Interview with Steven Wang

Steven Wang

Position: An assistant director
Films: Fearless, Mission Impossible III.
Background: graduated at Film Academy in Shanghai University, working 5 years in Chinese film making industry, now study in New York Film Academy.

(Below are the interviews, I simply summarized, A is Alex, S is Steven Wang)

A: How do you think of the film market in China?

S: The whole market was divided by three groups. The first is American, Japan, and Korea. They occupy the largest part. American was the first one entering China. Under the influence of Hollywood, films from Japan and Korea developed very fast, especially Korea. In recent years, Korean films are more and more commercialize. Some famous films from Korea have been introduced into China; it is very obvious that Korea has ranked into the train like Japan and America. The second group was Hong Kong, since the import quota license has been canceled, Hong Kong films have greatly impact Chinese Mainland, and in the same time, films from Taiwan, who used to be as important as Hong Kong, have quitted this stage. The third group was a few excellent directors in Mainland; they once operated several ‘successful’ commercial films.

A: What are the objective conditions of work in China?

S: It can be summarized by a Chinese traditional idiom “Yu Long Hun Za” (good and evil people mixed up). Most film making groups are from Hong Kong; because the limitation and shrink of Mainland market, those groups crushed into Mainland. They use the advantage of geography and cheap labors to produce and publish films. About the propagandizing part, they are occupied by the advertisement making groups from Taiwan. They have adequate experience by plagiarizing, absorbing, and imitating advertisement creativities from foreign countries, especially Japan. Now, they have formed their own expert groups to pack and propagandize. While in the mainland, under the film-making mode from Hong Kong and Taiwan in several years, some small brands and producing groups have been built up.

A: How do you think the future of film industry in China?

S: There are infinite potential in China now. Since the national power strengthened, the brand of culture has been more and more emphasized. Due to the particularity of film making environment, it needs special management and reasonable salary distribution system. And after joining into WTO, the communication of culture has been broaden, the art quality and commercial factors of Chinese films have been forced to run up. Moreover, not only the capital from foreign countries, but also the producing money from inland has greatly increased. It activates the producing environment. In addition, some talent persons choose to return to China, to join into producing domestic films. They helped to advance the producing level, and the new management they brought into is forcing the old system to step out of the market.