(East-West Question) How can Hengdian learn from each other with Hollywood and Bollywood?
China News Agency, Hangzhou, April 12th: How can Hengdian learn from each other with Hollywood and Bollywood?
China News Agency reporter Chai Yanfei, Zhao Yejiao, Zhang Bin
The film and television culture industry has made important contributions to presenting a credible, lovely and respectable image of China. Hengdian, located in Dongyang City, Jinhua, Zhejiang, is a typical representative.
Hu Zhifeng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of Beijing Film Academy, and Xu Tianfu, Chairman of Zhejiang Hengdian Film and Television Industry Federation of Literary and Art Circles recently accepted an exclusive interview with China News Agency "East-West Question" to introduce the characteristics of China's film and television cultural industry in the new era, and compare Hengdian and Hengdian with The similarities and differences between Hollywood and Bollywood, discuss how China's film and television cultural industry communicates and learns from the world.
The following is a summary of the interview transcript:
China News Service reporter: What are the characteristics of China's film and television cultural industry in the new era?
Hu Zhifeng:
With the growth of comprehensive national strength, China's film and television cultural industry has developed at an alarming rate. The number of screens has jumped to the top in the world, and it has taken the lead in realizing all-digital projections. The dominant position of the domestic film market has been further consolidated, and the film box office has jumped to the forefront of the world, providing huge film and television for the world cultural market.
In the new era, China's film and television cultural industry mainly presents the following characteristics: First, the policy dividends continue to take effect. The state attaches great importance to cultural power, and provides a lot of practical support for the film and television cultural industry in terms of taxation and talents; In key schedules such as 2019, Chinese films often have high box office films of billions of yuan, and some of them are among the best in the global box office; third, the educational function has been continuously strengthened. It plays an active role in shaping young people's outlook on life, values, and world outlook; fourth, the international communication function is constantly highlighted; fifth, the film and television technology continues to develop; sixth, the industry's leading role is constantly reflected.
Xu Tianfu:
In 1996, Hengdian established a Guangzhou Street shooting base for the filming of the film "The Opium War", which opened the prelude to the development of the film and television industry.
Up to now, Hengdian has filmed more than 70,000 episodes of film and television dramas.
According to data released by the State Film Administration of China, the films "Changjin Lake" and "Hello, Li Huanying" produced by enterprises in Hengdian in 2021 will rank first and second at the box office in Chinese film history.
"Changjin Lake Water Gate Bridge" movie poster.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Lv Ming
Hengdian in the new era is continuing to improve the development of the entire industry chain, creating a "Silicon Valley" for film and television talents, and constantly promoting cultural exchanges between China and the world.
At present, Hengdian has built 29 high-tech studios of international standards and a number of modern and contemporary film and television shooting scenes. Many shooting equipment such as lights and cameras are imported, and the post-virtualized technical support is provided by Beijing, Shenzhen, Hangzhou and other places. Provided by Chinese manufacturers, providing a platform for Chinese and foreign film and television technology exchanges and innovations.
The Hengdian European Town Film and Television Travel Shooting Base (Germany) is under construction and designed by foreign parties. The “authentic” restoration of European style will provide shooting scenes for global film and television companies.
In addition, Hengdian is active in more than 100,000 "Hengdrifts" and 18,000 film and television industry personnel. Hengdian University of the Arts, which is under construction by a Sino-foreign joint venture, will further promote cultural exchanges by jointly cultivating Chinese and foreign film and television talents.
A crew filmed in the high-tech studio in Hengdian, Zhejiang.
China News Agency issued a single crown and fixed photography
China News Service reporter: From a global perspective, how can Hengdian achieve cultural mutual learning with Hollywood in Europe and the United States and Bollywood in India?
Hu Zhifeng:
Hollywood is located in Los Angeles, USA. It is the leader and benchmark of the global film and television culture industry, with great productivity and influence.
In particular, Hollywood's film and television industry system is very complete, and it has built a smooth and meticulous interaction and operation mechanism for all aspects of the industry chain, such as content creation, film and television production, distribution and communication, and operation and management.
For example, Hollywood has a mature operating process in terms of salary design, risk aversion, contract formulation and other details.
At the same time, Hollywood can integrate talents and discover themes on a global scale to achieve global distribution and communication.
American Hollywood giant sign.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Jia Guorong
Bollywood is located in Mumbai, India. The musical and comedy films it produces all highlight the national character. They are highly recognizable in the content and style of film and television works, and have unique Indian national characteristics.
Bollywood film and television works are mainly in English, and are influenced by Europe and the United States in terms of distribution and dissemination, which reduces the cost of international dissemination and cultural exchanges.
Zhejiang Hengdian is an important base of China's film and television culture industry chain, and it is the most complete in the film and television culture industry chain, especially in back-end production.
In addition to shooting live scenes, high-tech studios and a large number of extras and practitioners, Hengdian also provides a series of film and television production services such as catering, accommodation and business management to the crew.
By integrating cultural and tourism elements into the film and television industry, Hengdian also plays an important role in stimulating the development of the film and television industry, expanding and extending the industrial chain, and promoting common prosperity.
Aerial photography of Hengdian, Zhejiang.
Photo by China News Agency by Kang Xuan
Compared with other countries and regions in the world with earlier development, more advanced technology and more mature experience in the film and television culture industry, China still needs to improve in terms of content originality, talent competitiveness, artistic creation leadership, and global coverage and influence. , this is a complex project.
China News Service reporter: What kind of image of China does the film and television cultural works show?
Xu Tianfu:
With the improvement of the production level of Chinese film and television dramas, Chinese domestic film and television dramas are popular overseas, and many of them are from Hengdian enterprises in the district.
"Beautiful Times of Daughter-in-law" is all the rage in Africa, African guys will call Chinese women "Doudou" when they see Chinese women.
On ZingTV, one of the largest video sites in Vietnam, "He's Here, Please Close Your Eyes" ranks third in the number of views on the site, and "Flower Thousand Bone" has more than 10 million views.
The copyright of "The Legend of Mi Yue" has been purchased by more than a dozen countries and regions.
TV series and movies such as "Strategy of Yanxi Palace" and "The Wandering Earth" produced by Hengdian enterprises in the district are also broadcast and screened around the world.
Hu Zhifeng:
Several types of film and television works are more prominent in telling Chinese stories and showing Chinese images: one is to tell the unique Chinese culture through images and narrative methods well-known in the West, such as "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon", which shows Chinese chivalry; Empathy, such as the documentary "A Bite of China", etc., makes use of the clothing, food, housing, and transportation that everyone has the same feeling for film and television creation, and realizes cross-cultural communication; the third is to awaken empathy, such as presenting rivers, lakes, seas, and natural landscapes. Or film and television works that express family ethics and personal emotions, such as "No One Can Be Missed"; the fourth is to reflect consensus. For example, the documentary "One Year in Tibet" records the natural living conditions of Tibetan people and truly reflects the state's support for herdsmen. It makes people feel why and how China can effectively address the needs of the people and arouse a sense of consensus.
Every nation and every culture has its own unique thinking, especially its natural habits in narrative expression.
Comparing Chinese and Western film and television cultural works, the West places more emphasis on rational, three-dimensional, and structural expressions, while China often expresses lyrically and linearly in accordance with emotional logic.
For example, family ethics dramas such as "Everything Is Good", which reflects the love and hatred within the family, are loved and discussed by the Chinese people, reflecting the difference between Chinese and Western cultures; another example is the movie "The Wandering Earth", which provides solutions to world problems and human crises. The unique "Chinese plan" is different from the "Hollywood-style" "escape the earth" or "destroy the earth", but "walk with the earth", which reflects the Chinese people's worries about the survival and development of human beings and the future and destiny. The expressive way of video art is in line with the concept of building a community with a shared future for mankind.
People watch the movie "The Wandering Earth" in the cinema.
Photo by China News Agency reporter Zhang Yun
China News Service reporter: What challenges have Chinese film and television cultural works encountered in international communication?
Hu Zhifeng:
Film and television cultural works, especially films, have natural advantages in cross-cultural and cross-regional communication, because they are more intuitive, vivid and vivid, and the stories are fuller and richer.
Compared with general cultural and artistic products, films have shorter duration, lower cost, and convenient dissemination, making them a very good carrier for international dissemination.
All countries have the will to use film for cultural dissemination, but there is still a lot of work to be done to achieve this goal.
At present, the international dissemination of Chinese film and television culture mainly encounters four challenges: "unclear, incomprehensible, incapable of transmission, and unacceptable".
First of all, in cross-cultural communication, there are many special historical, political, social customs, etc. It is difficult to tell Chinese stories clearly in a way that is generally understood by the world.
This leads to the problem of "incomprehensible", which requires simplifying complex issues and avoiding over-interpretation.
In addition, there is still some resistance to "spreading out" more excellent Chinese film and television works.
Finally, some people are resistant to Chinese film and television cultural works, and they are resistant to values from China.
In the process of international communication, it is necessary to avoid being blindly "beautiful" and "arrogant".
With the development of the country and the improvement of people's lives, the Chinese people's self-confidence has been continuously enhanced, especially the younger generation have a sense of identity with the country and the Chinese nation from the bottom of their hearts, and have confidence in the excellent traditional Chinese culture.
At the same time, China is embracing the world with an attitude of mutual learning among civilizations. While proud of its own culture, China sees cultural differences and respects other cultures.
Civilizations learn from each other through exchanges, and neither blindly arrogant nor blindly inferior is the best cultural attitude and mentality.
(Finish)
Interviewee Profile:
Hu Zhifeng, Deputy Secretary of the Party Committee and Vice President of Beijing Film Academy.
The first "Changjiang Scholar" Distinguished Professor of the Ministry of Education in China's media academic field.
A senior visiting scholar at Harvard University, he has given lectures and academic exchanges in dozens of countries and regions such as Asia, Africa, Europe, the United States, and Australia.
He is the author of "On Chinese Film and Television", "Television Communication Arts", "Draft of Film and Television Culture", "Outline of Television Aesthetics", etc.
Xu Tianfu, Chairman of Zhejiang Hengdian Film and Television Industry Federation of Literary and Art Circles.
Won the honor of cultural master of the Central Propaganda Department and the "Four Batches" of talents, served as the film and television work consultant of the Supreme People's Court, the vice president of the China Film Distribution and Projection Association, the vice president of the China Film Producers Association, and the vice president of the China Children and Teenage Film Society. Director, Deputy Director of the Film Distribution Research Institute of the China Film Industry Development Institute, etc.
He has produced many excellent films such as "A Little Red Flower for You", "Hello, Li Huanying" and "My Sister".