How Hollywood Sold Out To China
Over the past few years, there has been an explosion of interest in how popular culture influences society. Many scholars refer to this as cultural imperialism or cultural influence. Cultural imperialism is when one group takes control over another culture’s symbols, tropes, and themes and uses them for their own benefit. It can be done through direct appropriation (taking ideas from another source and incorporating it into your own work) or indirection (taking cues from the other material and applying those concepts towards your own creative project).
There are many ways that cultures are influenced by each other, but perhaps none more prevalent than what we call hybridity. Hybridity happens when two different cultures blend together to create something new. A perfect example of this would be the way Western music blended with African rhythms and Eastern melodies to make something new.
Hollywood seems to have embraced this concept wholeheartedly. Not only do they frequently feature Asian settings and characters, they even use references and storylines that were at least inspired by Chinese stories. This article will discuss some examples of this and why it is so concerning.
This article will not focus heavily on political reasons as to why this is a bad thing, although there definitely are some important ones. What I will talk about instead is how these effects hurt our community, both artistically and economically. We will also look at some potential benefits that may result from all of this crossover.
Studios make new partnerships with Chinese companies
While some claim that partnering up with Chinese corporations is just for money, it’s actually much more than that. In fact, there are several reasons why making business deals in China can boost your film career.
First, you get to explore different cultures. This not only helps you develop an understanding of other countries and their customs, but also teaches you about yourself - how well you work under pressure, what types of relationships you have, and which ones motivate you.
Second, working in other markets gives you experience negotiating and communication skills. If you’re already good at talking, then working abroad isn’t a big deal, but most people aren’t!
Third, many international trade agreements require you to speak foreign languages. Since nearly every major movie studio has to negotiate filming contracts overseas, this becomes something you're exposed to early in your career.
Studios remove content they believe is controversial
In early 2018, an employee at Fox News noticed something was off when it came to their network’s coverage of President Trump.
The media team leader made some eye-catching observations about how much propaganda Chinese state television networks were pumping out across various platforms.
This got him thinking about all of the other countries that use similar tactics to spread Communist ideology - from Iran to North Korea to Russia. So he did what any good journalist would do in such a situation - he published his findings online for everyone to see.
Unfortunately, he then received backlash for exposing this information. Many claimed he was being too political or even racist by pointing out the similarities between America and less free nations.
However, this only proved his point more as people continue to compare the two systems. And now we have proof that major studios are actively censoring material related to the Arab world and Israel due to money making concerns.
Studios change their release dates
Recent examples of this include Avengers: Infinity War, which was originally set for a May 2018 release but got pushed back until April 26, 2019, one month later than its original November 6, 2018 launch date in America. This is because filming had already started way earlier that year!
Captain America: The Winter Soldier also received an extra month of production due to the Chinese New Year holiday, so it premiered in March instead of February.
Infinity War actually spent more time in pre-production in Asia before being greenlit for production here in the US, making the initial delay even longer.
The same thing happened with Star Wars: The Force Awakens, which was initially slated to hit theaters at the end of December 2017, then moved up to early January 2018. It wasn’t released in North America until over a month later, though it didn’t hurt its box office performance much.
Movie ratings are more important than content
As we know, movie studios have been struggling with how to deal with online reviews for years now. A lot of it has had to do with people posting bad reviews online about a film they didn’t like.
This is totally normal and something that happens in every industry. Film reviewers get passionate about their favorite movies and they sometimes lose touch with reality.
It can hurt the reputation of a product so much that no one will buy or watch it!
That isn’t very good for business, especially if you’re investing large amounts of money in marketing and production. So what companies do to prevent this from happening? They create “movie rating systems” where people can give a thumbs up or down to indicate their opinion of the film.
These rating systems usually contain three main features - intensity, duration, and type. The intensity relates to how loud or quiet someone has to be when giving their review, the length looks at how long it takes to watch the movie, and the type determines whether it’s an overall score, a scale of 1-10, or some other classification.
There are many different types of rating systems, but most include the same components. What differs between them is the weight those parts carry towards the final grade. Some believe that intensity is more important than the others, while others think the opposite.
Movie censorship happens
It’s no secret that major movie studios are very careful about what they allow their films to be aired in, but how much more cautious they can sometimes seem is not necessarily for the better.
It seems like every other week we read or hear about some new scandal surrounding a film due to its allegedly “problematic” content. The latest example of this comes from South Korea, where viewers have taken to social media to criticize the country’t top censor board over the just released romance comedy About My Life.
In the film, two estranged friends meet up for an informal chat at a restaurant before realizing there’s someone else involved. A third party then interrupts them as they make out, leading to a funny scene where one of the characters declares his love for the other person.
The problem? Many people found it difficult to discern whether the romantic scenes were meant to be totally fictional or if they actually portrayed a real relationship. This isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but many still felt that the film was too candid with its depiction of relationships which could potentially hurt people’s feelings.
China has already experienced quite a few scandals related to about my life, so it’s definitely not something unique. What is different though, is all of these incidents happened within the country itself, leaving most western countries unaffected.
Movie prices are higher
Recent events have made it clear that major movie studios no longer care about making money in America. All too often, expensive movies with high ticket sales are replaced by lower cost alternatives or films that are completely free to watch.
This is not okay! It’s ridiculous to expect people who make a living through their creativity and talent to also assume the responsibility of paying for entertainment they use products or services provided by others.
Creators should be able to make a decent living without having to subsidize other people’s entertainment needs. We deserve to be paid our due as professionals!
It is totally unacceptable for large corporations to exploit the hard work and talents of creative individuals and then ask them to donate or contribute to charity after watching your film.
Movie theaters were an essential part of early cinema culture. They allowed you to enjoy content at a low price while supporting local businesses.
But these days, the quality has diminished and many owners now rely on tax incentives and government subsidies to survive which only adds to the burden already placed on those who earn a salary.
Movie language is different
A lot of people may not be aware of this, but movie languages are actually quite diverse. There’s no universal “movie speak” that everyone uses!
In fact, there are several separate dialects in use at any given time when it comes to speaking dialogue in movies. Some of these include:
International English - also known as General American or BBC (British Broadcasting Company) English. This is the standard version of the language we learn in school and use while watching TV and listening to radio.
- also known as British Broadcasting Company) English. This is the standard version of the language we learn in school and use while watching TV and listening to radio. New York City English - this is typically heard in media produced in the United States, especially those targeted towards Americans. It features strong accents and lots of slang.
this is typically heard in media produced in the United States, especially those targeted towards Americans. It features strong accents and lots of slang. Received Pronunciation - also called Oxford English is the standardized accent used for spoken word communication in Britain and some parts of Australia.
is also used for spoken word communication in Britain and some parts of Australia. This is the most common variety of English found across international media.
You will note that none of these variants sound like each other very much. This is because individual cultures have their own unique ways of pronouncing words and using grammar.
Movie audiences are different
The other major difference between Western and Chinese film markets is that moviegoers in the West typically watch films in theaters, while most people in mainland China only ever see them at home or via streaming services.
This makes it very difficult for western blockbusters to succeed because they require lots of theater exposure to spread their word about.
Theaters are much less common than they once were in China, which limits how many people can access a given film. And since most people in China can stream movies online, there’s no need to go out to see a new flick unless you happen to have a device capable of doing so.
That means your average person in China will probably never even know what all the hype is about when it comes to blockbuster season - the winter holiday period around Christmas and New Year where studios release big hits.
And since most people in China don’t care about American cinema, there’s little incentive for them to try a random movie from somewhere else.