local conditions, the conditions are ripe place to first carry out. Such as the North, on the broad of these cities has always been the Chinese film "ticket bunker." Here the audience a good foundation, large market, the demand for more diverse film can be in the second and third tier cities massed market reform attempt.

China Youth Daily: It is said that the establishment of Focus of the film market, the key is to create a living space to the art film, it is necessary to establish the art of cinema. Is that true?

Ishikawa: Yes, the imperative to engage in the art of cinema, but not blindly, but also rational planning. Now Beijing has been an art cinema - MOMA Contemporary Broadway Cinematheque. Although Shanghai has no real sense of the art of cinema, screening activities are very active civil society. Shanghai Film Festival screenings of art films are also popular year after year. All this shows that art film in Shanghai, already has a considerable amount of audience.

China Youth Daily: But people who like art films, only a minority, how to protect the art of cinema's normal operation?

Ishikawa: arts theater full accordance with the requirements of the business model operation is impossible. Art cinema to survive, at least to have three premises: first, a stable audience, is sufficient sources for the second and third is financial support. The biggest problem now is money. Foreign art cinema generally rely on private funding, in China, mainly by government and big business's financial support. Such as local governments can use tax breaks and provide rental, show the form of subsidies to encourage the art of theater development. There is appeal to large enterprises to take on more public cultural responsibility, through the establishment of cultural fund in the form of theater for the arts funding. We both are still very large as the space. Reporter to Nan

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