Old directors cannot win young audience
- Source: Global Times
- [01:44 January 12 2010]
- Comments
By Chen Chenchen
Next week's tickets for Avatar's IMAX 3D version in Beijing are sold out. Even midnight shows are house full. Inside the movie hall, the young, enthusiastic audience, wearing 3D glasses lap up the sound and scenes.
China's film industry has never seen anything like this. According to Chen Hongwei, a manager at Wanda International Cinemas, China's biggest film circuit, Avatar would gross a record-breaking 500 million yuan ($73.2 million). The much-acclaimed Avatar signifies a revolution in the film industry's history, thanks to the movie's unprecedented technological leap. The vision of filmmaking is enlarged in a subversive way.
However, even though Avatar's virtual shooting technology and fusion camera system can be intro-duced into China, its success can hardly be replicated here.
China's post-1980s and post- 1990s generation are the main audience for films. But mainstream film directors, who decide what to shoot and show in today's market, barely keep up with the pace of youth.
The power-holders among current Chinese filmmakers are still fifth-generation directors like Zhang Yimou and Chen Kaige who graduated from Beijing Film Academy in 1980s.
These directors saw social conflicts at early age, and came to the film world with professional training and passion for innovation.
Resilience and staying power are seen in their early representative works, like Zhang's Red Sorghum (1987) and Chen's Farewell to My Concubine (1993), which catered to the audience of that time.
As Hollywood blockbusters flooded in from the late 1990s, these directors resorted to epic films for a breakthrough. Zhang's Hero (2002), House of Flying Daggers (2004) and Curse of the Golden Flower (2006), and Chen's The Promise (2005) have snatches from the classics.
Such expediency lacking imagination disappointed the generation that grew up on RPG games and fast food. In sharp contrast, James Cameron has dealt boldly with a surrealistic theme, and wowed and won over the youth, who have been lost by the Chi-nese film directors.
Lu Chuan, representative of China's emerging sixth-generation directors, wrote in his blog after seeing Cameron's film, "Avatar let me know that what we lack is not technology, because technology can be introduced. It makes me realize how far our passion for film is from simple nicety, limpidness, glowing dreams and sincerity."
Lu regards Avatar's box office record as a blow to all Chinese filmmakers, "Because most of us who're entitled to speak consciously gave up the road to lofty goals and thoroughly embraced frippery."
Such reflection probably brings out the Chinese filmmakers' sense of defeat. The earlier success of Transformers (2007), the Harry Porter series and the trilogy The Lord of the Rings did not trigger soul-searching among Chinese filmmakers.
But now, with Avatar sweeping audiences off their feet, it is clear what the mission should be for China's new filmmakers.
In any case, Zhang's era has probably ended. Film aesthetics should be diversified to take into consideration the tastes of a young audience. Otherwise, China's film industry is doomed.
