Chinese movie industry needs to capitalize on its wealth of culture
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Although the Chinese film industry is booming, special-effects technology must be improved, and filmmakers must try harder to craft stories that appeal to a global audience.
Those were the themes cited at a forum at the Shanghai Film Art Center on June 13 during the ongoing Shanghai International Film Festival.
"China has more than 2,500 years of culture," said Robert Pisano, president of the Motion Picture Association of America. "You have so many stories to tell. The issue is how to get your sources and translate them into stories that are not only accessible to Chinese audiences but to the people around the world," he said.
Feng Xiaogang, one of China's highest grossing directors, pointed out that it's impossible to please everybody.
"You come up with a line that's funny to Beiijngers, and then try to improve it, taking into consideration other parts of China and also other parts of world. Eventually, the line turns out to be as plain as water," Feng said. "Chinese filmmakers first have to learn how to tell stories to sufficiently entertain Chinese audiences."
At the same time, Feng said China lacks talented individuals in special effects.
"Right now, everybody wants to be a director or producer, but few want to be a special-effects technician," Feng said.
He added that he has no faith in Chinese special effects companies and relies on foreign companies to complete his films' special effects.
"Movie technologies lag far behind the development of the movie industry in China," Feng said.
He recommends young people to go to the West and learn advanced technologies in order to boost the domestic industry.
Pisano cited copyright infringement as still one of the biggest problems facing the Chinese movie industry and Hollywood. He said China and the U.S. need to work together to find a solution.
The International Intellectual Property Alliance has estimated U.S. copyright losses at more than $3.5 billion a year in China.
