University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

The merging of Chinese and American entertainment

(USC Thesis Other)

The merging of Chinese and American entertainment

PDF

Download a page range

Download transcript

Copy asset link

Request this asset

Transcript (if available)

Content Cl Coca Xie Reports >< +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/project/index.html Artie Ice News Reporter Notes Social About >>The Merging of Chinese And American Entertainment<< 1fa dd0!11 Bridging the Pacific Jing Tian. who has recently risen to fan1e in the 2010s through her roles in The Warring States (2011). Special ID (2013). and Police Story 2013 (2013). will be the first recipient of the brand new Hollywood International Award. The award. limited to international actors and actresses. is meant to recognize excellence in foreign fi lm and expand American appreciation and awareness of overseas productions. But it also marks a shiny new trend in this ever-dynan1ic industry: the reality. nature. and opportunity that is the emerging Chinese box office. In October 2014 CNBC's Hee sun Wee wrote a piece on the con1plex and changing relationship between the two sides of the 4i J Zhang Jie getting an award at the 2014 AMA Jing Tian getting HFA Award Cl Coca Xie Reports >< +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/project/index.html In OCtober 2014 CNBC's Heesun Wee wrote a piece on the complex and changing relationship between the two sides of the Pacific's entertainn1ent industries. "The courtship". she explains. "is only intensifying". For years Hollywood productions have been pre-selling their films overseas. primarily in the Asian market. in order to fund all the necessities that go into making an American movie successful domestically. In a more traditional exan1ple of the give-and-take. many wealthy Chinese investors have pitched in egregious sums of capital (in exchange for Chinese product placen1ent in the Hollywood hits. This was seen most recently in Transformers 4's Texan refreshn1ent: the male lead enjoyed a Chinese redbull in the heart of the American cattle country. even while the nearest location selling the product is several passport stan1ps away. ''There's a desire for Chinese consumers to sit in a movie theater and enjoy middle class trappings.'' While globalization takes hold in every sector. the intertwinement of Chinese and American culture has reaped larger-than-usual dividends for both parties involved. In An1erica. nearly every consumer product has been touched at some point by Chinese hands - everything from DVD cases to automobile seats to leather goods. In china. a massive an1ount of the entertainment media is rooted in American trends. These trends may reflect shifts in fashion. art styles. or the content of n1ovie and television programs. While physical exports from America to china n1ay be shrinking. this exchange of thoughts and ideas is only growing larger. And while the traditional bills of lading and delivery receipts n1ay not be present in the west-to-east transactions. the cash itself certainly is. Chinese n1edia stations such as Tencent pay n1assive amounts of money for An1erican-n1ade progran1s - depending on the popularity of the program. seasonal deals can range fron1 $50-60.000 to upwards of $10 111illion. Hollywood daily shows such as "Hollywood at your Doorstep" or one of the many reality progran1s. focusing on anything fron1 NBA players to residential J ing Tian getting HF A Award Chopstick Brothers on the AMAs Red Carpet 2014 Michael Jackson "Heal The W orld" brief cover by Zhang Jie An interview with Thomas Shao. the CEO of Modern Media Group. one of Mainland china's nlost successsful independent prin t media operations. Shot and edited by Luke Mines. presented by Jeren1y Goldkorn. D Coca Xie Reports x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/index.html n1any reality progran1s. focusing on anything fron1 NBA players to residential real estate offerings. fatten An1 erican production con1panies' pockets every day of the week. And it's a two-way street. Chinese n1oney continues to flow into An1erica as well. At $2.7 billion in total Chinese investn1ent. Q2 2014 n1arks the largest inflow of the Chinese capital to An1erican projects. including entertainn1ent ventures. to date. The growth is in large part fueled by the populous country's en1erging m iddle-class. which according to data fron1 McKinsey has grown fron1 4 % of the population in 2000 to a projected 75% in 2022. Even though " the threat of cyber-proliferation looms large". Heesun continues. "there's a desire for Chinese con sun1ers to sit in a nlovie theater and enjoy n1iddle class trappings". ''It is not so easy to cross the ocean and learn a brand new way to speak, and a brand new way to communicate.'' It is this en1erging n1arket within an en1erging n1arket that drives talented actresses like Jing Tian to pursue roles and recognition through the Hollywood vehicle. It has not been an easy transition . For son1eone who spends her on-can1era tin1e flying through the streets of china strapped to the outside of a n1oving car. jun1ping through high\A1ay overpasses. and dodging bullets. language has becon1e the hardest task. For Jing Tian. this presented the n1ost unique challenge of all. Coca Xie. a Chinese reporter with Fanstang. first n1et Ms. Tian at the Hollywood Filn1 Awards red carpet on November 14. 2014. As she started to walk towards Xie. it becan1e clear to Jing Tian noticed the Chinese characters on the Fanstang n1icrophone instantly. the stress melted fron1 her face and she happily exclain1ed "I can finally speak Chinese! " in Mandarin. "For nle. English was the nlost difficult part." explained the actress. "It is not so easy to cross the ocean and learn a brand new way to speak. and a brand new v vay to con1n1unicate. W hen you realize that you not only n1ust speak and listen in this language. but also learn Cl Coca Xie Reports >< +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/project/index.html Article News Reporter Notes Social About part.· explained the actress. "It is not so easy to cross the ocean and learn a brand new way to speak and a brand ne;v way to con1n1unicate. When you realize that you not only must speak and listen in this language. but also learn to think like those who speak it to you. the challenge increases·. The struggle of language barriers has plagued n1any Chinese entertainment anecdotes. including another Chinese award-winning talent. the Chopsticks Brothers. "I'm not joking. when I first began learning English I could hardly put a sentence together." said W ang Taili. one of the two talented young n1ean that together 1nake up the Chopsticks Brothers. "It has been hard work every single second. first building that grammatical base. and then filling in the blank spaces with n1ore and n1ore intricate vocabulary. But clearly it has been rewarding." he continued. "in order to break into this market. E nglish is sin1ply necessary." - His hard work showed at the American Music Awards- Mr. Wang did not seen1 to have any difficult answer the rapid-fire questions from journalists with fluent. lightly accented English. Much like so n1any of the other great Chinese n1usicians in attendance. including the perforn1er-turned-superstar-manager J aeson Ma. the chopsticks Brothers realized early-on that n1aking a nan1e for then1selves in An1erica was one of the n1ost affective ways to sin1ultaneously build buzz across the Pacific. In a backstage interview with Fanstang's Coca Xie. the Chopsticks Brothers expressed a desire to utilize English to the fullest of the i5 capabBjtjes jg order to make f5iepds wjth Amerjsag dfrsctors D Coca Xie Reports x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/index.html build buzz across the Pacific. In a backstage interview with Fanstang's Coca Xie, the Chopsticks Brothers expressed a desire to utilize English to the fullest of their capabilities in order to n1ake friends with An1erican directors. photographers and fans. Growing up both of the n1usicians were extremely dedicated Michael Jackson fans, and while they loved the n1usic in and of itself it did not escape then1 that this An1erican musician's revolutionary work was reaching thousands upon thousands of Chinese ears. This eye-opening love for the King of Pop seen1s to be a con1mon trend an1ong this year's honorees. 11 ••• more than a dream come true. This represents a life that I feel in control of ... " Zhang J ie has loved Michael Jackson since he first heard hin1 growing up in c hina. Just like the Chopsticks Brothers, Zhang Jie never thought that his n1usic wou ld be able to bring onto the An1erican Music Award's stage, but u nlike the Chopsticks Brothers Zhang Jie look the opportun ity to show h is respect. Michael Jackson, Mr. Jie's idol, was a previous winner of the Best International Artist award, for which Zhang J ie was honored at this year's AMAs. In order to show h is respect, both for this significant achieve1nent he was being given as well as his idoL Zha ng Jie perfor n1ed Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" during his acceptance. "It was such an incredible honor," he said of the award afterwards. "Growing u p so far away fron1 MJ, and so far away fron1 An1erica in general, this is n1ore than a drean1 con1e true. This represents a life that I feel in control of, and a life that I feel so very proud to have lived. You know that as a child I never knew the words to any An1erican songs, but I fell in love with the sou l of the n1usic. Here, tonight, I know that n1any of those of you ou t there n1ay not understand the words to n1y n1usic, bu t it touches n1y heart that you can feel the soul, just like I felt Mike's. The cultures are con1ing together, first out of utility, and now it seen1s out of a n1utual appreciation for the arts involved. "There is so n1uch that everybody involved stands to gain," said Henry Marks, an American businessn1an who ovv'ns a n1edia production con1pany focusing on progra1ns for Chinese television broadcasts. 'We're not only just seeing two cultures crashing into each other over and over again until money starts spraying out what vve're really seeing here is the assin1ilation of the two n1ost powerful countries in the world on a non-adversarial platforn1. It's a beautiful D Coca Xie Reports x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/index.html build buzz across the Pacific. In a backstage interview with Fanstang's Coca Xie, the Chopsticks Brothers expressed a desire to utilize English to the fullest of their capabilities in order to n1ake friends with An1erican directors. photographers and fans. Growing up both of the n1usicians were extremely dedicated Michael Jackson fans, and while they loved the n1usic in and of itself it did not escape then1 that this An1erican musician's revolutionary work was reaching thousands upon thousands of Chinese ears. This eye-opening love for the King of Pop seen1s to be a con1mon trend an1ong this year's honorees. 11 ••• more than a dream come true. This represents a life that I feel in control of ... " Zhang J ie has loved Michael Jackson since he first heard hin1 growing up in c hina. Just like the Chopsticks Brothers, Zhang Jie never thought that his n1usic wou ld be able to bring onto the An1erican Music Award's stage, but u nlike the Chopsticks Brothers Zhang Jie look the opportun ity to show h is respect. Michael Jackson, Mr. Jie's idol, was a previous winner of the Best International Artist award, for which Zhang J ie was honored at this year's AMAs. In order to show h is respect, both for this significant achieve1nent he was being given as well as his idoL Zha ng Jie perfor n1ed Michael Jackson's "Heal the World" during his acceptance. "It was such an incredible honor," he said of the award afterwards. "Growing u p so far away fron1 MJ, and so far away fron1 An1erica in general, this is n1ore than a drean1 con1e true. This represents a life that I feel in control of, and a life that I feel so very proud to have lived. You know that as a child I never knew the words to any An1erican songs, but I fell in love with the sou l of the n1usic. Here, tonight, I know that n1any of those of you ou t there n1ay not understand the words to n1y n1usic, bu t it touches n1y heart that you can feel the soul, just like I felt Mike's. The cultures are con1ing together, first out of utility, and now it seen1s out of a n1utual appreciation for the arts involved. "There is so n1uch that everybody involved stands to gain," said Henry Marks, an American businessn1an who ovv'ns a n1edia production con1pany focusing on progra1ns for Chinese television broadcasts. 'We're not only just seeing two cultures crashing into each other over and over again until money starts spraying out what vve're really seeing here is the assin1ilation of the two n1ost powerful countries in the world on a non-adversarial platforn1. It's a beautiful D Coca Xie Reports x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/index.html ever stan Article News Reporter Notes Social About body involved s to gain.'' "As far as l'n1 concerned. the relatively slow econon1ic recovery of the United States paired with the astronomical growth that china has seen over the past few years signifies one th ing: a bipolar future" said Eric Lyons. a student studying International Relations and Internationa l Business in the Los Angeles a rea. " The fact that our interdependence is growing nearly as rapidly as ou r power discrepancy is shrin king is absolutely a good sign to nle. I had the pleasure of being born after the world wars. and I like to think I'll die before the next one." He quips: "If we need each other, we're not going to beat each other, right?" One of his Chinese peers is inclined to agree. "I have been liste ning to An1erican nlusic and watching An1erican nlovies since I was a kid" says Wang Zunzhi, a Chinese citizen. " I nloved to An1erica to learn An1erican English and enroll in an An1erican university, I graduated with a n An1erican degree, a nd got a job at An1erican Airlines ... if that's not interdependency I don't know what is!" In the 21st century, there is a political discon1fort between the United States of A1 11erica and the People's Republic of c hina. There is a growing sense of nationalism in the you nger Chinese, and this in part fuels a general political distaste towards us trade policies that are perceived as too protectionist and ain1ed at lin1iting China's inevitable growth. In the United States the rush of offshoring has put in1n1ense pressure on several us sectors, nan1ely textiles, and proliferated a sin1ilar sense of distaste towards the burgeoning Chinese n1anufacturing industries. This political discon1 fort however, is far outn1atched by the cultural assin1ilation, acceptance, and appreciation of the two powerful nations. Nowhere is this n1ore apparent than in the entertainn1ent industry, where n1oney and ideas flow on a two-way current across the Pacific Ocean and back. The econon1ic trends in china have served only to bolster the powerful den1and behind Hollywood's international success, and opportunities in Southern California continue to draw pron1inent Chinese n1usicians and other entertainn1ent personalities to the gold coast. Fron1 th e perspective of students, graduates, businesspeople, n1usicians, and actors fron1 both sides of the ocean this trend will only continue, pulling the populations closer together on a far n1ore personal level than government action could ever pry then1 apart. They believe that it is a unified future. They believe that is a bright future. This force of entertainn1 ent has becon1 e so n1uch n1ore than a cash cow for these two nations: today it represents a vehicle of n1utual success bound for a better ton1orrow. That and a lot of great shovvs. Cl News )( +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/ project/news.html Article N-"ws Reporter Notes Social About News 'Saturday Night Live' Going to China Through Sohu Partnership I YAHOO! f l NANCE S-chWeb Thank you for heiprlg us improve yaur Yahoo expenence ue. M..v 3.. 2015 3:: 1 Spm EST· US~ dOS&.., 45 ,_..,. Rec..- t p..ci · .. ----... inanceHome My Portfollo My Quotes News Market Data 'Saturday Night Live' Going to China Through Sohu Partnership Bloomberg By'-"luvounChen 15hOUB3QO y + x aaam Tencent Takes Center Court at NBA All-Star 201:1 Cl News )( +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/project/news.html Tencent Takes Center Court at NBA All-star 201~ Search Ne\VS Sports Finance Weather Games Answefs Screen Fl1ckr Se81ch FllWICe Se11chWeb D NBA All-Star 2015 0 Tencelll Holdings Umi1e<1 Plt~~-wc: February 15. 2015 2:11 AM v + x D D rJEI NEW YORK. Feb. 15, 2015 /PRNewswire/ ·· During a ceremony at center court of Barclays Center, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and Tencent President Martin Lau today celebrated the groundbreaking partnership that has made Tencent the NBA's exclusive official digital partner in China. Video of Spring Festival gala presented in Times Square _J Lionsgate in talks with China's Hunan 1V for film and 1V pact 'Transformers 4' casting Chinese actors in top roles: Another sign D News x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/news.html The publicity video of the China's Central Television (CCTV) Spring Festival Gala is shown on the LCD screen leased by Xinhua Gallery Media Co. at Times Square, New Yor1<, the United States, on Feb. 12, 2015.[Photo/Xinhua) China Social Media Reaching Younger, and Lower Tier cities TOP SOCIAL MEDIA SEARCH ENGINES MOBILE RETAIL TRAVEL MORE• Alibaba to Inves1 $16 Million in Jackie Chan's Upcoming Film Projects HOME MOVIES TV snLE MUSIC RCH AWARDS POLITICS WORLD LABOR NEWS GAMES FASHION Alibaba to Invest $16 Million in Jackie Olan' s Upcoming Film Projects Yulebao, a cro\' ;dfunding section of China's largest e-commerce association Alibaba, will deposit $16 million in J ackie Chan's Yaolai film and TV actors in top roles: Another sign of China reigning over Hollywood? LOS ANGELES - Last week, famed Cllree'or Miehael Bay 8l'ld Paramount PietUIU 8fll'IOul"ICed that populat Chlno&O et'fteltOlner Han Gong ha<J boon CM1 An the hlghty·antidpated twnh lnatalmont of the "'Trnnstormers · fr.vlchl$o, joinlng f<lllow C~ S1ar U Bingbing AS well as Holtywood narnos Mark Watllberg, StanfeyTUOCi,, Kebe:)' Grammer. Nleda Potlt and Jack~ in the hit rim aet$es;, But Is lhe ¢88.tlng of MIV9ral c:thse ~°"' fn OO'nlrwlt rOles tunhef lndk:atlon 11\at the Chinese box omc. is bOcotning M inc<ooslngty impof11lM monoym~ng tc:iot f0t Holywood #lUdios? CHINADAILY.~~~= 1 :r.1 :1 1 CHIN.A I WORLD UFEST'Yl.E I CULTURE TRAVEL j SPORTS Culture Att Music & Th0010t Rim& TV Events & Festi'vats International Hollywood Film Academy to launch training program in China :~lt"Ol'O) M•*'201$-01-0& 15#.6t ~ Nt!w•~!or/\W'S s1naEnglish Home Nsws • 'h'd!o OptniOn U!a & C4ly Talk Sina Pho;o Video Entertainment , Movie "The Hobbit" rules China's box office 201S.01•2! 05:6&:21G~IT 201541•28 t);~7{~ Tunt) Xinhue (ngliltl BEIJlNG, Jan 28 (Xlihul} ... Olcar.wlnnlng dir9ctot Peter J~son .. "'The Hobbl!· Th9 84nlt ot the Five Armies" eook lhe lead In China's~ omce In N week encll"O Jan. 25 QtOSainfil 319 mllllon yuan (about SOmik>n U.S. dOllata). The tc11Dn-""n1Uy, whieh Wl'31>$ up .Mdc$0n"$ toe.Rm '1tneh1$$ thtl stMtcJ Will'! "1111(1: Loro Of lhe Rings: The FelloWsh!p of the Ring· in 2001 was opened on Ft!Clay. D News x +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/news.html Alibaba to Invest $16 Million in Jackie Chan's Upcoming Film Projects HOME MOVIES TV snLE MUSIC ncH AWARDS POLITICS WORLD LABOR NEWS GAMES FASHION Alibaba to fuvest $16 Million in Jackie Chan's Upcoming Film Projects Yulebao, a CTO\vdfunding section of China's largest e-commerce association Alibaba, will deposit $16 million in J ackie Chan's Yaolai film and TV association over a subsequent 3 years. Liu Chunning, conduct of Alibaba's digital party group, pronounced Alibaba wanted to build a fan height on Yulebao - that translates as 'Entertainment Treasure' - to boost communication \vith a audience. "Alibaba Yulebao vvill concur with Jackie Chan to continue to make Chinese films, n pronounced Liu. CHINADAILY.~:r:.~ CHINA f WORLD LIFESTYLE I CULTURE TRAVEJ.. l SPORTS Culture AA Music & Theatet Film & TV Books Heritage Events & Festivats lnternational Hollywood Film Academy to launch training program in China ~· 201$41..(18 t$'23;$i @JCot:m!Kts @ Pnrt ~Miii c,. r:J ~ MeOol.m hie ~ Htttr~Wti.Ws s1naEnglish Entertainment > Movie "The Hobbit" rules China's box office 201&01•28~69.:2"7 GMT 2015"01'28 \);59;21(Boiplg. JimeJ Xlntr.111 Erigjan BEIJjNG, Jlltf. 2& (XM'll'lua) - OIC8r-wl1w11ng dlrtdor POier Jac*aon"t "The Hobbll:Tht 841Ut of the Ave Atmle-s:" cOOI< lhe lead In Ch!M'abol)( otb In lhe Mek el'ldl"OJan. 25 gl'08Mg 319 tn!Hlon yuan (aboul 50 tnlWoo U.S. dOllata). The ection·!ant.11sy, wh6eh wraps up Jt(bon't $CIC•fim froneh!So Nt $tO:l10d wltl'I 'The LOtO or tl'lt Ra'lga; The Fel!Owshlp ot the Rll'llf In 2001 was op&nee1 on Friday. The $6COtld tpo& wcin1 to~ Grt.nny," • co-pt'OdUctlon ~ Ct\itle and flt Ro public: of Korea (ROK), wilh 77 million yuan, Cnina Ftltn News reponed WedneS<lay. Thi rom<am,. whleh debUted on Jan. 8, r.as so far broc.lgl'll a 10181 box otl'lc:e eamllgs of 327 mill!Ofl yuan. r reporter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News ~ Social About Reporter Notes Interview with Larry Namer An entertainn1ent industry veteran with over 38 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new n1edia, Larry Na1 ner is a founding partner of Metan Developn1ent Group (Me tan), a venture created to develop entertainn1ent and n1edia specifically for the Chinese n1arketplace. [Transcript fro1 n interview with L arry Nan1er.] Q: Why did you choose to do business with China in the beginning? A When I \vent there, I realized very quickly that it was going to be one of : the fastest developing n1arkets based just on the sheer market size. For a person like n1e, \vho has ahvays chosen to be an independent it's Larry Nan1er becon1e very hard to be an independent in the n1edia business in the U.S. I felt christopher De Hau Lee n1uch n1ore opportunity existed in China for what I do. Q: What's the current trend? Do you think the market is getting bigger and the environment is getting easer for you to do business there? A • The n1arket is definitely getting bigger. There a~e more and n1ore people e have n1one y, that n1eans n1ore and n1ore advert1 sen1ent gets spent to sell then1 shit. Y ou know basically, all n1edia needs advertisen1ent and brand n1oney to fuel the engine of creativity. As the n1arket continues to get bigger, it's gets n1uch n1ore con1plex though, it was actually n1uch sin1pler 5 years ago. But you know, as things get bigger, n1ore people try to regulate then1 and control then1 , so it's gotten harder than it ~vas 5 years ago. Q: Currently a lot of companies in America are trying to reach the Chinese market, what do you think are the biggest challenges for them right now? A • There are whole bunch of difficulties. Nu n1ber one is not u nderstanding • c hina or Chinese consu n1ers. I n1ean there's a huge diffe rence in 1nentality. The luxury n1arket is so different there; The money in c hina skews n1uch younger than it does in the us or in anywhere else in the world. Here if you were to try sell Chanel, you \vould create son1ething that went on ;on1ething that went on MTV to sell the san1e r reporter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News ~ Social About Reporter Notes Interview with Larry Namer An entertainn1ent industry veteran with over 38 years professional experience in cable television, live events and new n1edia, Larry Na1 ner is a founding partner of Metan Developn1ent Group (Me tan), a venture created to develop entertainn1ent and n1edia specifically for the Chinese n1arketplace. [Transcript fro1 n interview with L arry Nan1er.] Q: Why did you choose to do business with China in the beginning? A When I \vent there, I realized very quickly that it was going to be one of : the fastest developing n1arkets based just on the sheer market size. For a person like n1e, \vho has ahvays chosen to be an independent it's Larry Nan1er becon1e very hard to be an independent in the n1edia business in the U.S. I felt christopher De Hau Lee n1uch n1ore opportunity existed in China for what I do. Q: What's the current trend? Do you think the market is getting bigger and the environment is getting easer for you to do business there? A • The n1arket is definitely getting bigger. There a~e more and n1ore people e have n1one y, that n1eans n1ore and n1ore advert1 sen1ent gets spent to sell then1 shit. Y ou know basically, all n1edia needs advertisen1ent and brand n1oney to fuel the engine of creativity. As the n1arket continues to get bigger, it's gets n1uch n1ore con1plex though, it was actually n1uch sin1pler 5 years ago. But you know, as things get bigger, n1ore people try to regulate then1 and control then1 , so it's gotten harder than it ~vas 5 years ago. Q: Currently a lot of companies in America are trying to reach the Chinese market, what do you think are the biggest challenges for them right now? A • There are whole bunch of difficulties. Nu n1ber one is not u nderstanding • c hina or Chinese consu n1ers. I n1ean there's a huge diffe rence in 1nentality. The luxury n1arket is so different there; The money in c hina skews n1uch younger than it does in the us or in anywhere else in the world. Here if you were to try sell Chanel, you \vould create son1ething that went on ;on1ething that went on MTV to sell the san1e ) reporter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News ~ Social About Q: Do you think the western media are now paying enough attention to the Chinese market? A They are paying nlore attention. The L A Tin1e's calendar section novv ! has reporters in Beijing. which is kind of interesting. They are paying nlore attention. They are beginning to learn to not report on China by putting a reporter in Hong Kong or Singapore. You know if you run a report on nlainland you have to have a reporter in nlainland. But still. western reporters tend to flock together. so you go to Shanghai and western reporters. who do they hang out vvith? They hang out with the other western reporters. So I' n1 not quite so sure what they'll learn about china unless they put then1selves in a position to learn about china. Q: can you name some examples of big budget movies trying to reach the Chinese market? A • Everybody now is looking at China. which novv represents over 10% of • the box office. When you cast the filn1s you need to start paying attention to china. like what an1 I gonna do with this filn1 to help nle with the Chinese nlarke t. It's turned out to be a boon1 for Chinese actors and actresses because they're now finding roles in fi ln1s when a few years ago they never did. You're seeing nlore and nlore attention paid to the Chinese market - you could look at fron1 the super hero nlovies: everybody's trying to figure out what the Chinese character is. or how to integrate Chinese products. and things like that. It's beginning to happen. but again it's very early on. It feels aln1ost forced to nle. To me Looper was a great exan1ple. how they tried to justify Looper as a coproduction. If you really looked at the nlovie in the background of one scene you can see actually see a Chinese person (jokingly). I'n1 not quite sure that's what a coproduction is supposed to be. It needs to nlature a little and find stories that nlake sense for both. Q: We know a lot of examples for American productions trying to reach the Chinese market is there any example that's the opposite way, like maybe something Chinese going to America? A • Son1e very bad atten1pts at doing it. You know. the nlentality is different e l nlean you look at all of the countries. you know the European countries and they're trying to develop son1ething ... Hollyvvood is very good at what they do. No nlatter whether it's China or Russia or anybody else who tries to son1ehow protect their people fron1 Hollywood. Hollywood nlovies are gonna end up loved by people all around the world. It's taken us 100 years to perfect that art forn1. In china there are so1ne very good filn1n1akers con1ing along. but they're nlaking nlovies that are very clearly focused for Chinese audience. · · · · ,ce. So then when they try and becon1 e western ,... reporter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News ~ Social About that art forn1. In china there are son1e very good filn11nakers con1 ing along. but they're n1aking n1ovies that are very clearly focused for Chinese audience. W hich is not a western audience. So then when they try and becon1e western they don't really understand the essence of western n1edia. which is great storytelling. and they try and n1ake it up with other stuff ... effects. and t hings. I think Grandn1aster is a great exan1ple. That was gonna be THE Chinese n1ovie that broke t hrough. and I n1ean I liked it but then again I know more about China ... but it doesn't work for a vvestern audience. It just n1 oves too slow. the nonlinear storytelling. I n1ean it's just not accepted anywhere in the world. It's not even accepted in c hina. I don't think that n1ovie did well there! Q: So you think that for Chinese pictures to break into the American market still has a long way to go. A • Yeah. I think it's a generation away. I don't find a lot of writing skills. the • secret to any good n1ovie is writing. the secret to any good TV show is writing. If it's not written well it doesn't n1 atter who the actors are or how well you shoot it it's gonna be bad. So you've gotta get the writing down. I don't see a heck of a lot of good writing. But now you look at it and see all these young Chinese folks that are in Annenberg and going to NYU learning writing the right way and now are gonna go back and. you know. even in An1erican writing you don't write great right after college. you kind of get into your 30s and your 40s the writing begins to becon1e fine. so you know it'll take son1e tin1e. but it's 10 years away I guess. Q: So for younger folks who are trying to do business in the media area, or in entertainment, but they're focusing on the Chinese market, what is your suggestion for them? A I think it's a huge opportunity for A) n1aking n1oney but B) expressing : your creativity. and creating webisodic stu ff. Nun1ber one in c hin A young people consun1e n1edia on the web. so whether it's 3 n1inute : YouTube video or 30 n1inu te TV show. or hour dran1as. people use the web aln1ost as a giant D VR in china. Nobody really \"latches "TV TV" they watch TV-like progra1nn1ing but they'll watch it on a con1puting device. So I think there's a huge opportunity due to the sheer size of the n1 arket you can an1ass a very large audience and the brands that typically pay for stuff are beginning to realize that if they wanna reach you ng urban affluent consun1ers. the way to do it is through web content not necessarily TV content. Even if you take the channels that supposedly skew young. like Hunan. they don't really skew that if you look at the nun1bers they don't really skew that young. Y ou're still gonna get at Hunan TV over half of the audience is gonna be old or farn1ers. •ncent or youkou you're not gonna get old or ) reporter note$ x +- ...:i: X D cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News l«·;1"rl• 1 N .tr·' Social About skew that if you look at the nun1bers they don't really skew that young. Y ou're still gonna get at Hunan TV over half of the audience is gonna be old or farn1ers. But if you put son1ething on Tencent or youkou you're not gonna get old or farmers. you're gonna get 100% young people who know hO\V to use a computer. Q: After President Xi Jinpeng's Chinese dream theory and speech, a lot of people tend to think that it's looser right now in china - people are accepting more American entertainment elements into their society, but it seems that the regulations are getting more and more strict. Which side do you agree with? I think on the web its still pretty liberal. I n1ean you can do a lot of stuff • • there. I n1ean it's not closely scrutinized at all. I kind of understand what they're doing but like I said a lot of it's just naive. First of all you can't regulate what young people in China are gonna watch and not watch. they're gonna watch what they feel like whether the government likes it or not. It's not hard to have a VPN and get facebook and what not. If they think they're gonna regulate that away. I think that's wrong. I n1ean it's not gonna happen that way. But I have a lot of problen1s with certain parts of western nledia. which I don't think are right. I n1ean for us to talk about watching people shoot other kids in schools. and say that violent TV didn't have an effect on that. is bullshit! of course it did! So I think American TV in particular has gotten way too loose on that. because there are societal effects to teaching that violence is like whatever. So where is the balance? I think china goes one way and An1erica goes the other way. but I think there's something in the nliddle that probably makes the most sense. Mr. Lee has over 16 years of entertainment industry experience and is the President and Founder of Move Eye Media. a USA and China based Entertainn1ent Production and Consulting company. He is as president of Chinese studio Drean1s of the Dragon Pictures (DDP) film entertainn1ent division. overseeing filn1 developn1ent and production as well as inte rnational business for the con1pany. Mr. Lee is a graduate in Biology fron1 UCLA. an UCLA Alu1nni ) re porter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... well as international business for the con1pany. Mr. Lee is a graduate in Biology fron1 UCLA. an UCLAAlun1ni representat ive in Beijing. and a guest lecturer in UCLA's Doing B usiness in China course. [sou rce: http://www.n1ove-eye.con1/ about.html]. [Transc ript fro1 n interview with Christopher De Hau Lee .] Q: You teach a class at UCLA (if I remember right) called "doing business in China." Can you tell me what the most important bullet points of doing businesses in China that every student or business person should know? A • *con1mittn1ent: Con1n1it yourself to spending tin1e there. and getting to • knovv the culture and people on a personal and deep level *openness: B e open to other view points. habits. and ways of doing things *Friendship: Go there to nlake friends and expand your world viev.f. not with the sole intent of exploiting the country and its people *Readiness: Though you and your con1pany could be nun1ber one in your country and nlarket. china is a brave new world *confidence: Be prepared for setbacks but don't let then1 keep you from pursuing excellence and success on a personal and business level Q: Are the differences in quality, practices, and direction between Chinese and American entertainment industry getting smaller? Why? A • Yes: 1 ) Production & Developn1ent skills are getting n1ore advanced in • china. 2) the W estern con1panies are nlore open to working within Chinese industry standards. 3) as c hina globalizes. the industry and its constituents have becon1e n1ore nlarket savvy. Q: What are some interesting differences in Chinese business models you noticed while working there? A Once there is one successful nlarket n1over. t here are quickly hundreds ! of clones. There is often roon1 for several n1ajor players in a nlarket. whereas in the us there is usually only one. Q: Which Chinese politics and economics are affecting China's entertainment industry as well as cooperation with America positively ) reporter notes x +- -~ X Cl cocaxie.com/project/notes.html Waiting for metandevelopmentgroup.com ... Article News ~ Social About . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . A • •c on1mittn1ent: Con1n1it yourself to spending tin1e t here. and getting to e knovv the culture and people on a personal and deep level •openness: Be open to other view points, habits, and vvays of doing things *Friendship: Go there to n1ake friends and expand your world view, not with the sole intent of exploiting the country and its people * Readiness: Though you and your company could be nun1ber one in your country and n1arket China is a brave new v-1orld •confidence: Be prepared for setbacks but don't let then1 keep you fron1 pursuing excellence and success on a personal and business level Q: Are the differences in quality, practices, and direction between Chinese and American entertainment industry getting smaller? Why? A Yes: 1) Production & Development skills are getting n1ore advanced in ! china, 2) the Western con1pan ies are n1ore open to working within Chinese industry standards, 3) as china globalizes, the industry and its constituents have becon1e n1ore market savvy. Q: What are some interesting differences in Chinese business models you noticed while working there? A Once there is one successful market n1over, t here are quicklv hu ndreds ! of clones. There is often roon1 for several n1ajor players in a 1~1arket ;vhereas in the US there is usually only one. Q: Which Chinese politics and economics are affecting china's entertainment industry as well as cooperation with America positively and negatively? A Geopolitics and global econon1ics are beyond what a brief answer can ! cover, and only tin1e will tell what can be detern1ined as positive or negative. Q: Do you see the Internet and mobile space in China bigger than Hollywood box office? Why? A Yes. The size of china's digital user and consun1er base dwarfs the us's : total population by a vast n1argin. If each user in china spent only $1 a n1onth, they would already eclipse the us box office. They already spend n1ore than 10 tin1es that per year on either n1obile OR internet. x D Social Media ~~~~~================================================================================================ +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/socia l.html Article News Reporter Notes Social About >>Social Media - Continue the Discussion.<< 11 VIEW I<eep up on the latest discussions and participate in the dialog. Visit the Facebook page that is the con1panion to this site. Find the latest industry happenings that in1pact the Sino-American 1 nedia space. while also ' . ABOUT The China-US entertainment industry Is booming in the United Slates. This community is to discuss this relationship form the audience and industry pov http:l/cocaxie.com/project Promote > PHOTOS ) el .... UN& ._ IMU fl t. IO~ $.1(,MaiM inf"6St0--. .......... ._ __.,_,,,,....,""""' __ · -... -..... --~ ........... 1-· --.)- ---.. ~---_.. -· .. -·· -- --· ._ · ·---· -·---°"""·-·- ~~ '--....;;~~~~" engaging 1n :;...o lfiJ!I China - U.S. Entertainment U 1hr·1111 http://www.ew.com/arti .. .I .. ./03/02/china-tops-global-box-office Report: China monthly box-office tops U.S. for first time Math can be a frightening thing, especially if you're a Hollywood studio exec invested in the continued predominance of American movies. Like most .. EW.COM talk about the trends that are creating opportunities for audiences. talent and content creators on both sides of the Pacific. While trends make for great business opportu nities. will the right business n1 odels be created to take advantage of the current n1 arket? Voice your opinion or even post your ideas or solicitations that wi ll help explore this topic deeper whether through theory. opinion. or real-world job offers and business stories that you n1ay have encountered. 11 VIEW +- ...:i: C D cocaxie.com/project/about.html Article News Reporter Notes Social About About JI.bout Tlus Pro ect A outCo Xe bout This Project >>China ets its OW~ VERSIO of Iron Man 3 after Disne allows the I f • ("'f"\1 n t ,, ~ 1 m f""(:l x D reporter notes ~~~~~================================================================================================ +- -~ C Cl co caxie.com/project/about.html a ter Disne a lows the country's fi m censors onto the set<< M arvel Studios released a special cut of the n1ovie 'Iron Man 3' specifically for c hina. The Chinese version of the includes appearance by Chinese actress Fan Bingbing (not appearing in the A1 n erican releas e version). Hollywood studios wanted access to billions of dollars that are guaranteed for filn1s that becon1e hits. censors visited sets and even 1 n ade creat ive suggestions. Disney eager to build business relationship in c h ina through filn1s and then1e parks. listened. China's Hunger for American Entertainment is Mutually Changing the Industry on Both Sides of the Pacific T he Sino-An1erican entertainn1ent industry is boon1ing in the Un ited States. Beyond boon1ing. the want of those Chinese entertainn1ent consu1n er dollars has put china in the position of influencer in the creative content that Hollywood turns out. Chinese corporations are buying up studio lots in Hollywood to deve lop An1erican-n1ade content delivered to a Chinese n1arket via the we b and television. The in1pact of this shift to chase the Chinese entertainn1ent dollar opens u p new opportun ities on both sides of the Pacific for content developn1ent. star power. and revenue strean1s. Content changes have already taken place in the way Hollywood in general goes after this lucrative Chinese n1arket. The website is an investigation of things beyond the profit. The focus will be on the exploration of these new Chinese creation studios in Hollywood and the type of content they are developing for this overseas n1arket. The unde rstanding of what plays to the n1asses of the world will garner 1 nore insight to future content growth areas and professional opportunities in the enter tain1n ent and n1edia industry. bout Coca Xie "Coca Xie is an up-and-con1ing host and journalist. Her career started with a bang hosting the Chinese Gran1n1y Awards at the age of 18. n1akin g her the you ngest person ever to host the event." That is how n1y bio on IMDB currently starts. I continued on to a career reporting news in c hina on both Radio and TV. I then ca1 n e to the United States to fin ish n1y u ndergradute degree in Telecon1n1u nication s at Ball State University. Aftwards I con tin ued on to raduate +- -~ C Cl cocaxie.com/project/about.html censors visited sets and even nlade creative suggestions. Disney eager to build business relationship in c hina through fih11s and then1e parks. listened. China's Hunger for Ameriean Entertainment ia Mutually Changing the Industry on Both side s of the Paeifie T he Sino-An1erican entertainn1ent industry is boon1ing in the Un ited States. Beyond boon1ing. the want of those Chinese entertainn1ent consu1 ner dollars has put china in the position of influencer in the creative content that Hollywood turns out. Chinese corporations are buying up studio lots in Hollywood to develop A1nerican-n1ade content delivered to a Chinese nlarket via the web and television. The in1pact of this shift to chase the Chinese entertainn1ent dollar opens up new opportun ities on both sides of the Pacific for conten t developn1ent. star power. and revenue strean1s. Content changes have already taken place in the way Hollywood in general goes after this lucrative Chinese nlarket. The website is an investigation of things beyond the profit. The focus will be on the exploration of these new Chinese c reation studios in Hollywood and the type of content they are developing for this overseas nlarket. The understanding of what plays to the nlasses of the world will garner 1 nore insight to future content growth areas and professional opportunities in the entertainn1ent and n1edia industry. bout Coca Xie "Coca Xie is an up-and-con1ing host and journalist. Her career started with a bang hosting the Chinese Gran1n1y Awards at the age of 18. nlaking her the you ngest person ever to host the event." That is how n1y bio on !MDB currently starts. I continued on to a career reporting news in china on both Radio and TV. I then ca1 ne to the United States to finish n1y u ndergradute degree in Teleconununications at Ball State University. Aftwards I continued on to graduate school at USC. studying journalisn1. and in n1y in between tin1e I continue to host events_ conduct talkshow and reality show interviews. and reports news happenings. The subject of this site is very in1portant to n1e. It is part of nly struggle to establish n1yself and grow both in the United States and in China as the nlarkets en1erge into a stable platforn1 for a continued career path. The topic I hope will be inforn1ative to others wanting to walk the san1e or sin1ilar path a nd people who are interested in this trend.

Abstract (if available)

Abstract China’s Hunger for American Entertainment is Mutually Changing the Industry on Both Sides of the Pacific ❧ The Sino‐American entertainment industry is booming in the United States. Beyond booming, the want of those Chinese entertainment consumer dollars has put China in the position of influencer in the creative content that Hollywood turns out. Chinese corporations are buying up studio lots in Hollywood to develop American‐made content delivered to a Chinese market via the web and television. The impact of this shift to chase the Chinese entertainment dollar opens up new opportunities on both sides of the Pacific for content development, star power, and revenue streams. Content changes have already taken place in the way Hollywood in general goes after this lucrative Chinese market. The website is an investigation of things beyond the profit. The focus will be on the exploration of these new Chinese creation studios in Hollywood and the type of content they are developing for this overseas market. The understanding of what plays to the masses of the world will garner more insight to future content growth areas and professional opportunities in the entertainment and media industry.

Linked assets

University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses

Conceptually similar

PDF

Hollywood's 2015 diversity problem and the powerful impact of film and television

PDF

The happiest place on Earth and finally in mainland China: a white paper to explain what Dalian Wanda Group chairman forgot when he thought he could beat Disney in China

PDF

The localization of global public relations firms in China

PDF

The potential towards change: stereotypes of females in Hollywood films and the #MeToo Movement

PDF

Public relations vs. advertising for the big screen: the ever-growing role of strategic public relations in the effective marketing of theatrical motion picture releases

PDF

Glossier Chinese regional campaign plan

PDF

Versus the fans

PDF

Young Chinese entrepreneurs

PDF

Review and analysis of the past, present and future of American talk shows in China based on the Daily show experience

PDF

Consumer awareness of Chinese brands in the United States

PDF

The color of beautiful: the case against skin whitening

PDF

Finding a voice: essays and columns from the Cuban American experience

PDF

The business of spa

PDF

The new great leap forward: a two-case analysis of modern China's efforts in external communication strategies

PDF

Foraging: the life of wild food hunters

PDF

The reality of fiction: understanding autism through narrative films

PDF

Tailoring pharmaceutical public relations strategies to different markets: a case study of the launching strategies of Gardasil in the U.S. and China

PDF

Pop the politics

PDF

Academy award campaigns: the evolution of PR and the film industry

PDF

Selling the world: an exploration of the past, present and future of destination marketing

Asset Metadata

Creator Xie, Xiaoye (Coca) (author)

Core Title The merging of Chinese and American entertainment

School Annenberg School for Communication

Degree Master of Arts

Degree Program Journalism (Broadcast Journalism)

Publication Date 04/10/2015

Defense Date 04/09/2015

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag America,China,Entertainment,OAI-PMH Harvest,Sino-American

Format application/pdf (imt)

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Murphy, Mary (committee chair), Dube, Clayton (committee member), Namer, Larry (committee member)

Creator Email coca@icntv.net,xiaoyexi@usc.edu

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c3-544378

Unique identifier UC11298544

Identifier etd-XieXiaoyeC-3266.pdf (filename),usctheses-c3-544378 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-XieXiaoyeC-3266.pdf

Dmrecord 544378

Document Type Thesis

Format application/pdf (imt)

Rights Xie, Xiaoye (Coca)

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

Repository Name University of Southern California Digital Library

Repository Location USC Digital Library, University of Southern California, University Park Campus MC 2810, 3434 South Grand Avenue, 2nd Floor, Los Angeles, California 90089-2810, USA