ager to tap▓ into the growing consu
mption levels of the country's middle
class, Hollywood productions have b?/p>
坋en frequently introducing
Chinese actors into their cast to draw viewers from China.In 201▓4, Fan Bingbing, one of
China's most famous thespians, became the first Asian character in the world of the X-Men when she starred in the film X-Men: Days of Future Past. Angela Yeung, m
ore popular▓ known by her stage name Angelababy, made an appearance in I▓ndependence Day: Resurgence in 2016, while veteran Chin▓ese actors Jiang Wen and Donnie Yen flew t
he China flag i▓n Rogue One: A Star Wars Storythat same year.Despite bo▓mbing in other markets, the highly anticipated 2016 action fantasy movie Warcraftwas ultimately a commercial▓ success thanks to massive takings from box off▓ices in China. Meanwhile, Dalian Wanda Group's $3.5 billion acquisition of Hollywood production company Legendary Entertainment in 2016 raised eyebrows all over the world.Chinese movies, however, have not b▓een able to achieve the
same impact in oversea▓s markets."I always judge a movie based on how well the story is told, the technical aspects and the level of creativity," said Liu Haibo, vice
president of the Shanghai Vancouver Film School (SHVFS). "Right now, Chinese movies are still lacking▓ in these areas."The need to produce better films has become more urgent in recent times. In Dece▓mber, the Shanghai municipal government announced that it would be aiming to develop the city into a global cultural and creative hub by 2035.It also released ▓a document containing 50 measures to boost the cultural and creative industry, among which is the
▓plan to build a high-tech film production base in Songjiang district within the next few years. This bas
e w▓ould consolidate the
city's filmmaking resou?/p>
坮ces that are currently scatt
ered across di▓strict
s such as Jing'an, Putuo and Xuhui.Another measure ▓involves the enhancement of talent training in the city. ▓Govern
ment officials have pointed out that the SHVFS, along ▓with other institutes such as the Shanghai Film ▓Art
Academy and the Shanghai Institute of Visual Arts, will play a key role in this aspect.E▓stablished in 2014, the SHVFS is branded as▓ the
only institute in the country that adhe▓res to Hollywood standards. It is a joint venture bet▓ween Shanghai University and Vancouver Film School,▓ which is widely regarded
as one of the most prest▓igious entertainment arts institutions in the worl▓d.Among Vancouver Film School's roster of graduates is Academy Award-nominated screenwriter Neill Blomkamp who directed the highly successful 2009 sc▓ience fiction movie District 9.Accor
ding to Liu, the school currently hires 50 professors, ▓half of whom
are foreigners who are experts in the filmmaking industry. In addition, pr▓ofessionals from Hollywood are often invit▓ed to teach and share their experiences with the students.Luis Calandre, vice president of educati▓on at SHVFS, pointed out that the school has e
xperienced▓ significant growth despite being around for such a short
time. For example, enrollment has ▓grown from 80 students in its first year to the present 200, and there is now an additional enrollment intake in spring. Previously, students could only apply for the autumn intake."It normally takes many years for a unive▓rsit
y to build its brand, but we have managed to do so in less than four years. Today, the SHVFS b
rand is considered one▓ of the most pre
stigious in China, and this is in pa
rt▓ due to the effectiveness of our courses and▓ the quality of our instructors," said the Spaniard."By combining specialized programs with an intense learning environment, state-of-the-art technology and▓ teachers who are experts in their fields, we impart valua
ble skills to our students that allow them to hit th▓e ground running
upon entering the industry. Employers ▓tell us that SHVFS students have much more knowledge and capacity to adapt to the working environment than others," he added.Liu noted that the nature▓ of their students also lends credence to the quali▓ty of their courses.
"Many of our students are post ▓graduates who are aged over 35. Some of
eclaims top spot of No
rth American box office"A Quiet Place" reclaims top ▓spot of
global nuclear saf?/span>
North American box office04-23-2018 09:23 BJ
TParamount's horror
thriller "A Quiet Place" reclaimed the top spot of North American
box office with an est
imated▓ 22 million U.S. dollars, defe
them already have ▓degrees or careers in filmmaking but they know that ▓they can improve even further if they study at SHVFS," he said.A history of movie-makingThe move by
▓Shanghai authorities to turn the city into a film production hub comes as no surprise, conside▓ring how the ci
ty has traditionally been known as the movie capital in China. The industry's roots can be traced back to the late 1890s when Shanghai became the first city in China to screen films on a regular basis.The
domestic movie industry ▓soon expanded rapidly and had by 1930 becom▓e the home of most of the country's film pro
duct▓ion companies. Such was the city's reputation that it w▓as even dubbed "The Hollywood of the East" starting in the late 1920s.Chinese classics such as Legend of Tianyun Mountain, Evening RainandThe Her
ds▓manwere produced in Shanghai. The city's reputation for filmmaking endured till the 1990s when it became ▓the
first Chinese city to have its own in▓ternational film festival. Today, the festival holds an A-list status by the International Federation of Film Producers Associations, and is one of the larg▓est and mo
st prestigious in Asia.However, Shanghai's ▓movie output over the past few decades has been a far cry from its gl
ory days. Liu pointed out that the city is today better known as a place whe▓re filmmakers can find investment dollars instead of produce movies. The problem, he said, lies in the shortage of production ta
lent."There ar▓e a few factors behind the dearth of film▓ production talent. In the 1990s, the television industry
b▓oomed and was more profitable than the movie sector, so many film professionals crossed over. The gaps left by these people were never filled," said Liu.According to a 2016 report by Oxford Economics,
China's TV industry directly employed 865,000 people that year. In contrast, the film production and distributi
on sector only had 79,00▓0 workers. Exacerbating matters is the fact that many of these film workers lack the necessary training."Apart from the creative team, everyone else on a Chinese film set today are
just unskilled laborers," sa▓id acclaimed director Feng Xiaogang during the 2016 China Film Investment Summit Forum.Too fast, too furiousAnother cha
llenge the Chinese movie industry faces is finding a balance between its rapid g▓rowth and the rate at which talent is being produced
. Driven by the growing consumption levels of the middle class, Chinese filmmakers have been churning out films to meet the burgeoning demand. Box offic
e takings have grown from 920▓ million yuan ($111.25 million) in 2002 to a whopping 55.91 billion yuan last year.But with so many shows b
eing made and so few talent available, it was only a matter of time that the lack of quality became obvious."China produces▓ about 700 movies every y
ear but only 300 are good enough to be screened in the cinemas. Furthermore, only about 50 are profitable while just 20 can be consi
dered to be of good quality by int▓ernational standards. There is still much room for improvement," said Liu.This lack of quality is an▓ issue that has been raised by several parties over the past few years. In 2016, People's Daily criticized the domestic film industry, saying: "Some w
e▓ll-known directors have recently come out with terrible f▓ilms&hel
lip;if it's too easy to make money, it's too easy for the finished product to be mediocre."The films that dominate now are the most star-studded ▓ones, with nice-looking scenes and a big budget f▓or a promotional campaign. If even lousy films sell well, what's going to motivate filmmak
ers to work▓ hard and create something of quality?"Highly acclaimed
Chinese director Zhang Yimou also came under fire that year for The Great Wall, a Sino-US venture ▓that featured a host of famous actors including Matt Damon, Willem Dafoe, Jing Tian and Andy Lau. Though the film was a financial success, grossing more than $300 million aga▓inst a budg
et of $150 million, its reception a▓mong Chinese viewers was generall
y poor. On Douban, a leading Chinese movie review site, the movie has a▓n average rating of 5.1 out of 10 based on more than 243,000 reviews.The pursuit of qualityCalandre pointed out that thou
gh the definition of quality is ultimately subjective, Hollywood has done a good job at setting the benc
hmarks. The Spaniard said that China authorities can spur progress in the domes▓tic movie industry by adopting a similar approach."One of▓ the ways to define quality — and th▓e Americans have done this very well — is to have experts make a judgement
. Some people in the industry say that one of the best▓ things the Americ
ans have done is create a▓n Academy Award for the best foreign film. By doing so, they become the ones who get to decide what's good or what's bad, not just in Hollywood, bu▓t in the world," he
said."One thing the government ▓can do is create an important award that defines what hig▓h quality is. In
order to do that, they need to appoint credible global experts and give them the freedom to decide."One aspect of filmmaking that can be judged objectively, Calandre added, is technical quality.In this respect, Liu said that some of the latest domestic movi
es have demonstrat▓ed that Chinese production companies are capable of achi
eving high standards. One of these films is the 2017 action movie Wolf Warrior 2, the highest-grossing Chinese f
ilm in history. Liu praised the film for▓ being "a landmark action movie that has achieved Hollywood-level technica
l standards".While many Chinese viewers shared the same opinion as Liu, some a▓lso levelled criticism at the weak
plot and the hard-selli▓ng of patriotic ideals.But to Liu, it is j▓ust a matter of time before such problems become
less preva▓lent."The reform of film education in Chin▓a is already in motion. We need to keep in mind that ther
e are growth cycles and evoking positiv▓e change in the industry will take time," he said."I've been very impressed
by some of the school projects produced by SHVFS students. It goes to show that there is a high level o▓f creativity in local talent. I think audiences wil▓l be ab
le to see considerable improvements in Chinese films in about five years."Please scan the QR Code to follow us on InstagramPlease scan the QR Code to follow us on WechatFilm co-productions expected to bring▓ China, US closerFilm co-productions expected to
bring Ch▓ina, US closerFilm co-productions expected to bring ▓China, US closer04-02-2018 09
:37 BJTCo-production of▓ films between Chinese and US entertainment▓ industries in the next few years will
help to bring the two countries closer, WorldFest-Houston Chairman Hunter Todd said Thursday.In a news briefing
regarding the upcoming film festival, Todd said the WorldFest Focus ▓on China, a unit of the event, will be the largest single focus on Chinese cinema in
the festival world."WorldFest-Houston's presentation of Chinese films is the largest spotlight on the great▓ ci
nema of China," he said.Todd told Xinhua that he considers the WorldFest Focus on China as a ▓platform providing opportunities for emerging Chinese directo
rs.He also acknowledged a strong business ▓reason behind the project, saying "The film product▓ion values of China
, the box office attains of China are now No. 1 in the world."In the meantime, Todd announced that his team and a
Chinese partner "are moving forward to a multi-million-dollar co-production of a new science fiction film" to be
pr▓oduced in both China and the United States.He said this f▓ilm will be his first major co-production with a Chi
nese partner and will be directed by Randal K▓leiser, a renowned WorldFest-Houston's al▓umnus, the list of which i
ncludes Steven Spielberg, Ang Lee and David Winning.The 51st editi▓on of WorldFest-Houston International Film Festi
val is ▓scheduled for April 20-29 in Houston, the fourth biggest city in the United States a▓nd the largest in t
he state of Texas.The film festival will showcase 50 new independent feature films and 108 award-winning s▓horts
from over 70 countries and regions across the ▓globe.As part of the festival, the 4th edition o▓f WorldFest Focus on China will premiere almost 20 feature films as we
ll as several short subjects from Chi▓na, providing Houston audiences the opportunity to enjoy the emerging Chinese cinema.Please sca
n t▓he QR Code to follow us on InstagramPlease scan the QR Cod▓e to follow us on Wechat鈥婻ights holder won't give up 'Three-Body' series鈥?/p>
for the Hugo Award-winning Chinese science fic▓tion trilogy with an open mind amidst repor▓ted Amazon interest.A Financial Times report on Wednesday s▓uggested that Amazon i
s in talks that will probably "result▓ in it earmarking
US$1 billion to acquire the rights to p
roduce three seasons of episodes" based on the trilogy b
y Liu Cixin, which created a huge bu▓zz in the Chinese film industry and onli
ne.YooZoo Pictures, a film branch under Yo
uzu Interactiv▓e, released a statement on Thursday,
sayin▓g YooZoo Pictures is the sole owner of the right
s for film and TV series adaptations of the sci-fi
saga, as well as for the rights to develop various related me
rchandise. "We always have great passion and dedication for 'The Three-▓Body Pro
blem' novels and will push forward the development of the film and TV adaptations of the serie
s with a global vision and open mind," it stated, but
