Final cut pro editing session

Christmas Project video clips

 

Study Proposal Version 2

What is your subject of study?

Film, culture diffusion and globalisation

What is your research question?

The opportunities and challenges of globalisation for contemporary Chinese films

Research aim(s):

What are the overall aims of the project?

The aim of this research is to study the proceeding of the globalisation of Chinese films and how to improve the acceptability to viewers from different cultural background. During this experimental films will be produced as a main method of research.

Research objectives(s):

What are the specific tangible project objectives?

Note: these are separate to what you personally need to learn in terms of skills and knowledge, see learning objectives below.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->1.    <!--[endif]-->Research films in different cultural environments, analyse the features of the films.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->2.    <!--[endif]-->Review existing researches, books, articles, film appreciation and reflect journal writing.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->3.    <!--[endif]-->Work on 2-3 experimental works during the study.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->4.    <!--[endif]-->Produce a final piece of work which is about 10 minutes in length.

Rationale

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->What is the wider context of your project?

‘Now that we can photograph our loved ones, not only in stillness, but as they                move, as they act, as they making familiar gestures, as they speak… Death ceases to be absolute.’ -- Georges Méliès (1902)

As the French movie pioneer stated, movies are a revolutionary form of art which affects the entire human history since the year 1889. It brings us fun, excitement, knowledge and more importantly, it works as eyes of our minds to explore a brand new world. Nowadays, as the pace of cultural collision and fusion is getting faster and faster, we are being able to getting more and more exposed to films from countries with a variety of different cultural backgrounds. However, it comes to our attention that the development of film industry is lopsided, English films have long been the dominant in this industry in a worldwide range. According to the theoretical market statistics, although global box office for all films released in each country around the world reached $32.6 billion in 2011, all the top 25 films of the US/Canadian box office earned are produced by the Hollywood, specifically the reconfigured Big six of Warner Bros, Paramount, Twentieth Centries-Fox, Universal, Columbia and Disney.1

As an international student from the mainland China, I am very much aware of that with a 5000 years history and splendid culture this nation contains, we have the ability to produce outstanding films. I hope to form an exhaustive study about the deeper reasons of this phenomenon and provide some helps. 

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->How does the project relate to your previous experience/practice?

The major on my previous degree study stage was broadcast and media production which helped me laid a solid foundation on both sound and vision producing. In this case I would like to change my research direction on this advance stage to narrative field. With a wider range of knowledge on all aspects of film research I will be more confident in the future.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->How does it relate to relevant current practices, debates and theory?

Although by the year 2009, China would replace the United States as the world’s largest economic power, the gap between the film industries of these two countries is more than evident. “As the movie industry entered its third century, movements between old and new realities and between consistency and change informed especially the institutional force behind the movies as they adjusted to increasingly expanding markets and more activity discriminating viewers. … but there work began to focus increasingly on development, financing, marketing, and merchandising.” <!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[1]<!--[endif]-->there is beyond all doubt that a complete industry chain has been formed in America which is supported by strong technique force, talent and sufficient fund. According to the research of Hunqun Li from the Beijing Communication University, the reasons were summarized as lack of innovation, outdated technology and the film administrative system. Meanwhile, advises were given as: “ In order to compete in this highly competitive field, Chinese film producers should first try to integrate the film industries in Greater China, that is the mainland, Taiwan, Macao and Hong Kong – taking cultural origins into consideration – to build a solid foundation for cooperation and communication.”<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]-->

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->Why is the intended research significant? (So what?)

 

                                                                                             

Human beings require a culture to which they belong.  As Béla Balázs reviewed “The art of film had a profound impact on and changed the lifestyle, the aesthetic way and the way of thinking of people around the world, which allowed human beings on earth to be able to walk towards the direction of integration and universal brotherhood for the first time.” There is no doubt that films nowadays serve important functions on cultural diffusion, they are windows which acquaint us with the world we are not familiar with. Rely on the medium of film we are able to create more communication and facilitate further cultural exchanges and cooperation. On the other hand, Chinese filmmakers are seeking for the affirmation from international market for decades but the truth is they are neither accepted by audiences from other cultural backgrounds nor film award communities abroad.

This research will intensively study the reason in all directions and provide a out-o-box solution.

<!--[if !supportLists]-->·         <!--[endif]-->How does this project relate to your plans for the future?

This project provides a good opportunity to penetrate into the film industry in the UK, get acquainted with local film makers and to gain experience during working with them. With the better understanding it helps me lay a solid foundation for my future career to become an independent filmmaker back to China, as well as establish my own film production company in ten years’ time.

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<!--[if !supportFootnotes]-->[i]<!--[endif]--> http://gmc.sagepub.com/site/subscriptions/

Storyboard workshop log

Sequence from film  "Rain man"

Merry Christmas NTU!

This week Shenlin, Sadaat,Sherry and me were working on a project about interactive media. The main idea is about producing 12 different short clips, with the connection of a telephone and touch screen computers, people are able to press buttons on the telephone to watch the clips. We filmed different people around the Boningtons building such as  lecturers, students ( international students speaking different languages)，cashiers of a shop, reception lady, the fruit pedler and so on. Next week we are going to edit the clips, decorate the display area and get the work done. 

This project is a good opportunity for us to gain experience before our research work, we discussed and exchanged ideas, made a plan, borrowed equipment from the Waveley shop for the first time and had a great time worked in a team.
Film production is relied on team works and collaboration.It is important for us  learn how to show respects to the other team members and keep our words. Only when we have a good relationship with other team members can we work in a good mood. 

Experimental work--colour1

Color is one of the most important elements in any films, TV shows and even, music video not only because it brings viewers the direct impression, but also because it's the main reason of the 'temperature' and mood of the whole piece of work. For instance, red is the best color for Chines, it represents luck, happiness and bless, so brides wear red dresses on their wedding day. In this O2 advert  there is a theme running all though-- blue, this is a good example of the power of color in media works.

In the music video 'Try' （by Pink), it is clear the colorful powder on the characters is a sign of mood. I think this idea of color can be used in my first experimental work. 

Journey and destination project

Journey and destination project was the first task of this MA stage. The point of this project in my opinion  was to encourage us to think out of box at the very begining and develop creativity and innovation as an art and design student by  telling our own stories and ideas by a varity of new ways. Some of my group members were came from mainland China, Taiwan and some were local students of the UK. Although we were like chark and cheese, when discussed with each other we came up with a lot of good ideas.Instead of boring narrating we chose to perform the story out like kids listened to a bed time story: " Alice in the wonderland ". We made plasticine puppets for everyone in the group, each of us was a character from a fairy tale such as Robin Hood, witch, queen magician and so on. In order to took "our" fantastic journey we took photos for the puppets in attractions and symols of  Nottingham. It was a great fun and memorable moments of us. 

Prezi link of the presentation: http://prezi.com/grxm5rawgazz/group-6/